Chapter 4356 — Return of the Academy

She supposed it must be that Wang Xinyan had been too lonely during her solitary training at the academy. After all, she had only this one personal disciple, and the girl kept no company with outsiders. Day to day, she had not even a single soul to talk to. That was surely why she was now so warmly taken with her junior sister Huang Xiaotao—the two girls made perfect companions for each other.

"In a little while the treasure ship will dock at Weihu City. Do the two of you want to go out and have a look around, or will you stay at the inn and cultivate?" the East Sea Divine Nun asked.

She asked because at the girls' previous stop—the second stop of Morning Star Academy's journey, the Demonic Cold Sea—the two had shown not the slightest interest in going out to join the excitement. Every day they had simply stayed in the inn talking about Wei Zhao. The East Sea Divine Nun thought both girls were of rather quiet temperament, and if they did not care to go out, she might as well arrange quieter lodgings for them.

"Weihu City? Master, I'd like to go out and have a look when we get there." Huang Xiaotao's eyes lit up at once, and Wang Xinyan was just as delighted, nodding again and again.

Unlike the Demonic Cold Sea, if all went as expected, they ought to see the Wei Zhao they had been longing for day and night here—so naturally they would not shut themselves indoors as they had in Demonic Cold City.

Instinct told Huang Xiaotao that Wei Zhao must already have returned to Weihu City—because he had come back to hunt down Wu Baoliang, and all the more because he had come back for clues to Lu Bianren. Wang Xinyan had heard her speak of these matters, and was now just as full of anticipation.

"Oh? Then I'll find a couple of men to protect you. I hear things are rather chaotic around here as well." The East Sea Divine Nun nodded, somewhat surprised. The academy had no lack of skilled hands; to protect her two precious disciples, finding two was nothing—finding twenty would be a matter of a single word.

"No need, Master. We won't be wandering about anyway, just taking a casual look around Weihu City. There are people from our academy everywhere; we won't run into any trouble." Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao hurried to say in one voice.

The only reason they wanted to go out at all was to slip away and meet Wei Zhao in secret. If someone were to dog their every step, how could they ever manage a secret rendezvous?

"Well… all right, then. But you must look after yourselves. If any foolhardy fellow dares to set his sights on you, you need not hold back on any account." The East Sea Divine Nun hesitated a moment, then agreed.

After all, as the girls said, Weihu City would be under strict martial law by then, with Morning Star Academy's experts everywhere. Even if you lent an ordinary man a hundred times his courage, he would not dare make trouble at such a time. Besides, her two disciples were no weaklings—especially Wang Xinyan, at the early Nascent Soul stage, who in a real fight could challenge opponents above her level. Common folk were no match for her at all.

"Your disciple understands. Thank you, Master." Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao beamed at once, each clinging to one of the East Sea Divine Nun's arms, their hearts already yearning for the sight of Wei Zhao in Weihu City.

An hour later, the giant treasure ship finally eased into port at Weihu City. The crowd that had long since gathered at the docks, craning their necks in anticipation, watched Morning Star Academy's many experts file out and place the whole harbor under martial law—and instead of complaining, they erupted in a thunderous cheer. They had been waiting a long time for this!

"What's going on out there?" Wei Zhao had just finished his day's cultivation and opened his door to let in some air when the earth-shaking cheers reached him, and he could not help but stare.

Stepping into the courtyard, he could see through the gate the bustling scene of people packed shoulder to shoulder—a sight that mirrored exactly what he had seen back in Zhenduan City…

"Brother Ling, you've come out to join the excitement too?" Qi Wenmo walked over when he caught sight of Wei Zhao.

"Join the excitement? What excitement?" Wei Zhao was utterly baffled. These past days he had lived very simply—mainly cultivating to consolidate his strength, and at most stepping out to see whether the escort agency had any word of Wu Baoliang or Lu Bianren. He had not set foot outside the agency's gates, all but cut off from the world beyond, so naturally he had no idea what had happened.

"Eh? You mean you don't know, Brother Ling? The Morning Star Academy of the Eastern Continent has come, holding open selections for disciples. They've already stopped at two places, the Zhenduan Sea and the Demonic Cold Sea, and our Weihu Sea is the third stop!" Qi Wenmo explained.

"The Morning Star Academy is here?" Only then did Wei Zhao understand—no wonder the scene outside. And once he grasped it, he could not hide the excitement on his face. If that was so, would he not soon be able to see Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao again?

When they had parted in Zhenduan City, Wei Zhao had thought it would be years at least before he saw the two girls again. He had never expected that after barely a month, there would be another chance—a truly unexpected joy!

Wei Zhao had always carried himself with composure, and Qi Wenmo had never seen him so worked up. He could not help but find it strange. "Brother Ling, what are you so excited about? Are you thinking of entering the selection?"

People climb ever higher, and the Eastern Continent was recognized as the strongest of the five great islands of the Heaven Rank. Anyone with a shred of ambition fought tooth and nail to squeeze their way in, and these academy selections were the perfect opportunity—which was why they caused a sensation every time.

That Wei Zhao might want to enter the selection did not surprise Qi Wenmo in the least. Even he himself had tried once—he simply had not been chosen. And now that he had taken charge of the escort agency's affairs, that hope was cut off for good; he was merely here to watch the show.

"Of course not. I am a disciple of the Three-Fold Pavilion of the North Island, and once my task here is done I must return to the North Island. It is only that such a chance is rare, so I thought I would go and look on." Wei Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"Only to watch?" Qi Wenmo breathed a sigh of relief. He had genuinely feared that Wei Zhao might be selected by Morning Star Academy—with his formidable potential to challenge opponents above his level, it was not impossible—and then there would be no one to fight for him at the grand gathering of the Southern Continent escort agencies.

Qi Wenmo paused, then cautioned him further: "Watching is fine, but mark my words, Brother Ling: when the academy staff offer you a registration token, whatever you do, do not take it. If you do, you will have to sit the selection test, and once you pass, you will have no choice but to go to Morning Star Academy. They will not give you the slightest chance to change your mind."

Wei Zhao was dumbstruck. So a registration token was not to be accepted lightly—apparently this was common knowledge that everyone knew, and only he, a newcomer, had been ignorant of it. And now he had gone and dug a pit for himself without even realizing…