Once the courses of the Sky Academy started, they wouldn’t stop for anything else. There were thirteen courses in total. Students were going to learn one cla.s.s a day and study the same course twice a month, without interruption.

The academy would work out the next month’s cla.s.s schedule at the end of the month and the schedule would be distributed to each student on the first day of the month. The order of the courses of different cla.s.ses was not exactly the same. In a month, after two rounds of cla.s.ses were finished, it was then the time for maneuver.

When it happened to be a solar month of 30 days, the maneuver would last for two days; while it was a solar month of 31 days, the maneuver would last for three days. The content of the maneuver was also varied; it could be an internal rivalry, a timed contest, or a confrontation with other secret service agencies outside the academy or elites from various theatres of operations. In short, the maneuver was intense, fierce, and of a tight schedule and great intensity.

The fate of each student could be changed after a maneuver. For decades at the Sky Academy, because of the seemingly ordinary maneuver, someone amazed the people with a single brilliant feat, while others couldn’t recover after a setback. Such examples could be found everywhere. In the Dark World and the Special Warfare System, which were uncontrolled by the law and morality, ups and downs were normal things. Winners possessed glory and also had their hands stained with blood, while losers owned loss as well as despair.

This was true for the regular maneuvers being held once a month, and even more so for large maneuvers once every three months.

Unlike ordinary compet.i.tions, the large maneuver would have each ranking recorded in the students’ files. This kind of maneuver didn’t have to be big. It was called a large maneuver because it involved the most important turning point for many students in the next three years—the division of cla.s.ses.

In the large maneuver being held once three months, the top 50 students in the academy would enter the top cla.s.s led by Zhuang Huayang. Apart from the personal attention and occasional instruction of the headmaster, there were 13 instructors in this cla.s.s, all of whom were group leaders of each subject. This was the most valuable part of the cla.s.s.

In all the large maneuvers of the past, someone made progress while others lagged behind. The winners dared not slack off, striving for the best. Likewise, the losers dared not give up, catching up with the excellent ones as they gritted their teeth.

Compet.i.tion.

This was the core word and also the constant atmosphere of the Sky Academy.

The Actual Combat Lesson was finished.

Zhuang Huayang had said as he walked Li Tianlan back to the dormitory that in the Sky Academy, chances were that each injury was able to make a genius fall or become normal. And in such a compet.i.tive atmosphere of high intensity, it was the life-risking deed instead of apt.i.tude and background that would work.

After someone entered the Sky Academy, life-risking deeds may not help him end well, but if he didn’t risk his life, he would certainly have no good end.

The Wind and Thunder Veins.

The Exquisite Bone.

The Heavenly King Heart.

The supreme inheritance.

Li Tianlan possessed all of them, but they didn’t matter here.

Nothing was more important than to risk his life.

After experiencing a swing of his mental state, he returned to the Sky Academy. With the end of the Actual Combat Lesson, his mind seemed to be completely immersed in the Sky Academy.

In three days.

Inquisition by Meditation Lesson.

He pa.s.sed the exam as the first place and was awarded ten credits.

Intelligence Gathering & a.n.a.lysis Lesson.

He pa.s.sed the exam by a narrow margin and was rewarded one credit.

Firearms Control Lesson.

He failed and was deducted two credits.

News of Yang Mengjiang’s mysterious disappearance from Gu Yunxia’s office spread throughout the Sky Academy. However, Li Tianlan didn’t think much about it and just immersed himself in his own world.

The matter that Master of Samsara Palace was going to challenge Gu Xingyun caused a stir in the entire Dark World. Li Tianlan contacted Qin Weibai as soon as possible. Looking much better, Qin Weibai told Li Tianlan confidently that even if Master of Samsara Palace couldn’t beat Gu Xingyun, she would not lose, at least.

Situ Cangyue was about to challenge Gu Qianchuan.

Nonetheless, Li Tianlan didn’t ask about it at all.

What did he have to worry about when an expert on the Divine List, even if the expert’s ranking was low, fought the opponent who was merely an Invincible Realm expert who failed to make himself on the Holy List?

