At the Dēngxiān Shūyuàn, the male and female divisions are separated, with one leader from each grade, totaling twenty people including Jiang Baiyu.

Sure enough, no one wasted time; everyone was racing against the clock, cherishing the opportunity to cultivate in the Immortal Pool. As soon as he arrived, curious glances turned toward him, sizing up this newly minted first-year leader.

Everyone else was a familiar face, and they all had some understanding of each other. Naturally, a new face attracted attention, especially since Jiang Baiyu looked quite youthful, even younger than those present.

“This is the first-year leader of the male division; truly, a hero emerges from the youth,” the first to speak was a senior sister from the female division, who was both graceful and spirited. She looked down at Jiang Baiyu with interest, saying, “I heard that you just entered the academy and already defeated the top ten in your grade, winning decisively. The academy had to intervene to stop you. You look so small; I didn’t expect you to be so powerful. Given time, we seniors might be outshone by you. When I was your age, I wasn’t this impressive.”

“Senior Sister Yin, there’s no need to belittle yourself. Everyone here is a gifted prodigy, renowned in their own realms. There have been many geniuses who shone brightly in the past, only to fade away without a trace. This shows that while talent is important, how far one can go with just talent is uncertain,” a senior from the male division scoffed, not even bothering to look at Jiang Baiyu as he spoke, his gaze fixed on Senior Sister Yin.

Senior Sister Yin maintained her composure and did not retort. “The junior just entered the Dēngxiān Shūyuàn; there’s no need to say such discouraging things.” She smiled generously at Jiang Baiyu, “We are all seniors who entered before you. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me; I will share everything I know.”

Jiang Baiyu politely thanked her, “Thank you, Senior Sister Yin.”

Senior Sister Yin introduced herself, “My name is Yin Luo, and I am the leader of the sixth grade in the female division.” She gestured toward the senior from the male division who had just spoken, introducing him, “This is Meng Xuejun, the leader of the fifth grade, one year younger than me.”

When called by name, Meng Xuejun let out a soft hum, turning his head away.

Yin Luo continued, “I heard that his younger brother is a new student this year, ranked seventh, and you gave him quite a beating. I guess that’s why he looks at you with such disdain. If you’re unhappy, you could go back and beat up his brother again, so he can stop being so petty.”

Meng Xuejun turned his head, voicing his displeasure, “Senior Sister Yin!”

Yin Luo waved her hand dismissively, “You have no grievances with the new student; it’s just that your brother got beaten and you feel embarrassed. Getting seventh place is not bad; there are many who enter the academy with siblings. Have you seen anyone who can dominate the rankings and sit together as leaders?”

The others remained silent, some in a daze, others waiting, merely curious about the new first-year leader.

Jiang Baiyu quietly counted; the male division was already complete, but the female division only had nine people, with one still missing. He suspected it was the first-year leader who had just enrolled this year.

The Dēngxiān Shūyuàn was so vast that it was easy to get lost upon arrival. It took quite a while to rush from the dormitory to the central altar of the academy, and if one took a wrong turn, it would waste even more time.

It seemed that the leaders from each grade were waiting for everyone to arrive. They didn’t speak, and Jiang Baiyu quietly waited.

As the sun gradually rose higher, everyone’s patience wore thin.

“Where is the first-year leader of the female division? Is she not planning to come? If she doesn’t, don’t waste my time!”

“Is there someone even slower?”

“Great Elder, why don’t we go in first?”

A commanding voice rang out, “Silence.”

Only the voice could be heard, but the person was not visible.

“Let’s wait a bit longer.”

With the Great Elder’s words, everyone had to suppress their dissatisfaction and wait.

When the first-year leader of the female division hurriedly arrived, out of breath and looking somewhat disheveled, the gazes directed at her were tinged with resentment and dissatisfaction. Suddenly being stared at by so many eyes startled her, and she instinctively took a defensive stance. Upon realizing it was the leaders from each grade, her expression grew even tenser.

She looked a bit flustered, with grass and leaves stuck in her hair and clothes, whether from falling or just rushing, it was unclear.

With everyone present, the Great Elder’s voice rang out again, “Everyone is here; we will now open the gate to the Immortal Pool.”

A space in front of the altar rippled like water, quickly forming a vortex.

The senior leaders immediately rushed into the vortex, watching as their figures disappeared one after another. Jiang Baiyu consciously positioned himself at the back, and the first-year leader of the female division also stayed behind, waiting for the senior sisters to enter before exchanging glances with Jiang Baiyu.

After hesitating for a moment, she took the lead, saying, “I’m going in.”

As her voice fell, her figure vanished into the vortex.

Seeing everyone enter the Immortal Pool, Jiang Baiyu calmly walked to the front of the vortex, took a deep breath, and stepped through.

The entire process took only an instant. Once he entered a different space, the vortex behind him disappeared, leaving a calm stillness.

The leaders had already found their familiar spots to cultivate, and even the first-year leader of the female division who entered earlier was no longer in place. The spiritual energy in this space was far denser than outside; taking a breath felt refreshing.

