Jingan Stone Temple

In the afternoon, during class meeting.

As scheduled, homeroom teacher Su Ning stepped into the classroom and glanced at the students, who were still somewhat restless.

She coughed twice and began with the usual opening remarks for the new semester.

Only then did she get to the main point.

"Classmates, in two months, the school will organize an outdoor combat assessment for all second-year students. You'd better prepare yourselves! You've had two months of vacation—enough fun. It's time to get your heads back in the game."

After Su Ning finished speaking, the classroom fell silent for a few seconds. Without waiting for the room to erupt, she continued, "Don't be discouraged or nervous, either. Students who perform well will have a chance to enter Jingan Stone Temple and listen to the sutras."

Having said that, she sat down, and the students knew she was finished.

As murmured conversations rose, the entire classroom gradually buzzed with noise.

Naturally, they were all discussing the outdoor combat assessment that homeroom teacher Su Ning had just mentioned.

Despite its impressive name, it was really just wilderness training.

Of course, the intensity definitely would not compare to formal wilderness training.

Someone asked, "Hey, do you know where the wilderness training will be held?"

"Last year, it was near the seawall. The year before, it was at a military town in the Tai Lake region. There are too many Demon Beasts around Modu, so it might not be the same place every time."

The class monitor answered his question.

"But it definitely won't be inside the city!"

"I only just learned how to cast magic. How am I supposed to go out into the wilderness and face Demon Beasts? Can't I skip it?"

Zhao Qingying glanced at that person and shook her head.

"The results of this assessment will be used as a reference by major colleges and academies for admissions. Besides, there have never been any casualties in previous years."

"Oh... looks like I'll have to step up my magic practice when I get home."

"By the way, am I the only one who doesn't know what Jingan Stone Temple is for?"

Su Ning's ears twitched, and her hand stopped scrolling across her phone screen. Her voice drowned out the noise in the classroom.

"Ahem, I forgot to mention it just now. Jingan Stone Temple is a Buddhist temple with a long history. It is surrounded by mysterious chanting, and listening to it can increase your cultivation speed. Cultivating inside for one day is equivalent to cultivating outside for seven days."

As she spoke, Su Ning paused, glanced toward Bai Mo, and continued, "It is said that the Buddhist chants of Jingan Stone Temple can also increase Mental Power, and there is even a chance of breaking through one's Mental Realm. You all need to make good use of this opportunity."

The atmosphere in the classroom grew even more lively.

Zhou Tianyuan turned to look at his deskmate beside him, who seemed calm and unconcerned about the matter, and asked, "Bai Mo, what do you think?"

"I'll get an S-rank evaluation this time." Bai Mo's tone was flat.

Zhou Tianyuan, beside him, gave him a thumbs-up, as if to say that no one could put on airs like he could—not even a burlap sack.

"But what the homeroom teacher said did remind me that we don't have any experience facing Demon Beasts."

Thinking of the chance encounter with a Demon Beast two months ago, Bai Mo turned his head and continued as he looked at the puzzled Zhou Tianyuan, "I'm planning to go to Doyaoguan to get familiar with things. Want to come with me?"

"Do we really have to go that hard?" Zhou Tianyuan's face fell when he heard that. Of course, he knew what kind of place Doyaoguan was.

Doyaoguan was a place specifically designed to provide battles against Demon Beasts. It gave mages a transitional setting between the city and the wilderness.

Most of the Demon Beasts in Doyaoguan were tamed Servant Level Demon Beasts, and every battle was overseen by an old Intermediate Level mage.

As a result, the annual membership fee was anything but cheap.

It also guaranteed the safety of its customers, unlike those illegal underground beast-fighting arenas that used bloodshed to entertain psychologically twisted rich people.

"Why not? If we have the resources, we should make use of them."

Bai Mo raised an eyebrow and patted Zhou Tianyuan on the shoulder.

"Tianyuan, you don't want to run into a Demon Beast during wilderness training and piss your pants from fright, do you?"

"No. I'll go with you!"

Zhou Tianyuan nodded earnestly. As though he were psyching himself up, he slowly recited, "Who knows the hardship of guarding the frontier? Though dead, the fragrance of a hero's bones shall linger! It's just fighting a Demon Beast—I'm not afraid."

