Qin Mu turned to look, only to see the prince who had just been standing beside Ling Yuxiu had, at some point, come up behind them. He seemed to be Ling Yuxiu's second brother, his face as still as water, also watching the mid-air confrontation.
Ling Yuxiu followed him down from the Jade Cliff, standing behind the Second Prince.
In the instant Qin Mu turned his head, Kun Ziyu plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground with a thud.
In close combat with Daoist Lin Xuan, the moment their palms collided, his vital energy was shattered by the other's Primordial Celestial Mystery Art, his moves broken, and he fell from the sky.
Shen Wanyun's eyelids twitched, a chill spreading through his heart: "I'm afraid I'm no match for him. His combat strength is too formidable. Even if he's sealed his other divine vaults and retained only the Five Luminaries realm, it would be hard for me to defeat him! No, the more he reveals, the more likely it is for me to spot a flaw! I'll keep observing for a while, perhaps I can find his weakness!"
The Primordial Celestial Mystery Art.
It was the first time Qin Mu had seen an art that could stand alongside the Overlord Body Three Pillar Art.
The art that Daoist Lin Xuan displayed was incredibly powerful. His cultivation in the same realm was not as profound as Qin Mu's, but the quality of his vital energy was exceptionally high, far surpassing his peers. Just now, Qin Mu had seen that Daoist Lin Xuan's vital energy was pure to an unbelievable degree, which was why he had asked.
The Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra was hailed as a scripture that could lead to godhood or demonhood. That the Daoist Sect's Primordial Celestial Mystery Art could share its fame proved its extraordinary nature.
The Daoist Sect and the Heavenly Demon Cult, one righteous and one demonic, were the two great sanctuaries of the righteous and demonic paths.
If you added the Great Thunderclap Monastery of the Buddhist Sect, that made three great sanctuaries. Besides these three major factions, there were some hidden sanctuaries, not famous in name, but which also appeared from time to time.
"The Daoist Sect's Daoist has appeared. I wonder if the Great Thunderclap Monastery will also come to block the gate and humiliate the State Preceptor?" Qin Mu thought to himself.
The Second Prince took a long breath and began to walk toward the mountain gate. Ling Yuxiu quickly said, "Second Brother, what are you going out for?"
"I am a student of the Imperial Academy and of royal blood. How can I not fight?"
A sharp light shone in the Second Prince's eyes: "Our Ling family are emperors who fought their way to the throne, not emperors propped up by civil and military officials!"
His voice was sonorous and powerful. Qin Mu couldn't help but admire him. This was what a prince should be. That the Ling family could be emperors, becoming the high and lofty imperial family, was indeed not an accident.
"Imperial Academy student Ling Yushu requests the Daoist's guidance!"
The Second Prince walked up to Daoist Lin Xuan, bowed respectfully, and looked up solemnly: "Does the Daoist wish to rest for a moment to recover his vital energy?"
Daoist Lin Xuan nodded, saying: "Please wait a moment, Senior Brother Ling."
Qin Mu clapped his hands in admiration, saying: "If it were me, I would rest too."
That Daoist Lin Xuan, hearing these words, followed the voice and looked toward the back of the mountain gate, his gaze falling on Qin Mu's face. Seeing Qin Mu's eyes, he felt a slight chill. Qin Mu smiled back, and Daoist Lin Xuan also showed a smile, nodding, before turning to the old Daoist beside him: "Uncle-Master Danyangzi, I saw a formidable person. His eyes have two extra layers of pupils compared to an ordinary person, as if he can see through my substance and emptiness..."
Danyangzi's expression was calm: "Keep your mind like still water, unmoved by external things. Do not let yourself become flustered. The State Preceptor of Yankang is known as the foremost person under the gods, so it's natural that there are some formidable figures in this Imperial Academy."
Daoist Lin Xuan continued to adjust his breath, recovering his cultivation. He activated the Primordial Celestial Mystery Art, and a small Spirit Embryo floated out from between his eyebrows, sitting before him on a mystical altar.
This Spirit Embryo breathed in and out, and in front and behind it, five magnificent canopies appeared, drawing intense starlight from the starry sky!
