Chapter Twenty-Four: The Four Great Academies

Watching the figures depart, Su Yi exhaled softly and turned toward the auction house, paying little mind to Lie Zhi’s words from earlier. Setting aside physical strength and technique, the experience he had gained from killing was far beyond what pampered scions like Lie Zhi could ever hope to match. Had the confrontation truly devolved into a fight, even without relying on his body's power, those men would already be corpses.

Yet he wondered if mere physical strength would qualify him for the Martial Trial Tournament. The thought left him uncertain.

To speak of the Martial Trial Tournament, one must begin with the renowned Dou Qi Academy. The continent’s current state was relatively stable: three great empires and numerous smaller nations. The Grand Empire lay to the west, beyond which stretched vast deserts; the Xi’er Empire ruled the north, with wastes beyond its bounds; the Roman Empire occupied the east, larger and more powerful than the Grand Empire, the strongest of the three.

Across the southern edge of the continent sprawled the immense Magical Beast Forest. Though each empire contained forests inhabited by magical beasts, none compared in size or danger to this ancient, mysterious domain—never conquered by humans, it had stood since antiquity as the true territory of magical beasts.

This produced a peculiar continental arrangement: the three empires surrounded the land’s edges, while the center remained a vast, ownerless expanse. Yet this “ownerless” land was not truly so—small nations and myriad factions and sects vied for dominance, with many falling to others or being replaced by foreign powers. Power tangled and overlapped here, experts were everywhere; even the three empires were loath to provoke these forces. Slaughter and chaos reigned, earning this region the name—Land of Chaos.

But amid all this disorder, one force stood unshaken and unrivaled—the Dou Qi Academy. Having grown to its present scale, the Academy controlled territory rivaling medium-sized nations, boasting so many experts and such strength that neither the empires nor the powers of the Land of Chaos dared challenge it lightly. Its teaching was unrivaled: advanced Dou Techniques were a given, and every instructor was a Dou King. Each graduate was sought after by all factions, treated as precious talent. Admissions were based solely on merit, regardless of nation or region, making the Academy the cradle of success in every Dou cultivator’s heart.

Objectively, the Academy produced many outstanding talents for the empires, but not all graduates returned to serve their homeland. Some remained at the Academy; others were recruited by other powers. Still others wandered the continent, seeking the path to true strength. Thus, few returned to their own countries. Even those who did often felt little loyalty, choosing to stay within their family, create their own faction, or simply not serve the empire.

To prevent this drain of talent, the three empires each established Royal Academies, selecting candidates from the military and loyal families for further training. Those willing to serve the empire were also recruited. This not only sourced talent but fostered exchange and competition. By agreement between the Royal Academies and the Dou Qi Academy, they instituted the Continental Martial Tournament, held every three years, now running for over fifty years.

This tournament was not for Dou Sovereigns, Dou Emperors, or Dou Lords to battle for supremacy—such contests would devastate the land. Instead, it was restricted to those under thirty years old. Each empire’s capital formed a tournament zone, with the Academy as another, making four zones in total. Each zone selected its top four, with the twelve empire champions proceeding to the Academy for the final competition.

The top three earned not only rich rewards, but the admiration of all factions. Even for fame alone, countless ambitious youths eagerly participated, making the tournament a grand event rivaling the century-old Alchemist Tournament.

Most contestants for the capital tournaments were recommended by their regions; the selection lists came from the top five winners of local Martial Trial Tournaments. Though some entered alone, without backing, unless they possessed overwhelming strength, the tournament would not easily grant them special entry. Thus, the significance of the Martial Trial Tournament as a formal pathway was clear.

This year, the Changling City Martial Trial Tournament required participants to be Dou Practitioners under twenty-seven. Su Yi had no issue with age, but his current strength was only at the seventh stage of Qi. With the tournament only a month away, he doubted whether he could break through to Dou Practitioner in time.

In terms of physical prowess, Su Yi certainly qualified, but he knew of no precedent for this—he wondered whether the tournament would accept him.

He sighed, murmuring to himself, “Even if I break through to Dou Practitioner, or manage to participate, it may not matter. There are many Dou Practitioners under twenty-seven in Changling City. If I were still a tenth-level Dou Practitioner, that would be different—now, not only can I not join this Martial Tournament, but I fear I won’t qualify for the next one, three years from now.”

Recalling his ruined Qi vortex, Su Yi’s expression darkened, his fist clenched until his knuckles cracked. That person...

Thinking and walking into the auction house, he was soon approached by a maid who relayed that Miss Meiya wished to see him.

Watching her turn and leave, Su Yi shook his head with a faint, cold smile. In his glory days, he had often appeared in public, but since his fall, he stayed mostly within the auction house, rarely venturing out, lending him an air of mystery. Thus, though people in Changling City mocked him as a cripple, there was a hint of cautious respect beneath their laughter.

But those working in the auction house, who saw him day in and day out, were intimately familiar—and their contempt was absolute, their disregard complete. Sometimes those closest to you are less considerate than strangers; it was a bitter truth.

Before meeting Meiya, Su Yi wondered why she had summoned him. His first thought was the herbs he had hidden in his room, but he quickly dismissed that—it was too soon for them to be discovered. More likely, it concerned his recent conflict with the Lie family. He had not intended to bring trouble to the auction house; with a sigh, he went with apprehension.

Su Yi found Meiya in the main hall. She seemed to have just bathed, her robe loose, lounging softly on a long wooden chair. Her feet, wrapped in pale stockings, were delicate as crescent moons. Without her usual enchantment, she appeared pure and serene, both in form and spirit.

Meiya played with a white silk fan, her hand and the fan so pale and fine that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. Su Yi inadvertently caught sight of her exposed thigh, quickly coughed, and looked away, only then noticing Mo Ben was also present.

Su Yi’s arrival seemed to stir a breeze, making Meiya shiver slightly. She frowned and drew her robe closer, then cast a mildly reproachful glance at Su Yi. “Why did you take so long?”

Glancing at her shapely figure beneath her robe, Su Yi swallowed and bowed his head. “Sister Meiya, did you need something?”

Meiya laughed, her voice clear as silver bells, her slender body trembling gently. She sat up, her loose robe covering her crystalline legs, and smiled. “I heard you had a conflict with the Lie family?”

So it was about tha