"In the palace of the Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether."
"It's also the current ancestral worship site of the human race."
"I sense that the lantern… is there, in the depths of the Ancient Sovereign Planet."
In Ning Yan's Residence, outside the alchemy room, Zi Xuan stood by the railing and looked up at the Ancient Sovereign Planet in the distant sky.
At that moment, as the sun set, casting a yellowish hue over the land, the fog around the ancient imperial star moved, tinting the twilight with its colors, forming auroras. Numerous golden dragons could be seen moving within, swallowing and exhaling fortune, emanating a sense of sanctity, imbued with mystery.
'I tried to summon it but I failed. There's an unshakable restriction at the location of the lantern, firmly sealing it…'
'If I want to obtain it, I have to enter the Ancient Sovereign Planet."
'However, I sensed that some of the seals on the Ancient Sovereign Planet were augmented by the later generations. If I forcefully step in, it will definitely cause a huge commotion.'
'Therefore, if I want to retrieve that lantern without attracting attention, I need a proper way to step into the ancient planet.'
Zi Xuan frowned. It was very difficult for such an opportunity to exist. Most importantly, why did that lantern… appear on the Ancient Sovereign Planet?
However, Zi Xuan didn't say this to Xu Qing as she didn't want him to be distracted.
Xu Qing fell silent. His gaze followed Zi Xuan as he looked at the Ancient Sovereign Planet and fell into deep thought.
The location Zi Xuan sensed was extremely guarded. The outcome was unpredictable.
That place was too sensitive and was covered in layers of seals.
He couldn't go.
To be precise, in the entire human race, there was only one person who was qualified to step onto the interior of the Ancient Sovereign Planet.
That was the Human Emperor.
Only he could open the seals.
A look of contemplation appeared in Xu Qing's eyes. He had also thought of what Zi Xuan didn't say.
Back then, that lantern had been taken away and placed on the Ancient Sovereign Planet. This matter itself was weird. Looking at it from another angle, there might be many options for those who could take away the lantern.
However, after obtaining the lantern, the only person who could place it on the Ancient Sovereign Planet was the Human Emperor.
The Human Emperor might have taken the lantern or not. However, he must have… placed it on the Ancient Sovereign Planet.
Therefore, it was clearly unrealistic for the Human Emperor to give him the opportunity to retrieve the lantern.
A while later, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.
"There's one more person who can step onto the Ancient Sovereign Planet."
Zi Xuan retracted her gaze and looked at Xu Qing.
"The third princess said on the way that other than the Human Emperor, there's also the crown prince who can participate in the ancestral worship."
"However, the human race hasn't appointed a crown prince yet."
"If we have the crown prince and the crown prince is willing to help, we will have a chance to step onto the mainland of the Ancient Sovereign Planet."
Xu Qing calmly spoke and retracted his gaze from the ancient planet.
Zi Xuan smiled. She turned her head to look at the ancestral hall where Ning Yan was and spoke softly.
"I also have an idea. I need some preparation. Perhaps we can step onto the Ancient Sovereign Planet without causing any fluctuations."
"As for your way, I think it'll be a little difficult if it's Ning Yan. However, this kid's quality isn't bad."
At that moment, after Ning Yan finished his day of cultivation, he sat cross-legged in the ancestral hall again. After resting for a while, determination appeared in his eyes as he continued to cultivate in front of his mother's portrait.
To him, the comprehension on the Ancient Sovereign Planet was a bone-chilling experience.
This was because his brothers and sister had basically gained something. Although not everyone was able to get Heavenly Marquis inheritances, they had gained some insights. Only he had gained nothing.
On the surface, he didn't care about this matter, but in his heart, he was a little unwilling.
Just like that, seven days passed.
The matter of retrieving the purple lantern wasn't something that could be completed in a short period of time. Xu Qing had told the captain about this. After all, according to his understanding of the captain, the captain had long had designs on Ancient Sovereign Planet.
The truth was indeed so. The captain revealed intense enthusiasm for this. He patted his chest and told Xu Qing that he would definitely think of a way to settle this major matter.
As for Zi Xuan, she prepared according to her idea. As for Ning Yan, the seriousness of his cultivation exceeded the past. He meditated in the ancestral hall almost every day.
As for the entire Imperial City, after the comprehension on the Ancient Sovereign Planet ended, it slowly returned to calm. On the surface, everything fell like a tide and peace was restored.
The war with the Black Heaven Race was also progressing smoothly.
The participation of the Flame Moon Mystic Heaven Race didn't cause as much obstruction to the human race as they imagined. They appeared to merely express an attitude, wanting to observe how the human race would react.
As for the specifics and how the Human Emperor would deal with it, Xu Qing didn't know.
At that moment, after he finished everything he was doing and stabilized the Emperor Sword secret repository, he chose to head to Imperial Academy.
Since he had come to the human capital and had the qualifications to enter the Imperial Academy, Xu Qing wanted to see how much knowledge the human race, which was founded by the Human Emperor Mystic War, possessed.
Xu Qing had always respected knowledge.
He knew that compared to the entire human race, the knowledge he had was just a drop in the ocean. He yearned to obtain more understanding and wanted to see the schools of thoughts where countless thoughts of the human race collided.
Hence, on this morning, Xu Qing arrived at the Imperial Academy, which was located in the northern part of the Imperial City.
The area of the Imperial Academy was vast, resembling a small city. Its buildings consisted of white towers, giving off a neat and orderly appearance, with few figures seen moving around.