Li Tianlan didn’t think.

He didn’t want to think about anything.

After the Actual Combat Lesson, he still remembered Yang Mengjiang’s powerful blow made by feet, Gu Yunxia’s gloomy and resentful eyes, w.a.n.g Yuetong’s pale and haggard appearance, as well as the images of Ning Qiancheng, Li Baitian, Yu Qingyan and others who a.s.sisted him regardless of perils.

All this made his heart completely immerse in the Sky Academy.

Samsara, Sigh City, Kunlun City, w.a.n.g family of Beihai, and the general trend of Zhongzhou State seemed to be going away from him.

He no longer wanted to do anything. With his strength, he couldn’t do anything either.

After coming to Huating from the border, in the face of the first contact of the prosperity of Zhongzhou State, Li Tianlan had a lot on his mind. His feelings were as complex as a spider web.

He wanted to grasp the source of the problem at once, but a great deal of resistance encircled him and made him unable to move.

Until now, everything in his heart was completely calm.

Everyone seemed to be right.

Now, what he needed most was growth.

He could only grow.

The essentials of the first sentence of the Invincible Manual in Map of G.o.d of War was full of a kind of exclusive wildness and arrogance.

Only look at yourself, not the world!

In this flouris.h.i.+ng age, when Li Tianlan recalled this sentence again, all kinds of feelings welled up in his heart.

He began to make his own plans for the future of the East Emperor Palace.

Samsara, Sigh City, Dongcheng Clan, and the Academics may, more or less, offer him some help in the future, but only the East Emperor Palace was the foundation that really and completely belonged to him. Although it was not strong enough, it was the best one for him right now.

Among the 13 courses of the Sky Academy, except for the Actual Combat Lesson, the other courses would last for four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon. The break time was totally at his disposal. He was pus.h.i.+ng the limits of what he could do within this schedule.

He got up at three in the morning and practiced the Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words of Tribulation till 5:30 a.m.

From 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m, he practiced the 24 Moves of Sword.

Then he had breakfast.

After that, he would attend cla.s.s.

It would take him half an hour to have lunch.

He meditated between noon and 2 p.m.

And then he continued to attend cla.s.s in the afternoon.

He had dinner at 6:30 p.m. and went to the training ground after that. He learned to shoot in an hour and drive in an hour.

The break time was between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. He would spend the time accompanying w.a.n.g Yuetong or chatting with Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng, expressing their views on the future development of the East Emperor Palace.

10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. was the meditation time.

Then he rested for two hours.

After that, he would get up and practice the Shadow Formula.

The cycle came back to the start.

That was most of his life for the next three years, of course, except for going out to perform tasks, maneuvers and vacations.

Li Tianlan didn’t strive for perfection deliberately. He allowed his plans to be derailed, but he also had a bottom line, that was, the deviation couldn’t be more than half an hour.

So after the Actual Combat Lesson, he suddenly became extremely busy.

After sleeping for a whole day, w.a.n.g Yuetong got up and took the potion the Enchantress gave her. Her injuries were not serious at present. She was exhausted, not seriously injured. Li Tianlan was severely injured, but under the stimulus of a whole set of Immortality Potions, his severe wounds were recovering almost every second. It made him look pale, but energetic all the time.

He had plans and goals as well. On a personal level, his meant to reach the pseudo invincible state of the Qi-controlling Realm and break through to the Ice-condensing Realm by the end of the year, after learning the Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words thoroughly. Moreover, he aimed to reach the pseudo invincible state of the Fire-flaming Realm and be ready to break through to the Thunder-shocking Realm within three years.

The ten-year scheme of the Academics required him to progress in this way, too. In the ten years, he would spend seven years entering the Invincible Realm from the Thunder-shocking Realm. He had the apt.i.tude and martial inheritance, therefore, this period of time should not be too short for him.

As for the East Emperor Palace, he also wished to upgrade it—a department-level agency already, to the same level as the Thunder which they joined, within three years. This required a huge amount of military exploit and connections, which were destined to be acquired in numerous overseas missions. Hence, in the process of promoting battle strength, he, at the same time, put forward several requirements for Li Baitian, Ning Qiancheng and other partners.

Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng were now at the Fire-flaming Realm, so he hoped that they could ascend a step each year, surpa.s.s the Peak of the Fire-flaming Realm, and reach the Fulfilment of this realm in three years. It would be best for them to enter the Thunder-shocking Realm.

Li Tianlan made the requirements that were similar to Li Baitian for w.a.n.g Yuetong. Although he did not know how long the little princess from the w.a.n.g family of Beihai could stay in the East Emperor Palace, she was his woman after all and it never hurt to improve her strength.

The Martial Arts that Yu Qingyan practiced belonged to the standard heterodox school. They were of great power but did not orthodox. Li Tianlan prepared to consult Yu Donglai personally about her path.

The plaque in his dormitory had now been sent out of the Sky Academy. Yu Donglai closed Yu’s Restaurant and was personally in charge of his new agency. Li Tianlan once curiously asked about the location of the agency. It was said that the address Qin Weibai had chosen for him was in the suburbs, but it was a pity that he could not get out of the academy for the time being and see it for himself.

Ye Huayu was Li Baitian’s martial niece. She was the kind of girl with fine features who would make people feel comfortable at first glance, but her relations.h.i.+p with Li Baitian was obviously complicated. Therefore, Li Baitian alone was responsible for her growth. Within three years, Ye Huayu could be at least close to the Peak of the Fire-flaming Realm.

Thinking of these, Li Tianlan was full of lofty sentiments and expectations. Although the East Emperor Palace just owned a few members, none of them was a useless person because they were actually all elites. In three years, if they could really build up their strength as planned, with enough military exploit, there would be little resistance for them to promote the agency to the vice governor level.

The prospect was promising, which also made Li Tianlan more motivated.

All was quiet in the dead of night.

In the woods, not far from the dormitory area, the wind was howling.

With Li Tianlan at the center, a great deal of air was vibrating at a slow and constant rate. The green leaves of the surrounding trees were falling off the branches and flying aimlessly in the slightly twisted air. Li Tianlan stood where he was, without moving.

Ten meters away, a shadow that looked exactly like Li Tianlan stood opposite him, motionlessly.

Li Tianlan held the information of the Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words that Tribulation gave him and slightly frowned.

The shadow frowned as well.

It was vivid and lifelike.

But that was as far as Li Tianlan could go now.

Within a few days, Li Tianlan had achieved the Basic Level of the Shadow Formula and was able to cast a shadow directly. Moreover, he could switch places with the shadow. This benefited from the vast amount of enlightenment and inspiration when he organized the half Shadow Formula for w.a.n.g Xiaoyao.

The shadow was able to imitate some of his subtle movements currently, but that was all. Except for the fact that he could switch places with the shadow without anyone noticing, his shadow did not possess any attack force, naturally, it did not have the super outbreak of power which Tribulation’s shadow possessed, either.

“Where exactly did it go wrong?”

Li Tianlan frowned and thought hard. As he tried again and again, the air vibrated more and more rapidly. However, in this way, he failed to achieve any effect, on the contrary, the shadow, which was ten meters in front of him, was undulating, and it seemed to disappear.

“Why do you have to make yourself the center? Is this what the Invincible Manual says about egotism?”

A voice suddenly sounded above Li Tianlan.

Tribulation appeared in silence and slowly landed before Li Tianlan. He merged with the surrounding darkness almost immediately.

Li Tianlan was not surprised. Tribulation had followed him when he first came to the woods in the dead of night. It was just that he remained silent for two days, watching him try hard.

“Isn’t that right?”

Li Tianlan looked at Tribulation and asked seriously.

“I can’t say so.”

Tribulation shook his head and added, “You just did it the wrong way.”

Without waiting for Li Tianlan to understand, he took another step forward.

A shadow that was almost translucent except for the arms that were enveloped in black mist appeared before Li Tianlan. However, Tribulation’s body was still standing in front of Li Tianlan, standing side by side with his shadow. Nonetheless, in Li Tianlan’s perception, Tribulation had completely disappeared, leaving only the shadow in front of him.