Half a day later, Ye Yunfei and Wen Zi once again arrived at the Mission Hall.
Dean Shangguan and an ordinary academy elder were already waiting inside. Students from various departments were also arriving one after another.
Approximately five hundred students had been dispatched for this mission. Apart from Ye Yunfei, Feng Yun'ao, and Wen Zi, all the rest were veteran students.
"All personnel are present. We will depart now. Elder Fang will take you to the entrance of that Small World," Dean Shangguan announced.
An ordinary elder around fifty years old stood beside Dean Shangguan. He was Elder Fang.
"Let's set off now." Elder Fang waved his hand, and a flying vessel materialized in front of him, swelling in size against the wind.
Then, Elder Fang led the four hundred-plus students onto the vessel in an orderly fashion. Subsequently, the vessel soared into the sky and left Hudao Academy.
Just as the vessel was about to depart from Hudao Academy, Ye Yunfei suddenly received a message from Dean Shangguan: "Ye Yunfei, try to keep a low profile. Especially if you encounter members of the Fengyun Family, the Xiao Clan, and the Shenfeng Sect, avoid them if possible. It's highly likely these three factions will have their eyes on you."
"I understand," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Ye Yunfei naturally knew what Dean Shangguan was worried about. During the last New Student Ranking Tournament, he had used the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel, which had caught the attention of Feng Yun Chi, Xiao Qianfeng, and Wei Wuji. The Dean was concerned that during this entry into the Small World, the people from these three factions might move against Ye Yunfei.
"Heh heh... It's best if the people from these three factions don't provoke me. Otherwise, I'll kill them all, not a single one spared!" Ye Yunfei sneered inwardly.
For this trip, only martial artists at the Yuan Foundation Realm or below could enter that Small World. With Ye Yunfei's current strength, he could easily crush the vast majority of Yuan Foundation Realm martial artists!
"The entrance to that Small World is within the borders of the Tianyue Empire. In about three days, we can reach the Tianyue Empire," Elder Fang informed everyone aboard the vessel before settling down cross-legged in the center of the vessel and closing his eyes to rest.
Ye Yunfei casually scanned the five hundred-odd students. He found that nearly two hundred of them possessed Yuan Foundation Realm strength, while over three hundred were at the True Manifestation Realm. One had to admit, the strength of the Central Continent far surpassed that of the Eastern Region. In the Eastern Region, Yuan Foundation Realm practitioners were already high-ranking figures in major sects. Yet, in the Central Continent, the Yuan Foundation Realm merely represented mid-tier members of a faction.
Ye Yunfei settled down cross-legged in a corner. Wen Zi also sat down beside him, her soft body pressing almost against his, completely disregarding propriety between genders. Waves of a unique maiden fragrance drifted around. She was now filled with curiosity about Ye Yunfei and kept following him around.
"Hey, big pervert, tell me, how did you manage to stay underwater in the Heavenly Dragon Pond for three whole days without anything happening?" Wen Zi poked Ye Yunfei with her hand, asking curiously.
Ye Yunfei closed his eyes to rest, simply ignoring her.
"Hey, hey..." Wen Zi called out several times without getting any response.
"Hmph, fine, don't tell me then. So what if you don't?" In the end, Wen Zi pouted angrily, stopped bothering Ye Yunfei, and also began closing her eyes to rest.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
"Everyone, we have now entered the borders of the Tianyue Empire. In about half an hour, we will reach the entrance to that Small World. By the way, the various factions of the Central Continent have unanimously named that Small World the Crystal Mine Minor World," Elder Fang's voice suddenly sounded within the vessel.
Half an hour later, the vessel entered a vast mountainous region. As far as the eye could see, there were endless ranges of mountains.
"We have arrived!" Suddenly, Elder Fang declared loudly.
Hearing this, all the students perked up.
This area was now crowded, with noise shaking the heavens, and had gathered a large number of martial artists. These martial artists, dressed in various attire and grouped together, were clearly from different factions.
"Look over there. That is the entrance to the Crystal Mine Minor World," Elder Fang pointed ahead.
Between several large mountains ahead was an area enveloped in rolling thick fog. Vaguely, one could discern a large-scale valley. That valley was the entrance to the Crystal Mine Minor World.
The surroundings were crowded with people. Furthermore, groups from even more factions were arriving continuously.
After the discovery of the Crystal Mine Minor World, news spread. Most of the forces in the Central Continent had dispatched teams to enter and mine its resources. After all, in the world of martial artists, vying for cultivation resources was an eternal theme.
According to messages transmitted by those who had already entered the Crystal Mine Minor World, it contained abundant crystal veins. In simpler terms, the place was littered with money! Which faction wouldn't want to send people in for a grab? Moreover, apart from crystal veins, it also grew many high-level medicinal herbs, which were quite valuable as well.
Boom! Elder Fang maneuvered the vessel to land atop a nearby mountain peak. Then, he led several hundred students out of the vessel.
"Look! The people from Hudao Academy have arrived!" Immediately, many voices rang out from the surroundings.
Gaze after gaze shot over, curiously sizing up the several hundred students from Hudao Academy. After all, Hudao Academy was renowned throughout the Central Continent.
Right at that moment, a sudden boom echoed from the horizon, causing the void to tremble with immense momentum—as if a vast army was charging forward grandly.
Then, everyone saw a massive warship cutting through the sky, arriving above this region.
Next, a group of young people disembarked from the warship. Each of them looked down from on high, their glances carrying an air of lofty arrogance, as if looking down on the other martial artists in this area.
"The Shenfeng Sect has arrived," someone immediately whispered.
The Shenfeng Sect was one of the two super sects in the Central Continent. Its overall strength, compared to Hudao Academy, was arguably stronger! Moreover, the Shenfeng Sect was different from Hudao Academy.
The Shenfeng Sect was a religious sect. Those it accepted as disciples had to be utterly loyal to the sect and would most likely remain members for life.
Hudao Academy, on the other hand, was an institution; any young person who met certain aptitude requirements could enter to practice martial arts. Furthermore, most of Hudao Academy's students would eventually leave the academy one day.
Boom! At this moment, distant rumbling sounds came again from the sky in the distance.
A flying vessel engraved throughout with flame patterns sped over and halted in mid-air.
"The Tianyan Sect people are here!" someone else exclaimed softly.
Next, the Fengyun Family, the Xiao Clan, and the Su Clan arrived one after another.
It seemed the allure of the Crystal Mine Minor World was tremendous. The top forces of the Central Continent had almost all arrived—except for the Alchemy Tower!