In the ceremony hall of the Jin Nation Academy, three rounds of toasting had been completed.
The first generation disciples, who were seated in the front row, couldn’t help but speak up.
“Fellow Daoist Huangfu, you should win the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”
He actually wanted to praise Ye Ping first, but after thinking about it, he felt that he shouldn’t be too straightforward since there was a guest around. Hence, he first praised Huangfu Tianlong before praising Ye Ping.
“No, there are lots of geniuses in the Ten Nations and many mighty experts hidden everywhere. I don’t have high expectations, I just want to make it to the top ten places.”
When Huangfu Tianlong mentioned the hidden experts, he deliberately glanced at Ye Ping.
However, it was obvious what he meant.
After he said that, an elder nodded and said, “Good. Young people may be frivolous, but it’s really good that you have such a mindset.”
The elder agreed with Huangfu Tianlong’s point of view.
“Top ten? Fellow Daoist Huangfu, you’re underestimating your own abilities.”
“I agree, you dominated the Ten Nations, and theoretically speaking, even if Senior Brother Ye is around, you should have no problem making it to the top three.”
The disciples were a little stunned.
Although it was true that there were definitely going to be many powerhouses in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, Huangfu Tianlong managed to defeat everyone in the Ten Nations. Everyone in the world honestly thought that if Huangfu Tianlong hadn’t met Ye Ping, he would be able to clinch the first place.
However, Huangfu Tianlong shook his head with a bitter smile and said, “I’m indeed being a little modest by saying that I can make it to the top ten, but I’m not lying. I may have defeated everyone I fought in the Ten Nations, but in fact, I’m also aware that the Li Nation, Chen Nation, and Jing Nation did not send their true elites out to have a battle with me.”
“Well, at least I’m clear that in Li Nation, Chen Nation, and Jing Nation, there are definitely powerhouses who are no weaker than me. They chose not to appear then, not because they were afraid of fighting with me, but because they wanted to contain their strength in preparation to shine during the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”
“Over the years, there have always been disciples from smaller nations who make it to the top ten places of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”
Huangfu Tianlong said in an extremely serious manner.
“Yes, actually, half of the candidates who make it to the Ten Nations Grand Tournament are usually some disciples from smaller nations.”
“Yes, there are also some smaller nations who manage to groom and produce geniuses. However, you guys must understand that there will always be someone in this world who is better than you. Don’t keep thinking that you’re invincible.”
An elder nodded and agreed with Huangfu Tianlong.
“I didn’t expect that.”
“It seems that we have underestimated the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”
“In fact, it’s not that we underestimated the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, but rather, we’ve been preoccupied with focusing on the elites so we always feel that we can’t make the cut.”
They discussed the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
However, Huangfu Tianlong continued to speak at this moment.
“If nothing goes wrong during the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, Senior Brother Ye should come in first place during the Ten Nations Grand Tournament this time.”
He looked at Ye Ping and said that. It was both a form of recognition of Ye Ping’s abilities and a compliment.
Everyone chuckled as they agreed.
However, in the next moment, Ye Ping couldn’t help but say slowly,
“I’m not taking part in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.”
Ye Ping’s voice sounded again.
In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.
Everyone froze in shock.
They seemed to be in disbelief.
In their opinion, Ye Ping could very likely clinch first place in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
Yet, Ye Ping said that he didn’t want to participate.
Even Huangfu Tianlong was stunned, let alone the disciples of the Jin Nation Academy.
The Ten Nations Grand Tournament was the only way one could join the Ten Nations Academy.
Not participating would mean not going to the Ten Nations Academy.
In an instant, everyone was stunned.
In particular, Huangfu Tianlong did not dare to believe what Ye Ping said.
After all, in the eyes of all cultivators, entering the Ten Nations Academy was their lifelong dream.
Ye Ping was so strong, yet he actually said that he didn’t want to participate.
However, Ye Ping remained extremely calm in the face of their astonishment.
To him, the so-called Ten Nations Grand Tournament was not in the least bit attractive and he wasn’t interested in going to the Ten Nations Academy either.
“Senior Brother Ye, why won’t you participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament?”
“Senior Brother Ye, the Ten Nations Grand Tournament directly affects the Ten Nations Academy, so if you don’t participate, it’s practically impossible for you to join the Ten Nations Academy, especially since the criteria and requirements have become stricter in the past few years. Senior Brother, you have to consider carefully.”
Huangfu Tianlong was full of doubts and even looked a little anxious towards the end.
