by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
Soon, they arrived at the city hall. Tang Longfei and Ning Wenhuang were there waiting. As for Yan Shengqiu, he had departed ahead of time. That was because he did not wish to offend the Ye Clan for the sake of Xiang Shaoyun. After all, the Yan Clan was also based in the Yu Province, and nothing good would come out of offending the Ye Clan.
As for Ning Wenhuang, she had less misgivings. In any case, she had feelings for Tang Longfei and would not be overly bothered about the Ye Clan. At this time, Tang Zhan and Yu Chenba walked out from the building. Tang Zhan smiled and said, "May all of you be successful in the test."
"Don't worry, Father. I won't disappoint you," said Tang Longfei.
Ning Chenba also said something to Ning Wenhuang. When they were done, the group finally set off. Instead of flying, they would be using a teleportation formation within the city to arrive near the Dragon Phoenix Academy.
Other cities might not have a teleportation formation reaching the Dragon Phoenix Academy, but that was definitely not the case for this Bloodsin City. After all, the Bloodsin Cities were among the most important cities in the world. The Four Great Ancient Academies would even occasionally send their disciples to those cities for tempering.
Thus, such a formation was available in the city. It was located at an eastern corner of the city. Elders of the four academies were stationed there, and only members of the four academies were allowed to use it. Tang Longfei knew where the formation was, and he brought the group there straight away.
When the group arrived, they found that it was a rather concealed location that was hard to notice. However, a considerable number of youngsters were currently gathered in its vicinity. All of them were late-stage Kings. Each of them had a powerful mount, and currently, they were chatting in groups of three or four.
Xiang Shaoyun's group became the center of attention the moment they arrived. Tang Longfei was well-known and many people extended greetings to him when he arrived. Even those who did not personally know him would nod at him as a form of greeting. Tang Longfei responded to the greetings nonchalantly. He knew that they were all talented cultivators representing different organizations. Although he was a local tyrant, he did not wish to offend these many people.
"There are four teleportation formations here. That is the one heading to the Dragon Phoenix Academy," said Tang Longfei as he brought the group toward a certain direction.
There, a spirited old man was seated on the ground, checking the jade plates of the youngsters one by one. The jade plate would serve as both a proof of identity and a pass to use the formation.
Xiang Shaoyun took out his special-recruit jade plate and told the old man, "Both of them are with me."
The old man scanned Xiang Shaoyun curiously before a genial smile formed on his face, "A decent kid, but quite a playboy. At the academy, forget about romance. Focus on cultivation."
Xiang Shaoyun bowed. "This kid will remember that."
The old man did not say anything else and continued inspecting the others. Only after a certain number of people gathered would the formation be activated. After all, the distance between the city and the Dragon Phoenix Academy was quite far. Doing so would lessen the transportation expenses.
Everyone was here to partake in the entrance test, and when they found that Xiang Shaoyun was actually a special-recruit disciple, their gazes started burning. But when they saw that he already had his followers, they were filled with regret. Even so, many still greeted him in a hope to at least become familiar with him. That way, at the Dragon Phoenix Academy, perhaps this special-recruit genius would show them some care.
Both Xiang Shaoyun and Tang Longfei did not slight anyone who offered greetings, and they responded politely. After a while, enough people had gathered for one round of teleportation.
Chapter 542: Arriving at Dragon Phoenix City
The Dragon Phoenix Academy was located within the Dragon Phoenix Province, and the entirety of the province was the academy's territory. It was at the borders of the Eastern Pass and Southern Wasteland, an area not within the control of the two regions.
The province occupied an area with several hundred cities with population surpassing hundreds of millions. However, the area around the Dragon Phoenix Academy was sparsely populated, as it was mostly filled with forests and mountains. This place was also one of the most important locations for demons. Apart from demons, there were also a lot of other races that enjoyed staying in these thick forests.
