Chapter 303: Liu family

Imperial Academy began its new term.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered there, bustling and jostling.

In this examination, three people were admitted, and they would report today.

From all the myriad worlds, plus the countless territories of the Human Race, including Li Qi, probably over a million candidates, only three were selected to be qualified to study at Imperial Academy.

This was the true value.

Whether it was the media, family members, or those just joining the fun, hundreds of thousands of people came to the scene, and who knows how many more millions were watching the live broadcast from home on their terminals.

Only by being admitted to Imperial Academy could one truly understand the meaning of that phrase and know what it meant to:

"Gallop on a spring breeze, seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day."

Birds chirped in green trees, the scenery was elegant and beautiful, and the people were prosperous.

This was still the exterior view.

Looking inward, it was like a festival.

Brocade-roped Dragon boats, ten miles of red mansions, pearl curtains draped over golden hooks.

Horse-hoof steps on the stairs, tortoise-shell embroidered balls, looking up at people like a thick swarm of ants.

Noisy and boisterous, day and night, with sections of red brocade wrapped around heads.

Embroidered tents and painted boats, scales touching the water's edge.

Songs like jade clashing, a scene of prosperity.

Boats on the water, carriages on land, people in the streets, packed tightly, one layer after another, one circle surrounding another, everyone on tiptoes, heads held high; some shorter girls even asked their male companions to let them sit on their shoulders.

Among them were not only common monsters and gods from across the land but also various strange races from beyond the domain.

These strange races were so numerous and peculiar that they were hard to describe: some had skin like mud, some had no hands, some shimmered with scales, and some had double-jointed legs.

There were horned ones, hornless ones, exoskeletal ones, endoskeletal ones, compound eyes, single eyes, all sorts of skin colors, all sorts of species, completely different.

The only thing they had in common was that these foreign races all, without exception, cultivated the methods of the Human Race, with not a single exception.

Being able to come to Chang'an, it was likely that their worlds had already completely become the territory of the Human Race.

In short, it was estimated that all the idle people in Chang'an came to see the new Imperial Academy students, who only appeared once every decade; several million people surrounded Imperial Academy.

Fortunately, everyone was a Cultivator, otherwise, they would have suffocated to death.

Because everyone knew that even within the Human Race, even in Chang'an, these students were favored children of heaven, and the outstanding ones among them were bound to achieve high positions in the future.

Moreover, besides watching the spectacle, there was another reason that would urge them to come.

That was, when Imperial Academy admitted new students, there would be a lecture given by teachers and excellent Senior Brothers to the newly admitted Imperial Academy students, serving as a welcome ceremony and also as a warning to the new students.

This lecture would make them understand the vastness of the world, know that being admitted to Imperial Academy was only the beginning, and that they must study diligently and strive to keep up with their other classmates; they must not become complacent or overconfident just because they were admitted to Imperial Academy, and thereby lose their former desire to learn.

This lecture used to be private instruction, but at some point, it became public, seemingly intending to discipline the new students.

Therefore, it was estimated that one-third of these people wanted to watch the show, to see how the new students were disciplined by others at Imperial Academy.

The rest were there to learn.

While it was called discipline, it was actually a public lecture, and even just listening from the sidelines could greatly benefit these ordinary Cultivators.

So, it could be said that before it even began, more and more people gathered.

And Li Qi? He wiped away cold sweat.

Of course, he also had to go in, but with so many people surrounding the place, he couldn't get in anymore; it was impenetrable, how could he enter?

He wouldn't dare say he wanted to go in to listen to the lecture; he would be surrounded.

If these million-plus people surrounded him, he wouldn't be able to leave.

However, since the lecture wouldn't start for a while, he decided to wait on the street and see how the other two students got in, to learn from them.

If neither of them could get in, then there was even less to worry about; Imperial Academy would surely send people to pull them in.

As for using magical arts to push aside the crowd, or flying directly in, he hadn't even considered it.

Firstly, flying was prohibited in Chang'an; he couldn't fly at all outside of specific areas.

Secondly, using magical arts to push aside the crowd, given this suffocating density, would likely cause a stampede.

So, Li Qi honestly stayed outside the crowd, waiting to absorb the advanced experiences of others.

However, Li Qi soon discovered something.

He couldn't get in... purely because he was too low-key.

Soon, Li Qi saw another student, one of the three who had passed the examination with him.

His name... Li Qi remembered it as Mo Benglan.

