Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 801 - Survival of the Strongest

Yu Zhibai was moving stone blocks by himself, planning to build a house for Liu Wuxie in the morning. However, one misstep caused a large stone block to crash onto his foot, bringing tears to his eyes from the pain.

"I-I'm fine..." Yu Zhibai squeezed out a smile and ignored the injury on his foot.

Liu Wuxie quickly took out a pill and crushed it, sprinkling it over Yu Zhibai's foot to stabilize the injury.

"Junior Brother, Second Junior Brother is fine. Come, I'll take you to meet our Master," Jiang Le said as he emerged from the hut. This was Liu Wuxie's first day here, and he naturally had to pay his respect to their master.

Few resided on Heavenly Gate Peak, leaving Elder Madman solely responsible for training the disciples—unlike the other peaks, where dedicated elders oversaw instruction and guidance.

The facilities here were sparse; even the essential training grounds were abandoned, filled with weed.

Liu Wuxie nodded. It was only proper for him to pay his respect to his master on his first day there. No matter how eccentric Elder Madman might be, courtesy and tradition could not be ignored.

Shen Rong was still bedridden and unable to speak. Thus, only Liu Wuxie and Jiang Le set out for the thatched hut a hundred meters away.

Jiang Le's legs had healed significantly, allowing him to walk faster. The two walked for ten minutes before they finally stood before the hut.

Before Liu Wuxie could step closer, a terrifying aura surged from within the hut, crashing against him like an invisible force. His heart pounded under the suffocating pressure. This was the power of a Quasi-Heaven Profound Realm cultivator. Even the slightest fluctuation of their aura sent ripples through the air, shaking the ground beneath them.

Jiang Le was already accustomed to it and remained unfazed. But it was different for Liu Wuxie, who had just arrived. He needed time to adapt.

"Master, I have brought Junior Brother over to greet you formally," Jiang Le said. Due to his condition, he couldn't kneel, so he clasped his hands together, placing his clutches under his arms.

"Come in," came an aged voice from the hut.

When Liu Wuxie and Jiang Le stepped inside, the interior was in complete disarray. Random items were scattered throughout the room, and the floor was littered with empty wine jars, which filled the surroundings with a pungent stench of liquor.

The room wasn't big, and an unkempt old man with disheveled hair was at the room's center. He was shrouded in a ripple of laws that blurred the surrounding space, making it difficult for the old man's features to be discerned.

"Master, I am Liu Wuxie. I pay my respects to you!" Liu Wuxie said, bowing. Thanks to Elder Madman's referral letter, he could join the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, and addressing him as his Master was a small price to pay. Not to mention, Liu Wuxie would have to rely on Elder Madman in the future.

"Do you regret it?" Elder Madman asked, waving his hand to dismiss the formalities. He didn't like formalities and preferred others calling him Elder Madman.

"Why would I regret it when I haven't started?" Liu Wuxie countered with a question, and his response left Elder Madman momentarily stunned as what Liu Wuxie said did make a point.

"This is yours. The academy's rules and regulations are inside, and you're a disciple of the Heavenly Gate Peak starting today. This means you have to follow the peak's rules," Elder Madman said. His eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and the temperature in the room began to drop.

"Understood!" Liu Wuxie replied.

His belongings had already arrived. A chest sat in the corner of the room. Every new disciple received one, and his had been delivered to Heavenly Gate Peak three days prior.

"Jiang Le, explain our rules to him!" Elder Madman instructed. This meant Liu Wuxie had to abide by the Heavenly Gate Peak's rules aside from the academy's, and any violations would be dealt with accordingly.

"Yes, master!" Jiang Le bowed and turned around to look at Liu Wuxie, his eyes flashing solemnly.

"Live with compassion, act with kindness.

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"Uphold virtue and integrity.

"Time is boundless, but virtue must come first in life.

"Righteousness is family. Courtesy is the principle."

Jiang Le recited the rules, each phrase reinforcing the values of conduct and harmony among fellow disciples.

Every word imprinted itself on Liu Wuxie's mind, but his own philosophy remained unchanged.

He lived by a simple code: Do not provoke, unless provoked. And when provoked—strike without hesitation. He followed only his heart and the will of the Heavenly Dao. Kindness would be repaid a hundredfold, harm tenfold. These principles had guided him for years, and they would not waver.

"You two may go now. The rules are written inside, and you can look for me if you have any questions," Elder Madman said. He wasn't fond of unnecessary interactions, and Jiang Le had already warned Liu Wuxie about this.

Disciples were left to train freely unless they encountered obstacles in their cultivation. This was standard practice across the academy. Elders only gathered disciples for formal teachings twice a month; otherwise, most spent their days training outside, returning only when required.

