Within the Sutra Repository, every item was quite exceptional. However, the rarer the treasure, the lower the probability of obtaining a top-tier item.
Despite having one hundred lottery draws daily, acquiring superior items remained difficult. Zhou Yan had not drawn any top-tier items for a long time. He had obtained many items of S to SSS quality, but none of them were useful to him. Therefore, these items were placed in the territory's exchange hall, where any soldier could redeem them with contribution points.
One month had passed, and the Ziwei Academy had been in session for over a month. Zhou Yan's cultivation realm had once again advanced to the seventy-fifth level of the Martial Dao.
One day at the academy, the chief instructor, Yang Junming, addressed the students again: "Prepare yourselves. In seven days, the academy will conduct a trial. The top ten will receive rewards. Work hard." After speaking, Yang Junming smiled and said, "Work hard. This trial is very important. Go for it."
"Another trial," some students mused. Although curious about the rewards, they had been at the academy for a while and knew that no useful information could be extracted from asking.
"Instructor, I feel this trial won't be that simple," a student observed, sensing something more from Yang Junming's demeanor.
"You will know when the time comes. Everyone has a chance. Work hard," Yang Junming stated, as always, without revealing too much. The students, though curious, had no choice.
As for the top ten, everyone's gaze invariably turned towards Zhou Yan. The top ten positions were practically already secured by a few individuals. One was Zhou Yan from their class, and others included Ye Bufan and Zhuge Kaiming. The remaining seven spots, they believed, were up for contention.
Over a month ago, Zhou Yan had annihilated twelve lords from the Long family. Though the outside world was unaware, the students certainly knew. Zhou Yan's strength completely surpassed that of most others.
Zhou Yan himself was not particularly interested in this trial. With his current strength, defeating these students was akin to an adult bullying children.
After school, the students all received the same piece of information. It turned out that not only the introductory disciples would have a trial, but other disciples would also undergo one.
"I heard this trial has a special significance, but unfortunately, we don't know what it is."
"Isn't our academy always like this? They won't tell you anything until the last moment."
"Mystery, such damned mystery. I hate it."
Disciples at each stage would undergo separate trials. Ye Bufan gathered everyone and revealed the relevant information: "The top ten from this trial will compete against students from three other academies." For others, this trial was indeed mysterious, but for Ye Bufan, as the future successor of the Dragon King family, obtaining this information was not difficult.
"Really! But this has nothing to do with us farming lords. We can only watch your trial," Lin Tan exclaimed, though with little interest.
"Who told you to choose farming lords?" Luo Yushuang commented.
"Since there's a grand competition with students from three other academies, I imagine the rewards won't be low. I'm quite eager to see what rewards we can obtain," Gu Nianyun said with anticipation.
"You all need to work hard. Ye Bufan and I will surely have no problem," Ye Bufan stated. Their strength was undeniable, and they were guaranteed a spot in the top ten. For the others, vying for the remaining spots would be intensely competitive. Ye Bufan believed Zhuge Kaiming would also secure a spot, but for the rest, it was uncertain.
The entire academy began to prepare for the top ten positions. Upon receiving the news, Zhou Yan dispatched soldiers back to the territory. The capture of Phoenix Birds was nearing completion. While not reaching the target of one hundred thousand, they had eighty thousand. Furthermore, the area contained other flying creatures besides Phoenix Birds. Though inferior to Phoenix Birds, they were still quite remarkable. These flying creatures were called Spirit Sparrows, auxiliary flying beasts that could bestow various buffs upon individuals. Bai Qi and his men had captured approximately one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Sparrows.
Zhou Yan instructed his hundred thousand Elf Archers to each choose a Spirit Sparrow as a pet. The Guanghan Fairies would select Phoenix Birds, while the remaining twenty thousand would also choose Spirit Sparrows. The Flying Cavalry had also selected Flying Dragons and begun training.
Everything in the territory was progressing in a positive direction. Zhou Yan had also received news regarding the cultivation-related buildings he had been searching for. The seller had demanded a high price, but Zhou Yan agreed without hesitation. His prompt agreement surprised the seller, who promptly proceeded with the transaction. After Zhou Yan constructed these two buildings, his territory gained two more Meditation Rooms, allowing more people to cultivate within them. These buildings were excellent, and Zhou Yan continued to send people to search for more to purchase, as funding was not an issue for him.
Seven days later, the Ziwei Academy's trial commenced. This trial was divided into individual and territorial competitions. Zhou Yan's soldiers also returned to the territory. The trial began with individual battles. After one day, Zhou Yan, as expected, secured first place. On the second day, the Lord's Battle commenced, and Zhou Yan again smoothly obtained first place.
Zhou Yan achieved a double first place, earning substantial rewards: two R-grade buildings, two SSS-grade cultivation techniques, and two diamond-grade equipment pieces. The two buildings could be chosen by Zhou Yan himself, much to his delight, making him eager to select them immediately. Besides Zhou Yan, Ye Bufan, Zhuge Kaiming, Gu Nianyun, and Luo Yushuang also successfully entered the top ten. The rest were eliminated.
After the trial, the Outer Elder Han Li announced that in three days, they would travel to Longqing Academy to participate in a grand competition with students from the other three academies. The competition among the four major academies would be conducted through territorial battles. The top three students would represent the Shenlong Kingdom in a contest against foreign lords. This piece of information was unknown even to Ye Bufan and had likely been announced only in the past couple of days.
The disciples of the four major academies, except for Ziwei Academy, were divided into four grades, with ten students per grade, all considered elites of this generation. The competition to secure the top three positions among such a large group would naturally be fierce. Everyone eagerly anticipated the grand competition among the four academies' students in three days. This inter-academy competition would be live-streamed across the four academies but would not be open to the public. After the trial concluded, Zhou Yan found Han Li and requested his rewards.