Chapter 135: Epiphany

Shen Duo was truly surprised that the Alchemist’s entrance test, which she had anticipated to be fraught with difficulties, was passed so easily. Looking at Elder Luo Hui, she could hardly believe it. "Is that it? Can I really enter the Alchemist Division now?"

Shen Duo’s naive question made Linghu Yu burst into laughter. "Since Master Luo Hui has said you can enter the Alchemist Division, how could it be anything but true?"

Shen Duo realized her question sounded a bit silly, but if she didn't hear it confirmed with her own ears, she would have felt as if she were dreaming.

Luo Hui coughed. "Xiao Duo, I must remind you: entering the Alchemist Division does not necessarily mean you are an alchemist. That title is only yours once you can personally craft a basic phantom artifact."

Shen Duo nodded earnestly. "Master Luo Hui, you can rest assured about that. Once I, Shen Duo, decide to do something, I will certainly achieve it!"

In the girl's dark pupils, a bright light shone like a cluster of brilliant stars, radiating an incomparable glow.

After leaving Linghu Yu’s courtyard, Shen Duo took a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief and joy she had never experienced before.

Upon returning to the dormitory to share the news with Lei Hang and Feng Jun, both men stared in wide-eyed astonishment, even the usually cold-faced Feng Jun.

Even Feng Jun, who had been closest to Shen Duo during this time, had no idea she would make such a decision.

However, a flicker of surprise passed through his long, narrow phoenix eyes before he calmed down. From his perspective, he would never stop her from doing anything; if possible, he would even clear the obstacles in her path. Because whenever Shen Duo was immersed in something she loved, she was at her most beautiful, and he could never get enough of watching her.

Moreover, he believed she could succeed. Just like her talent in Swordmaster and Beast Tamer cultivation—no one on this continent could compare to her.

Lei Hang stood stunned for a long while before bursting into loud laughter. "Xiao Duo, you’ll be my junior sister from now on! Hahahaha!"

Shen Duo shot him a glance. "Brother Lei, even if I have entered the Alchemist Division, it doesn’t mean I will necessarily be Master Luo Hui’s disciple..."

"Don't worry about that, I’ll go beg our teacher," Lei Hang said nonchalantly, as if he were discussing what to have for lunch.

Shen Duo frowned. "Brother Lei, don't trouble yourself. Whether I can become Master Luo Hui’s disciple or not, I will rely on my own efforts. I will give it my all; if I still cannot satisfy Master Luo Hui, then even if I fail to become his disciple, I will have no regrets."

Lei Hang looked at her stubborn expression and finally shook his head. "You! Fine, if you don't want me to say anything, I won't!"

"Thank you, Brother Lei." Shen Duo gave him a radiant smile. Lei Hang reached out to ruffle her black hair with his large palm, but was blocked by Feng Jun, who was sitting between them.

In an instant, their gazes collided in the air, as if sparks were about to fly.

Shen Duo sighed and rubbed her forehead, helpless. She couldn't understand when Feng Jun and Lei Hang had become "enemies," seemingly needing to confront each other once or twice a day just to be satisfied.

Soon, Wei Dong also learned the news. Before dinner, he rushed over to ask Shen Duo in person to confirm it wasn't a rumor.

Wei Dong looked disappointed. "I thought we would be in the same division! Sigh... the teacher will surely be saddened to hear this, too."

Shen Duo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She stepped forward and patted Wei Dong’s sturdy shoulder. "Brother Wei, even though I’ve chosen the Alchemist Division, you know there are so few people there—it’s not even enough to fill a single dining table. Master Linghu has already promised me that on days when there is nothing going on in the Alchemist Division, I can still study and train in the Swordmaster Division."

"Really?" Hearing this, Wei Dong’s expression finally improved.

"Would Master Linghu ever lie?" Shen Duo said with a smile.

Wei Dong thought about it; Master Linghu was the most reputable person in the academy, and he had never failed to keep his word.

Wei Dong nodded and greeted Lei Hang and Feng Jun. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back, having remembered something. "By the way, I forgot to mention: the opening ceremony is the day after tomorrow. Everyone from both the Ziyuan and Zhouxing divisions will be there. You must be careful; that Zhou Long you challenged at the recruitment plaza is a member of a branch family of the Zhou clan."

"Understood, Brother Wei. I will be careful, don't worry!"

Wei Dong nodded thoughtfully. "You haven't seen the sunrise at Joslin Academy yet, have you? Since everyone is free tomorrow, let's go watch it together in the morning!"

Shen Duo raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling up. "Brother Wei, is there something special about the sunrise at Joslin Academy?"

Wei Dong chuckled, keeping it a mystery. "Once you see it, you definitely won't regret it!"

