Chapter 470: Mysterious Statue

One could imagine that at a height of ninety meters, the pressure would surely surpass the level of a Tier Seven Martial King.

If he really broke through the ninety-meter mark, it would undoubtedly cause a huge commotion throughout the entire Dream Realm Plain.

That was not what he wanted.

’I’ll leave my name right here, at eighty-eight meters.’

Ye Xuan circulated the Nine Profound World-Defying Art, and the Profound Power in his body surged out like a spring as he slammed a fist into the stone stele.

BOOM!

The entire Memorial Stele shuddered.

An incredibly strong rebound force erupted from the Memorial Stele.

’Heh, quite stubborn. Nine Revolutions Saintly Body, break!’

A glint flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes as a terrifying power poured out.

CRASH!

Stone fragments filled the air. Ye Xuan’s hands moved with wide, sweeping motions as he swiftly carved his name onto the stone stele at the eighty-eight-meter mark.

Afterward, he put on an act of being completely exhausted, falling to the ground and gasping for breath in a sorry state.

’Can’t be helped. It’s better to keep a low profile.’

However, his "low profile" had already caused everyone present to stare with wide eyes, their mouths agape as if they could fit an egg inside.

Eighty-eight meters!

An unprecedented eighty-eight meters.

Even the chief examiner, Qingfeng, shot to his feet, his body trembling uncontrollably.

This Memorial Stele was erected by a director of Gale Light Academy nearly a hundred years ago and had stood for almost a century.

In this century, countless geniuses had left their names on it.

But the most heaven-defying one had only managed to leave his name at seventy-eight meters.

That person was named Su Xiuyi. Decades ago, he was already a Tier Seven Peak Martial King who had left the Dream Realm Plain to roam the world.

As for the few others who could leave their names above seventy meters, as long as they hadn’t perished, every single one was a Tier Seven Martial King, and they all held great renown among their peers.

Among them were some key figures from major powers.

In their youth, many of them had been secretly sent into Gale Light Academy by those powers.

Those were from the distant past. To speak of more recent times...

One of Gale Light Academy’s current vice directors, Ge Puzi—who had previously stepped in to repel Crazy Battle—had left his name at seventy-five meters when he was a student.

And now, Ye Xuan’s eighty-eight meters far surpassed Su Xiuyi’s seventy-eight and Vice Director Ge’s seventy-five.

This achievement completely stunned Qingfeng.

Looking up, Ye Xuan’s name hung high at the very top of the Memorial Stele, like a deity looking down upon all living beings.

Moreover, each character was the size of a round table, exuding an extraordinary dominance.

At that moment, a very famous poem echoed in everyone’s hearts.

"One day I must ascend the very peak, to see how small all other mountains are!"

Perhaps it was referring to the Ye Xuan of this moment.

"Haha, awesome! So damn awesome!"

Luo Cheng suddenly howled madly.

"Young Master Ye is just too fucking incredible! If I could be like Ye Xuan and leave my name at the very top of the Memorial Stele, to last for a hundred years and be admired by future generations—what a magnificent thing that would be!"

Luo Cheng was ecstatic beyond words.

"Xuan Ye, I, Hou Fei, concede!"

Seeing Ye Xuan’s result...

Hou Fei walked up to Ye Xuan and let out a heavy sigh.

He was thoroughly humbled.

If Ye Xuan had reached seventy meters, or even just a little over seventy, he would still have the courage to compete.

But now...

He could only look up to Ye Xuan’s achievement.

Before the assessment, Hou Fei had never imagined that with his talent, he would be so utterly crushed during the entrance exam.

"However..." A fighting spirit suddenly flared in Hou Fei’s eyes. "I may not be your match now, but that doesn’t mean I won’t surpass you in the future. During our years at Gale Light Academy, I will definitely overtake you and become the number one genius!"

Hou Fei declared domineeringly.

"Rest assured, that day will never come," Ye Xuan said with a faint smile.

"Is that so?" Hou Fei clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. "Eighty-eight meters? It’s nothing special. I, Hou Fei, will reach it eventually!"

However, if he knew that eighty-eight meters wasn’t even Ye Xuan’s full strength, one could only wonder what Hou Fei would be thinking.

’I just knew it. No matter where you go, Ye Xuan, you’ll always be this dazzling, this eye-catching.’

Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi exchanged a glance, their eyes warm and smiles on their lips.

’That guy... How could he get such a heaven-defying result? I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it!’

Zhou Qingwei clenched her fists, her face full of resentment. She was completely unaware that her nails were digging deep into her palms.

This final round of the assessment had thoroughly made Ye Xuan the most talked-about figure among this year’s new students.

"Alright."

Just then, the elder Qingfeng recovered from his shock and announced loudly, "Gale Light Academy’s annual recruitment assessment has now concluded! A total of one hundred sixty-eight people have passed all three rounds. Congratulations! You have earned the opportunity to enter our Gale Light Academy to study and cultivate."

"Now, will those one hundred sixty-eight people please follow me to handle enrollment procedures and receive your dormitory assignments."

Qingfeng had to calm the crowd for a long time before the scene finally quieted down.

