Chapter 290: Prosperous Chaotian!

The Chaotian Realm.

Above the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

Today was the centennial celebration of the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy's founding.

At this moment, an extremely magnificent palace complex stood upon a plain in the Central Pole Province.

It occupied a vast expanse, towering and majestic.

In the distance, all manner of spirit birds danced and circled.

Towering pavilions pierced the sky.

Within the palace complex, rays of rosy light faintly bloomed, auspicious colors steaming upward.

A medicinal fragrance so rich it filled the surroundings.

Countless streaks of flowing light moved in and out above the canopy of heaven.

Within every palace, disciples came and went, bustling with liveliness.

The ground below was even more festooned with lanterns and colored silks, red satin fluttering, a scene of celebration.

Several Dharma Ships, each roughly a thousand meters long, slowly descended onto the training grounds of the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

From them stepped over ten thousand academy students in uniform attire.

Each wore a brand-new white robe.

On the chest and back of each white robe was embroidered the emblem of a palace hall.

Beneath the emblem, several lines of small characters were inscribed.

They read, respectively: Chaotian Number ** Cultivation Academy.

For example, the Chaotian Seventeenth Cultivation Academy, the Chaotian One Hundred and Sixth Cultivation Academy.

Chaotian Number ** Cultivation Academy.

And so on, the names of many cultivation academies.

Clearly, these students were all outstanding figures from different cultivation academies.

Today they had come to observe the ceremony at the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

Beneath the academy names, the names and class affiliations of these students were also inscribed.

At this moment, all the students were exceptionally excited.

Obviously, though they were all academy students, academies had their good and bad.

The Chaotian Sect had founded cultivation academies a hundred years ago.

Throughout the entire Chaotian Realm, they were established in every province and county.

But the finest academy of them all was the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

Beyond that, the Chaotian Second Academy through the Tenth Academy formed the first-rate tier.

These ten academies were also called by the many students the Chaotian Ten Great Cultivation Academies.

Each one gathered the most outstanding talents and geniuses of the entire Chaotian Realm.

Yet despite this, after seeing this first academy within the Chaotian Realm, these disciples could not help but gasp in amazement.

And this celebration was hosted by the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

"Wow! This is the First Cultivation Academy!"

"No wonder it has the highest admission rate, this is simply magnificent!"

"I heard that the director of this academy came from the Saint Sect Palace!"

"What are you making up? If he really was from the Saint Sect Palace, how could he come be an academy director!"

"Exactly, that kind of talk can only fool those students just starting out."

"But I heard that the Outer Gate admission rate of the First Cultivation Academy has already reached eighty percent!"

……

Whispers rose one after another, the students' expressions complicated, full of emotion.

As Chaotian students, their greatest lifelong wish was to smoothly graduate, and then ascend into the Chaotian Outer Gate.

The current Chaotian Outer Gate was no longer something anyone could enter.

Every ten years, the many Chaotian cultivation academies would hold the Grand Cultivation Academy Examination at the same time!

And that day was the watershed of these students' cultivation careers!

Whether to leap over the dragon gate and ascend the heavenly stair!

Or to fall from then on into an ordinary cultivator, all depended on the Grand Cultivation Academy Examination.

Precisely because of this, the Grand Cultivation Academy Examination was the single most important matter in the lives of all Chaotian Realm students.

This also reflected from the side the terrifying foundation and influence of the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

"So nice, if only I could transfer to the First Cultivation Academy."

A fair-faced youth glanced sideways, eyes shining as he studied the magnificent Chaotian First Cultivation Academy.

He walked along with the crowd toward the observation area around the training grounds.

"You? Forget it!"

"The quota for the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy is rigidly fixed. Without a Saint Sect Heroic Spirit within three generations, there is no way in."

"Moreover, even if your family ancestor died in battle for the Saint Sect, you as a descendant must still graduate from a junior or intermediate academy with a grade-A result."

"For a dull boy like you with no talent, that's far too difficult. There's no point even dreaming."

A sprightly young girl laughed mockingly.

This girl had a graceful figure, snow-soft skin, and a delicate, charming face. She seemed lively yet revealed a touch of purity.

Her parents were ordinary Instructors at a Chaotian cultivation academy.

So in her view, whether she could enter the Chaotian First Cultivation Academy did not matter.

In any case, with her results she would sooner or later enter the Outer Gate.

"Hey, what do you all know? My dad once said I'm a cultivation prodigy."

A few traces of arrogance surfaced on the youth's face.

He glanced sideways at the crowd.

"Hahahaha, a cultivation prodigy, your dad dares to say that?"

"I remember your dad is the one who sweeps and does odd jobs at our academy. With that little bit of talent of his, he dares to say you're a cultivation prodigy?"

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter immediately rang out.

The youth's face instantly flushed crimson, yet he had no words to refute.

But his gaze still kept slanting, never withdrawn.

"Alright, everyone stop shouting. I hear that for this First Cultivation Academy celebration, even the Sect Master, Lord Sage, will descend."

"Who knows if there'll be a chance to glimpse the Lord Sage's bearing."

In front of the youths, a man in Instructor's attire with a slightly effeminate air cleared his throat and spoke.

In an instant, the clamor vanished.

All the students shut their mouths one after another.

But in every eye flowed an extreme fanaticism!

In the blink of an eye, everyone's cheeks had turned incomparably red.

It was still that fair-faced youth from the start who could not help but ask.

"Instructor, will the Lord Sage really appear?"

"That…… hard to say, but he should."

The Instructor did not quite dare to be certain.

Then, feeling he could not save face, he put on a stern face and scolded.

"Cough cough, alright, whether he appears or not is not your concern."

"Chao Er, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but you have average talent, an average family, and that dad of yours likes to look at people sideways every day."

"I really don't know how you father and son got into my Sixteenth Cultivation Academy."

"I advise you to put more thought into your cultivation, so you don't end up unable to even graduate!"

The effeminate Instructor gave a cold snort.

The fair-faced youth named Chao Er went pale, his face full of shame and indignation, yet he had no words to reply.

And the other students all gloated one after another.

Chao Er's father was a sweeper at a Chaotian cultivation academy. Everyone knew this.

Even the matter of his father looking at people sideways every day was known to all.

But to be mocked so bluntly in public still made his expression ugly.

Yet before the laughter could fade.

Suddenly, they found the chattering words around them ringing out in an instant.

Looking up, they saw that above the canopy of heaven, a stretch of seven-colored rosy clouds spread forth.

Then a figure in azure robes slowly stood above the canopy.

"That…… that's the Sect Master, Lord Sage!"

"The Sect Master, Lord Sage, has come!"

"The Sect Master, Lord Sage, really came to observe the academy celebration."

"Quick, pay respects to the Sect Master!"

In an instant, the originally noisy Chaotian First Cultivation Academy suddenly fell silent.

Countless students bowed and prostrated.

"Greetings, Sect Master, Lord Sage!"