The Eastern Ghastly Realm, its spatial location inclined towards a large domain within the Central Ghastly Realm.
The heavens and earth were permeated with an aura of dead silence, and ghastly specters roamed everywhere.
Demi-god Xiguang journeyed all the way from the Sea of Shatteredness, and he had to tread with extreme caution. This large domain had no human super oases, as the pollution here was more severe, and the number and ranks of ghastly specters far exceeded those of ordinary domains. Furthermore, servants of evil gods had established strongholds here.
The human oases in this large domain were merely sustenance; they could never develop. Over time, they had become nearly extinct.
Demi-god Xiguang was very low-key. He avoided all seven-star ghastly specters he encountered along the way, never engaging them in battle. Even though he was confident he could instantly kill a seven-star ghastly specter, he worried that this specter might have ties to the servants of evil gods.
He was not here to fight.
He risked immense danger to venture into this domain, all for the sake of finding a Kandira ruin recorded in ancient texts.
"It's just ahead!"
Demi-god Xiguang's tensed expression finally relaxed slightly. He cautiously dispersed his divine sense, and soon, with several other demi-gods, they continued to traverse the gray mist.
After traveling for dozens of miles, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
It was a vast underground space, with white towers standing tall, guarding magnificent silver-white structures.
"That's right, it's the architectural style of the Kandira Empire!"
However, the magnificent silver-white buildings were more than half collapsed.
The standing pure white towers were stained with gray-black patches.
Further eroded by the passage of time, these structures appeared utterly dilapidated. Yet, even so, one could still discern their past glory.
The group cautiously stepped into this underground city.
A mythological elder, specializing in the history of Kandira, adjusted his glasses, which possessed scanning, analysis, and locking functions. After a long pause, he spoke, "This is a Light Energy Tower, a standard defensive structure from the Kandira era, rated Epic. But with a sufficient number of Light Energy Towers, their converged beams could easily obliterate even seven-star ghastly specters… And this is merely a very ordinary Kandira defensive structure, of low cost."
The elder's face showed fervent enthusiasm.
The other mythological beings did not have such in-depth research into Kandira's history. However, some time ago, they had browsed the exchangeable technology list of the 404 Trial Ground, and this was among them.
Their Ancient Moon Dynasty had exchanged for this very thing!
Later, after some bartering, they purchased Epic technologies exchanged by the Red Lotus Empire and the Seven Stars Alliance.
The group continued deeper. Demi-god Xiguang then produced a legendary artifact of the palace type, from which emerged experts and scholars specializing in history and Kandira architecture.
Soon, they had investigated the basic information of this ruin.
"This is also a trial ground."
The elder mythological being paused and explained, "Not only does it have Light Energy Towers, but also the Bright Sky Curtain defense system… which is the white light curtain we saw outside the ruins of the 404 Trial Ground."
"In addition, in the area directly facing the entrance, one can faintly discern several battle arenas and some Kandira Empire testing rituals."
"Further back are some sites for ability inheritance, about 18 of them… though their grade is not as high as the 404 secret realm, and they are mostly damaged."
Indeed, they were thoroughly damaged.
The Ancient Moon Dynasty had unearthed core components of some inheritance sites within Kandira ruins and, based on these components, built high-grade inheritance grounds.
However, in this much larger ruin, which possessed a full 18 inheritance sites, they could not find a single undamaged or even partially repairable core component.
This included the surrounding Light Energy Towers, Bright Sky Curtain components, and other functional structures.
Either they were smashed to pieces, or they were ruined by contamination.
"This destruction was not due to the erosion of time, nor was it caused by ghastly specters." Ghastly specters would not intentionally destroy these lifeless structures and inanimate objects, nor could they achieve such thorough destruction.
It was the work of intelligent life, deliberately done!
Upon realizing this, the faces of several mythological beings grew considerably somber. They became as vigilant as startled birds, scanning their surroundings. Only when the investigation concluded that the traces of destruction in this ruin were at least ten thousand years old did their heavy expressions slightly ease.
After all, this domain was truly too dangerous!
Demi-god Xiguang was not disappointed by the lack of treasure. When he had previously excavated Kandira ruins, he had encountered similar situations. His purpose for this expedition was history, secrets.
