C482 Heavenly Mirror Pavilion

Deep within the Misty Mountain Range lies the Bewilderment Dragon Stream, the true land of opportunity and the ultimate goal for the talented young students of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion.

According to Zhan Yifei and his brother, the rural kids from various villages are just there to make up the numbers. Their real target isn't the Bewilderment Dragon Stream but the Misty Mountain Range itself.

The Misty Mountain Range is shrouded in fog year-round, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to explore. It's home to many rare flowers, herbs, and precious minerals. The Azure Sun Martial Mansion folks don't have time to explore the outer areas, so this task falls to the less skilled village youths.

Of course, if you're determined, you can choose to enter the Bewilderment Dragon Stream. The opportunities there are greater, and if you seize one, you might become a true disciple of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion.

Woo Zhengyang is set on entering the Bewilderment Dragon Stream this time. It's a test from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion: anyone who enters the stream and makes it out alive, regardless of whether they find an opportunity, can become a disciple.

In recent days, students from other martial mansions have also arrived. The peculiar fog of the Misty Mountain Range has thinned considerably, and the outlines of the mountains are faintly visible. Given the current state of the fog, eligible youths can now enter the Misty Mountain Range, but none of the three groups have made a move yet.

Woo Zhengyang asked Zhan Yinuo and Zhan Yifei what they were waiting for, but both chose to remain silent.

These past few days, without any tasks or the gravity room, everyone had some downtime. Woo Zhengyang often ran into Zhan Yifei and Zhan Yinuo. Since Woo Zhengyang was almost accepted into the Azure Sun Martial Mansion and had already bested the Zhan brothers, their attitude toward him improved, allowing him to gather quite a bit of information.

Woo Zhengyang gradually realized that the Zhan brothers didn't hold a high status in the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. The true prodigies had been in seclusion for intense training, leaving only the average ones like the Zhan brothers to spar with newcomers like Woo Zhengyang. Just as the Mansion's disciples didn't pay much attention to the young folks from the villages, these mid-tier disciples also didn't care much, embodying the survival of the fittest mentality.

This revelation surprised Woo Zhengyang. If the Zhan brothers, with their skills, weren't considered top disciples, just how extraordinary were the others at the Mansion? After hearing the Zhan brothers' explanations, Woo Zhengyang finally understood why his efforts hadn't garnered much attention from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion.

Within the Mansion, many families existed, and the Zhan brothers' family was just one of the smaller ones.

The largest families naturally include the head of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion and some of the elders' families. Among the young people who came this time, the one with the highest level of skill was from the family of the mansion's leader, Fong Zhiyuan.

At just nineteen, Fong Zhiyuan had already reached the peak of the Inner Stage, making him one of the most gifted individuals in the Azure Sun Martial Mansion in recent years. It was highly likely he would advance to the Tendon Bone Stage before turning twenty. Achieving the Tendon Bone Stage, akin to a martial arts master, was a level typically reserved for senior figures in other schools. Even if Fong Zhiyuan reached this stage after twenty, it would still be considered extraordinary.

With Fong Zhiyuan's brilliance, Woo Zhengyang's achievements seemed less impressive. After all, he was only at the Skin Stage, a talent not particularly rare in the Azure Sun Martial Mansion.

Upon learning about Fong Zhiyuan, Woo Zhengyang was utterly astonished. Zhan Yifei, however, playfully told him not to be too shocked, as there were even more astonishing things to come. When Woo Zhengyang asked for more details, the two brothers just smiled without saying a word.

Two more days passed, and the mist over the Misty Mountain Range began to clear, revealing glimpses of what lay within. The people awaited by the three martial mansions were finally arriving. To welcome them, the three mansions went all out, summoning everyone to participate in the grand reception.

Woo Zhengyang stepped out with Rice in his arms and immediately noticed a spindle-shaped artifact approaching from a distance. It glided through the drizzling rain like a small boat cutting through waves. By the time it hovered above the crowd, it had grown to the size of a room.

"Never seen one of these, have you? It's called a Sky Shuttle, a top-tier artifact. Its speed rivals that of a master swordsman and it can carry fifty to sixty people," Zhan Yifei whispered to Woo Zhengyang.

"Are they from the Martial Mansion?" Woo Zhengyang asked.

"The Martial Mansion? If it were them, would these three families be welcoming them like this? No, these are people from the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion."

"The Heavenly Mirror Pavilion?"

"Even if I explained, you wouldn't know. Just understand that they're a more powerful force than the Martial Mansion. Their leader is a Sovereign," Zhan Yifei explained, and Woo Zhengyang understood.

Above the master level comes the Sovereign. To earn the title of Sovereign, a Body Tempering cultivator must reach the Sovereign Body stage, and their energy cultivation must achieve the Illusory Realm.

The Azure Sun Martial Mansion, in our previous world, would be akin to the Heavenly Martial Sect, while the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion is comparable to the Golden Scale Sect. Different titles, similar rules—it's all about strength.

"Are they here to oversee the three Martial Mansions?" Woo Zhengyang inquired.

"Oversee? They couldn't care less about our fate," Zhan Yifei replied.

“Are they here to explore the Bewilderment Dragon Stream too?”

“Of course, what else would they be doing here?”

Zhan Yifei smirked and continued, “Once the mist over the Misty Mountain Range clears, five hundred people can enter. Each of the three groups gets a hundred and sixty spots, and the remaining twenty go to the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion.”

“Only twenty spots?”

This surprised Woo Zhengyang. In the past, a powerful sect like that would have taken most of the spots.

Zhan Yifei sighed, “What do you mean, only twenty spots? Do you know what level those twenty people are at? They’re all at the Tendon Bone Stage! Some are even at the mid-level. That’s why I told you not to be too impressed by Fong Zhiyuan. These are the ones who are truly impressive!”

“Twenty people, all under twenty, and all at the Tendon Bone Stage?”

Woo Zhengyang was genuinely shocked. He knew that in ancient times, the progression in body tempering was much faster than in energy cultivation, but this was on another level. In the outside world, many cultivators struggle their whole lives to reach the Shape Gathering Stage, let alone the Reality Condensing Stage.

Yet here, these young people were reaching the Tendon Bone Stage by the age of twenty, which is equivalent to the Reality Condensing Stage. It means that any one of them could start their own sect in the outside world.

“Exactly, all of them! They only take twenty spots, not out of kindness, but because they’re not that interested in what the Misty Mountain Range has to offer. Every time the Bewilderment Dragon Stream opens, the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion benefits the most. That’s the difference. Just like your so-called super villages seem like backwaters to us at the Martial Mansion, we’re not much better in the eyes of the Heavenly Mirror Pavilion.”