In the Wei Nation.
In the combat arena, the students of the Ten Nations were dumbfounded.
All the onlooking cultivators were also dumbfounded.
Logically speaking, Ye Ping should soar high after he entered the Ten Nations Academy, given the evaluation that the Ten Nations Academy had given him. It would be no exaggeration to say that he would be above all.
However, they didn’t expect Ye Ping to turn down the chance to join the Ten Nations Academy.
‘What… what… what does this mean?’
Sensing that everyone was looking at him, Ye Ping was indeed a little embarrassed, but he continued to speak.
“This time, I didn’t come to participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament with the intention to join the Ten Nations Academy.”
Ye Ping bit the bullet and said.
In fact, when he said those words, he felt that he seemed to be contradicting his actions but he knew he had to explain clearly.
Otherwise, if he were to explain in private, there would probably be lesser people who would believe him.
Hence, Ye Ping spoke up immediately.
After all, it was really impossible for him to enter the Ten Nations Academy.
This time, the impact of the Heavenly Heart Illusory Array on Ye Ping was too great.
The strength of the Nine Talisman Devil Son made Ye Ping understand just how much strength he lacked.
At the end of the day, he just wasn’t competent enough yet.
Although the Fiendcelestial Cult used magic to suppress the array formation, he could at least still set up array formations. If he couldn’t, it would mean that he was incompetent.
In other words, if the person who entered the array formation was Xu Luochen…
Would he have encountered such a thing?
Hence, Ye Ping gained quite a lot from this trip. He realized the shortcomings that he had, and hence, he was even more eager to return to the sect.
He wanted to devote to cultivating wholeheartedly and didn’t even want to go back to the Jin Nation Academy.
He wanted to cultivate well in the sect.
It wouldn’t be too late to go down the mountain again after truly learning something.
Hence, Ye Ping turned down the Ten Nations Academy’s invite.
However, Ye Ping’s refusal seemed rather strange in the eyes of the crowd.
In everyone’s opinion, there was no reason for him to reject.
In the combat arena, the elders of the Ten Nations Academy were rather dumbfounded.
They were already prepared to see Ye Ping joining the Ten Nations Academy excitedly, and yet Ye Ping pulled such a move.
It was rather absurd.
“Ye Ping, do you have any concerns?”
The elders who were announcing the ranks couldn’t help but stop at this moment.
In their opinion, if Ye Ping didn’t want to join the Ten Nations Academy, there would be no point in announcing the ranks later on.
They wouldn’t be bothered if the other candidates chose not to join but they really wanted Ye Ping to join the academy.
The elders of the Ten Nations Academy were confused.
They really didn’t know what Ye Ping was considering.
‘Could it be that he despises the Ten Nations Academy?’
‘That shouldn’t be the case.’
‘If he despises us, why would he join the Ten Nations Grand Tournament?’
‘It can’t be for the reward, right?’
The elders were all dumbfounded.
“Elder, I do have some concerns but I can’t bring myself to say it.”
Ye Ping nodded. He wasn’t lying either.
Indeed, he had some qualms.
“What are your worries? Feel free to tell us, maybe we can resolve them.”
The elder said.
It wasn’t a bad thing to have concerns. In fact, it was a good thing, after all, it could be solved.
“Um…”
Ye Ping fell silent.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Ye Ping, you can say it, don’t feel bad. We have experienced all sorts of things. Just tell us.”
An elder from the Ten Nations said eagerly in the combat arena.
They were unanimously optimistic about Ye Ping, and even mentioned that they had vied with each other for Ye Ping.
Hence, if Ye Ping did not join the Ten Nations Academy, they would really be unable to accept it.
“Since that’s the case, I shall be honest with you.”
“This Heavenly Heart Illusory Array has made me understand my shortcomings so I would like to return to the sect and dedicate to cultivating, so as to ensure that I will have the ability to fight and deal with such things if a situation like this occurs again in the future.”
The meaning of Ye Ping’s words was simple and clear.
As soon as he said that, the elders heaved a sigh of relief.
‘So that’s what he’s concerned about.’
The elders could not help but speak up one after another after hearing his answer.
“Ye Ping, you’re wrong about that.”
“Ye Ping, you’ve got a great mindset for thinking that you’re not good enough while you were in the Heavenly Heart Illusory Array. It’s also a good thing that the first thing you thought about is to cultivate well but there’s one thing you didn’t get clear, that is the Ten Nations Academy is second only to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.”