Since the equipment was damaged, they shifted their focus to ancient artifacts, murals, and anything else that might record information. They scoured the entire ruin, inside and out.
To their surprise, they found many historical secrets. Compared to the inheritance and defensive structures, this ordinary information was mostly preserved.
The elder mythological being, leading a group of professionals, meticulously deciphered and collected.
They did indeed uncover many new secrets.
Demi-god Xiguang stopped before a massive mural. On it, a figure in white robes held aloft a torch, seemingly dispelling the darkness ahead.
"What is this painting…?"
"It depicts the founding scene of an academy named 'Xin Huo' (Bonfire)."
The elder mythological being deciphered more information and exclaimed, "This cultivation academy called Xin Huo is quite remarkable. This academy was founded late in the Kandira Empire, yet in just over a hundred years, it produced hundreds of Seven-Awakening mythological beings for Kandira."
"What's more, the mythological beings who emerged from Xin Huo Academy were all young prodigies. There are even exaggerated examples of individuals transforming from ordinary mortals into mythological beings in just two to three years of cultivation… if this mural's record is not exaggerated."
The elder believed it was definitely exaggerated.
Reaching the mythological realm in just two and a half years of cultivation? Even the Kandira Empire couldn't be that absurd! Moreover, the mural indicated that there seemed to be quite a number of mythological beings in Xin Huo Academy who achieved this in two and a half years.
This defied basic logic!
The elder annotated the collected information with phrases like 'exaggerated' and 'to be verified.'
However, one thing was certain: Xin Huo Academy was very famous in the late Kandira Empire. Furthermore, the professors and students of the academy made immense contributions to resisting the catastrophe, and also suffered heavy sacrifices.
From hundreds of mythological beings at its peak, to dozens, and then to a single digit… Demi-god Xiguang and the others looked on in silence.
Such a tragic outcome also represented the rapid decline of the Kandira Empire from its peak.
Even the mighty Kandira, under the catastrophe, retreated step by step, with almost no power to resist.
The faces of the mythological beings grew incredibly solemn.
"Even the mighty Kandira Empire could not resist the calamity of the evil gods?"
"No, evil gods had not yet appeared during this period; there were only many evil god attendants. They were high-ranking beings of the Ninth Order!"
"And various signs indicate that the frequent appearance of evil god calamity scenes and the constant outbreak of wars between evil god factions are the beginning of the awakening of the unspeakable evil gods…"
Survival in their era was already difficult enough. Yet, at this moment, they were being told that the evil gods were still dreaming, and when they awoke, that would be when the true face of disaster would be revealed.
"This news must be suppressed! Otherwise, if it gets out, the oases will fall into chaos!"
"Suppressing the news is easy, but if the disaster is as it is recorded in history, capable of easily overturning the Kandira Empire, then… we will be utterly unable to withstand it."
"Not necessarily. In the eyes of the evil gods, we humans are probably insignificant. Perhaps when the evil gods awaken, they will directly fight amongst themselves, and our crisis will be resolved. "
"And according to the secrets we have uncovered, the evil gods are thoroughly mortal enemies, aren't they?"
The Scarlet Moon and the Nether Lord of Eternal Night;
The Scarlet Moon and the Gloom Shadow;
The Mother of Desire and the Twisted Black River;
And so on!
There were no allies among the unspeakable evil gods, but there were pairs of mortal enemies. According to the ancient secrets they unearthed, there was no cooperation between evil gods, yet countless wars had broken out.
However,
"The evil gods are at odds with each other, but when have we humans ever been united?"
There had been no shortage of internal wars among humans.
Even in the face of crisis, it was difficult for humans to set aside their past grievances and cooperate closely; this was the inherent flaw of humanity.
Demi-god Xiguang knew that he was not particularly noble himself.
When he acted, he would certainly prioritize the interests of the Ancient Moon Dynasty.
It was just that, perhaps, time was running out.
"Perhaps, we should make a trip to the Central Sacred Court?"
"The Central Sacred Court claims to have inherited the will of Kandira. They surely must have sensed something, right?"
But if they had sensed something, why did the Central Sacred Court remain so quiet?
The Human Alliance Council had also not convened for centuries.
