Mimicry Cultivation Ground

Jiang Lin and Chen Xuan had just approached when one of the guards reached out to block their path.

The guard was a man in his thirties, burly and wearing a cold, professional expression as he scanned Jiang Lin from head to toe.

Although his clothing was not flashy, it was of high quality; yet, being young and wearing neither the academy uniform nor any badge of status, he did not look like a student of the academy.

"Halt. Heaven Dou Royal Academy is not open to the public; unauthorized personnel are not permitted inside. Which family do you hail from?"

"I am not a student of the academy."

Jiang Lin's tone was calm. "I am here to use the Mimicry Cultivation Ground, and I have a letter of recommendation from Prince Xue Xing."

"A letter of recommendation?" The guard exchanged a glance with his companion, his brows furrowing as his gaze turned more scrutinizing.

"A letter of recommendation from Prince Xue Xing is not something just anyone can obtain. What is your name? Which sect are you from? We need to verify—"

He did not finish his sentence.

Chen Xuan took a step forward.

It was just one step, with no superfluous movement, but the aura of a Title Douluo was released in that instant.

The level ninety-three soul power spread out silently like a tidal wave, causing the air to suddenly stagnate. The guard's remaining words were choked back into his throat, and a layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

The other guard instinctively retreated half a step, his back slamming against the white marble gate pillar, his sword clattering against the stone.

Chen Xuan did not release his martial soul or reveal his soul rings; he simply stood there, his aged figure imposing without anger, his cloudy eyes watching the two guards with calm indifference.

Yet, that pressure unique to a Title Douluo weighed upon them like a mountain, making even breathing a cautious affair.

"This old man has brought him to borrow the cultivation ground," Chen Xuan said, his voice unhurried. "Is there anything else that needs verifying?"

"N-no... no need. Please, enter, both of you."

The guard hurriedly withdrew his hand, his voice trembling slightly. He stepped aside to clear the path, not daring to cast another glance at Chen Xuan.

His companion retreated behind the pillar, bowing his head and pretending to inspect the carvings on the stone.

Facing a Title Douluo, the two Soul Ancestor-level guards did not even dare to breathe loudly.

Jiang Lin tucked the recommendation letter back into his robes and stepped over the white marble threshold.

Chen Xuan retracted his aura and followed at a leisurely pace, as if nothing had happened at all.

Only after the two had walked several paces away did the guards let out long sighs, wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads with their sleeves as they whispered to each other:

"At least a Spirit Douluo... that aura just now felt far stronger than even the three Education Committee members. What kind of background does that youth have to have a Spirit Douluo acting as his guard?"

His companion shook his head, his Adam's apple bobbing as he cast a lingering, fearful look at the pair's retreating backs.

Upon entering the academy, the first thing that caught the eye was a flight of stone steps carved from white marble, winding upward and disappearing into the depths of layered greenery.

Jiang Lin walked up the steps for a while before realizing that the scale of Heaven Dou Royal Academy far exceeded his expectations.

The so-called "Mimicry Cultivation Ground" was not a series of enclosed indoor facilities, but rather various open-air, natural areas distributed across the mountains, the foothills, and the lakeside.

The academy occupied the entire mountain, and through careful classification, it possessed nearly a hundred types of mimicry cultivation environments.

Dense forests were suitable for plant-type soul masters.

Specific lakes were suitable for water-type soul masters.

The high-wind zones at the mountain peak were suitable for wind-type soul masters.

There were even several semi-wild habitats that had introduced specific soul beast populations for students whose martial souls shared the same origin as those beasts.

Rather than an academy, it was more like a natural ecological cultivation park that encompassed everything.

After wandering for a while, Jiang Lin had a rough grasp of the distribution of the academy's various zones.

He could find the general area for the Mimicry Cultivation Ground, but finding one suitable for the lightning attribute would likely take some effort.

It would be better to ask a local.

Coincidentally, not far ahead, a female student was walking down the stone steps.

She was slender, with long, silver-gray hair draped over her shoulders, a few strands caught by the mountain breeze. She wore the standard white robe of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, with a light blue ribbon tied around her waist.

