Chapter 11: The Flying Boat and the Crimson Horizon
The silver-hulled flying boat, a masterpiece of the Hung Kingdom's royal craftsmanship, cut through the sea of clouds with the grace of a celestial swan. Etched with wind-riding formations and powered by the Top-Grade Spirit Essence Stone Tian Mo had claimed from the royal vault, the vessel moved at a speed that would have left common carriages in the dust of history.
Behind them, the Myriad Kingdom Alliance City was shrinking into a mere speck of grey and gold against the vast green tapestry of the lower realms. Ahead lay the Azure Barrier, the mystical mountain range that separated the mundane kingdoms from the legendary Sage Continent.
Tian Mo stood at the prow of the ship, his white robes snapping sharply in the high-altitude winds. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, but his mind was deep within the Divine Library.
[DING!]
[Knowledge Hunger Status: Critical.]
[Data Bank: 12,400 Basic Manuals, 3,500 Medicinal Recipes, 1,200 Artifact Blueprints.]
[Optimization Required: Current data is insufficient for '7-Star Saint Teacher' rank synchronization. Seeking Higher-Tier Archives...]
Tian Mo sighed, the sound lost in the roar of the wind. Even after scanning the Imperial Archives of the Alliance, the Library was still "hungry." To others, he was a God-like genius; to the Library, he was still a student who had only finished the first chapter of a billion-page book.
"Master, the wind is getting colder. We are approaching the barrier."
Tian Mo turned to see Princess Ling'er. She looked different since the tournament. Her "Gentle Princess" aura was now laced with a cold, crystalline sharpness. The Lightning Lizard, Xiao Lei, was perched on her shoulder, its tiny tongue flickering as it tasted the increasingly dense Qi in the air.
"The cold you feel isn't from the weather, Ling'er," Tian Mo said, his voice calm. "It's the 'Spirit Pressure' of the Sage Continent. It is a filter. Those with weak foundations feel it as ice; those with perfect foundations feel it as wine."
Ling'er closed her eyes, practicing the Heaven's Path Breath Tian Mo had taught her. Within seconds, the shivering stopped, and a faint, rosy glow returned to her cheeks.
The Queen's Dominance
From the cabin emerged Queen Zhao Yan. She wore her crimson royal robes, her dominating aura so potent that the elite guards on the deck instinctively lowered their heads as she passed. She stopped beside Tian Mo, her eyes—sharp as a hawk's—scanning the horizon.
"The Sage Continent Pavilion has sent word," she said, her voice a low, commanding melody. "Since you broke the record and exposed the Alliance's corruption, they are skipping the preliminary entry tests for you. However, you are still registered as a teacher from the 'Mortal Fringe.' The elite schools in the Sage Continent... they will not be welcoming."
Tian Mo looked at her, a faint, amused glint in his eyes. "Since when does a lion care if the sheep are welcoming, Zhao Yan?"
The Queen smiled—a rare, dangerous expression that could melt or freeze a man's heart. "True. But remember, the 'Sheep' in the Sage Continent are often 8-Star masters who have lived for three hundred years. They don't like being told their life's work is full of flaws by a man who looks like he should still be a student."
"Master!" Li Feng's voice boomed as he climbed up from the lower training deck. He was drenched in sweat, his spear glowing with a concentrated golden light. "I just performed the 'Dragon-Bane Thrust' ten thousand times. My Qi feels like it's boiling!"
Tian Mo glanced at him.
[Scan Initiated.]
[Subject: Li Feng. Flaw: Excess heat in the third meridian. Solution: Strike the Tian-Jue point.]
Without a word, Tian Mo flicked a finger. A tiny spark of Qi hit Li Feng's shoulder.
Hiss—!
A cloud of grey steam erupted from Li Feng's back. His face, which had been bright red, immediately returned to normal, and his aura became three times more condensed.
"Thank you, Master!" Li Feng shouted, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the deck.
"Your foundation is stabilizing," Tian Mo said. "But the Sage Continent's Annual Exam Hall is ten times larger than anything you saw in the Alliance. There, you won't be fighting geniuses; you'll be fighting the 'Laws of the World'. Do not get complacent."
The First Sleep Mode Warning
As the flying boat crossed the first peak of the Azure Barrier, a sudden, violent vibration rocked the vessel. The sky changed from blue to a deep, royal purple. The Qi density tripled in an instant, hitting the boat like a physical wave.
Tian Mo felt the Divine Library inside his head suddenly expand. It was like a black hole, greedily sucking in the new, high-tier information from the environment—the shifting weather patterns, the ancient formations embedded in the mountains, the unique Qi signatures of the Sage Continent.
[WARNING!]
[Data Influx: 400% above normal threshold.]
[Divine Library is forced to enter 'Stabilization Protocol'.]
[Active Scanning will be disabled in 24 hours.]
[Estimated Sleep Mode Duration: 48 hours.]
