Chapter 240: The Method to Enter the Inner Academy
The Dead Tree of Souls stands as a testament to Jia Nan Academy's formidable reputation in the Black-Corner Region!
It is said that during a conflict between Jia Nan Academy and a major force in the Black-Corner Region, the bodies of two Dou Wang (Battle King) powerhouses and one Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) were gruesomely hung on this tree.
Since then, Jia Nan Academy's fame soared, and the notorious name of the Dead Tree of Souls spread throughout the entire Black-Corner Region and even across the Northwest Continent.
Standing at the entrance of Peace Town, Mo Yu glanced at this famous landmark of the Dou Qi Continent with interest. Then, he lifted his foot and stepped into Peace Town, the gateway to Jia Nan Academy.
As Mo Yu's gaze swept across the street, he was about to continue forward when he suddenly sensed something. He looked up toward the rooftops of the town's buildings and saw a dozen shadows darting toward the town gate with the agility of monkeys.
Moments later, these dozen figures appeared at the town gate. They scanned Mo Yu and the others before the leader, a middle-aged man, spoke indifferently, "Anyone entering Peace Town must report their identity, name, and other details. Otherwise, you will be expelled immediately."
Mo Yu's eyes flickered as he glanced at these figures. Apart from the middle-aged leader, the others were all young and uniformly dressed in light blue robes. On the chest of each robe was a blue badge engraved with a dagger stained with a few drops of red blood.
"Oh? It's the Jia Nan Academy's Enforcement Team," Mo Yu murmured with a raised eyebrow.
Compared to the newly established Yuanfu, Jia Nan Academy, a long-standing powerhouse in the Black-Corner Region, undoubtedly had the authority to establish such rules. The Enforcement Team was the sword Jia Nan Academy used to enforce its rules.
Sure enough, as soon as the Enforcement Team appeared, the middle-aged leader demanded that anyone entering Peace Town must take a pill that could detect killing intent.
"The rules of Peace Town have always been like this. If you don't want to comply, then don't enter. But if you do enter and break the rules, you might just end up as another decoration on the Dead Tree of Souls," the middle-aged man said coldly, his hands behind his back. As he spoke, a powerful aura slowly seeped out from his body.
"An eight-star Da Dou Shi (Battle Master)? Not bad," Mo Yu remarked calmly, sensing the man's strength.
Seeing the middle-aged man's unyielding attitude, some people at the town gate who were unwilling to swallow the pill looked at the Dead Tree of Souls and reluctantly retreated.
As those people left, the remaining individuals, though reluctant, had no choice but to step forward, report their names, and swallow the pale red pill under the watchful eyes of the Enforcement Team.
Seeing the others obediently taking the pill, the middle-aged man's cold expression softened slightly. However, he seemed to hold a disdain for the people of the Black-Corner Region, never showing them any kindness.
"Um… As a student of the academy, do I still need to take this pill?" As the middle-aged man habitually handed the pill to the young man standing in front of him, the latter suddenly asked.
"Oh?" Hearing this, the surrounding people and the dozen members of the Enforcement Team immediately looked over in surprise.
Staring at the young man's handsome face and unique aura, the middle-aged man's expression changed slightly. He then asked, "Which elder of the academy is your teacher? Where is your teacher?"
Mo Yu was slightly taken aback by how easily the middle-aged man believed him to be a student of Jia Nan Academy. He shook his head and said, "I don't have a teacher at Jia Nan Academy."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man was stunned. In his mind, Mo Yu's unique aura, different from that of the Black-Corner Region, coupled with his profound energy, undoubtedly indicated that he was likely a student of Jia Nan Academy.
Only Jia Nan Academy could gather such outstanding talents!
This alone was enough for the middle-aged man to trust Mo Yu. Moreover, he knew that when some elders of Jia Nan Academy traveled, they would bring back promising students to the academy. When Mo Yu identified himself, the middle-aged man instinctively assumed he was a student reporting to the academy with his teacher.
"I was admitted to the academy. After passing the entrance exam, I requested some time off, so I came here on my own," Mo Yu explained calmly.
"You made your way here through the Black-Corner Region by yourself?" The middle-aged man was stunned, his face full of surprise.
