23: Luojiang Academy

The main control room.

Several third year Trainees from Luo Jiang Academy were eating together.

Jiang Peng, Wang Fu, and the others had no table manners, each holding a large lamb chop and devouring the meat.

Ye Hanmei, on the other hand, was calm and composed, chewing her food slowly.

Jiang Peng took a fierce bite of meat and said, "Ye Hanmei, that kid's Heart-Nature is lacking. This year's new Trainee assessment is at the Dragon Fish Platform; it'll be hard for him to enter the Upper Academy."

Hearing this, Ye Hanmei sighed softly. "Let him be."

"Old Wang, look, the downsides of the big families' human wave tactics are showing. The children they raise are a mixed bag. With poor Heart-Nature, they're destined not to go far on the supernatural path."

Wang Fu looked at Jiang Peng strangely. "Why are you telling me all this? Go tell your old man. It's not like I'm the one forcing you to have kids."

"Huh?"

"Damn it, Wang Fu, you're trying to take advantage of me, aren't you?"

"That's slander! You're the one who insisted on telling me this. I'm not from a big Family anyway."

"But speaking of which, where did you find that Xiao Weiqing? He's a bit exaggerated. Is his Extraordinary Talent really only Rank 3?"

Jiang Peng nodded. "Yeah, Rank 3 True Art. I was right there when his supernatural Awakening happened."

"It shouldn't be," Ye Hanmei said.

"What shouldn't be?"

"That wasn't ordinary fire," Ye Hanmei recalled.

Jiang Peng raised an eyebrow. "Since it's a True Art, it's normal for it not to be ordinary fire, right?"

Wang Fu said, "Not being ordinary fire is normal, but not being extinguished by water and even burning Spiritual Qi is not normal."

Jiang Peng said, "I don't know either. I can't exactly ask him about it. Everyone's Extraordinary Talent is a secret except for its Rank and name. But the stronger he is, the better, right?"

"True," Wang Fu nodded in agreement.

"Jiang Peng?"

"What is it, Beauty Ye?"

"Did you guys kill that great demon from last time?" Ye Hanmei asked.

Jiang Peng took a savage bite of meat. "Don't bring up sore subjects."

Wang Fu smiled. "No, it got away. The few of us staked it out for a month before we managed to lure it up, but the five of us couldn't kill it. Its advantage in the water is too great."

"Oh? Even your freezing was useless?"

"Useless. It could only hold it for a moment, not forever. More importantly, the damage dealt to it was limited."

Jiang Peng said, "Sigh, the gap between the Fourth Realm and the Fifth Realm is too large. Relying on numbers alone doesn't do much."

As the chosen ones of the Luo Jiang Academy Upper Academy, fighting above their level was easy, but the Fourth Realm could not overcome the Fifth Realm.

Ye Hanmei said, "I see. If you go again next time, you can call me."

Jiang Peng's eyes lit up, thinking of Ye Hanmei's 'vessel'. "Sure, with you, we'll have a better chance. But we might have to wait a while. That cunning fellow hid in the Luo River; who knows when it'll come out again."

"Mm, no rush."

The people from Anqiu City, having eaten and drunk their fill, began to rest.

Xiao Weiqing said, "Wei Lan, are you full? This is probably different from what you usually eat, right?"

"I'm full. I don't eat much anyway. Besides, Brother Qing, I'm not that delicate, okay?" Wei Lan said reproachfully.

"Alright then, you rest for a bit."

Then, under Wei Lan's surprised gaze, he pulled out a chair.

He sat down cross-legged and began to Cultivate.

Xiao Weiqing had just expended all his Qi Fire at once, so he needed to recover quickly.

Taking advantage of the time spent traveling to the Luo River, he seized the moment to Cultivate and refine more Qi Fire. To reach 1,000 strands at full speed, it would take him about two or three weeks.

Everyone was slightly shocked when they saw Xiao Weiqing's actions.

"There's a reason Xiao Weiqing is so strong. His Extraordinary Talent is better than ours, and he still works this hard."

"Indeed."

"Though the supernatural path has only just begun, he hasn't slacked off one bit."

then.

One by one, influenced by Xiao Weiqing, the people from Anqiu City began to Cultivate. Even those whose Extraordinary Talents didn't come with a Qi Absorption Method started practicing the basic version of the Qi Absorption Art.