He did not understand why Ye Ping was unwilling to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, but he knew that Ye Ping would have to wait for another few decades if he missed it this time.
After all, the Ten Nations Academy held a grand tournament only once every thirty years.
Hearing Huangfu Tianlong’s words, Ye Ping drank a mouthful of wine before continuing slowly, “I don’t like violence. Besides, I’m not that competent in my sect and I’m scared that I might disgrace my sect if I go to the Ten Nations Academy.”
Ye Ping’s explanation was half truth.
In his opinion, it was true that he was incompetent, but he wasn’t actually afraid of bringing shame to his sect because he was still quite confident in his abilities.
At the end of the day, Ye Ping’s main reason for doing that was because he wanted to return to the sect to cultivate.
After all, everyone in the Qingyun Dao Sect were talented and eloquent.
In his opinion, the Ten Nations Academy was crowded and boring, just like the Jin Nation Academy.
Ye Ping’s answer made everyone in the hall fall silent again.
They could understand that he didn’t like violence, but they couldn’t figure out why he said he was incompetent.
‘If you’re incompetent, what does that make us?”
“Senior Brother Ye, you’re really too modest. If you go to the Ten Nations Academy, you’d really be able to gain a foothold with your abilities.”
“Most important, if you don’t enter the Ten Nations Academy, you really won’t get to enter the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.”
Huangfu Tianlong continued. He was trying to dissuade Ye Ping in a bid to convince him to change his mind.
In his opinion, the main reason that Ye Ping did not want to go to the Ten Nations Academy was because the Ten Nations Academy could not bring him any opportunities for growth.
However, Huangfu Tianlong knew that although the Ten Nations Academy perhaps would not be of much help to Ye Ping, the Great Xia Dynasty would definitely be of great help to Ye Ping.
Besides, the only way to enter the Great Xia Dynasty Academy was to join the Ten Nations Academy.
The higher the level of the academy, the harsher the entry requirements.
In other words, unless the king of the Great Xia Dynasty personally issued an order, one would not be able to join the Great Xia Dynasty Academy without going through the Ten Nations Academy, even if they had a strong background and incredible means.
That was why Huangfu Tianlong kept trying to persuade him.
The Great Xia Dynasty Academy was the supreme land of the entire Great Xia Dynasty where there were countless secret manuals and each teacher was an expert in their field.
Besides, there were many benefits to joining the Great Xia Dynasty, such as learning that others did not know about, broadening one’s horizons, and gaining more perspectives, which were all a good thing for cultivation.
“Yes, Huangfu Tianlong is right. Ye Ping, even if you don’t want to go to the Ten Nations Academy, there’s no way you don’t want to go to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy. That’s a place that’s on par with your sect.”
“The Ten Nations Grand Tournament is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and rumor has it that the Great Xia Dynasty Academy is likely going to hold recruitment soon. You should seize this opportunity. Maybe in three to five years, you will be able to become a student of the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.”
“Yes, Senior Brother Ye, you really need to consider it carefully.”
At this moment, Huangfu Tianlong was not the only one who was trying to dissuade him. Everyone was basically trying to stop him.
To be honest, the crowd felt a little upset, especially Duanmu Yun and the others.
Their greatest wish was to become students of the Great Xia Dynasty Academy in their lifetime.
However, they knew that with their strength, it was almost impossible to enter the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
However, Ye Ping wasn’t willing to entire the Great Xia Dynasty Academy even though he was clearly competent enough to do so.
‘Indeed, comparison really hurts.’
Ye Ping fell silent. He had drunk some alcohol, and in fact, he understood that the Great Xia Dynasty Academy was extraordinary. The so-called Ten Nations Academy definitely couldn’t be compared to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
However, that was the very reason that Ye Ping wanted to stay in the Qingyun Dao Sect and continue learning.
However, Ye Ping felt that it was too soon to go now. He had only cultivated for less than half a year and there were still many things he hadn’t learned.
If he entered the Great Xia Dynasty Academy like this, he would be stunting his growth.
He took a sip of wine and did not continue to answer.
Everyone knew that each person had their own destined path. Since Ye Ping was a peerless genius, he naturally had his own thoughts, and hence, no one stated it directly.
Just like that, it seemed to have become quieter in the grand hall.
“It’s too soon to talk about the Great Xia Dynasty Academy. Don’t be in such a hurry, come on, let’s keep drinking.”
Some people spoke up and broke the silence to prevent it from becoming too awkward.
Several hours later, the feast was almost over.
