Chapter 98: Overwhelming Difficulties, A Test of One in Ten Thousand

  According to Helian's expectation, this kick would have at least hurt the white-clothed man a bit even if it didn't hit his vitals. However, just as his foot was about to kick the man, the latter mysteriously smiled and suddenly retreated half a meter in an instant, which happened to make Helian return empty-handed!

  Xie Lian had concentrated almost all his strength into this kick, and just as it was about to land, he tried to pull back but it was too late. Xie Lian's entire body stumbled forward due to the massive inertia, and just as he struggled to regain his balance, the white-clothed man suddenly pounced over and slapped a palm towards Xie Lian's back with great force!

  "Not good!", He Lian's heart secretly cried out that something was wrong, but his body still subconsciously reacted. Suddenly, he twisted his waist with force and his entire person rotated 180 degrees. Originally, he had been facing away from the man in white, but with this sudden turn, he instantly turned to face him!

  In the blink of an eye, Helian's left hand had accumulated enough power. Seeing the white-clothed man's palm rapidly approaching, he fiercely raised his fist to meet it. Everyone only heard a dull thud, and the white-clothed man lightly retreated half a step. However, Helian, whose center of gravity was already unstable, stumbled backward three steps in succession, almost falling to the ground. This difference of two and a half steps clearly distinguished the strong from the weak!

  He Lian rubbed his slightly numb left fist, just as he was about to continue forward, the white-clothed man suddenly put away his stance and leisurely put his hands behind his back. The attendants behind him handed him a clean white handkerchief, which he carefully used to wipe his hands. He raised his head and said loudly: "I didn't expect that you, a wild soul kid, would have some skills. If I weren't participating in the Sacred Soul Academy's test today, I would definitely play with you for a while. Looking at your appearance, it seems like you're also here to take the test? You must pass! In this dull school, I'll have another object of entertainment! Remember my name: Mo Fei Bai!" After finishing his words, he casually threw the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands onto the ground and left with a swagger, accompanied by his attendants.

  Zhang Fang saw He Lian'nuo wanting to counterattack, and hastily stepped forward to pull him back, softly advising: "He Lian, remember the purpose of our trip here! Now is not the time for contention, you must know that the qualification test for Sheng Hun Academy was obtained with great difficulty, if because of your unyielding nature we miss this precious opportunity, it would be a great loss!"

  Lan Youzhu also stepped forward to persuade, this matter was not caused by her, but Helian Nuo had no doubt taken action for her sake, which moved Lan Youzhu's heart. At this moment, her eyes no longer had the previous coquetry and frivolity, replaced only with concern.

  He Lianuo was not a reckless person, seeing the white-clothed man gradually going away, the fire in his heart also slowly subsided. He nodded slightly to Zhang Fang, indicating that he was fine, and then everyone started rushing on the road again.

  "Is Mo Fei not white? As you wish, I will remember this name and hope you can pass the test smoothly, because I will be waiting for you in Sheng Hun Academy!" He Lianuo secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he would make that arrogant white-clothed man pay the price for what he said today!

  Four people traveled together, along the way they saw many souls wearing strange clothes, from their conversations it can be guessed that they are also preparing to take the Sacred Soul Academy exam!

  "Uh... Grandpa Zhang, these people, they're not all here to take the test, are they?", Lan Youzhu, the weakest of the four, thought to herself, clearly worried that she wouldn't pass this test.

  Zhang Fang smiled and patted Lan Youzhu's head, saying in a low voice: "What's wrong, Youzhu? Are you afraid? Don't worry, although there are many people participating in the test this time, according to past conventions, probably 90% of them will be eliminated in the first round! The Sacred Soul Academy only recruits once every three years, and every time, like us, countless soul cultivators come from far and wide to take the test. Three years ago, I also came to observe the test, and at that time, there were as many as 200,000 soul cultivators participating in the preliminary round. However, after the preliminary round, only a little over 10,000 soul cultivators had the qualifications to stay behind. And in the end, the Sacred Soul Academy only admitted 100 people!"

  He Lian Nu took a deep breath, although he had long guessed that the threshold of this Holy Soul Academy would be extremely high, but he still didn't expect that the admission rate here was so low. It seems that to pass the final test, he must use all his strength!

  "Don't worry too much, everyone. No matter how many people take the test, it's ultimately up to yourselves whether you get accepted or not. What you need to do is not be better than others, but to bring out your own strongest abilities. I believe all three of you have what it takes to pass the test!" Zhang Fang smiled slightly and quickened his pace.

  As he journeyed on, Helian found that this spiritual realm was vastly different from the mortal world. Not only did it have refreshingly clean air that was far superior to what could be found in the mortal world, but its architectural styles were also unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. The terrain here was extremely complex, with numerous mountains and hills, and very few vast plains like those found in the mortal world. For some reason, the streets of the spiritual realm were eerily quiet, almost devoid of street vendors or traveling merchants calling out their wares. Every passerby hurried along with their heads down, hardly ever exchanging a word with one another.

