Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The old man smiled upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s cry for help. He was not surprised since even the Hidden Fog Sect’s most outstanding advanced god would have difficulty passing the sixth trial on the third floor of the Tower of Trials, let alone rudimentary and intermediate gods. Moreover, the advanced gods also needed to use their divine artifacts to pass the trial.
Whoosh!
A beam of light shot out as the old man raised his hand. Then, a shining orb appeared on the top of the tower. A beam of light shone down and shrouded the entire tower in just a second. At the same time, the third floor shone brighter than before. Following that, a streak of light shot out of the tower, and Duan Ling Tian appeared in the yard.
“Congratulations,” the old man said to Duan Ling Tian as he smiled, “You passed the Ten Stars assessment, and you’re now a Ten Stars student of the Hidden Fog Academy. I’m one of the teachers in the academy, and my name’s Yun Hui. What’s your name?”
Yun Hui was very enthusiastic when he spoke to Duan Ling Tian.
Duan Ling Tian could sense the change in the old man’s attitude and was not surprised. After all, this was a world where the strong were revered. He replied, “Duan Ling Tian.”
“That’s a nice name,” the old man said before asking again, “Where are you from?”
Duan Ling Tian randomly came up with a name. He did not put much thought into it since the Hidden Fog Academy did not care about their students’ backgrounds. What mattered was their talent and comprehension skills. Those with high innate talent would achieve great feats even at a young age.
Ten Stars students of the Hidden Fog Academy were rare among the king-rank forces in and around Skywind City over the last century. Among the roughly 30 Ten Stars students, only four of them came from the Zhou clan and Zhong clan. They were considered top geniuses in Skywind City whose innate talent and comprehension skills were thought to be high. Naturally, this was only Skywind City. After all, the Hidden Fog Sect had about 30 disciples who were even more talented. At the same time, they had about 1,000 disciples whose capabilities and ages were the same as Ten Stars students of the Hidden Fog Academy.
Yun Hui, the teacher that presided over the Ten Stars assessment, had a good impression of Duan Ling Tian since Duan Ling Tian had passed the assessment. He would not have treated someone who failed the assessment with so much enthusiasm. He was certain that none of the current Ten Stars students were as brilliant as Duan Ling Tian. After all, Duan Ling Tian, who was unaware of this fact, had broken the record and became the fastest person to have completed the trials on the second floor of the Tower of Trials. Although Duan Ling Tian’s speed slowed down on the third floor, it was still considered fast compared to the others.
‘He managed to complete the trials on the second floor within 200 breaths,’ Yun Hui thought to himself, ‘Only the dean will be able to tell how he managed that…’
After a short conversation with Yun Hui, he said with a smile, “You’re now officially a Ten Stars student of the Hidden Fog Academy. Since I have to stay here just in case there are others who are taking the assessment, I’ll ask my junior who’s also a teacher to bring you to the Registration Department. He’ll help you with the process…”
Yun Hui knew there were only benefits to befriending such a talented young man. It would definitely pay off in the future. After all, he had no doubts Duan Ling Tian would perform brilliantly in the academy and have a high chance of becoming a high-ranking official in the Hidden Fog Sect. He was sure that Duan Ling Tian would become a Lord of Gods at the very least. Alas, he was unaware that the Hidden Fog Academy and the Hidden Fog Sect were just a springboard to Duan Ling Tian who planned to use them to elevate him to greater heights in the Profound Energy Land. Duan Ling Tian had no plans of staying in the Hidden Fog Sect for long.
“Thank you, senior.” Duan Ling Tian remained polite despite knowing Yun Hui had ulterior motives for being so friendly.
“Since you’re now a student of the academy, you can address me as Teacher Yun Hui,” Yun Hui said.
About a dozen breaths later, a loud voice rang from the distance.
“Senior brother.”
Following that, a middle-aged man with a medium build who was dressed in a long blue robe appeared. He had a jade-like complexion and sword-shaped brows. His expression eased as he looked at Duan Ling Tian and said, “You must be Duan Ling Tian. I’m Tong Gu Yue, Yun Hui’s junior brother. I’m also a teacher at the Hidden Fog Academy. I’m usually in charge of teaching Nine Stars students.”
The teachers in the Hidden Fog Academy were assigned to different ranks of students according to their strengths. Yun Hui was the strongest teacher and was only second to the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy. He was qualified to be the vice dean of the academy if such a position existed. He was also an inner elder of the Hidden Fog Sect even if he was ranked at the bottom. That was also the reason he had been assigned to teach at the Hidden Fog Academy.
“Teacher Tong,” Duan Ling Tian greeted Tong Gu Yue with a smile. Although he knew Tong Gu Yue was weaker than him, he did not disdain Tong Gu Yue. Moreover, Tong Gu Yue was rather friendly toward. It was not in line with his character to judge someone based on their strength.
“Senior brother, I’ll bring him to the Registration Department now,” Tong Gu Yue said to Yun Hu.
“Alright,” Yun Hui nodded and said with a smile, “Duan Ling Tian will surely shock the existing Ten Stars students. Perhaps, he’ll become the motivation they need…”
Over the last 30 years, there had been no new Ten Star students. The existing students had gotten so used to each others’ abilities that it was no longer a challenge for them to spar. They cultivated obediently, and their relationships were harmonious. There were rarely any conflicts between them.
As one of the teachers of the Ten Stars students, the only time Yun Hui saw any liveliness in them was during the examination period. Otherwise, they lived a very mundane life. He was sure Duan Ling Tian’s appearance would stir up excitement among them.
“Senior brother, it seems like you’re very confident of Duan Ling Tian’s ability,” Tong Gu Yue said. Then, he looked at Duan Ling Tian and said, “Come on. I’ll bring you to the accommodation that had been prepared for the students after the registration.”
Before leaving, Yun Hui handed Tong Gu Yue a slip of paper that verified Duan Ling Tian had indeed passed the Ten Stars assessment for registration purposes.
Apart from that, the dean of the Hidden Fog Academy could watch Duan Ling Tian’s performance while Duan Ling Tian was in the Tower of Trials. This was another way to verify that Duan Ling Tian had passed the assessment as well. Usually, he would only check on higher-ranking students since these students were the ones who were likely to become inner disciples of the Hidden Fog Sect..