NOVPUBLi Changhe looked up at the sky, silent at the disappearing figure.
After pondering for a long while, he finally turned and left.
After such a minor incident, the entire Heavenly Dao Academy was thrown into disarray.
Students were discussing animatedly among themselves.
What did that sudden apparition mean by the words it spoke?
Someone dared to challenge the Heavenly Dao Academy in the Supreme Domain, and what’s more, Vice Principal Li seemed to have known about it all along.
The academy had not responded so far.
If not for this sudden apparition, most people would still be in the dark.
"Do you really have no clue?" Xu Zimei asked Shi Jian.
"I don’t know," Shi Jian shook his head.
"I’ve always stayed on Vermilion Bird Island and am not interested in other matters."
"Do we have any enemies at Heavenly Dao Academy?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"What kind of enemies could we have," Shi Jian said with a smile, shaking his head again.
"The academy educates students; we don’t block anyone’s path. Where would enemies come from?"
"Then it gets interesting," Xu Zimei laughed.
The two had a brief chat before Shi Jian returned to the forge to work on his weapons.
With nothing else to do, Xu Zimei began to wander around Vermilion Bird Island.
Across the island, the Southern Luminous Flame illuminated half of the sky.
Countless flowers and trees thrived robustly amidst the raging flames.
From the moment he set foot on the island, he had felt the extraordinariness of Vermilion Bird Island.
The ground beneath his feet was not an island at all, but the back of the Vermilion Bird.
He could feel the faint heartbeat, the flow of blood and energy, and the occasional subtle pressure from the meridians.
All of this led Xu Zimei to deduce that Vermilion Bird Island was indeed the body of the Vermilion Bird itself.
Xu Zimei wanted to take a look at the heart of the Vermilion Bird.
Following his senses, Xu Zimei walked through the dense shrubs. The closer he went to that direction, the hotter the surrounding Southern Luminous Flame became.
The temperature kept rising.
As he pushed aside the thick branches in front of him, Xu Zimei could finally see the scene ahead.
It was a sea of fire.
A genuine sea of fire formed by the Southern Luminous Flame.
A faint blue blaze with tinges of red.
Seemingly, the piercing cries of the Vermilion Bird resounded within.
Beside the flames, there was a man sitting.
He held a wine flask in one hand, leaning against a tombstone amidst the flames.
With Xu Zimei’s arrival, the man who previously had dull, lackluster eyes suddenly opened them wide.
His gaze was filled with an overwhelming presence as he looked towards Xu Zimei.
The surrounding Southern Luminous Flame roared, crackling sounds emerging from within.
"Who are you?" the man, now standing up, asked Xu Zimei slowly.
"The newbie. The academy assigned me to work with Venerable Nu," Xu Zimei replied with a smile.
He had more or less guessed the identity of the man before him but didn’t call him out on it.
"Who told you to come here," the man demanded coldly.
"Leave now, and never set foot here again."
"The Vermilion Bird is not dead yet. Don’t you want to save it?" Xu Zimei asked.
Hearing Xu Zimei’s words made the man frown slightly, pausing.
Then he laughed, "Lad, do you understand what you’re talking about?"
Xu Zimei did not answer directly but plucked a leaf from the Tree of Life from the True Fate World.
This Leaf of Life was not just known for its life-extending properties but also for healing wounds.
Yet, such a leaf was too precious.
Previously, only the members of the Heaven Clan could possess it, but after Xu Zimei found it, the Leaf of Life from the Tree of Life could be said to have completely vanished.
In the entire Continent, only Xu Zimei possessed one.
But he also generally wouldn’t easily give it to others, as these leaves are very rare; it takes a thousand years for the Tree of Life to grow just one such leaf.
The green Leaf of Life was glowing, and the moment the man saw the leaf, his pupils sharply constricted.
"Could you give it to me?" he asked Xu Zimei, breathing heavily and with cautious inquiry.
"How about we make a transaction?" Xu Zimei suggested.
"You must be the new student the academy brought over today," the man said as he stepped forward.
"I heard you made it through the tenth level."
The Southern Luminous Flame revolved around him, as if he were the Dominator of this Fire Domain.
"Venerable Nu," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"What should I call you, Venerable Nu, perhaps? It’s quite awkward."
"Just call me teacher, though I have no intention of taking you on," Venerable Nu responded with a wave of his hand.
Indeed, the man before him was the master of Vermilion Bird Island, Venerable Nu.
On this vast island, it seemed that apart from Shi Jian, there was only Venerable Nu.
This wasn’t hard to guess.
"What sort of transaction do you wish to make?" Venerable Nu asked.
"Instructor should be well aware of the preciousness of the Leaf of Life," Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"I can’t just give it away for nothing; I want to go into the Hundred Treasures Pavilion once."
"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion isn’t a place one can simply enter at will," Venerable Nu shook his head.
"Then there’s nothing to discuss," Xu Zimei said, putting away the Leaf of Life.
"If you had come earlier, I really would have had no choice," Venerable Nu said with a shake of his head and a wry smile.
"But recently, there might just be an opportunity. 𝑛𝘰𝘷𝑝𝘶𝑏.𝑐𝘰𝘮
It all depends on whether you’re willing to take a risk for the chance at wealth."
"What opportunity?" Xu Zimei asked with confusion.
Venerable Nu looked up, pointing at the Firmament above his head.
Seeing Xu Zimei frown, he continued, "That rift tearing through the Firmament just now, you saw it, didn’t you?"
Xu Zimei nodded.
"Seven days from now, a great disaster is set to befall the Heavenly Dao Academy. At that time, all possibilities will unfold," Venerable Nu stated plainly.
He did not avoid the subject, and when mentioning this matter, his expression remained normal.
"You’re suggesting I take advantage of the chaos to plunder," Xu Zimei said with a furrowed brow.
"No," Venerable Nu shook his head.
"Help defend the academy. If it withstands the siege, your contribution will be recognized, and you’ll be allowed normal entry to the Hundred Treasure Pavilion.
If the academy falls,
I can take you to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where you can take whatever you want."
"Deal," Xu Zimei said after a brief contemplation.
He then asked, "Who are those attacking the academy?"
"What, are you scared?" Venerable Nu asked with a smile.
"Hardly," Xu Zimei shook his head.
"I’m just rather curious. In this Supreme Domain, there’s actually a power daring to attack the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Even the Slaying Immortal Sect would have to weigh their options first."
"A bunch of clowns," Venerable Nu snorted coldly.
"But sometimes you have to admit the truth in the saying ’little devils are tricky to deal with.’
"If you’re not willing to tell, so be it," Xu Zimei said, shaking his head.
"It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. You’ll find out for yourself when the time comes,"
Venerable Nu said with a slight shake of his head.
"Can you give me the Leaf of Life now?"
"After I enter the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, it will naturally be yours," Xu Zimei said.
"You don’t trust me?" Venerable Nu asked, frowning.