When Mo Yu nodded, the middle-aged man's surprise deepened. He scanned Mo Yu up and down before saying, "State your name, age, and the name of your recruitment mentor."
"Mo Yu, nineteen years old, Mentor Ruo Lin."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man seemed to remember something and exclaimed, "Mo Yu? Are you the one from the Jia Ma Empire who took a two-year leave after being admitted to the academy?"
"A few days ago, a student named Xiao Yan reported to the academy. He should be your relative, right? The two of you caused quite a stir when you were admitted."
The middle-aged man's exclamation left the surrounding people bewildered. However, they quickly realized who Mo Yu was, and their gazes toward him became peculiar.
This student, who had gained fame even before entering the academy, had already made a name for himself within Jia Nan Academy. Of course, much of Mo Yu's reputation was thanks to Xiao Yu.
"Mo Yu? Is he Senior Sister Xiao Yu's fiancé?" A few young men, after processing the information, began to look at Mo Yu with a mixture of curiosity and other complex emotions.
"Oh, that girl… It seems she's quite popular in the academy, creating these unnecessary rivals for me," Mo Yu thought with a wry smile, noticing the expressions of the young men.
"If the Xiao Yu you're referring to is from Wu Tan City in the Jia Ma Empire, then yes, I'm her fiancé," Mo Yu replied with a slight smile.
"Come with us to the office to check your records. If what you say is true, then you won't have to take the pill. By the way, I'm Huo De, the captain of the second squad of Jia Nan Academy's Enforcement Team and an instructor of the Yellow Rank," the middle-aged man introduced himself as Mo Yu spoke confidently.
Although Huo De was already convinced that Mo Yu was telling the truth, he still needed to follow protocol.
"Nice to meet you, Instructor Huo De," Mo Yu greeted with a smile. Seeing Huo De nod in acknowledgment, Mo Yu followed him, with the dozen members of the Enforcement Team watching him curiously.
"Hey, is that guy really Mo Yu?" one of the academy's Enforcement Team members whispered as they followed behind Huo De.
"It seems so. He looks quite handsome, but since he's been away for so long, his skills must have fallen behind. I don't understand what Senior Sister Xiao Yu saw in him. She even rejected our leader because of him," another whispered, glancing at Mo Yu.
Hearing the murmurs behind him, Mo Yu chuckled softly. He hadn't expected Xiao Yu to be so popular at Jia Nan Academy.
To be so admired at an academy full of geniuses, Xiao Yu must have grown significantly, not just in appearance but also in talent.
"Your identity checks out. You really are a student of Jia Nan Academy," Huo De confirmed after examining a scroll in his hands. The scroll had a sketch of Mo Yu's face, drawn three years ago when he was younger and still had a slightly boyish look. However, the overall features matched Mo Yu perfectly.
Closing the scroll, Huo De finally smiled and patted Mo Yu on the shoulder, saying with a meaningful grin, "You're quite something. According to your records, two years ago, you were just a seven-star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner). But now, you must be at least a high-level Dou Shi (Battle Master), right?"
"Your cousin Xiao Yan caused quite a stir in the academy just a few days after his arrival. He's already become the rookie king in the Inner Academy."
Huo De's words didn't surprise Mo Yu. He had spent a lot of time establishing Yuanfu in Stone Rock City, so it made sense that Xiao Yan had arrived earlier.
Given Xiao Yan's talent and strength, it was only natural that he would quickly make a name for himself at Jia Nan Academy.
"Are you planning to go to the academy now?" Huo De asked with a smile, seeing that Mo Yu didn't respond.
"Yes," Mo Yu nodded.
"You'll need this to enter the academy," Huo De said, taking out a blue badge from his storage ring and handing it to Mo Yu. As Mo Yu reached for it, he asked, "Instructor Huo De, is there any way I can apply to enter the Inner Academy?"
Huo De was momentarily stunned, then hesitated, "Given your talent and strength, you should be qualified to enter the Inner Academy. However, according to the rules, you must pass the Inner Academy selection tournament to gain entry. This year's tournament ended a few days ago, and your cousin Xiao Yan was one of the stars. If you want to enter the Inner Academy now, you'll have to wait until next year."
