Peace Town

Lin Ze stood by the window, gazing down at the small town nestled between two mountain peaks.

And at the large tree near the town entrance, its trunk pitch-black and a few corpses hanging from its branches.

"Is that the legendary Necro Tree?"

"Yeah. They say two Dou Kings' corpses hang from it, and even a Dou Emperor's!"

"It's this very Necro Tree that made Jia Nan Academy famous throughout the land, keeping the chaos of the Black-Corner Region from spreading anywhere near the academy."

Xiao Yu was standing by the window too, speaking with excitement.

When she talked about the Necro Tree's origins, her voice carried a note of pride. After all, she was a student at Jia Nan Academy now.

Nearby, Xiao Yi Xian craned her neck curiously to get a better look.

Just then, Lin Ze's Soul Perception stirred, and he couldn't help looking up.

The elder who had escorted them a few days earlier had reappeared. He spoke to Ruo Lin.

"The group has arrived at Peace Town. From here, the Enforcement Team will escort you. I still have to pick up the next batch of students."

Instructor Ruo Lin quickly bowed in acknowledgment.

"Thank you for escorting us, Elder. Please take care."

The old man gave a slight nod. His wings beat once, and he shot away into the distance like a streak of light.

Watching the old man's rapidly disappearing figure, Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help sighing.

"A Dou King strong person... I wonder if I'll ever become one myself?"

"Of course! Believe in yourself."

Lin Ze answered firmly.

Xiao Yu glanced at Xiao Yi Xian in surprise.

She couldn't understand why Lin Ze had so much faith in Xiao Yi Xian.

At his words, a faint smile appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's face.

"Then I'll take you at your word."

Just then, Instructor Ruo Lin's voice rang out.

"Everyone, get ready to disembark. We'll rest in Peace Town for tonight. Tomorrow, the Enforcement Team will escort us through the Primeval Forest."

Hearing Instructor Ruo Lin, everyone grew excited.

Most of the new students were teenagers, and they were curious about the famous Peace Town.

Lin Ze and the other two followed the crowd off the Flying Magical Beast.

Once his feet touched the ground, Lin Ze stretched.

"Even though we stopped now and then to let the Flying Magical Beast rest and give us a chance to move around, it's still been a long journey."

Lin Ze spoke with a hint of feeling.

"Definitely. We've traveled tens of thousands of miles, crossing several small kingdoms and Alien Race tribes."

Xiao Yu smiled and nodded.

"Without the academy's Flying Magical Beasts, it would've been hard for us to make it back."

"True. But according to Instructor Ruo Lin, new students are expected to stay at the academy and cultivate except during certain designated holidays."

Xiao Yi Xian chimed in.

On the way to Jia Nan Academy, the Flying Magical Beasts couldn't fly nonstop, so they landed to rest every so often.

During those breaks, Instructor Ruo Lin had also explained how the academy worked.

She'd covered things like the holidays for new students, life and cultivation at the academy, and a few things they needed to keep in mind.

It gave the new students a general idea of what to expect.

The three chatted as they wandered around town for a while.

Afterward, they each returned to the temporary rooms the academy had arranged for them.

Early the next morning, the students eagerly boarded the Flying Magical Beasts and set off for Jia Nan Academy.

The new students looked forward to seeing the legendary Jia Nan Academy, while the returning students felt a little nostalgic for academy life.

When returning students accompanied a Mentor on recruitment trips, they were working for the academy, and the academy rewarded them with Contribution Points.

Contribution Points were useful for all sorts of things in the Outer Academy. They could be used to request private lessons from a Mentor or exchange them for high-level Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills...

In truth, Contribution Points served much the same purpose as Fire Energy in the Inner Academy.

The difference was that Fire Energy was more direct and effective. It could be used to cultivate in the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower, which meant it could rapidly increase one's strength!

Contribution Points took a more roundabout route. They could get you a Mentor's guidance or Combat Skills and Cultivation Methods, but whether you made anything of them still depended on you.

There were many ways to earn Contribution Points.

For instance, accompanying a Mentor on recruitment trips and working for the academy could earn you Contribution Points.

Or you could join the Enforcement Team and eliminate enemies who posed a threat to the academy.

Of course, for most ordinary students, the safest and most common way to earn Contribution Points was by attending classes.

As long as you attended a particular Mentor's class and passed their assessment after a while, you could earn the corresponding Contribution Points from them.

Although the Outer Academy wasn't as fiercely competitive as the Inner Academy, that didn't mean students could coast along and do nothing.

That was why the academy had a system of rewards to encourage its students to study hard and strive for success.

Lin Ze stood by the window, recalling how Instructor Ruo Lin had explained the uses of Contribution Points.

Not far away, a few returning students were talking quietly.

"We're finally back at the academy. That trip took forever."

"Haha, it took a long time, but we earned plenty of Contribution Points! Once they're credited, I'm definitely going to ask Instructor Ruo Lin for a private lesson and have her whip me into shape!"

"Ew, you're such a pervert!"

"Hey! What about you? What are you going to do with your Contribution Points?"

"Obviously, I'm going to ask Instructor Ruo Lin to whip me into shape three times. Heh..."

Listening to the returning students chatting nearby, Lin Ze couldn't help looking speechless.

Come to think of it, wasn't Instructor Ruo Lin's weapon a long whip?

Lin Ze shook his head and thought no more of it. Through the window, he looked at the academy's Enforcement Team escorting them on both sides.

The Enforcement Team rode Griffins.

Compared with the Flying Magical Beasts beneath Lin Ze, the Griffins were faster, but they were slightly inferior in carrying capacity and endurance.

If the two kinds of Flying Magical Beasts fought in the air, the Griffins would definitely win.

Lin Ze curiously studied a distant Griffin, wondering to himself,

I wonder how much Flesh Essence one Griffin would yield?

The Griffin in the distance seemed to sense a hint of malice. It turned its head, but all it saw was the group of new students. Seeing nothing amiss, it turned back and continued flying.

After more than half a day in the air, they finally saw the outline of a city.

Even from high above, the city stretched beyond sight in every direction. It was clearly enormous.

"Is this the Ancient City of Canaan?"

Curiosity flickered in Lin Ze's eyes. This would be the second place where his Death Soldiers would put down roots.

I hope it really is a place of order.

They flew for a little while longer before the group gradually descended.

Looking at the grand, ancient academy, Lin Ze felt a stir in his heart.

This academy would likely be where he lived for the next few years, the safe haven he had longed for.

And among the students here were outstanding talents his own age. Competing against these people, who would be considered prodigies anywhere else, would surely be interesting.

As he imagined the academy life ahead of him, an expectant smile appeared on Lin Ze's face.

I wonder what kind of mark I'll leave on this academy?