"I... Have awakened!"A voice that sounded more ancient and old than a hundred years old man was spoken out by the tree whom had already opened its eyes wide now.
"The millennium Yidara tree had regained.. its spirit?" muttered Hong Xin in a daze.
Hong Xin knew that the tree had already pa.s.sed a thousand years old in age, and in his calculations before, about five thousand years old!
The millennium Yidara tree is an extremely rare species that will possess a spirit of its own by the time it reached 100 years old. After it reached its 1000 years old mark, the spirit will slowly fall into a slumber and will remain dormant for nine thousand years.
Only after reaching the age of 10,000 years old would it awake from its slumber reaching adulthood.
Yet, to think that this tree whom is only around 5000 years old to have already awakened?
How is this possible?
"Child.. come closer.." said the tree to Duan Li after it gazed at the latter for a long time.
Duan Li hesitated and turned towards the senior teachers. After he saw them nodding their heads in a solemn manner, Duan Li gritted his teeths together nervously as he walked forward slowly.
He stopped just before the tree.
"I sense.. a mysterious force.. dwelling in you.." the tree said with extreme ancientness, as if peering into the depths of his soul.
"Yes.. this force has entwined itself.. into your destiny.. but.. even then.. I cannot see the strings.. of fate.. touch upon you boy.. " the tree peered deeper.
The tree continued to observe Duan Li as its frown deepened.
"It seems, it is this mysterious force.. that have awakened me.. even forcing rebirth.. such power.. and you.. chosen by it.. hmm.. mysterious.. "
Slowly uttering each word like an old man, the tree closed its eyes for a while as the hall became silent to respect the tree in its contemplating state..
...
Outside the academy gate..
"T-thats esteemed knight, Ju Hai! One of the seven swords of the empire had also come?"
"Thats not all, look over there, that is Shi Dai! a t.i.tled knight and also part of the subjugation army!"
"Fang Liu, another esteemed knights?!"
"Di Luli, the peerless beauty from the Moon pavilion?"
"And thats... "
The crowd was getting ever larger at this moment. If not for the two guardians standing straight with their backs like a pair of mountain, these people would have already rushed inside the academy to take a look.
"Che.. these two guardian would be impossible to pa.s.s through.." said the esteemed knight, Ju Hai as he floated up in the air as well as numerous other experts exuding mighty aura.
In fact, they could have easily flew over the gates and the wall surrounding the academy with their flight capabilities, but no one here are fool enough to dare to even try.
The reason for that is because the academy are being protected by numerous runic formations that will be fatal to ANY invaders.
Furthermore, these two guardian Knights are extremely brutal - slaughter cla.s.s puppet at that. Driven entirely by several high purity spirit stones, their potential is around lower nascent grade.
If that was all, it wouldn"t pose a problem for most of the experts as they too are of the same level, and some are even above or beyond that!
However, slaughter cla.s.s.. now that is terrifying!
This is the type of puppet that will ignore their spiritual Qi usage and just blast waves after waves of lethal and high level skills continuously until they ran dry.
There will be bound to have numerous deaths and heavy casualties if they ever take action, and anyone who provoked them to do so, will instead be the one who are charged with the a.s.sault.
Thus, no one dared to enter the academy and could only observe from afar. They discussed some possible theories and conjectures regarding what had just happened inside the academy for the whole Jiu Empire to be engulfed in that white light before.
...
Creak!
The door of the hall was opened wide suddenly as a figure around the age of sixty years old came in along with several other elders of the academy behind him with solemn looks to them.
The figure who lead them in doesn"t seem to be that impressive compared to the others. In fact, one could even hardly feel any sort of intimidating aura and ancientness to it that could usually be found on powerful experts of his age.
Nevertheless, this old man who seemed to be just like another old mortal you could find anywhere on the street is surprisingly the most calm and composed. His brows curled upwards slightly, but that was it for his reaction after seeing the transformation on the millennium Yidara tree.
