Heading to the Inner Academy

Two days later, Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er arrived together outside Vice Principal Hu Gan's study.

There were already several dozen people gathered there. They stood scattered around the square, and when Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er arrived, quite a few familiar faces cast friendly looks their way. Xiao Ling nodded back in response.

Lin Xiuyai and Lin Yan, who had arrived at the square earlier, also came over to chat. The four of them gathered together.

Before long, Han Yue and Liu Qing arrived at the square as well. However, Liu Qing was followed by a delicate, slender young woman whose identity was obvious—his cousin, Liu Fei.

Liu Fei was indeed quite pretty. In the original story, though, she had been spoiled rotten by her cousin Liu Qing, offended that cheater Xiao Yan, and ended up getting taught a lesson.

Since they were acquaintances, Xiao Ling went over to greet her. Seeing her face redden slightly left him speechless. What the hell are you blushing for?

At this moment, many other students had gathered around the open area. In the hearts of all Outer Academy students, being able to enter the Inner Academy for cultivation was an immensely coveted honor. Countless people had worked toward that goal from the moment they entered the academy. Thus, every year, when students who had passed the selection tournament entered the Inner Academy, many people came to see them off and watch.

More than ten minutes after Xiao Ling and Xiao Xun'er arrived, the tightly shut study doors finally opened. Vice Principal Hu Gan and several old men slowly walked out. At the sight of them, the whispers throughout the open area gradually died down, until the place fell completely silent.

Hu Gan slowly swept his gaze over the fifty students in the open area. Seeing that no one was absent, he nodded in satisfaction. Stepping forward, he announced, "Students, today is the day you enter the Inner Academy. First, I must congratulate you all. Your long years of hard work have finally paid off. I believe that after entering the Inner Academy, you may find its methods of cultivation difficult to adapt to. However, there is one thing I can say with certainty: there, you will be able to draw out your potential to the fullest extent. Hehe, I am not exaggerating. As long as you spend one year in the Inner Academy, you will undergo a transformation akin to being reborn... Some of you may know students from the Inner Academy, since they occasionally come out during breaks. So you should understand just how enormous the difference is between those students after they leave and before they entered."

Hearing Hu Gan's words, a small number of students nodded slightly. They were clearly people who had interacted with students who had come out of the Inner Academy before. More people, however, wore expressions of anticipation and excitement. What Hu Gan had described was precisely what they sought. Wasn't their purpose in entering the Inner Academy to pursue greater strength? They believed that no matter how strange or demanding its cultivation methods might be, they would persevere!

Being able to stand out from Jia Nan Academy proved both their talent and diligence. None of those standing here were the sort to believe that strength could be gained for nothing.

"The Inner Academy is the core of Jia Nan Academy. Due to its secrecy, most Outer Academy students, including the instructors, do not know its exact location. Therefore, we will first send you to a certain place." Hu Gan smiled and raised his head to look at the clear blue sky in the distance. Ten black shadows were flying over from afar. Moments later, the shadows grew larger, revealing themselves to be ten enormous Griffins.

Hu Gan waved at the Griffins in the sky. Their shadows immediately descended, and amid gusts of wild wind, the ten Griffins landed not far from the open area. A glance revealed that each Griffin had two people on its back controlling it.

"Alright, the time has come. Students, get on. Five per group." Seeing the Griffins descend, Hu Gan pointed toward them and spoke to the students.

At Hu Gan's words, the students in the open area immediately turned around and rushed forward in a swarm. Like fleas, they sprang onto the broad backs of the Griffins amid a flurry of whooshing sounds. Yet the moment their feet landed, the Griffins' somewhat slick feathers made them suffer. Some who failed to find their footing slipped and rolled right off. The repeated bangs of bodies striking the stone pavement rang out one after another.

"Haha, boys, don't try to show off. The Griffins have seats installed on them. Don't even think about standing on their backs—that's something only a Da Dou Shi can do." Hu Gan laughed, then turned toward Xiao Ling and the others. "The top five, you five are in the same group. Go on."

Xiao Ling curled his lips and did not comply. These Griffins were nowhere near as impressive as riding his own Rayquaza. He patted Xiao Xun'er's wrist, and Rayquaza, which had been wrapped around it, shook its just-awakened head before shooting over to Xiao Ling. It let out a long roar toward the sky, its body instantly returning to a length of seven meters.

His eyes shifted slightly as Xiao Ling sent a thought toward Rayquaza. Rayquaza, connected to him in mind and spirit, looked back at him. An invisible link seemed to form between them.

All of a sudden, Rayquaza's body emitted a dazzling white light, so bright that the people around it could barely keep their eyes open. When the light faded, the black skin on Rayquaza's body had become as brilliant as gemstones, and its body structure had changed as well. Four long golden strips resembling silk ribbons extended from its lower jaw and dragon horns. Its body had become even more slender, while the two golden sections of its tail fluttered in the wind. It could only be described in three words: cool as hell. This was Rayquaza's Mega Evolution, an ability it had acquired after breaking through to the Fourth Stage and learning Dragon Ascent on its own. This was also Xiao Ling's first time displaying it before outsiders.

Feeling the changes in its body, Rayquaza flew into the sky and let out a long roar. It circled through the clouds once before descending to land in front of Xiao Ling.

The surrounding students, instructors, and elders were all dumbfounded by the sight. Rayquaza had already been incredibly cool before, but after undergoing Mega Evolution, it was simply cool beyond measure. Moreover, they had never seen—or even heard of—a magical beast that could change forms so casually. It was truly an eye-opening sight.

After quietly showing off, Xiao Ling maintained a calm expression and an imposing bearing, though inwardly he was overjoyed. With a flip, he leaped onto Rayquaza's back, then tilted his head toward Lin Yan and the others, signaling for them to climb aboard.

None of the boys had ever ridden such a cool mount before, so they immediately climbed on and began chattering away with endless questions. In short, they all wanted to raise one too and wanted to know where they could catch one.

The two girls had been sitting in front of Xiao Ling for quite some time, yet their minds were still replaying the sight of him riding Rayquaza alone just moments ago. His blue hair streamed in the wind, and he looked carefree and extraordinary. In their hearts, they both screamed, My husband is so handsome!