The Trial Grounds

After taking off his cloak, Xian Wu seemed much more cheerful.

That afternoon, under a bright sun, the four of them wandered along the blue-stone paths of Sacred Orchid Academy, with Zhu Jun Xiang leading the way.

They visited the beginner martial arts classroom, the library, the Trial Grounds, and the Training Ground.

The cafeteria and bathhouse were right next to the dormitories, so they could check those out on their way back.

"Hey, what do you think the girls' bathhouse looks like?" Lu Piao asked with his hands behind his head and a lecherous grin.

He had a strange little quirk: he liked peeking at women while they bathed. Just hearing the words "girls' bathhouse" made him itch with curiosity.

Zhu Jun Xiang answered seriously, "Probably about the same as the men's bathhouse. There are big wooden tubs lined up inside."

He had been in the men's bathhouse before. An old man tending the boiler provided the hot water.

"Boring." Lu Piao looked disappointed. He had imagined something like a bathing pool. The facilities were so crude—not nearly as comfortable as home.

Xian Wu grumbled inwardly, You should be grateful they let you use it for free, and you're still being picky.

Nearly seventy percent of Sacred Orchid Academy's students came from commoner families. The wooden tubs were made for them.

"What's that place behind the tall wall?" Nie Li asked, pointing at the distant building.

They had nearly finished touring the buildings to the south and were now heading north.

The dormitories were in the academy's northwest corner, while that building stood far away in the northeast.

But it was surrounded by tall walls, so they couldn't see what was inside.

Zhu Jun Xiang explained, "That's the Trial Grounds. They were established jointly by Ye Mo, a Legendary Rank Spirit Master, and Gao Yuan, a Black Gold Spirit Master."

"Every year, the strong fighters of the City of Brilliance capture low-level demonic beasts and put them in the Trial Grounds for students to hunt and train against."

"Any student below Silver Rank can enter. The students can do whatever they want with the pelts, Demonic Crystals, and demon spirits they obtain."

"Once we're stronger and reach the Bronze Warrior level, we'll be able to hunt demonic beasts in there and help support our families."

At the thought of easing his family's burden through his own efforts, Zhu Jun Xiang's eyes brightened.

"Can't we go in now?" Xian Wu asked. His Left Hand was indestructible, and he could easily kill any demonic beast that couldn't use magic.

Zhu Jun Xiang scratched his head. "We can go in, but there wouldn't be anything we could do. We'd only be able to look at the scenery near the entrance."

"Even the weakest demonic beasts inside are Bronze Rank. The ones deeper in are even more terrifying. I've heard there are Gold Rank beasts in there."

"But don't worry. Gao Yuan—the headmaster of our academy—is always studying demonic beasts deep inside the Trial Grounds."

"If a student's life is in danger, all they need to do is fire a signal flare, and the headmaster's assistants will rush over immediately."

Xian Wu nodded. He hadn't expected the headmaster of Sacred Orchid Academy to be a researcher.

The world beyond the city had already been overrun by demonic beasts. Every year, a Demonic Beast Tide attacked the City of Brilliance, causing heavy casualties.

A Demonic Beast Tide could number just a few thousand, or tens of thousands. Some even reached hundreds of thousands or a million.

It was said that the City of Brilliance had once faced a tide of ten million demonic beasts. Nearly everyone in the city had been slaughtered.

Xian Wu figured that if they ever faced a tide of a hundred million beasts, the City of Brilliance would surely be destroyed.

So finding a way to break up these terrifying tides had become a shared goal for everyone in the City of Brilliance.

The more they understood demonic beasts' weaknesses, the easier it was to kill them. Headmaster Gao Yuan's efforts would bring lasting glory to generations to come.

"Normally, it takes at least two Bronze One Star Warriors working together to subdue a Bronze One Star demonic beast."

"We're not even Bronze Warriors yet. The Trial Grounds aren't somewhere we can venture into." Zhu Jun Xiang began to back out.

Lu Piao didn't think much of it. "We're just going in for a look. It shouldn't be dangerous, right?"

He'd been bold since he was a child, afraid of nothing.

He even dared to peek at women bathing. How could he not be bold?

"Let's go take a look. I'm curious about what it's like in there, too," Xian Wu said.

With the Demon Left Hand, he could handle anything as long as he didn't run into a pack of demonic beasts or one that could use magic.

But if that happened, he'd definitely expose his Demon Left Hand.

If only he had a way to erase people's memories like Hu Yan Lan Ruo did.

Zhu Jun Xiang shrugged. "If you want to go, I won't stop you."

"L-let's go!" Nie Li raised a hand, then shyly lowered it.

Xian Wu rolled his eyes at Nie Li. He didn't know much about Tales of Demons and Gods. The only thing he knew was that the protagonist was named Nie Li.

But their protagonist seemed like an idiot. How was he supposed to save the world?

By playing cute and getting away with it?

Xian Wu had originally planned to latch on to the protagonist, but now... it seemed he'd been getting ahead of himself.

From what he'd seen so far, Nie Li had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He was practically Lu Piao's shadow.

Forget saving the world—he couldn't even save himself.

Xian Wu suspected he'd gotten the wrong script. Du Ze, another commoner, seemed much more like a protagonist.

The sort of hot-blooded young man who'd swear, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never look down on a poor young man."

Besides, whenever Xian Wu saw Nie Li, he was stuck to Lu Piao like they were joined at the hip. Who would believe they weren't a couple?

Since the protagonist was no help, Xian Wu decided to go it alone.

With the Demon Left Hand at his side, all he had to do was grow stronger quietly and avoid getting snuffed out in the cradle. Then he'd make a name for himself.

Come to think of it, after making enemies with so many people right after school started, could he really keep a low profile?

There were always so many things and people he couldn't stand. He couldn't help stepping in.

Compared with a ruthless hero like Boss Cao, who had slaughtered Lu Boshe's entire family, he still had a long way to go.

Before long, the four of them reached the entrance to the Trial Grounds.

"Stop! Show us your student IDs!" Two tall, imposing guards with halberds blocked their way.

Xian Wu stared enviously at the guards' imposing armor, tempted to make it his.

Armored heroes were a romantic ideal for most boys.

One by one, the four of them pulled out wooden plaques made of a special material. Their names and student numbers were carved into them.

Warrior

Beginner Class

Thirty-four

Xian Wu

The guard took the plaque, quickly glanced at the front, then turned it over.

A complex magical inscription was carved into the back. The guard infused it with Soul Force, and the inscription lit up.

"Verification passed. Go on in!" The guard returned the plaques and turned to open the gate for them.

From the effort on the guard's face, the gate to the Trial Grounds was quite heavy. It must have weighed at least a thousand or two thousand pounds.

The four entered the Trial Grounds, but one guard called after them and pointed the butt of his halberd at a small side gate to the left of the main entrance.

"When you leave, use the side gate. Don't use the main gate. Even if we hear you knocking, we won't open it."

With that, the guard took four signal flares with pull cords from his pocket, tossed one to each of them, then left the Trial Grounds.

The main gate rumbled shut. Before the four of them stretched a dark, dense forest.