Chapter 327: Three Years
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Time passed, and the years flew by.
Three years flashed by in the blink of an eye.
During these three years, the Black Mist Zone had not been peaceful.
The biggest storm was still the battle between the Aeonians and the Subversives.
In the beginning, no one took this battle to heart.
Perhaps some thought that the Aeonians would quickly destroy this organization that seemed to have emerged from some obscure corner.
Or perhaps they believed that although the two sides were at odds, there would be a moment when their leaders would sit down at the negotiation table and resolve the issues with words rather than fists.
—After all, war was just a means, not an end.
With both sides having similar strength, there was no need to fight to the death. The ultimate result would only be mutual destruction, and neither side would benefit.
Yet, under this consensus, the Subversives unexpectedly rejected the Eternals’ negotiation requests several times.
The war escalated, becoming more and more intense, and the scale became larger and larger…
It spread to every corner of the Black Mist Zone.
They had gone mad.
At least in the eyes of the world, the Subversives were indeed mad.
There were no reasons, no goals.
Just fighting, destroying, and unleashing a storm called death throughout the entire Black Mist Zone!
Today was the start of school in the Three Elements Academy.
Compared to previous years, the number of students applying this year was somewhat sparse.
Moreover, on the faces of the students, there was a lack of the lively spirit of youth. On closer inspection, most of them wore a look of concern.
Dong! The bell rang.
Indicating that the exam had started.
The freshmen and adult candidates were divided in an orderly manner under the instructions of the examiners.
Among the adult candidates, Wang Xiong remained calm, with a stable and measured aura.
Soon, Wang Xiong arrived at the Assessment Hall and suddenly heard a voice he had not heard for a long time.
“Almost late, fortunately, I made it in time.”
Wang Xiong turned around abruptly to look at the source of the voice and saw a familiar figure standing next to the chief examiner.
The figure appeared young, with a strong physique and well-defined features. Although there was a slightly stiff smile on his face, Wang Xiong could read the genuine joy from that familiar face.
“Brother Lu!”
He did not even care about the order in the exam hall, and rushed to the front of Lu Ming. He opened his arms, intending to give Lu Ming a long-awaited hug. However, considering Lu Ming’s personality, his movements stiffened in place.
It was Lu Ming who took the initiative to hug Wang Xiong.
“It’s been a long time.”
A familiar face and a familiar voice.
Wang Xiong’s eyes subconsciously welled up.
Wang Xiong had too many things to say to Lu Ming after reuniting with his old friend, but he did not know where to start.
After holding it in for a while, Wang Xiong finally spoke, “How did you know that I came to the Three Elements Academy?”
Lu Ming just smiled and tapped his temple.
“Sensory perception and the Dao of array formations.”
Lu Ming did not delve into the details and instead asked, “I didn’t expect to see you in the Three Elements Academy. Why are you here?”
Wang Xiong smiled and said, “There’s no end to learning… Two years ago, I left the Nanxiang gathering place and adventures everywhere in the Eternal Clan’s territory to hone my strength. However, after training for a while, I realized that my foundation was too weak. When 1 heard that the Hundred Schools of Philosophy were recruiting students and I happened to be near the Three Elements Academy, I thought I’d come and take a look. If 1 can enroll, I’ll enroll. If not, I’ll figure out something else.”
At the side, the chief examiner, Jiang Weiquan, smiled and said, “That’s a good train of thought. The words ‘there’s no end to learning’ even encapsulates great principles. Not bad, not bad…”
Lu Ming turned to Jiang Weiquan and smiled, “This is my fellow countryman.”
At this point, Jiang Weiquan immediately nodded in understanding.
Jiang Weiquan still had to give Lu Ming face.
After all, he had witnessed Lu Ming being taken in by Jiu Han. He had also personally heard Jiu Han boast about his closed-door disciple on several occasions in public.
From the sound of it, Jiuhan had the tendency to nurture Lu Ming to be the next sect master of the Hundred Schools of Philosophy.
Lu Ming then turned to look at Wang Xiong.
“By the way, how’s everything back home?”
Hearing this question, Wang Xiong fell into brief silence.
Then, he nodded and said, “Overall, it’s generally fine, but we’ve moved again.” “Moved again?”
“Yes, we couldn’t stay in Qinghe Province anymore. We had to move to the hinterland of the Aeonians… In any case, for people like us who are insignificant, we can only avoid the war. We can’t decide where to go, and we have to go where it’s safer.”
Wang Xiong’s tone was slightly depressed, but not much.
Lu Ming could only nod in understanding.
“It can’t be helped…”
In the recent wars, even if Lu Ming closed his ears to the outside world, there were still too many discussions.
Three years ago, the Subversives Alliance had breached the Hundred Thousand Mountains and infiltrated the Eternal Clan’s Qinghe Province. After a brief standoff in Qinghe Province, several major battles had broken out.
The Divine Spirit Realm experts of both sides attacked. The war began to evolve into a divine war. Moreover, a year ago, the two sides officially fell out!
A fight to the death!
Lu Ming still remembered that there were only four words that dominated the headlines that day.
An all-out war!
But, unexpectedly, the Aeonians were actually at a disadvantage against the Subversives.
The battlefront of Qinghe Province was in a constant state of retreat. Lu Ming had encountered Jiu Han several times, but he did not see any joy on Jiu Han’s face. Instead, his face was somewhat pale, as if he had exhausted too much Divine Source—indicating how dire the situation on the battlefield was.
On the side, Jiang Weiquan suddenly spoke up, “It’s not just Qinghe Province.”
“The situation on the Plain Field Province’s front is also not looking good.”
In response to this, both Lu Ming and Wang Xiong remained silent.
They understood the severity of the situation.
But what could they do?
The three of them stood together, gazing ahead as the examination officially began.
Wang Xiong was about to go to the examination hall when Lu Ming’s voice suddenly sounded again.
“By the way, Brother Wang, how’s Chengcheng doing?”
Wang Xiong was slightly stunned when he heard this. Then, he turned to Lu Ming with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Yo, Brother Lu, it’s not like you to actively inquire about Cheng Cheng’s affairs…”
Facing Wang Xiong’s teasing, Lu Ming only smiled and shook his head. Then, he heard Wang Xiong say, “Cheng Cheng is doing well; she already has the strength of the Spirit Realm. Three years ago, she joined the Sky Monitoring Bureau, and it seems she’s doing well within the bureau.”
With that said, Wang Xiong pondered for a moment before saying, “Two months ago, we even had a call. Cheng Cheng said that the bureau had sent her to the battlefield at the Plain Field Province. I wonder how she’s doing now.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ming turned to look at Jiang Weiquan. Jiang Weiquan seemed to know what Lu Ming meant and replied, “The high-level combatants on the battlefield in the Plain Field Province are indeed from the Sky Monitoring Bureau. Although the situation over there is not good now, there should be no risk of falling in the short term.”
Despite these words, Lu Ming still felt a little uneasy.
Until Wang Xiong patted Lu Ming’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry. Cheng Cheng is quite formidable now.”
“Speaking of which, Cheng Cheng has always wanted to look for you and spar with you in person to see if the gap between you two is still as big as it used to be.”
Cheng Cheng was indeed strong…
However, after Wang Xiong finished speaking, both Lu Ming and Jiang
Weiquan laughed..