Inside the meeting of the upper echelons of the Academy. After waiting for Wang Wei to leave, they started their conversations about the events that just took place.
"Headmaster, why did you not accept this deal? From what we know about Wang Wei, he most likely was telling the truth," said one teacher.
"Yes, the Dao Opening Sect finally found a chance to break the Nine Emperor Curse, so they would not easily let go of such an opportunity."
Bai Han was calm during the entire process, but he secretly sighed inside. These people let greed clutter their visions.
"Let me ask all of you," said Bai slowly. "If Wang Wei does not have the opportunity to enter the Secret Realm of the Dao Tablets, who would benefit the most?"
The other teachers were first puzzled by the sudden question, they began to think calmly about the question; they still believe in the strategic vision of the headmaster. As a born sage, wisdom was one his main ability or gift.
One teacher's eyes suddenly lighted up and she said:
"It's the other Heaven Chosens. Without being able to see the Tablets, the other Heaven Chosens will finally have an advantage over him and be able to either make up the gap with him, and even surpass him.
"That is correct," replied Bai Han. "You guys need to see things from a long term perspective. Even if we were to agree with his proposition, what do you think would happen if one day, this Wang Wei manages to prove the Dao and become Emperor?"
The room became quiet as most of the teachers had an ugly look on their faces. They were not stupid, since the headmaster already laid out everything in front of them.
"He could just ask us to return or take back all the resources he previously gave us. Or maybe, even worse," replied one teacher.
"That is correct. By refusing his offer, we have effectively weakened his strength, while strengthening our chances of cultivating a Great Emperor. As for things like Emperor materials or Innate Treasures, as long as Lin Fan can prove the Dao and become an Eternal Emperor, everything is possible for the Academy.
All the teachers then started to praise the headmaster for his strategic vision and abilities. As for Bai Han, he sighed as he thought to himself:
'Wang Wei has proven to be even more formidable than previously estimated. Given how calmly he walked out of this meeting, I do not think that he will give up so easily.
'Lin Fan is my last chance and I cannot afford to lose this opportunity. *Sight*. I should not be so stubborn and listen to my father.'
Meanwhile, Wang Wei rushed back to his own manor after exiting the meeting room.
"Supreme Elder, what do you mean that our plan failed?" asked Wang Wei with a frown on his face.
"Well, last night, the sect used its power to bribe a few of the Legacy Disciples in order to acquire their token that grants them access to 3000 Dao Tablets. While all of them resisted betraying the Academy and refused to hand their tokens for any price, we used the young master's plan to arrest their families and threaten them.
"So, you should have had the token in your hand last night, right? So what went wrong?" asked Wang Wei.
The only reason that Wang Wei went to attend today's meeting was just to acquire a legal way to enter the Secret Realm. After all, what he did could be considered very sensitive, thus leading to war between the two most powerful factions of this world.
Although Wang Wei knew that the sect would back him up without hesitation if he started a war, he did not want to result in such a measure yet, unless it was truly necessary.
"Well, during the meeting, I received secret information that the Academy just revoked the status of Legacy disciples of all the people who accepted our exchange. And all the other ones were also warned.
"I wanted to rush to check the situation, but I could not leave you alone, and the other True Monarchs of the Academy were watching my actions very closely."
"Tsk, that old fox Bai Han must have noticed something during the meeting. The ancients were right: there are many heroes in the word and none of them should be underestimated," replied Wang Wei with a sour mood.
"Young master, what should we do next? Do we start preparing for war?"
"Not yet. However, it seems that I have to resort to my old business of fishing. Hopefully, things will go as planned and we do not have to resort to drastic means."
After a brief chat with the Supreme Elder, Wang Wei called both Yan Liling and Li Jun for a meeting.
"Big brother, why did you call us right before the beginning of the trial?" asked Li Jun with a confused look on his face, He had a feeling that something important happened.
"Well, due to recent events, I will not take part in this trial."
"Big brother, Is there something wrong?"
Wang Wei nodded before explaining the situation. Now that both of them had Anti-Divination Origin Artifacts on them, he could tell them some secrets as he trusted them.
