A radiant auspicious mist sprayed forth, like thousands of rainbows spanning the heavens. A war chariot shimmered with astonishing brilliance, trailing mysterious light as it charged forward at incredible speed.
Along its path, the void split apart, smoke and clouds billowed, and streams of radiant mist exploded—a sight both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
The crowd gasped in shock. This chariot was extraordinary, moving so fast that its mere passage tore through the void, a testament to its immense power.
In an instant, it arrived before them—a war chariot forged from five-colored divine bronze, clearly a rare and precious artifact beyond the crafting abilities of ordinary people.
It was unbelievably swift, streaking into Qingcheng and landing atop the black broken mountain. Around it, the void cracked, dark fissures splitting open in a terrifying display.
The sheer might it exuded was overwhelming, as if a supreme powerhouse had descended, causing even geniuses like Lunar Grace Goddess to pale in fear.
The only flaw was that the black broken mountain disrupted the void, interfering with flying objects. As the five-colored divine bronze chariot approached, the mountain trembled, and multicolored light erupted.
Yet, the chariot was truly extraordinary. Despite the interference, it descended rapidly, landing with a resounding *boom* on the mountain, kicking up dust and debris but remaining unscathed.
This was a mighty and fearsome chariot, adorned with carvings of gods and demons devouring the sun and moon, grasping stars, and scenes of beasts bowing before an altar, as well as birds paying homage—a clear sign of its supreme status.
No beasts pulled it, yet its majesty was undeniable. It flew through the power of glyphs, maintaining its incredible speed.
All eyes were fixed on it, eager to see what great figure had arrived—though tension filled the air, for whoever was inside was undoubtedly formidable.
A hoarse, incomprehensible voice echoed from within the chariot.
For a moment, many failed to understand it.
“What does that mean? What language is that?” Some frowned in confusion.
“It truly is an outsider from beyond our realm—they speak this tongue!” Lunar Grace Goddess paled, clearly having learned much in recent days.
The other experts also grew solemn. Indeed, their gathering had attracted such mysterious powerhouses—outsiders had truly arrived.
Rumors had long spread that whenever a grand event was held in any province, they would appear, seeking true talents.
In truth, over the past months, the young elites of every province had suffered crushing defeats, humiliated without exception. The best performance had been merely resisting ten moves.
For the past two months, the pride of the upper realm had been shattered, their losses bringing shame to all sects.
“@#￥%…” The voice from the chariot spoke again, still unintelligible.
It was an ancient tongue, requiring careful study to decipher, resembling languages from before the primordial era.
“Hmph, the Three Thousand Dao Provinces have truly declined, forgetting even the mother tongue of the heavens!”
Finally, words the crowd could understand emerged from the chariot—laced with disdain, arrogance, and contempt.
“Elder, what are your commands?” someone responded cautiously, standing before the chariot with utmost deference.
“I am not that old!” The voice from within snorted impatiently.
Then it spoke again: “Is this the grand event held in Qing Province? It seems unimpressive—no true experts here.”
Silence fell. The visitor was arrogant, showing little regard for those present, not even bothering to step out of the chariot.
No one spoke, waiting to see what he would do next.
Many had risen to their feet, but Shi Hao remained seated, leisurely sipping fine wine. Huo Ling’er sat beside him, pouring his drink while indulging in a small cup herself.
As for the little wolf, it hugged a small wine jar, trying to appear refined as it drank.
“Pathetic. With talent like this, you think you can enter the Celestial Academy? Not a chance!” The hoarse voice from the chariot dripped with disdain, as if shaking its head in disappointment.
The crowd’s expressions darkened. Being belittled like this was far from pleasant.
“Brother, what must we achieve to qualify for the academy jointly founded by the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?” someone dared to ask.
“Defeat me, of course!” came the reply.
Many frowned—this was an immense challenge. Was this the famed outsider Celestial Being, Lin Tian? Rumors had spread of his undefeated streak, crushing Celestial Beings across the Three Thousand Provinces.
To this day, he had swept through all opposition without a single loss.
“Brother Lin, that… is too difficult. Your mastery is profound—few in the upper realm can rival you,” Lunar Grace Goddess said.
At that moment, the bronze curtain of the chariot was lifted, revealing the figure inside.
Instantly, everyone froze.
It was not the handsome, youthful powerhouse they had imagined—but a creature with a thunder god’s beak.
