"Young master Xiao Zijie is an inner sect disciple of our academy, and he even ranks on the Hidden Dragon List. Dealing with a new student will be a piece of cake."
Other students joined in with flattering words.
Ten days later.
"Everyone, we have now entered the territory of the Central Continent."
A Venerable One aboard the flying boat suddenly announced.
Immediately, over thirty youths became excited. These young people from the Eastern Region were all visiting the Central Continent for the first time and were extremely curious.
"Everyone, let me take this opportunity to give you a brief introduction to the continent we are on."
A Venerable One said.
The youths in the flying boat listened attentively. They knew that stepping out of the Eastern Region and coming to the Central Continent meant they would face a much broader world from now on. Therefore, it was essential to properly acquaint themselves with it.
"The continent we are on is called the Tianxuan Continent.
The Tianxuan Continent is divided into five regions: the Central Continent, the Eastern Region, the Southern Frontier, the Western Plains, and the Northern Wastelands.
Among them, the most powerful in terms of overall strength is the Central Continent. It can be said that the Central Continent is the core of the Tianxuan Continent. It houses many super sects and reclusive families, which are incomparable to the so-called great sects and clans of the other four regions.
Apart from the Central Continent, the ranking of strength for the other four regions is as follows: the Southern Frontier is the strongest, followed by the Western Plains, then the Northern Wastelands, and finally, the Eastern Region.
The Eastern Region is the weakest."
The Venerable One explained.
"What?
The Eastern Region is the weakest?"
The youths on the flying boat were all somewhat dumbfounded.
"That's right.
Among the five regions of the Tianxuan Continent, the overall strength of the Eastern Region is indeed the weakest.
However, in ancient times, the Eastern Region was immensely powerful, even comparable to the Central Continent.
Later, extraterritorial invaders attacked, and the Eastern Region happened to be one of the main battlefields.
After a great war, the Eastern Region suffered heavy losses, leading to a severe decline in its strength.
Frankly speaking, the Eastern Region was once a meritorious contributor to the Tianxuan Continent.
Whether the Eastern Region can regain its strength in the future depends on you, the younger generation.
Work hard."
Another Venerable One said.
"So that's how it is."
Hearing this Venerable One's words, the thirty-some youths felt somewhat comforted. So, the Eastern Region wasn't always this weak. It had once been powerful and had played an important role in the war against the extraterritorial invaders.
"We will definitely work hard to make the Eastern Region powerful once again."
Some of the youths, their emotions stirred, voiced their determination.
"Good. Young people should possess such fighting spirit."
Both Venerable Ones nodded with smiles, expressing their approval.
"Also, there's one more thing you should know.
This time, our Hudao Academy's recruitment targeted all five regions of the Tianxuan Continent simultaneously.
Among them, over six hundred new students were recruited from the Central Continent.
Over two hundred from the Southern Frontier, over a hundred from the Western Plains, over eighty from the Northern Wastelands, and over thirty from the Eastern Region.
Adding them up, the total number of recruits for this intake is roughly around a thousand."
A Venerable One said.
What?!
The Central Continent actually recruited over six hundred?
Upon hearing this, the youths in the flying boat were deeply shocked and felt it was unfair. In comparison, the Eastern Region only recruited a little over thirty, the difference was too great.
"You don't need to feel it's unfair.
Because the strength of the Eastern Region is indeed too poor.
By the way, one month after entering the academy, there will be a New Student Ranking Tournament. Prepare yourselves well.
If you can place in the top ten of the ranking tournament, the academy will bestow generous rewards."
The Venerable One continued.
Hearing these words, the thirty-odd young people couldn't help but clench their fists secretly, vowing to perform well in the ranking tournament and earn a good place.
Only Ye Yunfei's expression remained calm and indifferent, completely unconcerned. As a former Heavenly Emperor, Ye Yunfei had no interest in competing with these young people for something like rankings.
Ye Yunfei's reason for entering Hudao Academy was twofold: firstly, because the academy had issued a protection order for the Tianyuan Sect and the Ye Family, and secondly, he intended to see if the resources of Hudao Academy could help him grow stronger rapidly. After all, Hudao Academy was one of the top academies on the Tianxuan Continent and naturally had its own foundations and legacies.
In the blink of an eye, another five days passed.
"Everyone, ahead of us lies Hudao Academy."
Suddenly, a Venerable One aboard the flying boat announced loudly.
"We've finally arrived!"
The youths were all extremely excited, standing up one after another.
A moment later.
The flying boat entered a vast mountain range. Looking out, the earth was crisscrossed with magnificent and imposing mountain ranges, winding and coiling like giant dragons lying prostrate upon the land. Ridge after ridge rolled on, seemingly endless.
Between the rising and falling terrain stood ancient trees that scraped the sky, massive rocks strewn about, spirit herbs growing everywhere, auspicious beasts roaming, and spiritual birds dancing through the air.
All thirty-some youths on the flying boat walked out of the cabin, standing by the railings, observing the scenery below.
"This is where Hudao Academy is located.
The area occupied by Hudao Academy is, at minimum, equivalent to the territory of a large empire."
A Venerable One said.
Hiss!
These young people from the Eastern Region each took a sharp, surprised breath. In the Eastern Region, even the headquarters of those great sects and families occupied a few mountain ranges at most, or perhaps a large city.
The area occupied by Hudao Academy was actually equivalent to a large empire. This was simply astounding.
However, Ye Yunfei didn't have any particular feeling about it. In the past, he had witnessed the headquarters of many powerful forces occupy an entire continent. Compared to those, what was the area of Hudao Academy?
"Nevertheless, the environment here is not bad."
Ye Yunfei looked down upon the land below and nodded inwardly. The spirit energy within these mountain ranges was much denser than other places. Moreover, every view and every object carried a unique artistic conception and layout.
"It seems this area of land was once meticulously arranged. I never expected there would also be Geomancers on the Tianxuan Continent," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
Geomancers specialized in studying earth vein energies; they were extremely familiar with various topographies and landforms and mastered many supernatural abilities related to earth energies. In the past, Ye Yunfei had interacted with quite a few highly skilled Geomancers.
"Everyone, once you enter Hudao Academy and devote yourselves to cultivation, after you leave the academy in the future, perhaps you too will have the chance to look down upon this boundless continent, stir up the winds and clouds, and stand towering among the clouds!"
A Venerable One declared.
These words filled the young people from the Eastern Region with fervor, their blood boiling with passion and heroic spirit.
Moments later.
The flying boat landed in an enormous square.
"It seems our group of recruits from the Eastern Region is the first to arrive.
Everyone, please wait here for now. The new students from the other four regions will arrive soon."
A Venerable One instructed.