They were all young people with competitive spirits.

Soon, more and more people, including those from the other three cities, were affected. Almost everyone began to Cultivate.

Except for Ye Lingfeng.

Jiang Peng's kick had been incredibly heavy, and he was currently nursing his injuries.

Inside the main control station.

Seeing this through the screen, Wang Fu let out a small "oh" of surprise. "Not bad, this batch of new Trainees."

"Main control, in one hour, activate the double-strength Spirit Gathering Array."

A mechanical voice replied, "Received."

Time passed.

At some point, the people Cultivating in the hall clearly felt that the speed at which they absorbed Spiritual Qi had increased. Unsure if it was an illusion, they began to Cultivate even harder.

Only Xiao Weiqing knew that the concentration of Spiritual Qi had indeed increased because his recovery speed was faster. In less than two hours, he had restored his expended Qi Fire.

"This is perfect. Continue refining Qi Fire."

Xiao Weiqing continued to circulate the Samadhi True Fire Spirit Refining Art.

While everyone was immersed in Cultivation.

The zhi yong ship, like a dolphin swimming through a sea of clouds, arrived above a great river.

This river...

Its east and west ends were nowhere in sight.

It was over ten kilometers wide from north to south, and even some of its tributaries were several kilometers across.

Seen from the air, it looked like a ten-thousand-mile dragon sprawling across the earth, its muddy waves surging like the thunderous roar of drums.

Where it meandered, the river water surged, sounding like a low rumble from the riverbed.

"Is this the Luo River?"

The people in the hall had all stopped Cultivating and went to the windows to look down.

"It's magnificent."

Xiao Weiqing also stopped Cultivating. The first type of Qi Fire had already been refined into 80 wisps.

Qin Sheng said, "What's so magnificent? It's full of Yao Beasts."

"Huh?"

"Don't you guys read the forums?"

"Luo Jiang Prefecture was built along the river, and its primary purpose is to suppress the Yao Beasts within the Luo River. Sometimes, Yao Beasts from the sea even sneak into the inland rivers."

"The same goes for Luo Jiang Academy. Its Trainees are also known as reserves for the Luo Jiang Demon Suppressing Army. It's the only one among the Eight Great Academies that requires Trainees to perform mandatory demon-suppressing missions while in school. I forgot to tell you, the annual mortality rate of Luo Jiang Academy Trainees is the highest among all supernatural universities in Great Xia."

"*Hiss...*"

Everyone gasped.

"Good grief, is it that dangerous?"

"Extremely dangerous. Five years ago, the Yao Beasts of the Luo River launched a Beast Tide. That year, the academy lost a large number of outstanding Trainees and some teachers. It almost never recovered and nearly fell out of the Eight Great Academies."

Just then, Jiang Peng and the others walked over.

"If you're scared, it's not too late to go back now. Since you haven't registered yet, you aren't considered Trainees of Luo Jiang Prefecture. However!"

Jiang Peng's voice suddenly rose. "If you enter Luo Jiang Academy and retreat from battle, you'll be the first one I kill."

Everyone was startled by Jiang Peng's scolding, but none of them wavered.

Jiang Peng nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

Before long...

The zhi yong ship arrived above a city. As it descended through the clouds, everyone finally saw its full appearance.

The city's layout was divided into five major sections: a central circular area surrounded by four fan-shaped sectors. The entire city was located near a tributary of the Luo River, with the closest straight-line distance being less than twenty kilometers.

"Wow, this Luo Jiang Prefecture is so grand. It's much bigger than our Yueshan City."

"Of course, it's a Prefecture City, after all."

"How many people live in there?"

Jiang Peng sneered. "Who told you this was Luo Jiang Prefecture?"

"This is where you'll be practicing for the next four years."

"What?"

Li Fangnan's mouth fell open. Pointing down, he stuttered, "Senior, you mean this is... Luo Jiang Academy?"

"What else would it be?"

"Luo Jiang Prefecture is further downstream, more than two hundred kilometers from here. Its land area is even larger."

"Main control, land."

"Received."

Xiao Weiqing was also filled with shock as he looked at the academy below, which was larger than a city.