Chapter 1035: As Difficult as Climbing to the Heavens

Upon hearing those words, Ye Guan's brow furrowed tightly. "Really?"

The young man nodded and explained, "Yes, not just the Guanxuan Guard, but the Law Enforcement Guards, the Jin Guard, and even some positions in the academy already have people in them before the recruitment is announced."

Sighing and shaking his head, the young man added, "There are too many clans. Rogue cultivators have no chance against them. In this world, the strong get stronger, and the weak get weaker."

Ye Guan asked solemnly, "Has no one ever reported that injustice?"

The young man looked at him with a peculiar expression.

Ye Guan was puzzled. "What?"

Patting Ye Guan on the shoulder, the young man smiled and shook his head, "Brother, you're far too naïve. If you complain, you'll vanish by tomorrow."

Ye Guan's frown deepened.

The young man pointed at a nearby shop. "See that store over there?"

"What about it?"

"On this street, it looks ordinary compared to the other buildings, but the owner behind it is likely connected to a major aristocratic family or powerful clan."

The young man then pointed to a grand building in the distance. "Look at that."

Ye Guan followed the young man's finger and saw a luxurious building occupying a prime spot that overlooked half of Little Guan City from the top floor.

The young man exclaimed, "That's the Guanqian Hall!"

"The Guanqian Hall?"

"The owners of that building are the Heavenly Dragon Clan."

Ye Guan was taken aback.

"A powerful force owns every plot of land on this street. As for the academy's enrollment quotas and the positions in the various halls, they're all filled before they are announced. The so-called assessments are just a formality, a show for the masses."

Ye Guan frowned even deeper.

The young man went on, "I've heard that the academy hosts a yearly group excursion sponsored by the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. They select talents to visit high-tier civilizations for study. Like this year, there's a group of a hundred heading to the Great Zhou Civilization for an exchange of talents...

"But as far as I know, before those one hundred spots were announced, they were already filled. All were taken by the descendants of top-tier noble families and clans, as well as the academy's finest talents.

"In a way, it makes sense. Those people are indeed more outstanding than the average person. It's just that... I find it frustrating. The resources have all been monopolized by those at the top."

"Rising to the top is as difficult as climbing to the heavens as an ordinary person!" the young man added with a sigh.

Ye Guan asked, "What's your name, brother?"

"Fang Yu, from Yongzhou. What about you?"

"Yang Guan."

Fang Yu cupped his fist. "A pleasure!"

Ye Guan asked, "What brings you from Yongzhou?"

Fang Yu chuckled, "I'm here to participate in the Guanxuan Guard assessment."

"The Guanxuan Guard assessment?"

"Yes, the whole month is dedicated to it. Even though we all know our chances are slim, everyone still comes to try their luck."

Ye Guan asked, "Can I participate as well?"

Fang Yu sized him up and said, "As long as you've reached the Immortal Realm before the age of twenty."

Ye Guan grinned, "Just made it."

Fang Yu laughed, "Then let's go together!"

Ye Guan nodded, and the two began walking toward the distance.

Ye Guan had subtly altered his appearance. He only resembled his statues by about sixty to seventy percent.

Fang Yu glanced around and muttered softly, "This place is incredible. The biggest city in Yongzhou, Yong City, is nothing more than a small village compared to this city.

"However, getting here is also as difficult as climbing to the heavens."

Ye Guan remained silent. He knew this well. The Main Guanxuan Academy was here, so it was indeed exceedingly hard for talents from other regions to come here and become students.

Suddenly, Fang Yu said, "Perhaps next year will be more hopeful for us."

Ye Guan looked at him, curious.

Fang Yu smiled, "To be honest, one of the elders in my Fang Clan managed to connect with one of the examiners here, and he has promised to try and secure a spot for us next year."

Ye Guan was silent.

Fang Yu sighed softly. "My family paid a heavy price for it, and now the pressure is on me. But even if I make it into the Guanxuan Guard, without connections at the top, I'll likely remain a low-ranking guard for life."

Ye Guan asked, "Even if you have great strength, you can't rise?"

Fang Yu shook his head, "It's very difficult. Unless you're an extraordinary genius like the Academy Master, but..."

Ye Guan looked at him. "But what?"

Fang Yu chuckled bitterly, "If the Academy Master hadn't been the son of the Sword Master, he wouldn't have made it to Qingzhou, let alone the Upper Realms. In fact, he would have died in Nanzhou."

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Ye Guan was quiet.

"Brother Yang, you're a rogue cultivator, so you might not understand the intricacies of this world, but I was born into a noble clan and know them all too well. This world is harsh and brutally realistic. You'll see for yourself soon."

Ye Guan nodded. "Okay."

