Xiao Ze stretched, having finally reached a small town on the outskirts of the Black-Corner Region.
Several recruitment teams were already stationed here.
Large numbers of students recruited by Jia Nan Academy from various countries were staying in the town.
"This town is under the control of Jia Nan Academy. It serves as a place for the recruitment teams to gather."
Instructor Ruolin came before the group and explained.
"The Black-Corner Region is a dark land rife with chaos and slaughter. One careless step, and you could run into a natural or man-made disaster."
"Once all the recruitment teams have returned, the academy's experts will escort us to Jia Nan Academy."
"There's still some time. You can explore the town."
"Recruitment teams from all over the world have gathered here. You might find something that interests you, so feel free to look around."
"Remember! Fighting is forbidden in this town!"
Instructor Ruolin's expression was solemn. After finishing with that final warning, she waved her hand and dismissed the students.
Xiao Ze, Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yi Xian, and the others did not leave. They stayed by Instructor Ruolin's side.
"Instructor Ruolin, about how long will it take to cross the Black-Corner Region and reach Jia Nan Academy?"
Xiao Ze asked.
"What's the matter? Can't wait to see the sights at Jia Nan Academy?"
Ruolin said with a smile.
She thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Normally, our group is among the later ones to arrive. The recruitment teams should all be back within two days."
"Even with the academy's experts escorting us, crossing the Black-Corner Region won't be easy."
"Natural disasters are one thing. Running into hundreds or thousands of Black Bandits would be the real trouble."
"Conservatively, it'll take around ten days."
Xiao Ze nodded. It was difficult to cultivate while traveling.
He was mainly worried that making too much of a commotion would bring unnecessary trouble.
Once he reached Jia Nan Academy, he would be able to cultivate freely.
As he recalled, Jia Nan Academy seemed to have a vast back mountain that was practically endless.
The Inner Academy, said to be the very heart of Jia Nan Academy, was hidden somewhere in that endless back mountain.
Time flew by.
At dawn one day, after counting all the teams, an old man spread a pair of wings behind him. They beat lightly, lifting him into the air.
"All recruitment teams have arrived. You have half an hour to pack. We leave in half an hour, and no one will be left behind!"
His voice, carried by Dou Qi, rang through the entire town.
Xiao Ze's eyes snapped open, and he sprang out of bed.
For the past two days, he had slept fully dressed. It was better to be cautious when traveling than to act as if he were at home.
On the other two beds, Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Xun'er opened their eyes one after the other.
"We're finally crossing the Black-Corner Region. I can't wait to get to Jia Nan Academy and begin cultivating."
The two girls smiled and followed Xiao Ze outside.
The moment they stepped out of the room, they found the place already bustling. Large numbers of people were packing their belongings.
Xiao Ze and the two girls all had Storage Rings, so they could travel light and had nothing to pack. They waited beside Instructor Ruolin.
The busy half hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Half an hour later, the old man's voice rang out again.
"Time's up! Move out!"
The vast procession set off toward this dark land of chaos and bloodshed.
Jia Nan Academy's annual recruitment always drew covetous eyes from all sides.
After all, with such a large procession, there were always reckless people who wanted to take a bite out of it.
This was especially true of the infamous Black Bandits of the Black-Corner Region, who had earned their "reputation" by living with their blades at their throats.
Every year, countless desperadoes made their way to the Black-Corner Region to become Black Bandits.
A new generation replaced the old, and no one seemed to learn from what had happened before.
On the fifth day of the journey, a powerful surge of energy erupted at the rear of the procession. An academy expert had made a move!
He was at least a Dou King!
Not long afterward, an old man controlled dozens of severed heads in midair and hung them from flagpoles throughout the procession, killing one to warn the rest!
The flagpoles throughout the procession were already covered in heads.
They belonged to Black Bandits who had tried to attack the procession over the past few days, hoping to snatch whoever they could.
The farther they traveled into the Black-Corner Region, the more heads appeared on the flagpoles, and the stronger the deterrent became.
Before making a move, many Black Bandits would think twice about whether they wanted to become one of the heads hung on a flagpole as a warning!
The new students who had originally been in high spirits stared up at the savage, bloodied heads hanging overhead.
One by one, their faces turned deathly pale.
But the instructors said nothing. Jia Nan Academy wasn't raising flowers; it was training true experts!
If they couldn't even endure bloodshed and slaughter, then they might as well leave the path of cultivation sooner rather than later!
Xiao Ze leaned against a flagpole, breathing in the air's faint scent of blood. His expression remained calm, and he was even working out a new ability in his mind.
Ever since obtaining the Woeful Poison Body, he had consciously tried to fuse its poison with the water-attributed Dou Qi within him.
He had already made some progress, but he would need to explore it more deeply to bring out the full power of both energies!
In particular, fusing the Perfect Woe Poison Body with water-attributed Dou Qi might create an entirely new special attribute.
Would it be venomous water, or a poison-water attribute?
Xiao Ze pushed aside the question of what to call it. He hadn't perfected it yet, so he could think about the name later.
Besides, this unique attribute was probably one of a kind across the Dou Qi Continent. There was little point in naming it; all he needed was to understand it himself.
Over the next few days, the attacks dwindled noticeably.
After all, every head hanging from those flagpoles had once belonged to a living person.
That was the price of daring to challenge Jia Nan Academy!
Xiao Ze stood up. Two majestic mountains rose before him.
A small town lay between them.
He watched the town slowly come into view, along with a plaque bearing its name.
Peace Town!
"So this is Peace Town, and there's the Necro Tree!"
Xiao Ze looked toward the strange tree. It had borne witness to the long history of conflict between Jia Nan Academy and the forces of the Black-Corner Region.
Securing a measure of peace in this land of chaos and slaughter demanded far more effort than most people could imagine.
The Dou Emperor corpse and two Dou King corpses hanging from the Necro Tree were irrefutable proof!
"Phew, we're finally close to the outskirts of Jia Nan Academy. All we have to do now is cross a stretch of primeval forest, and we'll officially reach Jia Nan City!"
Instructor Ruolin said to Xiao Ze.
Xiao Ze nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Nothing unexpected happened after that, and they safely crossed the primeval forest.
A magnificent city appeared before the many new students.
Jia Nan City!
Jia Nan Academy was located right in its center!
Once they entered Jia Nan City, Xiao Ze could clearly see that Instructor Ruolin had relaxed.
"You can finally take it easy now, Instructor Ruolin?"
Xiao Ze said with a smile.
Ruolin rolled her eyes and said irritably,
"The busy part is only beginning. I still have to arrange all the new students' enrollment matters."
Ruolin grimaced and suddenly grabbed Xiao Ze's hand. "Don't disappear on me again, okay?"
"I'll try."
"No 'trying'! At least wait until I've finished arranging everything for the new students!"
Ruolin's eyes widened as she glared at Xiao Ze, her usual gentleness nowhere to be seen.
"Alright, alright."
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