Chapter 290: Chapter 286: Emergence of the Ancient Saint Institute

After agreeing without hesitation, Lin Hao turned and left.

However, he hadn’t gone far before he stopped.

This was the deepest part of the Celestial Break Mountain Range. Ancient trees soared into the sky, blotting out the sun, and a cold, sinister aura permeated the air.

Needless to say, there was no telling how many powerful Devil Beasts lurked in the shadows.

Lin Hao wasn’t afraid, though. Although he was no match for these Devil Beasts, the Devil Queen would absolutely not let him die in the Celestial Break Mountain Range.

Now, Lin Hao was considering which direction to go.

"Head east. In two days, you can walk out of the Celestial Break Mountain Range." The Devil Queen’s voice once again sounded in his ear.

Without a doubt, Lin Hao’s figure shot eastward like a gale.

Countless rocks weighing more than ten pounds were sent flying by the gust from his passing figure, a truly astonishing scene...

Two days later, Lin Hao did indeed walk out of the Celestial Break Mountain Range.

During this time, Lin Hao surprisingly encountered no Devil Beasts.

He didn’t even have to think about it; the Devil Queen must have used her Great Divine Techniques to notify the Devil Beasts of the Celestial Break Mountain Range.

Standing at the edge of the Celestial Break Mountain Range, Lin Hao looked back, and a wave of complex feelings washed over him.

He never would have imagined that the woman he had unintentionally saved in the Celestial Break Mountains a few years ago would turn out to be the Devil Queen who ruled the entire mountain range.

Standing at the edge, Lin Hao began to face a dilemma.

Fighting Devil Beasts was the best way to improve his cultivation, but it now seemed the Devil Beasts of the Celestial Break Mountain Range were off-limits.

’So where should I go?’

’Should I go back to the sect and see if they’ve found the secret realm for the Elemental Realm?’

That was one option, but Lin Hao shook his head.

Although the benefits in a Divine Demon Mystic Realm were plentiful, and fierce beasts were numerous, after the Sanqing Sect incident, Lin Hao understood that the most dangerous threat was still man.

’Only by fighting other people will I grow faster.’

Taking a deep breath, Lin Hao looked to the distant sky where a red sun was rising.

Ultimately, Lin Hao strode decisively in the direction of the rising sun.

In the light of the rising sun, his body looked as if it were clad in fiery red, gold-trimmed battle armor.

Before long, Lin Hao found himself on a small path.

He had barely taken a few steps before he moved to the side of the path as riders approached from behind.

Two magnificent Cloud-Stepping Beasts rushed past Lin Hao, then stopped abruptly.

Lin Hao frowned. ’Don’t tell me someone’s looking for trouble the moment I emerge?’

When he looked up, Lin Hao was momentarily stunned, then a smile spread across his face.

"S-Senior Brother!"

Ahead, one of the riders turned back, leaped off his Cloud-Stepping Beast, and rushed toward Lin Hao.

The other was just as fast, closing the distance and calling out respectfully, "Young Master."

The two were none other than Ling Xiao and Yang Peng.

"Senior Brother, it’s really you! This is great! We finally found you!" Ling Xiao’s face was alight with excitement upon seeing Lin Hao.

Although Yang Peng said no more, the joy in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Not bad at all," Lin Hao said with a smile, glancing at the two of them.

With his sharp perception, Lin Hao gauged their true strength in a single glance.

Ling Xiao’s cultivation was still at the Seventh Layer of Elemental Control Realm, but his True Essence was far more formidable than when he had just left the Demon Suppression Cave. He must be suppressing his realm.

And while Yang Peng was only at the peak of the Fourth Layer of Elemental Realm, his physical vitality was flourishing and his True Essence was exceptionally dense, far surpassing that of an ordinary cultivator at his level.

"What are you two doing here? Has something happened at the sect?" Hearing they had been specifically searching for him, Lin Hao asked quickly.

"The sect is fine. We made a special trip to find you because..." As he spoke, Ling Xiao pulled a letter from his robes and handed it over.

