From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

In the quiet room, the echoes of Yao Mengkang's words, "The student wishes to go to the Heavenly Dao Academy to participate in the assessment," lingered.

A subtle hint of relief and complexity flashed in Ouyang Shuo's deep eyes.

He didn't reply immediately, but slowly picked up the purple clay teapot on the table.

He refilled Li Hanshan's empty teacup and also added some for himself.

The rising steam blurred his expression for a moment.

Li Hanshan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

It was as if they had expected this answer, with a hint of "I knew it."

But he didn't say much, he just picked up the freshly poured tea and blew on it.

After Yao Mengkang finished explaining his decision, a huge weight was lifted from his heart, but another question immediately arose in his mind.

He hesitated for a moment, but unable to suppress his curiosity, he looked at Ouyang Shuo and asked respectfully:

"Dean, please forgive my intrusion. You have resided in the Eastern Great Xia for a long time, how do you know so much about the secrets of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Heavenly Dao Academy in the Central Region?"

Whether it's the changes in the Heavenly Dao Sect's doctrines or the current predicament of the Heavenly Dao Academy.

Even the exact number of top-tier combatants on both sides is something that a dean of a dynasty's academy, confined to a remote corner, could not easily know.

Ouyang Shuo paused slightly in his teacup, and tiny ripples spread across the surface of the tea.

He raised his eyes, his gaze passing through the wisps of tea smoke, and looked at Yao Mengkang. There was so much in his eyes.

There is reminiscence, there is vicissitude, there is a trace of indelible pain, all of which eventually turn into a barely audible sigh.

He didn't speak, but Li Hanshan, who was standing to the side, sneered, breaking the brief silence.

"Hey kid, you have good taste." Li Hanshan glanced at Ouyang Shuo sideways.

His tone carried a hint of mockery, yet also a subtle undercurrent of respect.

"This Dean Ouyang in front of you is no ordinary person."

"Years ago, he wasn't called Ouyang Shuo. Back then, he was the renowned Daoist Master of the Heavenly Dao Academy in the Central Region!"

Daozi!

Yao Mengkang's heart trembled violently, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

A Daoist disciple of the Heavenly Dao Academy! What kind of status is that?

This means that he was the most outstanding successor cultivated by the Heavenly Dao Academy in that generation, and that he was someone who might take charge of the academy in the future, or even reach the top of the Heavenly Dao Sect!

The dean... has such an amazing background?

Li Hanshan seemed quite satisfied with Yao Mengkang's reaction and continued speaking in his uniquely hoarse voice.

"As for why he gave up his good Daoist path and came to this Eastern Region Great Xia to be a minor dean, it's naturally because of some small things that happened back then."

"The disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect, in order to eliminate dissidents, actually did something to your headmaster..."

"snort..."

Ouyang Shuo finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, as if he had uncovered a long-buried wound.

"Some ideological disputes touched upon the fundamental interests of certain people in the Heavenly Dao Sect at that time."

"I can't stand them using the banner of 'order' to exclude dissidents and monopolize resources."

"They were even more unwilling to see this last pure land of the academy completely polluted. And so the dispute... arose."

He spoke of it casually.

But Yao Mengkang could imagine that behind the so-called "ideological conflict" and "touching fundamental interests" must lie a thrilling struggle and danger.

"And then?" Yao Mengkang couldn't help but ask.

"And then?" Li Hanshan continued, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Then, naturally, this hothead became a thorn in the side of the Heavenly Dao Sect."

"Various methods followed one after another, including suppression and framing... In the end, his life was threatened, as well as the safety of other students in the Heavenly Dao Academy who were on good terms with him and his friends."

Ouyang Shuo closed his eyes, a trace of pain flashing across his face: "I have no choice but to... betray the academy."

He betrayed the academy! From a promising young disciple, he became a traitor! The disparity and humiliation he suffered are unimaginable.

"And then?" Yao Mengkang felt his heart racing.

"And then?" Li Hanshan sneered.

"Naturally, it will be an endless pursuit! The experts sent by the Enforcement Hall of the Heavenly Dao Sect will not show any mercy to him, the former Dao Child."

"At that time, Yang Daozi, although exceptionally talented, was still young. He faced those old monsters and endless pursuits, narrowly escaping death several times and almost being completely killed."

Yao Mengkang could imagine the desperate scene: a brilliant young man, burdened with the name of a traitor, was on the run from his former fellow disciples.

