Returning to the Inner Academy

Black-Corner Region.

Xiao Li tugged at his tattered black cloak, feeling somewhat helpless. "This Black Storm is truly treacherous."

Having been away for nearly two or three months, the Thunder Sect had become quite a bit more prosperous. According to Deacon Li, they had recruited many new disciples. The fame of annihilating the Blood Sect was no small matter, and with Elder Qian intentionally performing a display of walking through the void in front of others, it had attracted the eyes of the entire Black-Corner Region to the Thunder Sect.

"Many thanks to Elder Qian for helping me build my reputation." Xiao Li expressed his sincere gratitude. Over the past year, The Two Elders Qian and Bai had helped him a great deal, and he would certainly repay them in the future.

Elder Qian waved his hand. "It is nothing. The two of us haven't been out for activities in a long time. Taking this opportunity to come out and stay for a year is quite nice."

Elder Bai nodded and said, "The one-year period has arrived. Let the two of us escort you back to the Inner Academy."

Xiao Li nodded, a hint of excitement in his eyes. The Inner Academy—a place where geniuses gathered. Only by having more competitors would he strive harder in his cultivation, and at the same time, it held more talent worth recruiting.

The students of Canaan Academy, whether in character or talent, were far superior to the scum of the Black-Corner Region. Picking treasures from among the scum was ridiculously difficult.

As for the Thunder Sect, Xiao Li planned to return every so often. Everything he currently possessed was based on his own strength, and his current strength clearly did not match the reputation of the Thunder Sect; diligent cultivation was the only truth.

Saying they would leave, they left. After finally giving Deacon Li some instructions, Elder Bai and Elder Qian walked through the void in full public view, taking Xiao Li away and once again inciting a wave of worship and awe.

With the news of Dou Zong powerhouses, presumably those in the Black-Corner Region would not trouble the Thunder Sect over a remote piece of land in the northwest.

At this moment, on the open ground of Canaan Academy, the fifty people from this year's batch who were qualified to enter the Inner Academy were gathered, among them Liu Qing, Lin Xiuya, and others.

Hu Gan was just about to speak when three black-robed figures descended from the sky. "Wait, Hu Gan, take Xiao Li with you as well."

Xiao Li—although this name had not been heard for a long time, Hu Gan still had a deep impression of him. This was the ruthless man who had taken first place in the Inner Academy selection tournament as a freshman.

It was not just Hu Gan; even the students of this year knew him, as they had all been present at the time and witnessed Xiao Li winning first place with their own eyes.

Lin Xiuya looked toward the sound, and upon seeing the handsome, black-robed Xiao Li, he let out a soft exclamation. "I actually cannot see through this guy's strength."

The most likely reason for not being able to see through an opponent's strength was that one was far inferior to them, but Lin Xiuya was already a three-star Great Dou Master; how could he be unable to see through the other's strength?

Lin Xiuya looked at Liu Qing and found that he also had a grave expression. Could it only be said that a monster is indeed a monster? In just one year, they had been left so far behind that they could not even see his back.

Hu Gan bowed to The Two Elders Qian and Bai. "Leave this kid to me; I will definitely bring him to the Inner Academy. Sorry for the trouble, Elders."

The Two Elders Qian and Bai shook their heads and sighed deeply. "It is our honor to be able to guide a monster like Xiao Li."

With that, the figures of The Two Elders Qian and Bai vanished, their whereabouts unknown, leaving behind a shocked Hu Gan.

Having just regained his senses after hearing the words of The Two Elders Qian and Bai, Hu Gan looked at Xiao Li.

Calm, or perhaps indifferent—that was the first impression Xiao Li gave Hu Gan. This kid had grown quite a bit in a year.

But more importantly, why couldn't he see through this kid's cultivation level?

Could it be that this kid had become stronger than him in this past year?

Hu Gan felt a bit frantic, though his face remained very calm. "Alright, Xiao Li, get on the flying magical beast. We are going to enter the Inner Academy. You have entered a year late and have already fallen behind a lot, so you must work hard."

Hearing this, Xiao Li's expression became strange. As far as he knew, the Inner Academy couldn't make someone go from a two-star Great Dou Master to a three-star Dou Ling in a year.

Xiao Li silently boarded the flying magical beast, feeling strange; it felt like a teacher from his past life lecturing a good student.

There were ten griffins in total, five in a group, and Xiao Li was arranged by Hu Gan into the same team as Lin Xiuya and the others.

Xiao Li's figure flashed, a streak of red light flickered, and he appeared on the back of a griffin. His feet stood firmly on the slippery feathers, like an iron tower, motionless.

Seeing Xiao Li's steady movement technique, those students who had previously fallen off the griffins could not help but look on with admiration. Having tried to board the griffins by force, they knew very well how difficult it was to stand on those damn feathers.

After Xiao Li, Lin Xiuya and the others also flashed up at the same time. None of the five used any external objects, standing straight on the backs of the griffins. With such strength, they were worthy of being the top five in the selection tournament.

Seeing the performance of the six, Hu Gan and the several elders beside him scanned the open ground. When they saw that everyone had boarded the griffins, they looked at each other and nodded slightly. The former waved his hand, and Hu Gan and the three elders moved, flashing into mid-air. With a shake of their shoulders, four brilliant Dou Qi wings extended from their backs.

As the wings vibrated slightly, their figures hovered motionless amidst the many envious gazes on the open ground.

Being able to condense Dou Qi wings and fly freely was always a dream in the hearts of many cultivators, and it was also Xiao Li's current goal.

"We will personally escort you on this journey." Looking down at the open ground from above, Hu Gan smiled and waved his hand. The person driving the griffins below gave a sharp whistle, and suddenly, the griffins' wings flapped violently. Their huge bodies slowly ascended, accompanied by shadows that grew smaller and smaller on the ground.

"Greetings, everyone." Xiao Li greeted the others indifferently. As the top five of this selection, they were certainly worth getting to know.

"My name is Lin Xiuya. You must be Senior Xiao Li, right? Come to think of it, we are a bit older, but our strength is much lower. By rights, we should call you Senior." Lin Xiuya responded with a smile. None of them had the arrogance of geniuses when dealing with Xiao Li.

Xiao Li nodded, though there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected this person to be Lin Xiuya; that made it even more necessary to befriend him.

Above the azure sky, ten huge griffins flapped their wings and flew past the endless mountain range behind the academy. Outside the griffins, Hu Gan and the three elders formed a four-cornered formation, surrounding the entire griffin formation. Powerful Dou Qi emerged outside their bodies, and no matter how the gale raged, it could not move their figures in the slightest.

The vast sea of forests was filled with all kinds of magical beasts. Every so often, magical beasts filled with a fierce aura would charge out from the forest, roaring at the griffin formation in the sky. Occasionally, some flying magical beasts would chase after them, but whenever these beasts approached within a hundred meters of the formation, they would be intimidated by the fierce aura surging from the bodies of the four, including Hu Gan, and retreat in a wilted state.