I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

"Our Zheng family has come on the king's orders!" the Zheng family elder said in a deep voice.

He made the same mistake as the Misty Palace: seeing that Shen Ming was already at the Sovereign Realm at such a young age, he assumed that Shen Ming was from the Upper Realm.

They brought out the Panyue Dynasty to intimidate the enemy.

That's true. Zheng Xuanfeng, the divine son of the Zheng family, became the disciple of the Great Western King and established a relationship with the Panyue Dynasty.

Although Zheng Xuanfeng died at the Imperial Ceremony of the Eternal Academy, the Zheng family reconnected with the Marquis of Champion of the Panyue Dynasty.

Dealing with the Black and White Academy today is also on the orders of the Marquis of Champion.

Unexpectedly, the Pan Yue Dynasty still failed to subdue the young man; instead, they felt an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Quasi-King!

This young man is not just a simple Sovereign Realm cultivator; he is already a Quasi-King!

"When did my Xuanhuang Continent become the territory of the Panyue Dynasty? How come I didn't know?"

Even the Panyue Dynasty couldn't unify the battlefields beyond its borders, yet the Zheng family spoke as if the Xuanhuang Continent had already fallen to the dynasty.

"well said!"

Ji Jiu of the Black and White Academy shouted excitedly.

"My Xuanhuang Continent?"

The elder of the Zheng family deduced from these words that Shen Ming was a native cultivator from the Xuanhuang Continent, and asked in surprise, "Which faction are you from? What's your surname?"

He thought they were prodigies secretly cultivated by the five great families of the Central Region.

"My surname is Jiang."

Shen Ming's heart stirred, revealing a layer of his identity.

"The Jiang family?" The Zheng family didn't react immediately; the name sounded familiar.

Upon hearing this, Ji Jiu of the Black and White Academy made a mental connection, his magic to change the world failed, and he recognized Shen Ming.

This young man is the one who challenged their Black and White Dojo in White Emperor City.

He possesses the dual identities of the Jiang family's divine son and the Xuantian divine son!

"How did he become a quasi-king?!"

Ji Jiu felt dizzy and lightheaded. The events that had occurred in Baidi City had taken less than a year.

At that time, Shen Ming was competing for the Supreme Ranking. Goodness, he has now become one of the top combatants in the Xuanhuang Continent.

"The Jiang family! The Jiang family that lost to the Li family in the last Great Dao competition?!"

The Zheng family elder suddenly remembered something and said, "You're here to participate in the Great Dao Competition, to represent the Jiang family in reclaiming everything you've lost. Shouldn't you be looking for the Li family?!"

Shen Ming thought for a moment and said seriously, "It's just something I did."

"..."

The elder of the Zheng family was both angry and annoyed. Knowing that Shen Ming was a local cultivator, he was no longer so apprehensive and shouted, "Our Zheng family has a true king!"

"Unfortunately, you are not."

Shen Ming's eyes turned cold. A roar came from the sky, and the black dragon, unable to restrain itself, rushed down and began a merciless slaughter.

These minor characters don't require Lord Dragon's intervention.

"My Zheng family will never forgive you!"

The elder of the Zheng family shouted and died under the water mine spewed by the black dragon.

Is that really so cruel?!

Those who survived at the Black and White Academy were all shocked. They had thought Shen Ming would leave them some room to maneuver, after all, he had no direct conflict with the Zheng family.

They were unaware that Shen Ming also had the identity of the Eternal Emperor's Son, and that Zheng Xuanfeng had died by his sword.

The two sides are now locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Of course, the Black and White Academy was happy to see this outcome, and the Zheng family also wanted to exterminate them.

Ji Jiu still remembers that he was in charge of Shen Ming's five rounds of challenges at the Black and White Path Palace.

The body of Vice Hall Master Song Que, who was at odds with Shen Ming at the time, was lying not far away.

Ji Jiu felt a sense of absurd destiny as he looked at the corpses of his fellow disciples scattered across the mountains and fields, tears streaming down his face.

