The aged, commanding voice echoed across the entire Armament Peak, rolling out of the grand hall like thunder.
Every student outside froze.Those who had been waiting to watch the spectacle—those secretly gloating—were now staring with their mouths hanging open.
Not a single whisper.Silence blanketed the mountain.
All eyes turned toward Wang Baole.
He walked out with his head held high, his crimson special-admissions robe looking more striking than ever. Instinctively, the crowd parted, opening a clear path for him.
Only after he walked far into the distance did the students finally suck in deep breaths—followed instantly by an uproar.
"He really got off?!""What—didn't he cheat? How could they say he didn't violate anything?!"
Among the crowd, Liu Daobin also stood stunned.Images of Wang Baole heroically charging around the assessment grounds—and that ridiculous moment when he pulled out a giant loudspeaker—flashed through his mind.
"Unfathomable… this guy is seriously unfathomable."
The two black-robed disciplinary officers who had escorted Wang Baole earlier also exchanged looks.Even they couldn't hide the disbelief in their eyes.
When Wang Baole returned to his cave residence, the academy's official announcement had already spread across the entire Lower Academy Island.
His name once again dominated the spirit-net trending lists.Discussion boards erupted.Speculation flooded every forum.
And Wang Baole…
Was lying comfortably on his terrace, legs crossed, looking at the spirit-net with deep satisfaction.
Unlike his earlier "self-blackening" mentality, now he was genuinely pleased with his rising popularity.
"If I want to become a high-ranking official of the Federation," he mused, "public approval is crucial. Looks like my foundation among the people is getting quite solid."
But then he remembered the black-robed middle-aged man in the hall—the one whose words were so ruthless they nearly chopped his future in half.
Wang Baole's heart tightened.
"That man must be someone important… If I don't find out who he is, I'll be walking blind."
He dove into the spirit-net, searching frantically.By the time dusk fell, he finally dug out the man's identity.
And instantly froze.
"…Vice Dean?! You've got to be kidding me…"
His breathing quickened.
Vice Dean.The second-highest authority on the entire island.
"I never offended him! Could it be… could my ancestors have messed with him? Some family feud I don't know about?!"
The more he thought, the more his head hurt.
But then he remembered the autobiographies of federal officials he'd studied.
His eyes sharpened.
"Almost every high official ran into powerful enemies throughout their life. Their paths were paved with battles against rivals."
He clenched his fists.
"Fine! That Vice Dean… will be the first political rival of my illustrious career!"
Once he framed it that way, his fear vanished.He even felt energized—and immediately began analyzing his own advantages as a special-admissions student.
One perk in particular stood out:
Special-admission students may borrow one armament-type artifact from their department's Treasure Pavilion free of charge for five years.
Five years.
"Free stuff?" Wang Baole's eyes lit up."Then obviously I should borrow the most expensive thing!"
He rushed straight to the Treasure Pavilion.
The pavilion was an ancient five-story tower, filled with rows and rows of shelves. Each item gleamed with a unique aura—thousands of armaments, each registered, each high-quality.
Some were dull and unremarkable; others shone like stars.The variety alone showed the terrifying heritage of the Armament Department.
As he stepped inside, the other students recognized him immediately.Some ignored him.But more whispered and peeked from behind shelves.
Wang Baole didn't bother with them.
He swept through the first floor—
"Nice sword.""This bell looks fancy.""Oh! Silver gloves! Those look badass…"
The more he looked, the harder it became to choose.
Until—
His gaze landed on a white jade pillow.
A dusty, quiet, way-too-expensive jade pillow.
The Dreamscape Pillow.
Its ability?Creating illusions—similar to the Dream Maze from the assessment, but far less sophisticated.It was rarely borrowed due to its limited uses and ridiculous cost.
If not for the black mask incident, Wang Baole wouldn't have given it a second glance.
But now…His eyes lit up.
He immediately signed the borrowing registry and left with the pillow in hand.
Dusk descended.
