Chapter 612 - 251: Eternal Dragon Tomb, Hidden Quest
Chapter 612: Chapter 251: Eternal Dragon Tomb, Hidden Quest
"You’re... still in the Gang Condensation Realm."
As her words fell, the atmosphere in the deathly silent Dragon Bone Wilderness grew even more delicate.
This was no longer disappointment, but a form of condescending scrutiny.
It was like desperately chasing a rival, only to glance back and realize they were still stuck at the starting line.
This complex emotion instantly morphed into a faint sense of contempt.
Although the others present said nothing, the way they looked at Lin Ye changed as well.
Xiao Lingchen still wore his gentle smile, only now it held a hint of almost imperceptible amusement.
The other geniuses who had passed the assessment were, for the most part, gloating.
Lin Ye’s previous performance in the grand exam had been so dominant, it had left all his peers struggling to breathe.
Now, seeing him "stagnating" while Xia Lianxue, an equally dazzling prodigy, had already taken a crucial step forward—even managing to kill a Divine Realm Great Perfection dragon beast head-on—they couldn’t help but think, ’So that’s all he is.’
Lin Ye, however, couldn’t even be bothered to lift an eyelid.
A battle between him and Xia Lianxue was inevitable.
There was no point in a war of words right now.
Dongfang Zhen sidled up to Lin Ye and lowered his voice, a smile he couldn’t quite contain on his face.
"Lin Ye, my friend, that girl... seems to think she’s all that again."
His tone was full of amusement.
Just then, the massive Celestial Abyss Rift above them began to churn violently once more.
Within the dark red curtain of light, two new rift entrances, wider than before, were violently torn open!
Then, a succession of figures with powerful auras emerged from within.
The group was large, thirty-six people in all.
Upon appearing, they immediately split into small groups and swept their gazes over Lin Ye and the other ten "newcomers" with unconcealed scrutiny and aggression.
They all looked to be a few years older than Lin Ye and the others. The youngest among them was probably over twenty.
And the fluctuations of Qi and Blood emanating from them caused the expressions on Dongfang Zhen and the others to turn grave instantly.
Mid-stage of Divine Realm...
Or even Late Stage of Divine Realm!
Lin Ye even sensed two faint but terrifying auras in the crowd, presences that had already touched the threshold of the Celestial Human Realm!
"This year’s newcomers don’t look like much."
A young man with a buzz cut and a vicious scar on his neck grinned and spoke bluntly.
"Yeah, only eleven of them? And one is in the Gang Condensation Realm? Are the standards at Longyin getting lower and lower?"
Another person agreed, looking at Lin Ye as if he were a sheep that had strayed into a wolf pack.
Their voices weren’t loud, but they were full of derision and a palpable sense of pressure.
Dongfang Zhen’s brow furrowed instantly. Seeing that Lin Ye was also confused, he explained in a low voice:
"Lin Ye, my friend, they’re candidates who were eliminated in previous selections, along with some Martial Artists who qualified through public channels."
"The admission standard for Longyin Academy is an age limit of twenty-three, so some people participate for several years in a row."
"That includes us. If we aren’t chosen by Longyin this year, we can still participate in next year’s selection trials."
"Everyone gets three chances. If you’re eliminated for three consecutive years, then you’re fated to never make it into Longyin."
Dongfang Zhen’s goal had been to get into Longyin from the start.
Naturally, he had done more homework on the subject than Lin Ye and had learned some of the not-so-secret inner workings.
Lin Ye understood instantly.
’So these people... are basically "repeaters."’
’They’ve had one or two more years to develop than "freshmen" like us. They’re stronger, and they probably understand Longyin’s selection rules much better.’
’No wonder they’re all acting so brazen.’
This also made Lin Ye wonder.
’What kind of allure did Longyin Academy possess to make these proud geniuses fight tooth and nail, willing to spend years of their lives, just to get in?’
Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly hostile.
A holographic projection suddenly materialized in mid-air before them all.
Yi Jiugao appeared before the crowd.
With his hands clasped behind his back, his indifferent gaze swept over the two clearly divided groups below before he slowly began to speak.
"Welcome, everyone, to this year’s Longyin Academy selection."
"The rift you are now in is called the Eternal Dragon Tomb. It is a medium-to-large-sized fragment, splintered from the fifth layer of the Celestial Abyss, and its danger level is assessed as moderate."
"In a moment, we will use spatial warping technology to teleport all of you to random corners of this world."
"You will need to survive in this world for ten days."
As soon as he finished speaking, a white light flashed out of thin air in front of everyone.
Lin Ye’s reaction was lightning-fast. The instant the white light flashed and something began to fall, he reached out and snatched it securely from the air.
It was a palm-sized, diamond-shaped fragment with the texture of bronze, its surface engraved with countless complex draconic patterns.
The fragment was incomplete, with obvious fracture marks along its edges.
Lin Ye could feel a faint, peculiar fluctuation within it, like the pulse of the earth’s veins.
Yi Jiugao’s voice continued.
"You have only one objective: to find the ancestral land of the Dragon Vein within these ten days and successfully enter it."
"What you hold in your hands are Earth Vein Fragments. Each fragment contains a crucial piece of information leading to the ancestral land of the Dragon Vein."
"However, the information on a single fragment is incomplete. You will need to find other fragments to piece together the true coordinates of the ancestral land."