The Final Battle, Joining the Academy

Eager to return, Huo Hai and Ji Mu relaxed more and more as they neared the mouth of the valley. The path beneath their feet was easy to travel, and their speed steadily increased. By the time the Star Gu sent back their warning, Huo Hai realized it was already too late.

"Whoosh, whoosh..." The sounds came without end. Because Huo Hai was moving too quickly, he had triggered several encirclements at once. Arrows and concealed weapons came flying at Huo Hai from every direction. Several black-clad men even leaped down from the trees and charged straight at him. This time, Huo Hai had entirely brought it upon himself.

If he had not been in such a hurry and had waited a little for the Star Gu to scout ahead, he would not have walked so easily into an ambush.

Still, Huo Hai could not be blamed for this either. There was only one exit from Southern Mountain, and no matter what, they would have run into these people. The instant he was attacked, Huo Hai's anger surged up.

He had already been avoiding these people, yet they still dared to come looking for trouble. Huo Hai did not stop to consider that only the great Lineages and major groups knew who he was; small households and minor clans did not recognize him at all.

Just as Huo Hai was about to explode, Ji Mu sensed that something was wrong and immediately grabbed his hand, suppressing his anger. "Huo Hai, don't lose your temper. You don't want to become like that, do you?" At those words, a chill ran through Huo Hai's entire body. Becoming a madman without reason was the last thing he wanted. He shook his head, forcing himself to become clearer-headed.

At this moment, Huo Hai's vigilance had fallen to its lowest point, but his defenses had been raised to the utmost. More than four hundred Star Gu around him were all devoted to defense. The instant the concealed weapons arrived, the Star Gu reacted.

The Star Gu were far faster than those hidden weapons and arrows. With a flash of light, they shielded Huo Hai and Ji Mu within their midst. From the outside, the two seemed to be enveloped in a faint fluorescent glow, as though protected by some special spirit energy barrier. Then came a clattering chorus, and the concealed weapons and arrows fell all over the ground.

The Star Gu being spread out was one reason, but the greater reason was that Huo Hai would not allow them to devour anything. They were already close to the exit; exposing them here would be troublesome. Having Ji Mu know was dangerous enough.

"Hmph. Since you dared to make trouble for me, prepare to pay the price." Huo Hai could not kill them, but he had no intention of letting them off. With a sweep of his hands, he grabbed several Star Gu and flung them out as if scattering sand.

Huo Hai once again used the Star Gu to imitate the techniques of concealed weapons. A great many specks of light shot forth. Their speed was so great that no one could tell what those points of light truly were. Besides, once dispersed, the Star Gu's glow was extremely faint and could easily be overlooked without close attention. By the time they realized concealed weapons were coming, it was already too late.

The Star Gu were incredibly fast. Over such a short distance, they accelerated to their utmost limit. This time, Huo Hai did not have them attack any vital spots, only unimportant places such as their limbs.

"Ah..." Cries of agony rang out near the exit. Killing people in a place like this was ultimately not a good thing, and no one was willing to casually commit murder here. If someone saw them, things would become troublesome.

The Star Gu easily burrowed into their limbs. But it did not end there. Since they had dared to seek trouble with him, even if he could not kill them, he would not let them have an easy time. Once Huo Hai resolved to be a villain, he ordered himself to harden his heart. Especially against these people, who had never been good in the first place, he did not feel the slightest guilt.

After entering their limbs, the Star Gu did not merely wound flesh and blood. With their sharp teeth, they directly bit through every tendon in their hands and feet. For the rest of their lives, they could only lie in bed.

"Hmph. Consider this a small punishment. Let it teach you that if you want to rob homes and plunder houses, you need the strength to do it." Ji Mu rolled her eyes repeatedly at those words. Did having strength mean one could go around robbing homes and plundering houses?

Since he had already acted, Huo Hai held nothing back. If he did not act, then so be it—but once he did, he might as well display enough strength to make them fear him and bring himself some peace in the future. Perhaps there were others nearby watching him as well. His hands continued to dance, and streak after streak of light flew from them.

Very quickly, everyone around them who had participated in attacking Huo Hai had their hand and foot tendons severed. From the outside, it appeared to have been done by some exceedingly strange concealed weapon. In an instant, Huo Hai's strength was deeply impressed upon everyone's minds.

"Hmph, let's go." Huo Hai snorted coldly, secretly recalled the Star Gu, and set off once more. There were still others nearby, but after witnessing this scene, not one of them dared to make a move. No one wanted to end up like those people.