This person was not of the Human Race but an alien race from beyond the domain, from a Third-Rank world; however, that place had long been integrated with the Human Race, basically indistinguishable from it.

He was not of the Human Race, but due to long-standing intermarriage between the local natives and the world, he looked not much different from the Human Race, except his hair was blue and his pupils were not round but square, like a sheep's.

Mo Benglan seemed to have received support from his birth world; one could see him surrounded by a group of his clansmen, creating a huge commotion, with banners unfurled.

Burning fragrant incense, displaying brocade curtains, several hundred of Mo Benglan's clansmen formed a circle, beating gongs and drums, raising banners and flags, shouting loudly, forcing the people in front to make way; the people at the very front even carried shields to push people aside.

"Make way! Make way!"

"What are you blocking for?! Are you the ones going in to receive the lecture?!"

"Move! Move!"

Just like that, a few hundred people formed a circle, surrounding Mo Benglan in the middle, struggling to squeeze through the crowd, fighting hard against the human tide.

Fortunately, the commotion was loud enough to alert enough people to voluntarily make way.

But in a situation where people were jammed against people, it was very difficult to make way; everyone was a Cultivator, which meant no one was, so in the end, they still had to rely on brute force to squeeze through, because there was no space to yield, only to be forced to move with the surging crowd.

No one dared to truly use magical arts to attack those around them, so this was the only outcome.

And they couldn't fly, because Chang'an prohibited flying in areas outside of designated aerial traffic zones; they couldn't fly even if they wanted to.

Under these circumstances, Mo Benglan was protected in the middle, slowly squeezing towards the center.

When Li Qi first saw him appear, he was exceptionally bright and radiant, surrounded by many clansmen, with a clear and elegant demeanor, wearing a grand sash, a sword at his waist, a small crown on his head, and flowing robes.

But now, squeezed in the crowd, he almost had his crown knocked off; this was with several hundred clansmen helping him squeeze. If he had gone in alone, his clothes would probably have been torn to rags.

This made Li Qi's scalp tingle.

Mo Benglan had clansmen helping him squeeze, and he still ended up like this...

He wasn't known for his Physical Body strength; charging into the human tide would likely make it impossible for him to move an inch, and he might get stuck inside, unable to enter or exit, with his hair pulled out.

Li Qi didn't have the Human Race's hair crown and ties; his hair was loose, making him look very much like a Shaman. Of course, in the Human Race, this style was called a 'mad scholar'.

It looked quite cool, but getting his hair grabbed when people were jammed together would certainly be very painful.

This method was not advisable.

However, although it was not advisable for Li Qi, Mo Benglan still managed to squeeze in using this trick.

He was a handsome, blue-haired Young Master, but now his hair crown was askew, his clothes disheveled, making him look utterly disheveled, and he had to be surrounded by his clansmen to secretly straighten his attire.

This one wouldn't work, so Li Qi decided to wait a bit longer to see if the other student had any methods he could learn from.

After a while longer, Li Qi finally saw his second classmate.

He had learned about this classmate on the terminal.

Her name was Li Lieqi; although she had such a domineering name, she was actually a woman. It was said that she cultivated the martial Dao, but also cultivated the methods of the Human Race's Military School of Thought, practicing Dual Cultivation of military and martial arts, which was quite formidable.

He just didn't know how thick this girl's arms were.

Up until now, all the martial artists Li Qi had seen were burly men, so he figured women wouldn't be too far off; after all, if you practice martial arts, you will definitely have muscles, and your Physical Body will certainly be incredibly firm.

Delicate, boneless young ladies would certainly not appear among martial Dao Cultivators.

Li Qi hid on the periphery of the crowd, searching for an opportunity to enter while also looking for his classmate Li Lieqi, to see how she got in.

However, he soon found Li Lieqi.

She was a woman, wearing a tight-fitting, strong outfit, with a pretty but not alluring face, her eyes bright, looking very heroic.

She even noticed Li Qi's gaze and nodded in acknowledgment; her expression was not particularly cold, but not enthusiastic either.

Her height was basically similar to Li Qi's, but her build was not particularly muscular, yet she was slender and strong, looking agile and reliable, with the demeanor of a female knight; a giant bow hung on her back, which was extremely eye-catching.

Just by seeing how she got in, Li Qi smiled bitterly and shook his head.

This method... he couldn't use it!