Soon, the two arrived at a massive arena. Thousands of people were already gathered there, and there were ten long queues stretching far into the distance. Each queue had thousands of people, and there were more people falling in life.

Fang Yu led Ye Guan to one of the lines and explained, "Every day, tens of thousands of geniuses come to participate, but the Guanxuan Guard only takes thirty people per year.

"In short, a million competitors are vying for thirty spots. Isn't that intense?"

Ye Guan looked around and noticed that most of the participants were under twenty. Many of them were truly gifted; some even left him astonished—they had reached the True Immortal Realm before the age of twenty!

Even Fang Yu was impressive. At nineteen, he was already a True Immortal Realm expert. His aura was thick, and he showed no signs of weakness.

Ye Guan smiled to himself. He had claimed to be at the Immortal Realm earlier, but he felt like an adult among infants here.

It had to be known that there were still many realms above the Immortal Realm—the Earth Immortal Realm, the True Immortal Realm, the Heaven Immortal Realm, the Peak Immortal Realm, the Dao Immortal Realm, the Time Immortal Realm, the Divine Sovereign Realm, and the Great Sovereign Realm.

Ye Guan glanced to his right and noticed a separate passage.

An elderly man was sitting in front of a grand hall at the end of the passage.

Curious, Ye Guan was about to ask some questions, but the crowd suddenly grew restless.

Turning his head, Ye Guan saw a young man dressed in green robes walking toward them. The youth looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. With sharp brows, bright eyes, and a sword in hand, he exuded an air of confidence as he approached.

"Ye Yun!" someone shouted.

Instantly, the entire arena was thrown into an uproar as all eyes landed on the young man.

Fang Yu was also surprised. "It's him..."

"Who is he?"

Fang Yu turned to Ye Guan, shocked, "You don't know him?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "Never met him."

"Brother, are you really from Nanzhou?"

"Of course."

"How can you not know him? He's Ye Yun, the ninth-ranked genius in your Nanzhou. At nineteen, he's already a True Immortal. Although he ranks ninth in Nanzhou, in other regions, he'd be unbeatable."

Ye Guan laughed. "Aren't you also a True Immortal?"

Fang Yu shook his head with a wry smile. "How could I compare to him? He's from the Ye Clan, after all."

Ye Guan asked, "The Ye... as in the Academy Master's clan?"

Fang Yu nodded. "That's right."

Ye Guan gazed at the young man, his brow furrowing slightly. He had never met Ye Yun before, nor had he heard of the latter. Then again, it made sense. The Ye Clan was a large clan in Ancient Desolate City. It wasn't surprising that there were some people unknown to him.

Just then, the elderly man at the end of the special passage suddenly stood up and hurried over to Ye Yun with a warm smile. "Young Master Yun, you've arrived."

Ye Yun nodded slightly. "Yes."

The elder beamed. "We've prepared refreshments. Please, do come inside and rest."

Then, he escorted Ye Yun into the grand hall.

Ye Guan was curious. "Is he also here for the assessment?"

Fang Yu nodded.

Ye Guan asked in a low voice, "Doesn't he have to queue?"

Fang Yu smiled bitterly. "That passage is the VIP lane. Anyone given access to that passage can avoid the long line and are preselected as well."

Ye Guan's brows furrowed slightly. "Preselected? Really?"

"The true prodigies of the Ye Clan don't even bother with joining the Guanxuan Guards. They go straight to the Main Academy. But to be fair, the Ye Clan still reserves a few preselected slots every year."

"In fact, they're quite conscientious—they only send one clan member each year, which means taking only one spot. However, the Nalan Clan..." Fang Yu trailed off, clearly hesitant to continue.

Ye Guan's frown deepened. "What about the Nalan Clan?"

Fang Yu shook his head vigorously. "Brother Yang, I don't dare speak further."

Just as Ye Guan was about to press him for more information, a group of about ten people walked confidently down the VIP lane.

Silence fell over the crowd.

Ye Guan's eyes landed on the young man at the front of the group.

The word "Nalan" was written boldly on his chest.

Everyone in the group was from the Nalan Clan!

The elder, who had been overseeing the line, shot up from his seat and hurried over. "Young Master Gu, you've arrived!"

Nalan Gu nodded slightly. "

Mmhmm.

"

The elder stepped aside, gesturing with both hands. "Please, come in, come in..."

With that, he ushered the entire group inside.

Fang Yu leaned in closer to Ye Guan and whispered, "That leaves just nineteen spots."

Ye Guan's expression darkened. "There's no way Nalan—the Pavilion Master doesn't know about this, does he?"

"

Haha.

" Fang Yu chuckled softly. "It doesn't really matter. What matters is that the people beneath her know exactly what to do. As long as you have someone above you pulling the strings from behind the scenes, those below will always make sure everything is handled...

efficiently.

"