Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 797 - Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy

Liu Lin had been lurking in a corner and had only stepped into the queue.

By midday, the score tallying finally neared the conclusion as Liu Lin stepped out. To everyone's surprise, he had accumulated over one hundred points, instantly placing him among the top two thousand contenders. It was impressive he could obtain such a ranking.

"All right. We will compile a list, and the top five thousand will officially join the academy. As for the others, they will be sent back," Qu Su said, sweeping his sharp gaze across the crowd and capturing every flicker of emotion on their faces.

There was a mixture of joy and disappointment—a true embodiment of the bittersweet nature of fate.

Those who achieved a high score cheered, while those who failed were left despondent. The rankings were finalized in less than fifteen minutes, and Qu Su waved his hand to create a luminous screen in mid-air.

"Those whose names appear on the list step to the right!" The examiner announced. There were five thousand names, and Liu Wuxie was at the top, surpassing even Ning Hai. The last person only had ten points.

The participants who had passed the assessment moved to the right, while those who had failed stepped to the left, their dreams shattered.

The disciples cried out in sorrow. Some had been just a step away from acceptance into the academy. If only they had hidden from the start, they might have survived long enough to qualify.

"The top five thousand disciples can return to the platform. You have two hours to bid farewell to your family!" Qu Su said without a hint of emotion. A teleportation array appeared at the center of the Star River Valley, and everyone could return to the platform through it.

The platform buzzed with anticipation as the results were announced. This was the critical moment—spectators stood on tiptoe, straining to catch a glimpse of the depths of the mountain range.

The teleportation array flickered, sending participants back to the platform. The first to emerge were those who had been eliminated, quickly reuniting with their clans and sects.

"You failed? How is that possible?!" a patriarch bellowed, pounding his chest in frustration. He had placed all his hopes on his child, only to have them crushed.

Sighs of disappointment rippled through the crowd—after all, failure was inevitable in every selection.

"Wuxie hasn't come out yet?!" Liu Xiucheng muttered anxiously, his eyes scanning the participants emerging from the teleportation array. Yet, Liu Wuxie was nowhere to be seen.

Five thousand individuals stood on the platform in unison when the second group of participants emerged.

"It's Wuxie! He made it!" Liu Dashan jumped happily when he saw Liu Wuxie. He was so emotional that he hugged his father, tears rolling down his cheeks.

He hadn't caught a wink in the past seven days, and his eyes had become bloodshot from exhaustion. So, anyone could imagine how he felt to see his son safe and sound.

Liu Xiucheng was emotional when he saw Liu Wuxie among five thousand individuals.

"This is impossible! How can someone at the Astral River Realm advance to the fourth stage!" Wang Yuanhou roared. His son was nowhere to be found—not among the eliminated or victorious. This discovery left him on the verge of losing his mind as there was only one explanation for this situation: his son was dead.

The death toll of this assessment had reached a staggering number of six thousand.

Everyone finally noticed Liu Wuxie, who stood out among the crowd even after making a breakthrough to the Nascent Transformation Realm. Most participants were at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, but Liu Wuxie was at the first level.

Everyone turned to look at the ten examiners weirdly.

"We will now announce the results," Qu Su declared as the ranking for each stage would be made public.

A light screen materialized in mid-air, displaying the names and rankings for all to see. Five thousand names were listed in an orderly fashion, yet the stark contrast between the highest and lowest scores was impossible to ignore.

"This is impossible!" Wang Yuanhou roared. Even though he was an Earth Profound Realm cultivator, he lost his composure due to his son's death.

"Three thousand five hundred points..." Even the sect masters and patriarchs from the other clans and sects were shocked. They even wondered if there was a mistake in the score.

On the other hand, while everyone had expected Ning Hai’s high score, given his cultivation at the fourth level of the True Profound Realm, they were baffled by how Liu Wuxie had managed to accumulate so many points.

No one could provide an answer, and the ten examiners remained silent. Even Liu Xiucheng was stunned, wondering if he was dreaming—his grandson had taken first place.

The Liu Clan’s higher-ups exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock. None of them had anticipated that Liu Wuxie would turn out to be such a monstrous prodigy.

"All the scores have been carefully calculated, and the assessment was conducted under strict supervision. There's no cheating or mistake. Everyone will gather in two hours," Qu Su said, and the light screen vanished.

Many people took out a Memory Talisman to record the rankings for later viewing.

Upon receiving the dismissal order, the five thousand participants dispersed to look for their families.

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Liu Wuxie glanced in the Liu Clan's direction before walking over with Liu Xin'er.

"Wuxie, well done! As expected of my grandson!" Liu Xiucheng was in a good mood as he patted Liu Wuxie's shoulder.

Though members of the Liu Clan had occasionally made it into the academy, they had barely ranked within the top thousand. Even Liu Feng had only placed in the four-thousands during his recruitment test. This was the first time in history that the Liu Clan had someone secure first place in all four stages—a truly unprecedented achievement.

A millennium ago, there was a prodigy who had obtained first in all four stages. He had ascended from the True Profound Realm to the Heaven Profound Realm in ten years. That person was now the academy's grandmaster.

