The sky was a vast azure, where Cloud Hes soared freely, stretching their wings.

They beat their wings to fly high, scattering the white clouds, or swooped down to skim across the surface of the lake, stirring up ripples.

At this moment, Murong Caiwei stood in a pavilion in the middle of the lake, her hands behind her back, her figure slender and captivating.

She quietly gazed at the Cloud Hes, but the anger in her heart refused to dissipate.

"Sister Caiwei, it’s true that Hei Liwu and Muri Guang Huang are secretly competing over the top spot on the Celestial Ranking. But if we keep this up, will we really drag Fang Yang into it?"

The question came from a clear, sweet voice.

The speaker was Murong Cairen, a great beauty whose looks and figure were in no way inferior to Murong Caiwei’s.

Only after hearing her younger cousin speak did Murong Caiwei turn her gaze.

She smiled. "The Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings are finalized once every six years. Whether or not we can directly involve Fang Yang, as long as he gets caught in the vortex, he’ll be bogged down by trivial matters and his cultivation will suffer!"

As she spoke, the image of Sen Hui’s stunningly beautiful, luminous face came to her mind.

In an instant, the flames of jealousy in her heart flared up again, burning fiercely.

’That damned illegitimate daughter! How dare she steal from me! I may not be able to teach *you* a lesson, but you think I can’t deal with Fang Yang?!’

"But..."

Cairen bit her red lip and could only let out a soft sigh in the end.

’Brother Dongli, I really can’t talk my cousin out of it. You’re on your own now.’

「At the same time.」

Hall A-1, the Mission Hall.

The Mission Hall was the place where students of the Thunder Saint Academy accepted missions, including assessment missions.

At this moment, Mission Hall A-1 was bustling with people coming and going.

The students all moved with quick steps and hurried expressions, radiating a palpable sense of urgency, as if to say, "time is life."

As a student of the Thunder Saint Academy, Fang Yang, just like Sen Hui, had to accept and complete an assessment mission.

’Whatever the mission, the best would be something with a big reward, little effort, and close to home...’ Fang Yang thought, gazing up at the light screen of assessment missions.

[Travel to the Hunshun River Wondrous Realm and eliminate the Blood Shark beast pack. Duration: Two months.]

[Journey to the Purple Rain Sea Realm and assist Great Venerable Ziyu in capturing the Purple Rain Crocodile pack. Duration: Two months.]

[Leave the Saint Institute, travel to Sunset County, and guard the Cyan Cloud Ink Stone mine from Fierce Beast incursions. Duration: Two months.]

[...]

The sheer number of missions was dizzying.

Fang Yang blinked, deep in thought.

If possible, he wanted a long-term mission that was as simple and convenient as Sen Hui’s.

Unfortunately, no such mission was currently available.

So, his only option was to carefully browse the list and pick the assessment mission that suited him best.

As he was examining the missions one by one, the orb of light in his mind flickered and formed into text:

[Two serpents contend, a vortex forms in the tide. Complications sprout from the shadows; fortune and disaster are difficult to tell apart.]

[Mid-High Lot: Choose to leave the Saint Institute for your assessment and travel to Sunset County. You may obtain a Tier Four opportunity. Auspicious.]

[Neutral Lot: Choose to remain at the Wind Peng Dojo and forgo the assessment. If you stay put, there is nothing to be gained and nothing to be lost. Neutral.]

[Mid-Low Lot: Choose to complete the assessment within the Saint Institute. You might obtain a Tier Four opportunity, but you will be caught in the vortex, riddled with hidden dangers and facing conflict at every turn. Inauspicious.]

At that moment, Fang Yang stared at the fortunes, his eyes glinting.

’Two serpents contend, a vortex forms in the tide... This must refer to the recent, high-profile struggle between the two sovereigns—the conflict between Hei Liwu and Muri Guang Huang.’

Hei Liwu and Muri Guang Huang were both peerless prodigies, widely recognized as Great Saint Seeds. They could initiate their Saint Tribulation at any time and become Tier Six Saints.

However, they were unwilling to do so just yet; they refused to become Saints in their current state.

