In Heavenly Dao City, Xu Zimo and Monk Grand Wisdom walked along the main street and casually picked an inn to stay in.
"This place is really lively," Monk Grand Wisdom commented with a smile.
"It's the Heavenly Dao Academy entrance period, of course it is," said a worker from the inn nearby, also smiling. "For these seven days, the eyes of the entire Overlord Region are fixed on this place."
"Are we going to try to get into Heavenly Dao Academy?" Monk Grand Wisdom asked Xu Zimo.
"Let’s go check it out. With Heaven's Will still unformed, there’s nothing urgent to do anyway," Xu Zimo replied with a nod.
"I heard the standards for Heavenly Dao Academy are the highest among all academies on the continent," Monk Grand Wisdom said. "Do you think we can make it?"
"I can," Xu Zimo said with a smirk, "but for you... not so sure."
Although he said it half-jokingly, there was truth behind his words.
It was said that each year, hundreds of thousands, possibly even over a million, apply to Heavenly Dao Academy. But the academy only accepts one thousand.
And among those thousand were guaranteed seats for top students from the four branch academies: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird. Even Holy Sons and Holy Daughters from imperial lineages would apply.
They were all preparing for the coming of Heaven's Will, and Heavenly Dao Academy was the best place to do it.
Compared to them, Monk Grand Wisdom didn’t really have much of a name.
"I have my strengths too," Monk Grand Wisdom said, unconvinced. "My combat strength might not be amazing, but I’m a well-known figure in the Universal Dharma Sect. Especially in divination, our sect’s fortune-telling techniques are one of a kind. That counts for something."
Xu Zimo smiled and didn’t argue. What he said was true, after all, their grandmaster was able to find him using karma, which was no small feat.
After finishing their meal, the two followed the crowds to the gates of Heavenly Dao Academy.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that even five to six hundred meters away from the gate, they were already forced to stop due to the sea of people.
The crowd ahead was jam-packed. There was no way to push through.
Everyone had to queue one by one to register for the assessment. Even Holy Sons from imperial lineages got no special treatment, all had to line up equally.
While they waited at the back of the line, a commotion nearby caught their attention.
"Kid, I’m doing you a favor by cutting in line. Don’t push your luck," a blue-robed young man shouted arrogantly.
There were two young men arguing.
One wore a patched-up gray robe, dirty and unwashed for a long time, with a strange smell.
His hair was messy and greasy, making him look like a wild man."The Heavenly Dao Academy does not accept those who disrupt order. Are you trying to get reported?" the gray-robed youth replied calmly.
"Do you know where I’m from?" the blue-robed youth snapped arrogantly. "I’m the Holy Son of Cloud Sea Sacred Ground. If you stop me from entering Heavenly Dao Academy today, you better be ready to die tomorrow."
"Cloud Sea Sacred Ground? Isn’t that one of the lineages of the Overlord Region?" someone nearby whispered. "Could he really be the Holy Son, Guan Changlin?"
Despite the murmurs around him, the gray-robed youth remained indifferent.
He gave Guan Changlin a faint glance and said, "You should be thankful this is Heavenly Dao Academy. Anywhere else, you’d already be a corpse."
Their shouting drew the attention of the academy. Several white-robed figures arrived through the air, each with the characters "Heavenly Dao" written on their backs, clearly academy students.
"What’s going on here?" the leader asked sternly.
"Nothing," Guan Changlin said with a forced smile.
"Everyone stay quiet. Anyone disturbing the enrollment process will be immediately expelled from Heavenly Dao City," the leader warned after scanning the crowd.
The troublemakers quickly nodded and backed down.
"You’re lucky this time," Guan Changlin muttered to the gray-robed youth, retreating to the back of the line.
The gray-robed youth didn’t even blink, he simply stayed in line, calm as ever.
Xu Zimo turned to see Monk Grand Wisdom staring intently at the youth.
"What is it?" he asked.
"He’s not simple," Monk Grand Wisdom said seriously. "I just used my observation technique and saw something unusual."
"There are plenty of hidden dragons and crouching tigers in a place like this," Xu Zimo laughed.
"Of course you’ll see things you can’t read.""No, this is different," Monk Grand Wisdom said, looking solemn. "I'll be honest with you, my technique is a true legacy. I can read most Holy Sons and high-level cultivators fairly well. You were the first person I couldn't read. He’s the second."
"Is that so?" Xu Zimo looked the gray-robed youth over but didn’t sense anything unusual.
"Do you know what I saw on him?" Monk Grand Wisdom continued. "Imperial Might."
"Imperial Might?" Xu Zimo asked.
"The kind of aura only a Grand Emperor can possess," Monk Grand Wisdom explained. "In short, this aura only appears on those fated to bear Heaven's Will itself. Like how an emperor carries dragon force, it’s a mark."
"You’re saying he’s a Grand Emperor?" Xu Zimo asked.
"That’s why I said I can’t read him," Monk Grand Wisdom shook his head. "If he’s not a Grand Emperor, how does he have Imperial Might? That’s impossible."
The conversation couldn’t go any deeper for now.
The assessment process moved surprisingly fast.
The first trial was the Heavenly Dao Tower. Each round allowed a hundred people in.
The tower had ten floors, and one had to reach at least the fifth floor to pass the first test. The higher you climbed, the more points you earned.
At the end, only the top 1,000 scorers would be accepted into Heavenly Dao Academy.
Xu Zimo looked up at the tower. It was massive, like a landmark of Heavenly Dao City. Reaching into the clouds, shaped like a golden pagoda, and surrounded by dense spiritforce.
No one really knew what went on inside, but the elimination rate was over 90%. Such a harsh standard was nearly unheard of.
After queuing for most of the day, it was finally Xu Zimo’s turn to enter with his batch of 100 people.
At the gate of the academy, rows of tables were lined up.
Over a dozen examiners were seated, each a renowned powerhouse across the continent. They had all once been students of the academy.
Some were patriarchs of major sects. There were elders from the Sunlight Sect, the head of the Skywalk Church, and even powerful figures from the Beast Race and Three-Eyed Race.