There were various formalities and procedures to go through before leaving the square, but the Invincible Society took care of everything.

‘I really got lucky. The Invincible Society is taking care of me from the get-go.’ Looking around, he saw the other students looking at him, stunned, and he nodded in return. They were all common students now and were hoping that other elders would recruit them, allowing them to become consecrated students. Of course, none of the other societies could possibly compare to the Invincible Society.

Swish!

After Yang Qi left, the elders descended into the square, expressions of hatred and anger flickering on their faces.

They detested the Invincible Society, and yet, couldn’t do anything about them. There wasn’t a need to even mention the freak that was the Invincible Dugu. After all, among the disciples, even just the Eldest Brother was so strong that not even the elder kings could deal with him.

And it was useless trying to use the rules and laws of the collegium against the society as a whole.

“Damnation,” one of the elders growled. “That Yang Qi ruined the entrance ceremony, and actually killed people in the World of Mirages. He’s hiding something, that’s for sure. He actually tweaked the magical laws of life and death set in place by immortals! We should really grab him and interrogate him. Force him to tell his secrets!”

“Go ahead and try. But I'm warning you, the Invincible Society is incredible. They’re the type that defy all laws and principles, even those of the heavens. Mess with them, and you’re just asking for a catastrophe. Remember what happened last time? Five elder kings were all defeated by their Eldest Brother. Nothing was really settled in the end and the Invincible Dugu never even bothered to show up.”

“Hmph! The Invincible Dugu defies heaven with that taboo art he cultivates. I can’t believe he actually made an Invincible Heart. He still thinks he’s going to reach the Demolishing level and become an immortal? Yeah right, how could he possibly succeed? I bet that he was punished by heaven and is already dead. Ground to pieces! Destroyed in body and spirit! And that Eldest Brother is going to be the same. The best way to get people like that killed is to just let them go crazier and crazier. They’ll all suffer horrible fates.”

“Alright, enough chatter. Let's pick some of these new students. It's too bad all of the mutants were killed. They were the quintessence of the Everlasting Alliance, and were all supposed to become Demi-Immortals and royal students. Sadly... ai....”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. So what if a few new students were killed. To the Titan Emperor Collegium as a whole, they might as well have been specks of dust. The really worrisome thing is that the Invincible Society has gained another fiendish monster in their ranks.”

“That’s true. Sword Seventeen is the weakest among them, but even as a mere fifth step he can already destroy the ninth step. That’s heaven-defying enough as it is. Now they have an even more heaven-defying monster, someone in the second step who can slaughter the eighth step like squashing melons or cutting vegetables. If he can already tweak the magical laws set by immortals, what’s he going to be like later...?”

“Hmph! He’s not even close to reaching his potential,” another elder said coldly. “He’s only a second step Great Sage, that's all. In the Titan Emperor Collegium, even those in the ninth step are still just ordinary students. Only reaching the Demi-Immortal level makes you a royal student. It will take him years to reach that point, and there will be plenty of chances for him to die along the way. Considering how arrogant he is, he’ll surely meet disaster eventually.”

“Come on, let’s go. I've already decided who I want to recruit.”

The elders went on to pick their students, then left. Eventually, the new common students were left behind, feeling horrible, yet glad they were still alive and not freshman students. After all, even common students from the Titan Emperor Collegium were still extremely powerful in the Four Wilds planetary systems.

Enormous organizations like the Hanging Mountain were relatively common in the Four Wilds, yet even the leaders of such huge sects would never dare to act rashly when it came to dealing with students from the Titan Emperor Collegium.

**

The events in the entrance ceremony were causing an uproar in the collegium that wouldn’t die down anytime soon.

Now that Yang Qi was a member of the Invincible Society, nobody would casually cause problems for him. But that didn’t mean that he was in the free and clear.

In the depths of the Titan Emperor Collegium was an enormous building with a sign above the gate that read: “Preheaven Society.” Its aura was ancient, with energy flows the likes of which had come to exist before heaven and earth.

At the back of a certain palace hall inside the building was a private chamber usually used like a mansion grotto for cultivation. Within that chamber was a prayer mat, atop which sat an old man with a long white beard. His eyes were closed, and he simply sat there breathing.

He was a Demi-Immortal!

On a platform a bit lower than the old man was a young, scholarly looking individual sitting cross-legged, eyes flickering with both hatred and violence. Somehow, he seemed to radiate the aura of a powerful leader.

That young scholar was none other than Chancellor Demi-Immortal.