In front of it, there stood two statues, one old and one young, one tall and one short. The old man wore a scholarly robe while the youth was dressed in coarse linen.
The old man, weathered and wise, cupped his hands.
The youth, spirited and reverent, bowed deeply.
They exchanged bows in mutual respect.
It symbolized the orderliness of respecting seniority and passing on knowledge, hence the youth bowed while the elder cupped his hands. This gesture signified mutual respect and equality, transcending any distinctions of status or lineage, promoting an environment free from prejudice and hierarchy.
There was also a layer of blessing signified by this.
These two statues were personally set up by the Human Emperor as the gate to the Imperial Academy.
Waves of light flashed between them, forming a gate.
Compared to the quiet white towers at the back, there were people entering and exiting the gate at all times. It was very lively. There were nobles who came and went, and there were those with ordinary status as well.
However, the moment they stepped through the gate, their statuses would be equal.
They were all students.
However, rules were only rules after all. There were naturally people who intentionally revealed their identities. But overall, the environment of Imperial Academy roughly maintained its original intention because of the existence of the Human Emperor Mystic War.
Xu Qing felt this change as soon as he stepped through the gate.
Inside the gates of the Imperial Academy, it was not like the vast expanse of white towers as seen from outside, but rather a separate space, much larger in scope than the outside, resembling a city.
The style of the buildings was the same as seen from the outside. There were white towers of varying heights everywhere.
It was as if the Imperial Academy outside was a microcosm of the true Imperial Academy.
Here, there are many students, all dressed uniformly in coarse linen robes similar to the young figure depicted in the statues, walking among the white towers.
They also had masks on their faces and even their voices would change. It was hard to tell if they were men or women.
All of this occurred the moment one entered the Imperial Academy, influenced by the rules of this place. The atmosphere was likewise affected, and one's arrival location seemed to shift as if through teleportation, never remaining fixed.
Hence, in theory, their true identities couldn't be discovered.
The place Xu Qing appeared at was the southwest side of Imperial Academy. As he walked in the Imperial Academy, he looked at the endless stream of people in the surroundings. Some of these people were in groups of three to five and were discussing intensely as they walked.
Some were alone and their footsteps were hurried.
There were also some who sat cross-legged on empty grounds, as though they were in deep thought.
There were all kinds of them.
The white towers erected in Imperial Academy were the buildings of the schools of thought of Imperial Academy. The taller the tower, the more recognition and the members the corresponding school of thought had garnered.
Some towers had many students entering and exiting, and were extremely lively.
There were also towers that those who passed by directly ignored.
There were even some enthusiastic students moving around and introducing their schools of thoughts.
"This student, come and take a look at our Soul Forging School. The art of Soul Forging emphasizes the liberation of the soul. Our physical bodies are merely vessels, but by cultivating the soul to its utmost, we can truly transcend and achieve harmony with the Heavenly Dao."
"Among the many schools of thoughts in the entire Imperial Academy, the Celestial Humanity School is one of the most profound. There are three stages: Mortal, Earth, and Heaven. In our Celestial Humanity School, one can ascend from mortal to earth, and ascend to heaven from earth, transcending all things in nature, and achieving enlightenment."
"As the ancient saying goes, there are 3,000 paths to the Dao, with no distinction of strength or weakness. Although plants and vegetation are unorthodox, they can still pluck the stars. Welcome to our Verdant Path School!"
As Xu Qing moved forward, countless similar voices rang out in his ears. Some even stopped him and enthusiastically introduced their schools of thoughts.
There were even some schools that had differences in ideals and debated among themselves.
Xu Qing wasn't used to it at first as he had never seen such things. He also tried to enter some white towers. Although he didn't choose to join, all the knowledge inside those white towers was freely accessible.
It was like a library, allowing Xu Qing to inspect it and discuss it with others.
Xu Qing was moved to observe this.
In the Verdant Path School, not only did he observe the knowledge he had learned in the past, but he also gained some unique insights.
Also, the cultivation ideas provided by the Soul Forging School made Xu Qing ponder.
There had been also an unique school of thought called the Taming School. This school wasn't about taming beasts, but fortune, the fortune of nonhuman races.
All of this caused Xu Qing to feel deep interest and respect for this Imperial Academy.
Regardless of whether this knowledge could withstand the test of time, in this environment, the thoughts and inspirations that the human race came into contact with could be said to be a revival.
As he moved forward and understood, Xu Qing also saw the largest school of thought in Imperial Academy.
Divine Fusion School.
Almost 30% of the students joined this school.
What this school emphasized was to modify one's body and transplant the flesh and blood of divine creatures into one's body, allowing one to slowly adapt until they could control them.
In the end, when the entire body had been replaced with divine flesh and blood, it would truly possess the abilities of divine creatures. The anomalous substances… were no longer harmful but would turn into useful energy like spirit qi.
The ultimate goal of this school had been to fuse with gods.
Merge the flesh and blood of a god and eventually become a god.
The head of this school had been a middle-aged man with a remarkable demeanor, dressed differently from the students in a scholarly robe.
Although he had been wearing a mask and his appearance couldn't be seen, his scholarly aura was very obvious.
When Xu Qing had been paying attention in front of the white tower of this school, this school head happened to walk out. His calm gaze swept past the crowd.
Xu Qing stopped in his tracks.
The other party's temperament reminded him of someone.