With some senior students maintaining order, he led Ye Xuan and the others, officially stepping through the gates of Gale Light Academy.

Only after watching Ye Xuan and his group disappear did the countless onlookers begin to disperse.

In one day, out of over a hundred thousand candidates, only one hundred sixty-eight were successfully selected. It was truly like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-log bridge—a cause for joy for some, and sorrow for many.

And everything that happened during today’s assessment became the talk of the town, spreading like wildfire through Gale Light City as the crowd dispersed.

At the same time, news of what had happened during the third round of the assessment spread rapidly throughout Gale Light Academy.

"What? A new student left their name at eighty-eight meters on the Memorial Stele? You’ve got to be kidding me!"

"It’s true! If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself. The Memorial Stele is on the mountain behind our academy. The name, Xuan Ye, is still hanging high up there."

"My heavens! Eighty-eight meters on the Memorial Stele... that’s simply heaven-defying! In the hundred-year history of our Gale Light Academy, there has never been a student who could leave their name above eighty meters. This Xuan Ye is too much of a monster!"

"A monster? You don’t know the half of it. This guy is the same killer wanted by the Profound Mystery Sect for killing their Elder Gale. Before the assessment even started, the Profound Mystery Sect’s Supreme Elder Crazy Battle actually made a move, trying to take him down on the spot. Luckily, Master Qingfeng was there, and then Vice Director Ge stepped in. Otherwise, he’d be dead by now."

"I’d heard about that incident. So he’s the one who was being hunted by the Profound Mystery Sect’s Supreme Elder?"

Conversations like this were taking place in every corner of Gale Light Academy.

Ye Xuan and his group, of course, knew nothing of this. Led by Qingfeng, they walked into the inner grounds of Gale Light Academy.

The hundred-plus people who passed the assessment were all thrilled, looking around and taking in the sights of the legendary number one academy in the Dream Realm Plain.

"So this is Gale Light Academy? It’s so simple."

"Yeah, look at these buildings. They look ancient, but in terms of luxury, they can’t even compare to some of the shops in our imperial city."

Many people looked at the buildings inside Gale Light Academy with disappointment on their faces.

In their minds, as the top academy in the Dream Realm Plain, Gale Light Academy’s buildings should have been luxurious, magnificent, and imposing. But the reality was that they were surrounded by simple stone structures. They had an ancient, weathered charm, but they were a far cry from luxurious or magnificent.

"Quick, look! What’s that statue up ahead?"

A student at the front suddenly exclaimed in a low voice. Everyone looked ahead, and their bodies trembled at the sight.

Before them was a massive plaza, and in its center stood a statue a hundred meters tall.

The statue was of an extraordinarily imposing man with long black hair and eyes that shone like stars.

He held a longsword, and a complex, shuttle-shaped weapon was slung across his back. His eyes gazed into the distance, a faint, calm smile on his lips.

Just by standing there silently, the statue emanated an aura of majesty that made all the disciples present turn pale. They felt an urge to look away, as if they were not facing a statue, but a god gazing into the endless sky.

When Ye Xuan saw the statue’s face, his body suddenly trembled, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

’How could this be...’

His heart was in turmoil, as if a tidal wave had been unleashed within it.

"Everyone, please bow to this statue," said Qingfeng, who was at the front. He was the first to bow respectfully.

The students didn’t dare to be disrespectful and hurriedly bowed as well.

"Ma... Master, is this statue of our academy’s founder?"

After they finished bowing, all the students were still in awe of the statue’s presence. One of them plucked up the courage to ask.

Qingfeng shook his head and said, "This statue is not of our Gale Light Academy’s founder, nor was he a student here. His name is Ye Xiaoyao!"

"Ye Xiaoyao?"

Many of the students were confused. Some of them felt the name was vaguely familiar.

"Master, who is this Ye Xiaoyao? Why is there a statue of him in our academy’s plaza?"

With a trace of reverence on his face, Qingfeng said, "Master Ye Xiaoyao was an extremely famous Eighth-Grade Emperor Level Soul Refiner on our Celestial Profound Continent, known by the title of the Carefree Soul Emperor."

"His strength was extraordinary, and his achievements in Soul Refining were even more heaven-defying. Although he was only an Eighth-Grade Soul Emperor, he was just one step away from the Ninth-Grade Emperor Level. Across the entire Celestial Profound Continent, the Soul Refiners who surpassed him in the path of Soul Refining could be counted on one hand."

"And that’s not all. His fame and power were unprecedented. Not only did he break the Celestial Profound Continent’s ten-thousand-year-old record for the youngest Soul Emperor, but he was also one of the continent’s top Ninth-Grade Alchemists, Array Pattern Masters, and Artifact Refiners. His achievements in martial arts were equally heaven-defying."

"For this reason, his fame on the continent was even more astounding than that of the few Ninth-Grade Soul Emperors."

"Someone once predicted that he would be the one with the greatest hope of reaching the legendary Tier Ten Saint Realm, a feat not seen on the continent for ten thousand years..."

As Qingfeng continued his quiet narration, Ye Xuan stood silently to the side, looking up at his own face. His thoughts seemed to travel through the boundless void, merging with his past life.

That’s right. This statue in Gale Light Academy was none other than himself.