When Zhu Qingyu's words fell, the entire plaza went dead silent. Every head turned. Those who did not know Chen Song looked around in confusion. Those who knew him stared at the man with undisguised shock.

Upon recovering from their disbelief, their expressions changed to envy. No one raised a single objection to Chen Song being admitted directly into the Celestial Court. The order had come from King Lu himself, after all, and he was the lord of the Celestial Court.

Furthermore, Chen Song was not going to take one of the thirty-six slots, which meant the fairness of the trials remained intact.

Of course, everyone was concerned not about the fact that Chen Song was going to directly enter the Celestial Court. Instead, they were more concerned with the fact that he was going to speak with King Lu privately. Yes, privately.

It was an opportunity they could only dream of obtaining. Forget about receiving anything; the idea of just standing near Lu Yuan was already incredible for them.

When Chen Song stepped forward, every pair of eyes in the plaza followed him, and they glimmered with envy.

Chen Song himself had never expected that Lu Yuan still remembered him.

Zhu Qingyu nodded at him and said, "King Lu is waiting for you at the foot of Mount Tai. You can just go there." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Chen Song decisively left the plaza, all the while being followed by the gazes of those participating in the trials.

"Alright. The trials will resume now," Zhu Qingyu said, her face solemn. The students said nothing more. They drew deep breaths and calmed themselves down as the trials resumed.

***

Chen Song walked down Mount Tai with an uneasy heart. Before long, he spotted a figure standing not far ahead. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he sported an extraordinary demeanor, but his aura remained subdued.

Chen Song approached and bowed slightly as he cautiously said, "King Lu."

Back in the old era, they were classmates. There had been a gap in their family backgrounds, but it wasn't exactly insurmountable.

Now, things were different. Lu Yuan had become King Lu. The strongest Awakened on Earth, and a Sage. How about Chen Song? In this new era, he was thoroughly ordinary, and the Mount Tai Trials Academy was full of people just like him.

Regardless of the relationship they shared before, the gap in their status had grown too large for Chen Song to treat Lu Yuan as casually as he did back then.

Lu Yuan turned around and smiled. "We were classmates in the old era. You don't have to be so formal."

Lu Yuan made himself look like he hadn't changed at all so that Chen Song wouldn't feel too pressured. Unfortunately, it seemed ineffective. However, there wasn't anything he could do about it, as being too enthusiastic would be counterproductive.

"How's your father doing?" Lu Yuan asked, changing the topic. He knew that Chen Song's father was suffering from a chronic health issue. Bringing it up could ease the tension between them.

"He recovered completely after consuming some exotic herbs. He's in great health now," Chen Song answered. "I really have to thank you for the guidance you gave me back then, King Lu. Without it, my father's illness would never have been cured, and I would never have set foot on the path of evolution.

"In fact, had it not been for you, all of us would have died during the early stages of the Global Awakening. I owe you a lot."

With that, Chen Song bowed again.

"It was something I had to do," Lu Yuan replied. Then he said, "You should know by now that the cauldron I bought from you was a treasure. I won't hide it from you. It helped me a lot, and I believe in karma."

"I figured that was why you summoned me here, King Lu," Chen Song replied, smiling. "I gave it to you willingly. And even if I hadn't, someone else would have gotten their hands on it. Besides, someone like me could never have unlocked its true power.

"You defended the supercities and stopped the mutated beasts from running rampant. You've done more than enough for me and everyone. The deserving should get what they deserve—I believe things should be this way."

In truth, he realized that the cauldron was an extraordinary treasure shortly after the Global Awakening, but he had never once regretted the sale. What would he have done with it?

He had watched the chaos of the new era unfold with his own eyes, and he also knew that an innocent man could instantly become guilty of a great crime by the mere possession of a precious treasure.

Lu Yuan was genuinely surprised to hear that. He had never imagined that someone who had been so unremarkable during their university days had such an open mind.

"I understand what you're saying. From now on, if you ever need help, look for me," Lu Yuan said. He had already made up his mind. Regardless of Chen Song's talent, his mentality alone placed him far above most people.

With proper support, his future accomplishments would not be small. Of course, Lu Yuan would not be stingy. After all, he truly believed in karma.

"Thank you, King Lu," Chen Song replied with clear excitement on his face. He understood the weight of Lu Yuan's words, so he did not refuse the offer.

Everyone had their own goals and desires, and having an open mind did not mean being indifferent to everything. If there was an opportunity to grow stronger by having access to better resources, why would he turn that opportunity down?

"Good." Lu Yuan nodded, understanding exactly what the other man was thinking.

The two spoke for a while, mostly about the good old days. They also talked about how their former classmates were doing and the like, but that was about it. In the end, Lu Yuan told Chen Song to seek out Chunyang and enter the Celestial Court.

He also had a separate plan for Chen Song.

Chen Song's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. To him, even Chunyang was a major figure within the Trials Academy.

Soon, the two parted ways. Lu Yuan watched Chen Song's departing figure, seemingly lost in thought. Then he shook his head, took a single step, and vanished into the distance.

He moved so fast that he reached Jade Emperor Peak in the blink of an eye.

The ruins were still there, but now, Lu Yuan could say with certainty that the ruins did not truly belong to the Celestial Court. It was much like the replica of the Netherworld in Kunlun's secret realm. In other words, this place was also an imitation. As for which era it was made, that remained a mystery.

He opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eyes and observed it for a while, but nothing had changed. After a while, he turned around and walked in another direction.

There, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the Peacock King, the Nine-tailed Fox King, the Spirit Monkey, and the other beast kings stood waiting for him. There were dozens of other beast kings, and they were all at the Venerable King Realm.

Setting aside the beings from the Outer Cosmos, these beast kings were the most powerful living beings in the current era, and they represented the most formidable force of the Celestial Court.

The beast kings noticed Lu Yuan's arrival and approached him. Many had assumed human forms, and they bowed toward him, much like humans would do.

"King Lu!"

"Please, there's no need for formalities." Lu Yuan smiled and waved. Then his gaze settled on the Golden-Winged Great Peng. "I have something very important that I need you to handle."