Chapter 46

Zhiling City, the main city of the Zhiling District, is vastly different from the main city of the Xiadong District, Xiadong City.

Xiadong City is located in the mountains, with many restrictions, and the entire town's layout is elongated due to the unscalable mountains on both sides.

Zhiling City, on the other hand, is situated on a plain, with open spaces on all sides. The entire city is laid out in a square grid, with roads leading in all directions. Unlike Xiadong City, which has only one main road out of the mountains and is still not fully constructed.

After walking for about half a day, Lu Ping and his group finally entered the outskirts of Zhiling City. The number of carriages on the road had clearly increased, no longer as desolate as when they first emerged from the mountain pass. For the majority of the students from Xiadong Academy, this was their first time leaving the Xiadong Mountains, and the bustling scene of Zhiling City, so different from Xiadong City, left them in awe.

Following the main road, they passed through fields of rice paddies and villages. As the buildings became more densely packed, the group had entered the outer city area of Zhiling City. In the distance, the towering inner city walls, which Xiadong City lacked, came into view. The inner city of Xiadong City was built into the mountains, using the mountain body to form a defensive system that was easy to defend but hard to attack. This was probably the only aspect where Xiadong City was superior to Zhiling City.

Upon entering the outer city streets, Lu Ping and his group began inquiring about the location of Tianzhao Academy.

Tianzhao Academy was well-known in Zhiling City and even throughout the entire Zhiling District. The four of them had no trouble asking for directions and finally stood in front of the main gate of Tianzhao Academy on a quiet yet wide street. Behind them, the students from Xiadong Academy looked at them with curious eyes. On the opposite side of the street from the main gate of Tianzhao Academy, there was another gate with a sign that read "Shuangji Academy," which had an equally imposing presence.

Tianzhao Academy and Shuangji Academy, the two famous academies of the Zhiling District, were just across the street from each other, a fact that the isolated young people from the Xiadong District had never heard of.

Shuangji Academy had already received the letter and arranged for the soul tower exam for the students from Xiadong Academy, who all smoothly entered Shuangji Academy. However, Lu Ping and his group were still blocked outside Tianzhao Academy.

"Chu Min? There is no such mentor."

After the four explained their purpose, the gatekeeper of Tianzhao Academy rudely stopped them at the gate.

"Uh, maybe it's not a mentor, but the dean," Xifan recalled the dean's instructions when he handed them the letter before they left.

"Are you causing trouble? Who doesn't know that the dean of Tianzhao Academy is Lord Yun Chong? I was personally appointed by him!" The gatekeeper looked proud and self-important. Though he was just a gatekeeper, he clearly didn't take the four students, who looked like cultivators, too seriously. He only knew to follow the rules of Tianzhao Academy. If someone really dared to cause trouble, he had no skills, but there were others to deal with it. The mountain behind him was very solid!

"What's going on? Did Old Guo make a mistake?" Molin said, no longer calling the dean "Dean Guo" but "Old Guo" in private.

"It shouldn't be!" Xifan took out the letter, which clearly read "For Chu Min's eyes only" on the envelope.

"Sir, is there anyone else in the academy named Chu Min?" Su Tang asked.

Facing such a polite and understanding young girl, the gatekeeper's tone became much friendlier, but he still looked helpless. "There are over ten thousand people in the academy. How could I remember all of them? You should find out clearly before coming again!"

"Can we go in and look for her?" Su Tang asked.

"No, no, absolutely not. The academy does not allow strangers to enter and leave freely," the gatekeeper waved his hands.

"Alright!" Su Tang stepped back, but Molin was clearly annoyed by the gatekeeper's attitude.

"Why don't you punch him in the face?" Molin urged Su Tang.

"Punch you in the face," Su Tang glared at him.

"So, what do we do?" Molin changed the subject.

Lu Ping, however, had already stepped forward.

"Let us go in and look for her!" Lu Ping said.

"You kids, I already said no. Figure out who you're looking for first," the gatekeeper said.

"Chu Min," Lu Ping said.

"There's no such person," the gatekeeper waved his hand.

"You just said you can't remember all ten thousand people, how do you know there isn't one?" Lu Ping countered.

The gatekeeper was taken aback, clearly not expecting Lu Ping to say that, but he quickly recovered. "Who knows if you just made up a name? Figure out this person's identity first, then I can confirm it."

"We didn't make it up, we have a letter for her!" Lu Ping pointed to the letter in Xifan's hand.

"Who knows if it's forged," the gatekeeper said.

"It's real."

"Is it really real just because you say so?"

"It is indeed real."