As for the Dragon Phoenix Academy itself, it was located at the middle of the Dragon Phoenix Mountain Range. It was surrounded by mountains, with demons as neighbors. One could say the academy's location served as a form of natural defense.
Xiang Shaoyun's group was teleported to Dragon Phoenix City, which was located at the periphery of the Dragon Phoenix Mountain Range. A massive amount of high-grade spirit crystals had been exhausted to teleport them this far, sending them across the Western Desert.
The Dragon Phoenix City was one of the most flourishing cities in the world, and it was under direct rule of the Dragon Phoenix Academy. When the group arrived, they saw that the architecture was grand and majestic. A never ending stream of carriages dotted the roads of the bustling city.
Generations of Dragon Phoenix Academy disciples were gathered here. Apart from that, people from all over the world were also living in the city. No conflicts were allowed in the city. Anyone who dared to create trouble in the city would suffer the punishment of the Dragon Phoenix Academy's enforcers, which completely unlike the situation in the Bloodsin City they had come from.
The moment Xiang Shaoyun's group arrived, a voice rang out, "Welcome, junior brothers and sisters. I am your senior brother, Xiu Yi, who joined during the previous recruitment. I will be in charge of bringing you to your prepared accommodations as you rest and await the test."
Everyone looked over and saw a man who looked to be about 30 years old speaking to them. Xiang Shaoyun also swept his gaze over and found that he was completely incapable of seeing through Xiu Yi's strength. Evidently, this senior brother was not weak at all. The group quickly gave Xiu Yi their respects. Xiu Yi smiled and led the newcomers to their lodgings.
The Dragon Phoenix City was considered a city of the Dragon Phoenix Academy, and everything in the city belonged to the academy. Those wishing to stay or conduct business were required to pay a large amount of rent.
Only those who had contributed greatly to the academy were allowed to own a property in the city. Otherwise, one could only rent. In other words, any organization that had arrived would not be able to own any land in the city for a prolonged period of time. The only thing they could do was rent.
From that, it was obvious the academy had absolute control over the city. No outside organizations were allowed to spread their influence here. Xiang Shaoyun and the group of newcomers looked around curiously without stop as they followed Xiu Yi around.
Although they were all geniuses from various places, they were still filled with excitement when they saw a top-tier city like the Dragon Phoenix City. The city was filled with ancient and majestic buildings, and stores sold all sorts of items as pedestrians moved about in endless streams, displaying the grandeur of a top-tier city.
Soon, they arrived before a restaurant. The restaurant had a red cornice roof, pillars sculpted with dragons and phoenixes, and yellow walls and grated windows. The building constantly exuded a sense of majesty.
In front of the restaurant hung an eye-catching board with the words "Dragon Phoenix Restaurant" written with a flamboyant and bold calligraphy style that seemed to be filled with power.
Clearly, the restaurant was one of the academy's businesses in the city in addition to being a place of lodging for the new recruits. Xiu Yi led the newcomers as they entered the restaurant. When they entered, they found that the restaurant with a size of several thousand square meters was already filled with youngsters. Each of them was heroic and spirited, and all were late-stage Skysoar Realm cultivators.
Without a doubt, these were also all the test candidates.
Xiu Yi led Xiang Shaoyun's group to an empty spot and had them all seated. He then said, "The restaurant will be responsible for your food and accommodation. You will receive your room numbers shortly. After three days when the others arrive as well, everyone will be gathered for the test. Let me first issue you a few reminders. Firstly, you are not allowed to create any trouble. Those found creating trouble will be immediately disqualified. If you really have an issue with someone, you may duel your enemy on the arena. Secondly, those who are not present during the start of the test will be considered to have withdrawn from the test..."
After telling them the rules, Xiu Yi left. Soon, the employees of the restaurant served them a large amount of delicacies. However, none of them seemed interested in the food. Instead, they started conversing with the people around them. They were doing so to make more friends and to get some assistance for the coming test.
"Shaoyun, do you want to take a stroll around the city?" Tang Longfei asked.
