Support me at patreon for 30+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
Jia Nan Academy, as one of the most renowned advanced academies on the Dou Qi Continent, not only possesses a vast amount of cultivation resources but also does not impose strict restrictions on its graduates.
As a result, every year, a large number of cultivation geniuses flock to this place.
This includes even the descendants of some rather influential families.
However, despite being such a prestigious academy, it is situated in the heart of the infamous chaotic region of the Northwestern Region—Black-Corner Region.
Due to the large number of students at Jia Nan Academy, additional accommodations were built in the form of Jia Nan City on the academy's periphery.
But because Black-Corner Region is too chaotic, in order to prevent malicious individuals from causing trouble, another layer of protection was established around Jia Nan City—Peace Town.
This continuous expansion led to extreme dissatisfaction among other forces in the Black-Corner Region.
Eventually, a bloody battle erupted between both sides, though outsiders remain unaware of the exact outcome.
All that is known is that after the battle, the corpses of two Dou Wang and one Dou Huang experts were cruelly hung from a tree at the entrance of Peace Town.
From then on, that tree became known as the "Death Spirit Tree."
Since that day, the area surrounding Jia Nan Academy has remained eerily peaceful, completely different from the chaotic Black-Corner Region.
No powerful figures from Black-Corner Region dare to enter these small towns carrying murderous intent.
Even if there were occasional disturbances, those causing them would, within an hour, end up as corpses hanging from the Death Spirit Tree.
On a hilltop, Medusa saw that they were nearing Jia Nan Academy and turned to Lin Feng, saying, "Boy, there are too many experts in Jia Nan Academy. I'll take my leave for now. Remember our agreement."
With a flash of multicolored light, she reverted into a small snake and landed in Lin Feng's palm.
"Phew~"
Looking at the sleeping Xiao Cai in his hand, Lin Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although having Medusa accompany him for the journey prevented loneliness, her temper made it quite difficult to bear.
He turned his gaze to the distant valley nestled between two towering mountains, where a small town was faintly visible.
Taking a deep breath, he began making his way down the hill.
Walking along the dirt road lined with lush trees, he slowly approached the town.
Here, the chaotic aura of the Black-Corner Region was completely isolated.
About ten minutes later, Lin Feng arrived at the entrance of the town and glanced at the plaque above the gate.
The three words "Peace Town" were plain and ordinary—perhaps even unimpressive. If this were anywhere else in the Black-Corner Region, the sign would have been torn down by the next day.
However, here, the passing brigands dared not express even the slightest dissatisfaction.
Just as Lin Feng arrived at the town's entrance, his gaze was drawn to a large tree a short distance to the left.
The tree was pitch black, its branches stretching out in all directions like clawing fingers, exuding an eerie chill under the sunset's glow.
His eyes scanned the tree, noticing several corpses hanging amidst the branches, impaled straight through by them.
A light breeze rustled the air, causing the bodies to sway and creak with chilling sounds.
"So this is the Death Spirit Tree…"
After a brief glance, Lin Feng found nothing particularly different about it and lost interest, stepping into the town.
As soon as he set foot inside, he sensed a strange energy sweeping over him, scanning his body.
He paid no attention to it, recognizing it as some sort of inspection technique.
Looking around the town, he saw many pedestrians bustling about.
Street vendors lined the roads, while children ran around, laughing and playing.
This peaceful and harmonious scene was completely different from the rest of the Black-Corner Region.
"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe this is the heart of the Black-Corner Region…"
Thinking about the dozens of bandits he had slain on his journey, Lin Feng murmured softly to himself.
Naturally, the townsfolk noticed him as he entered.
While their eyes held a trace of wariness, there was no visible panic or fear.
Just as he walked a few steps, a dozen shadows suddenly appeared on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings.
Moving like agile monkeys, they swiftly leaped toward the town gate.
Moments later, more than ten figures landed before Lin Feng.
One of them, a middle-aged man leading the group, looked at him and said indifferently, "Anyone entering Peace Town must report their identity and name. Otherwise, you will be expelled immediately."
Lin Feng's eyes swept over the group.
Aside from the leading middle-aged man, the others—both male and female—looked quite young, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old.
All of them wore uniform light blue robes, likely students undergoing practical training in the law enforcement team.
At this moment, these young people were looking at Lin Feng with guarded and slightly rejecting expressions.
The middle-aged man waved his hand, and a bottle of light red pills appeared in his palm.
His gaze indifferent, he said coldly, "Additionally, after reporting your identity, you must take this pill."
Seeing Lin Feng's cautious look, he continued, "Don't worry, it's not poison. It's a pill that detects killing intent. If you harbor murderous intent while inside the town, the pill will emit a red glow, and the law enforcement team will immediately track you down.
After that… you'll end up as fertilizer beneath the Death Spirit Tree. Of course, when you leave the town, you can collect an antidote from the distribution point in the town center. But the moment you obtain it, the law enforcement team will escort you out of the town."
