Chapter 724: Elder Mi

"High scores?" Zhang Xuan frowned. "Wasn't this an assessment based on hunting spirit beasts? What does 'high scores' mean?"

Just as he was about to ask, a booming voice echoed from the front. "Silence!" Everyone involuntarily stopped talking and looked up. They saw an elder standing in mid-air, suspended above them.

"A Saint..." Zhang Xuan's brows furrowed.

Though it was also flight, Zhang Xuan could clearly sense that the elder's flight was a mastery of nature, an acknowledgment from heaven and earth, rather than being propelled by *Zhenqi*. It was like the difference between a bird and a balloon: the latter is supported by air and can float even when still, while the former will fall directly if its wings stop flapping. His own "Red Dust Heaven-Treading Steps" were like a bird, requiring continuous *Zhenqi* propulsion to move freely. The person before him was clearly different; their power must have reached the Saint realm.

"I am Mi Zhu, an elder of the academy, and I am responsible for this new student entrance examination!" the elder said from the air, his gaze sweeping over them with a faint warmth.

"He's Elder Mi?" a new student in front of Zhang Xuan exclaimed upon hearing the introduction.

"Is Elder Mi famous?" another new student asked, puzzled.

"The Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy has Ten Grand Master Teachers, all at the peak of Six-Star. They are also known as the Ten Strongest Elders, responsible for managing all academy affairs... Elder Mi is one of them. So, is he famous or not?" the first new student whispered.

"The Ten Grand Master Teachers?" the second new student's eyes widened.

Those who had heard of the Master Teacher Academy had also heard of the Ten Grand Master Teachers. They were chosen every fifty years at a grand event, jointly organized by the Hongyuan Empire and countless first-tier empires, and personally conferred titles by the Master Teacher Hall of the Conferred Empire.

The Ten Grand Master Teachers held extremely high status. Even the Emperor of the Hongyuan Empire would treat them with the courtesy due to a student. They enjoyed the most precious resources and conditions from the Master Teacher Hall.

All students considered it an honor to study under them... They had thought such powerful Master Teachers would be far out of reach, yet they had encountered one even before entering the academy!

"Yes, Elder Mi is one of the Ten Grand Master Teachers who specializes in beast taming. I can't believe he's personally overseeing this hunting competition..." The first new student sighed with emotion, his eyes shining with excitement.

The Ten Grand Master Teachers were legendary figures, and seeing one in person caused an uncontrollable surge of excitement. "Brother Yu," standing nearby, also turned pale, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I'm sure you're all aware of this assessment's premise. I've placed countless spirit beasts on Thunder-Distant Peak, which you see before you!" Interrupting their excitement, Elder Mi in the air smiled. "These are all inherently savage beasts that have repeatedly harmed people and deserve their fate. I've confined them on the peak, and you may go up and hunt them. As long as you kill one spirit beast at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm and obtain its inner core, you will pass!"

"A spirit beast at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm?""Inherently savage, repeatedly harming people?""This assessment is going to be difficult..."

Although Elder Mi had only spoken a few short sentences, everyone present was a Master Teacher and instantly understood the crucial implications. Their previous excitement was replaced by solemnity.

Spirit beasts are enormous and naturally powerful in combat. A spirit beast at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm would not be at a disadvantage even against a Master Teacher at the Spirit-Unification Realm, and could even escape calmly. Most of the new students participating in the assessment were at the peak of the Turbid-Clear Realm. Defeating a spirit beast of a similar level would be difficult! Moreover, these beasts were inherently savage, with experience in killing and injuring others, making them far stronger in both awareness and experience than spirit beasts that had never faced combat.

"No wonder alliances are necessary..." Zhang Xuan also nodded.

He had previously wondered why alliances were needed for a mere hunt. Only now did he understand that without them, one or two individuals acting alone could easily be surrounded by spirit beasts and potentially die on the spot. A new student entrance examination with a risk of death... It seemed the Master Teacher Academy was indeed as Luo Qiqi had said: survival of the fittest, and not an easy place to stay.

"The time limit is one day. This means you must obtain an inner core and return here before sunset! Only by accomplishing this will you pass; failure to do so... means failure! And that indicates you have no destiny with the Master Teacher Academy," Elder Mi continued. "Furthermore, I must warn you: the mountain contains not only Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm spirit beasts, but also Fifth, and even Sixth Realm ones. While you are hunting spirit beasts, you must also guard against being hunted by them!"

This information was clearly already known to most, so there wasn't much surprise. A Master Teacher not only needed strong combat power but also had to excel in all aspects. Hunting spirit beasts while simultaneously preventing oneself from being killed by them demonstrated one's comprehensive abilities.

"Elder Mi, if one manages to hunt a Fifth or Sixth Mortal-Transcendence Realm spirit beast, how will the scores be calculated?" After a moment of silence, a new student couldn't help but ask.

"Haha, a good question!" Elder Mi stroked his beard. "This brings us to the scoring for the new student entrance assessment. Those with higher scores will be assigned to better classes and receive guidance from higher-level teachers. If someone is exceptionally outstanding, they might even earn the favor of an elder!"

