Those people wore long white robes. They looked weather-beaten, yet they exuded a sense of both mystery and power.
"The six core elders have appeared!"
Lu Xuan was slightly stunned. He said in surprise, "In the academy, core elders are all at Spirit Soul Realm Stage Five or above, and they wear long white robes."
"Honorary elders are at Spirit Soul Realm Stage One or above, and they wear long black robes."
"As for inner court elders, they wear long gray robes and all possess the strength of the Spirit Wheel Realm!"
Lu Xuan said with a hint of nervousness, "This time, our inner court disciples' trial has even involved the core elders."
At this moment, the six elders looked down and nodded slightly.
"Silence!"
An old man standing in the middle, with white beard and hair, spoke.
"This time, we will go to Mount Mingshan for the trial. Whether you are old students or new students, all of you must remember that safety comes first!"
"Next, I will announce a piece of news!"
"This time, each of your identity tokens will have additional personal information."
"This information records your identity in the academy before you enter Mount Mingshan. At the same time, a spirit rune will appear on each person's token!"
The elder slowly said, "This assessment has a total of 136,700 participants, ranging from Spirit Sea Realm Stage One to Spirit Sea Realm Stage Nine!"
"What you need to do is hunt spirit beasts in the mountain and collect their spirit souls into your tokens to increase your accumulated points."
"These accumulated points will not be displayed as numbers, but as a level evaluation. When you start now, everyone is at Level 0."
"As you hunt more spirit beasts, your level will continuously increase. When the trial ends, the academy will compile everyone's levels in the inner court plaza and then proceed with ranking."
"The top 10 disciples will be awarded a first-grade spirit pill by the academy, and moreover, it will be a first-grade spirit pill of your choice!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd suddenly became lively.
First-grade spirit pills were the most essential items for martial artists in the Spirit Sea Realm.
Spirit pills on the market were very expensive; one pill would cost at least tens of thousands of taels of gold.
First-grade spirit pills were divided into three grades: low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade.
The difference between these three grades could be described as heaven and earth.
The lowest low-grade first-grade spirit pill would cost at least tens of thousands of taels of gold, while a mid-grade one would require at least 100,000, and a high-grade one would be several hundred thousand or more.
Moreover, some special first-grade spirit pills with different values would lead to a situation where the price was high but few people needed them.
This time, the academy was so generous. For many disciples, it was an extremely attractive reward, and they even got to choose it themselves.
However, some disciples inevitably felt discouraged.
"The top 10, competing from Level One to Level Nine. Doesn't that mean the 10 top experts in the inner court will take all the prizes?"
"Indeed, those few people are all only half a step away from entering the Spirit Platform Realm!"
"Who says it's not true? We have no chance to shine!"
Some disciples couldn't help but sigh.
"It seems everyone isn't very enthusiastic!"
The old man spoke again, smiling, "This old man hasn't finished speaking yet."
"This time, anyone with an imprint of Level Five or above can win a first-grade spirit pill from the academy, regardless of who they are."
“However, you will not be able to choose; the academy will assign you.”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s enthusiasm instantly soared.
Just raising one’s mark to the fifth rank would allow one to obtain a spiritual pill, which made everyone excited and eager.
The top ten would not receive this, but if they raised their mark to the fifth rank, they could!
“There’s one more point!”
The old man added, “This time, if the top ten reach the ninth rank, they can enter the Spiritual Arts Institute and the Spiritual Artifacts Institute, and freely choose one spiritual art and one spiritual artifact!”
Heavens…
The crowd suddenly became noisy and boisterous.
If the top ten reached the ninth rank, they could freely choose one spiritual art and one spiritual artifact!
The Spiritual Arts Institute and the Spiritual Artifacts Institute were among the most important places within the Heavenly God Academy. The spiritual arts and spiritual artifacts there were something even the imperial family might not be able to compare with.
And the elder said they could choose freely!
Within the Heavenly God Academy, it was rumored that there were even fifth-grade spiritual artifacts, and they were also within the scope of free choice.
“Reaching the ninth rank, the rewards will be even more terrifying. It seems reaching the ninth rank will be harder than ascending to heaven.”
Lu Xuan said with a bitter smile.
“I think it’s already not bad if the top ten reach the eighth rank,” Xun Yu then spoke up, “I heard old students say that the Heavenly God Academy’s trials have always been very demanding.”
“This time, with such grand conditions, the difficulty must have increased several times!”
As soon as these words were spoken, they received the agreement of everyone else.
In short, being able to make the mark on one’s student identity token reach the fifth rank would already qualify one for a reward.
And being among the top ten would grant the reward of freely choosing a first-grade spiritual pill.
Being among the top ten on the list, and having one’s mark raised to the ninth rank, would grant the full right to choose one spiritual art and one spiritual artifact.
Everyone had clearly understood the progressive rules.
And this time, the academy did not say that marks could not be plundered.
This meant that among everyone, there was not only competition but also a struggle where the strong plundered the weak.
Qin Ning was not interested in this matter. But since he had decided to team up with Lu Xuan and Zhang Xiaoshuai this time, he had to be a little serious.
Moreover, there were indeed some things in the Spiritual Artifacts Institute and the Spiritual Arts Institute that Qin Ning wanted to see if they were there.
“Ninth rank… it seems very difficult, doesn’t it…” Qin Ning muttered softly.
Afterward, several elders also gave some instructions on matters needing attention, and then everyone could set off.
The land of the Heavenly God Academy was extremely vast, not only built in the imperial capital but also with some structures in the Ming Mountain.
The large crowd lined up in a long queue like a giant dragon, slowly leaving the academy.
When the grand gate before their eyes suddenly opened, a fresh breath of the deep forest slowly permeated the air.
Everyone couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
The breath of the green forest made people feel extremely comfortable, but it also carried a hint of chill.
After that, it would be a real battle, not something as simple as training within the academy.
“The inner academy trial has a duration of one month. Do not exceed the marked area designated by the academy, otherwise, it will be difficult to preserve your life!”
A gentle voice echoed in everyone’s ears.
“Now, begin!”
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
As soon as the old man’s voice faded, figures on the ground accelerated and rushed forward…
Within the vast mountain range, low roars echoed repeatedly, making everyone feel suffocated.
Qin Ning, Qin Hai, Ye Yuanyuan, Lu Xuan, Zhang Xiaoshuai, and Xun Yu had also formed a group by now, quickly heading deep into the forest.
Meanwhile, at the entrance, several people stood together.
"Have you seen Qin Ning?" the leading young man asked with a cold expression.