2287 Coincidence? “Hahahaha!” Right then, an ear-piercing laughter sounded from behind the Sect Master of the Academy. The Sect Master did not turn back nor was he surprised. In the academy, there were less than ten people who could see through his disguise technique—this man was one of them. !! Standing not far away, Old Xuan crossed his arms and said mockingly with a gloating expression, “To think that this would happen to you as well, hehe!” “What a coincidence!” The Sect Master turned around and looked at Old Xuan who was not far away, asking with a smile. “Heh, this is no coincidence.” Old Xuan pouted. “I’ve been waiting for you in the vicinity for a year! Others might not know you, but do you think I don’t understand you?” “Given your temperament, you won’t be able to endure it if you see someone condense a tenth stone step above your Wisdom Step.” “However, I didn’t expect you to be able to endure for a year before coming over secretly. If you waited any longer, I would have left.” The Sect Master did not show any embarrassment after his thoughts were seen through. He merely shook his head and smiled. “You sure are free.” “Hehe!” Old Xuan laughed again. “Notwithstanding the fact that you snuck over, you even set up a disguise, afraid that others would know.” “You clearly have no confidence and know that you won’t be able to pass the tenth stone step!” Old Xuan had known the Sect Master for many years. However, the latter was incomparably intelligent and meticulous—he had never seen the latter suffer any losses. Now that he had finally caught the Sect Master in an embarrassing moment, Old Xuan was excited. “Let’s not talk about me anymore. Do you want to give it a try?” The Sect Master asked with a smile. “No way!” Old Xuan rolled his eyes and pouted. “Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if I can’t even pass your Wisdom Step? There’s no way I’m going to let you get a hold on me!” The Sect Master smiled gently. “However, speaking of which…” Suddenly, Old Xuan asked sternly, “What’s the Dao Heart will left behind by that lad on the tenth stone step?” “I’m not sure.” The Sect Master shook his head. “This will is extremely brave and powerful. It has the sharpness of the Sword Dao, unyielding resistance, fearlessness as well as carefree joy…” “I’ve seen countless Dao Hearts, but I’ve never seen such a Dao Heart.” “Who cares?” Old Xuan waved it off. “In any case, he’s a good seedling. Once he enters the Perfected Immortal realm, we’ll see who can take him in with our own capabilities.” “No problem.” The Sect Master nodded with a smile and waved his sleeves, prepared to leave. “Why, you don’t intend to try again after failing just once?” Old Xuan raised his brow and instigated. “What if I try again and fail? Won’t I be mocked by you again?” The voice of the Sect Master sounded and he had already vanished. At the same time, the disguise technique around the Dao Heart Stairs dissipated silently without a trace. A gentle breeze blew past and there was no one left beside the Dao Heart Stairs. Unknowingly, Old Xuan had already left as well. Peace returned to this place. … In a cave abode of the inner sect, a Grade 9 Heaven Immortal who was done with his seclusion opened his eyes slowly and floated down from the praying mat. It was the inner sect disciple of the academy, Yang Ruoxu. Not far away, a young boy stood. “Young Master, why is your seclusion so short this time round?” The boy brewed a pot of tea at the side and sent it to Yang Ruoxu. “My cultivation has encountered a bottleneck and it’s difficult for me to advance if I merely cultivate in seclusion.” Yang Ruoxu shook his head gently and took the teacup. He took a deep breath and drank it in one gulp, despite the tea being scorching. He had been a Grade 9 Heaven Immortal for a period of time now. However, it was truly extremely difficult to break through the barrier between Heaven Immortals and Perfected Immortals! The difference between a Heaven Immortal and a Perfected Perfected Immortal was like a chasm. Even the Black, Earth and Heaven Essence realms combined could not compare to it. There were hundreds of thousands of inner sect disciples in the academy. Many of the inner sect disciples were Grade 9 Heaven Immortals and were stuck. In fact, some Grade 9 Heaven Immortals would not be able to become Perfected Immortals and advance to the Perfected One realm in their entire lives. For that group of Grade 9 Heaven Immortals, as they grew older and saw no hope of breaking through, they sought a position as idle elders in the inner sect. Anyone who could join Heaven and Earth Academy were all paragons that had been through ferocious storms in life. ... Even so, many people could not advance to the Perfected One realm—it was clear how difficult it was! There were only a few hundred legacy disciples in the academy. Yang Ruoxu was in no hurry and his mind was calm. He was not old and was less than 100,000 years old—there was enough time. As long as he could obtain a rare opportunity or encounter, he could advance to the Perfected One realm! “Did anything happen in the academy during this year?” Yang Ruoxu asked casually. The boy said, “Nothing much. In the past year, the most discussed thing in the academy was the matter of Mr. Su passing the Dao Heart Stairs and condensing the tenth stone step.” “Oh.” Yang Ruoxu replied indifferently, “This matter has a huge impact. In the future, it might become the focus of discussion for everyone in the academy.” “Young Master, I heard that you have a close relationship with Mr. Su. Why didn’t you meet him this time round?” ... The boy was curious and frowned slightly. “You’re alone in the inner sect and don’t have many confidants. Can’t you hang out more with Mr. Su?” A year ago, when Su Zimo passed the Dao Heart Stairs trial and condensed the tenth stone step, Yang Ruoxu received the news right away as well. However, he did not choose to head to the Dao Heart Stairs to meet and congratulate Su Zimo. On that day, the boy merely witnessed Yang Ruoxu being slightly happier than usual. The latter specially opened a jar of wine and stood in front of his cave abode as he congratulated Su Zimo from afar. The boy was puzzled. Yang Ruoxu said, “I’ve made many enemies in the academy. Interacting with him will only cause trouble for him.” “It won’t!” The boy said, “Fang Qingyun and the others are the only ones who have a feud with him. I heard that Mr. Su has already been accepted as a disciple by the Sect Master. If you can interact more with him, Fang Qingyun and the others won’t even dare to cause trouble for you anymore as well.” Yang Ruoxu remained silent and shook his head. He knew that Su Zimo was accepted as an in-name disciple by the Sect Master. However, in-name disciples were far from actual disciples. Furthermore, even if he was an actual disciple, Su Zimo was ranked behind Sword Immortal Yue Hua. Be it in terms of identity or cultivation realm, Su Zimo was inferior to Sword Immortal Yue Hua. He had a feeling that the person who truly wanted to deal with him was not Fang Qingyun and the others, but the personal disciple of the Sect Master in the legacy ground, Sword Immortal Yue Hua! The origin of that hostility was because of the Immortal Sect Selection more than a thousand years ago. At that time, he was spared because of the appearance of Painting Immortal Mo Qing. A year ago, another change happened in the outer sect of the academy. At that time, for some unknown reason, when he was in danger, Painting Immortal Mo Qing appeared once more and saved him!