Xiang Shaoyun swept his gaze at the food served and said, "How about we wait? Let's eat first."
He then started eating. The moment the food entered his mouth, he felt strands of energy coursing through his meridians, filling his entire body with comfort. The food served was actually delicately prepared medicinal cuisine.
Others might not be able to realize this, but Xiang Shaoyun was one who had taken countless medicinal baths in childhood. Thus, he had some knowledge in terms of medicinal mixtures, and he was thus able to see the uniqueness of the food served.
Looking at Xiang Shaoyun who was hungrily gorging down the food, Tang Longfei said, "Shaoyun, you can have mine as well."
He thought Xiang Shaoyun was starving so he offered the portion allocated to him. Xiang Shaoyun did not stand in ceremony and accepted the offer with a smile, "Don't regret it!"
Tang Longfei shrugged indifferently. On the other hand, when Ning Wenhuang saw Xiang Shaoyun's behavior, she started eating as well. After the first bite, she sank into thought. She then took the second bite, and next, she started gorging the food like Xiang Shaoyun as well. Lady Shura and the Han Clan sisters hesitated slightly before they started eating.
After he was done devouring all the food before him, Xiang Shaoyun patted his belly and said, "Not bad at all. I did not expect to be served with a medicinal cuisine capable of nourishing one's meridians and aura."
"Yeah. A meal like this brings one great benefit when frequently eaten," said Ning Wenhuang.
An odd look appeared on Tang Longfei's face as he asked, "This is a medicinal cuisine?"
"Yes! I reckon a large amount of king medicines were used to cook this meal. Although the medicinal effect is diluted when cooked this way, the meal still has a nourishing effect," said Xiang Shaoyun.
Upon hearing that, Tang Longfei quickly called to the waiter, "Waiter, 10 sets of the same meal, please."
After he said that, the other people in the restaurant looked over at him like they were looking at some fool, their eyes filled with derision.
Unsurprisingly, the waiter replied calmly, "Only two sets of meals are supplied per day for each person. One in the afternoon and one in the evening. Also, this meal is not available for sale."
Chapter 543: Trouble Comes Knocking
Tang Longfei was left speechless. He had not expected that a medicinal cuisine was something unavailable for sale. What kind of restaurant would this be then? Of course, he did not dare to voice his thoughts. This was the Dragon Phoenix Academy, not the Bloodsin City he came from.
Xiang Shaoyun explained, "Since it is a medicinal cuisine, it requires a large amount of medicinal herbs. Also, the process of medicinal mixing is very troublesome. This is not the kind of meal you can have at demand. At least we get to have a few days of free meals here. After the test, I reckon we will need to pay a high price to get a meal like this."
"Since you knew it was a medicinal cuisine, why didn't you remind me? Spit out everything you ate!" Tang Longfei grumbled jokingly.
Xiang Shaoyun retched for a bit before saying, "Even if I can spit it out, would you dare to eat it?"
As they joked around, someone came issuing their room numbers. They would be staying at the rear part of the restaurant. After the meal, they headed toward the restaurant's rear court.
They found that the rear court was incredibly massive. It was akin to a village with a large number of buildings littered everywhere, and was the temporary place of residence for these geniuses. Only the rich and imposing Dragon Phoenix Academy could provide such luxurious lodging to their test candidates.
Of course, that was understandable. The test candidates were the young geniuses from all parts of the dominion. Any of them could grow into a powerful tyrant in the future. Thus, it wasn't weird for the Dragon Phoenix Academy to accord them decent treatment. That way, even those who fail to get through the test would still have a favorable impression of the academy.
After taking a look at their lodging, Xiang Shaoyun's group left to take a stroll around the city. The city looked like any other city, but it was filled with various stores selling everything a cultivator would ever need. The products sold were of a higher level than what was available at the Bloodsin City.
