Luxurious Jia Nan Academy

A fierce wind howled as clouds streaked beneath their feet.

Jiang Donghua stood on the Griffin's broad back, the gale whipping his robes until they snapped loudly.

It was his first time truly soaring through the skies, looking down at the mountains and rivers below, tiny as a chessboard.

"So this is what flying feels like..."

He took a deep breath, and something burned within his chest.

Beside him, Liu Yuting clutched the Griffin's feathers tightly, her little face pale.

"B-Brother Jiang... aren't you scared?"

Jiang Donghua turned back with a smile, his voice still clear through the wind.

"Scared of what?"

"If we fall, Instructor Yan will definitely catch us."

Yan Feng, leading the way ahead, turned and glared at him.

"You little brat, if you really fall, I can't be bothered to save you!"

Yet the corners of his mouth could not help but rise.

Jiang Donghua said nothing more and let the fierce wind batter his face.

As he gazed at the gradually emerging outline of Jia Nan Academy in the distance, his heart swelled with ambition.

AFK my way to Dou Wang! Even if I can't win, at least I can run!

The thought made him laugh aloud.

That was right. Once he could soar freely like these Griffins, those opponents who could only run on the ground would not even be able to touch the hem of his clothes!

Jiang Donghua's eyes gleamed.

"Jia Nan Academy, here I come."

The flock of Griffins pierced through the clouds and mist, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.

As the Griffins swooped down, the full view of Jia Nan Academy gradually came into focus.

Its towering academy gates were inlaid with tens of thousands of Battle Qi crystals, refracting rainbow halos beneath the sunlight.

Even more astonishing was the square before the gates, where a dark mass of people gathered like a swarm of ants.

By Jiang Donghua's estimate, there were no fewer than ten thousand students here just to watch the excitement, not to mention the instructors maintaining order.

"Good heavens..."

Even the normally steady Liu Mingyu cursed.

"There are way too many people, aren't there?"

The Griffins landed steadily, kicking up clouds of dust.

"Final batch of new students, form ranks!"

At the Dean of the Outer Court's command, over ten thousand pairs of eyes turned toward them in unison.

Jiang Donghua could clearly feel the curiosity, the contempt, and several sharp, sword-like gazes scrutinizing them.

Yan Feng turned around and grinned at his students.

"Brats, the show's about to begin."

Jiang Donghua leaped down from the Griffin's back. The instant his feet touched the ground, he felt an invisible pressure envelop the entire area.

Looking up, he saw Dean Lei Tian standing atop the high platform with his hands behind his back, his lightning-like gaze sweeping over the final batch of new students.

"Silence!"

Dean Lei Tian's voice was not loud, yet it rolled over the square like muffled thunder, making everyone's eardrums tremble.

The previously noisy square fell instantly silent. Even the sound of breathing seemed to have been cut off.

Jiang Donghua's gaze shifted slightly, and his heart chilled.

Is this the pressure of a Dou Huang expert?

Seeing that no one dared whisper among themselves, Lei Tian nodded in satisfaction and continued.

"By tradition, the instructors who arrive with the final batch must determine their qualifications as Yellow-grade Class Instructors through student matches."

His voice was calm and unhurried, yet every word struck the crowd's hearts like a hammer.

"The winners may receive priority in choosing Yellow-tier class resources. The losers can only pray that they draw a good lot next year."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Feng's breathing grew noticeably heavier. He leaned close to Jiang Donghua and lowered his voice.

"Kid, I'm counting on you." His rough hand landed heavily on Jiang Donghua's shoulder.

"Among the several hundred people at the camp before, there were only a few dozen Dou Zhes, and only six Two-star Dou Masters."

Jiang Donghua nodded slightly.

Naturally, he remembered that aside from Lin Xiuyuan and Zhao Wuchen, the other four among those six varied greatly in strength. Still, none who had made it this far were easy to deal with.

"Don't embarrass me!"

Yan Feng grinned.

"If you win, I'll personally take you to the Scripture Depository to choose a combat skill!"

The corners of Jiang Donghua's lips lifted as his gaze swept toward the arena opposite him, where several sharp stares were openly piercing toward him.

The moment Dean Lei Tian finished speaking, the square erupted.

"Instructor! Let me go!"

"I'm at the peak of Battle Qi Stage Nine. I may not be any weaker than a Dou Zhe!"

"How could Baihe City's Rippling Wave Palm lose to these backwater techniques?"

