Liu Wuxie didn't expose Li Liang's attempt to curry favor. He neither accepted nor rejected it. If Li Liang wished to speak, he could; if he chose silence, Liu Wuxie wouldn't press him.
Li Liang smiled bitterly. He had thought that sharing information about the wilderness training would bring him closer to Liu Wuxie, but he realized that he had overestimated himself.
"The wilderness training is a tradition of the Heavenly Dragon Sect that every new batch of disciples must undergo," Li Liang explained after carefully organizing his words. "In truth, it's also a competition between the three institutes. Those who perform well may catch the elders' attention, and the elders may even take them in as disciples."
Every sect upheld its own traditions, and this was no different from those traditions. During the assessment, aside from the arena battle, the examiners rarely tested strength; most trials measured talent and comprehension.
Liu Wuxie nodded. He knew well about the intense competition between the three institutes, but that was inevitable. Resources were limited, and whoever showcased greater talent would naturally receive greater support. That rule had remained unchanged since ancient times.
It was no different from the gulf between an elite class and a class of slackers.
The wilderness training filtered out the weak and singled out outstanding disciples for nurturing. That alone made it of utmost importance.
"Where will the training be held? And what programs are there?" Liu Wuxie asked.
Around them, many disciples had gathered in small groups, discussing the training. Some had relatives or friends in the sect and boasted of their knowledge, gaining admiration as they shared details.
"The sect holds the training on Avatar Star," Li Liang explained, recalling the traditions of previous years. "It's a small planet, uninhabited. The training typically has three parts. First, find a specific item, but no one knows what this year's item will be. Second, hunt astral beasts. Third, mine three pieces of Wisdom Stone."
Each year, the sect keeps the general framework the same, with only minor variations.
"It's not in the Indigo Bamboo Star?" Liu Wuxie asked in surprise. He had assumed the training would be held in the Dragon Expanse Mountain Range, not on another planet.
He already knew the Avatar Star, having memorized the Astral Domain's map. The journey from Indigo Bamboo Star took a day, and the planet had long been under the Heavenly Dragon Sect's control.
Large sects typically ruled over many planets. The Immortal Slaughter Palace, for example, not only controlled the Anlu Star but also the Thousand Leaf Star and others, treating them as private territory and forbidding outsiders from entering.
Some planets remained open to travelers, though they required payment in astral stones if governed by a planet lord.
"No, it's not on the Indigo Bamboo Star. It's the Avatar Star," Li Liang confirmed, shaking his head. Many other disciples had also assumed it would take place within the Indigo Bamboo Star.
Liu Wuxie didn't care about the location. His top priority remained breaking through to the Origin Conversion Realm. Only then would he qualify to meet the sect's upper echelons.
The rules of the training were clear enough. Three trials would gauge the new disciples' abilities—searching, combat strength in hunting astral beasts, and wisdom in locating Wisdom Stones.
Anyone who completed all three would naturally achieve outstanding results. Elders would observe the entire process. Those who excelled wouldn't just receive great rewards; the elders could even accept them as disciples, and their status would soar to prominence.
Liu Wuxie cared little for such recognition, unless it came from an inner elder. Outer elders lacked the qualification to teach him.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye, and Xu Guang returned with several other deacons. They would escort the new disciples to the designated gathering site.
The deacons said nothing, simply leading the group to the martial field, where all the sect's new disciples would assemble.
When they arrived an hour later, the War Dragon and Dharma Institutes had already arrived, and their disciples radiated formidable auras. Among them, Mu Heng and Shen Yue stood out; they had both reached the Origin Conversion Realm.
That was no surprise. With their talent, it was only a matter of time. If anything, it would have been stranger had they failed, given the Heart Purification Pill and Great Clarity Divine Pill they received. Mu Heng even showed signs of reaching the second-level Origin Conversion Realm.
Nearly all of the top ten disciples had already stepped into the Origin Conversion Realm.
Liu Wuxie scanned the crowd and counted more than twenty Origin Conversion Realm disciples. Many others stood at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, their auras far stronger than before.
Everyone had improved significantly since entering the sect. Liu Wuxie was no exception. He now stood at the pinnacle of the Heaven Profound Realm, only one step away from the Transcendent Realm. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NovєlFіre.net
The three institutes' outer elders were also present. Elder Ding oversaw the Heavenly Spirit Institute, which surprised Liu Wuxie.
