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At that moment, Xu Zimei was stunned.
The frustrated youth before him was actually the legendary Divine Person, Yue Qingli.
This was something Xu Zimei had never anticipated.
He had never seen Yue Qingli, not even in his previous life.
He was but a nameless seeker on an endless quest.
And in that era, the Divine Person had already become famous throughout the Yuan Central Continent.
Speaking of the strength of a Divine Person, the topic inevitably returns to the difference between the Way and Immortality.
It is recognized by all beings that the Way is stronger than the path of Immortality.
Otherwise, why would all living beings vie for that supreme Destiny?
Yet, there are always those on the Yuan Central Continent who defy fate and change their Destiny.
There was Sword Immortal Jiang Yun before, with one sword he dominated the heavens, and to him, all beings were as insignificant as passing clouds and stray dogs.
After him came Divine Person Yue Qingli, who, with a single hand, could press down the Firmament, alone standing at the pinnacle of the sixteen Immortal Extremes, defeating enemies with a single move.
Sword Immortal Jiang Yun and Divine Person Yue Qingli were both acclaimed as the two most powerful beings in the history of the Yuan Central Continent who had stepped into Immortality.
They were even capable of combating Great Emperors alone.
Xu Zimei had never witnessed the era of Jiang Yun.
Because that was far too distant from him.
But he had indeed lived through the era of the Divine Person.
In fact, the Divine Person of that time was truly eligible to compete for Destiny.
But before Destiny had formed, he chose the path of Immortality.
He broke the fate of his Third-Eye Demon Clan, leading the then-weak race to the peak.
He even shattered the ruling structure of thirty-six nations over the Northern Continent.
His name resounded throughout the Yuan Central Continent.
The feats of the Divine Person were numerous, perhaps he was a legend in himself.
...
At this moment, a heavy rain was pouring down, floating in mid-air.
The pitter-patter of the rain echoed by his ears.
It was as if the whole world had awakened.
Xu Zimei watched Yue Qingli, who lay on the road battered by the downpour.
His entire body was submerged by the torrential rain.
As the rain grew heavier, Vermilion Academy activated a protective barrier around them.
Keeping the rain above their heads.
The recruitment of Vermilion Academy proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Xu Zimei turned around and slowly approached the other party.
He calmly asked, "Your name is Yue Qingli? From the Third-Eye Demon Clan?"
"Yes," Yue Qingli looked at Xu Zimei, puzzled and unsure of his intention.
"Do you want to practice cultivation?" Xu Zimei asked.
"Yes, I’m willing to bet everything," Yue Qingli nodded firmly.
"I can help you," Xu Zimei said with a faint smile.
"Help me?" Yue Qingli quickly stood up, looking at Xu Zimei in astonishment.
"But before I help you, you must first prove something to me," Xu Zimei said with a nod.
"Prove what?" Yue Qingli asked.
"Go challenge those who just mocked you," Xu Zimei replied indifferently.
"Why?" Yue Qingli did not understand.
Xu Zimei smiled faintly, and said no more.
The choice was given to Yue Qingli, it was up to him to seize it.
Even if the Divine Person of the past was incredible, alas, the era has changed.
If even the Great Emperor could not impede Xu Zimei’s path, what could the Divine Person do?
But Xu Zimei knew that even without his help, the other party would still rise.
Adding flowers to the brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather.
...
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Yue Qingli pondered for just a moment before stepping forward without any hesitation.
He looked at several young warriors in the squad and casually pointed at a few with his right hand.
He spoke indifferently, "I challenge you."
"Are you insane, you trash of the Third-Eye Demon Clan? I don’t have time to play with you," one of the youths in a blue robe said dismissively.
"Are you scared?" Yue Qingli chuckled.
He continued, "If I’m trash, yet you’re too frightened to take up the challenge,
Then what does that make you? Worse than trash—garbage perhaps?"
"You’re courting death," the youth in the blue robe said, staring fiercely at Yue Qingli.
"Then accept my challenge," Yue Qingli replied.
"Fine, since you have a death wish, I’ll oblige you," the youth in the blue robe said coldly.
The other young warriors around sensibly cleared a space for the confrontation.
There stood the youth in the blue robe, poised to battle against Yue Qingli.
His aura of the True Vein Realm surged around him.
Among these youths, he was considered very strong, while Yue Qingli was merely at the Condensing Vein Realm.
The recruitment standards of Vermilion Academy typically favored younger students.
Most were between the ages of fifteen and eighteen.
In Yuan Central Continent, the cultivation journey often began at age fifteen.
At this stage, it was common for the abilities of these young warriors to be not very high.
...
Even though his opponent was a whole major realm above him, Yue Qingli did not panic.
His head was located at the position of his abdomen, his eyes hidden within his body.
Now with the surge of Spiritual Energy around him, his entire skin turned an unfathomable pitch black.
Yue Qingli took a slight step back with his right foot, his left knee bent as he lunged straight at the blue-robed youth.
"Trash will always be trash," the blue-robed youth said, shaking his head disdainfully.
With the tip of his long spear, he exerted a powerful force, compressing the layers of space around him.
Yue Qingli’s trajectory of attack had already been predicted by him.
Moreover, due to the disparity in their realms, his speed and strength were far superior to Yue Qingli’s.
The tip of his spear pointed precisely where Yue Qingli’s figure happened to pass by.
With a "boom," a ceaseless flow of Spiritual Energy burst forth from the spear.
Caught off guard, Yue Qingli was sent flying.
"Where exactly does your confidence come from to challenge me?" the blue-robed youth sneered.
He did not show any mercy. His spear swept over him in a downward arc, making a semicircle from up to down.
The spear heavily struck towards Yue Qingli, who was down on the ground.
Yue Qingli’s expression became solemn as he rolled several times on the ground to dodge the strike.
But before he could catch his breath, the fist of the blue-robed youth had already magnified before his eyes.
With a "bang."
He was knocked into the air once again.
"Kneel and apologize, and I might consider sparing your life," the blue-robed youth slowly approached Yue Qingli and spoke coldly.
"Apologize to your mo——," Yue Qingli’s words were cut short as he was kicked flying again.
Now, he lay on the ground, blood flowing from the wounds all over his body,
soaking him in a crimson hue.
He was gravely injured, barely able to muster the strength to stand.
"I’ll give you one more chance—apologize, and I might let you go," the blue-robed youth said, holding his long spear.
The Spiritual Energy flowed between him and his spear as his blue robe fluttered noisily with the wind.
Yue Qingli was laughing while blood seemed to pour heedlessly from his mouth.
His laughter almost sounded like crying.
At that moment, he struggled to lift his right hand under the questioning gaze of the blue-robed youth.
He clenched his right palm into a fist, then, with the last of his strength, he struck a heavy blow on the blue-robed youth’s leg.
The punch might not have caused any damage, but it did humiliate the blue-robed youth.
His face turned unsightly as the Spiritual Energy around him surged more and more intensely.