Demi-god Xiguang pondered intently, hoping to find a sliver of a path to preserve his dynasty amidst the vast darkness.
Yet, no matter how he thought, he could not find a way out.
Suddenly, he stopped. His peripheral vision caught sight of a somewhat familiar figure.
The white-robed figure depicted on the mural, holding aloft a torch.
And the content of the mural in this area told of…
"The origin and promotion of trial grounds."
...
...
...
In the 404 Trial Ground secret realm, a trial officer, wearing a white military cap and a form-fitting outfit that accentuated her slender figure, stared in stunned silence at the crates of materials being unloaded from the Winged Serpent-class train.
She understood Winged Serpent-class trains.
She had also seen the silver-white portals that linked to other spaces before.
But, what are you doing? Stop! This is my trial ground!
No!
"Don't be nervous, we're just making some minor renovations to the trial ground. After all, if Miss doesn't want to see Kandira's legacy remain buried, right?"
Inside the secret realm, construction was underway with rumbling noises.
Ancient engineering golems were activated with a clatter and quickly entered working order, rebuilding the entire secret realm.
According to the plan, the renovations to the secret realm were not just minor; they were essentially a complete demolition and rebuild.
After all, this place was previously known as the 404 Trial Ground, and many people had seen it. From now on, it would be called Xin Huo Academy, and at the very least, its appearance, functions, and style had to be completely different from before.
Trial Officer: "???"
Stop it! (▼ヘ▼#)
Dean Fang, as the controller of the secret realm, overruled her disapproval.
...
Not long ago, Liu Feng proposed rebuilding Xin Huo Academy. Fang You considered the matter more and more feasible, and that it needed to be done quickly.
From the "Dusk Embers" instance, he had obtained many secrets, one of which was related to time.
The Kandira Empire went from its peak to being in peril in just over a hundred years.
A mere hundred years!
When Liu Feng died in battle, the territory of the Kandira Empire was less than one-third of its former size. The inland Yunxia Province had become the frontline.
In the current world?
Evil god calamity scenes were already appearing frequently. The time remaining until the awakening of the evil gods and the arrival of the great catastrophe was likely not much.
He had to be faster.
The improvement of top-tier combat power and the growth of the organization were both crucial.
And the best way to expand the organization was to contract peak Six-Awakening powerhouses and help them advance to the mythological realm. If feasible, he could cultivate dozens or even hundreds of mythological beings in a short period.
Advancement and breakthrough were not difficult.
Resources would not be scarce… He could have the peak Six-Awakening powerhouses fund it themselves.
In summary: you have to sign an indenture, work for the organization, and even pay yourself.
This sounded preposterous.
But when the opportunity to advance to the mythological realm and soar like a dragon was presented, many people could not refuse such temptation. The terms of the employment contract were not harsh, and the organization's benefits were top-notch.
The only problem was: trust!
Before the contract, Six-Awakening peak individuals could not trust the organization.
Similarly, Xin Huo could not publicize its information.
But the existence of Xin Huo Academy could serve as an intermediate bridge, gradually building trust.
He planned to model the academy's operational model after the early Blue Star Elite Training Camp. At that time, many external students from various countries studied and trained within the camp, and were eventually… voluntarily integrated into the Xin Huo family.
The difference was,
Xin Huo Academy would be open to the entire Ghastly Realm!
"Well, you have to eat a meal bite by bite, and walk a road step by step."
The first step in rebuilding Xin Huo Academy was naturally the site!
A sufficiently safe site.
Currently, Xin Huo was not even top-tier among human forces, let alone compared to the evil god factions; it was like an ant.
Fight? They couldn't win.
Defend? They couldn't hold.
So what to do? The only solution he could think of was strategic transfer!
With this idea, he quickly thought of the 404 Trial Ground. This trial ground's operating model was to conceal itself, drifting in the spatial cracks, avoiding attacks from the evil god factions.
This need perfectly matched his requirements for Xin Huo Academy.
There were two more benefits to choosing the 404 secret realm.
"First, the secret realm can be continuously relocated, allowing us to recruit students from various large domains, not being confined to a single area."
"Second, it would move the activities of the 'Mysterious Organization Xin Huo' away from the Starfall Domain."