"I'll come pick you up before dawn tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Dong vanished from the doorway. Lei Hang shook his head with a smile. In the few days he had spent with Wei Dong, he had formed a good impression of him. Though Wei Dong was a bit rough around the edges, he was truly warm-hearted and sincere toward his friends—a stark contrast to his slightly fierce appearance.

The next day, Shen Duo, Feng Jun, and Lei Hang rose early. After meeting up with Wei Dong, they boarded the academy’s Spirit Vulture and flew toward the mountains behind the school.

Watching Wei Dong pilot the beast, Lei Hang smiled at Shen Duo. "I didn't expect Brother Wei to be able to pilot a Spirit Vulture; that’s truly rare."

For high-level phantom masters and swordmasters like them, very few people touched such low-level transportation phantom beasts. There was also a saying that those who piloted Spirit Vultures were mostly those who lacked the ability to advance further. This made many practitioners shun the continent’s common aerial transport.

Wei Dong laughed heartily and said without hesitation, "My father was a Spirit Vulture pilot his entire life."

Shen Duo, Feng Jun, and Lei Hang were all stunned, not expecting that Wei Dong—a high-level Sword Spirit not yet thirty years old—had such a family background.

Seeing their expressions, Wei Dong’s eyes softened. He looked into the distance, his slightly deep voice carried to their ears by the morning breeze.

Although his surname was Wei, he had no relation to the Wei family, one of the four great clans of the continent.

His father had almost no talent for phantom mastery since childhood. After twenty years, he had barely reached a four-star level and could advance no further. To survive on a continent filled with powerful beings, Wei Dong’s father had to take up this "lowly" profession. When Wei Dong was born and taken to the assessors, the magic stones showed no miracles; his talent was barely better than that of an ordinary person.

However, Wei Dong had better luck than his father. His teacher, Fubien, had been traveling to hone his skills when he happened to encounter Wei Dong’s father and was saved by him. While Fubien was recovering at their home, he took a liking to Wei Dong and brought him into Joslin Academy to study the way of the sword.

Although Fubien had personally brought him into the academy, the costs of a top-tier institution were not cheap—even for a normal family like Wei Dong’s, it was a heavy burden.

His father, wanting to give him a chance at power, flew the Spirit Vulture day and night without rest. Wei Dong did not let him down. When he advanced to become a Sword Spirit at twenty, his father passed away with a sense of contentment upon hearing the news. Later, Wei Dong learned from his mother that his father had died of overwork, solely to ensure he could escape a commoner's life and study without worry.

Shen Duo and the others were deeply moved. Seeing Wei Dong’s moist eyes, Lei Hang patted his shoulder.

"It was for my father that I learned to pilot the Spirit Vulture."

As they spoke, they arrived atop a towering mountain peak. Surrounded by ancient, sky-piercing trees, the summit itself was bare and unobstructed. Before them lay an endless expanse of dark green forest.

The morning breeze brought a fresh, pleasant scent.

"The teacher says this is the scent of new life," Wei Dong said, standing on a giant rock at the summit, gazing into the distance with shimmering eyes.

This place was still part of the Primordial Valley. Lorcadan leaned against the Primordial Valley to the south and the Light Mountains to the east; they were standing at the intersection of the two.

The four of them stood side by side, watching the distant earth flush with a faint red glow that slowly leaped upward. The red light then spread across the forest and shone upon them, as if covering the entire world in an orange hue.

Shen Duo gazed at the boundless Primordial Valley and the Light Mountains, and a sense of ancient, heroic grandeur surged through her. For a moment, it felt as though she were being submerged. She felt as if she could hear the roars of various powerful magical beasts deep in the forest. She felt as though she were on an ancient battlefield of ten thousand beasts, the power and majesty becoming so tangible that it enveloped her.

All things awakened in that moment, and every life seemed to be reborn.

The sounds of the beast herds came from afar, and behind them, a vast, ethereal sound arose—the voices of hundreds, thousands of ancient, powerful practitioners.

They rode their phantom beasts, without distinction between swordmasters or phantom masters, walking toward Shen Duo from the morning sun.

Feng Jun turned his head and saw a faint white light enveloping Shen Duo. Her usually cool eyes were now profound and boundless, her brown irises gradually turning a deep, pure black. It was a blackness like a deep pool, so dark that one look was enough to be drawn into its depths, unable to pull away.

The ancient practitioners walked slowly toward her. Shen Duo felt the earth tremble. Suddenly, their speed increased tenfold, no, a hundredfold. In an instant, she felt as if those hundreds of experts had reached her, and the space-time before her twisted under such an impact.

The aura around Shen Duo changed abruptly. Wei Dong was startled and was about to go forward to wake her, but Feng Jun grabbed him.

"Don't move, Xiao Duo is having an epiphany."

Wei Dong’s hand froze in mid-air.