Though it was called the Immortal Pool, it was not a small pond at all; it occupied a vast area, resembling the legendary paradise, with its own universe within.

Where to cultivate was, of course, to start with divination.

The spiritual light flew out from his small pouch, invigorated by the rich spiritual energy: this is the place.

Jiang Baiyu was startled and quickly raised his hand to grab the spiritual light, stuffing it back into the pouch, whispering, “Get back!”

The spiritual light pushed back in dissatisfaction: Don’t be sneaky; as long as you don’t say anything, it won’t be easy to be discovered.

Hearing this, Jiang Baiyu relaxed his grip slightly, and the spiritual light took the chance to break free, flying two or three meters away: I’m going to cultivate elsewhere; you do as you please.

It really was just used and tossed aside.

Jiang Baiyu was about to call it back when the spiritual light had already zipped away, quickly disappearing from his line of sight.

Aside from the last time he asked the spiritual light to check the panoramic view of the Dēngxiān Shūyuàn, this was its first time leaving on its own accord. Jiang Baiyu’s thoughts turned, and he suddenly realized that last time might have just been a coincidence; it sensed the benefits of the Immortal Pool’s power and wanted to take the opportunity to find the location of the Immortal Pool while also checking out the academy’s panoramic view.

He had thought it was that little brother’s voice that moved it; what a waste of his charm, that cold-hearted thing.

Jiang Baiyu grumbled as he followed the direction indicated by the divination.

The scenery nurtured by the Immortal Pool was like a fairyland, showcasing the wonders of nature in this paradise. Jiang Baiyu was almost dazzled, forgetting what he had come for. In such a beautiful place, even if he were just here for a vacation, it would be worth it.

When he climbed to the mountain peak, all he could see was white snow, a familiar feeling washing over him.

Looking up, the sky was a clear blue, and one could imagine how beautiful the vast starry sky would be when night fell.

This place had no one else cultivating; the mountaintop was very high, half covered in ice and snow. If it weren’t for the divination’s guidance, he would never have come to such a cold and high place to cultivate.

Jiang Baiyu sat cross-legged at the summit of the snow-capped mountain, his mind sinking into the “Wènxīngtú” to begin his cultivation.

In his sea of consciousness, the starry sea was vast and boundless. As he cultivated, the stars seemed to breathe in unison, pulsating with a life-like rhythm.

When fully immersed in cultivation, he couldn’t feel the passage of time in the outside world. Jiang Baiyu fell into a mysterious and profound state, as if he had merged with the starry sea. Unlike the times when he lost consciousness, this time he was consciously connecting with the starry sea.

This connection was familiar to Jiang Baiyu; it was the state that appeared when he encountered danger, where some unseen force suppressed his emotions, enhancing his rationality and combat power. But at this moment, this feeling was clearer and more profound, with a stronger sense of experience.

It was probably the difference between the basic version and the upgraded version.

He didn’t know how long had passed when the starry sea suddenly stirred, the beautiful yet destructive stars seemed to be agitated, as if something had disturbed them.

Just as Jiang Baiyu was puzzled, he suddenly felt a jolt in his mind, and then pairs of eyes appeared in the starry sea—cunning, cold, cruel, bloody, dark—all negative emotions condensed in those eyes, filled with various desires, their gazes piercing through the void, not a single pair looking at him.

Even just being a bystander and encountering these gazes was shocking.

The starry sea split open with two massive cracks, and as Jiang Baiyu’s gaze met one of the eyes, he suddenly realized it was another pair of eyes.

These eyes were enormous, and at the moment they appeared, those filled with desire and negative emotions were suppressed, becoming inconspicuous, like grains of sand on a beach, utterly ordinary.

The starry sea was like a veil covering its face, hiding its true form behind the stars.

Jiang Baiyu withdrew from his sea of consciousness, and that pair of eyes remained deeply imprinted in his mind, a vivid memory.

He recalled it, using his finger to draw the outline of the eyes in the snow.

Spiritual Light: What are you doing?

Jiang Baiyu suddenly realized, his expression revealing surprise.

Spiritual Light asked again: What are you doing?

Jiang Baiyu shrugged, “As you can see, I’m drawing.”

Spiritual Light: …

Though it didn’t respond further, Jiang Baiyu instinctively sensed that it seemed to care, having asked twice and now falling silent, it was still concerned.

Jiang Baiyu lightly coughed, adopting a serious tone, “Actually, I just had a dream. The other party said they were my future wife, and we were in perfect harmony, heart to heart. They even said I was the hero of their dreams, asking me to ride on a rainbow cloud to marry them, vowing to love me forever, to be a pair of envied immortal lovers.”

Pointing at the eyes he had drawn in the snow, he declared, “Look, when I woke up, I couldn’t remember what they looked like, only these eyes, and I couldn’t help but draw them.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to freeze, and Spiritual Light remained motionless for a long time.

Then, Jiang Baiyu watched in disbelief as it transformed into a human form and swung its hand at him with a slap.

The sound was crisp and loud, as if to say, “Dream on.”

Jiang Baiyu: What the heck!

When did it evolve into a slapping hero???