As for how these people would survive in the future, that was no longer Huo Hai's concern. If they dared to do such things, they had to be prepared to die. Not killing them outright was already giving them plenty of face. Huo Hai turned and left, but the killing intent in his heart continued to surge like raging waves. Though he had not killed anyone just now, his blood was still speeding up.

Several times just now, Huo Hai had nearly been unable to resist ordering the Gu Insects to kill them. If he did not leave soon, he feared he would lose control of himself. After the recent fighting, he was once again shrouded in killing intent, and no one dared to stop him.

The two soon arrived at the exit. This place was no longer suitable for an ambush. Not only were there fewer trees nearby, but setting an ambush here would be easily discovered, and they would not be allowed to lay traps here either. Once they had reached this place, they were safe. Looking at the sun that had just risen, Huo Hai took a deep breath. They had finally made it out.

Outside Southern Mountain, everything had changed. At some unknown point, many people had gathered outside. Apart from the central plaza, there were many unrelated people outside as well, perhaps simply here to watch the excitement.

Peddlers selling all sorts of goods had even sprung up and settled here. When they had entered, the outskirts of Southern Mountain had been nothing but open ground. Now it looked like they had arrived at a marketplace. If not for the plaza still standing in the middle, along with the testers and those who had emerged early, Huo Hai would have suspected he had taken the wrong road.

When the tester saw the two emerge, his eyes lit up. He called loudly, "Hand over one hundred cards, and you may collect your proof of admission."

Those one hundred points were not their starting capital.

In truth, those one hundred points were equivalent to the tuition fee for joining Imperial City Academy. One hundred points meant ten thousand Spirit Stones. Without this method, it would truly not have been easy for them to obtain such a sum. That was the benefit of taking part in the trial.

If they encountered an entrance examination without a trial, then after passing the test, they would have to pay the tuition themselves. At that time, aside from major Lineages, ordinary people truly could not produce so many Spirit Stones. Huo Hai had known this long ago. He exchanged a glance with Ji Mu, and then the two stepped forward. Each took out one hundred cards and handed them to the tester.

The tester nodded and said a few words to the person beside him, who quickly began recording something. Before long, two cards bearing their names were delivered to them.

"Please keep these safe. They are your proof of admission, and they will also serve as your identification at Imperial City Academy in the future. If you lose them, replacing them later will be extremely troublesome." At Imperial City Academy, everything depended on this card.

Huo Hai thought, Isn't this just an all-purpose card? Heavenly Spirit Continent is surprisingly advanced—they even have something this convenient. I wonder if it can store money. If it can, it'll be just like schools back on Earth.

Just as Huo Hai finished thinking that, the tester said, "All right, drip a drop of blood onto these cards. From then on, only you will be able to use them. Also, take out your excess point cards. We will convert them into points and store them on your cards. Any payment at Imperial City Academy in the future will require this card."

Hearing that, Huo Hai bared his teeth in a grin. He truly had not expected to hit the mark. Who had invented this method? Could a group of Earthlings have once transmigrated here as well? All sorts of chaotic thoughts flashed through Huo Hai's mind.

"Hahahaha! Hurry up, hurry up! Take out your cards and let us see them! Let's see just how pitiful you are. The two of you dared to wander around Southern Mountain, and surviving until now is truly your good fortune. Don't disappoint me—I collected a thousand cards!"

Huo Hai looked up. Wasn't the man laughing loudly He Wang, the very person who had attacked him before? He had thought He Wang had died in that attack, yet he was still alive. How had the Star Gu failed to discover him back then? What Huo Hai did not know was that He Wang had been too far away at the time. Because he had feared danger, he had instead escaped with his life.

He Wang also glared at Huo Hai with a venomous expression. If not for this person, he would not have wasted so much time. If not for this person, he would not have lost so many subordinates. Would he have ended up like this otherwise?

A mere thousand points—counting himself, he was admitting three people into the academy, leaving only seven hundred points as starting capital.

The others with their own teams who came out at the end—who among them had fewer than three thousand points? Some might even have had five thousand points. And with so many subordinates, they did not need to specifically cultivate any one person. They could casually bring in several people, far more than he could. It was all this man's fault, all because of him. But with only two people, how much could they possibly have gained?

In truth, He Wang did not know much about Huo Hai's situation, but he simply wanted to provoke him. The looks of hatred from the surrounding people became strange. All manner of complicated gazes fell upon Huo Hai.