"Wuxie, it's good to see you!" He Yingwu hurried over, a bruise marring his cheek. Though his cultivation had risen to the eighth-level Heaven Profound Realm, he was still far behind Liu Wuxie.
"Who hit you?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly. He Yingwu was his only true friend in the astral domain, the one who had sworn loyalty to him. Harming He Yingwu was no different from harming him.
"I'm fine. I injured myself," He Yingwu said, chuckling, trying not to burden him.
What happened within the Heavenly Martial Institute hadn't spread to the War Dragon Institute or the Dharma Institute. Disciples from different institutes rarely mingled.
"Hey, my shoe's dirty. Come here and lick it clean!" Several youths from the Dharma Institute swaggered over, one speaking with arrogance. His cultivation had reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, and he demanded He Yingwu lick the filth from his boot.
He Yingwu's face darkened, murderous intent flickering in his eyes. Clearly, he had endured bullying for days. Unlike Liu Wuxie, who had crushed his challengers and earned respect, He Yingwu had no presence in the Dharma Institute.
"Yan Bei, don't push it!" He Yingwu roared, drawing attention. The other disciples only watched in amusement.
"You're right, I'm going too far," Yan Bei sneered. "So hurry and lick my shoe, or suffer the consequences."
He had tormented He Yingwu for three days. The bruises on his body told the tale of cruelty. If the sect hadn't banned killing fellow disciples, someone would already have killed He Yingwu.
Though He Yingwu tried to hide it, Liu Wuxie's Ghost Eye pierced the façade. Bruises covered his chest and back, and the beatings had cracked his ribs; no wonder he looked relieved to see him.
The three institutes' elders stood in the distance and argued heatedly over the details of the wilderness training. They clearly couldn't reach an agreement, and none of them spared attention for the scuffle nearby.
In their eyes, such petty clashes were beneath notice. It was normal for young disciples to flare up with temper.
"Were those injuries his doing?" Liu Wuxie asked, his gaze sharp and cold, ignoring Yan Bei's arrogant taunts.
The new disciples of the Heavenly Martial Institute knew his combat strength and dared not provoke him directly.
However, He Yingwu belonged to another institute, where he had no protection.
Everyone present had witnessed Liu Wuxie kill Zhang Cheng with a single strike, but in the days since joining the Heavenly Dragon Sect, every disciple had grown stronger. With newfound strength came swelling pride, and many no longer placed Liu Wuxie in their eyes.
He Yingwu remained silent, but silence itself was admission. He didn't want to burden Liu Wuxie further. Too many cliques had already formed, and Liu Wuxie stood alone.
"Liu Wuxie, you're here, too? Good. You can lick my shoe clean as well," Yan Bei declared arrogantly. His companions echoed him with jeers, eager to see how Liu Wuxie would respond.
Strangely, none of the Heavenly Martial Institute's disciples spoke up for Liu Wuxie. They only stood by, smiling faintly, as though waiting for a show. They knew better than anyone how terrifying Liu Wuxie was.
Yan Bei didn't just want He Yingwu to lick one shoe; he demanded Liu Wuxie lick the other.
"Are you sure about that?" Liu Wuxie asked with a faint smile, his eyes glimmering with murderous intent. He hadn't sought trouble, but Yan Bei had delivered himself to his door. This was the perfect chance to avenge He Yingwu.
"Wuxie, forget it," He Yingwu urged anxiously. He didn't want the matter to escalate. Liu Wuxie bore the fate of their homeland. He could endure humiliation if it wasn't life-threatening, but if Liu Wuxie made one misstep here, the True Martial Continent would be doomed.
"I'll give you three breaths," Yan Bei growled impatiently. "If you don't crawl over and lick my shoe, don't blame us for being merciless."
He was eager to finish. Soon, they would depart for the Avatar Star, and he couldn't waste time.
"No need for three breaths," Liu Wuxie replied calmly. In a blink, his figure vanished and reappeared before Yan Bei, moving with blinding speed. None of the disciples could even follow his motion.
Mu Heng and Shen Yue, who stood nearby, witnessed everything clearly. They had wanted to test how much Liu Wuxie had grown in three days, but now they realized they had grossly underestimated him. His speed had nearly doubled since the day he entered the sect.
Yan Bei's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to strike first. He barely began to raise his arm when Liu Wuxie's palm was already upon him.
A burning pain erupted across his cheek. A crisp crack resounded through the martial field as Yan Bei's figure was blasted off the ground, flying away like a broken kite.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Every disciple froze in disbelief at the stunning sight.