Xuanwu War Sovereign

In the plaza of All Stars Academy, a few young men in silver Sun, Moon, and Stars Robes were guarding a gate of light, bored out of their minds.

Above the plaza was a gate of light, shimmering with faint ripples.

The Gate of All Stars.

Below, rows of tables and chairs had been set up. Some upperclassmen from All Stars Academy, responsible for registration, were yawning under the shade of a tree at the edge of the plaza.

One of the young men said lazily, "Looks like none of the freshmen this year have any outstanding talent. It’s been almost two months, and not a single person has come out!"

Another young man in white robes, slumped over a nearby table, snickered. "What’s so strange about that? Of the four academies of All Stars Academy—Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu—our Cyan Dragon Academy has never ranked high. Our best result in years was second to last. Nothing strange about it at all!"

The young man in white then shook his head. "Stop thinking about nonsense. You should be trying to figure out how to earn some Points. Don’t end up like those guys who were eliminated this year. Their fate was tragic!"

Every year, a large number of students were eliminated from the four academies of All Stars Academy, while a new batch flooded in to take their place.

The trial rules of All Stars Academy only applied to the various kingdoms in more remote geographical regions.

In truth, there was another way to enter All Stars Academy.

One could gain direct admission by paying an exorbitant tuition fee. But this was no ordinary fee.

All Stars Academy didn’t accept mere Gold or Silver for tuition. Instead, they required exceptionally rare Spiritual Objects, Secret Manuals, or other incredibly precious items.

If converted to Gold, the value would be at least one hundred thousand taels.

These students had one advantage: they didn’t have to participate in any of the brutal elimination trials.

But the disadvantage was also obvious. In All Stars Academy, with its extremely high elimination rate, these students were typically the ones eliminated in droves.

Of all the students eliminated each year, they accounted for ninety-nine percent!

Thus, these students had a rather unflattering nickname: Donation-lifers.

In contrast, students who entered All Stars Academy through the trials were known as elite students.

And yet, despite the incredibly high elimination rate, every year hordes of disciples from the Imperial Race and Noble Families would still fight tooth and nail to get into All Stars Academy.

Each academy within All Stars Academy had tens of thousands of students, the vast majority of whom were Donation-lifers.

Just as everyone was dozing off in the shade, the excited voice of a round-faced girl in fiery red suddenly called out from a distance.

"Breaking news! Breaking news! Someone from Vermilion Bird Academy successfully passed the trial! A Freshman Elder for Vermilion Bird Academy has emerged!"

"What? It’s only been two months, and someone already passed Vermilion Bird Academy’s volcano trial?"

"For real? So soon!"

...

The dozing students snapped to attention, each one lifting their head to stare at the jubilant, round-faced girl.

"Mu Lan’Er, you’re not joking, are you?"

"Who’d joke about this? It’s true!" The round-faced girl lifted her small face, looking incredibly proud.

"This year’s freshmen are unbelievably powerful! In just two short months, one of them passed through the Hundred Thousand Volcanoes, defeated nine Guardians in a row, and found the Gate of All Stars!"

"And get this! The Guardian of the Ninth Palace for our Vermilion Bird trial this time was the famous Fire Phoenix Star General, Capricorn! Lord Capricorn is a Silver Star General—from the four ranks of Star Generals: Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Among all the Silver Star Generals in the Star Sect, his combat power is second to none! His strength is comparable to some of the biggest names out there! To pass his trial, it just goes to show how astounding the performance of this new Freshman Elder of Vermilion Bird was!"

The girl chattered on, dropping one bombshell after another.

"Well said. Capricorn’s strength is indeed among the best of the Silver Star Generals. On top of that, the man is notoriously cold and ruthless, with a heart of stone. To pass his trial so quickly... that person’s talent must be truly extraordinary!"

Suddenly, a voice drifted over from the distance, carrying a gentle, refined tone.

A flash of golden light erupted, and an expert in Golden Battle Armor appeared in the plaza. His face was so handsome he hardly seemed mortal.

"Golden Bull Star General, Lord Luo Xuan!" Their eyes filled with awe and respect, and the students hurriedly bowed their heads.

This was a true Golden Star General!

A titan from the Star Sect!

Just then, a group of handsome young men and women, each with a unique air about them, approached from the distance.

The young man in the lead wore a Feather Crown and a Sun, Moon, and Stars Robe. With his wide sleeves fluttering and his black hair dancing behind his shoulders, he looked utterly dashing.

"Senior Brother Zong!"

Everyone shouted in unison, a flicker of surprise in their eyes. ’Why are they here?’

"Fellow brothers, no need for formalities. We’re all family here!"

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, an invisible force lifted the bowing students. Zong Wuxiang grinned, cupped his fists toward Luo Xuan, and said,

"Senior Brother Luo Xuan, what a coincidence! I can’t believe I ran into you the moment I arrived. What are the odds!"

"Junior Brother Zong Wuxiang." Luo Xuan shot him a look and snorted. "You use your Water Mirror Divine Power to spy on my Cave Mansion every day. Of course it’s a ’coincidence’!"

Not the least bit embarrassed at being called out, Zong Wuxiang sidled up and clung to the sleeve of Luo Xuan’s Battle Armor. He shook Luo Xuan’s arm like a little girl and whined, "Senior Brother, it’s only because I admire your great reputation so much! You’re our role model, after all. We just want to learn from you and broaden our horizons!"

A helpless look flashed in Luo Xuan’s eyes. He yanked his sleeve, pulling his arm free from Zong Wuxiang’s grasp, only to find it now smeared with a layer of black grease.

Luo Xuan was all too familiar with this slippery junior brother’s appalling behavior.

"Fine. You just came here to watch the show. Do what you want, but while you can watch, you are not to cause any trouble!"

"Senior Brother, has someone from Cyan Dragon Academy really reached the Ninth Palace this year?"

Zong Wuxiang’s eyes widened. Although he’d guessed that Luo Xuan’s presence meant someone had reached the Ninth Palace, hearing Luo Xuan confirm it himself was far more shocking.

It wasn’t just Zong Wuxiang. The other disciples from the Star Sect also looked utterly incredulous.

"Someone from Cyan Dragon Academy actually made it to the Ninth Palace this early in the year?"

"So a prodigy has appeared in Cyan Dragon Academy as well?"

"Incredible! Looks like Cyan Dragon Academy is about to make a huge comeback!"

"What damn good luck! It’s a good thing we made that trip to the Snowfield. We might just reel in a few big fish this time. If we bring back a few of these prodigies to report to our masters, maybe we’ll get a huge reward!"

"A huge reward? I’m thinking more like huge trouble! When we went to the Snowfield to pick disciples, we just rushed through it and made our choices. If we missed a ’big fish,’ we’re probably going to face the music when we get back!"

Snapping out of his shock, Zong Wuxiang’s eyes darted about. "I wonder if Senior Brother Luo Xuan has Sensed which young prodigy managed to break into the Ninth Palace!" he asked.

Luo Xuan closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. "It seems there are quite a few people."

"What? ’Quite a few’?" Zong Wuxiang was dumbstruck. ’Did the Snowfield Trial really produce that many prodigies?’

The next moment, Luo Xuan added, "However, only two of them are qualified to enter the Ninth Palace!"