Hearing this, Lin Feng stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "My name is Lin Feng. I've traveled from the Jia Ma Empire, hoping to enroll in your esteemed academy."
The middle-aged man scrutinized him from head to toe before saying, "Jia Nan Academy does not admit people from the Black-Corner Region unless you can find an academy elder to vouch for you and confirm that you have not joined any Black-Corner Region factions."
After a brief pause, he seemed to recall something and added, "However, since your homeland falls within our academy's recruitment zone, you should return and wait for next year's admission.
When the time comes, you can apply. But because you've entered the Black-Corner Region, you'll still need to prove that you haven't affiliated yourself with any of its factions."
Hearing this, Lin Feng was momentarily stunned, his heart tightening with anxiety. If he couldn't enter Jia Nan Academy…
That would greatly impact his plans.
Not to mention, he still had his eyes on the Fallen Heart Flame within Jia Nan Academy…
Otherwise, he wouldn't have considered trading away the Green Lotus Core Flame.
After all, without the Flame Mantra, he could still absorb a different Heavenly Flame.
Unless he reached an incredibly high level of strength and forcibly suppressed it.
Thinking of this, he quickly turned to the middle-aged man and said, "Senior, could you make an exception? I can guarantee that I haven't joined any forces in the Black-Corner Region. If I'm lying, I will accept any punishment from the academy."
"No. The academy's rules are absolute, and I cannot break them," the middle-aged man replied indifferently, giving Lin Feng a brief glance.
"Then…"
Lin Feng was just about to plead with the man to summon Elder Huo, planning to take out his Heavenly Flame and use it as leverage in exchange for a guarantee of his admission.
But then he hesitated.
Right now, he didn't even know Elder Huo, nor was he a student of Jia Nan Academy.
Who knew if Elder Huo would just kill him on the spot for his Heavenly Flame?
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Feng decided not to reveal his Heavenly Flame yet. Instead, he said, "Senior, would it be possible for you to arrange a meeting with one of your academy's elders? Perhaps I can persuade them to vouch for me."
As he spoke, he discreetly handed over a jade bottle.
Lin Feng was confident that if he could meet with the elders, he had plenty of valuable resources that could sway them.
"No. If you know an elder of our academy, you can approach them yourself. If not, then you'll have to follow the proper process," the middle-aged man said firmly.
Although he could tell that the contents of the jade bottle were valuable, he only hesitated for a brief moment before ultimately rejecting Lin Feng's offer.
"Then may I ask where I could find an elder of your academy?"
Lin Feng continued to probe while keeping the jade bottle in his hand, making it clear that the pill inside was a form of payment.
"Go back. I am just an ordinary instructor. I have no idea where the elders are," the middle-aged man said before pushing Lin Feng's hand back.
"Then I won't trouble you any further."
After exhausting all possible approaches, Lin Feng sighed in disappointment and turned to leave.
"This is troublesome. I didn't expect Jia Nan Academy to refuse anyone from the Black-Corner Region."
Walking through the forested mountains, Lin Feng felt a headache coming on as he thought about the approaching Three-Year Agreement with Xiao Yan.
If things went as expected, in a year and a half, the Fallen Heart Flame would break free from the tower's seal.
At that time, Han Feng would attack Jia Nan Academy to steal the Heavenly Flame.
That moment would be Lin Feng's best chance to obtain the Fallen Heart Flame.
If he let Xiao Yan take it, getting his hands on it later would be nearly impossible.
"Should I just take the Life Devouring Pill now?"
Lin Feng considered the option.
If he could reach the Dou Wang level and enlist Medusa's help, he might have a shot at securing the Fallen Heart Flame.
But thinking about the terrifying side effects of the Life Devouring Pill, he hesitated.
Reaching Dou Huang within three years was nearly impossible.
"Maybe I should explore the Black-Corner Region first. If I can find some rare treasures that extend lifespan, I could buy myself another three or four years. Then I might stand a chance."
With that thought in mind, Lin Feng pulled out his map and began looking for the most prosperous city nearby.
After all, the more prosperous a place, the easier it was to find high-quality items.
Right now, money wasn't an issue for him.
Whether it was gold coins, Magic Cores, or Dou Techniques, he had enough resources to trade for nearly anything.
"Black Emperor City."
After searching for a while, Lin Feng's gaze landed on this name, and he couldn't help but pause.
He remembered that this was Mo Tianxing's territory.
That man was a Four-Star Dou Zong and one of the top experts in the Black-Corner Region.
"Alright, I'll head to Black Emperor City. It should be much better than Black Seal City at the region's edge."
Making up his mind, Lin Feng memorized the route, put away the map, and, after ensuring no one was around, summoned his Purple Cloud Wings and took off toward Black Emperor City.
------------------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 30+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk