Chapter 435: The Imperial Competition.

Early in the morning, the once-quiet Xuanling Imperial Academy suddenly burst into a flurry of activity. All the students gathered in the academy plaza, forming neat ranks with their gazes fixed on the eleven students standing on the high platform.

On the high platform, countless instructors and academy leaders stood solemnly to the side. In the very center of the platform, a large, bald man scanned the crowd below with eyes as sharp as an eagle’s. If one paid close attention, they could feel a faint, oppressive aura emanating from his body.

"Students! As citizens of the Xuanling Empire, I want you to tell me, loud and clear, what day is today?!" The bald man infused his voice with Primordial Power, making it boom throughout the entire academy.

"The Imperial Competition!"

All the students roared in unison, their combined voice surprisingly louder than the bald man’s, which was enhanced by Primordial Power. This bald man was none other than the Xuanling Imperial Academy’s Dean of Instruction, Zhun Cang.

"Excellent! You are absolutely correct. Today is the day of the once-every-five-years Imperial Competition." Zhun Cang was very satisfied with everyone’s morale. He stepped aside, gesturing toward the eleven students beside him. "And these eleven students standing beside me are the pride of our Imperial Academy! They will represent our entire academy and go forth to fight!"

"Xuanling will be victorious! Xuanling will be victorious! Xuanling will be victorious!"

At that moment, the blood of nearly every student in the Xuanling Imperial Academy boiled with passion. As students of the Imperial Academy, they understood the Empire’s current predicament better than ordinary citizens. If the Xuanling Empire ranked last in the Imperial Competition again, they would completely lose the chance to ever participate again, forever relegated to a bottom-tier, minor empire, scorned by all other empires on the Extreme Martial Continent.

"Will the two team captains please step forward!" Zhun Cang bellowed, his voice overpowering the students’ cheers.

From among the eleven standing on the high platform, a strapping young man quickly stepped forward. He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, his strikingly handsome white robes fluttering in the wind. On his chest, a holy insignia glinted in the sunlight for all to see—the emblem of the Holy Hall Students.

"Imro! Imro! Imro!"

Deafening chants erupted from the students. In the two years since Mu Chen’s departure, the Imperial Academy had welcomed two new classes of freshmen. Miraculously, two exceptionally gifted students had appeared among them. One was named Imro, the other Ye Hui. As soon as they entered the academy, both had crushed all their rivals with overwhelming combat strength to become elite students.

Not only that, but under the allure of Qin Garden, both of them had directly chosen to join the Holy Hall. And in several consecutive Holy Hall ranking tournaments, they had consistently dominated the first and second positions. Even some of the senior Holy Hall students could only fall in line behind them. As a result, the pair became figures of admiration for the entire student body.

The white-robed youth who stepped out from the Holy Hall team was one of those two students, Imro. After stepping forward, he swept his sharp gaze over the crowd below and declared loudly, "In this Imperial Competition, I, Imro, will lead the Holy Hall and lead the Xuanling Empire out of this trough and toward glory!"

"Glory! Glory! Glory!"

Watching the spirited students below, the five black-clad students on the platform shook their heads helplessly. Ever since the last conflict between the Xuanling Empire and the Celestial Eagle Empire, the relationship between the Holy Hall and the outer circle had eased somewhat, but this was merely superficial. The real competition was all happening in the shadows. To focus on developing their own strength, the Holy Hall and the Demon Castle hadn’t clashed even once in the past two years. Moreover, since Mu Chen left, the Demon Castle had stopped recruiting any new students. Thus, over the past two years, everyone knew what the Holy Hall was, but few knew of the Demon Castle.

Furthermore, most of the students below were new, having enrolled in the last two years. In their eyes, only the tangible, visible figures of Imro and Ye Hui existed. They had no idea that the Xuanling Empire once had a genius who was practically a monster...

Zhun Cang saw that Imro had completely electrified the atmosphere. He looked pleased on the surface, but inwardly, he felt rather helpless. Others might not know the real situation, but he was keenly aware. This young man named Imro was indeed strong, absurdly so. In just two short years, the kid had actually broken through from the first floor of the Tower of Calamity to the twelfth. Although it wasn’t a perfect clear, he was still considered a terrifyingly talented genius.

Moreover, his current Martial Artist Realm was genuinely high; he had already reached the First-Ring Martial Sect realm. Such strength, if placed outside the academy, would definitely be on par with the standards of a Middle-class Empire.

But even so, his strength was nothing in the eyes of the Demon Castle. To say nothing of the others, anyone from the other squad currently on the platform could defeat him in an instant. It was just that the members of the Demon Castle couldn’t be bothered to pick a fight with a junior.

"Will the captain of the Demon Castle please step forward!"

