Chen Nan cleaved a third-tier sub-dragon in the Shenfeng Academy square and killed the top young master of the War God Academy, the Divine Might Marquis. In an instant, his reputation rose to a new level and he once again became the focus of all cultivators' conversations.
Opinions about him are mixed. Some people think he is too cold-blooded and cruel, while others think he is decisive and a true man. The vast majority of young people approve of him, and his bravery inspires admiration in many young people. Even many girls are trying their best to find out about every detail of his daily life.
Chen Nan was seriously injured in the battle. When he returned to the depths of the bamboo forest, he hurriedly adjusted the flow of his internal energy, forcibly reversing the reversed state. Then he grabbed a change of clothes and went into the bathroom to wash off the blood and grime covering his body. He didn't want Xiao Chenxi to see him covered in blood.
After bathing, he came out wearing clean clothes. The courtyard was very quiet. Xiao Chenxi had been taken out to play by three peerless masters and had not returned yet. He began to meditate and regulate his breathing.
As he expected, the dark, lustrous true energy within his body grew even stronger, but it did not repel the golden, pure true energy. The two seemed to share the same origin and coexisted peacefully.
Chen Nan sighed inwardly. If things continued like this, sooner or later, the golden true energy in his body would be completely replaced by the dark, shiny true energy.
He circulated his profound energy repeatedly in the room, healing his damaged meridians and internal organs, until evening. When he opened his eyes, he found Xiao Chenxi looking at him with her big, blinking eyes, filled with worry, curiosity, and surprise.
"Chenxi, you're back! Did you have fun playing with the old men during the day?"
"I'm so happy! I'm sitting on Grandpa Yin's frisbee and flying through the air. It's so much fun! He also said that if I learn cultivation methods from him, he'll give me that flying frisbee in the future." Xiao Chenxi's face was full of excitement.
Chen Nan smiled, affectionately patted her head, and asked, "Do you want to learn cultivation methods?"
Xiao Chenxi tilted her head and thought about it seriously for a moment, then said, "I don't want to right now."
Chen Nan smiled wryly, wondering why Xiao Chenxi seemed to have an innate aversion to cultivation.
Little Morning Light seemed to suddenly remember something, and said with a serious expression, "Brother, when you were meditating and regulating your breath just now, I thought I saw two orbs of light running around inside your body, but in the blink of an eye, they disappeared."
Chen Nan was startled and asked, "Two orbs of light? Why didn't I sense them?"
"It's true, Chenxi wasn't lying. One is golden and shiny, and the other is jet black. Both spheres are as big as a fist. They're always rolling together, always bumping into each other, as if they're fighting." Little Chenxi said earnestly.
Chen Nan fell into deep thought, and after a long while, he said, "Chen Xi, don't tell anyone about this, not even those three old men, understand?"
"Chenxi understands and won't tell anyone."
Chen Nan smiled, picked her up, and said, "Do you remember the backstory I made up for you? Don't let it slip in front of those three old men."
Little Morning Radiance smiled sweetly and said, "Of course I remember. My brother always treats me like a child. Actually, I understand a lot of things and would never mention the Ancient Immortal Ruins to anyone else."
Xiao Chenxi is indeed much more mature than the average child. Sometimes her mind is more like an adult's, but her playful nature makes her look just like a child.
Chen Nan patted her back and laughed, "Of course I know Chen Xi is very smart, but some secrets are too shocking, and I'm afraid you might accidentally let them slip."
"Don't worry, brother. Chenxi knows what she should say and what she shouldn't say." Chenxi acted like a little adult, her childish face serious, making people want to laugh.
"Chenxi, I have something to tell you."
"Brother, what do you want to say?"
Chen Nan thought for a moment and said, "I have to go out to take care of something in a while. I might be back soon, or it might take a long time. While I'm gone, you can live with the three old men, okay?"
Little Chenxi protested somewhat, "Brother, where are you going? Why aren't you taking Chenxi with you?"
"Brother is going to investigate a shocking secret. It will be dangerous for Chenxi to stay by his side. He will be worried and unable to fully commit to the investigation. You wait patiently here for him. He will come back to you after he has finished his business."
Little Morning Light said with some reluctance, "Brother, how long will you be gone? I'll feel lonely without you by my side, and I'll miss you."
"If things go quickly, it might take a few days; if things go slowly, it might take... half a year." Chen Nan paused here. He originally wanted to say a month, but suddenly changed it to half a year. Soon he would be setting off to explore the Deathly Desolation Land. He had a premonition that something might happen to him. He didn't know what it was or when he would be able to return, so he had to give a longer timeframe.
"Brother, Chenxi really hopes you'll come back soon, otherwise I'll miss you every day..." Little Chenxi's voice was low, and she seemed a little disappointed.
"Chenxi, don't be sad. I promise I'll come back as soon as possible. Come on, let me take you to the night market."
In the following days, the competition for the strongest young talents among the four academies entered its final stage. Although the contestants were incredibly skilled, there was no longer a spectacular battle like the one between Chen Nan and the young Marquis Shenwei, or a life-or-death battle as brutal as that one.
The ensuing battles were equally exciting, but the image of Chen Nan involuntarily surfaced in the minds of the spectators, who imagined his valiant prowess from that day. Many speculated about his potential success if he were to participate in the upcoming battle to become the pinnacle of young powerhouses.
By the seventh day of the battle, only twelve contestants remained. Among them were the few who had caught Chen Nan's special attention: the female tyrant Qi Shilisa from the War God Academy and her brother Thorne; the mysterious masked female magician Alice from the Illusion Demon Academy; Xiao Feng, the top expert from the Divine Wind Academy; and Qian Long, a contestant from the Immortal Martial Academy who had been hiding his strength.
These five individuals have yet to clash directly, which is clearly a deliberate arrangement made by the vice deans of the four academies when selecting their representatives. They do not want these individuals to engage in direct confrontation at the outset.
On the eighth day of the battle, a shocking message began to circulate among the many cultivators: some had discovered that deep in the mountains hundreds of miles away from the Divine Wind Academy, demonic flames were raging, and there was a valley filled with the aura of death, with countless skeletons piled up like mountains.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the city in just two days. Almost all the cultivators in the City of Sin had heard about it.
As the news became clearer, people finally learned that the deadly wasteland was covered with bones, and the skulls of giants and the skeletons of dragons were everywhere. There were countless mountains of giant skulls and mountains of dragon bones, and even some divine bones were scattered among the thousands of white skeletons!