Liu Xin'er's father was also overjoyed to see his daughter's admission into the academy.

"Wuxie, I must thank you on Xin'er's behalf," he said sincerely, his face filled with gratitude. He had already heard from Liu Xin'er about what had transpired during the assessment and knew that without Liu Wuxie’s help, his daughter would never have made it in.

"It's nothing. After all, we're family!" Liu Wuxie replied.

"That's right! We're family!" Liu Xin'er's father scratched his head and was too emotional for words.

Meanwhile, Liu Lin leaned in to whisper to his father in secret.

"Lin'er, you must find your brother immediately once you arrive at the academy. Remember not to act recklessly," Liu Lin's father whispered.

"I know!" Liu Lin replied. The recruitment test was a heavy blow to him. Even though he was successfully admitted into the academy, he had still lost to Liu Wuxie thoroughly. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to see everyone gathered around Liu Wuxie.

With only two hours left, there was too much to say and too little time.

"Wuxie, take this interspatial ring. It'll be useful once you enter the academy," Liu Xiucheng said, removing his ring and handing it to Liu Wuxie. Inside was a vast collection of spirit stones and valuable resources—everything he had accumulated over the years. After all, without Liu Wuxie, the Liu Clan would have fallen apart.

"Grandfather, I have no shortage of resources. You worked hard to gather these, and I can't accept them," Liu Wuxie replied, gently refusing his grandfather’s goodwill. He knew that although Liu Xiucheng was the patriarch, even he couldn’t freely use the clan’s resources. This interspatial ring was his personal possession, not the clan’s.

"No! You will need plenty of spirit stones in the academy, and this is my heartfelt gift," Liu Xiucheng insisted.

"How about this? I'll only take one hundred thousand spirit stones," Liu Wuxie compromised. He retrieved only what he needed, unwilling to take the other treasures.

"Father, let Wuxie have his way," Liu Dashan said.

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. Liu Dashan’s eyes turned red as he said, "Wuxie, don’t let emotions cloud your judgment in the academy. It's also time to temper your temperament. Focus on your cultivation—you’ll have a chance to visit home once a year, and we will be waiting for you."

Even though he had only been reunited with his family for a month, Liu Wuxie felt a heavy weight in his heart as he prepared to leave. No matter what Liu Xiucheng and Liu Dashan told him, he simply nodded obediently, cherishing every moment.

"Grandfather, be wary of Liu Xiaotian," Liu Wuxie warned, secretly transmitting his voice to Liu Xiucheng as participants began returning to Qu Su.

He knew Liu Xiaotian wouldn't give up so easily and might stage a comeback.

Liu Xiucheng nodded, heeding his grandson's words.

A few tearful farewells took place, but for most, excitement overshadowed any sorrow. Long before the two-hour mark, many participants had already gathered before the ten examiners, eager to step into the academy—their lifelong dream finally within reach.

Meanwhile, those who had been eliminated wore grim expressions. Those at the lower levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm could accept their fate, but for those at the higher levels, the loss was much harder to swallow.

"Enter the teleportation array!" A teleportation array appeared. This was merely the outer perimeter of the academy, and there was a long distance to the academy.

Five thousand people stepped into the teleportation array and disappeared, marking the end of the recruitment test.

"Let's go," Liu Xiucheng said, calling out to his clansmen and leading them back.

This time, three members of the Liu Clan had entered the academy, one of whom had obtained the first rank in all four stages, which naturally sent shockwaves through the Central Plains.

The Liu Clan had declined for too many years and was on the verge of losing its status as one of the Four Great Clans. But Liu Wuxie's arrival brought glory to the Liu Clan once again.

Deep within the Heavenly Spirit Mountain Range, countless palaces stood atop towering peaks, their spires piercing the clouds. Rivers and gorges carved through the vast landscape, winding gracefully around the majestic mountains.

At a single glance, Liu Wuxie could see grand pavilions rising in harmony with nature and rows of buildings stretching as far as the eye could see.

When the five thousand disciples arrived at the outermost training ground, they knew their journey was only beginning—they would have to start from the very bottom.

In the academy, disciples were divided into three ranks: true disciples, holy sons or maidens, and legacy disciples.

All newcomers, including Liu Wuxie, were considered true disciples upon entering. Only those who advanced to the Spirit Profound Realm could attain the status of a holy son or maiden, while reaching the Earth Profound Realm granted the prestigious title of legacy disciple.

Qu Su and the other examiners had become legacy disciples centuries ago, and they could only convert to the role of legacy elders as they had no hope of making a breakthrough into the Those in the Heaven Profound Realm were tasked with mentoring true disciples and holy sons, guiding them to grow as quickly as possible.

The ranking system at the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy differed from that of other sects. While most sects categorized their disciples as outer, inner, elite, and true disciples, the academy placed everyone at the true disciple rank from the start.

This wasn’t surprising—after all, those who qualified for the academy were already regarded as true disciples in their respective sects. For instance, Ning Hai held the title of a true disciple in the Profound Cloud Sect before entering the academy.