Zhun Cang called out excitedly, but a moment passed and no one stepped forward. All the students shifted their gazes to the five members dressed in solid black uniforms. At first, their looks were tinged with disdain, but their expressions went slack-jawed the moment they saw the three women in the group.

"Holy shit, when did our academy get girls like that? They’re gorgeous!"

"Gorgeous is an understatement! They’re absolutely stunning, enough to topple kingdoms! Especially the last two women in the line, they’re like otherworldly Fairies!"

"Those two are... wait, I think I’ve heard rumors about them. One of the women is named... uh... I think it’s Mu Bingling! Yes, that’s it! Mu Bingling! The other one is Xuan Moqing, the true goddess of our Imperial Academy."

"A goddess! But how come I’ve been at the academy for two years and never seen them?!"

"..."

As waves of discussion rose from below, the five black-clad students on the platform all frowned. These five were none other than Qing Lei, Ye Shuangshuang, Little Tiger, Mo Qing, and Mu Bingling.

’What a pain,’ Qing Lei said indifferently, his cold gaze sweeping over the outer circle and Holy Hall students below.

The Qing Lei of today was already 1.85 meters tall, lean and slender. His tight-fitting black robes clung to a body brimming with boundless Explosive Power. His face was utterly expressionless, yet his mere presence exerted immense pressure on the countless students below.

Beside Qing Lei, a black-haired woman gently held his arm. She wore a red silk dress, her expression full of tenderness, her eyes seemingly holding nothing and no one but him. She was the Fire Woman, Ye Shuangshuang, unseen for two years. She had long since shed her youthful innocence, now possessing a captivating, bewitching beauty. However, one look at her eyes made it clear that her heart already belonged to someone.

As for Little Tiger, he had changed the most. He used to be as thin as a bamboo pole, always with a huge appetite and a simple, honest look on his face. Now, his frame was still lean, but there was a new hint of reservation in his eyes. His powerful arms were wrapped in bandages, and he was the only one of the five who was bare-chested. A Battle Axe, also tightly wrapped in bandages, was slung quietly across his back.

As for the other two women, one was as cold as ice. Her devastatingly beautiful face seemed frozen with unmelting, ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice, making her unapproachable. Her ice-blue eyes stared unfocused into the distance, as if the person her heart yearned for was there. The other was as gentle as water, her ink-black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her exquisitely pure face always wore a faint smile, but anyone perceptive could see the bitter ache of longing hidden within it.

’Mu Chen...’ The thoughts of both women were fixed on one person, far, far away...

’Brother Mu Chen... When are you coming back? Little Tiger misses you.’ Sighing, Little Tiger slowly lowered his head, his expression full of disappointment.

PAT!

A hand rested gently on Little Tiger’s shoulder. Little Tiger looked up slightly, and seeing it was Qing Lei, he managed a faint smile. "Brother Qing Lei."

A fond smile touched Qing Lei’s lips. In the days since Mu Chen had been away, Little Tiger had become like a younger brother to him. He would tell Qing Lei everything that was on his mind, and over time, Qing Lei had come to understand him deeply.

"Thinking about Mu Chen again, aren’t you?"

Little Tiger nodded. "Brother Mu Chen promised he’d be back in two years, but the time has already passed, and he’s still not back. Do you think..."

BONK! Qing Lei rapped his knuckles on Little Tiger’s head and scolded, "Idiot, of course not. You have to remember, he’s our captain. The man is a War God..."

Little Tiger rubbed the spot on his head, saying with some annoyance, "I’ve told you a million times, don’t hit me on the head! It’ll make me dumber."

"Haha..." Qing Lei laughed and gently rubbed the spot he had just rapped. His gaze drifted to the distance as he thought to himself, ’Mu Chen, it’s about time you came back. Everyone misses you, and we need you...’

...

"Ahem..." Seeing that the five from the Demon Castle were completely ignoring him, Zhun Cang coughed awkwardly twice and called out again in a loud voice, "Will the captain of the Demon Castle please step forward!"

This time, all five members of the Demon Castle turned to look at Zhun Cang in unison. Their terrifying gazes made him snap his mouth shut. He thought to himself, ’Good heavens, what kind of glares are those? They scared the daylights out of this old man...’

"I’m sorry, our captain has not returned yet, so we will not be stepping forward for now. In any case, we will fight with all our strength, so please rest assured." The one who spoke was Mu Bingling, and it was the first thing she had said since taking the stage. But the tone of her voice made everyone feel as if they were in a world of ice and snow, chilled to the very bone.

"Uh... Rest assured, of course, we’re assured." Zhun Cang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. ’I can tell from their aura alone that they’re in a foul mood. Better not to provoke them right now.’

The students below grew indignant, whispering among themselves, "This Demon Castle isn’t very famous, but they sure have a big attitude. As for their captain, he’s probably too scared to show his face."

"Haha..."

A burst of laughter rang out, causing the expressions of the five on the platform to shift...