Lin Hao took it and recognized Wu Taichu’s handwriting.

He opened the letter, read it quickly, and understood.

It was about the Imperial Saint Institute recruiting students.

The letter informed Lin Hao that the Cangnan Empire’s Imperial Saint Institute was conducting a massive recruitment drive for new students.

Furthermore, the scale of this recruitment drive was so immense that it had sent shockwaves throughout the entire empire.

It wasn’t just the noble houses and influential clans; even the five great divine sects were sending countless disciples to the Imperial Saint Institute.

Ordinarily, the five great divine sects were no weaker than the Imperial Saint Institute, so there was no reason for them to send their disciples there.

But if an Ancient Saint Institute was involved, that was another matter entirely.

The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion!

The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, an Ancient Saint Institute that hadn’t been seen for a thousand years, had reappeared in the world to recruit disciples.

The Nine Martial Arts Realms were clearly distinct.

Blood Coagulation Realm, Elemental Realm, Soul Gathering Realm, Spirit Transformation Realm, Sealed Martial Realm...

Spirit Transformation Realm experts stood at the pinnacle of the Celestial Yang Continent. Once a Martial Artist broke through the Spirit Transformation Realm to achieve the Sealed Martial Realm, they gained the power to tear through the void.

Sealed Martial Realm experts could ascend to the Upper Realm!

And after the Sealed Martial Realm came the Heaven-Breaking Realm!

The reason the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was so named was because it had two branches: a Lower Pavilion on the Celestial Yang Continent and an Upper Pavilion in the Upper Realm!

In other words, by entering the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, one had a chance to set foot in the Upper Realm even before reaching the Sealed Martial Realm, and then break through to the Heaven-Breaking Realm in the shortest possible time!

According to rumor, the worldly energy in the Upper Realm was incomparably dense; the various Grotto Heavens, blessed lands, and divine demon mystic realms of the Celestial Yang Continent couldn’t even begin to compare.

That was the true stage for a Martial Artist.

Such a temptation was impossible to refuse—not for the five great divine sects, nor even for the Holy Lands and esoteric sects.

However, there was one prerequisite for the disciples recruited by the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion: the minimum requirement was to be a disciple of a Saint Institute from one of the six great empires.

Therefore, not just the Cangnan Empire but the entire Celestial Yang Continent was shaken. Countless Sect Disciples left their sects, all hoping to join one of the six nations’ Saint Institutes.

"Senior Brother, the news of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion’s reappearance has shaken the entire continent. I never imagined an ’Upper Realm’ existed beyond the Celestial Yang Continent. I heard it’s called the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, the place where gods and demons fell. It’s incredible!"

Ling Xiao’s eyes shone with wonder as he spoke, having waited for Lin Hao to finish reading.

Even now, Ling Xiao could still remember the shock he’d felt when he first learned of all this.

To think that supreme experts of the Sealed Martial Realm—figures who hadn’t been seen on the Celestial Yang Continent for millennia—would be nothing but bottom-feeders in the Divine Demon Destruction Domain... The very thought made Ling Xiao’s mind reel!

Lin Hao simply smiled at this, but he was indeed very interested in the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion.

The reason was simple: neither the Carefree Divine Monarch nor Chu Tiandu had ever managed to enter the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion.

Furthermore, according to Chu Tiandu’s memories, the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion’s legacy was astonishing. He had once tried to force his way into it while in the Divine Demon Destruction Domain, only to return in failure.

The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was truly a sanctuary for martial cultivation.

"Young Master, take this token," Yang Peng said, handing one over.

Lin Hao didn’t accept it, looking at Yang Peng with a questioning gaze.

"Senior Brother, about a month or two ago, some disciples from the Imperial Saint Institute came to our sect and gave out two tokens. With one of these, you can enter the Imperial Saint Institute directly without taking the assessment. You even receive priority training. You weren’t here at the time, so Junior Brother Yang and I took one each. You can have mine."

Yang Peng didn’t speak, so Ling Xiao explained, taking out his own token as well.