The afterglow draped Armament Peak in a gentle red haze.The wind turned cool; students came out to enjoy the evening breeze.Laughter echoed off stone walls.
Walking along the mountain path, Wang Baole's red special-admissions robe was almost indistinguishable in the red sunset glow.
No one noticed him at first.
Until—
Gasps erupted behind him.
People looked toward the far end of the path.
A young man in pure white Dao robes walked toward them.His appearance was ordinary—pockmarked face, nothing remarkable—but he moved with effortless grace.
Around him were over a dozen students, almost like attendants.Some carried his books; others held chilled spirit-water for him.
Students rushed up to greet him with respectful bows.
"It's the Scholar-Prime!""Jiang Lin—the Scholar-Prime of the Spirit Stone Academy!"
Compared to how students treated special-admission candidates…
Their reverence for a Scholar-Prime was on a whole different level.
Jiang Lin gave the crowd a dignified nod and continued forward.
He saw Wang Baole.But simply walked past him—as if he were just another nameless junior.
Wang Baole stared after him, eyes wide and a little sour.
"…He stole my moment…"
He opened the spirit-net, searching for "Scholar-Prime."
A few minutes later, his breathing went out of rhythm again.
"This… is a Scholar-Prime?"
A Scholar-Prime was the top-ranked student of an academy.
The Spirit Stone Academy had three classes—thus three Scholar-Primes.
But their status…was terrifying.
Even more prestigious than special-admissions students.
They were known as—
Disciples of the Dean himself.Senior brothers and sisters directly under the academy's highest authority.
And they wielded real power:
They could supervise and punish all students in their branch according to academy laws.
Even department heads couldn't dismiss a Scholar-Prime.Only the Dean could—and only under extreme circumstances.
And if a Scholar-Prime ever slipped from first place?
Their rank—and all privileges—vanished instantly.
Reading all this, Wang Baole's blood boiled with longing.
But then he saw the requirement:
Jiang Lin's recorded purity for refined spirit stones: 90%.
"Unless I refine something purer… becoming Scholar-Prime is impossible."
He sighed heavily.
Jealousy wasn't his style, but…He had to admit—Scholar-Prime really was something extraordinary.
Putting aside his emotions, he entered his cave, pulled out the Dreamscape Pillow and the black mask, and activated the dreamscape.
Vision warped.
The world shifted.
An icy tundra formed around him.
Snowflakes drifted.Cold wind stabbed at his skin.Distant frost-beasts wandered across a frozen plain.
Wang Baole shivered.
"Damn… this feels real."
He lowered his gaze to his right hand.
And there it was—the black mask.
Except…
It was distorted.Parts were clear; parts were blurred—as if the dreamscape struggled to interpret it.
His heart leapt.
"It worked!"
He held his breath and stared carefully.
Slowly…Painfully…The image stabilized.
The mask was still incomplete—but the strange text faintly carved on its surface reappeared.
This time, clearer than before.
Wang Baole's eyes widened as he read every word.
Then—
He froze.
His hands trembled.His breath hitched.His whole body shook with uncontrollable excitement.
"The Void-Devouring Qi Technique…?"
Void—meaning something born from nothingness.Devouring Qi—far beyond simple refining.
It was a method for producing spirit stones—but unlike all known techniques…
It required no blank stone at all.You refined spirit stones directly from raw spiritual energy—using your own body as the crucible!
And because it bypassed the limitations of blank stones—
Its purity far surpassed the Nourishing-Qi Technique.
Not just 90%.
Not just elite level.
This was the stuff of legends—the technique said to be used only by true Armament Grandmasters…
to refine perfect spirit stones.
Wang Baole's mind exploded.
Everything about the academy's techniques?Forgotten.Gone.
All he could see…was the title "Scholar-Prime."
His longing ignited into pure frenzy.
He clutched the mask, shaking.
"Perfect spirit stones… Scholar-Prime…I'm going to fly straight to the heavens!"