The divine artifact was sentient, forming a telepathic link with Zhou Yan. It seemed to acknowledge him, as if in response to his presence.
It was rumored that the more powerful the spiritual treasure, the more mystical its resonance, with some even capable of choosing their own masters.
This divine artifact was clearly one such item. As Zhou Yan approached, it began to react. He gently stroked the divine cauldron before storing it away.
Divine artifacts were not ordinary magical treasures; they required refinement to unleash their full might. Zhou Yan had not left this place for over half a year and did not wish to refine it here.
Zhou Yan then turned his attention to other items. One was a painting, a landscape depicting mountains, rivers, flora, and fauna. It was a Mountain River Diagram, a pseudo-divine artifact, albeit damaged, fractured by something immensely powerful.
A significant portion of the scroll was missing, as if it had been burned away.
"Even the damaged pieces possess pseudo-divine artifact fluctuations. If it were complete, wouldn't it be a divine artifact as well!" Zhou Yan was astonished. He gazed at the Mountain River Diagram, contemplating its restoration.
Ouyangzi was a master craftsman, but cultivating treasures like books and paintings was clearly not his forte.
However, Zhou Yan recalled a certain individual: the Painting Sage!
Although Zhou Yan had not yet summoned such a person, he could specifically summon talents of that caliber. He believed such an individual could indeed repair the artifact.
But Zhou Yan also knew that even with a Painting Sage, other materials would be needed to mend its essence first.
Zhou Yan was capable of spending time searching for the necessary repair materials. If he desired something, nothing was beyond the reach of the [Heaven and Earth Library].
Besides this ancient painting, there were over a dozen other treasures, all rare and exceptional items.
What surprised Zhou Yan the most was an outline of a formation left by a god-realm expert. It contained the expert's insights into Dao patterns.
Upon using it, Zhou Yan's mind was filled with profound knowledge, a deeper understanding of Dao patterns that was incredibly precious, arguably no less valuable than acquiring a divine artifact.
In addition to these, many other things were of excellent quality. Particularly noteworthy was the central divine hall, which contained the specific deployment methods for the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Formation, all of which Zhou Yan had obtained.
Out of the thirty-six palaces, Zhou Yan claimed thirty-two for himself. The remaining four were taken by Qian Shun, Xu Long, Old Graveyard, and Old Woman.
Of the thirty-six palaces, only the central hall was of divine artifact quality; the others were pseudo-divine artifact grade. This was also the reason why Zhou Yan's trials were so difficult.
Zhou Yan teleported out of the divine treasure space. As he departed, the world within the divine treasure space began to collapse and be destroyed, turning into nothingness.
With a flick of his wrists, Zhou Yan unleashed streaks of profound and complex Dao patterns.
From formations to formation patterns, and then to Dao patterns, Zhou Yan's skills had clearly ascended to a new level.
Zhou Yan etched the Dao patterns and vanished from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared within Ziwei Academy.
Leaving his villa room, Zhou Yan returned to the classroom. All his classmates stared at him in shock. Zhou Yan had been gone for over half a year.
Upon his reappearance, they felt that Zhou Yan was a completely different person. It was as if he were present, yet they couldn't sense his existence.
"Holy crap, you finally decided to show up. I thought we'd have to prepare paper money for you."
The only one who dared to speak to Zhou Yan like this was Ye Bufan, his good friend and brother. Whatever he said was acceptable; others would not dare to offend Zhou Yan.
"How much time has passed? It feels like a lot has changed." Zhou Yan inquired.
"A full six and a half months. Where did you go, and you didn't even take me with you?" Ye Bufan asked.
"Your strength is too weak. Going with you would have been useless," Zhou Yan replied.
Ye Bufan's heart was dealt a devastating blow. In the eyes of others, he was a genius with unparalleled talent. However, in Zhou Yan's estimation, he didn't even dare to mention the word 'genius'.
After a long conversation with Ye Bufan, Zhou Yan learned a great deal. The most shocking piece of news was the ascension of the Fire Saint Demon King to the Divine Realm.
"The Fire Saint Demon King ascended to the Divine Realm!" Zhou Yan was genuinely surprised. He remarked, "His daughter is still imprisoned in my territory."
"Pfft!!!" Ye Bufan spat out the water he was drinking, nearly choking to death from Zhou Yan's revelation.
The surrounding classmates, upon hearing this, stared at Zhou Yan with wide eyes, utterly incredulous.
"My God, the Fire Saint Demon King's daughter is imprisoned in your territory? Why didn't he come to seek revenge on you?"
Ye Bufan was thoroughly confused. The Fire Saint Demon King was already so powerful; his not confronting Zhou Yan for a desperate fight seemed abnormal.
"He asked the principal to release her, but I ignored him," Zhou Yan replied.
Ye Bufan was speechless again. In the entire academy, the only one who didn't heed the principal's words was likely Zhou Yan.
Ye Bufan stopped talking and chatted with Zhou Yan about some recent events.
Before long, the Head Instructor, Wei Tianning, personally arrived at the classroom and addressed Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, are you free?"
"Yes," Zhou Yan replied.
"Come out for a moment," Wei Tianning said.
Zhou Yan walked out, and Wei Tianning then stated, "The principal is waiting for you in his office. Go there."
"Alright."
Zhou Yan flew towards the principal's office. The stronger his cultivation became, the more Zhou Yan could perceive the deep foundations of Ziwei Academy. Even gods would be unable to harm Ziwei Academy.
Ziwei Academy possessed incredibly formidable Dao pattern defenses, and these Dao patterns far surpassed his current understanding. This was a terrifying level of hidden strength.
Ziwei Academy housed an abundance of powerful individuals. As Zhou Yan unleashed his divine sense, he was perceived by many strong practitioners, at least over a thousand distinct senses.
Upon realizing it was him, these individuals did not intervene, clearly already familiar with Zhou Yan.
They did not communicate because they had been observing Zhou Yan for a long time, though Zhou Yan's achievements then were far from what they were now.
Zhou Yan also showed great respect towards these powerful elders, offering a bow of respect, indicating that his presence was unintentional.
These were the hidden powerhouses of Ziwei Academy, the ultimate foundation of the institution.
Unless there was a significant matter, they would not appear, nor would they be called upon.
Zhou Yan's current growth rate had long surpassed the imagination of these old fossils.
After Zhou Yan departed, these powerful figures sighed in admiration:
"The greatest student in the history of Ziwei Academy, without a doubt!"
"In just two years, his strength has surpassed that of us old geezers."
"No matter how great Zhou Yan's achievements become, he is still a student of Ziwei Academy. This is beyond question."
"Haha, that's right. Zhou Yan will always be our academy's student."
"The younger generation is truly formidable."
...