"Now that I am not participating in the trial, I need you guys to get one of the 30 spots no matter what?"
"Big brother, do you want us to get one the spot for you? No problem, you can count on me," replied Li Jun with a smile.
"Big brother, you do not need to worry. According to the rules of the trial, four spots are dedicated to the Champions of Profession: whether it was alchemy, talisman, array, refinement, as long as a cultivator is the final winner in their competition category, he or she can automatically get a spot. With my talent in Alchemy, I should be able to win easily," added Yan Liling.
Wang Wei nodded in satisfaction before saying: "Although I have another plan in place, but if things do not turn out how I expected, then you guys are my last hope."
He then looked at Yan Liling and held both his hands outward: two flames appeared in each of his hands. One was black, while the other was white.
"Heavenly Destruction Flame and Cleansing-Purifying Flame," gasped Yan Liling in shock. These two flames were powerful flames that existed between Heaven and Earth. She remembered that Wang Wei had to experience these two flames as a form of Heavenly Tribulations.
Now, he seemed able to control them.
"Yes. Can any of these flames help you with your alchemy?"
"The Heavenly Destruction Flame is only used for destruction, but the Cleansing-Purifying Flame is different; it can not only purify sins from the soul and body, it can also purify materials for pill concocting, thus increasing the grade and quality of any pill. However…"
"Is there a problem?" asked Wang Wei.
"Well the Alchemy competition is three days from now, so it is impossible for me to refine such a powerful flame in such a short period of time."
Wang Wei sighed out loud before saying, "You are right. How could I forget something so simple?"
Yan Liling lowered her eyebrow. She has never seen her big brother so frustrated before, to the point of losing his demeanor. She could guess that it was because a lot of things happened in a short period of time, given him little time to truly calm down and think.
No matter the reason, she did not like it; she did not like seeing him like that. After biting her lower lips for a brief moment, Yan Liling said; "There may be a way!"
"Oh, how?"
"By using the same method that big brother used to tempered his body during his Heavenly Tribulations."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Li Jun with a deep frown on his face.
"Instead of me just refining the fire, I will fuse it with my soul. Using a process of constant destruction and regeneration, I can rapidly fuse with the flame in just one day."
LI Jun frown became deeper after hearing this: "This sounds like a terrible idea. Without having big brother's regenerative powers, your soul would be completely purified instantly."
"Liling, Li Jun is right. Additionally, you already said that with your talent, it is guaranteed that you will win. So, there is no need to go so far."
However, Yan Liling shook her head. "It's just like you said in the True Dragon Meeting: only people that can be cruel to themselves can reach the top of the cultivation world.
"If I succeed in doing so, not only will my strength increase dramatically, my ability as an Alchemist will reach a very high level. As for the problem of healing, there are pills that can keep my soul alive, and with a little help from Great-Uncle Yan Chen, I should be fine."
Wang Wei looked deep into her eyes, and nodded after seeing her firm determination.
Following which, a terrible shrill could be heard coming from Wang Wei's room, and it lasted the whole night. Luckily, there were formations that prevented the sound from coming out of the room.
The next day, Wang Wei and his team headed to the location of the trial. As for Yan Liling, although she looked paler than a ghost that was actually scared of itself, she also had a look of confidence on her face.
The odd thing was that Li Jun also looked pale.
The trial took place in a very vast venue. There was a stage in the middle, while a large stand surrounded it. Of course the trial would not take place there, but in a separate world created by the Academy.
As for Wang Wei, he was sitting in the VIP Section, which was in fact a booth that was floating in the air. And he was not the only one: there were many other booths floating in the air. Most of them looked like very well decorated wooden houses with different ink brush drawings.
Wu Hong was sitting next to Wang Wei after she was invited by him.
After all the participants arrived on the stage, headmaster Bai Han appeared somewhere in the sky to commence the trial.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Academy has some very good news to announce. Taking into account that this generation is a Glorious Age, we have decided to remove the four quotas given to the champions of the Professional Trial."