Bai Mo was already used to his occasional poetry recitations, and he did not find them awkward every time anymore.

Noticing the strange looks the girls behind them were giving the two of them, he calmly removed his hand from Zhou Tianyuan's shoulder and instructed, "As long as you're fine with it. When the time comes, just focus on putting up defenses for both of us. I'll handle the attacking."

Zhou Tianyuan froze for a moment, then looked at him with surprise and delight. "The two of us are going in together?"

Bai Mo gave him a strange look, his tone faint. "Or did you want to fight it alone?"

"No, no, no! The two of us going together is great."

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of all of today's classes.

"Let's go."

Bai Mo stood and headed straight outside.

"Wait for me!"

To their surprise, the moment the two of them came downstairs from the teaching building, they were blocked by two girls.

Ignoring Zhou Tianyuan's displeased look from the side, Bai Mo stared straight ahead at the two beautiful girls before him.

One was just over 1.6 meters tall, with a generous bust, delicate and pretty features, lively eyes, and a slightly youthful appearance.

The other possessed an ethereal beauty. Her skin was fair and translucent like jade, her nose naturally straight as a mountain ridge, her eyes bright and clear as water, her thin lips red without makeup, and her brows dark without paint.

"Aitutu? Mu Nujiao?"

"Huh, you know me?"

"You two are famous at school." Bai Mo's tone was calm, as if it were nothing surprising. "What do you want with me?"

At his question, Aitutu's brows practically flew up. Letting go of the arm she had wrapped around Mu Nujiao, she stepped forward and looked at Bai Mo with sparkling eyes.

"Handsome guy, I heard you're in the Space Element too. Let's add each other on Feixin, get to know each other, and exchange notes on magic cultivation."

"Sure." Bai Mo nodded, not caring what Aitutu was really after.

"Huh? Didn't they say you were really aloof?"

Aitutu took out her phone in surprise.

"Because they aren't worth my attention." Bai Mo looked at the two of them and said it as though it were only natural.

"Beep!"

"Beep!"

Two crisp scanning sounds rang out. Bai Mo glanced in surprise at Mu Nujiao beside Aitutu, who had silently raised her phone as well.

Mu Nujiao happened to be looking at him too. When she saw him glance over, she smiled and said leisurely, "So you're Bai Mo? I've heard much about you. We can spar sometime in the future."

"Sure. I hope that time comes soon."

Bai Mo smiled. So this woman's battle-crazed nature had already shown itself.

After saying that, he accepted both of their requests, showed them the confirmation screen, and headed out of the school without looking back.

"He really is pretty arrogant!" Aitutu said to the person beside her as she watched him leave.

"Bai Mo, you're quite lucky with women."

Inside the subway station, Zhou Tianyuan teased Bai Mo.

Bai Mo pondered for two seconds, then nodded with a serious expression in agreement.

"Indeed. As the most handsome man in the world, I find it quite troubling too."

"Emmmm."

Zhou Tianyuan choked for a moment, then laughed. "Heh, didn't expect you to be so good at joking."

"???"

Seeing the question marks Bai Mo gave him, Zhou Tianyuan shook an imaginary feather fan before himself and said reservedly, "I admit, Bai Mo, your looks are indeed exceptional. But compared to me, you're still lacking a few shades of charm."

After saying that, he even brushed back the long hair at his temples.

"Emmm."

Bai Mo was speechless. For a moment, he did not even know where to start mocking him, so he simply said nothing and could not be bothered with this idiot.

He focused on getting there.

Because Demon Beasts were kept there, Doyaoguan could not be opened just anywhere.

Aside from requiring all sorts of permits, there were also restrictions on where they could be established. Generally, they could only be opened in mage commercial districts that served mages, or mage entertainment districts.

Although there were ordinary people in those areas as well, mages made up the majority.

If an accident occurred, it would not cause large-scale casualties or panic.

The Doyaoguan Bai Mo and Zhou Tianyuan were heading to was beneath the Mingzhu Mage Tower. It was the best Doyaoguan in Modu.

It had a relatively wide variety of Demon Beasts, as well as the most comprehensive safety measures.

Most importantly, that Doyaoguan was jointly operated by Modu's four great families.

People like Bai Mo and Zhou Tianyuan, who did not have membership cards, could simply show their faces and get in without paying.