"Today marks the founding of Hunyuan Academy, and we have specially invited powerhouses from all sides to witness the ceremony. I have been waiting for you all for a long time, fellow Daoists, please!"

A voice emanated from the divine palace deep within the Celestial Star Sea. Despite the endless space and time separating them, and despite being in the void, the voice resounded directly in their ears.

"Daoist? Interesting!" The Island Master of Space-Time scoffed and took the lead, stepping onto the divine bridge. He wanted to see what kind of person could stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the Dao of Space-Time.

"More and more intriguing..." The speaker wore a dark red robe, with a black bird perched on his shoulder. He looked at the divine palace, a faint smile on his face, and ascended the divine bridge.

"Truly an eventful time." The void outside a divine bridge suddenly裂开 (lie kai – split open), and an old man in simple robes walked out. He exuded no pressure at all, like an old farmer from the fields.

However, he was the most ancient master in the God Realm Abyss, the first living being in this cosmic epoch to reach the level of True God Master, and the creator of the Cosmic God-Devil Rankings – Master Yuanchu!

One True God Master after another appeared, each stepping onto a divine bridge, separated from the others, and headed towards the divine palace at the core.

After the True God Masters departed, other beings began to ascend the bridges. None of them dared to cross the void, because even the True God Masters followed the rules set down by that mysterious powerhouse. They were even less likely to break them.

Guided by the divine bridges, many powerhouses of the God Realm arrived before the divine palace. All beings could see that in front of the divine palace stood a natural divine stone, over ten thousand zhang tall, engraved with the four characters "Hunyuan Academy." Each stroke and each line contained the true meaning of the Dao.

"So powerful!"

An exceptional Honored One spoke, his heart filled with shock. The Dao contained within those four ancient characters was no weaker than the Dao he himself had pioneered. In fact, there were some Daos that even he could not comprehend!

"Definitely a True God Master!"

It went without saying that they understood this must be a powerhouse at the level of a True God Master. Otherwise, how could they possess such divine might? Just the four ancient characters alone were enough to make these great Honored Ones tremble.

Stepping through the gates of the divine palace, they beheld a vast world, with immortal mountains scattered about, divine seas lying dormant, spiritual trees and exotic treasures, myriad beings, and countless immortal palaces and myriad halls…

In the very center of it all, an immortal palace hung in the Nine Heavens, with clouds draping the sky, colorful霞 (xia – rosy clouds) swirling around, and countless strange stones floating in the air, their brilliance illuminated by rainbows of light.

Even those great Honored Ones could not help but feel a jolt in their hearts, for they could sense that this divine palace was, in essence, an Eternal True Artifact, and an extremely special world-type Eternal True Artifact at that, which had now been refined and transformed into a divine palace!

"That's… the Solar Star Core Stone?!"

An Honored One exclaimed, looking in disbelief at the celestial sun in the sky. It was not a manifestation of the Solar Star rules, but a walnut-sized, jet-black divine stone.

They were all powerful figures, so they naturally knew what that was. A Solar Star Core Stone, even the size of a fingernail, would be enough to drive the great Honored Ones mad. And here, there was a walnut-sized Solar Star Core Stone, refined with great divine power and transformed into the celestial sun within this divine palace!

"What kind of existence is this?!"

Not to mention the Realm Gods who were at the very back, even these great Honored Ones were now filled with shock. Even the expressions of several Masters grew increasingly solemn.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Just as all beings were filled with awe, a figure stepped through the void and walked out from the immortal palace at the center.

He was like a walking Solar Star, even more radiant than the celestial sun formed from the Solar Star Core Stone above the Nine Heavens. Within that endless light, he also carried a vast vitality, as if his existence was solely for the purpose of nurturing all things.

However, no one dared to underestimate him. Beneath that vast, star-like vitality, people could also sense a lurking terror, filled with the intent of great destruction, as if it could annihilate all living beings with a single manifestation.

"I am Tai Xuan, welcome to you all."

Jiang Xuan stood alone in the void, his divine might like a prison, surpassing everything in the world. Every strand of his aura seemed capable of灭杀 (mie sha – exterminating) all living beings.

"Good methods." Master Yuanchu's eyes flashed with divine light. At their level, they could naturally see through to the source. Of course, being at the same level, all they could see was what Jiang Xuan was willing to show them.