It took him a while to remember to thank Shen Ming for his help.

“There were some unpleasant incidents between Baidi City and the Black and White Academy, but ultimately it was a positive relationship. Why would the Zheng family target you?” Shen Ming said.

"They want the chessboard." Ji Jiu didn't hide anything.

The Black and White Academy is actually about Yin and Yang, but the principles and laws involved in Yin and Yang are too profound and can easily attract backlash, hence the name Black and White.

The black and white chessboard, also known as the yin-yang chessboard, can be used to observe the fortune of a region.

"The ultimate battlefield where the origin of the World Tree is located is on the outer edge of the forbidden zone of life. They want to use the power of the chessboard."

At this point, Ji Jiu said indignantly, "They could have threatened us, or asked for a loan, why did they have to kill us directly!"

"Because it's all the same to them, the dynasty doesn't care."

Shen Ming thought that at the Imperial Prince Ceremony, in addition to the Queen of the Great Western Kingdom, several other large armies were prepared. If the academy did not comply, they would deliver a thunderous blow to the Eternal Academy.

This is the power of an imperial dynasty, domineering and unparalleled.

Shen Ming then explained his purpose, saying that he wanted to comprehend the Black and White Sword Dao in order to enter the Heavenly Sword Realm.

It's not that the Black and White Sword Path is stronger than the Limitless Sword Path, but rather that it allows you to accumulate experience and comprehend more sword intent.

"You possess the Black and White Tokens, so you should be allowed to come to my academy. Moreover, you saved us. Come with me to Black and White Mountain."

Black and White Mountain is the location of the first hall of the Black and White Academy.

Before doing that, Ji Jiu made sure to take something with him and put it in his storage bag.

"Why isn't the Go board placed in the first training hall of the academy?" Shen Ming asked curiously.

“What’s on Xuanhao Mountain isn’t a black and white chessboard, but black chess pieces. The chessboard is located on Black and White Mountain, while the white chess pieces are located in another training ground, in order to share the risks,” Ji Ning said.

"I see."

Black and White Mountains are in the same state, and the journey is not far. At full speed, the group arrived at dusk.

However, what first appeared in the distance was billowing black smoke, and the entire Black and White Mountain was burning fiercely.

The Zheng family is not only attacking Xuanhao Mountain, but also the entire Black and White Academy.

It seems they've already succeeded.

It must have been with the help of the Panyue Dynasty's army that they were able to break through the Dao Palace in just one day.

Thinking of the destruction of the Misty Palace, Shen Ming sighed at how cruel the struggle for the Great Dao truly was.

Did the Jiang family also suffer a crushing defeat back then, facing power from above?

"We still need to fight our way up to the Upper Realm."

Shen Ming sighed, "The combat power of each world has an upper limit, and we are always facing the threat of being attacked by the next higher dimension."

This feeling is so bad!

The Upper Three Realms are no longer open to the Lower Realms; there are only a few opportunities for ascension, such as those offered by the Ancient Holy Academy.

However, nothing is absolute.

There's a saying that it's much easier to get in than to pass the exam.

Ji Jiu, standing beside him, looked even older and his aura had waned.

"Your Excellency, the Black and White Academy is unable to fulfill its promise."

As he spoke, he handed the black chess piece that he had been hiding carefully to Shen Ming, saying, "Please keep this safe for me, Your Excellency."

"What are you going to do?" Shen Ming asked.

Ji Jiu gazed at Black and White Mountain, which was already engulfed in flames, his eyes still resolute.

"Don't do anything reckless. As long as you're alive, there's hope."

Shen Ming could tell that he was willing to sacrifice himself for his cause.

"Hope? Where is there any hope left!" Ji Jiu cried out in despair, utterly hopeless.

Suddenly, he heard Shen Ming say, "In that case, you will follow me and complete this hunting battle together."

Ji Jiu was taken aback, then seriously considered the possibility, and hope rekindled in his eyes.