Everyone was baffled—how could a perfectly healthy person collapse like that? They hadn't even detected any spiritual attacks from Qin Yang!
Martial Heaven understood the situation all too well. He sighed and said, "If we don't handle this now, it'll only lead to more trouble once we're inside the academy."
Qin Yang scoffed, "Whose trouble? Mine or theirs?"
Martial Heaven's eyebrow twitched. This whole damn mess is the trouble!
A trembling soldier approached, eyes darting nervously at the demonic beasts blocking the city gate as if guarding against a sudden ambush.
"Look at me, not at them," Qin Yang commanded. "Can you obtain a Beast Control Certificate too?"
The soldier nodded cautiously, shifting his gaze to Qin Yang.
"Explain," Qin Yang demanded. "What's the process?"
The soldier met his eyes. By not releasing spiritual energy, Qin Yang could exert his dragon's might without detection. Martial Heaven saw this as the best outcome possible.
"If you can contain all these beasts, it proves you can control demonic creatures. We can issue the certificate, but the token requires a drop of blood from each beast—and yours..."
The soldier hastily explained the entire process.
"A drop of their blood?" Qin Yang took a token marked with "Demon Suppression Certificate" on the front. He pricked his finger and let a drop of his own blood fall onto it. The purpose became instantly clear.
So this Demon Suppression Certificate only required a drop of blood from both the master and the demonic beast. All that talk about proving one's ability to control the creatures was utter nonsense!
"Come, everyone!" Qin Yang beckoned.
The Fire Dog and other demonic beasts weren't unreasonable creatures. They each used their own methods to make a drop of their blood float toward the token.
Moments later, the back of the token filled with the shadowy forms of the demonic beasts, crowding the entire surface.
"What else?" Qin Yang asked.
The Panda shrank back to its original size and perched on Qin Yang's shoulder. The Treasure Rat burrowed back into his clothes. The Fire Dog, Ice Bird, and Old Turtle transformed into streaks of light that entered the Demon Realm Ring.
The soldier suddenly felt as if the world had cleared, the air becoming infinitely smoother.
"N-nothing else! Your identity proofs are sufficient. The Celestial Academy will issue tokens for enrollment." The soldier shook his head repeatedly.
"Free City? The name's a lie. There's not a shred of freedom here," Qin Yang muttered.
"You're mistaken," Martial Heaven shook his head. "Here, you can do anything except kill." He added silently, If I didn't issue this martial ban against you, who else could rein you in...
"Oh?" Qin Yang's curiosity was piqued.
Jin Wanshan spoke up, "In this place, you can swindle and cheat to your heart's content. There's no law stopping you. But you must be prepared for the consequences. If you can beat someone, they can beat you too."
Qin Yang's eyes lit up. Now this was more like it!
"Right. You mentioned earlier that people often die at Celestial Academy due to various incidents. What's the story behind that?" Qin Yang asked.
The other students leaned in, equally curious. While everyone knew Celestial Academy's reputation for power, few outside the top families understood its true nature.
Martial Heaven laughed heartily. "I'll tell you everything once we're inside Celestial Academy."
Free City sprawled vast and chaotic, its sprawling streets teeming with unpredictable dangers.
As they walked, Qin Yang and his companions witnessed several large-scale brawls firsthand. Qin Yang even spotted someone stealing in the chaos, only to be caught and given a thorough beating.
The "city managers" always arrived promptly. As long as no one died, they became the front-row spectators at every spectacle.
"This is just the Outer District," Jin Wanshan said. "In the Inner City, people don't act so recklessly."
Qin Yang had forgotten that Jin Wanshan had mentioned before - the Gold Family's headquarters were here in the Free City, along with the Wanshan Chamber of Commerce's main office.
"Where's the academy?" Qin Yang asked.
They'd been walking for so long, and they'd only just entered the Inner City...
Jin Wanshan chuckled, leaving them in suspense.
In the Inner City's Celestial Plaza, Martial Heaven stopped.
Two colossal dragon pillars stood at opposite ends of the square, their coiled forms reaching toward the sky.
The plaza was completely empty, but a circle of high-end shops surrounded it.
"Where's the academy?" Qin Yang's question hung in the air as Martial Heaven produced a token. An inexplicable wave rippled out, and between the two dragon pillars, a luminous curtain materialized!
"Tele... portation... gate..."
Qin Yang froze, his classmates' faces alight with fervent anticipation.
"Celestial Academy isn't located in Free City," Martial Heaven declared with pride. "It resides within... a secret realm. Welcome to Celestial Academy!"
Qin Yang followed the main group inside. Once everyone had entered, the luminous portal vanished.
The scene transformed. Birdsong filled the air, flowers bloomed in vibrant hues, and a gentle stream flowed through the verdant landscape, carrying the essence of spring.
In the distance, a waterfall roared against the backdrop of undulating mountains. On the other side, the outlines of academy buildings could be glimpsed in the far horizon.
Martial Heaven cleared his throat. "This is Celestial Academy's Tenth District - a paradise beyond the mortal realm. It will be your primary residence and learning environment."
He continued his introduction: "The secret realm containing Celestial Academy is called the Ten Directions Secret Realm. It can be considered a single realm, or ten distinct realms within one."
"The secret realms can be traversed through the Ten Directions Heavenly Path..."
"All nine districts except the tenth are fraught with peril. Even the first and second districts can give Stellar Realm cultivators a headache."
"However, you needn't worry. The academy distributes a Return City Talisman monthly. No matter which district you're in, you can return to the academy branch in that district."
"We're heading to the academy branch in the tenth district now. Your seniors have prepared a welcome ceremony for you there."
At the mention of the welcome ceremony, Martial Heaven frowned repeatedly, glancing at Qin Yang.
Qin Yang was at a loss. What's wrong now?
As they approached the academy, it truly resembled a celestial paradise. All the disturbances of the outside world were completely blocked out. To live here would be pure bliss.
Qin Yang suddenly understood why the Free City had such a rule where anything goes as long as no one dies.
It was precisely to make students realize this continent is no celestial paradise.
The academy branch stood like a city unto itself. Upon entering, Qin Yang first surrendered his Celestial Token before receiving a Celestial Ten Directions Token.
"This token bears ten star markers," explained Martial Heaven. "Each successful trial in a district will illuminate a corresponding star. Graduation requires eight illuminated stars."
Qin Yang's fingers traced the token's surface. The front bore the ancient yet majestic characters "Cang Qiong," while the back displayed a constellation of unique star patterns, each exuding an inexplicable mystique.
"What benefits come from illuminating all ten stars?" Qin Yang inquired.
Martial Heaven shook his head. "No one has ever achieved ten. The highest record is nine, held by a single individual."
"Nine? Who was that?" Qin Yang pressed.
After a prolonged silence, Martial Heaven replied with a single word: "Me."
"Ah..." Qin Yang's eyelid twitched involuntarily.
Martial Heaven had once been a Warrior Grandmaster, now elevated to Warrior Star. Yet even he could only claim nine illuminated stars?