"Then Dean, how... did you..." He looked at Ouyang Shuo.

It's hard to imagine how the dean escaped from such a desperate situation.

Ouyang Shuo opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a deep sense of gratitude and complexity. He looked at Li Hanshan and spoke slowly.

"My escape was partly due to my own opportunities and luck, but more importantly... the academy did not truly abandon me."

"At that time, although the Heavenly Dao Academy could not openly defy the orders of the Heavenly Dao Sect, it secretly exerted a great deal of effort."

"Many elders and disciples of the academy, out of old friendship or dissatisfaction with the current situation, secretly passed on messages to me and provided cover."

"Even in critical moments, he intervened to draw away the pursuers."

Ouyang Shuo then spoke, his voice deep and full of emotion:

"I remember that when I was crossing the 'Abyss of Burial Gods', I was surrounded by three elders of the Law Enforcement Hall, and I thought I was doomed."

"At the critical moment, a sword aura that spanned a thousand miles came from the academy. Although it did not harm anyone, it frightened away the three elders and gave me a chance to survive."

"Another time, when I was passing through the 'Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range', I was ambushed by experts from the Beast Taming Sect."

"It was a classmate from the academy who gave the warning in advance and lured away some of the enemies..."

He recounted each story calmly, but behind each one lay a brush with death.

And the silent yet unwavering support and protection from within the academy.

Li Hanshan added at the end, his tone carrying a hint of realization.

"The most dangerous time was said to have alarmed a ninth-realm Supreme Elder within the Heavenly Dao Sect, who sent down a wisp of his aura from afar."

"They wanted to kill Yang Daozi outright. At the time, everyone thought he was doomed."

"However, the Ninth Realm Ancestor of the Heavenly Dao Academy, who was in seclusion for most of the year and almost never concerned with worldly affairs, also released a trace of his aura at the crucial moment."

He paused, as if recalling the scene of the battle between the beings of the Nine Realms.

"The wills of two ninth-level beings merely collided slightly outside the endless void."

"The resulting celestial phenomena caused the clouds within a radius of ten thousand miles to shatter, and the laws of nature to mourn."

"In the end, the Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Dao Sect seemed to have some reservations and restrained his will."

"And the academy's patriarch only 'slightly intervened' to ensure that their Daoist disciple could leave the Central Region alive."

With just a slight movement... he can trigger extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth!

Yao Mengkang listened intently, his mind reeling, and a chill ran down his spine.

Even the slightest clash of auras between powerful beings of the ninth realm possesses such earth-shattering power!

Despite such pressure, the Heavenly Dao Academy still chose to protect the Dean in this subtle yet resolute way!

"So," Ouyang Shuo looked at Yao Mengkang, his eyes flashing with a complex light.

"I am not an outsider. My understanding of the Heavenly Dao Sect and the Heavenly Dao Academy comes from my past experiences and from those comrades who are still in the academy, upholding their original aspirations and fighting silently."

"I left the academy so as not to implicate them and give them room to maneuver."

"And the reason I was able to survive and live under an assumed name for so many years is because they never truly gave up on me."

"Over the years, I have changed my appearance and concealed my presence, establishing the Qinglu Academy in this Great Xia of the Eastern Region."

"On the one hand, it is for the purpose of inheriting the tradition."

"On the other hand, it was also a thought that I wanted to secretly cultivate some different seeds for the academy... for that land that once nurtured and protected me."

Silence fell once more in the quiet room. The faint scent of sandalwood told tales of years of perseverance and dedication.

Yao Mengkang finally understood. The dean summoned him, with Li Hanshan present, and he explained the secrets in detail; none of this was accidental.

This is the entrustment of the older generation to the younger generation, and the expectation of ideals for the spark of revolution.

He stood up and bowed deeply to Ouyang Shuo.

This time, it was not only a disciple's courtesy to his teacher, but also a tribute to a pioneer who endured hardship and passed on the torch.

"Students will walk their own paths. But the dean's teachings and words spoken today will be etched in the students' hearts."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a rock-solid firmness.

He absolutely had to go to the Heavenly Dao Academy.

It's not just about becoming stronger; perhaps it's also about seeing that place that the dean cherished so much and that made Li Hanshan so resolute.

What exactly does this last "pure land" that countless people have silently persevered in look like?

The road ahead was destined to be full of thorns, but the flame in his heart had been quietly ignited.