Beneath the canopies, the vague forms of five deities and demons emerged, an incredibly fearsome sight. This was the phenomenon formed by the Five Luminaries divine vault.
After the five canopies appeared, six circular rings then revolved around it, the phenomenon of the Six Harmonies divine vault manifesting.
Qin Mu narrowed his eyes. The Primordial Celestial Mystery Art was indeed extraordinary. This Daoist Lin Xuan's art was unique, but even more orthodox and majestic. Its complexity was in no way inferior to the Overlord Body Three Pillar Art.
"The Daoist Sect, the foremost sect of the righteous path, truly lives up to its reputation!"
Once Daoist Lin Xuan had finished recovering, he stood up and bowed to the Second Prince, Ling Yushu.
Ling Yushu returned the bow. As he rose, his vital energy erupted violently, with dragon roars and tiger howls. In an instant, almost everyone in front of the mountain gate felt a dragon's might explode from within this prince's body!
The Second Prince, Ling Yushu, shifted his steps, his figure moving like a swimming dragon. His five fingers spread wide, fingers like dragons, as five streams of dragon qi surged forth, twisting and changing in mid-air, extremely ferocious, lunging at Daoist Lin Xuan!
Five Dragons Stranglehold!
Ling Yushu's five fingers clamped down, the five streams of dragon qi enclosing Daoist Lin Xuan. The dragon bodies coiled around Daoist Lin Xuan, the five great dragons constricting, their mouths spewing true fire at this young man, the fierce flames roaring!
His speed was incredibly fast. The instant the five dragons pounced, his figure was already beside Daoist Lin Xuan. With a flick of his wrist, he gathered qi into a sword, the sword body coiled by a dragon, and thrust it into the Five Dragon Barrier!
Inside the Five Dragon Barrier, Daoist Lin Xuan was drenched by the raging true fire, but his body revealed a luster like jade. The five dragons' true fire actually could not harm him!
The Second Prince's sword stabbed into the Five Dragon Barrier. Daoist Lin Xuan raised his horsetail whisk to meet it, the whisk's strands wrapping around the dragon sword. The Second Prince stamped his foot, the earth shook, and great dragons burst from the ground, rising from below to pounce on Daoist Lin Xuan.
Daoist Lin Xuan struck the Five Dragon Barrier with a palm, sending it apart, and soared into the air. Whisk strands, sharp as swords, swept past, severing the heads of the great dragons one by one, then dodging the sword light shooting up from below.
"The Daoist school of combat!" Qin Mu was surprised. The Second Prince's flurry of attacks was the style of the Daoist school, yet it was as fierce, domineering, and sharp as the martial school!
To wield Daoist arts with such domineering power and strength was truly an anomaly. It was the first time Qin Mu had ever seen such a fighting style!
"Sister, your imperial family's arts are quite impressive," Qin Mu said to Ling Yuxiu.
Ling Yuxiu looked proud: "Of course! My Second Brother practices the Nine Dragon Imperial Art, no worse than the Daoist Sect's Primordial Celestial Mystery Art! My Second Brother even holds an official post. He's a fifth-rank Patrol General!"
The Second Prince soared into the air, two streams of dragon qi under his feet taking dragon form, heads shaking and tails swishing, as he dashed through the sky toward Daoist Lin Xuan. The subtlety of his arts was breathtaking.
This was no surprise. The Imperial Academy itself was built at the center where nine dragon veins converged, the qi of the Nine Dragons incredibly dense. Furthermore, with the Second Prince's royal status, he cultivated by harnessing the dragon qi. The Imperial Academy was a sanctuary for others, but for him, it was the sanctuary among sanctuaries, allowing him to gather dragon qi and cultivate with twice the result with half the effort!
His vital energy was vast and abundant; even unleashing such domineering arts did not deplete his reserves in the slightest. This was precisely the power of the Nine Dragon Imperial Art.
After watching for a moment, Qin Mu said: "Sister, your Second Brother is about to lose."
