Chapter 281 – Black Lotus Saintess Infiltrating the Dao Academy

The South Li Vermillion Bird Army is a divine beast completely forged from formations, talismans, spirit energy, and many special materials to guard the Dao.

Its immense size stretches for several kilometers, resembling a colossal entity perched atop the South Li volcano.

Even though Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were in mid-air, they still couldn’t see the full form of this ‘special divine beast’.

Moreover, neither Lu Chen nor Mu Xiaoye would consider this artificially created divine beast, crafted through spirit energy technology, to be merely for show.

If nothing else, the sheer terrifying scale of the South Li Vermillion Bird Army alone was enough to overwhelm the vast majority of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.

In fact, Lu Chen even faintly sensed an indescribable pressure emanating from the South Li Vermillion Bird Army.

This divine beast’s strength was absolutely comparable to that of a Transformation Soul Stage cultivator, and a top-tier one at that.

“How about it? Quite awe-inspiring, isn’t it?”

Gu Jingwen looked at the South Li Vermillion Bird Army before her, unable to conceal the pride on her face.

It was evident that the South Li Vermillion Bird Army was not just a guardian divine beast protecting the Dao Academy for Lihuo Dao Academy; it also served as a spiritual symbol for countless students of the academy.

After speaking, Gu Jingwen drove to a feather located at the tail section.

Twelve mechanical feathers of the South Li Vermillion Bird Army hung down from the volcano.

Like towering chains, they connected to Lihuo Dao Academy built atop the South Li Vermillion Bird Army.

The location where the three now stood was the North Gate, one of the three main entrances to Lihuo Dao Academy located in the north, east, and west.

“Junior Lu, Junior Mu, we’ve arrived.”

As Lu Chen and the other two stepped out of the spirit energy armored vehicle, they were greeted by a large crowd gathered at the North Gate entrance.

These people included both senior students of Lihuo Dao Academy.

As well as many new students enrolling this year, along with attendants and family members who had accompanied them to the academy, concerned about them coming alone.

Originally, Mu Xiaoye’s father Mu Chengjun had wanted to come along.

But since Mu Chengjun was the captain of the Luocheng law enforcement team, he simply couldn’t spare the time.

Coupled with the fact that Lu Chen was accompanying them along the way, Mu Chengjun ultimately felt assured letting Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye come alone.

To Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye’s surprise, the moment they stepped out of the vehicle, they sensed many people around them looking in their direction.

This made Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye, who were newcomers, quite uncomfortable.

However, Lu Chen soon realized that those people weren’t actually looking at him and Mu Xiaoye.

But rather at Gu Jingwen beside them, and her wild and imposing vehicle.

Thinking this, Lu Chen curiously glanced toward Gu Jingwen.

As if sensing Lu Chen’s gaze.

Gu Jingwen adjusted her glasses and said with a smile: “My father happens to be the chairman of ‘Xuanhuo Heavy Industries’ here in Nanli City.”

“Understood.”

So she was a famous rich second-generation and immortal second-generation in Nanli City, no wonder so many adults were looking at Gu Jingwen with somewhat ingratiating expressions.

Although those who could enter Lihuo Dao Academy were generally extraordinary.

There were still disparities among people within Lihuo Dao Academy.

Without a doubt, Gu Jingwen’s status remained top-tier even within Lihuo Dao Academy, which gathered numerous prodigies.

Perhaps feeling that Lu Chen couldn’t comprehend the significance behind the words ‘Xuanhuo Heavy Industries’.Gu Jingwen immediately added, “The Nanli Vermillion Bird beneath your feet was partially constructed by our family enterprise. Putting it that way, you should understand now, junior?”

Lu Chen had considered that Gu Jingwen’s family might be influential, but he never expected them to be this powerful.

Although Gu Jingwen didn’t explicitly state it, Lu Chen knew their family’s involvement definitely wasn’t in trivial components—it had to be some of the core parts of this guardian Divine Beast.

Thinking this, Lu Chen felt his understanding of the real world was still far too limited.

Before leaving Luocheng, constrained by the city’s limited information channels, he had known very little about the Immortal Alliance.

For instance, Nanli City’s so-called ‘Spirit Energy Technology’ and ‘Spirit Energy Armor’ that allowed low-level Cultivators to unleash power comparable to high-level Cultivators were entirely new concepts he’d never encountered before.

From this small glimpse, he realized that Clear River Dao Academy, Barren Wilderness Academy, and Profound Water Academy—all renowned alongside Lihuo Dao Academy—must each have their own unique strengths. And these distinctive features were certainly not as simple as he had previously imagined.

