Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 1780 - Ninth-Level High Immortal Realm

If Liu Wuxie forced his breakthrough, his meridians could suffer severe damage. Even so, he could no longer afford to hesitate. Time was running out, and Liu Wuxie had to reach the ninth-level High Immortal Realm as quickly as possible.

Immortal energy surged through him like a roaring tide, flooding every inch of his body. It strengthened his meridians further, tempered his flesh, and gradually eased the unbearable swelling building inside him.

The Desolate Devouring Art continued to purify his immortal energy, refining it until the energy nearly condensed into solid form.

Outside Liu Wuxie's room, Ye Linghan paced back and forth without pause. Everything here already stood empty, and only Liu Wuxie remained inside.

By now, the Azure Flame Dao Hall had little immortal energy left, causing the surrounding vegetation to droop in restless exhaustion.

Only after the immortal energy had surged through Liu Wuxie's body tens of thousands of times did the gate to the ninth-level High Immortal Realm finally emerge.

"Charge!"

Liu Wuxie mobilized every trace of power without hesitation and drove it toward the gate. The axe imprint that had lain dormant inside him also rose above the desolate world, transforming into an unmatched beam of light.

The moment that beam crashed down, the gateway to the ninth-level High Immortal Realm shattered at last.

One hundred thousand immortal stones also melted into liquid energy and poured into the desolate world. That torrent drove Liu Wuxie's aura higher and higher until he reached the pinnacle of the ninth-level High Immortal Realm.

Only when the sun climbed high into the sky and the other students had already rushed to the Southern Lake did Liu Wuxie finally complete his breakthrough.

When Liu Wuxie stepped out of his room, his entire temperament had changed as though he had been reborn. In only three days, he had broken through four levels in succession.

Shock flickered through Ye Linghan's eyes the moment she saw Liu Wuxie. Consecutive breakthroughs often left a cultivator's foundation unstable, yet she could not sense the slightest instability in him; his cultivation looked as though it had endured countless rounds of tempering.

"Is everything prepared?" Liu Wuxie asked as soon as he emerged.

"Everything has been arranged. There are one thousand students in total, divided into five classes, with two hundred students in each," Ye Linghan said, briefly explaining what had happened over the past few days.

"We'll talk along the way," Liu Wuxie said, casting one last glance at the courtyard before heading toward the Southern Lake.

After they crossed more than half of the Azure Flame Dao Hall, an enormous lake unfolded before them. Small bridges and flowing water adorned the scenery, while white lotuses bloomed across the surface, filling the air with fragrance.

On the southern side of the lake stood a row of large courtyards, each connected to the next. Aside from those courtyards, no other buildings stood nearby, making the entire area feel secluded, independent, and quiet.

The five recruited mentors were arranging the students into the classrooms in an orderly fashion. Those who had failed to enter the class had gathered outside the area, refusing to leave.

Students perched on large trees, walls, and even rooftops outside the courtyard. Since they could not become official students, they intended to listen from outside the classroom.

Liu Wuxie and Ye Linghan exchanged a glance, and he saw the helplessness hidden on her face. These students had come to learn, so they could not possibly drive them away by force.

"Liu Wuxie, what should we do now? There's no way we can teach normally with so many people gathered here," Ye Linghan said. This matter had troubled her for some time, and she could only turn to Liu Wuxie for a solution.

"Let's go in and take a look first," Liu Wuxie replied. He did not answer her directly; he had many methods, but finding one that could satisfy both sides would not be easy.

If he set up a spiritual array here, he could stop the other students from approaching, but that might only enrage them further and drive them toward extreme measures. Moreover, these students harbored no ill intent; they merely wanted to attend the class.

The students outside immediately surged forward when they saw Ye Linghan and Liu Wuxie approaching. "Mentor Ye, I'm your loyal admirer. Please let me listen to the class!" many pleaded.

Many of them began acting shamelessly and shouted, "Mentor Liu, you have to let me in! Otherwise, I'll take my life here!"

The five mentors could only force bitter smiles as they tried to calm the students. As for the five students who had previously withdrawn from Liu Wuxie's class, regret now crushed them deeply. They could not even rejoin the class because every one of them had failed to secure a slot through the lottery.

While the five mentors intercepted the crowd, Liu Wuxie followed Ye Linghan into the courtyard and shut the doors, leaving the students outside to pound against the gates.

"Mentor Ye, Assistant Liu, the classes have already been arranged. Should we begin teaching now?" The speaker was an old man named Yi Zhong. He was responsible for teaching alchemy, and since he was the oldest among the five, he naturally held the highest status.

The five teachers would teach according to the materials Liu Wuxie had provided, and the curriculum for next month was already ready.

"Go on," Liu Wuxie said, indicating that they could begin teaching.

"But outside..." Yi Zhong frowned. The noise outside had already begun to seriously disrupt their lessons.

"Don't mind them," Liu Wuxie replied with a casual wave of his hand.

After hearing that, the five mentors had no choice but to begin teaching their classes.

"I'll show you around," Ye Linghan said, leading Liu Wuxie through the courtyards. All the courtyards were connected, and each one contained a classroom.

The courtyard was spacious, with many thousand-year-old trees planted throughout and canopies spreading wide enough to blot out the sky. The classrooms were backed against the lake, where cool breezes drifted in, making attending lessons here an undeniable pleasure.