Mo Yu frowned slightly. He didn't want to waste a year in the Outer Academy, so he pressed on, "Isn't there another way?"
Seeing Mo Yu's persistence, Huo De paused, then said after some thought, "There is one way, but since the founding of Jia Nan Academy, no one has ever succeeded."
"Oh? What method?" Mo Yu asked curiously.
Huo De's words about the method being unprecedented didn't faze Mo Yu. With his current strength, he was ready to break records.
Seeing Mo Yu's confident demeanor, Huo De sighed and explained, "There is indeed another way for an Outer Academy student to enter the Inner Academy without going through the selection tournament. But it requires defeating one of the 'Strong Ranking' experts from the Inner Academy."
Huo De shook his head as he spoke, clearly thinking this was impossible.
Even the other members of the Enforcement Team had similar expressions. The Strong Ranking experts were the true prodigies and geniuses of the Inner Academy, a completely different league from those in the Outer Academy.
Hearing this, Mo Yu furrowed his brow slightly. He hadn't expected that bypassing the selection tournament would require such a difficult challenge.
"Instructor Huo De, would the top three in the Strong Ranking participate?" Mo Yu asked hesitantly.
If the top three were involved, Mo Yu realized he might have been too confident. After all, according to what he knew, Zi Yan was currently the top-ranked fighter. Given Mo Yu's current strength, he was still no match for this young Taixu Gulong (Ancient Void Dragon).
"Uh…" Huo De looked taken aback, then smiled wryly, "Of course not. The top three in the Strong Ranking are so powerful that even most instructors and elders can't defeat them. They wouldn't participate in such a challenge. To bypass the selection tournament, you only need to defeat one of the lower-ranked members of the Strong Ranking."
Mo Yu sighed in relief and shook his head, realizing he had been overthinking things.
"In that case, Instructor Huo De, please help me apply for this challenge."
"Oh, sure… Wait, what?" Huo De replied reflexively, only to be shocked when he realized what Mo Yu was asking.
The other members of the Enforcement Team also looked at Mo Yu in disbelief, unable to hide their surprise.
The Strong Ranking members, even those at the bottom, were at least Dou Ling (Battle Spirit) experts. Such individuals were powerhouses, even in the Black-Corner Region. Who would dare underestimate them?
"Please, Instructor Huo De. I'm determined to enter the Inner Academy," Mo Yu said calmly, ignoring the skepticism.
Seeing Mo Yu's determined expression, Huo De hesitated for a moment before sighing, "Alright, I'll submit the application to the academy's higher-ups. It's been about ten years since anyone has made such a request. It looks like the Inner Academy is about to get lively again."
Hearing Huo De's remark, the other members of the Enforcement Team looked at Mo Yu with complicated expressions.
Could this young man break the academy's long-standing record by challenging an Inner Academy Strong Ranking member?
After putting away the records, Huo De glanced at the darkening sky outside and said to Mo Yu, "It's getting late, but since you seem eager to reach the academy, I won't keep you. However, there's still a large area of dense forest before you reach the Inner Academy, filled with high-level magical beasts. Traveling through it at night is risky, so I can arrange for a griffin to take you directly to the Inner Academy. By the time you arrive, the higher-ups should have received my notification and might even schedule your challenge right away. What do you think?"
"Thank you, Instructor Huo De," Mo Yu replied gratefully.
"No problem," Huo De smiled. He was much warmer now than he had been at the town gate. He waved over a male and a female member of the Enforcement Team, gave them instructions, and sent them to make preparations.
"Mo Yu, before you go, I want to give you some advice. I don't know your exact strength, but since you're so confident, I assume you have some hidden trump card. However, ever since Xiao Yu returned from her clan two years ago, her strength has increased rapidly, making her even more attractive to the academy's top talents. I've heard that even some of the geniuses on the Strong Ranking are interested in her. So, if you encounter any of your rivals during the challenge, don't hesitate to surrender if you're outmatched. There's always next year to enter the Inner Academy," Huo De advised kindly.
Mo Yu nodded with a smile, seemingly accepting the advice, but a cold glint flashed briefly in his silver eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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