Upon reflection, it made sense. The time gap between the Immortal Alliance and the Central Province’s Immortal Cultivation World in the game spanned at least ten thousand years. Over such a long period, it was unreasonable to think the Cultivation world hadn’t progressed—or worse, regressed.

With this realization, Lu Chen suddenly felt he should pay more attention to the real-world Dao Academies. Perhaps he could gain unexpected rewards from them.

“Junior Lu, Junior Mu, follow me. I’ll take you to the registration area,” Gu Jingwen said.

Under her guidance, the three quickly passed through Lihuo Dao Academy’s north gate and arrived at a plaza.

As soon as they entered the plaza, Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were captivated by the bustling scene.

The plaza was divided into several sections based on academy types. The most crowded and largest area belonged to Lihuo Dao Academy’s ‘Alchemy Branch’—exactly where Lu Chen needed to report.

As for Mu Xiaoye, despite possessing the Phoenix Calamity Fire, she had little interest in Alchemy. Thus, she would be reporting to the ‘Combat Branch.’

It’s worth noting that branch divisions mainly helped students define a clearer direction for their future, rather than rigidly locking them into a fixed path. Theoretically, if a student wished, they could study all courses offered by the academy—provided they had the energy and sufficient talent.

“Junior Lu, this is the Alchemy Branch registration office. Once you’ve registered, seniors from the same branch will guide you to the dormitory. Of course, given your circumstances, you could apply for a private Cave Residence right from the start—it shouldn’t be an issue for you. Whether you do so is up to you.”

“Junior Mu’s Combat Branch is quite a distance from the main campus, and she isn’t great with directions, so I’ll take her there first. Will you be alright on your own?”

Lu Chen nodded, indicating he didn’t need further assistance for now.

With his agreement, Gu Jingwen led Mu Xiaoye toward the distant Combat Branch.After the two had walked away, an upperclassman from the Alchemy College couldn’t help but approach and ask, “Junior, could you be the Little Sword Immortal who recently appeared in Qingzhou Luocheng?”

Lu Chen was momentarily stunned before quickly realizing why the other party had recognized him despite never having met before.

It seemed the person had identified Gu Jingwen and Mu Xiaoye beside him.

The former’s unique status ensured she held considerable recognition within Lihuo Dao Academy.

The latter’s identity as a Phoenix Calamity Cultivator would naturally draw special attention from the academy’s students.

As for himself, being able to remain in close company with these two spoke volumes about his identity without needing further explanation.

“Senior flatters me too much. I dare not claim the title of Little Sword Immortal. I merely have… some basic understanding of Swordsmanship.”

Hearing this, the upperclassman’s mouth twitched slightly.

Some basic understanding indeed – Golden Core Stage cultivation with a Dao Integration Realm Sword Domain.

This kid hadn’t even officially enrolled yet had already achieved what most Dao Academy graduates couldn’t accomplish.

If this counted as basic understanding, then what did that make them?

Uncivilized upright apes?

Though he wanted to voice his complaints, the Immortal Cultivation World respected strength above all.

Lu Chen’s Golden Core Stage cultivation destined him to hold a status nearly equivalent to instructors within the academy, despite being nominally a new student.

Those who could test into Lihuo Dao Academy weren’t fools, naturally unwilling to offend a future Great Cultivist like Lu Chen.

Thus, upon hearing Lu Chen’s utterly inhuman remarks, the upperclassman offered an awkward yet polite smile.

“Junior Lu truly lives up to his reputation for humility. While I don’t understand why someone with your Sword Path prowess didn’t choose Clear River Dao Academy which specializes in sword cultivation, but came to our Lihuo Dao Academy instead, I presume you have your own considerations.”

“Here, this is our academy’s exclusive Student Wristwatch. Once you channel your spiritual sense into it and register your student number, you’ll have completed enrollment procedures.”

“Don’t let its ordinary appearance fool you, junior. It incorporates much of Lihuo Dao Academy’s latest Spirit Energy Technology. In critical moments, its performance rivals even second-realm Magic Treasures – truly priceless equipment.”

“Given your outstanding college entrance examination results, I believe your wristwatch should already contain substantial credit points.”

“When you have time, you might browse the credit marketplace within the wristwatch to see if there’s anything you need.”

“Additionally, credits determine your future access time to special facilities within the academy, making them the most valuable asset here. Please use them wisely.”

“But with your capabilities, earning credits shouldn’t pose much difficulty anyway. How you allocate them ultimately depends on your own judgment.”

After speaking, the upperclassman handed the wristwatch to Lu Chen.

Taking it, Lu Chen immediately examined it with curiosity.