It turned out that although Li Lieqi came alone, she was riding a large horse, ten feet tall at the shoulder, even more majestic than an old horse.

This great horse was actually a Seventh-Rank! And it even had a specially approved exclusive flight path, allowing it to take off. Li Lieqi rode on the horse, soaring directly over the heads of the crowd, landing in the central Dao field, and then opened her terminal to confirm the cancellation of the special flight path.

Li Qi was dumbfounded.

It seemed she had known it would be this crowded early on, and had applied for a flight path in advance, specifically to use it to fly in today!

Was she that confident? It was common for special flight path applications to take two or three years, and even with Tang Nation's efficiency, it would undergo multiple reviews. This meant she had started applying two or three years before the examination began, just waiting to use it today!

And that horse too, this kind of thing wasn't something you could just apply for; you needed a special license to do this, to ensure it was a special operation.

In other words, that horse also had a special operation license!

Not to mention that his old horse wasn't with Li Qi right now, even if it were, it wouldn't be qualified for a specially approved flight path...

Truly...

Did these people foresee this? They started preparing two or three years in advance!

He had suffered the disadvantage of being a country bumpkin... he hadn't seen this kind of scene before.

Li Qi was stuck there, not knowing how to get in.

Fortunately, suddenly, someone patted Li Qi on the shoulder.

Li Qi turned his head to look, but even before looking, he knew who it was.

His enhanced True Knowledge had completely become his sixth sense; he knew the aura behind him belonged to someone he had met before without even turning around.

"Ah... Brother Liu." Li Qi turned around, smiling bitterly as he cupped his hands, looking at his classmate behind him, Liu Canzhi.

It was the Artifact Refining Cultivator, the one who had initially invited Li Qi to visit the Imperial Academy study room.

Liu Canzhi still had that flashy appearance; today he wasn't wearing a pink robe but a floral outfit, a mix of pink, blue, and purple, looking like a monster, with strange decorations on his head and feathers stuck in his hair.

The only constant was the flower still tucked behind his ear.

"Brother Li, why are you standing here? Can't you get in?" Liu Canzhi asked with a smile, clearly knowing the answer.

For an old student like him, this kind of thing was not uncommon.

Basically, someone would always be in this awkward situation every time, except for those special recruits who could directly enter without attending this lecture; other students who passed the examination would all experience this.

People outside Chang'an wouldn't be familiar with the customs here.

One had to investigate these matters in advance to know, but Li Qi had been busy these days sorting out his Human Body Minor Heaven and Earth, so he didn't have time...

"Alas, Brother Liu hit the nail on the head, but I was just about to muster the courage to push my way in," Li Qi sighed.

No choice, he had to get in, right? He couldn't be the only one of the three not to make it.

Liu Canzhi saw Li Qi's expression and burst into laughter, then pulled Li Qi: "Haha, I knew it! Don't worry, I came precisely for this. Brother Li, come with me, get in my carriage, we'll take another route!"

"Brother Liu, did you specifically come to pick me up?" Li Qi asked, somewhat surprised.

"I was just worried you'd get stuck here, so I came to check. I didn't expect my guess to be right, haha." Liu Canzhi looked delighted.

But despite his amusement, he still led Li Qi towards his carriage: "Although the news doesn't report it much, it's just like New Year's Eve; idle people always gather to watch, so many classmates have been troubled by this."

Li Qi deeply agreed.

This situation was indeed difficult to handle, and he couldn't use magical arts. If he really relied on his Physical Body to squeeze, even a brute martial artist might not be able to push through these million-plus people; these people weren't ants, they were all Cultivators, and many among them had strong Physical Bodies.

So Li Qi thanked Liu Canzhi again.

Liu Canzhi also chuckled, talking about his recent affairs, and the two chatted as they walked towards another path.

At the street corner, Liu Canzhi's carriage was there.

It was pulled by two unknown exotic beasts, six-legged and similar to mules, very tall, over twenty feet high.

Li Qi and Liu Canzhi chatted cheerfully, then boarded the carriage.

However, as soon as Li Qi entered, the smile on his face froze.

There was another person inside the carriage.

And he knew him.

The Eighth-Rank Genius who had competed against them back then, Liu Junyi.

This refined Young Master was sitting at a table, lowering his head to make tea, exuding a gentle and steady aura.

Moreover, Liu Canzhi immediately said: "Elder Brother, this is my friend, Li Qi. Come, Li Qi, let me introduce you, this is my clan brother, named Junyi."