"The favor of an elder?" Everyone's breathing quickened.

To become an elder in the Master Teacher Academy, one had to be at least a Six-Star Master Teacher. Receiving guidance from such a person would undoubtedly lead to a meteoric rise in one's career and a rapid increase in strength. In terms of both status and resources, they would likely enjoy the highest level, achieving boundless accomplishments.

"As for how scores are determined, it's quite simple: it's a point system!" Elder Mi said.

"Points?" Everyone was puzzled.

"Precisely. Points are awarded based on the level of the spirit beast hunted. A spirit beast at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm earns one point; an early-stage Spirit-Unification Realm spirit beast earns 10 points, mid-stage 20 points, late-stage 30 points, and peak-stage 40 points! As for an early-stage Heaven-Bridge Realm spirit beast, it's 100 points, mid-stage 200 points... and so on!" Elder Mi explained, "Accumulating points individually will lead to a better overall score and help you stand out. Of course, points can also be divided equally to pass the assessment!"

"For example, if ten people cooperate to hunt an early-stage Spirit-Unification Realm spirit beast, those ten points can be divided equally, meaning all ten people will pass the assessment!"

"All ten people can pass by hunting one early-stage Spirit-Unification Realm beast?""That's great..."

Many of the weaker new students' eyes lit up, and their fists clenched upon hearing this. With their individual strength, slaying a spirit beast at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm would likely be very difficult, but with multiple people cooperating, it became possible.

"Master Teachers are born to fight against the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, taking the world's well-being as their responsibility. Not only must they be individually strong, but unity, cooperation, mutual trust, and mutual assistance are also crucial!" Knowing their thoughts, Elder Mi explained.

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. A Master Teacher was not just an individual but part of a collective. Only by uniting, fighting together, and entrusting their lives to their companions could they cooperate better and have greater trust in one another.

"Alright, now that I've explained the content, let's talk about the rules!" Elder Mi's expression became solemn and serious. "During this assessment, Master Teachers are not allowed to rob or kill one another! In other words, you cannot scheme against other Master Teachers to gain more points. If discovered, your qualification will be immediately revoked, and you will never be admitted to the academy!"

By the end, his voice resonated like a falling boulder, making the surrounding air almost solidify. A Saint's wrath could shatter the heavens and earth. Even with just a solemn expression, he made those in the Mortal-Transcendence Realm dare not retort or harbor any thoughts of resistance.

"No robbing or killing among Master Teachers?""Wasn't that allowed before?""It seems doing so easily led to conflicts among Master Teachers, so it was intentionally disallowed for this assessment!""Sigh, I was still thinking of ambushing others to seize inner cores. Now it seems... that's not possible!"

Spirit beasts are intelligent creatures. Knowing so many people were hunting them, they would surely have hidden long ago, making them difficult to find. Many strong new students had already planned to ambush others and steal their inner cores, so they were all somewhat disappointed to hear this rule. However, more people breathed a sigh of relief. After finally hunting a spirit beast, they might be heavily injured, and if someone then robbed them, they wouldn't even have time to cry.

"Elder Mi, if Master Teachers are not allowed to rob one another, then... can Master Teachers with tamed beasts use their beasts to hunt around?" "Brother Feng," Feng Wu, asked.

Hearing his question, everyone's gaze simultaneously focused on Zhang Xuan. Many new students recognized Master Teacher Zhang, who had repeatedly exchanged spirit beast inner cores for cultivation techniques at the trade fair. They all knew he possessed a Half-Step Ninth Realm Heavenly Stalwart Beast. If this guy used that massive creature to hunt, who could compete? Flying and powerful, he would surely take first place without anyone else's help.

"A Master Teacher having a tamed beast is also considered part of their own strength. However... a tamed beast can only be used once. If it's used more than once, any inner cores obtained after that will not count towards your score!" Elder Mi waved his hand.

Taming a beast was also a personal ability. However, relying entirely on a tamed beast would negate the purpose of the assessment.

"Only once? Good!" Hearing this, Feng Wu breathed a sigh of relief. If it could only be used once, it would be almost impossible for Zhang Xuan to win against "Brother Yu."

"Alright, any more questions? Ask them now, so you don't violate the rules and lose your spot!" After clarifying the tamed beast issue, Elder Mi looked around once more.

"Elder, what about... if someone has a Level 5 formation? Can it be used?" another Master Teacher asked.

"Level 5 formations, high-level weapons, and any items beyond one's own cultivation realm, just like tamed beasts, can only be used once!" Elder Mi stated.

The crowd then asked a few more questions, and Elder Mi answered each one. Soon, everyone fully understood the assessment and the academy's painstaking efforts in designing it.

"Alright, if there are no more questions, the assessment officially begins. You may now ascend the mountain!" Seeing that no one had further questions, Elder Mi waved his hand. "Go!"

"Okay!"

Upon hearing the command, thirty thousand new students participating in the assessment immediately surged towards Thunder-Distant Peak like a swarm of locusts. The earlier they went, the greater their chance of hunting spirit beasts, so everyone rushed forward without hesitation.