The agreement between the Sparkle Academy and various countries regarding exchange students stipulated that young members of royal families from these nations would receive benefits and teaching conditions comparable to official students. Upon completion of their three-year cultivation period, they would return to their respective countries, with the Sparkle Academy expressly forbidden from obstructing their departure.
The latter point was particularly emphasized by the countries in the agreement.
They harbored concerns about the Sparkle Academy abducting their talented young prodigies, though the possibility was minuscule.
In return, these nations would pay a substantial tuition fee for the exchange program.
This differed from the training camp's reception of exchange students like Anna during the Blue Star era. Back then, the training camp aimed to cultivate pioneers and spread the correct path of the mystical arts, thereby reducing the extremely high mortality rate during the early stages of the mystical era.
Currently, the Sparkle Academy’s acceptance of exchange students was purely a business transaction.
The academy required substantial funding for its operations, and the various countries were eager to access the Sparkle Academy's cultivation system. This mutual interest led to a perfect alignment of their goals. Furthermore, if they could subtly influence the countries through these exchange students from the Seven Kingdoms, who held considerable status, to pay more attention to the threat of the Evil Gods, it would be a win-win situation.
"Although the lack of screening has resulted in a mixed bag of character among these exchange students, it doesn't matter much. Miss will be keeping a close eye on them twenty-four hours a day."
The academy would not indulge them.
Three were expelled on the first day, and two more on the second.
Immediately, a sense of calm pervaded the academy.
Some princes and princesses, who considered themselves of noble birth, found this unbelievable. However, their patrons not only raised no objections but also severely reprimanded and warned them. These princes and princesses could only widen their eyes, and then… they completely accepted reality.
To avoid any gossip, the academy refunded the substantial tuition fees of these five expelled exchange students.
However, none of the countries accepted the refunds.
They were too proud to do so… In their view, the Sparkle Academy was excessively strict. Yet, all the regulations were clearly written in the student handbook, and everyone else could abide by them. How could their own descendants be expelled?
This was an utter disgrace to their royal families!
Several Mythicals furiously berated their useless descendants.
"However, setting aside the few duds among them, the remaining royal descendants are quite outstanding."
Fang You remarked.
Among the exchange students, a significant number were already at the Six Senses stage at a young age, with a solid foundation. Not only that, but these students were incredibly diligent, and the vast majority understood the significance of their exchange slots.
They had not come to the Sparkle Academy for leisure, nor solely for making friends. Their primary and core mission was cultivation.
They needed to further solidify their foundations, elevate their combat prowess a few more notches, and if they could successfully navigate the Mythical tribulation, they would truly soar.
The Mythical realm was an unattainable dream for these princes and princesses!
Under the guidance of the senior students, this batch of new students quickly grasped the fundamental principle of cultivation at the Sparkle Academy: If it doesn't kill you, train to death.
Students from ordinary backgrounds cherished such an opportunity to transcend social strata, cultivating with utter disregard for their lives. Within days, hundreds of "overachievers" emerged.
Grand Instructor Black Saber, the pioneer of hyper-intense cultivation, was immensely gratified.
Even Miss Ruo, who felt this was "the worst batch of students she had ever trained," let out a cold snort, her expression considerably softened.
Students from noble backgrounds… They initially couldn't achieve such diligence, and would merely sneer at the "country bumpkins" training desperately.
But some students of similar background to them began to compete fiercely.
Ordinary students' intense cultivation could be disregarded, but when noble students started to compete fiercely… even if they themselves didn't care, their elders would—their elders believed they *must* care.
Consequently, other students of noble background were compelled to join the intense cultivation environment.
Thanks to the significant feedback from their cultivation, the students could clearly feel their own improvements and derive pleasure and a sense of accomplishment from their progress. Their mindsets gradually shifted. Initially forced into a competitive spiral, they now willingly and wholeheartedly devoted themselves to cultivation.
In this environment, those who remained idle were a very small minority. They scoffed, were astonished, and muttered to themselves, only to realize that they had been… left behind.
"???"
Their former friends no longer hung out with them. They would pass by with a brief greeting when they met on the road. Even when sitting at the same table in the dining hall, they found themselves unable to keep up with the others' conversations.
"How many of the sixteen variations of Blade Slash have you learned?"
"Watch this move: Steel Bones, Full Metal Body! Isn't it cool, isn't it strong!"
"I previously purchased an opportunity to inherit the Thunder Bear Body Tempering technique, but unfortunately, I couldn't learn it. The inheritance content was too profound and obscure, and my body seemed unable to withstand it… Tutor Bright Light advised me not to aim too high and to first raise my physique to 200."
