Vice Dean Xia's words brought a collective sigh of relief from everyone inside the Wen family's carriage.
Six freshly prepared parchment scrolls were once again handed to Wen Xuanyu. He picked one, and the moment the black-robed middle-aged instructor opened it, Wen Xuanyu's face turned pale.
The two characters on this parchment scroll were: Internal Affairs.
The black-robed middle-aged instructor displayed the open scroll to Vice Dean Xia and the six professors seated behind, then announced loudly, "Department of Internal Affairs!"
A faint hint of joy flashed in the eyes of the stern, hat-wearing middle-aged man affiliated with the Department of Internal Affairs. Meanwhile, the plump middle-aged woman, the gray-bearded elder, the black-robed old lady, and the gaunt old man from the Department of Spirit Cultivation all looked increasingly regretful.
Just moments ago, Wen Xuanyu had publicly mocked Lin Xi for having poor cultivation aptitude. Yet Lin Xi had shown no sign of anger, remaining calm and composed—a demeanor that only made these instructors appreciate him more. Unfortunately, Lin Xi was now already part of the Department of Warfare, under that madman Qin!
Vice Dean Xia turned to the green-robed young woman. "Gao Yanan, will you accept our arranged 'Heaven's Selection,' or will you choose as Wen Xuanyu did?"
"I don't really care. After entering the academy, we can take elective courses from other departments, right? Also, if a student voluntarily applies to serve in the border army, the academy allows it too, doesn't it? So what's the difference?" Gao Yanan replied indifferently, nearly causing many people nearby to faint on the spot.
Even Wen Xuanyu nearly passed out. "You can do that?!"
"You're not wrong," Vice Dean Xia replied with a rare smile. He nodded at the black-robed instructor, who then placed four parchment scrolls before Gao Yanan.
Gao Yanan casually picked one. This time, the plump middle-aged woman visibly relaxed—the scroll bore the characters "Medical Arts."
"Isn't that the same department?" Lin Xi muttered to himself when the black-robed instructor loudly proclaimed, "Department of Medicine!"
"Well, I can still take courses in the Department of Medicine…" Lin Xi's lips curled into a slight smile.
"These senior brothers and sisters are about to head to the border army for training. According to our academy's tradition, before they depart, we will arrange for you to meet them," Vice Dean Xia's voice rang out again.
His tone wasn't particularly loud, yet many around Lin Xi, including Li Kaiyun, visibly straightened. They stared intently at the orderly line of senior students behind the six professors and instructors, their eyes shining with fervor.
Except for a few "Golden Spoons," most of the new students who entered through examinations knew little about the academy's traditions. But people like Li Kaiyun understood well: the border military regions were extremely dangerous. Among these senior brothers and sisters, many might never return—they would stay forever in those remote and desolate territories.
"He traveled the world with a qilin and a divine duck… He's gone to deserts no one has ever reached… He's slain demon beasts, taken the heads of generals in the midst of armies, and shone gloriously at Falling Star Lake…"
At some point, a solemn chant began again. The black-robed academy students behind the professors started to depart, forming a long black line that moved toward the edge of Four Seasons Slope.
Li Kaiyun and the others puffed out their chests. These students were chasing the glory of their predecessors, acting as the empire's shield and support. Now that they, too, were part of the academy, they bore the same responsibility.
"Are border battles in the Yunqin Empire always this tense?" Lin Xi frowned in deep thought.
Even though he instinctively felt little connection to the empire, he couldn't help being moved by the scene. He realized he truly needed to understand what the border military situation was like.
"Let's go. We're heading back to Azure Phoenix Academy," Vice Dean Xia said to everyone, turning around with the professors and instructors to walk north around Lingxia Lake.
"…They're really leaving?"
Startled, Lin Xi quickly ran to the edge of the group and waved frantically toward a cluster of gathered carriages in the distance.
The anxiety on his face soon vanished, replaced by a bright smile like sunshine.
Because in his line of sight, a dilapidated carriage pulled away from the rest—and at its front sat the old coachman who had accompanied him across half the Yunqin Empire. The man silently watched as Lin Xi followed the academy procession.
