Early Graduation, Xiao Wu Weeps.

The Dean followed Xia Yan out of the office and submitted the application to the Academic Affairs Office.

He accompanied him all the way to the school gate.

After offering a few final words of advice, the Dean said, "I shall see you off here. Take care on your journey."

Xia Yan bade the Dean farewell and departed.

Walking to the outskirts of Notting City, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, and the foliage rustled in the breeze.

Xia Yan did not look back, walking quietly toward the main road.

The forest remained silent, save for the rustling sound.

Xiao Wu stepped out from behind a large tree, watching Xia Yan's receding figure. She bit her lip and clutched the hem of her clothes, fighting back her tears.

But in the end, the tears welled up, blurring her vision.

Why?

Why keep it from me?

Why must you leave?

Xiao Wu did not know what she had done wrong, or why Xia Yan was so determined to reject her. Xia Yan thought he had hidden it well, but he couldn't hide it at all.

He knew she liked him, yet he kept pushing her away.

"Wuwu... why... don't you like me..."

"Am I really that bad..."

"I like you!..."

"I like you..."

Xiao Wu wiped her tears, sobbing.

She liked Xia Yan, she really did...

On both sides of the main road, the green wheat fields had already sprouted ears, with waves of grain surging from time to time.

Xia Yan never looked back from start to finish.

He knew Xiao Wu was following him, but he had to leave. In this world where the weak are prey to the strong, only power is the eternal truth.

Only by grasping power can one find true security.

He had to become strong; he absolutely had to become strong!

Once he reached a deserted plain, Xia Yan summoned the Jade Green Bird and flew straight toward the north.

Sitting on the back of the Jade Green Bird, the strong wind whistled in his ears. He was heading for the Sylvie Grasslands in the northwest of the empire, which bordered the sea and was only two hundred miles from the Extreme North Snow Plains.

There were Soul Master Academies in the Sylvie Grasslands, but none that could be considered excellent.

Of course, Xia Yan had no intention of attending a Soul Master Academy.

He was going hunting, or rather, to make money.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could identify jade, which was why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had built its fortune on the jade trade, later expanding into jewelry, minerals, weapons, silk, auction houses, and a series of other businesses.

They had become the wealthiest sect in the world.

Naturally, they also operated their own merchant caravans, conducting trade and transport throughout the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

The Douluo Continent was generally vast and sparsely populated. Between cities, provinces, and kingdoms lay vast stretches of plains, hills, forests, or mountains.

Large swathes of it were desolate.

Merchant caravans were naturally plagued by bandits.

While they could hire Soul Masters for protection, the bandits could also be Soul Masters, or soul beasts, or even something in between—

Wolf Bandits.

They were the most notorious existence on the continent, the greatest headache for travelers and merchants.

Human bandits who only wanted money were easy to deal with; at worst, one could just pay the toll.

But Wolf Bandits didn't want money; they only wanted lives and women.

Wolf Bandits were a unique existence on the continent, a hybrid of humans and a type of soul beast known as the Gale Demon Wolf.

Half-human, half-beast.

They are born with the physique, speed, and certain innate abilities of the Gale Demon Wolf, while simultaneously possessing a degree of human intelligence. Adult individuals are extremely powerful, equivalent to the level of a human two-ring to three-ring Soul Master.

They are incredibly bloodthirsty, with strong reproductive desires and capabilities.

They will not spare any creature they can penetrate; they will plunder all sorts of animals, human males, and especially human females, to use for breeding.

Thus, they have become a truly terrifying species.

Their distribution range is not vast, but they are by no means rare. Wolf Bandits have appeared in large numbers in at least half of the provinces and kingdoms of the Heaven Dou Empire.

They have caused heavy losses.

Therefore, to ensure the safety of their governance, the Heaven Dou Empire officials have issued permanent Wolf Bandit bounties in addition to conducting encirclement and suppression campaigns.

Furthermore, the wealthiest sect in the world, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, also issues permanent bounties to ensure the safety of their caravan personnel and goods.

However, ordinary Wolf Bandits possess the strength of a standard two-ring to three-ring human Soul Master, move at extreme speeds, and can manipulate the wind attribute.

They also appear in packs.

Small groups consist of a dozen or so, while larger ones can number in the dozens, or even hundreds.

They are extremely dangerous, and killing them yields no Soul Rings; these two points alone cause most Soul Masters to shy away.

The bounties from the Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect are indeed generous, but high-level Soul Masters look down on them and have no desire to go. Otherwise, if they were told there were only ten, only to arrive and find a hundred, they might end up dying in a swarm attack.

Low-level Soul Masters can only group up if they want the reward.

Once they group up, they have to split the earnings; once split, the share becomes small, and once it is small, it is not worth risking their lives to kill Wolf Bandits.

Risking one's head for pocket change is not worth it.

Therefore, the effect of the bounties is limited.

Xia Yan, however, can rely on the Demon Suppressing Pagoda to minimize the danger, even having the confidence to emerge unscathed.

Hunting Wolf Bandits would be almost pure profit for him.

Wolf Bandits have wind-attribute abilities and can attack from a distance, so Xia Yan plans to look for those packs of ten or fewer.

Any more than that would be risky.

According to intelligence, the largest Wolf Bandit packs to appear in the Sylvie Grasslands in the last ten years have been of medium size, around fifty or sixty.

The rest have been in groups of twenty, thirty, or ten and under.

The most recent sighting of Wolf Bandits was half a year ago, totaling five. If it weren't for the fact that ninety percent of the caravan consisted of agility-attack type Soul Masters, they likely would have all been wiped out.

Notting Academy is nearly twelve thousand li away from the Sylvie Grasslands, a distance that could almost span the entire Heaven Dou Empire.

Along the way, Xia Yan saw numerous villages and towns.

Stopping and going, It took him ten days to arrive.

Xia Yan arrived at a bustling city in the Sylvie Grasslands.

He stood before a thirty-meter-tall building shaped like a yellow Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Carved in lacquer above the main entrance were three large characters: Seven Treasure Pavilion.

The Seven Treasure Pavilion is naturally an enterprise of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, responsible for functions such as intelligence peddling and the issuance and acceptance of bounties.

Xia Yan walked inside.

The spacious and imposing hall held only a few dozen people. The ceiling was decorated with a model of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and the black-and-gold marble floor was clean enough to serve as a mirror.

Seeing the young Xia Yan walk in, the surrounding gazes converged upon him.

When he reached the counter, the receptionist on duty smiled.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

Often, appearance is directly proportional to strength; the more outstanding a person's appearance, the more likely it is that they are a Soul Master.

Xia Yan's appearance was exceptionally striking—slender build, fair skin—enough to make her eyes glaze over.

He must be a Soul Master!

Even if he is young, he must be treated with respect!

Xia Yan asked, "I would like to know the locations of recently spotted Wolf Bandit packs of five or fewer."

"Ah?"

She was stunned, subconsciously looking toward the entrance, only to find no one else there.

"Uh..."

"Please wait a moment, I will look it up right away."

The hall was already spacious, so even though Xia Yan's voice was not loud, the dozen or so people nearby could hear him clearly.

Some acquaintances exchanged glances.

Did I hear that right?

He wants to find Wolf Bandits?