Under Old Urchin's advice, Xiang Shaoyun and Tuoba Wan'er decided to call the first elder over so they could ask for his thoughts.

Soon, the first elder arrived. He greeted them, "Greetings, young lady and holy son-in-law. What can I do for you?"

Tuoba Wan'er did not say anything unnecessary and directly voiced her request.

When she was done speaking, the first elder still maintained the same expression. He nonchalantly asked, "Is this your idea, young lady, or the holy son-in-law's idea?"

"It's my idea!" both Tuoba Wan'er and Xiang Shaoyun said at the same time.

"Wan'er, you don't need to hide it for me," said Xiang Shaoyun.

The first elder smiled slightly and said, "So this is the holy son-in-law's idea, then?"

Xiang Shaoyun nodded. "I am a disciple of the Dragon Phoenix Academy. I still need to return and cultivate at the academy. Also, I still have some unfinished business. I need to leave."

Tuoba Wan'er quickly said, "Since we are already engaged, I wish to go with him."

The first elder looked at the two, causing them to start feeling uncomfortable. He then looked at Old Urchin, who was seated not far away. Finally, he laughed heartily, "Haha, young lady, holy son-in-law, if you want to leave, you are free to do so at any time. Why do you need to inform an old man like me? It's almost like I am restricting your freedom or something."

Old Urchin immediately looked at the first elder in astonishment as he exclaimed, "Boss, since when were you so agreeable?"

Old Urchin was obviously unable to believe that the first elder would let Xiang Shaoyun and Tuoba Wan'er go so easily. Even the two were filled with disbelief.

The first elder glared at Old Urchin and said, "Don't think that you're the only one thinking on behalf of the young lady. I can do so as well." He then looked at Tuoba Wan'er kindly. "In the past, I prevented you from leaving to protect you, allowing you to focus on cultivation and become our holy maiden. Now that you're getting married soon, the holy son-in-law will naturally take over the responsibility of protecting you. It is also about time for you to go expand your horizon. Only then will you be able to stand your own in the future.

"I naturally won't stop the young lady and the holy son-in-law from leaving. Even if they don't mention this now, after the hall master leaves seclusion, they will still obtain their freedom. But no matter where the young lady goes, Old Urchin, you need to take charge of her safety. If something bad happens to her, you can apologize to the hall master with your own head."

Tuoba Wan'er's eyes were misty after she heard the first elder's words. She said, "Sorry, first grandpa. I misunderstood you all this while."

"Silly child, your first grandpa is used to being the bad guy," said the first elder with a smile. He looked at Xiang Shaoyun with a solemn expression and said, "Holy son-in-law, since you are now engaged to the young lady, you will be the one bearing the responsibility of protecting the young lady. If she suffers any wrongs or harm, wherever you are, I will not spare you!"

Xiang Shaoyun bowed to the first elder and said, "Don't worry, first elder. Even if I die, I won't let any harm come to Wan'er."

The first elder nodded in a satisfied manner and said, "Leave without worries. With me here, nothing will happen to the Holy Hall. But after the hall master leaves seclusion, I will send someone to inform you. You need to come back immediately and get married. This is not up to discussion. If you can't agree to that, I would rather you two wait here until the hall master is out. He will be the one to decide whether you can leave."

At this time, Old Urchin said, "Boss, let me handle them. Don't worry. After the hall master is out, I will immediately bring them back."

"You're the one I'm most worried about. You're never serious. If you somehow lose the young lady, I won't spare you," said the first elder sternly.

"Hmph. You think you're the only one who cares about the young lady? With me around, nobody can harm her!" said Old Urchin unhappily.

"Both grandpas care about Wan'er. I will never forget this," said Tuoba Wan'er.

They proceeded to talk about the academy and what to watch out for. Finally, they decided to set their departure date to be in seven days. The first elder had requested them to delay their departure so he could send someone to deliver a letter to the academy first. That way, the academy could prepare to welcome their holy maiden as a guest.

Although the academy was no weaker than the Holy Earth Hall and had much more clout, the Holy Earth Hall was the Desert of Despair's true master. If the academy wanted their disciples to continue cultivating here, they needed the Holy Earth Hall's permission. Otherwise, they would lose an excellent cultivation spot.

Xiang Shaoyun was not in so much of a rush that he couldn't wait a few days, so he followed the first elder's arrangements.

...

Currently, a major incident was happening at the Dragon Phoenix Academy. The academy had announced the opening of the primary-grade Dragon Phoenix Battleground.

The so-called primary-grade Dragon Phoenix Battleground was a battleground built by the academy. There, the many disciples could grow their strength and obtain some resources to increase their collection of trump cards. Of course, what they managed to get would depend on their own capabilities.

Those capable of reaching the top 100 on the Dragon Phoenix List at the battleground would be allowed to participate in the competition between the four great academies.

This requirement meant that the names on the Dragon Phoenix List would be reshuffled during the primary-grade Dragon Phoenix Battleground. Who would be the new first ranker? Who would be the ultimate dark horse? The ranking would now have an extraordinary significance attached to it.

After all, the top 100 on the ranking would represent the academy and challenge the other three academies. This was a sort of glory granting them the qualification to be one of the world's top prodigies. If one could achieve a brilliant result in the competition, one would obtain instant fame and carve one's name in the annals of history.

Which of these young geniuses was without an ambition to be number one among their peers? They were all talented cultivators who wished to have their names forever remembered by future generations.

During this period of time, the disciples who were cooped up in the various cultivation spots returned one after another, including those top freaks who were rarely seen in normal times. Among them, Baili Yixiao from the Sword Society and Zhan Wushuang from the Crushing Sky also appeared, causing a sensation in the academy.

In everyone's eyes, Baili Yixiao and Zhan Wushuang were the strongest in the academy. Nobody could come close to them, not even the likes of Yu Ziyang, Huang Tianji, and Ouyang Chuanqi.