What they wanted was to first secure the great fortune that came with the top spot on the Celestial Ranking before they ascended to Sainthood.

That way, even if they were still no match for Sen Yue, they would leave the rest of their peers in the dust!

The problem was that there could only be one number one on the Celestial Ranking. Because of this, their struggle had stirred up countless undercurrents and vortexes.

’Complications sprout from the shadows; fortune and disaster are difficult to tell apart... Does this mean that I might get dragged into this vortex?’

But with Sen Hui’s protection, he shouldn’t be drawn in, theoretically.

But after reading through the Mid-High, Neutral, and Mid-Low Lots, a realization dawned on him.

’Completing the mission outside the Saint Institute is auspicious. Staying inside and doing nothing is neutral. Completing it inside the Saint Institute is inauspicious. It’s obvious someone is setting a trap for me. They can’t stand to see me succeed!’

In that instant, several figures flashed through Fang Yang’s mind.

Lin Shenghuang, Muri Guanglong, Murong Caiwei...

For a moment, he couldn’t pinpoint who was secretly plotting against him.

After all, as the saying goes, "to escape envy is to be mediocre."

It wasn’t surprising at all for a young Great Saint like him to be targeted by someone in the shadows.

"Phew..." Fang Yang slowly exhaled.

Then, he strode forward to find a Steward.

He had made his decision. He would choose the Mid-High Lot.

He was choosing this assessment mission: "Leave the Saint Institute, travel to Sunset County, and guard the Cyan Cloud Ink Stone mine from Fierce Beast incursions. Duration: Two months."

...

The Wind Peng Dojo.

Fang Yang and Sen Hui sat across from each other, sipping tea while enjoying the flowers under the moon.

"Xiaohui, in a couple of days, I’m leaving the Saint Institute for Sunset County to complete my assessment mission. The round trip will take a little over two months." Fang Yang took a sip of his tea after he finished speaking.

He had essentially told Sen Hui his general plans.

"Leaving the Saint Institute for Sunset County, huh..." Hearing this, Sen Hui’s long eyelashes trembled as she fell deep in thought.

She was considering what kind of help her Sen family line could offer Fang Yang in the Sunset County area.

Soon, her clear, beautiful eyes lit up.

The next morning, Sen Hui gave Fang Yang a letter.

Sen Hui smiled brilliantly. "Ah Yang, when you arrive in Sunset County, you can go to a place called Shuqing Pavilion to visit an old senior..."

She explained everything step by step, like a wife advising her husband and arranging important matters on his behalf.

Her expression was full of tenderness.

Fang Yang listened quietly to her arrangements, occasionally nodding or asking a question.

The Thunder Saint Academy was located in the Thunder Control Great World.

Originally, the Thunder Saint Academy had just been an ordinary wondrous realm. It only began to flourish and grow powerful due to its rivalry with the Great Xuan Palace.

This implied that people actually lived in the Thunder Control Great World.

In fact, their population might even be larger than that of the Xuan Domain.

After all, the Thunder Control Great World didn’t have a tradition like the Xuan-Yu War, which took place every hundred years.

For the children of the eight great Golden Clans, the Xuan-Yu War was a golden trial. But for the tribes outside the Golden Clans, it was nothing short of a calamity.

Even Fang Yang himself wasn’t confident he could ensure the White Feathered Eagle Bronze Tribe’s survival for a thousand years.

「Two days later.」

Under Sen Hui’s watchful gaze, Fang Yang boarded a Flying Boat and waved goodbye.

Not long after, Murong Caiwei learned that Fang Yang had left the Thunder Saint Academy.

"?" Murong Caiwei’s fair face was a mask of stunned disbelief.

He left.

Fang Yang left the Saint Institute.

So what did all her scheming and effort these past few days amount to?

Hadn’t she called in all those favors for nothing?

"Fang Yang, Sen Hui..."

Murong Caiwei’s expression was grim and unsettled, her face shifting between pale and livid.

This rare expression on her face made ’her younger cousin,’ Murong Cairen, break out in a cold sweat.