“In the Ten Nations Academy, there are countless secret manuals and countless powerhouses to guide you along. Your sect might be a hidden sect of experts but no matter how incredible and competent you might be, can you be stronger than thousands of elders of the Ten Nations?”
The elder of the Ten Nations said with extreme confidence.
After hearing his words, many cultivators couldn’t help but nod.
There was nothing wrong with this statement.
The elders of the Ten Nations were all smiling. In the beginning, they were worried that Ye Ping was having some other concerns.
However, it seemed that they had been thinking too much.
They were very confident.
They also had a reason to be confident.
Sects would not fight with nations.
Even if everyone in the sect was a supreme master, so what? They couldn’t possibly beat the Ten Nations Academy.
Clearly, there was no room for comparison.
Hence, they were certain that Ye Ping would definitely choose to join the Ten Nations Academy.
Ye Ping’s voice sounded again.
“Elder, I understand what you said but I still don’t want to join the Ten Nations Academy.”
Ye Ping’s voice sounded again.
He was insistent on not joining.
He wasn’t being stubborn, but rather, he was more interested in returning to the sect to listen to the teachings of his Senior Brothers.
That was the most important thing at hand.
The Ten Nations Academy was certainly superb, but it was clearly inferior to the Qingyun Dao Sect in Ye Ping’s opinion.
“Ye Ping, don’t you understand what we said?”
“The elites of the Ten Nations are all gathered in the Ten Nations Academy and everything you want to learn can be found and learned in the academy.”
“Yeah, Ye Ping, what’s wrong with you?”
The elders spoke up one after another, and even the elders from the other academies could not help but persuade him.
“Senior Brother Ye, even if you’re not impressed by the Ten Nations Academy, you can’t disregard the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.”
Even Huangfu Tianlong walked over at this time too.
He had always thought that Ye Ping wanted to join the Ten Nations Academy but he didn’t expect Ye Ping to turn down the opportunity.
Hearing the persuasion of the crowd, Ye Ping could not help but sigh.
He then looked at the elders of the Ten Nations Academy and slowly explained.
“Elders, it’s not that I’m being conceited and arrogant, but rather, the techniques that I want to learn might not be taught in the Ten Nations Academy.”
Ye Ping slightly lowered his head. He didn’t want to offend them, but he didn’t want to join the Ten Nations Academy either. Since his decision was final, he didn’t want to give a vague explanation.
That would make him more detestable. Hence, he decided that he might as well make things clear, lest he found himself stuck in a messy situation.
“Delusional!”
“He’s really arrogant.”
“Ye Ping, don’t be too arrogant.”
“Why are you making the Ten Nations Academy sound so incompetent?”
Ye Ping’s words angered everyone and many started rebuking him.
Many elders even hollered furiously, thinking that Ye Ping was too arrogant.
Even many cultivators could not help but feel that Ye Ping was a bit arrogant.
The Ten Nations Academy was second only to the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
All the elites of the Ten Nations were in the Ten Nations Academy and some of the elders there were even on par with the elders of the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
However, in Ye Ping’s eyes, it was as if they were worthless.
“Silence!”
However, at this point, an elder spoke up calmly and managed to suppress the crowd immediately.
Everyone quieted down, not daring to be disrespectful to him.
He was a first generation elder who had high prestige in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. He wasn’t an ordinary elder and was the chief examiner of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
Elder Tian Chen.
He took a step forward and gazed at the Ten Nations cultivators, and he then couldn’t help but say his piece slowly.
“Since when has the Ten Nations Academy become so uncompromising?”
“He’s just a junior who has gone slightly overboard with his words. Must all of you be so riled up?”
“Do you have the manners of an elder? Is this how Daoist Masters should be behaving? Where has your hundreds of years of cultivation gone to?”
Elder Tian Chen’s expression was calm but his words were sharp.
He did not blame or criticize Ye Ping, and instead, he chided the elders for behaving poorly.
Indeed, after being angrily rebuked by Elder Tian Chen, all the elders were silent.
In fact, they were completely able to contain their anger. They merely spoke up because of Ye Ping’s arrogant remark and also because they wanted to assert dominance.
They were the elders of the Ten Nations Academy, and if they turned a blind eye to an insult to the Ten Nations Academy, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
“Ye Ping.”
Elder Tian Chen looked at Ye Ping with a calm gaze before speaking slowly.
“What Dharmic Dao and Mystical Abilities do you want to learn? I’ll see if the Ten Nations Academy has the means to teach them to you. If not, I won’t force you to join us.”
Elder Tian Chen had a faint smile on his face as he looked at Ye Ping, curious to know what Dharmic Dao or Mystical Ability he wanted to learn.