Ye Ping got up and left while Huangfu Tianlong followed suit and walked out of the main hall.
Clearly, he was still thinking of having a good talk with Ye Ping.
After Ye Ping left, word about this matter also spread rapidly.
All of a sudden, it caused a huge uproar.
No one would have thought that Ye Ping would refuse to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. After all, doing so was tantamount to giving up the qualification to join the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
At Ye Ping’s room.
Huangfu Tianlong arrived in the room and looked at Ye Ping. He was about to say something but was at a loss for words.
In the room, Ye Ping poured some tea for Huangfu Tianlong and they were now chatting casually.
“Junior Brother Huangfu, this is a new type of tea. Try it.”
Ye Ping asked Huangfu Tianlong to drink some tea.
The latter was obviously not in the mood for tea.
He was still feeling troubled about Ye Ping’s decision not to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
After all, Ye Ping was so competent that if he entered the Ten Nations Academy, he could soar high, and Huangfu Tianlong would be able to spar with him.
Be it for official or personal reasons, Huangfu Tianlong hoped that Ye Ping would join the Ten Nations Academy.
“Senior Brother Ye, listen to me, I know that your sect might have a huge background and it’s normal that you don’t care for the Ten Nations Academy.”
“However, the Ten Nations Academy is definitely not our final destination, but it is just our starting point. You might not understand how terrifying the Great Xia Dynasty Academy is.”
“We’re not going to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy only for the secret manuals. Most importantly, it’s about broadening one’s horizons and only those who can enter the Great Xia Dynasty Academy can see the world.”
Huangfu Tianlong felt that Ye Ping despised the Ten Nations Academy, or even the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
It was because he had thought the same previously, but later on, he met a powerhouse from the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
Huangfu Tianlong then completely changed his mind.
As peerless geniuses, they did not need any resources. To them, they could easily obtain any secret manuals, Dao Mystical Abilities, treasures, and pills.
However, broader horizons were what they needed the most. Only when they understood how vast the world was would they know how small they are.
That was also the reason why Huangfu Tianlong had been dissuading Ye Ping.
He didn’t want Ye Ping to be unwilling to go to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy just because of some issues with resources.
After hearing what Huangfu Tianlong said, Ye Ping couldn’t help but nod because he also agreed with Huangfu Tianlong.
However, he remained silent.
In an instant, Huangfu Tianlong couldn’t help but continue to probe, “Senior Brother Ye, what exactly are you worried about?”
He could tell that Ye Ping was worried, but he didn’t know what exactly Ye Ping was concerned about, and thus he was curious.
Seeing the curiosity in Huangfu Tianlong’s eyes, Ye Ping wanted to answer, but he could not directly state what he was worried about.
He was afraid that he would deal Huangfu Tianlong a great blow.
“Senior Brother Ye, if you think I’m a reliable person, just say so. I definitely won’t let this matter spread. I, Huangfu Tianlong, am known for being tight-lipped in Nan Nation.”
Huangfu Tianlong could see Ye Ping’s expression and thus said so, as curious as a cat.
“Do you really want to know? In fact, if word about this spreads, I’m afraid you’ll suffer a blow.”
Ye Ping smiled bitterly.
On the other hand, Huangfu Tianlong could not help but frown as he did not understand what Ye Ping meant.
‘What do you mean you’re afraid I’ll suffer a blow?’
He became even more curious, but he continued to say, “Senior Brother Ye, I’ve never been afraid of suffering blows.”
Hearing these words, Ye Ping no longer had anything to worry about. He shook his head, and then sighed.
“The main reason why I don’t participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament and don’t want to go to the Ten Nations Academy is that it’s only been half a year since I’ve cultivated.”
“To others, I may seem very strong, but I understand that growing too quickly may not be a good thing sometimes.”
“So, I was thinking of going to the Ten Nations Academy a few years later.”
“In fact, the Ten Nations Academy is alright but it’s mainly because they are likely to recruit students in the next few years. If I join the Great Xia Dynasty Academy a few years after joining the Ten Nations Academy, it might seem too quick.”
“For me, it will stunt my growth.”
Ye Ping voiced his concerns.
However, Huangfu Tianlong froze after hearing his words.
He gazed at Ye Ping, his eyes filled with disbelief.
‘Half a year?’
He suspected that he had misheard, but at his realm, how could he possibly mishear what others said?
If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have believed.
However, Ye Ping was the one who said those words, and hence, he completely believed it.
