“So Yue Hantian was that kind of person.”
“You can know a person’s face but not their heart.”
“Exactly, and to think I used him as a role model before.”
“Am I the only one who noticed Xu Yi actually managed to kill Yue Hantian by himself?”
“…”
The Kunlun Academy’s announcement quickly brought the situation under control.
The disciples’ discussions began to focus on how Xu Yi managed to kill Yue Hantian despite being in a vastly different cultivation realm.
Hearing the surrounding discussions, Hua Wuchang’s eyes showed a rare hint of confusion.
If Yue Hantian was dead, then who was it he saw that day?
And how did this rumor spread so quickly?
He had only intended to release the news of Xu Yi and Yue Hantian’s close relationship, but the message had been twisted as it spread.
Eventually, even he could no longer control the exaggerated and distorted rumors.
He knew very well that someone else must have interfered, which particularly irked him.
It felt like he was being used and then made to take the blame for someone else.
You better hide well, or I’ll find you.
Hua Wuchang let out a cold snort and left with his hands behind his back.
On the day of the monthly ranking in May, Xu Yi and Nalan Yan, who had not been seen for a while, both appeared.
Xu Yi had been delayed due to going out for some time. Although he tried his best to make up for it later, he still had a gap compared to last month.
Therefore, Xu Yi’s ranking this time was twenty-second.
What surprised everyone even more was Nalan Yan, whose ranking had significantly improved, ultimately securing the thirty-second spot.
It’s worth noting that she and Xu Yi both started their climb on the rankings midway through the month.
This means that next month, with ample time, Nalan Yan’s ranking will rise again.
The disciples, who had been slightly lax due to Yue Hantian’s death, all tensed up.
They now deeply realized that the competition would be even more intense.
In the following period, Kunlun Academy was filled with a strong academic atmosphere, and incidents of fighting and brawling drastically decreased. Everyone was striving to earn merit points.
…
Time flew by, and it was already December.
This month, all the towers were closed, and the Time Realm was officially opened.
The Time Realm was located in the forbidden area of Kunlun Academy, and no one was allowed to approach it except the Dean and a few elder teachers.
This time, Teacher Jing from the Medicine Hall was leading the team to the Time Realm.
Because the academy’s disciples had been diligent and well-behaved recently and did not cause trouble, he had no use for his skills. He volunteered to lead the team this time to pass the time.
Among the disciple team, Yu Xiaoyu said enviously to Xu Yi beside her, “Xu Yi, you’re so amazing! You get to stay in the Time Realm for sixty-eight hours this time.”
Sixty-eight hours was equivalent to Xu Yi being able to cultivate for sixty-eight years inside.
Yu Xiaoyu was extremely envious.
Her ranking had been outside the top one hundred for the first two months, so she only received one hour of cultivation time each month.
Later, she made a breakthrough in artifact refining and managed to barely enter the top one hundred. The total cultivation time she accumulated was only twenty-three hours, less than a third of Xu Yi’s.
Xu Yi gently pinched her cheek, “You’re already doing very well.”
Xu Yi looked around, ensuring that Sun Yue was far from their location, and then whispered into Yu Xiaoyu’s ear, “Senior Brother Sun only has ten hours this time, much worse than you.”
Yu Xiaoyu recalled Sun Yue, who had judged them to be at the bottom under the stone tablet, and couldn’t help but cover her mouth and giggle.
Yes, she couldn’t compare with Xu Yi, but compared to others, her performance was quite good.
Sun Yue, at the other end of the team, was of course unaware of the conversation between Xu Yi and Yu Xiaoyu, or rather, he had no mind to care about such things now.
Last month, he had tried his best but failed to get his ranking into the top hundred.
However, the rules of Kunlun Academy stipulated that if one remained outside the top hundred for a year, they would be eliminated. Therefore, to continue staying at Kunlun Academy, Sun Yue spent a large sum of money to acquire merit points, which allowed him to barely squeeze into the top hundred just before the deadline.
That’s right, merit points could be traded privately.
When Xu Yi and the others first entered the academy, Nalan Yan and Wan Yanxue were engaged in a wager, with merit points as the stake.
This was a rule permitted by the academy and also a loophole that people like Sun Yue exploited.
All they needed to do was find a disciple willing to sell merit points for a wager, and then let that disciple deliberately lose the match, thereby transferring their merit points to another person.
It was through this method that Sun Yue obtained enough merit points to avoid elimination.
However, this also meant he had paid a huge price.
After all, everyone knew the importance of merit points in Kunlun Academy.
Furthermore, the other party knew Sun Yue’s desperation and deliberately charged a high price.
If Sun Yue still couldn’t enter the top hundred of the ranking list through his own efforts next year, his current assets would not be enough to purchase merit points again.
Thinking of this, Sun Yue’s expression turned gloomy.
Why were those who entered Kunlun Academy later than him able to enter the top hundred, while he struggled outside the hundredth place?
The rules of Kunlun Academy were too unfair; cultivation, the most important aspect for a cultivator, was not the most valued condition here.
He had also contributed to the widespread rumors about Xu Yi last time, but even that didn’t bring Xu Yi down.
Sun Yue clenched his fist and looked expectantly towards the forbidden area ahead.
He still had a chance.
This time, he could stay in the Time Realm for ten years. Ten years later, as long as he could break through to the mid-stage of the Soul Severing realm, he would be confident of entering the top hundred.
He would never give up.
The forbidden area of Kunlun Academy was shrouded by crisscrossing runes. Even before approaching it, one could feel a vast pressure.
Teacher Jing stopped at the entrance of the forbidden area. With a wave of his daoist robe, several wooden plaques inscribed with strange symbols floated to the disciples’ faces.
Xu Yi reached out and accepted the wooden plaque in front of him, gently rubbing the runes with his fingertip. These seemed to be a special counting symbol.
“As there are new disciples who have just joined and are entering the Time Realm for the first time, I will explain the rules of the Time Realm once more.”
“The number plates you receive upon entering the Time Realm will lead you to your respective cultivation rooms. The number plates are the keys to opening the rooms. When the time is up, you will be automatically ejected from the rooms, and then you will follow the guidance of the number plates to exit the forbidden area.”
“Apart from your rooms, you are not allowed to go anywhere else within the forbidden area. Anyone who violates this rule will be immediately expelled from Kunlun Academy. Please remember this, everyone.”
Teacher Jing quickly explained the usage of the number plates and the taboos of the forbidden area. He then formed seals with his hands, gathering spiritual energy at his fingertips to form a special symbol.
He pointed forward with his fingertip and shouted, “Open.”
The runes outside the forbidden area rippled like waves and finally parted to the sides, revealing a passage that could only accommodate two people walking side by side.
“The forbidden area is open, please enter.”