Otherwise, if Xin Huo frequently appeared in the Starfall Domain or surrounding large domains, it would easily attract the attention of the Lord of the Blood Lake, and subsequently reveal his outward strength and inner weakness.
"Third, many of the facilities existing within the trial ground can be slightly modified… changing their external style, and they can be used as academy facilities."
And upon returning from the Kandira era, Fang You discovered that he could completely control the secret realm.
It was akin to upgrading from Administrator No. 1 to Group Owner.
Certain restrictions were no longer in place.
See, the secret realm itself yearns to be remodeled.
Trial Officer: (￢_￢)!
...
The second step in rebuilding Xin Huo Academy was to construct and renovate the site.
To renovate it into a highly attractive and competitive cultivation academy.
Fang You was very confident about this.
Part of the academy's buildings came from the friendly assistance of the 404 Trial Ground, such as the battle arenas, etc. This did not violate the original intention of the trial ground's construction – to cultivate human prodigies.
Trial Officer: Staring—!
Of course, relying solely on the 'tiny' equipment of the 404 Trial Ground was far from enough.
Trial Officer: ?
"The legendary cultivation structures 'Guanxin Waterfall' and 'Dragon Vein Blood Pool' possess absolute competitiveness… whether the Kandira Empire had them or not is debatable, let alone the current world… And these can be completely opened to those not officially affiliated with Xin Huo."
"Furthermore, the solidified buffs of the training grounds and apostle dormitories are also a core competitive advantage… At that time, the children of the Sunshine Welfare Institute could cultivate diligently and progress rapidly, thanks to the +300% focus buff."
Trial Officer: @
"In addition, since Xin Huo Academy will be open to the outside world, skill inheritance sites are essential."
The 18 Epic inheritances originally present in the 404 Trial Ground were not enough.
Not because there were too few, but because they were too powerful.
Most of the time, only mythological beings could withstand the inheritance of Epic skills. Moreover, he did not intend to reveal all of these 18 precious Epic skills.
"We need more mid-to-low-tier inheritance sites, especially green-grade inheritance sites."
He looked at Liu Feng.
The implied meaning was, you've been the dean of a cultivation academy for over a hundred years, you must know how to build inheritance sites, right?
Dean Fang also knew how.
He had learned related content in the instance dimension, although it was rudimentary… basic. He had only learned for three years, how could it compare to Liu Feng's over a hundred years.
"This… I know how," Liu Feng glanced at Fang You, re-experiencing the dread of being assigned an extremely difficult assignment by a teacher. "It's just that you require the academy to be renovated within a month, but the construction of inheritance sites takes a lot of time."
Recalling the construction knowledge he was not very familiar with, Dean Fang expressed understanding.
And it was not a big problem.
He had real inheritance sites.
The legendary structure 'Inheritance Site (Blank)' could not only accumulate awakening buffs but also record several, or even a dozen, skill inheritances.
One was equivalent to ten.
Of course, the recording process required manual operation and was tedious.
He patted Liu Feng on the shoulder, "The task is yours. This is also to get you familiar with your future work content in advance."
Liu Feng's face fell.
He hadn't done manual labor for many years, always passing tasks to his diligent and obedient disciples.
Uh, in the teacher's eyes, he seemed to be a diligent and obedient disciple who was treated like a beast of burden.
Fine, he'd do it.
...
The reconstruction and renovation work of Xin Huo Academy was a huge undertaking.
However, with mythological beings capable of moving mountains and seas, and engineering golems working tirelessly, the secret realm quickly transformed into the shape of Xin Huo.
During this period,
Mentor Fang personally oversaw the secret realm, controlling the ruins outside the secret realm to continuously shuttle through the spatial currents, heading towards other large domains.
He heard that human forces in the Southern Ghastly Realm were even stronger.
Besides traveling, he took out more Secret Realm Stones to expand the 404… no, the academy's secret realm.
It expanded by approximately 1.5 times, and he also utilized many of the secret realm's previously vacant areas.
The entire secret realm had transformed!
Even the Trial Officer approved.
Before the month-long deadline, the reconstruction and renovation of the secret realm were completed.
What needed to be done next was…
"Xin Huo Academy is now enrolling!"
(End of this chapter)