Li Xiang's invitation arrived through a messenger pigeon.
When Yang Cheng unfolded the letter, he found not only the handwritten invitation but also a Myriad Phenomena Token attached inside.
This token was the official identification of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy. With it, one could freely enter the academy grounds.
Since Li Xiang wasn't certain whether Yang Cheng would accept the offer, he hadn't sent a Alchemy Master Token yet. That would be issued to him personally once he arrived at the academy.
The letter also contained another message.
"The Wasteland Realm is sealed off by the Dao Barrier, leaving only one Heaven Gate that connects it to the outside world."
"But both the Dao Barrier and the Heaven Gate have lifespans. From the ancient era until now, their time has almost run out."
"And recently, something within the Wasteland Realm has begun to stir. The power of fate itself is shaking, accelerating the decay of both the Dao Barrier and the Heaven Gate."
"Now, cracks have already begun to appear on the surface of the Heaven Gate."
So that was it.
At last, Yang Cheng understood.
In his previous life, the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy had also planned to relocate to the Wasteland Realm around this time—but it hadn't officially settled there until ten years later.
This time, the academy had clearly moved ahead of schedule.
'Compared to my previous life, everything is progressing faster,' he thought, feeling a growing sense of urgency.
Ding!
[The Host has established a connection with Li Xiang, Grand Chancellor of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy. The latter has even invited the Host to serve as An Alchemy Master within the academy?]
[What an unusual turn of fate. Five hundred years ago, when the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy entered the Wasteland Realm early, it seized the first opportunity. Once the Heaven Gate reopened to the outside world, the academy rose to unimaginable prominence.]
[Today, the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy is already the most powerful subsidiary of the Great Yan Dao Palace—its ranks filled with Pill Gods and Martial Gods alike.]
[Li Xiang himself obtained immense fortune through the Myriad Phenomena Alchemy Canon, reascending to the Divine Realm. His cultivation has reached the Yang God stage, and his Alchemy Mastery has attained the Nirvana God level.]
[Since Li Xiang has extended this invitation, the Host must seize this opportunity.]
[Mission: Travel to the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy and assume the position of Alchemy Master. Conquer the entire academy.]
[Reward: Supreme Spirit Spring.]
Yang Cheng had already planned to visit the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy anyway—after all, Tangtang was currently cultivating there.
Now that it aligned with a mission, there was no reason to hesitate further.
Qilin Volcano.
Once a desolate land devoid of life, it had now become a sacred site for martial cultivators across the Wasteland Realm.
At the foot of the mountain, countless new towns had sprung up, some already expanding into proper cities.
Holding the Myriad Phenomena Token in his hand, Yang Cheng easily passed through the mountain gates.
The place had even been renamed—people now called it Myriad Phenomena Mountain.
Most of the people within weren't natives of the Wasteland Realm, but prodigies from other worlds.
Ever since cracks had appeared in the Heaven Gate, the guardians of the barrier had gradually loosened restrictions, allowing more and more entrants to pass through each year.
The Great Yan Dao Palace, backing the academy, had clearly reached some sort of secret arrangement with the gate's guardians, enabling the full relocation of the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy into the Wasteland Realm.
"The Guardians…" Yang Cheng murmured, his eyes thoughtful.
He had long heard of the Wasteland Guardians by name, but had never seen one in person.
Those beings existed far beyond his current level; he was still unqualified to meet them.
Setting the matter aside, he recalled Li Xiang's later instructions.
After confirming that Yang Cheng would come, Li Xiang had sent a second message:
"Virtuous Brother, please do me a favor and observe how the disciples of my Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy are performing. Too many people around me are putting up façades, and I can no longer see the truth clearly."
After a brief moment of thought, Yang Cheng used his token to find the courtyard that had been assigned to him.
The courtyard was quite spacious, with separate rooms for each occupant.
Inside, several young cultivators were already seated together, chatting in the open yard.
One of them stood and greeted him. "Greetings, Dao Friend. I'm Dongfang Sheng."
The youth's skin was fair and delicate—so much so that, at a glance, one might mistake him for a girl.
"I'm Yang Cheng," he replied with a nod.