She was looking down at a book in her hands, her pace steady. A cold, aloof aura radiated from her, and the air around her seemed several degrees cooler than elsewhere.

Jiang Lin stepped forward and spoke politely: "Excuse me."

The silver-haired girl looked up.

Her features were exquisitely delicate, her skin so fair it was nearly translucent, and her pale purple eyes were clear yet devoid of warmth. She looked at Jiang Lin without speaking, waiting quietly for him to continue.

"I would like to ask, in which direction is the lightning-attribute Mimicry Cultivation Ground?"

She was silent for a moment, as if assessing that Jiang Lin was not a student of the academy, before closing her book and pointing to a fork in the road to the right of the stone steps' end:

"Follow this path toward the mountain peak, and after passing the main campus area at the mountainside, turn right. There is a Thunder-Struck Forest there.

The trees there are struck by natural lightning year-round, and the lightning-attribute soul power in the air is very dense; it is the cultivation ground the academy has prepared for lightning-attribute soul masters."

She paused, then added, "However, that area is currently being used by Yu Tianheng. His martial soul is the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, and he does not like to be disturbed while cultivating."

"Many thanks." Jiang Lin nodded and turned to walk in the direction she had indicated.

Chen Xuan followed behind him with his hands clasped behind his back, casting one more look at the silver-haired girl before they left, though he said nothing.

The silver-haired girl did not spare them another glance, lowering her head once more to continue flipping through her book.

The wind stirred the silver-gray tips of her hair, causing the pages to rustle. She reached out to press them down, her expression remaining as calm and clear as water.

Upon reaching a fork in the path, Chen Xuan came to a halt.

"Xiao Lin, you can head to the Mimicry Cultivation Ground on your own. I will take the recommendation letter to visit the three committee members and finalize the paperwork. Since this is a recommendation from Prince Xue Xing, I must go through the proper channels, or it will be difficult to account for back at the academy."

"Understood." Jiang Lin handed the recommendation letter to Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan took the letter and turned toward the administrative building in the main campus area, his aged figure quickly vanishing into the bright yellow complex of buildings.

Jiang Lin continued his ascent alone along the stone steps.

The higher he climbed, the denser the lightning-attribute elemental energy in the air became, and he could faintly hear the low rumble of thunder echoing from the mountain peak in the distance.

The trees lining the stone steps gradually changed in species, shifting from the initial broad-leafed ancient trees to a coniferous forest, with charred marks from lightning strikes occasionally visible on the trunks.

After walking for another stretch, the stone steps came to an end, revealing a pine forest that had been struck by lightning.

This Thunder-Struck Forest was situated on a plateau near the summit, spanning several hundred meters in radius.

Almost every pine tree in the forest bore the scars of lightning strikes, and the air was permeated with a faint scent of ozone and the charred aroma of burnt pine resin.

The lightning-attribute elemental energy was so dense it could almost be felt against the skin; with every breath, one could sense tiny electrical currents dancing within the nasal cavity.

Deep within the Thunder-Struck Forest, beneath the largest lightning-struck pine, a young man sat cross-legged.

He appeared to be in his early twenties, with short black hair standing on end, a resolute face, and a lean, powerful build, his muscular physique clearly defined beneath his tight-fitting training gear.

A blue-purple dragon phantom flickered in and out of existence behind him, its body wreathed in dense arcs of electricity, radiating a pure dragon's might—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul.

The elemental energy of heaven and earth throughout the entire Thunder-Struck Forest was converging toward him in a mysterious pattern, and the tiny, leaping arcs of electricity in the air seemed to be drawn in as well, with the majority drifting toward his position.

Jiang Lin stood at the edge of the Thunder-Struck Forest, surveying the surrounding environment.

He could feel the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd within his body humming faintly, as if responding to the call of this forest.

He stepped into the woods, the scorched pine needles crunching and snapping beneath his feet.

The moment his foot crossed into the territory of the Thunder-Struck Forest, a sudden change occurred.