"Are you trying to be unreasonable? Do you think I... uh?" The gatekeeper suddenly rolled his eyes and his legs went weak, about to fall. Lu Ping reached out to catch him, pushed him into a corner, and turned to the others. "Let's go."

"Should I say you're clever or reckless?" Molin wiped his sweat.

"Isn't this a bit too much?" Xifan was stunned.

"Did you hit him too hard?" Su Tang was worried.

"Not too hard," Lu Ping only answered Su Tang and stepped into the main gate of Tianzhao Academy.

"The assassin's intuition tells me we're in for trouble," Molin said.

"Let's find Teacher Chu Min as soon as possible!" Su Tang said.

"I'm afraid the dean hasn't been in contact for too long, and something might have happened," Xifan said.

While the three were talking, they followed Lu Ping into Tianzhao Academy.

A wide, tree-lined avenue led straight to the main building of the academy. There was no one on the road, and the entire academy was peaceful and harmonious, but this made the four of them even more anxious. They had hoped to find someone to ask for directions as soon as they entered, but the wide road was completely empty.

"Let's go to the building!" Lu Ping walked at the front, leading everyone with his decisive actions when no one had any ideas.

Just then, a clear and bright voice began to echo throughout Tianzhao Academy.

"Intruders, intruders. Three males and one female: Sixth Rank Essence Soul, wheelchair boy; Sixth Rank Pivot Soul, straw hat boy; Sixth Rank Force Soul, red-clothed girl; ordinary person, gray-clothed boy."

The characteristics and realms of the four were described clearly, as if the voice could see them. Although the voice covered the entire academy, the four could still identify its source and turned around.

Behind them, at the main gate of Tianzhao Academy, a young man stood with his hands on his hips, holding a megaphone-like device to his mouth. However, everyone knew that such a simple device alone could not achieve such a powerful amplification effect. The young man relied on his advanced Sound Soul realm, which allowed him to cover such a large area with his voice. This was not just a matter of a few ranks but a skill that only emerged after reaching the penetration stage.

"The above information is provided by the Guard Team's Shi Ao," the young man added.

Guard Team! This indicated that he was definitely a student. The students of Tianzhao Academy had already reached the penetration stage, which was indeed far beyond the rural areas of the Xiadong District.

As soon as the young man provided the information, a voice responded from the sky.

"Announcing the third-year cultivation test: Capture the intruders. Wheelchair boy, 2 points; Straw hat boy, 4 points; Red-clothed girl, 6 points; Gray-clothed boy, 1 point."

"So few points, how can that be enough?!" Various complaints echoed through the sky.

"Take what you can get!"

"First come, first served!"

As the voices spread, figures began to jump out of the windows of the main building, and sounds of movement came from all directions. The previously peaceful and harmonious Tianzhao Academy suddenly became lively.

"Sure enough, we're in for trouble," Molin groaned. At Zhaifeng Academy, he was a top student with a Sixth Rank realm, but at Tianzhao Academy, just hearing the voices of so many people, he knew that a Sixth Rank realm was not enough. To him, this was a world of many strong people.

"Don't worry, we just need to explain our purpose," Xifan said.

"What if they beat you up without asking?" Molin said.

"Run first," Lu Ping said.

"We should split up to run, or we'll be too big a target," Molin, with his assassin background, had some experience.

"Do you have a grudge against me?" Xifan was frustrated. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but now he was in a wheelchair and couldn't run.

"Stay and explain your purpose to them!" Molin said.

Xifan looked at the crowd rushing down the road, many of them wielding weapons. The leader, a bald boy with a black tattoo on his scalp extending to his eyebrow, had a killer's face, which made Xifan feel uneasy.

"Run!" Lu Ping reached out, picked Xifan up, and ran off.

"Ha ha ha." Molin still had the mood to laugh, thinking of the scene he had imagined when they left the mountain pass yesterday, which was now happening to Xifan.

"Still laughing? Worry about yourself!" Su Tang said, considering whether to carry Molin as well.

"Heh, I rely on experience and wisdom," Molin said, not taking the main road but entering the tree-lined path.

"I'm going this way," Su Tang pointed in the opposite direction and shouted to Lu Ping.

"I'll hide Xifan and then find you," Lu Ping replied.

"Where do you plan to hide me?" Xifan asked, frustrated.

"How should I know? I'm not familiar with this place. What do you think?"

"If it's up to me, can we not run so openly on this main road?" Xifan said.

"More attention will help the other two escape," Lu Ping said.

"Oh..." Xifan felt ashamed, realizing he had only been thinking of himself, which was a low level of awareness.

"However, not many people are chasing us," Xifan observed the movements of the students rushing out.

"Why?" Lu Ping also slowed down and looked around.

"Our points are low... combined, we're not even worth as much as Molin," Xifan said.