The morning after enrolling in the Exotic Beast Academy, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu, who were in the library reading books they were interested in, saw Vice Dean Jiang Jing walk in briskly and sit down opposite them without any regard for her image.
"Yu Yan, Xiao Wu, so you two really are here."
Having failed to find them at the residence arranged for them, Jiang Jing thought of Yu Yan's first request. She decided to check the library with a trial attitude, and to her surprise, she actually found them there.
Having grown up in the Exotic Beast Academy, this was the first time Jiang Jing had seen students head straight for the library right after enrolling.
"Does Dean Jiang have some business with us?"
Yu Yan shifted his gaze from the book in front of him and looked at the hurriedly searching Jiang Jing, curious about what she wanted.
"Didn't I agree to your requests yesterday? Today, I've come to fulfill the two that can be completed."
Yu Yan was surprised: "So fast?"
"Of course, I was afraid you two little Geniuses might run away." After a half-serious joke, Jiang Jing took out a badge engraved with the mark of an Ice Soul Horse and placed it before Yu Yan. "With this Token, you can freely enter and exit most areas of the academy, including the library."
"Thank you."
Yu Yan picked up the Token from the table and casually placed it in his pocket.
The Token was a product of a mutual exchange of interests, something Yu Yan deserved; he wouldn't engage in superficial, hypocritical politeness.
"I discussed it with the Academy senior leadership. We can provide four ice soul flowers at once. Before you graduate from the Exotic Beast Academy, you will also have a quota of one ice soul flower per year."
"I didn't bring the ice soul flowers with me because they need to be absorbed in a special place to maximize the benefits. Whenever you two want to absorb the ice soul flowers to increase your spirit power, just come find me."
After delivering the Token, Jiang Jing mentioned the request she had agreed to for Xiao Wu yesterday.
"Thank you, Dean Jiang. We'll spend two days familiarizing ourselves and resting in the academy before going to absorb the ice soul flowers."
Hearing Jiang Jing ask about her request, Xiao Wu looked up from the travelogue in front of her, thanking her while giving an approximate timeframe.
Xiao Wu didn't have any particular thoughts on when to absorb the ice soul flower; she would just wait to discuss it with Yu Yan. Since Yu Yan would make the best decision, she would simply follow the arrangement.
After responding, Xiao Wu refocused her attention on the travelogue. Since reading her first travelogue, she had completely fallen in love with such books. Being able to learn many new things and different people's perspectives on the World from a highly narrative book was truly fascinating.
"Dean Jiang, our previous understanding of the ice soul flower was all hearsay. Can you tell us about it in detail?"
Glancing at Xiao Wu and realizing she was leaving the decision to him again, Yu Yan took the initiative to ask about the precautions for absorbing the ice soul flower.
"You should already have some basic knowledge of the ice soul flower, so I won't go into detail about that. I'll focus on what you should pay attention to when absorbing it."
Having experienced various things, Jiang Jing knew what Yu Yan really wanted to ask. She organized her thoughts and explained to Yu Yan:
"The ice soul flower is indeed as the rumors say, growing in a land overflowing with cold Qi. Because of this, the ice soul flower naturally contains a special cold Qi. After consuming and refining it, one needs to spend over a month wearing down this special cold Qi."
"Based on the characteristics of the ice soul flower and the land where it grows, the academy has built a Hot spring. When you absorb the ice soul flower in that Hot spring, the residual impact of the cold Qi can be minimized, and it will only take another week to wipe out that cold Qi."
"That's about it. Do you have anything else to ask?"
It was great talking to smart people; some things didn't need to be said too bluntly for the other person to understand.
After listening to Vice Dean Jiang Jing's explanation, Yu Yan pondered for a moment: "Does leaving that cold Qi in the body have any impact?"
"Rest assured on that point. This cold Qi won't have any effect on you. Since the founding of the Exotic Beast Academy, so many people have absorbed ice soul flowers, and no one has had any issues."
Jiang Jing's words, combined with her confident tone, completely dispelled the slight worry in Yu Yan's heart.
"As Xiao Wu said, we'll find you in two days to absorb the ice soul flowers and increase our Spirit Power Level."
"Alright, I won't disturb your reading then. Bye-bye."
With the business concluded, Jiang Jing stood up, waved goodbye to the two, and left the library at extreme speed to handle other matters.
After finishing a long story, Xiao Wu put down her book and stretched lazily. When she looked up, she saw Yu Yan focused on his reading. Sunlight from the window shone on his profile, and the breeze stirred the stray hairs on his forehead... Yu Yan looks so serious when he reads... Life at the Exotic Beast Academy was simple and plain; the residence, the cafeteria, and the library were the main activity hubs for Yu Yan and Xiao Wu.
Because they acted so low-key, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu's enrollment didn't cause much of a stir in the Exotic Beast Academy—at least for now.
On their third day at the Exotic Beast Academy, Yu Yan and Xiao Wu found Vice Dean Jiang Jing right on time to have her take them to consume the ice soul flowers.
Following behind Jiang Jing and verifying their identities twice, they passed through a tall perimeter wall and arrived at the center of the Exotic Beast Academy, where they saw a field of ice soul flowers growing in White Soil.
The flowers of the ice soul flower were shaped like irregular frozen snowflakes and were ice-blue in color. Other than that, they weren't much different from ordinary flowers and plants.
The land that nurtured the ice soul flowers emitted waves of cold Qi. Even standing at the edge of this land, one could feel the biting cold Qi hitting their face. The intensity of the cold was similar to the Ice Fish when it first Awakened. If they went further in, the cold Qi would surely be even denser.
The cold Qi emanating from the White Soil intertwined and tangled together, shrouding the area in a thin layer of white mist.
Besides the cold Qi, Yu Yan also noticed that the spirit power in the White Soil was very dense. If one could Cultivate here, their cultivation speed would surely increase further.
Standing there, Yu Yan felt several probing gazes fall upon him and Xiao Wu.
The fact that Yu Yan could perceive them meant their strength wasn't very high, and it also meant they weren't trying to hide themselves.
"I'll go into the Ice Soul Flower Field to pick the flowers for you. You two stay here and don't wander around."
After Yu Yan and Xiao Wu finished admiring the scenery, Jiang Jing gave them a brief instruction, circulated her spirit power, and walked into the Ice Soul Flower Field, using scissors to snip off two palm-sized ice soul flowers.