Jia Nan Academy.
This was an ancient academy located at the border where the Jia Ma Empire met two neighboring empires. Its renowned name carried far and wide as it stood quietly there, emanating an air of antiquity and timeworn grandeur.
Though the academy possessed no particularly awe-inspiring appearance, its immense prestige and unfathomable strength meant that even colossal powers like the three great empires had no choice but to treat it with respect, not daring to show the slightest discourtesy or neglect.
On a secluded mountain peak within the ancient academy, beside a cliff, a girl dressed in a pale green gown stood gracefully. The gentle breeze before her slowly stirred her long black hair, which fell to her delicate hips, while the fluttering hem of her dress faintly outlined her perfect curves.
The girl silently gazed toward the distant eastern sky, her eyes tranquil. She was like a green lotus amid the mortal world, untouched by the dust of the world.
After a long silence, the girl suddenly spoke. Her ethereal, pleasant voice gave one the strange sensation that their soul had been cleansed.
"Come out."
As her words fell, a green figure eerily separated from a large tree behind her. He respectfully faced the girl, who had her back to him, dropped to one knee, and said in a reverent voice, "Miss."
The girl slowly turned around, revealing an exquisitely beautiful profile, smooth as jade.
"Did something happen?"
"Miss... Master Ling's life tablet shattered just now."
"What?!"
The girl abruptly turned her head, dense disbelief appearing on her delicate, elegant face, as though she could not believe what she had heard.
"How could that be? Master Ling was at the peak of the Dou Huang realm. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, no one should have been