It appeared as a red-black wristwatch seemingly crafted from lava stone.

With just a brief spiritual sense probe, Lu Chen detected hundreds of miniature Formations and numerous unfamiliar special Materials within the compact device.

These components interconnected seamlessly, ultimately forming this unique wristwatch.

As Lu Chen fastened it to his wrist and channeled his spiritual sense inside, a data panel resembling “True Immortal Cultivation” instantly materialized before his eyes.【Name: Lu Chen】

【Student ID: 150101】

【Cultivation: Golden Core Stage First Revolution】

【Academic Credits: 1 Million】

Lu Chen looked at his credit balance of one million with some surprise.

Although he had expected to have substantial credits, he never imagined it would be this much.

He had just glanced at the credit exchange market and found that even a Third Realm Spiritual Treasure only cost slightly over 500,000 credits.

In other words, he could directly exchange for two Third Realm Spiritual Treasures right after enrollment.

However, for the current Lu Chen, ordinary spiritual treasures offered minimal improvement.

Moreover, he hadn’t forgotten his agreement with the Lihuo Dao Academy admissions office.

They had promised him a Fourth Realm Dao Artifact if he achieved the Qingzhou Top Scorer title and enrolled at Lihuo Dao Academy.

Lu Chen didn’t doubt the academy’s integrity, but he was curious about what kind of Dao Artifact they would provide.

Just as Lu Chen was about to study his wrist device further, he suddenly sensed something and turned toward a specific direction.

There stood a young woman of exceptional beauty with an ethereal aura.

While everyone else wore modern clothing, she stood out in ancient-style white robes.

She appeared like a celestial fairy who had mistakenly descended to the mortal realm, completely mismatched with her surroundings.

Yet what caught Lu Chen’s attention wasn’t her breathtaking appearance.

It was her serene, translucent eyes that seemed to see through worldly illusions.

Lu Chen had recently seen similar eyes – on the Clone of Black Lotus Buddha Mother who had achieved ‘Purification of Six Senses’.

Had he not sensed no Ancient Fiend Power from this young woman,

Lu Chen might have suspected she was a newly formed Clone of Black Lotus Buddha Mother.

The young woman had been heading toward the Alchemy Branch where Lu Chen was, but strangely, she stopped when Lu Chen looked at her, their eyes meeting across the distance.

In that instant, Lu Chen felt something within him stir in response to her presence.

Fortunately, the sensation came and went quickly.

After giving Lu Chen a calm glance, she proceeded to the registration office beside him.

The senior students at the Alchemy Branch registration desk were already captivated by her beauty, showing infatuated expressions.

Even the female seniors appeared similarly enchanted.

This was clearly abnormal.

This young woman… was rather peculiar.

Lu Chen gave her a deep look before heading toward the teaching building.

His wrist device had already notified him that their year’s freshmen were required to assemble at a specific location in the teaching building.

Besides, investigating someone without reason wasn’t particularly polite.

However, before leaving, Lu Chen deliberately overheard the name she gave during registration… He Ziling.

Shortly after Lu Chen departed, He Ziling glanced sideways at his retreating figure.

He Ziling, or rather Ji Linghui – the current Saintess of Black Lotus Sect – never expected to encounter their sect’s external ‘Holy Son’ on her very first day at the academy.

Although her Master, Black Lotus Buddha Mother, had revealed little about Lu Chen,

Ji Linghui had learned much about him from other ‘Six Desires Vajra’ members.There was no other reason than this: in the history of the Black Lotus Sect, the Holy Son and Saintess were not only second only to the Buddha Mother in status, but also the only two individuals qualified to contend for the position of Buddha Mother.

If viewed solely from the sect’s history, then between her and Lu Chen… only one could survive.

For Ji Linghui, who was born with a ‘superior spiritual vessel’ and possessed a mind free of distractions, life and death held little significance to her.

Thus, she bore no hostility toward Lu Chen, even though he might one day be the one to kill her.

Yet some matters were beyond her control.

For instance, the Black Lotus Dao Fruit within her body had, the moment she encountered Lu Chen, stirred with an impulse to devour him.

Though she had suppressed the Dao Fruit within her immediately, that fleeting moment of peculiar resonance must have been sensed by Lu Chen as well.

Ji Linghui did not know whether Lu Chen could deduce her true identity from this encounter.

But she felt that from now on, she would need to be even more cautious within the academy.

After all, given her current strength, in a one-on-one confrontation, she stood no chance against Lu Chen.

She could disregard her own life.

But she absolutely could not betray her master’s expectations of her.

To her, her master was the most important person in this world.

(End of Chapter)