The beast tide had brought him a rge collection of medicinal herbs. With a brief inspection, Xiao Long discovered he had gathered the ingredients for two fifth-grade soul-repairing pill recipes.

  "The Sun and Moon Essence Pill and the Soul Fusion Pill. The former not only repairs the soul but also the body, while the tter is specifically for soul repair."

  After a moment of contemption, Xiao Long decided to refine the Soul Fusion Pill.

  Having ascended to the rank of Demon King and reached the Unity of Heaven and Man, Xiao Long's control over Spiritual Qi had reached an unimaginable level.

  Xiao Long no longer used the Nine-Dragon Fire Control Method but instead employed the Eversting Fire Control Method he had created ter.

  Eversting signifies endless fmes, demanding extremely stringent control from the alchemist. Without reaching the Unity of Heaven and Man, one couldn't even begin to master it.

  The night passed quickly.

  As the sun rose, Xiao Long spped the treasured cauldron, and a Soul Fusion Pill was successfully produced!

  The speed was even faster than when he had refined a fourth-grade pill! Xiao Long estimated that given enough time, he could refine a sixth-grade pill!

  However, he didn't need it at the moment. If he consumed a sixth-grade soul-repairing pill, he worried his body might not withstand the powerful soul force and explode.

  Xiao Long swallowed the Soul Fusion Pill.

  After a long while, he opened his eyes, a fsh of brilliance flickering briefly within them, with no abnormality appearing.

  "Knock, knock, knock!"

  There was a knock at the door, and Wang Ming'ao called from outside, "Lord Xiao, the two academies have started recruiting."

  Xiao Long woke Huang Mao, and the three of them left the Wang family together.

  The recruitment site for Canghai Academy was in the western part of the Capital, while Tianshen Academy was in the east. Thus, Xiao Long and Huang Mao parted ways, agreeing to reunite at the academy.

  "Huang Mao, use the alias Xiao Yuan for this trip. Contact me once you reach Canghai Academy. If there's any danger, crush the jade piece."

  Xiao Long tossed a storage ring to Huang Mao, filled with various protective and escape treasures, all purchased from the Myriad Worlds Mall.

  "Don't worry, boss. I'll be safe and sound on this trip," Huang Mao grinned.

  "Let's go!"

  Xiao Long bid farewell and headed towards Tianshen Academy with Wang Ming'ao.

  "Lord Xiao, I have a question. I'm not sure if I should ask," Wang Ming'ao said.

  "What is it?" Xiao Long looked at him.

  "Since ancient times, the two academies have been arch-enemies, having countless rge and small conflicts. If that person is your brother, why not go to the same academy?" Wang Ming'ao asked.

  "For certain reasons, I can't stay with him," Xiao Long replied calmly. "What, are you afraid we'll become enemies?"

  "Academy wars, you never know," Wang Ming'ao chuckled awkwardly.

  Xiao Long smiled but didn't expin further.

  His bond with Huang Mao transcended life and death; how could others understand?

  In the western part of the Capital, at the Canghai Academy recruitment site.

  Huang Mao arrived, only to find it strange that there were only a dozen or so people, not even a single young Innate Expert.

  "Hey! Is this the Canghai Academy recruitment site?" Huang Mao casually asked someone.

  "It is!" the person nodded.

  "That's odd, why so few people?" Huang Mao scratched his head, puzzled.

  "What's odd about it? Canghai Academy was only established two hundred years ago, while Tianshen Academy has a history of thousands of years. In terms of foundation and number of experts, they're not on the same level. If it weren't so crowded over there, who would want to come here?"

  A young Qi Condensing Realm martial artist muttered.

  "I'm the same. The Qi Condensing Realm only accepts those under twenty. I'm twenty-two this year, so Tianshen Academy definitely won't take me. I had to try my luck at Canghai Academy," another Qi Condensing Realm youth sighed.

  Huang Mao was speechless for a moment. The gap between the two academies was indeed too vast.

  Huang Mao found a rock to sit on and waited patiently.

  At this moment, two dots suddenly appeared on the horizon. Moments ter, a young man in his twenties and a boy around ten descended from the sky.

  The young man in his twenties had a cold demeanor, carrying an emerald long sword on his back. His entire being exuded an impressive aura, like an unsheathed sharp sword, making anyone who looked at him feel a sting in their eyes.

  The boy, on the other hand, had a pyful demeanor, constantly joking with the cold young man, who at most responded with a grunt, remaining very silent.

  "Innate Experts!" Huang Mao immediately sensed their aura. Both had reached the Innate level.

  Especially the cold young man with the sword, his aura was even stronger than Tian Leizi's back then!

  Moreover, what shocked Huang Mao even more was that he sensed a unique quality from these two, something only Xiao Long possessed, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

  "Hey! Big guy, is this the Canghai Academy recruitment site?" the pyful boy approached Huang Mao and asked.

  "You're not from Canghai Academy?" Huang Mao was surprised.

  "We're here to register. We heard Canghai Academy, despite being established only two hundred years ago, could rival Tianshen Academy, so we came to check it out," the boy said with a bright smile.

  Huang Mao was even more surprised, thinking these two were from Canghai Academy, only to find out they were just passersby registering.

  "Big guy, you seem pretty good. How about we team up? My name is Tuoba Long!"

  The boy, looking harmless, pointed to the cold young man and said, "He's my big brother, Tuoba Zhan. Don't be fooled by his cold demeanor; he's actually quite kind-hearted."

  The cold young man snorted, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes to rest.

  Huang Mao scratched his head and grinned, "I'm called Xiao Yuan, from the mountains."

  "Your surname is Xiao?" Tuoba Long said excitedly, "Haha! Xiao is a great surname. My ancestors were also named..."

  "Shut up!" At this moment, the cold young man suddenly opened his eyes and gred fiercely.

  "Ah... I misspoke!" Tuoba Long, like a child who made a mistake, awkwardly scratched his head.

  Huang Mao was taken aback, his eyes flickering.

  ...

  On the other side, at the Tianshen Academy recruitment site.

  "Zhang He, fourth level of the Qi Condensing Realm, eighteen years old, half-star talent."

  "Next!"

  "Liu Jing, first level of the Qi Condensing Realm, nineteen years old, zero-star talent."

  "Next!"

  An obese elder sat in a chair, with a testing device in front of him, capable of measuring cultivation, bone age, and calcuting talent value.

  A group of young people in the Qi Condensing Realm lined up, each taking their turn for testing.

  "Chen Changfeng, eighth level of the Qi Condensing Realm, seventeen years old, one-star talent!"

  When the young man named Chen Changfeng stepped into the testing device, a star lit up beside it, causing the crowd to burst into a chorus of excmations.

  One-star talent, the only one-star talent encountered after so much testing!

  The young man named Chen Changfeng proudly shook his head and joined the accepted group.

  "Hmph, it's my turn!"

  At this moment, the Third Prince walked over, ignoring the long queue, and headed straight for the testing area.

  "Hey! How can you just cut in..." A young Qi Condensing Realm martial artist tried to stop him, but before he could finish saying "cut in line," he was stunned.

  "What, you have a problem?" The Third Prince gred coldly.

  kant34810