  Another characteristic of the Soul Society is that the plants here are extremely lush, with giant trees and colorful flowers almost everywhere. Various small animals boldly pass by in front of pedestrians, showing no signs of fear. The ball that had been quietly lying in Lan Yu's arms suddenly saw the small animals running around and lit up, throwing the Nine Treasures into Helian'no's arms, and then jumped and ran over to play with the small animals.

  After walking for several hours, Zhang Fang finally stopped his footsteps. At this time, they were at the foot of a mountain. Zhang Fang pointed to the top of the mountain and smiled at everyone: "Everyone must be tired? Let me tell you some good news, after crossing that mountain, we can reach the territory of Shenghun College!"

  Xingqing jumped up and down, Lan Youzhu heard the words and cheered, without resting, she ran towards the mountain first. He Lianuo saw her and was afraid that she would encounter another rogue young master to disturb her, so he quickly followed her. Lan Youzhu naturally didn't want to fall behind either, and quickly chased after them.

  "These young people, they really are full of energy! Zhang Fang, who hadn't fully rested yet, sighed with a tear-stained face and reluctantly got up, slowly continuing on his way."

  He Lianuo's feet moved swiftly, soon surpassing the speed of ordinary Lan Youzhu. Ignoring the latter's loud calls, he flashed towards the mountain top with lightning speed. In fact, He Lianuo was even more eager to arrive at Sheng Hun Academy than Lan Youzhu. Previously, Gong Sun had said that the academy gathered talented individuals, and He Lianuo, who had been deeply affected by this, had long been looking forward to seeing those legendary geniuses for himself!

  Before long, Helianuo had already arrived at the top of the mountain. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes wide and looked out to the other side of the mountain...

  At the foot of the mountain, there is a vast plain, surrounded by mountains on all sides, like a flat-bottomed pot placed on the ground. Countless tall buildings are neatly arranged, and several large rivers divide into countless branches, almost traversing the entire plain. Various small boats come and go in the river, looking busy. Five-colored flowers bloom profusely, looking passionate but not vulgar. Flocks of birds fly in the sky, their calls pleasant to the ear.

  At this moment, Lan Youzhu and Lan Youruo also rushed over. Seeing the scenery below the mountain, they seemed to be stunned as well. Is this an academy? This is obviously a city that is not much smaller than Meteorite City!

  "How's that, is the scale of this Holy Soul Academy shocking enough?!", Zhang Fan panted as he hurried over, introducing with a complacent tone of an insider, "I know you must have a question in your minds, which is why does the Holy Soul Academy have such a large building scale if it only recruits 100 people every three years? Let me tell you, although the number of students recruited by the Holy Soul Academy each time is not many, but over thousands of years, there are nearly 10,000 students left in the academy! In fact, the core education area of the Holy Soul Academy is not large, unless it's a student or teacher from this school, others are not allowed to enter. Most of the buildings you see are actually built for the families or followers of those students and teachers. By the way, I forgot to tell you that the Holy Soul Academy doesn't charge any fees, not only that, but also provides free accommodation with excellent conditions for formally admitted students, and students can even eat for free in the cafeteria. However, if a student wants to bring their followers, they have to solve their own food, clothing, and shelter problems. That's why there are so many service industries here, plus the accumulation of the Holy Soul Academy over thousands of years, it's not surprising that there is such a large building scale!"

  "Could it be this good? Free accommodation and meals too?", Helian's heart secretly cheered, his goodwill towards the Holy Soul Academy increased even more!

  Under Zhang Fang's lead, the four of them quickly rushed down the mountain and arrived at the front gate of Sheng Hun Academy. The gate of Sheng Hun Academy looked extremely ancient and old-fashioned, but it emitted a faintly discernible aura of profundity and depth. There were no guards stationed in front of the gate, apparently everyone understood that causing trouble within the grounds of Sheng Hun Academy was no different from seeking death, so setting up guards seemed unnecessary.

  "Old fellow, you've finally arrived! " Helian Nuo was admiring the large characters engraved on the door when a loud and clear laughter suddenly came over, he turned his head to look, and saw a white-robed old man with a long beard walking towards him in big strides, warmly punching Zhang Fang's fist heavily!

  Zhang Fang was punched in the face, his teeth and lips numb, but there was no anger in his tone: "Old buddy, long time no see! How's it going? What's the test level like this year?"

  "As far as I know, the admission standards for this year have been raised even higher than last time because of the large number of participants! Oh? Are these three children you brought?" The white-robed elder noticed the three people behind Zhang Fan.

  "Hello, my name is Helianuo! No matter how difficult the test is, I will definitely be admitted!" Before Zhang Fan could speak, Helianuo jumped out and confidently introduced himself.