Chapter 134: Passing the Mantle of Serene Void's Chief Disciple

"Old Song, why does the foundation under the Serene Void Academy look like a mountain peak sliced in half?"

"Don't tell me it really was," Nantian Yijian joked, resting his hand lightly on Song Ping's shoulder. "It's fine if there aren't many people, but why isn't there even a single entertainment hall? No casino, no wine tavern..."

"There are barely more than two hundred people here, with more visitors than residents. What would we need entertainment for?" Song Ping stepped forward, brushing his hand off. "And stop calling me Old Song. I'm at least your senior brother. Don't address me so casually.

"As for the foundation below, I don't know how it was formed. Since the day this academy was built, all six academies have been like this. Even during past wars, it never suffered damage. But there are rumors in the Heavenly Mandate Hall that this place was once nine mountain peaks, until someone split them apart, leaving only three."

"Nine mountain peaks? That just makes it more like a huge burial mound," Nantian Yijian said as he chased after Song Ping. "Is there any written record of this?"

"No. If you want to know, go to the Scripture Hall yourself." Song Ping slipped to the side and gestured toward the building ahead on the left. "There's a teleportation formation inside that leads straight there. Look it up yourself."

"Why are you avoiding me, Old Song? Aren't we brothers?" Nantian Yijian continued to run after him. "Why don't you show us around the Serene Void Academy? We're still new here."

"

Ah...

I still have something important to take care of," Song Ping took the chief disciple identity token from Lu Chen. "Brother Lu, the Serene Void Academy is yours from here on."

Lu Chen glanced around, carefully committing the buildings and facilities to memory. "No problem. Fewer people make it easier to manage. Once I understand the foundation, I can develop it better."

"Good. Then let's begin the handover." Song Ping lifted the token and sent a pulse of spirit qi toward Earth Mountain Peak. "Once I release this, the Serene Void chief disciple's token will update.

"When the bell at Earth Ocean Peak rings, your information will be announced across the Heavenly Mandate Hall. Everyone will know you as the new Serene Void Academy's chief disciple." Song Ping tossed the token back to him. "From now on, apart from Lord Jun, you'll be in charge of this academy."

Lu Chen nodded. "Understood."

He turned his gaze toward Earth Ocean Peak.

In that instant, a thin stream of Divine Psyche Incarnation shot down from Earth Ocean Peak into Song Ping. Three breaths later, the bell atop the peak rang, its chime echoing across the academy.

"The title of Serene Void Academy's Chief Disciple has been handed over. All fellow disciples should celebrate!"

The bell rang three times. With each ring, the same sentence was repeated, letting everyone know that there was a new chief disciple in the Serene Void Academy. Across the Three Peaks and Six Academies, strange phenomena appeared simultaneously, like sages preaching the Dao, the manifestation of heaven-piercing divine treasures, phantoms of rare beasts, and a Seventy-Nine-Petaled Heaven-Piercing Golden Lotus blooming in the sky.[1]

The celestial spectacle instantly stirred heated discussion throughout the Heavenly Mandate Hall. In the eyes of the disciples, the six academies' chiefs stood among the strongest of them all. Under normal circumstances, the transfer of such a position could never be done in private, much less with such a scene unfolding all across the Three Peaks and Six Academies.

***

In the council hall of the Jade Flame Academy, Huo Shan, seated in the main seat, slammed his palm against the stone table in fury, shattering it. "The Earth Ocean bell, and the phenomena happening across the Three Peaks and Six Academies... all just to celebrate a single new chief disciple? The Serene Void Academy really has some nerve."

"Even if the Serene Void Academy has only a few hundred people, they still must follow the Heavenly Mandate Hall's rules and report in advance," Bai Rufeng murmured, his gaze lingering on the strange spectacles outside the window. "I wonder who their new chief is, and why Jun Wudi didn't report it ahead of time."

"No matter who it is, our grudges with the Serene Void Academy must be settled," Zhou Chang said coldly, glaring at the celestial displays. "Especially Lu Chen. Ever since he appeared, everything has been turned upside down."

Zhou Wunian asked, "Could the new chief disciple be Lu Chen? After all, he is Jun Wudi's personal disciple now... it could also be his nephew, Jun Laoye."

He was seated in his chair, while his chief disciple, Feng Wunian, meditated behind him. Their bodies shifted between the real and the ethereal, exuding a sense of mystery.

Zhou Chang crushed his teacup in his hand. "

Hmph

. I don't care who it is. Zhou Fan, go deal with them. Give this new Serene Void Academy's chief disciple a lesson."

"Yes, Father," Zhou Fan replied softly.

He then left the council hall.

***

In the Serene Void Academy, a radiant female giant projected from Earth Ocean Peak and appeared before Lu Chen. She extended her hand, tossing him a new chief disciple identity token. "Please accept the token, new Chief Disciple of the Serene Void Academy, and link it to the Earth Ocean Peak Pillar."

Lu Chen took the identity token and asked, "

Huh?

But where is the Earth Ocean Peak Pillar?"

Suddenly, an invisible chain shot out from Earth Ocean Peak, its tip bound with a sharp spear, driving straight toward his Divine Psyche Incarnation.