Liu Wuxie was naturally satisfied with the environment.

"This courtyard will be your private space. The lake is on the left, and the cultivation chamber is on the right. You don't have to worry about anyone disturbing you here," Ye Linghan said, bringing Liu Wuxie into a quiet, secluded courtyard some distance away from the classrooms.

After spending the past few days with him, Ye Linghan had realized that Liu Wuxie preferred to cultivate alone, so she had arranged this courtyard for him. The living conditions here were far better than those of the other mentors, and even her own accommodation could not compare to Liu Wuxie's.

"Thank you!"

The courtyard was not large, but it contained everything he needed. It had a cultivation chamber, an alchemy chamber, and a blacksmithing chamber, which naturally made it convenient for Liu Wuxie to cultivate here.

According to Liu Wuxie's request, he would reach out once every month, and no one was to disturb him during the rest of the time. The five mentors would handle most lessons.

"Mentor Ye, this is bad!" Right at that moment, a newly recruited assistant ran in anxiously.

Just yesterday, Ye Linghan had recruited another assistant. This person was in his thirties, with a square face and the appearance of an honest man.

"What's wrong? Why are you so flustered?" Ye Linghan asked, a trace of anger appearing on her face.

They were both assistants, so why was the difference between him and Liu Wuxie so enormous?

"Lu Baoguo and the others have brought their students over, wanting to seize this place back." The newly hired assistant went by the name Cheng Gang. Though he was no longer young, his ability to handle unexpected situations had turned out to be far inferior to that of those much younger than him.

Ye Linghan had chosen him because he looked honest and dutiful. But the moment she heard Lu Baoguo's name, her brows furrowed, and a solemn look surfaced in her eyes.

"Who are they?" Liu Wuxie asked. He did not know Lu Baoguo, so he could only ask Ye Linghan.

"Other mentors previously occupied this area, and Lu Baoguo was one of them. The upper echelons have already notified them, so why are they coming to cause a din here?" Ye Linghan snapped. The residences by the Southern Lake attracted tremendous demand, and only mentors with over two hundred students qualified to use them.

Before they moved in, more than a thousand students had attended classes here, and the academy had also grouped them into five classes. The previous five classes could not compare to the current ones at all.

"Let's go take a look," Liu Wuxie said after a brief pause, deciding to see what was happening.

The other party had clearly chosen the first day of his class to come here intentionally and cause trouble for him.

They returned the way they had come, only to find that someone had already forced the gate open and a large crowd had gathered outside.

"Tell your mentors to get out! This isn't a place for someone like you!" Lu Baoguo roared.

"On what grounds? This courtyard already belongs to us," Xiang Rulong said as he stepped forward. He guarded the entrance with a large crowd behind him, refusing to let the intruders enter.

Both sides were locked into a stalemate, with neither side willing to retreat even half a step. The students behind Lu Baoguo shouted loudly, demanding that Xiang Rulong and the other students get lost.

More students and mentors gathered around to watch, but they only stood in the distance and remained silent, waiting to see how Liu Wuxie would resolve the situation.

When Liu Wuxie passed through the crowd, the students stepped aside to make a path for him.

The moment Liu Wuxie appeared, the entire area fell silent, including the students behind Lu Baoguo. They all shut their mouths and did not dare utter another word.

"Liu Wuxie, this place isn't for someone like you. Get lost immediately!" Lu Baoguo yelled before Liu Wuxie could speak.

Liu Wuxie stood at the entrance, sweeping his gaze over the crowd and finally stopping on Lu Baoguo. "Where did this dog come from to bark so early in the morning?" he retorted.

Aside from Lu Baoguo, four other mentors were present, Zhongsun Wen among them.

Along the way, Ye Linghan had already explained how people had used these courtyards before. Before they moved in, five classes had occupied this place, corresponding to alchemy, spiritual array, blacksmithing, talisman, and martial cultivation. Since Zhongsun Wen had nearly three hundred students, he had naturally occupied one of the courtyards here.

Lu Baoguo taught blacksmithing and possessed high attainment in it. He was even more famous than Nangong Shan, with over two hundred students in his class.

Standing beside Lu Baoguo was Ke Yuan, who taught alchemy. On his right stood Gong An, who taught talisman art. Zhongsun Wen stood farther away, and they had probably dragged him here.

The moment Liu Wuxie insulted them as barking dogs, the students behind Lu Baoguo erupted in anger.

"How dare you insult us? I'll kill you right here?!" Lu Baoguo roared.

Before he could do anything, Ye Linghan stepped forward and released her aura at the Origin Immortal Realm, forcing Lu Baoguo to step back.

"Lu Baoguo, we moved in with permission from the upper echelons. Do you disagree with their decision? If you have any opinions about it, you can argue with them. Why are you coming here to cause trouble? Do you think that I'm afraid of you?" Ye Linghan spoke out righteously.

Lu Baoguo and the other mentors had already gone to seek the upper echelons, who had prepared new courtyards for them. But the new environment was slightly inferior compared to the Southern Lake. Naturally, they could not swallow this insult. So why should Liu Wuxie occupy such a fine place?

"I don't dare to ask how the upper echelons arranged it. We must hold our classes here, or we'll withdraw from the Azure Flame Dao Hall!" The students behind Lu Baoguo began echoing loudly. They only recognized this place, and they would rather withdraw if they had to attend classes elsewhere.