James and Wendel were engaged in a fierce battle inside the Moonlit Ridge Painting. As their powers collided once more, it was apparent that there was a power disparity between James and Wendel. Even though James possessed great strength, he was much lower in rank compared to Wendel. He would not be able to emerge victorious without using Sacrilegious Ascension. However, he had no plans of using Sacrilegious Ascension. After all, he was targeted by the Divinity Sect precisely because of this cultivation method. “You’re strong.” James looked at Wendel and said, “I’m no match for you.” James did not overexert himself but instead concealed his true strength. Wendel said, “I can tell that you haven’t used your full strength. Fight with me seriously.” James smiled faintly and said, “I told you I don’t stand a chance against you. Besides, that was my full strength. Since you have already accomplished what you came here for, please leave.” He did not act rashly. Even though he w

Melany was pessimistic about her luck. Regardless, she was grateful for James’ help to have arrived at this stage. James waited patiently for his battle. Since he only had a single token in his possession, he was ranked last. Naturally, he would be the first to fight. The arena was divided into many sections. In the section where James was, a disciple of the academy announced, “First round, James Caden versus Heriberto Yehoshua.” Then, a man walked toward the center of the arena. The arena was divided into many tiny arenas where many cultivators gathered. James looked at the man. He knew that was his opponent, Heriberto Yehoshua. As long as he could defeat him, he would advance to the next round. Then, he would emerge victorious by being in the top ten and become a disciple of the Welkin Academy. He walked toward the center of the arena. The disciple looked at them and reminded them, “This is a sparring match and not a fight to the death. As such, you’re strictly forbid

James’ opponents were specially arranged by Yoan, who was curious to see if he could emerge victorious with someone dragging him down. He was intrigued by James’ true strength. That was because he could easily see through any other cultivator out there. Yet, the opposite was true for James. At that moment, the examinees hurriedly dispersed. Meanwhile, James remained at the center. Scanning his surroundings, he looked at Melany and ordered her, “Stay close, and don’t move around by yourself. If you fall out of the arena, you’ll lose the right to enter the academy.” “I will.” Melany nodded. James was her final hope. Without his protection, she would be able to join the Welkin Academy. In the arena, everyone was on high alert, frantically searching for the weaker ones to knock them out of the battle. James, on the other hand, could not care less as he possessed extraordinary strength. The only thing he needed to do was to knock the others out and end the battle as soon as po

As the other examinees were simply too weak, James managed to become a Welkin Academy disciple alongside Melany. After the battle, they headed to the rest area and rested. Once she became an academy disciple, Melany kept thanking James profusely, to which James only smiled and said nothing. The other battles raged on. Some examinees were disqualified, while a selected few were able to emerge victorious. After a fierce battle, a thousand disciples had been selected. “Congratulations on becoming disciples of the Welkin Academy,” Yoan’s voice boomed. “There’ll be another battle that determines the top ten rankings. Keep in mind that there are many benefits to being in the top ten. For example, you will gain the right to be admitted as a disciple of the Sect Elders, whereas the cultivator in the first place will be allowed to be admitted as a disciple of the headmaster. “Apart from that, the top ten will gain the right to enter the Welkin Academy’s library chamber and choose

This was all James could do to help. From now on, Melany would have to depend on herself. After greeting James, Melany turned to leave. Coincidentally, she lived just next door to James. Perhaps this was Sect Elder Yoan’s special arrangement. After joining the Welkin Academy, James cultivated in the courtyard each day. Though he wanted to enter the Celestial Abode’s Time Chamber, he was worried that he would be assigned tasks by his seniors. Things would certainly become troublesome should he simply vanish without a trace. So, he decided against heading to the Celestial Abode for the time being. Three days later, Yoan appeared in James’ courtyard. Seeing this, James hurriedly stood up and greeted him respectfully, “Sect Elder.” Yoan waved slightly. James looked at him, intrigued by his sudden visit. “You must be James Caden, aren’t you?” Yoan asked.“Yes.” James nodded and asked, “Is something the matter, Sect Elder?” Yoan stroked his beard and said smilingly, “I hav