In front of the grand entrance of Xiafeng Academy, a young man appeared, bursting with heroic vigor, handsome features, and black hair cascading like a waterfall. Although he was only a teenager, he possessed a unique charm that compelled people to gaze at him.
However, just standing there, he seemed like a colossal Divine Mountain standing before them, exuding an invisible yet overwhelming force that left people breathless.
Upon seeing the young man, several guards couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment, filled with incredulity.
They hadn’t expected the suddenly appearing figure to be Ye Chen, who had vanished after his retreat, leaving them greatly astounded.
Ye Chen stepped forward, still exuding his impressive and striking demeanor that captivated onlookers. But at this moment, his expression was slightly solemn due to overhearing the conversation of these guards. He asked, "What exactly happened on Trial Road? Why do you say that the Thirteenth Prince and his company are in dire straits?"
This made him somewhat concerned, as the Thirteenth Prince was one of his few friends, and his relationship with the young lady Vivian was also somewhat delicate, which made him unable to stand idly by.
"I’m sorry, Young Master Ye Chen, we only heard it through the grapevine and aren’t really clear on the details," the guards shook their heads.
"It’s okay, go on," Ye Chen said.
"It’s said that on Trial Road, the young competitors from Xiafeng Country offended a prominent youth from the Three Great Empires. Moreover, for some unknown reason, Crown Prince Xia Yang is missing, which led the opponents to unite with young competitors from several other kingdoms to jointly hunt down our people from Xiafeng Academy, putting our fighters in a quite embarrassed position," the guards shared what they had heard.
Hearing this, Ye Chen’s expression immediately turned grave. If that was the case then the situation was dire indeed. With Crown Prince Xia Yang, arguably the strongest in Xiafeng Academy and superior to others, even likely among the top contenders on the entire Trial Road, missing, Xiafeng Academy undoubtedly lost half of its fighting strength, the strongest being the Thirteenth Prince. Ye Chen knew his ability, which was above the Innate Fifth Level.
Such cultivation was extraordinary among his peers, but Trial Road was a test for the entire Tiandu Continent, drawing geniuses from 108 countries, including countless forces and even talents from the Three Great Empires and the royal family choosing to participate in Trial Road.
These royal offspring, perhaps not aiming to enter Tiandu Academy, sought merely to gain experience through Trial Road.
Among these royal offspring, endowed with formidable resources of a great empire, those who could participate in Trial Road were indeed geniuses, most likely not inferior to the Thirteenth Prince, which was most concerning.
However, the truth was unlikely to be known by these guards at the gates, so Ye Chen had someone send for the Martial God Elders.
Before long, news of Ye Chen’s emergence from retreat shook the entire Xiafeng Academy. This god-talented individual, on par with Crown Prince Xia Yang, had finally emerged.
A Martial God Elder appeared directly; it was none other than Elder Duanmu. Although he had come in person only after hearing of Ye Chen’s arrival, he couldn’t help but show some surprise upon seeing Ye Chen: "Ye Chen, you’ve finally decided to come out."
"I’m sorry, I’ve been in retreat and only recently made my breakthrough," Ye Chen apologized.
Elder Duanmu shook his head with a wry smile, "It’s a shame. Had you not been in retreat, our young fighters from Xiafeng Academy wouldn’t be in such dire straits, forced to flee from their pursuers."
Ye Chen said, "I’ve come to Elder specifically regarding this matter."
"But what use is knowing now? Trial Road has already been closed, and no one can enter," Elder Duanmu shook his head helplessly.
"There isn’t a way that doesn’t exist," Ye Chen said.
"Do you have a way?" Elder Duanmu filled with amazement.
Ye Chen shook his head, "Elder, let’s leave that matter for later. First, please tell me about the Trial Road."
"It’s not convenient here, follow me into the Inner Courtyard to discuss further," Elder Duanmu nodded then directly leapt into the Inner Courtyard with immense speed, covering tens to hundreds of yards in a single bound, rapidly moving away from the gate, but he soon stopped. He was too hasty—how could Ye Chen possibly keep up with his pace?
Just as he was about to turn around, a voice emerged beside his ear. Elder Duanmu turned around, only to be startled. Ye Chen’s figure had startlingly caught up and was even standing in mid-air beside him, shocking him immensely.
To move through the air was a method unique to Martial God experts. Could it be that Ye Chen had broken through to the Martial God Realm?
Thinking of this possibility, he took a sharp breath of cold air. How old was Ye Chen now? To have achieved the Martial God Realm at such a young age was simply too monstrous.
"Elder, let’s go," Ye Chen urged again.
Elder Duanmu snapped out of his stupor, realizing now was not the time to discuss this. He shook off the temporary shock from his mind, leading Ye Chen directly into the Inner Courtyard.
Inside a spacious and quiet hall, Elder Duanmu, Ye Chen, and two other Supreme Martial God Elders had also appeared upon hearing the news. Apart from the Heavenly God Mansion Master who stayed outside, the strongest three Supreme Martial God Elders from Xiafeng Academy were all present.
Had it not been for Ye Chen, these Supreme Martial Gods usually remained in retreat, comprehending the Dao, hoping to advance to the higher Heavenly Divine Realm.