At this moment, Huangfu Tianlong was completely stunned because he knew that Ye Ping was strong and definitely more talented than him.
However, no matter what, he couldn’t believe that Ye Ping had only been cultivating for half a year.
‘This is unbelievable.’
He had started cultivating at the age of three, and he would refine his body with special potions everyday. He took fifteen years to cultivate to the sixth level of the Great Dragon and Elephant Ancient Technique.
Later on, he relied on the true blood of the flood dragon to barely break through to the seventh level. It was considered an external help.
However, even so, he still lost to Ye Ping.
However, Huangfu Tianlong was not too devastated. After all, Ye Ping was four years older than him.
However, he had only cultivated for half a year and that was completely beyond Huangfu Tianlong’s knowledge.
He froze in place, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.
Ye Ping couldn’t help but sigh after seeing Huangfu Tianlong’s expression.
He knew that Huangfu Tianlong would have this expression.
To be honest, he did not want to give Huangfu Tianlong an emotional blow, but he couldn’t help it because Huangfu Tianlong kept asking.
Hence, he couldn’t blame himself.
Indeed, curiosity killed the cat.
He spent an entire hour on it.
Huangfu Tianlong couldn’t recover from the shock for a long time and only slowly heaved a sigh of relief now.
At this moment, Huangfu Tianlong who came back to his senses, smiled bitterly.
He wanted to cry but had no tears.
Had he known that Ye Ping had only cultivated for half a year, he wouldn’t have swallowed the true blood of the flood dragon at all.
However, fortunately, his Dao Heart had been stabilized.
He didn’t want to say anything now.
What else was there to say?
Was he qualified to say anything?
Was he fit to?
“Senior Brother Ye, I feel like my injuries haven’t completely healed, so I’ll go back first.”
Huangfu Tianlong said with a bitter expression.
“You haven’t recovered?”
Ye Ping was a bit curious because he could see that Huangfu Tianlong’s injuries were almost healed.
Huangfu Tianlong’s Dao Heart had yet to recover fully.
He felt like he was going to crack open.
Huangfu Tianlong did not answer the question but left the room alone in silence.
After Huangfu Tianlong left, Ye Ping had yet to think about anything else.
All of a sudden, someone started knocking on the door.
Ye Ping frowned slightly. He could tell from that figure that it was not Huangfu Tianlong.
However, what made Ye Ping frown was that the other party appeared outside the door quietly. That was definitely not something that ordinary people could do.
“Come in.”
Ye Ping said calmly.
He was in the Jin Nation Academy so it was impossible for there to be any danger.
Soon, the door of the room was opened and he saw a man clad in black walking in.
The man was wearing a white mask on his face with a cross on his forehead.
The other party walked in and bowed to Ye Ping with cupped fists.
“My name is Yan Shi. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Ye Ping.”
Yan Shi’s tone was mellow and he didn’t seem to have ill intentions.
“What are you looking for me for?”
Ye Ping seemed a little curious. He had never heard of Yan Shi’s name before and hence did not know why he was looking for him.
“Fellow Daoist Ye, I have been ordered to come and present you with a great opportunity.
Ye Ping then took out a purple treasure pearl and placed it in front of Ye Ping.
The pearl was the size of a baby’s fist and emitted a purple light that lit up the entire room.
Besides, the purple pearl seemed to have a calming effect.
It was a supreme-grade treasure that was definitely a valuable treasure that could stabilize one’s essence soul and had strange effects.
In an instant, Ye Ping’s eyes were filled with curiosity.
‘He gave me a treasure just like that. Who is this?’
‘That’s too generous.’
However, Ye Ping knew that there was no free lunch in this world. The more he was given, the better, but that also meant that he had to give more in exchange.
There was no fool in this world.
Ye Ping stayed silent, but the curiosity in his eyes when he looked at Yan Shi meant everything.
The latter smiled calmly and then stood with his hands by the side.
He looked at Ye Ping and said calmly, “Fellow Daoist Ye, this is just a small token of my master’s appreciation. As long as you’re willing to help my master, we will give you lots of treasures.”
“In fact… there’s something better.”
Yan Shi’s eyes under the mask were filled with pride and self-confidence.
His pride and self-confidence made Ye Ping even more curious.
“Who’s your master?”
Ye Ping asked.
He reckoned that since he gave such a precious treasure, the person definitely had an extremely high status.
After all, even the crown prince of Jin Nation could not take out such an item at will.
“The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty.”
The pride in Ye Ping’s eyes was even more intense.