For example, this Great Accomplishment Solar Body, comparable to a peak Master.

"You flatter me." Jiang Xuan looked at Master Yuanchu, smiled faintly. He thought that Master Yuanchu was preparing to include him in the Cosmic God-Devil Rankings, but he wondered where he would be ranked.

"You invited us here just to show off your divine body?" The Island Master of Space-Time said coldly. He could sense the Dao of Space-Time on Jiang Xuan's body, which made him very unhappy.

He had always been the number one expert in the God Realm in this Dao, but now someone was standing shoulder to shoulder with him, or even surpassing him. How could he remain calm?

"Of course not." Jiang Xuan looked at the Island Master of Space-Time. He understood the Island Master's feelings. After all, how many people could calmly accept being surpassed in their most prized Dao?

"Today, I invited you all here for the opening of my Hunyuan Academy." Jiang Xuan smiled, "I have seen countless cultivators in the world, but few are guided forward. Filled with compassion, I created Hunyuan Academy to gather the talents of the God Realm Abyss, to teach them and help them find that glimmer of life within the Great Dao."

After Jiang Xuan finished speaking, the expressions of the several Masters varied, but all carried one emotion – disbelief. Not to mention them, even the many powerhouses behind them did not believe it.

"What the Daoist says is too hypocritical. There is nothing wrong with wanting to cultivate one's own power, why say such things?" A Master from the Abyss spoke, his body shrouded in a bloody aura, as if he were a demon god who had crawled out of the Nine Nether Hells. No one dared to approach him.

Jiang Xuan followed the voice, his expression still calm, and slowly shook his head: "What I seek, you do not understand."

Then, before the Abyss Master could become enraged, Jiang Xuan continued: "Hunyuan Academy will not participate in any power struggles. After graduating from the academy, the academy will no longer care about their life or death."

Even if they graduated from the academy, they would not be very strong. Unless they were his personal disciples, Jiang Xuan would naturally not bother with their survival. This also meant that joining Hunyuan Academy did not mean that they would always be protected by Jiang Xuan. Once they graduated, Jiang Xuan would no longer care.

"Oh? Then how are your academy disciples divided, and how is graduation determined?" The only female Master, Niangniang Qianhe, looked at Jiang Xuan, as if wanting to make some plans based on his answer.

"Those below God-level are Outer Disciples, those at God-level are Inner Disciples, and those at Realm God-level, if they can enter the elders' tutelage, are True Disciples. If they have not been accepted as disciples, they are considered graduated."

Jiang Xuan said casually. These divisions had been decided long ago, and he had also subdivided many rules.

For example, those below God-level would be tested every hundred years, and those at God-level would be tested every ten thousand years. If they did not make progress, they would be directly expelled.

For example, reaching the third heaven of the Realm God-level, regardless of whether they were True Disciples, would be considered graduated from the academy and would no longer be protected by the academy.

He was truly preparing to build a power this time. Although he would choose to leave in the future, he would at least manage this academy well before he left.

In any case, for him, it was just a matter of separating out a clone. Although the *Three Thousand Clones* technique had only just entered the door, it was still easy to create a few clones with a single thought.

"Interesting, wanting to transcend the material world, to stand apart from our various powers?" God Emperor Blood刃 (Xue Ren - Blood Blade) smiled. Transcending all forces was also a small goal of Jiang Xuan's, but it was only a small goal.

"You could say that." Jiang Xuan smiled at God Emperor Blood刃 (Xue Ren - Blood Blade), then looked around, "Today, I have invited you all here to ask if there are any beings willing to join my Hunyuan Academy as guest elders, elders, or managers?"

Jiang Xuan was openly poaching talent, of course, not all of these beings were subordinates of these Masters, but there were not many. And without seeing any substantial benefits, these beings would not stay.

But Jiang Xuan just happened to have what they needed most – cultivation methods. What others regarded as foundation-like cultivation techniques and secret arts, he had so many that he did not even want to look at them.

So Jiang Xuan naturally used this as bait, promising that beings of different levels could obtain different levels of cultivation techniques and secret arts by joining Hunyuan Academy, and could also obtain more information about the divine palace through other means within the academy.