Internally, he recalled Li Xiang's notes—Dongfang Sheng, thirteen years old, already capable of refining Saint-grade pills.
Beside him were two others—one tall and dark-skinned, with a reserved demeanor, and another who carried himself with elegant poise, dressed in fine robes that clearly marked noble lineage.
They, too, introduced themselves: the quiet one was Zeng Niu, and the refined one, Xu Letian.
Yang Cheng found Li Xiang's arrangements rather intriguing.
Three disciples in the same courtyard, each representing a different background—Dongfang Sheng, the gifted genius; Zeng Niu, the humble commoner; and Xu Letian, the proud aristocrat.
Xu Letian sighed, stretching lazily. "We really got the short end of the stick, huh? Just joined the Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, and now we have to move to some backwater world like this. If the academy's reputation and strength weren't as great as they are, I'd have withdrawn already."
Zeng Niu scratched his head and stayed quiet.
He didn't really see the problem. Though he came from a greater world, he had always lived at the bottom rung of society—life there hadn't been much better than in the Wasteland Realm.
Dongfang Sheng nodded in agreement. "That's true. The environment here is quite rough. Even the spiritual energy in the air feels thin."
"The thin spiritual energy doesn't bother me," Xu Letian said casually. "I've got plenty of spirit stones. What really worries me is how boring this place is. Back in the Horn Constellation Realm, the streets were full of spirit beast mounts, floating islands, and illusion worlds. But here? People still ride horses. It's like stepping straight into the primordial era."
"Even so," Dongfang Sheng replied with a faint smile, "there's a certain charm in that simplicity."
"There is a kind of charm," Xu Letian said with a sudden grin. "After all, this year's batch of disciples includes quite a few stunning beauties."
"Oh?" Dongfang Sheng looked intrigued.
Zeng Niu, embarrassed, rubbed his nose but didn't walk away.
Xu Letian leaned forward. "Take Qin Qiansheng and Tang Xingyu for example. The first is a girl from the Wasteland Realm, but her looks and grace are in no way inferior to the noble ladies of the Horn Constellation Realm…"
While the three continued chatting, Yang Cheng decided it was time to leave. He still had to collect his Alchemy Master Token.
Alchemy Hall — Master's Pavilion
Inside the grand hall, Wang Rou sat slumped at her desk, clearly disheartened.
Once again, she had failed her Alchemy assessment. She still hadn't been promoted to an official Alchemy Master and could only remain an ordinary lecturer.
The difference in status and benefits between a lecturer and An Alchemy Master was enormous—several times over.
But Wang Rou didn't believe the problem lay with her skills.
She was confident in her abilities; in fact, some of the current Alchemy Masters were not even as competent as she was.
The real issue was the growing rift within the academy.
The Grand Chancellor sought to run the Dao Academy as a pure institution of learning, while the deans wanted to use its influence to form alliances and pursue personal gain.
And because Wang Rou had once been a personal student of the Grand Chancellor, she had naturally become a target of the deans' suppression.
"Lecturer Wang," a middle-aged female lecturer said suddenly, breaking the silence, "have you heard? Our Alchemy Hall is about to welcome a new Alchemy Master."
Swish!
Every head in the room turned toward her.
An Alchemy Master's status was nothing to take lightly.
Across the entire Myriad Phenomena Dao Academy, there were over 300 lecturers and more than 1,000 teaching assistants.
But official Alchemy Masters? Fewer than 60 in total. That alone showed how rare and prestigious the title was.
"I've heard some vague rumors," Wang Rou replied calmly. "But I don't know anything about his background."
"I don't know much either," the middle-aged woman said, her tone carrying a hint of gossip. "But I was the one sent to handle his Alchemy Master Token. Those tokens must be registered with the holder's portrait information. I took one glance at his image—he looks just like a young man, almost like someone who stepped straight out of a painting."
Wang Rou smiled faintly. "Then he's probably some senior who's cultivated a longevity art. Nothing unusual about that."
"Still, I find it odd," another lecturer chimed in curiously. "All our classes already have assigned Masters. If this new person's joining, what exactly is he going to teach?"