“I want to learn the Sword Dao.”
Ye Ping answered.
“Swordsmanship? The best swordsman in the Ten Nations, Murong Tianhai is the head of the Ten Nations Imperial Sword Hall, can he teach you?”
Elder Tian Chen asked.
“Does Elder Murong know how to cut through the universe with a single blade of grass?”
Ye Ping asked calmly, looking at Elder Tian Chen.
His statement led to another commotion.
‘Cut through the universe with a single blade of grass?’
‘This… is a little too exaggerated, isn’t it?’
Even Elder Tian Chen couldn’t help but be stunned.
Murong Tianhai was the best Sword Dao powerhouse in the Ten Nations, and it was obviously impossible to achieve what Ye Ping mentioned.
‘Even in the Great Xia Academy, there wouldn’t be many who can, right?’
He shook his head and said bluntly.
“No!”
Ye Ping did not say anything more but continued to ask.
“Is there anyone who can teach the Dao of array formations?”
Ye Ping asked.
“Yes, the best array formation master of the Ten Nations is in the Ten Nations Academy.”
Elder Tian Chen continued to answer.
“Can he make heaven his array and earth his artifact to set up array formations for the world?”
Ye Ping continued to ask with a calm expression.
Elder Tian Chen was speechless.
There was none.
He shook his head.
Basically, no one could make heaven his array and earth his artifact to set up array formations for the world.
No one in the Ten Nations Academy could.
He reckoned that no one in the Great Xia Dynasty Academy could either.
“Do you teach alchemy?”
Ye Ping continued to ask.
“Yes.”
Elder Tian Chen nodded again.
However, he continued, “If it’s still something like using heaven and earth as a furnace, you don’t have to ask.”
He felt a little helpless. The things that Ye Ping mentioned were completely impossible to exist, unless he was an immortal.
Hence, he added that sentence because he was afraid that Ye Ping would ask.
“Can you refine non-poisonous pills?”
Ye Ping didn’t say anything about using heaven and earth but asked the elder if he could refine non-poisonous pills.
After he said that, Elder Tian Chen was stunned again.
This time, Ye Ping indeed didn’t make any outrageous request, but if the members of the Ten Nations Academy could refine a non-poisonous pill, they would have probably long advanced to the level of the Great Xia Dynasty Academy.
“No.”
Elder Tian Chen once again shook his head with a bitter smile.
After receiving his reply, Ye Ping did not say anything and simply bowed.
It was clear what he meant.
‘Since what I mentioned can’t be found here, don’t blame me.’
“Elder Tian Chen…”
An elder couldn’t help but speak up, feeling that Ye Ping’s demands were too harsh.
However, before he finished speaking, Elder Tian Chen interjected.
“Enough, everyone has their own aspirations, the Ten Nations Academy will never force anyone to join the sect. Since you’re not fated, forget it.”
“However, Ye Ping, the doors of the Ten Nations Academy will always be open for you. If you’re ever willing to join us again, we’ll still welcome you.”
Elder Tian Chen knew that Ye Ping was determined not to join the Ten Nations Academy.
Hence, he didn’t continue trying to poach Ye Ping and instead left a door open for him and told him that he could enter the Ten Nations Academy anytime as long as he was willing to.
His words made countless cultivators envious.
They struggled and worked hard to cultivate in order to join the Ten Nations Academy.
Ye Ping could clearly enter the Ten Nations Academy, but he refused outright, and yet, the Ten Nations Academy even decided to break the rules and leave a door for Ye Ping to welcome him anytime he was willing to join them.
That was a supreme honor.
Hearing what Elder Tian Chen said, Ye Ping felt a little guilty but he bowed at Elder Tian Chen.
“Thank you for your kindness, Elder, please forgive me for my recklessness.”
Ye Ping apologized.
He had indeed been a little reckless and hence said those things on impulse. Now, he felt that he had been behaving inappropriately and thus apologized to them.
“It’s alright, the Ten Nations Academy is not that petty.”
With a faint smile on his face, Elder Tian Chen shook his head and told Ye Ping not to blame himself.
However, at the next moment, Ye Ping couldn’t help but continue.
“Elder, I have something that I don’t understand, please enlighten me.”
Ye Ping wanted to ask about something.
“Go ahead.”
Elder Tian Chen was a little curious, and so was everyone else as they did not know what question Ye Ping would have.
“Elder, I was selected as the candidate in the first place of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament and given the chance of an early admission. Will I be rewarded?”
