Chapter 4867 — The Plain Island of Thunder

Ling Yuanqing gave a light cough that drew everyone's attention, and then spoke out in a clear voice: "Disciples all, the Trial of the Overlord's Road is about to begin. To be able to take part in this trial means that every one of you is already among Morning Star Academy's finest disciples. But that is still far from enough! Are you all smug and self-satisfied, thinking yourselves first-rate among the academy's disciples? Then let me tell you now—you are not even worth a fart!"

Every face changed at once, anger plainly written on them. Even if the man was Principal Ling Yuanqing, those words were simply too insulting!

By convention, the limit of a Yellow-Rank academy disciple's strength was Nascent Soul Great Perfection. Generally, anyone who surpassed that level would not remain, unless they were an exception like Leng Rufeng. So everyone present was indeed the strongest disciple of Morning Star Academy, and there was nothing wrong with that statement.

Only, to truly believe it would be somewhat complacent—like a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Hmph, no need to feel wronged. The Eastern Continent is not like those other Cloud-Rank islands. Here is the domain of Overlord-realm experts, and Mystic Ascension is the bare minimum to start! Only by stepping into Mystic Ascension will you be qualified to touch the barrier of the Overlord realm. Otherwise, as I said—you are not even worth a fart!" Ling Yuanqing said, looking over the crowd.

At that, everyone fell silent. The originally rather relaxed atmosphere turned tense and fervent in an instant because of those few short sentences from Ling Yuanqing, as though a great battle were about to descend.

"Very good, this is the bearing befitting disciples of Morning Star Academy! Go now, and strive well. This year, aim to produce several more Mystic Ascension disciples, and when the time comes, I shall personally escort you to the Mystic-Rank sea region!" Ling Yuanqing encouraged.

"Yes!" the crowd answered in a thunderous roar.

The oath-taking was very brief. After rousing everyone's morale, Ling Yuanqing wasted no more words and directly ordered them all to board the ship and set out.

The final destination this time was the Thunder Domain Sea within the Eastern Continent's Yellow-Rank sea region, where there stood an independent island called Thunder Plain Island—and that was the legendary Overlord's Road!

To reach Thunder Plain Island, one had to travel together aboard the academy's treasure ship. Although Wei Zhao was not a disciple of Morning Star Academy, his status was special—even Ling Yuanqing and the other Overlords treated him with particular care—so securing a place among them was naturally no problem.

After three days and three nights, the treasure ship finally arrived at its destination. By then, a good number of warships and treasure ships were already moored at the dock of Thunder Plain Island, each flying the emblem of a different Yellow-Rank academy of the Eastern Continent.

Wei Zhao looked carefully and soon spotted the treasure ships of Morning Splendor Academy and Soaring Cloud Academy. He felt an inexplicable surge of excitement—Ning Xuefei would not be there, but this time there was a very good chance of reuniting with Huo Yudie, for she too was a Nascent Soul Great Perfection expert!

Several months had passed in a flash. Wei Zhao very much looked forward to this reunion—unexpected, yet entirely reasonable. Heroes had ever faltered at the pass of beauties, and a girl like Huo Yudie truly set the heart pounding. Even Wei Zhao, for all the beauties around him, was no exception.

The treasure ship slowly drew in to shore. Wei Zhao at once could hardly wait to disembark and go look for someone, but he was stopped by the libation officer of Morning Star Academy—a white-haired old man with the complexion of a child, the senior leader in charge of the academy's disciples on this trip.

"Master Lin, you cannot go down now!" the Morning Star libation officer hastily urged. He dared not show Wei Zhao the least disrespect—not only did all three Overlords of the academy regard Wei Zhao with special favor, but the alchemist Qing Xuanzi alone, as a seat-holding alchemist, held a position no lower than his own. If he offended Wei Zhao, his days would be miserable ever after.

"Hm? Why is that?" Wei Zhao asked in surprise. Beside him, Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao exchanged looks; it was their first time here, and they did not know the rules.

"It is explicitly stipulated: without the permission of the trial's organizers, no disciple of any academy may disembark without authorization. All must remain aboard and await summons, or else their trial qualification will be revoked," the Morning Star libation officer explained.

"Oh? So strict?" Wei Zhao frowned, but on second thought he let it go. The Overlord's Road was no ordinary place after all. Without strict restraints, if disciples of every academy were allowed to move about freely, the scene would inevitably descend into chaos—perhaps even into large-scale mutual slaughter—and then the situation would be beyond control.

"Mm, it is a helpless measure. Long ago there was no such rule, but after one chaotic battle, all the trial disciples of every academy were wiped out, including several highly regarded geniuses!" the Morning Star libation officer said with a sigh.

"That serious?" Not only Wei Zhao, but the other Morning Star disciples around him were visibly shocked. Total annihilation—that was simply too absurd!

"It was precisely because of that incident that the Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance learned its bitter lesson and imposed strict controls on the Overlord's Road. Competition between parties is not forbidden, but any large-scale melee between academies must be nipped in the bud early. Forbidding disciples of all academies from setting foot on Thunder Plain Island before the trial is one such measure, lest grudges be formed in private before the trial even begins," the Morning Star libation officer explained to them all.

Everyone nodded. These genius disciples from various academies were each prouder than the last. If they were truly allowed to mingle freely, conflict would be inevitable. Then, with a little instigation from interested parties, it could easily escalate into an academy war, and from there spiral beyond all control.

"The Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance? Is that the official organization of the Eastern Continent's academies?" Wei Zhao asked in turn. This was the first he had heard of the Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance—after all, he had not been in the Eastern Continent long, and apart from Wang Xinyan and his other close companions, he rarely dealt with outsiders, so he knew little of such matters.

"Indeed. Within the Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance, besides a full-time alliance president, there is also a council of elders formed by a number of elders, and these elders are the sitting principals of the various Yellow-Rank academies. They hold the final say over all matters great and small throughout the Yellow-Rank sea region—it is the highest official body of the Yellow-Rank sea region. Just as with this Trial of the Overlord's Road, it was organized personally by the Yellow-Rank Academy Alliance," the Morning Star libation officer explained patiently, without tiring of it.

The other academy disciples had long known all this; only Wei Zhao was hearing it for the first time, and so he came to a realization. No wonder academy principals and city lords were nominally of equal rank, yet whenever people spoke of them, the academy principals were clearly placed first.