More than a dozen young men and women at Battle Qi Stage Nine crowded around their respective instructors, their eyes blazing with defiance.

All of them had been geniuses adored by countless people in their hometowns. How could they accept that they were inferior to true Dou Zhes?

"Nonsense!"

An instructor in blue robes, annoyed by their pestering, flicked his sleeve and roared.

"The arena may not be fatal, but no one will care if you break a few bones!"

"Please grant my request, Instructor!"

A richly dressed youth stubbornly raised his chin.

"Our Wang Family's Golden Rainbow Finger specializes in breaking Battle Qi defenses!"

On the other side, a girl in a red dress had already leaped onto the arena and called out brightly.

"Liu Xuan of Fenglin City requests guidance from all Senior Brothers!"

Suddenly, a scream rang out from the arena.

Everyone looked over and saw that Liu Xuan, who had been valiant only moments earlier, was now staggering backward while clutching her right arm.

Her opponent—the black-clothed youth who had remained silent all along—had condensed his Earth-yellow Battle Qi into spikes in his palm, directly piercing through her protective Battle Qi.

"Shi Lie of Huangyan City."

The black-clothed youth's voice was hoarse.

"Thank you for letting me win."

The spectator stands erupted in an uproar. No one had expected the first person to be carried off the arena to be one of the strongest among those at Battle Qi Stage Nine.

"See that?"

Yan Feng pointed gleefully at the pale-faced youths.

"This is reality!"

Yan Feng folded his arms and sneered, his voice loud enough for several nearby instructors to hear.

"Whoever gets recruited by Jia Nan Academy wasn't a genius back home?"

He glanced sideways at the Battle Qi Stage Nine youths still shouting on the arena and grinned.

"Fighting above your level? Keep dreaming!"

His words were crude, but several instructors nodded to themselves.

"Those from little cities on the northwest frontier have their limits, no matter how talented they are."

Yan Feng continued mocking them, deliberately raising his voice.

"You really think you're freaks from the Central Plains? The favored children of great Central Plains clans soak in medicinal baths at five, practice combat skills at seven, and can work Yellow-grade cultivation methods into endless variations by ten. What do you have to compare with them?"

On the arena, a youth in purple flushed red at those words and protested indignantly.

"My Li Family's Purple Lightning Strength has defeated opponents above its level before..."

Bang!

Before he could finish, his opponent blasted him off the arena with a palm strike. He rolled several times in a miserable heap before finally stopping.

Yan Feng burst into laughter.

"See? This is reality!"

In just a few minutes, three groups of contestants had already rotated through the arena.

The young men and women at Battle Qi Stage Nine who had just been clamoring to challenge opponents above their level now sat scattered around the arena.

Some clutched bruised arms. Some had patches of hair scorched by flames. One richly dressed youth had even wet himself after his opponent blasted him off the stage with a Water attribute combat skill.

"Now comes the main event!"

Yan Feng rubbed his rough hands together, his eyes gleaming.

The other instructors also straightened up one after another.

After all, the upcoming Dou Zhe matches would directly determine who could secure the qualifications of a Yellow-grade Class Instructor.

It was an excellent position—one that allowed them to choose promising students first and receive an additional Mysterious-grade Combat Skill!

Just then, the crowd suddenly quieted.

An elderly man with gray-white whiskers hanging to his chest approached at an unhurried pace, leaning on a crooked peachwood staff.

Every step he took seemed carefully measured. Though he walked slowly, he reached the center of the arena in the blink of an eye.

"Elder Wang!"

The surrounding instructors all cupped their hands in salute. Even the most arrogant Zhao Laosi lowered his head.

The old man coughed twice and lightly tapped his peachwood staff against the ground.

The young men and women who had been knocked off the arena immediately felt a gentle stream of Battle Qi sweep over their bodies. Their pain and injuries lessened by more than half.

"Children,"

Elder Wang's voice was hoarse but gentle.

"The road of cultivation is long. This old man only broke through to become a Dou Zhe at nineteen, yet haven't I lived quite well until now?"

His words made several defeated youths' noses sting.

One girl in a red dress even burst into tears. She had just been defeated in a single move, without even having the chance to use her family's inherited combat skill.

Elder Wang shook his head, then suddenly struck his peachwood staff against the ground.

"All instructors, call your Dou Zhes up. The old rules—draw lots to determine your opponents."