"What kind of star beast could have made such a huge pit? Are ultra-high-tier star beasts really that powerful?"
Lu Xiaoxiao gazed at the pit in amazement. Most of the students clearly felt the same way.
Some people wanted to go up for a closer look, but Lin Xu stopped them.
To preserve the Battle Relic intact, they could only admire it from afar.
"It was Di Jiang."
Zhou Yi answered.
There were not many known ultra-high-tier star beasts, and Di Jiang was one of the more common ones.
"Di Jiang? What is that? What does it look like?"
"Six legs, four wings, red as cinnabar fire."
"Wow, Zhou Zhou, you know so much!"
Lu Xiaoxiao looked at Zhou Yi with admiration.
Hu Manduo said, "Xiaoxiao, look at the wall on the right..."
On the right-hand wall, a fiery red star beast with four wings and six hooves was vividly depicted, its mouth gaping wide with fangs.
Lu Xiaoxiao: ...
Fine, I'm just Zhou Zhou's brainless fangirl. Ignore me.
Ever since Zhou Yi had learned about this Battle Relic at the start of the school year, she had looked up quite a bit of information and knew something about Di Jiang.
But the vivid, imposing image on the wall was far more striking than the photos on the Star Brain, where Di Jiang was nothing more than a tiny red dot in the distance.
Yet no matter how magnificent the battle had been, only one large pit and one small pit remained in the relic now. There really was no need to linger for long.
After enjoying everyone's astonished expressions, Lin Xu quickly organized their departure.
As Zhou Yi was leaving, she suddenly remembered energy perception and silently recited the Star Gathering Art.
In an instant, Zhou Yi froze.
An enormous surge of energy slammed into her, destabilizing even her Chakra as a massive amount of starforce poured in.
Zhou Yi quickly adjusted the circulation of starforce within her Chakra and barely managed to withstand the powerful wave of energy.
Luckily, it had only lasted for that instant. If she cultivated here for a while longer, her dantian might burst.
"Xiaoxiao, try circulating your starforce. Maybe the relic still has some undispersed energy left behind."
Lu Xiaoxiao did not think much of it and immediately circulated her starforce.
"It's no different from outside."
Hearing that, Hu Manduo tried as well.
"Zhou Yi, Di Jiang's corpse has been gone for ages. It died so long ago that even if a trace of energy remained, it should have dispersed by now..."
"Mm, probably. It's fine if there isn't any."
Zhou Yi nodded thoughtfully and looked toward the large and small deep pits. Perhaps because she was too far away to see clearly, but she felt that the smaller pit was much deeper than the larger one.
There were no classes that afternoon, so the group dispersed on the spot and everyone could return to their dorms to rest.
"Teacher Lin, wait a moment."
"What is it?"
Lin Xu had no particular impression of the girl before him. There were too many students in Mech Infantry, and since the semester had only just begun, he was not very familiar with them yet.
"Teacher, I'd like to learn more about the Battle Relic."
"Sure. What do you want to know?"
Every year, students would ask questions after visiting, so it was perfectly normal.
"Teacher, why did Di Jiang have six legs, but only leave behind one footprint?"
Even if it was the mark from its final fall, it would have been more normal for several impressions of varying depths to remain.
"And isn't that footprint much deeper than the mark left by its body after it fell?"
Lin Xu looked at Zhou Yi in surprise. He had not expected this girl to be so observant.
"That's right. At first, there were indeed several footprints. And there were not only footprints and the marks from its fall, but also traces left by combat and attacks. But because so much time had passed, along with the soil conditions of D72 Star Block, those traces gradually disappeared. Even after a building was erected around the site, the marks would still fade without deliberate preservation."
"The largest pit has already become much shallower. Perhaps in a few more years, it will disappear completely."
"But the one remaining footprint has not changed for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was simply pressed down too firmly back then."
Clearly, the school had noticed this as well, but no one could draw any conclusion about the exact reason.
After Di Jiang had been defeated, it was the Alliance that arrived to handle the aftermath. Huadun had shed so much blood, yet they had not even kept the final spoils of war, leaving behind only a few pits.
Perhaps for new students, being shown the relic was meant to make them feel pride.
But for the elders who had truly taken part in that battle, the relic's existence was more like a reminder of humiliation.
"Then, Teacher Lin, can I come see the relic again later?"
"Didn't you get enough of it just now?"
Only two pits remained. Even Lin Xu felt there was not much to see.
"I just think that place is quite awe-inspiring. Maybe if I stay there for a while, I might gain some additional insight into cultivating starforce."
Zhou Yi's lie sounded quite convincing. Wasn't that exactly why she wanted to go?
"This... I don't have the authority to take you in again. If you want to enter alone, you'll need to apply to Principal Qi."
"Principal Qi?"
"Mm, the school's honorary principal, Qi Lan. She usually handles very little. The one who normally manages school affairs is Yi Mingde, Principal Yi, who gave you all that speech last time."
"Principal Qi Lan, I understand. Thank you, Teacher Lin."
After thanking him, Zhou Yi turned around and ran off like a gust of wind.
"Hey, I haven't even told you where to find Principal Qi..."
Lin Xu was left standing there alone.
"Hm? Why are you going there by yourself? Didn't your instructor take you to visit it today?"
As usual, Qi Lan was sprawled in her chair, basking in the sun.
"Aunt Lan, to be honest, the portrait of Di Jiang inside that building is so lifelike that I haven't had enough of it. Besides, seeing more information about ultra-high-tier star beasts will help motivate me to study hard in the future, right? I promise I'll be careful when I go in and won't damage the relic."
Zhou Yi raised a hand in promise.
Unexpectedly, this flattery hit the mark. After all, the person who had painted the image on the wall was standing right in front of her.
"Aunt Lan..."
Seeing that Qi Lan still had not spoken, Zhou Yi prepared to struggle a little more.
"Do something for me, and I'll lend you the key to the relic for one day."
"What is it?"
"I haven't thought of it yet. I'll tell you when I have."
"Deal!"
An honorary principal was still a principal. Zhou Yi believed Qi Lan would not ask her to commit murder or arson.
She could write an IOU and get the key first. Zhou Yi thought it was worth it.
After all, the unusual energy fluctuation that only she could sense today could not have been a lie.
There had to be something special there.
Qi Lan quickly pulled out a large ring of keys, picked one from it, and tossed it to Zhou Yi.
"Return the key to me when you come to work tomorrow."
Before you continue