Primordial Battle Body

September ninth was the day Jia Nan Academy enrolled its new students. This year's admissions were unlike anything before, from the selection process to the number and races of applicants.

Today, the vast plaza, large enough to hold ten million people, was packed with humans, magical beasts, and Sea Clan beings. Powerful figures led the beasts and Sea Clan beings to keep them from causing trouble.

Jia Nan Academy had set up nine trials. Their difficulty varied according to age, cultivation, and other factors. Passing two earned admission to the Outer Academy; passing four, to the Inner Academy; and passing six, to the Small Inner Academy. Anyone who passed seven or more could earn the title of New Student King, along with special privileges and priority access to many resources.

In short, placement in the Inner or Outer Academy depended not just on cultivation but also on perseverance, temperament, aptitude, and an overall assessment.

Rumor had it there was a secret tenth trial, though only someone of extraordinary talent could trigger it. Passing it supposedly brought a special reward.

The academy had neither confirmed nor denied the rumor. No one knew where it had come from, but it had already spread everywhere.

Registration had begun early that morning. No academy elders presided over it; applicants entered the trials on their own. Once they passed the required number, they were enrolled and received a temporary identity token.

There was one exception today: people from the Black-Corner Region had priority. The academy offered no explanation. Its applicants had gathered early and began filing in as soon as the trials opened.

The Black-Corner Region itself had long since changed. Its residents carried specially made identity tokens that could not be forged—or rather, that no one dared forge. Jia Nan Academy had declared that