When they left the hut, Jiang Le said, "Junior Brother, let me help you build your house!" However, Liu Wuxie refused due to his injury. He decided it was best to build it himself and gathered logs and stones at the back of the mountain.

It only took half a day for him to finish building his thatched hut, and he even weaved bamboo into a sturdy bed. Sitting on the bamboo bed, he looked out the window at the distant mountain range.

Now that he had personal time, he opened the chest and saw several uniforms meant for true disciples. They were blue robes with the word 'Immortal' embroidered, representing the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy. Some books detailed the academy's fundamental cultivation techniques, which could allow new disciples to reach the Spirit Profound Realm. Though they weren't the best cultivation techniques, they were still rare and valuable.

There were also two martial techniques, which Liu Wuxie merely glanced at before putting them away. Those weren't useful for him, and he could only use them for reference at best.

The academy had plenty of powerful cultivation and martial techniques, but disciples would have to earn access to it themselves. There was also a porcelain bottle containing ten Azure Cloud Pills. Those were the rewards for new disciples, but there were no spirit stones.

Liu Wuxie picked up a book and flipped through it. The first page contained a complete map of the academy.

Though Liu Wuxie already had a rough layout in his mind, he was inwardly shocked when he saw the map.

"Is the academy this vast? There are many areas only accessible to holy sons and holy maidens," Liu Wuxie murmured, shocked.

Jiang Le hadn't mentioned anything about that to him, knowing he would soon discover it himself.

As Liu Wuxie flipped through the book, he came across the academy’s history. It had been founded a hundred thousand years ago—a fact that would shock most people.

However, his expression remained unchanged. In the Celestial Realm, sects with histories spanning millions of years existed, making those a few hundred thousand years old seem like mere newcomers.

Next were the academy's rules. Unlike other sects, the academy only provided new disciples with little allowance. Disciples could barely manage with the sect's resources, and those who failed to reach the True Profound Realm in ten years would be expelled.

This meant disciples had to earn their own resources, as the academy offered little beyond the basics. They could rise in rank to receive additional support, but doing so was dangerous—challenges between disciples often ended in death. The alternative was completing missions or assisting elders in exchange for resources.

The academy's missions were different from those of the other sects. Each was highly dangerous, unlike the other sects, which had various difficulties. There was no safe mission in the academy.

Liu Wuxie recognized this as a brutal survival-of-the-strongest system, forcing disciples to push their limits. He wondered why the academy would implement such an extreme method of nurturing talent. They had already reached the pinnacle of the continent, and advancing further was an almost impossible feat.

Then, he recalled something his grandfather had once mentioned—the Astral Domain Path. The True Martial Continent was fracturing, and if they failed to obtain laws belonging to the Astral Domain, it would inevitably collapse.

This meant all lives would perish on this continent or be lost in darkness.

In addition, the academy required every disciple to complete at least two missions each month. These were forced missions that were completely random.

Some missions required disciples to fight each other, and only the survivor was allowed to live. Despite the brutal system, countless prodigies still competed fiercely for a place in the academy, drawn by the opportunity to accelerate their cultivation.

Closing the book, Liu Wuxie now understood the academy's rules.

Due to their condition, Jiang Le, Yu Zhibai, and Shen Rong had not completed any missions in five years. Everyone had forgotten about Heavenly Gate Peak, and no one even knew about their existence.

The missions would reward points based on the difficulty, and disciples could use points to exchange for anything they wanted. This was the management system of disciples adopted by most of the forces out there. There were even forces with brutal competition, and the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy was one of them.

But Liu Wuxie was in no rush. Retrieving the spiritual pill he had taken from Wang Linlong, he swallowed it without hesitation. His priority was breaking into the second-level Nascent Transformation Realm—nothing else mattered for now.

Liu Wuxie had no shortage of resources—after all, he had killed plenty during the fourth stage of the recruitment test.

The moment he swallowed the spiritual pill, a violent surge of energy erupted within him, threatening to tear his body apart. Its overwhelming potency was exactly what he had expected from such a pill.

Liu Wuxie didn't hesitate to circulate the Desolate Devouring Art to absorb the surrounding spiritual energy. The true essence in his dantian began to increase, and the aura he gave off also began to rise, reaching the second-level Nascent Transformation Realm.

The sudden outburst of power made Jiang Le's expression shift. Shen Rong emerged from a nearby hut, leaning on crutches. Feeling the rippling fluctuations of spiritual energy in the air, he instinctively took a deep breath, allowing his body to recover faster.

"It seems this junior brother of mine isn’t so simple," Jiang Le muttered, his gaze fixed on Liu Wuxie’s hut.