The rest of the people who followed him are no different than how Hong Xin and the other two senior teacher reacted before, with eyes and mouth wide agaped open.
Now that the trio could finally see how that incredulous expression looked like, they immediately looked to the ground in shame as their faces flushed red.
Is that how we looked like?
...
The man on the lead waved his hands as the people behind him nodded and stopped following him.
"Princ.i.p.al Bian Tianyu.." greeted Hong Xin, Ling Yu and w.a.n.g Guozhi respectfully with a bow.
When Duan Li and Xiahou Yu heard their senior teacher called out that old figure who seemed like a mortal to them as THE princ.i.p.al himself, their faces turned a little bit pale and bowed as well.
"Princ.i.p.al!" they called out in unison.
They didn"t dare to utter the princ.i.p.al"s name as they were but a pair of new student. Far removed from the hierarchy of the academy until they formally becomes part of the community.
"En." nodded the princ.i.p.al as he walked forward towards the tree casually, stopping just before entering the shades zone.
"Millennium Yidara tree, how have you regained your consciousness? You are still only about 5000 years old.. " he asked curiously.
"State your rank human.. " the tree said in an indifferent voice.
"I am called Bian Tianyu, a princ.i.p.al of this academy. As for my rank.. if this academy is a kingdom, then I am its ruler." explained the princ.i.p.al using a comparison method.
This is because the tree"s age had far exceeded from when the Jiu empire was founded two thousand years ago. Thus, it may not know what is an academy as the term has not yet existed before.
However, a kingdom and a ruler is a term that had existed since the beginning of time perhaps. Therefore, using such comparison method is definitely the correct step to explain his rank among the people here to the tree.
"Hmm a ruler.. very well.. other than this princ.i.p.al and the four of you, the rest will have to leave.." demanded the tree.
The princ.i.p.al nodded and turned towards the people who entered along with him. With a nod, they all hurried to exit the room. Perhaps what the tree was about to say is something that shouldn"t be heard by the unrelated people.
After they were the only one remaining in the room, the princ.i.p.al muttered some incomprehensible language as his hands moved to create a series of hand incantations and sealed the whole hall away from prying ears and onlookers.
"Hmm.. s.p.a.ce dimensional transfer magic.. impressive.. but not secure enough.. let me help you.." said the tree as its whole being glowed bright and encompa.s.sed the whole sealed area.
"This.. a sixth tier s.p.a.ce dimensional transfer magic?" thought the princ.i.p.al. He himself had only mastered up until the third tier, but the tree was able to use it up to the sixth.
One had to know that each tier is five times harder to achieve than the previous tier. For the tree to use it so non-chalantly in but an instant, perhaps the sixth tier is not its limit.
This in itself is already a testament that this tree is something from the far ancient times.
"Incredible..". he thought.
"Before I speak.. know of my name.. I am called Ancestor Zong.." the tree said as it continued;
"First.. I have awakened around five thousand years too early.. and had also undergone a rebirth.. you.. the human called princ.i.p.al.. must protect this boy away from harm.. for he is my benefactor.."
The princ.i.p.al turned his head towards Duan Li and his brows raised.
"Second.. the boy.. is not tied to the strings of fate.. his destiny is far greater.. for what purpose.. that I do not know.. "
"Third.. know that in a few years time.. the Tian continent will undergo a series of turmoil.. I have felt it.. the abominations.. will be awakened soon.. sometime in this era.."
"Fourth.. against this.. the humans must ally themselves together.. for how that is achieved.. or if it is even possible.. I also do not know.. "
"Finally.. the fifth.. after the abominations.. will come the calamity.. for the end times.. will rise the Ancient One.. for which all life.. shall return to its origin.. to start anew.. "
Hearing this, the princ.i.p.al"s face that was calm before turned extremely grim and solemn, before he asked:
"How do we tide through those end times?"
The tree was silent for a while, before it closes its eyes. It then replied with a single sentence full of solemness:
"The final.. is impossible to tide through!"
...