Tian Mo's eyes narrowed. Sleep Mode? Now?
The timing was less than ideal. They were about to dock at the Sanctuary Port, the gateway to the Sage Pavilion HQ. To be without his active scan in a place full of 7-Star and 8-Star masters was like walking into a forest of wolves without a torch.
"Lu!" Tian Mo shouted.
Janitor Lu, who was currently trying (and failing) to feed Xiao Lei a piece of dried meat, came running. "Yes, Master?"
"Gather all the jade slips we collected from the Alliance's secret library. I need to review the 'Sage Continent Social Hierarchy' and the 'Pavilion Entrance Protocols' immediately."
"But Master, you've already read them once!" Lu stammered.
"Read them again," Tian Mo commanded.
He needed to store as much "static" data as possible before the system went dark. If he couldn't scan people in real-time, he would have to rely on the vast ocean of knowledge he had already stored.
The Arrival: Sanctuary Port
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of bruised orange and gold, the flying boat began its descent. Below them lay Sanctuary Port, a city built entirely of white jade that floated on a massive lake of mercury.
Hundreds of flying boats from different empires were docked here. Some were shaped like dragons, others like giant lotus flowers. The sheer amount of wealth and power on display made the Myriad Kingdom Alliance look like a collection of mud huts.
As the Hung Kingdom's boat touched down at the pier, a group of scholars in pale blue robes approached. At their lead was a middle-aged man with a thin mustache and a 5-Star Supreme Teacher badge pinned to his chest. He looked at the modest silver boat with a sneer that he didn't bother to hide.
"Identification," the 5-Star teacher said, his voice flat and dismissive.
Janitor Lu stepped forward, trembling, and presented the 7-Star Saint Teacher badge Tian Mo had received.
The teacher's eyes widened for a split second, then he let out a short, mocking laugh. "A 7-Star badge... from the Hung Kingdom? Is this a joke? Who did you buy this from? Or did your King forge it in a blacksmith shop?"
Li Feng stepped forward, his spear sparking, but Tian Mo raised a hand, stopping him.
Tian Mo stepped off the boat. His white robes seemed to catch the dying light of the sun, making him look like an immortal stepping out of a painting. His handsome face was calm, his eyes indifferent.
"The badge was issued by the Sage Continent Headquarters' messenger," Tian Mo said. "If you have a problem with its validity, I suggest you take it up with the Elders in the Pavilion HQ. Or," Tian Mo stepped closer, his Sovereign Teacher Aura flaring for just a micro-second, "you can do your job and guide us to the guest hall."
The 5-Star teacher felt a sudden, crushing weight on his chest. For a moment, he felt like he was standing before a 9-Star Ancestor. He stumbled back, his face turning pale.
"I... I am Teacher Han," he stammered, his arrogance momentarily shattered. "The guest hall for... lower kingdoms... is in the West Wing. Follow me."
Tian Mo looked at the sky. He could feel the Divine Library's timer ticking down.
12 hours until Sleep Mode.
He turned to his wives and students. "Stay close. This city is built on a formation that scans your soul. Keep your Qi restricted to the Heaven's Path rhythm. We aren't here to make friends; we are here to eat their knowledge."
The Night Before the Exam
Inside the West Wing Guest Hall—which was surprisingly luxurious despite Han's "lower kingdom" comment—Tian Mo sat in the center of the room. He had laid out hundreds of jade slips around him.
[Divine Library: Final Scan before Sleep Mode...]
[Processing... Sage Continent Map... 100 Schools Directory... Annual Exam Hall Regulations...]
"Master, why the rush?" Ling'er asked, bringing him a cup of spirit tea.
"Knowledge is like water in a desert, Ling'er," Tian Mo said, his eyes scanning three slips at once. "You don't wait until you're thirsty to dig a well. Tomorrow, the Annual Supreme Teacher Exam begins. There will be five thousand candidates in the hall. And the system... the system is going to be quiet."
"Quiet?" Queen Zhao Yan asked, her brow furrowing. "You mean your... 'intuition' will be gone?"
"Partially," Tian Mo replied. He looked at his wives and his disciples. "But a teacher who only relies on a tool is not a master. Tomorrow, I will show the Sage Continent that even without my 'eyes,' I can see their ending."
[DING!]
[System Sleep Mode: Activated in 3... 2... 1...]
The golden light in Tian Mo's mind faded into a soft, steady hum. He could still see the library, but the "Active Scanner" was dark. He was now on his own.
He stood up, his handsome face illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the jade windows. "Li Feng, Ling'er. Rest. Tomorrow, we break their records. And Janitor Lu..."
"Yes, Master?"
"Make sure my white robes are pressed. If I'm going to shock the world, I might as well look good doing it."
The first night on the Sage Continent had begun. The "Trash Teacher" was now a "Saint," and the 100 Schools of Philosophers had no idea that a man with a bottomless hunger for their secrets had just arrived at their door.