Lin Hao understood. The Imperial Saint Institute had sent disciples out to scout for talented youths.

This way, they could skip the standard assessment after enrollment, saving a great deal of time.

At the same time, it allowed talented disciples to advance their cultivation even faster.

To get their disciples into the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion, all six of the nations’ Saint Institutes were probably doing the same thing.

He understood their reasoning, but Lin Hao still refused their kind offer. "You two keep them. I don’t need a token."

Yang Peng was about to speak, but Ling Xiao laughed. "I knew you’d say that. This one is from Master for you. He said that after you enter the Imperial Saint Institute, you should use it to find an old woman with the surname Duan."

Ling Xiao put the token away and took out another envelope.

Lin Hao accepted it, a peculiar expression on his face.

His memory was incredible; he knew exactly where this envelope had come from.

When he parted ways with Cang Yan in the Celestial Break Mountains, Cang Yan had given him two envelopes. One was for Wu Taichu’s eyes only, and the other was unaddressed.

This was clearly that same unaddressed letter.

’Did Cang Yan know back then that I was going to enter the Imperial Saint Institute?’

’Or had the Devil Queen from back then already predicted everything, and told Cang Yan after they met?’

With the Devil Queen residing in the Celestial Break Mountain Range, it was hard for Lin Hao not to suspect she was behind this.

’And this time, she told me to head east, and I just so happened to run into Ling Xiao and Yang Peng. Is this really a coincidence?’

Lin Hao had too many questions swirling in his mind.

However, these questions posed no harm to him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

So, the thought was fleeting.

"Senior Brother, Junior Brother Yang and I can share one mount. You take the other. Let’s go," Ling Xiao said.

They had been searching for Lin Hao for a while and had only appeared here after suddenly receiving a tip the night before last.

Now that they had found him, it was time to head to the Imperial Saint Institute.

Lin Hao stared off in one direction, lost in thought.

The Imperial Saint Institute was in Imperial City, which was not only the capital of the Cangnan Empire but also the power base of the Four Great Families. This trip wasn’t just about entering the Saint Institute; he also had an old score to settle!

’Lin Wu, just you wait. I’m coming!’

Lin Hao thought to himself, then nodded and leaped onto the Cloud-Stepping Beast.

His physical body was so heavy that even the Cloud-Stepping Beast trembled under his weight.

At that moment, Lin Hao thought of that unreliable Turtle Egg.

’It’s been months. I wonder where the hell it’s gotten off to.’

Just as he was thinking this, the Cloud-Stepping Beast beneath him suddenly buckled at the knees, collapsing to the ground with a THUD.

"Miss me, kid?" a punchable-sounding voice piped up at the same time.

Lin Hao turned to look. A turtle was slowly crawling toward him from a short distance away. Who else could it be but that weirdo, Turtle Egg?

The sight of it made Lin Hao’s blood boil.

Setting aside everything else, just think about the beast tide at the Sanqing Sect. If Lin Hao hadn’t had a flash of inspiration and manifested the Suanni Divine Soul, he would have been a dead man.

"Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me! They were Soul Gathering Realm experts, and they had Spiritual Artifacts! I was just born; I was no match for them! I was going to come back and save you, but that Cyan Simurgh was too powerful! I couldn’t beat her either. Ai, pity me, a dignified divine turtle, forced to be a mount and suffer such inhuman abuse."

Lin Hao’s mouth twitched, but in the end, he stayed his hand.

"Cut the crap and get bigger!" He didn’t hit it, but he did give it a kick.

"This is the three hundred and eighty-first time you’ve kicked me. Sigh, I must be the most pitiful divine turtle in the world," Turtle Egg grumbled, tallying Lin Hao’s transgressions as its body began to transform.

Lin昊 promptly hopped on.

"Oof, my old back..." Turtle Egg whined theatrically, then with a WHOOSH, it kicked up a cloud of dust and vanished in an instant.

It had tried to throw Lin Hao off, but unfortunately for it, he was prepared.

Ling Xiao and Yang Peng exchanged a glance and hurried to follow.