In the elegantly decorated private dining room, students from various countries engaged in enthusiastic discussions. They all came from noble backgrounds, even if not from the seven royal families, they were from ducal households or descendants of Mythicals.
However, their dining etiquette was not entirely refined; some would demonstrate techniques while eating.
On one side of the round table, a chubby young man appeared out of place. He couldn't contribute to any of the topics discussed, and when he occasionally introduced a subject, no one responded.
His status at this table should have ranked among the top three!
He was a prince from the Cloud Map Kingdom! What audacity!
*Bang—*
The chubby young man slammed the table, causing it to shake and soup to splash.
"Blade Slash is just a low-level inheritance, what's so great about studying it? Our Mountain Rock Kingdom has dozens, even hundreds, of such inheritances!"
However, instead of the usual agreement and flattery, he was met only with surprised and peculiar glances.
The stares made the chubby young man’s face burn with shame.
Had he said something wrong?
Had he said something wrong??
Blade Slash was originally just a piece of trash, a low-level ability!
Prince Artula of the Crimson Sand Kingdom, the eighteenth prince, looked at the chubby young man and said, "Blade Slash is a basic ability, but that doesn't mean it's weak. Our academy has an assistant instructor who has used Blade Slash to instantly kill a six-star malevolent spirit. Many tutors who are already at the Mythical realm are proficient in Blade Slash… Moreover, how many of the sixteen variations of Blade Slash one can execute represents their individual comprehension and energy control. Being able to fully master all the variations of Blade Slash will make learning other abilities twice as effective in the future."
After speaking, seeing the chubby prince from the Cloud Map Kingdom still glaring with resentment, Artula sighed with disappointment:
"Don't you understand yet?"
"You still don't understand after all this time, honestly, your exchange scholarship is utterly wasted."
Artula envied the chubby prince's scholarship and his remaining tuition balance, but he also resented the prince's mediocrity.
It was truly… a waste!
The next day,
The chubby prince from the Cloud Map Kingdom directly withdrew from the academy. However, this caused not even a ripple within the academy; it wasn't even worthy of being discussed as gossip.
Students who knew the chubby prince vaguely heard about it and then went back to discussing cultivation matters on their own.
No one cared.
Except for the royal elder who was currently beating the chubby prince severely.
The Sparkle Academy, as the recent focal point of the Cloud Radiance Great Domain, was actively discussed by people incessantly.
However, the academy had already settled into its normal routine. Apart from those expelled or who withdrew on their own, everyone else was cultivating with a mix of pain and joy.
Another place that was indifferent, with little news about the Sparkle Academy, was the Central Sacred Court, adjacent to the Cloud Radiance Great Domain.
Yes,
The outside world generally associated the Central Sacred Court with the Cloud Radiance Great Domain, but the Sacred Court citizens did not see it that way. They were noble citizens of the Sacred Court, and their Sacred Court was a realm unto itself.
The territory of the Sacred Court was indeed vast.
It was far from comparable to a Great Domain, but compared to super oases, it far surpassed them, by more than a hundred times.
The Central Sacred Court was ruled by the noble and great "Sacred Lord," who held supreme authority.
Beneath him was the cabinet, headed by the "Four Grand Elders"… equivalent to the nine Pillar States of the Candela Empire.
The vast territories of the Sacred Court were divided into 13 provinces, with provincial "Governors" holding great power… comparable to the 50 provinces of the Candela Empire.
At this time, the Luoxia Province, known as the gateway to the Central Sacred Court, welcomed a distinguished guest.
"Your Excellency Xi Guang, it has been a long time."
"Indeed, it has been over a thousand years since we last met. Time passes so quickly; in a blink, we are both demigods…"
Within the Governor's mansion of Luoxia, two revered demigods exchanged pleasantries.
Seated nearby were seven or eight Mythicals from the Luoxia Province and the Ancient Moon Dynasty.
After the pleasantries, Demigod Xi Guang quickly stated his purpose.
He cautiously mentioned the possibility of the Evil Gods still being in slumber and about to awaken, as a form of probing.
The Governor of Luoxia's expression seemed to subtly change, or perhaps it was just an illusion.
After a moment of deliberation, he stated, "The frequency of Evil God calamities has indeed increased somewhat recently, but that doesn't necessarily prove anything. Such situations have occurred in history before."
"In other words, this is a normal occurrence?" Demigod Xi Guang asked gravely.