Ye Ping looked a little cautious as he asked that question.
That was his greatest concern now.
After all, he had publicly refused to join the Ten Nations Academy and so he wondered if the rewards would be reduced.
He wondered if they would simply not give it to him.
If that were the case, wouldn’t he have made the trip for nothing?
All the cultivators were stunned to hear what he said.
‘That’s all you have to ask?’
‘Is this your question?’
‘The reward for first place in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament isn’t a lot. It’s just a million Spirit Stones.’
‘Brother, are you silly? Did you join the Ten Nations Grand Tournaments for the sake of the reward for the first place?’
‘Must you be so outrageous?’
The cultivators really didn’t know how else they should mock him.
It was too absurd.
Among them, some had spent more than a million Spirit Stones to enter the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, just to get into the Ten Nations Academy.
Ye Ping was given the chance to enter the Ten Nations Academy because he came in first place.
Yet, he turned down the offer and simply cared about the reward of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
The cultivators really wanted to vomit blood.
Even the elders were all speechless.
Elder Tian Chen came back to his senses and looked at Ye Ping, at a complete loss for words. He was caught between tears and laughter.
“Elder, I can take half of the reward too.”
At this moment, Ye Ping added.
After all, it was his own fault for insulting the Ten Nations Academy in public, and hence, he thought that it would be fine to take half of the reward.
“Don’t worry, we will follow the rules and give you the reward accordingly. However, you have to continue to go through the other assessments. Even if you don’t wish to join the Ten Nations Academy, you can still get the reward.”
Elder Tian Chen said with a bitter smile.
The Ten Nations Academy definitely wouldn’t shortchange Ye Ping of the rewards. However, he couldn’t figure out what Ye Ping was thinking.
“Thank you, Elder.”
Ye Ping could not help but sigh with relief after hearing that he would still be given the reward.
He would sit for the next test too and just take it as an experience.
“Okay, the mystic realm assessment of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament has ended. The remaining rankings will be posted in the capital of Wei Nation, you may go take a look for yourselves. You are dismissed.”
Elder Tian Chen waved his hand. There was nothing else he had to say and wasn’t even in the mood to continue reading out the rankings.
In case another elite wanted to follow Ye Ping’s example and publicly turn down the Ten Nations Academy, that would be embarrassing.
Just like that, the crowd dispersed.
However, many elites surrounded Ye Ping immediately.
“Brother Ye, my name is Xie Sun. I’m a cultivator of the Qing Nation, will you allow me the honor of drinking with you?”
“Senior Brother Ye, I have prepared a banquet and a feast, will you allow me the honor?”
“Senior Brother Ye, Senior Brother Ye, I have contacted many fairies who are eager to have a feast with you. Will you do us the honor?”
All of a sudden, all the elites gathered and took the initiative to invite Ye Ping to a banquet.
At this moment, Ye Ping became the brightest star and the center of attention of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.
80% of the cultivators came to suck up to Ye Ping in a bid to befriend him.
A small number of cultivators looked at Ye Ping sourly, their eyes full of envy.
In the end, under the warm invitation of the crowd, Ye Ping proposed to set up a banquet and have a chat with everyone over some drinks.
At the same time, in the mystic realm.
Su Changyu and the others once again came to a cave.
However, in the cave, there were seven stone platforms.
There were ancient words engraved on each of them.
‘Sword’, ‘Pills’, ‘Array Formations’, ‘Talismans’, ‘Treasures’, ‘Heaven’, ‘Luck’.
The words were large.
There was also an ancient well in the middle of the stone platform.
“Well of This Life”
They had gone through a lot of hardships and relied on the divination technique of Daoist Tai Hua to make it to the fifth stage.
Now that they had arrived here, they couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief.
There was no road ahead.
It meant that it was the last stage.
“Well of This Life? Where the hell is this? How can there be such a thing?”
They walked into the mystic realm.
Da Xu immediately frowned and looked at the Questioning Well at the center of the seven stone platforms. His face turned sullen.
“Well of This Life? What’s that?”
Chen Lingrou frowned and wanted to walk over to take a look, but Da Xu pulled Chen Lingrou back immediately before speaking.
“Senior, don’t go there. The Well of This Life is an ancient relic and you can see a snippet of your future in this life.”
Da Xu said with a solemn expression.
“I can see the future? I shall take a look then.”
Hearing this, Xu Luochen hurriedly got up and looked at the Well of This Life.
However, in the next moment, before Da Xu could stop him, Xu Luochen had already arrived at the Well of This Life.