Looking at everything being sold, they were filled with the desire to shop. However, they held back and did not purchase anything. They would first get through the test before thinking of anything else. After spending about half a day to get a general idea of the situation within the city, they returned to the restaurant. The restaurant was packed with people waiting for dinner to be served.
With some difficulty, Xiang Shaoyun's group found some empty seats at a corner and sat down. But they were barely seated when someone shouted at them, "Scram. My young master has this place booked."
Xiang Shaoyun glanced over and saw that the newcomer was a black-clothed man of about 30 years old. He had a handsome appearance and was dressed in bright armor. With a ferocious look in his eyes, he glared at Xiang Shaoyun's group.
Behind him was a group of people. One of them looked younger, at an age of about 20 years old. He had a decently handsome angular face and was dressed in a gorgeous outfit, with several glossy jade rings on his fingers. His eyes were filled with arrogance. Without a doubt, he was the leader of the group.
Tang Longfei snorted coldly, "We were here first. You guys should be the ones to scram."
"Hehe, we are doing you a favor asking for your seats. Do you know who my young master is?" said the man in black with a sneer.
"I am not interested in knowing. If you have the guts, feel free to create trouble here," said Tang Longfei provocatively.
"Very well...," said the man in black with fury on his face.
The gorgeously dressed young man behind him said indifferently, "Let's go. We will remember this for the future."
He then gave Tang Longfei a deep look before turning and leaving.
He had barely moved when a different group stood up and said respectfully, "Young Master Feng, if you don't mind, you can have our seats."
However, the gorgeously dressed young man ignored them and left.
The man in black snorted at Tang Longfei before saying, "You are the one asking for it. Pray that you don't get through the test. Otherwise, you won't have a pleasant life in the academy."
After they left, the youngsters in the area started softly discussing among themselves.
"That man is the third young master of Southern Wasteland's Feng Clan, Feng Xiaosha. I heard he is a special-recruit disciple. Why is he here?"
"Southern Wasteland's Feng Clan? The same Feng Clan that had advanced into a tier-8 organization about 100 years ago? I think they have some of their people in the academy, right?"
"Those kids must be blind. After offending the third young master, it will be a miracle if they can actually enter the academy."
"They do not look strong at all. Why are they taking part in the test as well?
What a joke!"
...
The youngsters started stealing glances at Xiang Shaoyun's group, their eyes filled with pity.
When Tang Longfei heard the discussions around them, his expression shifted as he said, "Looks like things are getting troublesome. Why did we meet someone like this so soon?"
"What's the issue, Big Brother Tang?" Xiang Shaoyun asked in confusion. He had also heard the discussions, but he felt nothing. After all, he was a special-recruit disciple and he wouldn't have any issue entering the academy.
"Feng Xiaosha is a person comparable to Ye Linshan. Also, his clan seems to have some sort of relationship with the Dragon Phoenix Academy," Tang Longfei gave a simplified explanation.
Ye Linshan was a genius Ning Wenhuang and Yan Shengqiu spoke highly of. For this Feng Xiaosha to be compared to him, it could only mean that he was no pushover either. More importantly, the Feng Clan had some sort of relationship with the Dragon Phoenix Academy. That would be troublesome to deal with. If they decided to mess with the entrance test, it wouldn't be good for Tang Longfei and the others.
"Don't worry too much, Big Brother Tang. The Dragon Phoenix Academy has a strict recruiting process. I doubt the Feng Clan will be allowed to do as they wish," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Trickeries can appear at any place, but it won't be easy to step on me," said Tang Longfei confidently.
They then finished their meal before returning to their rooms gloomily. But on their way, the man in black appeared before them again.
"You have offended my young master. I will give you a chance to save yourself. Kowtow to my young master and become his follower. We will let your insolence slide," said the man in black. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he wore an expression of disdain.
He had ignored the others in Tang Longfei's group. In his eyes, although Ning Wenhuang and Lady Shura looked like they were here for the test, Xiang Shaoyun and the Han Clan sisters seemed more like they were only here for fun. Thus, he had ignored all of them.