The Governor of Luoxia paused briefly, "It's hard to say. The Nameless Evil Gods are too mysterious and terrifying; none of us dare claim to understand them. Such matters require further investigation."
A silent pause followed within the Governor's mansion.
After a while, Demigod Xi Guang requested an audience with a Grand Elder.
"The Grand Elders are always elusive; I cannot guarantee I can arrange a meeting."
"It's alright; I can wait."
Thus, Demigod Xi Guang remained in the Luoxia Province to await.
One month, two months, three months…
There was no sign of the Grand Elders.
Meanwhile, while the Central Sacred Court remained calm, within the seven countries, Mythicals were also discussing the matter of "Evil God calamities."
"According to investigations, the frequency of Evil God disaster scenes has increased significantly in the past hundred years, especially in the last seven years… And this is not just in our Cloud Radiance Great Domain; the Eastern, Western, and Northern Aberrant Realms are also affected."
"I have also investigated and excavated many ancient ruins. I am very unfortunate to inform everyone that the information provided by the Sparkle Academy is likely true!"
The Evil Gods are still slumbering, or will soon awaken.
No one present at the discussion failed to understand what this implied.
While the Nameless Evil Gods were still in a daze, they had already brought countless disasters to the Aberrant Realm. What would happen when they awoke? No matter which direction they projected, the results were disheartening.
"No wonder the Sparkle Academy emerged, sparing no expense in cultivating new talents. But… this is merely a drop in the ocean!"
"Indeed, even if a genius can ascend to the Mythical realm, it requires at least several decades. To ascend to the Demigod realm requires even more centuries… And this is assuming they can overcome the tribulation of ascension.
"Under normal circumstances, this process requires the 'consumption' of dozens or hundreds of talents.
"Vast resources and a significant amount of time are needed to nurture a Demigod, but even a Demigod is…"
Demigods were already incredibly great beings, yet their power was insufficient, and their numbers were scarce.
Moreover, the Sparkle Academy had only just begun large-scale cultivation. It was too early to talk about Demigods. In the next ten years, it would be a tremendous success for the academy to cultivate two or three Mythicals.
However, this was far from enough.
"The Sparkle Academy's approach is not feasible."
"We humans can never confront the Evil God faction head-on; that would be like striking a stone with an egg. We need to find a safer and more reliable path."
However, this was easier said than done.
Over the past thousands or tens of thousands of years, countless heroic figures had tried, ultimately proving them to be dead ends. The heroes who made attempts perished tragically, along with the forces they commanded.
"Perhaps, we can ask the Central Sacred Court for their opinion."
"I have already visited several provincial governors of the Sacred Court and sounded them out. As of now, the Sacred Court seems… not very concerned."
"Not concerned? Does this mean the awakening of the Evil Gods is not real, or has the Sacred Court already devised countermeasures?"
"This is still unclear, but if the sky falls, the tall ones will bear it. Since the Central Sacred Court remains as stable as Mount Tai, we need not worry too much."
"This is indeed…"
At this point, the demeanor of several individuals present relaxed considerably.
Indeed, over tens of thousands of years, they had weathered several catastrophic disasters and still managed to survive. Living in the Aberrant Realm, disaster was the norm, but they were confident in their ability to cope. They could do it before, and they could do it again.
*Rumble—*
A thunderclap like the sky falling occurred.
The Mythicals exchanged bewildered glances, seeing bewilderment in each other's eyes. As they looked outside the palace, they saw the sky of the oasis crack.
No, it wasn't just the sky of the oasis.
The sky of the entire Cloud Radiance Great Domain had cracked, forming a dark river of void that defied description. A thick sense of inauspiciousness emanated from within.
"Another Evil God disaster scene?"
After investigation, it was confirmed that this disaster scene was not only visible throughout the entire Cloud Radiance Great Domain but also enveloped the neighboring Luofeng and other Great Domains under the terrifying black river.
The high-ranking officials of various countries were somewhat surprised but not overly panicked.
Similar disaster scenes had occurred in the past few decades. They only needed to sound the alarm and wait for the Evil God disaster scene to dissipate on its own after its duration.
"It won't last long, probably two or three days based on experience."
A Mythical stated.
He gazed at the sky.
Two days, three days, ten days…
The terrifying black river still spanned the sky, and the expressions of the Mythicals gradually shifted from ease to solemnity.
At the same time,
In the Luofeng Great Domain's Sparkle Academy, also shrouded by the Evil God disaster scene.
Dean Fang emerged from the Time Pavilion, his eyes reflecting the passage of time.
"Nine times, nine years of the Time Secret Realm, all used up."