When Lin Xi had left Lulin Town, aside from his parents and younger sister, he had almost no friends. The boys his age in town didn't understand him and treated him like an oddity. Even genuine conversations ended in alienation—everyone called him "Second Lin."
This coachman, surnamed Liu, though a man of few words who rarely spoke of himself, had taken good care of Lin Xi over the past month. Unintentionally, he had become Lin Xi's first friend in this world. Then came freckled chubby boy Meng Bai, followed by Li Kaiyun, Zhang Ping, and Xiang Lin.
As he walked with the group and watched the sunlight cast a golden glow over his companions' youthful faces, Lin Xi smiled warmly—but his thoughts couldn't help returning to "Dean Zhang."
What kind of man was this legendary middle-aged figure?
Why did he leave behind so many strange traditions and bizarre titles at Azure Phoenix Academy?
Neither the coachman nor people like Meng Bai would ever understand Lin Xi's world. If he told them about it, they'd think he was raving. At Apricot Blossom Village outside Four Seasons Slope, the coachman had thought he was just telling some absurd story. It was an incomprehensible and unbelievable past.
It was like a traveler whose past couldn't be shared. At times, that thought filled Lin Xi with inexplicable regret and loneliness.
If this continued, he feared he might one day doubt that he came from another world at all—and believe he had simply caught a cold and dreamed a long, ridiculous dream.
"If Dean Zhang came from the same world as me… he must've felt terribly lonely over the decades too, right?"
Images from that solemn chant surfaced in Lin Xi's mind: a middle-aged man wandering the wilderness with a dog-like beast and a duck-like creature. The imagined scene was vague, yet oddly touching.
"If he truly is like me… and created such a legend… could he possess the same kind of power I do?" The sudden realization made Lin Xi tremble.
"What's wrong?" Meng Bai, sensing Lin Xi's change, quietly asked.
"Nothing," Lin Xi replied truthfully. "I was just thinking about the legendary Dean Zhang."
"Oh." Meng Bai leaned close and whispered, "You know what I've been thinking?"
Lin Xi shook his head. "No idea."
Meng Bai made a bitter face and nodded toward the front. "I'm wondering what my grandfather did to offend that professor. Do you think they'll make my life miserable at the academy?"
"Pfft." Lin Xi burst into laughter.
…
"Where is Azure Phoenix Academy? Where are we going?" The new students were all still young. After walking north along Lingxia Lake for half a day with no sign of stopping, murmurs began spreading. Someone finally asked aloud.
The professors, instructors, and even Vice Dean Xia had never been overly strict—they allowed conversation and had said little during the journey. But when someone spoke too loudly, the black-robed middle-aged instructor simply pointed into the distance. "Azure Phoenix Academy is there. That's where we're going."
He pointed to a massive snow-covered mountain range, so tall that the peaks disappeared into the clouds—the Ascension Mountain Range.
"We're walking there?!" The new students erupted in shock.
Some of them already knew Azure Phoenix Academy was located in those enormous mountains. Even Lin Xi, who knew the least, had been told by the coachman when entering the Four Seasons Plain: the Yunqin Empire had two main ranges—the Mountain-Sea Spine and the Ascension Range. The Four Seasons Plain was the basin between them. And from Lingxia Lake to the base of the Ascension Range was at least a three- or four-day journey on foot.
Yet the black-robed instructor's voice remained flat and emotionless. "You are already students of the academy. Your cultivation begins now. In other words… your first lesson starts now. According to tradition, your performance from this moment onward will be recorded as part of your academic evaluation. Outstanding students will earn merit points; poor performers will be penalized."
The hearts of all the new students sank.
Then the instructor added, "Vice Dean Xia personally accompanying you on this journey is something you should feel honored by."
The professors and instructors up front suddenly stopped walking. The group of anxious new students nearly collided into each other.
"You'll each receive a cloak—one per person."
As he spoke coldly, the instructors removed large packs from their backs. The tents used earlier had already been neatly stacked by the lakeshore, clearly left for others to handle. Lin Xi had often wondered what the instructors were carrying in those large bundles. Now he knew.
Each instructor's pack held sleek black cloaks—one for every new student.