Feng Mian Valley, Tian Yuan City, Four Symbols Academy.
With less than a month remaining until the Heavenly Pit Mystic Realm trial, all four branch academies have ten quota spots each.
The Vermilion Bird Courtyard is also in full swing with challenges for the top ten seats.
On the Vermilion Bird Courtyard's training grounds, ten seats are neatly arranged.
Seated there are the ten most powerful disciples currently in the Vermilion Bird Courtyard.
At the position of the chief disciple, it is still Liu Fuyao, whom Xin Ci encountered in the Lin Chuan Forest.
However, her spiritual power realm has advanced from the early Earth realm to the peak Earth realm.
Her ranking on the Heavenly Chart has ascended to fifth, making her the only disciple in the Vermilion Bird Courtyard to enter the top ten of the Heavenly Chart.
Clad in white, Liu Fuyao quietly occupies her seat. Her gentle beauty and simple attire exude a fresh elegance.
Her silent demeanor is like pure, clear ice and snow, captivating the admiring glances of many students.
Yet, despite her stunning appearance, a hint of melancholy clouds her delicate features.
Liu Fuyao's distress is not for any complex reason.
It is simply that in the past year, the Vermilion Bird Courtyard has yet to produce any disciples with exceptionally good potential.
The current top ten seats of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, excluding herself, are all ranked outside the top one hundred on the Heavenly Chart.
Their overall strength is significantly lower than the other three courtyards.
Even with today's seat contention challenges, Liu Fuyao does not believe that the new batch of students this year will possess the ability to challenge the top ten seats within just one year.
She fears that the Vermilion Bird Courtyard will once again be at the bottom in this year's Heavenly Pit Mystic Realm trial.
However, for such an important event as the seat contention, all students of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard should be present.
But despite her searching, she cannot find Xin Ci. She rewatches the academy entrance test playback through the academy's spiritual light mirror.
She clearly saw Xin Ci join the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, yet his figure is nowhere to be seen on the training grounds.
Could this guy be late?
At this hour, even her father, Liu Yuanhao, the Dean of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, has already taken his seat on the presidium.
All that remains is for Elder Duan Xuan, the presiding judge, to officially announce the commencement of the seat contention battle.
In the crowded spectator stands, the chubby boy Luo Fei, sweating profusely, anxiously calls out in his heart.
"Boss, where on earth are you? Why aren't you back yet? This seat contention battle is about to begin."
Ever since Xin Ci went out on a mission a year ago, he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, with no news.
On the other hand, it was heard that Nalan Wuxia of the Azure Dragon Courtyard returned from outside the academy with a grim expression and inexplicably lost an arm.
"Do you think, little Xin Xin might have left Four Symbols Academy because he's too embarrassed to face us after we discovered his true gender?"
Beside Luo Fei, Liu Mu Ming casually munches on a fruit, his arm still draped over Luo Fei's shoulder as usual.
Perhaps this posture makes his arm feel more relaxed.
Hearing this, Luo Fei recalls the stunning maiden he saw that night.
He still finds it difficult to accept that Boss is actually a woman, and an exceptionally beautiful one at that.
If Boss returns, how will he be able to interact with him normally?
No, what am I thinking about? I should be worried if Boss is okay.
He then turns to look at Liu Mu Ming beside him.
"Uh... why are you, an Azure Dragon Courtyard disciple, always hanging around our Vermilion Bird Courtyard? Don't you have seat contention matches going on over there too?"
Luo Fei rolls his eyes at this guy, grumbling speechlessly.
"The seat contention battle in the Azure Dragon Courtyard is boring to death. The participants are pretty much already decided."
Liu Mu Ming says with a look of complaint.
Then his expression changes to a smile: "Heh heh, it's much more interesting here. Not only do we have senior sister Liu Fuyao of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, but even Elder Duan Xuan from the Hall of Skills is here to preside."
Luo Fei immediately gives him a white eye.
So you're just here to look at women.
"But aren't you going to participate in the seat contention battle?" Luo Fei asks again.
"Didn't I just say? The Azure Dragon Courtyard has already decided its ten seats, and this genius is naturally among them, heh heh."
As he speaks, Liu Mu Ming proudly pats his chest.
Luo Fei feels a surge of frustration again. Why is this guy so annoying?
If he weren't weaker than him, he would have beaten him up on the spot.
Despite that, Liu Mu Ming's talent still amazes him.
In just one year, he has broken through to the mid-Earth realm and successfully entered the Heavenly Chart.
Now he is also one of the ten seats in the Azure Dragon Courtyard.
Among the geniuses from the entrance test a year ago, it seems only Liu Mu Ming and his little fiancée Bai Ting have successfully secured seats.
This makes Luo Fei suspect that these two might come from some incredibly powerful aristocratic families.
Just as he is about to ponder this further, Elder Duan Xuan on the stage has already announced the official start of the seat contention battle.
As soon as the words fall, a person from the crowd below eagerly jumps onto the stage.
Upon arrival, he unceremoniously points his sword at the senior disciple occupying the sixth seat.
"Junior disciple Qiao Yizhou, I am here to challenge senior brother Dong Hao of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard's sixth seat."
Hearing this, Dong Hao rises from his seat and gracefully lands on the stage with a swift movement.
He calmly raises his hand and says, "Junior disciple, make your move."
From his nonchalant demeanor, it's evident that Dong Hao doesn't take Qiao Yizhou very seriously.
Subsequently, swords and sabers clash on the stage, with sword shadows appearing as if one.
As expected, after a few exchanges, Qiao Yizhou is forced to admit defeat.
"Alas, senior sister Liu, I had hoped this year's students would bring some surprises, but based on this situation, I doubt they can even shake the original ten seats,"
Lin Yan'er, occupying the third seat, shakes her head helplessly, sadly transmitting her thoughts to Liu Fuyao.
Liu Fuyao also expresses concern. The challenge for the top ten seats in the Vermilion Bird Courtyard is already the easiest among the four courtyards.
If it were in the other three courtyards, perhaps all nine seats besides hers would be replaced.
Yet, this year's students can't even defeat the original top ten. How can they be expected to compete for opportunities in the Heavenly Pit Mystic Realm against the other three courtyards?
A man in black, seated in the second position, says with disdain, "What a bunch of trash. We'll have to rely on ourselves again this year."
Although his voice is not loud, many students hear it.
They feel indignant but dare not challenge him, their anger suppressed.
In the fourth seat, a man in opulent attire says impatiently, "If this is all there is, then what's the point of having seat contention? The Vermilion Bird Courtyard is truly making a fuss over nothing, merely wasting my patience."
From the four-clawed python brocade embroidered with gold thread on his clothes, it's clear this fellow has a noble identity.
The students of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard also recognize him. He is the current Crown Prince of the Mo Yuan Empire, Mo Xuanxiao.
Despite entering the Four Symbols Academy, his royal lineage hasn't altered his arrogant, self-important demeanor as a high-ranking individual.
Especially after becoming the fourth seat of the Vermilion Bird Courtyard, Mo Xuanxiao has become even more presumptuous.
Students who encounter him in their daily lives are forced to bow their heads and address him as Crown Prince Mo.