Ling Yuxiu's heart trembled slightly. Suddenly, the mid-air confrontation had already concluded. The Second Prince, Ling Yushu, had encountered a counterattack from Daoist Lin Xuan. Daoist Lin Xuan had unleashed Daoist arts, matching art against art. The power of the Daoist Sect's divine abilities was in no way inferior to the Nine Dragon Imperial Art!
At the same time, the horsetail whisk in Daoist Lin Xuan's hand flew out. Each strand of the whisk suddenly expanded, growing into thin swords, spinning and slicing, frantically attacking Ling Yushu. Ling Yushu defended with his dragon sword, but it was impossible to block so many thin swords. In the blink of an eye, he suffered several wounds and had no choice but to land and concede defeat.
Ling Yushu's defeat sent a massive tremor through the Imperial Academy. After all, he was the Second Prince of the royal family, his own abilities outstanding, and with the deliberate cultivation of the Imperial Academy and the royal family, Ling Yushu was a first-rate figure in the Imperial Academy!
With even him defeated by Daoist Lin Xuan, there was almost no one left in the Imperial Academy who could face this Daoist!
Yue Qinghong glanced at Qin Mu and said: "Hey, fifty-fifty, our Imperial Academy has been blocked at the gate. Aren't you going to go up there?"
Qin Mu was bewildered: "Why should I?"
Yue Qinghong snorted, goading him: "Didn't you say that if you fought this Daoist, it would be a fifty-fifty chance?"
Qin Mu shook his head: "I just became a student of the Imperial Academy and only attended one lecture at the Hall of Han Guang. I haven't learned the Imperial Academy's martial arts. Even if I win, so what? It wouldn't count as the Imperial Academy's skill. Moreover, I am an outcast of the Great Ruins. You all wanted to drive me away, and now you want me to stand up for the Imperial Academy? Is such a good thing even possible?"
Yue Qinghong was so angry she couldn't speak.
Monk Yunque said: "But you are a disciple of our Imperial Academy! When the Imperial Academy is in trouble, how can you not help?"
Qin Mu smiled: "Has the Imperial Academy not had a genius capable of matching the Daoist all these years? Besides, the State Preceptor's disciple hasn't appeared yet, has he? The State Preceptor is the foremost person under heaven, so his disciple must be extraordinary. With his disciple here, why should I overstep my bounds?"
The others felt a jolt in their hearts, and a glimmer of hope sprang up. The State Preceptor was hailed as the foremost person under the gods, and each of his disciples was extremely outstanding. If the State Preceptor's disciple came, perhaps he could defeat this Daoist Sect's Daoist!
Ling Yuxiu frowned slightly and whispered: "But the State Preceptor's disciples are not students of the Imperial Academy..."
As she spoke, several more Imperial Academy students stepped forward, but without exception, they were all defeated.
Some even attempted a wheel battle strategy, trying to deplete Daoist Lin Xuan's vital energy and cultivation, giving him no time to rest. But such a plan was too despicable, and soon an official from the Imperial Academy Board came to stop it.
Daoist Lin Xuan had won more than ten consecutive matches, yet his expression was unusually grave. He said to Danyangzi beside him: "Uncle-Master, the Imperial Academy is terrifying."
Danyangzi nodded gently, saying softly: "These students of the Imperial Academy are all very strong. If these students were to grow up, no sect would be able to rival them."
Those who knew the trade could see the craft. Although no one in the Imperial Academy had yet appeared who could defeat Daoist Lin Xuan, every student who had stepped up to challenge was extremely powerful, top-tier within the same realm.
The most terrifying thing was that such powerhouses were everywhere in the Imperial Academy!
For a great sect like the Daoist Sect, they could cultivate one or two outstanding existences like the Daoist, but there were not many first-rate powerhouses like Qu Ping or Kun Ziyu. Yet in the Imperial Academy, such powerhouses were everywhere, and that was truly terrifying!
Daoist Lin Xuan's gaze passed over the crowd and fell on Qin Mu. Qin Mu seemed to sense it and looked toward him, offering a smiling gesture. Daoist Lin Xuan smiled back in return, feeling puzzled in his heart: "Among the Imperial Academy students, it's not that there are no outstanding figures. But why doesn't he come out to challenge me?"