“Patriarch, I was the one who brought about the destruction of the Demi-Immortal Institute. I've become an embarrassment to the ancestors.” A tremor of anger passed through Chancellor Demi-Immortal as he uttered the words.

The old man sighed. “It's been countless years since the Demi-Immortal Society left the Titan Emperor Collegium and founded the Demi-Immortal Institute. Unfortunately, the institute never really took off. After the dissolution of the Demi-Immortal Society I may have had to join the Preheaven Society to survive, but in my heart I’ll always remain loyal to my original society.

“Who could have guessed that the Demi-Immortal Institute, which could once rebuke heaven and earth, would eventually fall? And it's impossible to say which aspects of space-time the old patriarchs of the institute are in now. Now here you are, the chancellor, looking for help from me. Presumably you want to kill that Yang Qi, correct? He's already a member of the Invincible Society, and they’re not to be trifled with.”

“That villain is a walking disaster. He killed my daughter, and thus, he is my mortal enemy! If I don't get revenge, I’ll never be able to live with myself. If I had only realized earlier what type of person he was, I could have done something. But by the time I realized it, it was too late. Now I'm here, a student of the Titan Emperor Collegium with a different face. I am forced to lurk in the shadows while he basks in the light. Eventually, I’ll find an opportunity to kill him.” Chancellor Demi-Immortal looked up, and his expression was one of unswerving determination.

“Well, you are a genius, of that much I'm certain. Even being stuck in the backwater Rich-Lush Continent, you still managed to reach the seventh step of the Great Sage level. And now you’re in the eighth step. With the immortal energy you have access to here, I'm sure it won’t be long before you become a Demi-Immortal. Then you can just kill Yang Qi outright.”

“Yes. I’ve also called on a lot of my connections to make sure everyone I know wants Yang Qi dead. I've even called on people I know outside of the Four Wilds planetary systems, including people in the Megaplexus Heaven, the Southern Clarity Heaven, and other places.” Chancellor Demi-Immortal clenched his hand into a fist. ‘You just wait, Yang Qi. You’re dead! Luckily for you, I intend to take the God Legion Seal from you, otherwise I would make sure everyone knew about it.’

**

In the depths of the Invincible Society, Yang Qi sat in a lovely courtyard.

The floor was as red as blood, as it was crafted from precious redflame blood stones, which were used in ancient times for cultivation purposes. The redflame blood energy within them could be used to accelerate the circulation of one's true energy and lead to a tenfold speed increase in cultivation progress.

Usually, such stones were hard to come across, yet this entire courtyard was paved with them.

As Yang Qi’s true energy flowed through his meridians, it formed countless hell vortexes. Those vortexes helped bolster his true energy and, when activated to their limit, could create explosive eruptions of true energy.

Back when he was in the mere fifth phase of the Energy Arts level, Energy Eruption, his hell vortexes could be used to embed a pebble deep into a cliffside. Nowadays, his power levels were so far beyond that level that they were like the difference between the mud and the clouds. Back then he had been an ant, whereas now, he was a divine dragon soaring in the highest heavens.

After all, his hell vortexes were like black holes that reached all the way to the Hell of Mahānata, giving him access to the essence of a true hell.

“Ten Thousand Lives; the Eternal Sands....” He felt like his entire body, including all of his eight hundred forty million particles, were shrinking and cracking. His entire person became like a grain of sand that was connected to heaven and earth. It felt like he could easily shatter and become powder then, just as quickly, resume his previous form. It was like he was made from eternal sand.

He was breaking into the Eternal Sands Step. If he succeeded, he would be strong enough to easily cut down someone in the ninth step.

Yan Weiyi was off to the side, watching, a look of surprise on his face. He was a Demi-Immortal himself, and also an invincible genius who could fight and kill people above his own level.

Therefore, he could see the streams of godpower at play, as well as universal essence and magical laws. The four elemental powers of earth, water, fire, and wind were working, as were the elemental fays of time and space.

‘This new Junior Brother of mine is incredible!’ He licked his lips in anticipation. ‘What will he be like in the third or fourth step? And if he continues to rise in the levels and becomes a Demi-Immortal, just what kind of unimaginable power will he have? Not even Eldest Brother was this strong back when he was in the second step. It seems we might have a second Eldest Brother here in the Invincible Society. I bet that when he’s a Demi-Immortal, he’ll be strong enough to kill Demolishers. If that happens, then a major storm is going to hit the Titan Emperor Collegium.’