A golden-furred divine ape, its mouth like that of a thunder deity, sat cross-legged within, eyes gleaming like golden lamps, radiating overwhelming dominance.
Dressed in a Daoist robe, it looked almost comical—yet an oppressive aura emanated from it, its cold gaze making none dare underestimate it. This was a formidable Celestial Being.
“May I ask who you are?” someone ventured cautiously. None had heard of a monkey among the outsiders.
“I am Yuan Tian of the Arm-Swinging Divine Ape lineage,” it replied coldly.
This puzzled many. Was it not an outsider?
“Elder, what is your relation to those from beyond the heavens? Do you know Celestial Being Lin Tian?”
“I am indeed from beyond this realm, serving Lin Tian as my master.”
The crowd’s expressions darkened. A mere servant of the outsiders dared to arrive in such arrogance, belittling them all—this was hard to swallow.
“Brother Ape, what is your purpose here?” someone demanded sternly.
“Word of this gathering reached me. I came to test whether any true talents here are worthy of the Celestial Academy,” it stated bluntly.
Lunar Grace Goddess and Deer Prince’s expressions soured. They were among the top hundred in the Immortal Ancient Ruins battles—yet now, they were being dismissed by a mere servant of the outsiders!
Lin Tian himself had not come—only this monkey, a mere underling!
“This is too much!” someone gritted their teeth.
It was a humiliation. The true master had not bothered to appear, sending only a tamed ape to test them—utter disdain.
“You disagree?” The golden Arm-Swinging Ape’s face darkened as it swept a cold gaze over the crowd. “My master has challenged hundreds of provinces, yet not a single opponent lasted beyond ten moves—most fell in three. Why should he grace you with his presence?”
The words were cutting. The true master deemed them unworthy, sending only a servant to test them.
Anger simmered, yet many sighed. In truth, the Three Thousand Provinces had suffered devastating losses these past months.
“Well? Anyone bold enough to challenge me? Pass me, and you may face my master. Otherwise, forget the Celestial Academy,” it sneered.
Hostility filled the air. Many burned with indignation—how dare a mere monkey strut before them?
Some stepped forward, unwilling to endure this.
“I’ll test your skills!” one declared.
“Good! Let all who dare step forth!” The ape leaped from the chariot, landing on open ground.
A horned man charged forward, wielding a battle horn. With a single sweep, its mournful wail split the void—this was a Celestial Being.
*Boom!*
The ape pounded its chest with thunderous force, then roared at the moon, its voice drowning out the horn.
In a flash of golden lightning, it lunged.
*Crack!*
The horn shattered. The man was sent flying, his chest nearly torn open, blood gushing from a gaping wound.
“Too weak,” the ape mocked.
The man staggered back, face ashen.
Others shared his fury. A mere ape under Lin Tian’s command had humiliated them—this was unbearable.
The ape scoffed. “So-called geniuses, yet none stand out? All so feeble!”
Its words were merciless, stoking rage.
“Ah, many of you entered the so-called Immortal Ancient Ruins, calling yourselves elites? Yet most aren’t even Celestial Beings—too fragile. Fine. Since the academy values potential, I’ll suppress my cultivation to match yours. Who dares challenge me now?”
“I will!”
Someone snapped, unable to endure further. He had ranked decently in the ruins.
*Whoosh!*
A five-colored divine ring shot from his mouth, streaking toward the ape with dazzling radiance.
At the True God level, this was exceptional prowess.
Yet the ape dodged effortlessly, then closed in bare-handed.
In moments, divine arts clashed, runes flaring. After a dozen exchanges, the ape’s claw nearly tore the man in half.
“You lose.”
With a cruel laugh, it ripped off his arm and tossed it aside.
The crowd seethed. Many turned to Lunar Grace Goddess and Shi Hao, awaiting their response.
“Brother Shi, what do you think?” Lunar Grace Goddess hesitated, unsure if she could win.
The ape’s gaze locked onto her, then Shi Hao, baring its fangs. “You object?”
“A mere monkey, causing such a ruckus?” Shi Hao finally spoke. Since all eyes were on him, he could no longer stay silent.
The ape’s arrogance had gone too far.
“Who are you?” The ape frowned, finding the young man unfathomable.
“Fetch your master,” Shi Hao dismissed it.
“You wish to see my master? Get past me first!” The ape sneered defiantly.
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