Song Ping, standing nearby, noticed Lu Chen tensing up. "Relax, Lu Chen. Nothing will go wrong. This is just to record your cultivation. Release a sliver of your Divine Psyche Incarnation. It'll return to you afterward."

Lu Chen nodded. "

Mm,

got it."

He slowly relaxed his body and prepared to divide a portion of his Divine Psyche Incarnation to link with the pillar. At once, the treasures within him sensed the energy intrusion and emerged inside his divine chamber, shielding all of his information.

Seeing this, Lu Chen ordered the divine chamber to project a false image of an ordinary cultivator, then sent that false incarnation into the invisible chains.

Song Ping quickly stepped forward, eyes fixed on the Divine Psyche Incarnation entwined by the chains. "Is the link established? Lu Chen, from now on, you're Serene Void's chief disciple. With the token, you can draw on spirit qi and control the entire academy."

"What about us? Didn't you say we'd get identity tokens too?" Nantian Yijian asked, extending his hand impatiently. "Why does only the boss get one?"

"Be patient. Lu Chen's matter isn't finished yet," Song Ping said slowly, lifting his gaze to the sky, as though he was waiting for something. "Once she announces Lu Chen's information, you'll receive your identity tokens."

As soon as Song Ping finished, the female projection above vanished, replaced by a full-body projection of Lu Chen, with golden spirit qi outlining his various cultivation details beside him.

***

In the council hall of Jade Flame Academy, Bai Rufeng spat out his tea as he stared up at the sky.

"Level-one Qi Regulation Realm?" Yun Ping, standing behind Huo Shan, sneered at the data. "So the Serene Void Academy's chief disciple is only at the Qi Regulation Realm? Someone like this made the Discipline Court suffer defeat after defeat? Your spies must be worthless."

A refined man beside Bai Rufeng stood abruptly. "You coward. Lord Huo hasn't even spoken, yet you dare run your mouth?"

"

Hmph.

Wen Ziming, aren't you also a disciple?" Yun Ping moved like a ghost. In the blink of an eye, he appeared behind Wen Ziming. "If you've got guts, come fight me. Words mean nothing."

Wen Ziming stepped back. He pointed at Yun Ping and shouted, "You... You're insane!"

Anyone could sense his fear beneath the bravado.

Yun Ping returned to Huo Shan's side and mocked him, "Heh, coward. You and your lord will live your whole lives suppressed. You'll never be more than lackeys."

The words pierced Wen Ziming to the heart. "You... Don't you dare insult my lord!"

He lost all composure, drew his Gentleman Sword, and lunged at Yun Ping.

"Enough. Look at yourself," Bai Rufeng barked, stopping him. "How many times have I told you? Even if Mount Tai crumbles before your feet, you must remain calm in a crisis."

Wen Ziming's face flushed red as he still pointed his sword at Yun Ping. "But my lord... he insulted you!"

"Then can you defeat him openly and honorably?"

Wen Ziming shook his head. "No... I can't even withstand a single move from him."

"Then what's the point of arguing?" Bai Rufeng tapped his fingers lightly, and Wen Ziming's sword returned to its sheath. "Your state of mind still needs polishing. Courage in crisis isn't just for show."

Bai Rufeng lightly pressed his right hand on Wen Ziming's forehead, immediately calming his spirit. "Go and meet the chief disciple of the Serene Void Academy. For someone with such an ordinary cultivation to reach this position, there must be something extraordinary about him."

"Thank you for your guidance, my lord," Wen Ziming sheathed his sword, returning to his composed, refined self. He bowed to the academy heads. "I'll immediately go meet Lu Chen."

"

Oh?

The young noble is going to bully a child?" Yun Ping sneered from behind, his gaze vicious, words dripping with mockery. "Seems the White Cloud Academy isn't much better. You're just a pack of cowards."

"

Hmph...

"

Wen Ziming shot him a cold glance, then turned and left the council hall without another word.

"Docile lamb, just like the rest," Yun Ping muttered, his voice sharper than ever.

As the words left his mouth, a domineering aura, one belonging to a peak Core Breakthrough Realm cultivator, surged through the room.

Huo Shan sensed the overwhelming force and struck out, sending Yun Ping flying. "Yun Ping, shut your mouth..."

Yun Ping crashed against a stone pillar, spitting blood. When he lifted his head, the place he had been standing was already enveloped in white sword qi.

His face paled as he turned toward Bai Rufeng. "Peak Core Breakthrough Realm... You're already half a step into immortality?!"

1. These visions were all steeped in Daoist symbolism. The appearance of

sages preaching the Dao

evoked the image of ancient immortals expounding cosmic truth, while the manifestation of a

heaven-piercing supreme treasure

signified divine authority acknowledged by heaven itself. The

phantoms of rare beasts

embodied auspicious omens, the kind of heavenly signs that accompanied extraordinary events, and the blooming of a

seventy-nine-petaled golden lotus

represented transcendence and enlightenment, a vision of utmost rarity just short of perfection. Taken together, these four celestial spectacles revealed that the event had resonated with heaven and earth, stirring Daoist omens that marked it as a matter of extraordinary significance. ☜