Chapter 515 - Mystic Sky Rankings (2/2)
This time, the two men with him looked grim. They turned to look south in unison. That direction led to the Violet Manor.
“For resources, for survival, there would surely be a great war between the Wastelands and the Violet Manor when the third stage of the Annihilation Times arrives,” the old man in the middle said slowly.
“Even though the Cloud Mist Academy has nurtured so many talents, the experts of the Violet Manor would also show up one after another when the war begins. This time, I fear that the Wastelands will be no match for the Violet Manor.”
The three old men sighed. The one on the right said, “The Northern Realm of Violet Manor has the Kunlun Sword Sect as their guardians. The Southern Realm has Mount Shu Sword Sect. These two forces are beyond our perception.”
“The battle between the Wastelands and the Violet Manor is inevitable. But this time… Do you still remember the Devil clansmen who were forced to return to the Hopeless Realm thousands of years ago?”
“The Devil Clan has coveted the Human Realm for thousands of years. In recent times, the seal on the crack between the Six Domains has been getting weaker. Unnatural phenomena have been appearing in the Valley of God and Devil time and again. If the two realms wage war against each other, that would mean a genuine Annihilation Times. After being at peace for 7,000 years, the Six Domains are finally going to go through turmoil. Will this era also come to an end…?”
“Why do you think the seal on the fissures between the Six Domains is weakening? What say you, Senior Brother?”
“The half ancient scroll stated that during the previous Annihilation Times, that person sacrificed all the magic power he accumulated in his lifetime to lay down the greatest formation of Archean Eon and seal the cracks that had appeared between the Six Domains. Those cracks were the fissures of the Six Domains. 7,000 years have passed, but the fissures remain and are in fact getting worse. I fear it’s because…”
…
Xiao Chen and the rest were halfway up the mountain after nearly 30 minutes of climbing but still, there was no sign of the Mystic Sky Pavilion that Baili Xiaohualuo spoke of. Xiao Chen looked at the greenery and delightful scenery around him and asked, “What’s the name of the Sect Leader?”
His question caught Baili Xiaohualuo off guard but he was soon smiling. “You must still be confused, Junior Brother Xiao. The Cloud Mist Academy isn’t a sect, so there’s no such thing as a Sect Leader. When you leave the academy in the future, you’re free to join any sect or even build your force. The academy wouldn’t interfere with your choice.”
This was true. Many students had built a name for themselves after leaving the Cloud Mist Academy, but they would never make an enemy of the academy. Even if their politics were no longer aligned with the academy, they were still emotionally attached to the place. Of course, as the saying went, there were always exceptions.
A youngster beside them was full of excitement. “If there’s no Sect Leader, who oversees the Cloud Mist Academy then?”
Baili Xiaohualuo laughed. “There are four grandmasters overseeing the daily affairs of the academy. Sometimes, the three Perfected Immortals would show themselves and handle matters personally. Above them are Sword Saint, Chess Saint, and Zither Saint. However, the three Saints rarely make an appearance. I have yet to meet them even after staying here for so long.”
“Oh. The three Saints must all be very powerful…” The youngster nodded, and then asked curiously, “Then do the three Saints accept disciples?”
The moment the youngster voiced his questions, several older disciples nearby stopped in their tracks. That included Bai Ling. Their expressions were a little odd. Baili Xiaohualuo was briefly taken aback before laughing. “The Mystic Sky Pavilion is right ahead. Let’s go.”
The group continued walking for a while before they finally reached another square surrounded by lush greenery and blooming flowers all around. In the middle of the square was a massive formation emitting a golden glow.
“That’s the teleportation formation that will take us to the Mystic Sky Pavilion. There are many such formations in the Cloud Mist Academy,” Baili Xiaohualuo explained, smiling. He pointed to a distant island floating in the sky. “That’s the Mystic Sky Pavilion. Come, let’s use the Teleportation Formation to get there.”
Everyone followed Baili Xiaohualuo into the formation and reappeared on the floating island in the blink of an eye. When they looked down, they could see the square they previously were in. It was quite a magical experience.
There was a large stone chamber on the island, with a green-colored restoration formation on its right. The most eye-catching things, however, were the objects on the left—three differently tall steles that gave off an inexplicable sense of dignity.
Noticing everyone’s attention on the steles, Baili Xiaohualuo smiled and explained, “That’s the Mystic Sky Rankings of the Cloud Mist Academy.”
“Mystic Sky Rankings…”
Xiao Chen’s gaze lingered on the three steles. The one on the far left was the tallest and widest, with more complicated carving too. The entire stele, with its purple glow that soared into the sky, looked imposing. The middle one was a little shorter, with simpler carvings, and emitted a cyan glow. The one on the right was the shortest of them all. It looked like an ordinary stele that gave off a white light.
“These are the Heaven Ranking, Earth Ranking, and Human Ranking.”
Following Baili Xiaohualuo’s explanation, the group slowly approached the steles and stared at the glowing characters on them. Those characters were the names of the students of the Cloud Mist Academy. There were 36 names on the Heaven Ranking, 70 on the Earth Ranking, and 200 on the Human Ranking. Anyone who could enter the rankings could be considered extraordinary.
With a glance, Xiao Chen found Baili Xiaohualuo’s name on the Heaven Ranking—placed merely 36th. That meant that his cultivation put him at the very rear of the Heaven Ranking.
Xiao Chen couldn’t help feeling surprised. Baili Xiaohualuo’s cultivation was clearly above his own. Was he also just about qualified for the bottom place of the Heaven Ranking? He was ranked 8th on the Heaven List of the Violet Manor; where would he place here?
The List of Experts in Heaven and Earth of the Violet Manor was decided through battles, but the Mystic Sky Rankings were different. How would they decide the rankings here?