Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Vice Dean Mo Ya

The South Sea Academy sat deep within the forest beside the South Sea. Its grounds sprawled so wide they could rival a major city.

When Lin Zhao and the others reached the gates, they froze.

Gold-edged doors towered before them, radiating pure spiritual energy in steady waves.

Standing guard were four students—three men and one woman. They looked to be in their early twenties, yet even Lin Zhao felt danger in their presence.

“This year’s freshmen are strong,” said the young man with short red hair to the long-haired youth beside him. When Lin Zhao’s group approached, his eyes brightened.

Yang Hui Hui was sweet and lively. Ming Yue carried a mysterious gentleness.

But the one who drew the most attention was the young woman walking behind the others.

Her eyes were cold stars. Her skin, pale in the sunlight, seemed to glow. Black hair fell smooth down her back. A sky-blue dress sharpened her cool, elegant aura into something almost otherworldly.

“My god,” the red-haired youth sighed, awed. “What a beauty. The academy’s number one beauty might change this year.”

The long-haired youth nodded, a pointed interest stirring. Beauty alone wasn’t enough to move a man’s Dao Heart—unless it was paired with that kind of presence.

“Wipe that pig-faced look off.” The only woman among them scoffed, clearly unimpressed by her companions. “This one isn’t someone you can match.”

“Oh?” The long-haired youth twirled a strand of hair, voice casual but sharp. “The four of us assigned to greet new students are elites among outer court students, about to enter the inner court. You’re saying none of us can match her?”

His tone made it sound like a challenge, but his eyes didn’t hide his curiosity.

Even the taciturn young man, arms crossed until now, let a flicker of surprise pass when he saw Lin Zhao.

The woman snorted. “You think I’m trying to bait you into interest? You’re wrong. You know Gong Jue—ranked third in the outer court? He already made it clear. Lin Zhao is his.”

“She’s Lin Zhao?” The long-haired youth—Qiu Feng—lost all arrogance in a heartbeat.

A beauty was nice.

But so was staying alive.

Not to mention Holy Son Shen Yu Han of Yao Chi Sacred Land—if even a rumor of him touched this, it wasn’t something Qiu Feng wanted to stand near.

The other two men also withdrew their gazes quickly, as if they had never looked.

Seeing it, the woman—An Ke—spread her hands with a mock sigh. “Otherwise, what? You think there can be two like her? I heard even the inner court has a few senior brothers secretly in love with her.”

The red-haired youth, Ao Jia, smacked his forehead and muttered, “A beauty that brings disaster.”

By the time they finished, Lin Zhao’s group had reached the registration point.

“You’re Lin Zhao, right?” An Ke asked with a bright smile.

Lin Zhao nodded. “You know me?”

“Of course.” An Ke handed over a student token and patted Lin Zhao’s shoulder as if they were already friendly. “Everyone in the outer court knows you took first in the New Student Grand Tournament. When you reach Golden Core, if we run into each other during year-end exams, please go easy on your Senior Sister, all right?”

It sounded like casual flattery, but the goodwill beneath it was real.

Lin Zhao smiled. She took out a few spirit stones and offered them. “Thank you, Senior Sister. You’ve all worked hard. Consider it tea money.”

An Ke accepted them with an even brighter smile. “Junior Sister will definitely achieve great things. Ao Jia, Qiu Feng—open the gate. Let Junior Sister and her people in.”

“Wow,” Yang Hui Hui breathed as the gate opened. “It really is the number one academy on the continent.”

The academy wall stretched endlessly in both directions, and even with their cultivation they could feel faint pressure radiating from it.

It was clearly no ordinary stone.

Lin Zhao led them inside. Thanks to their striking presence—and Lin Zhao’s name—senior students were unusually willing to point them in the right direction.

Of course, most of the eyes still landed on Lin Zhao.

Granny sighed inside Lin Zhao’s Sea of Consciousness. “Little girl, if Granny had your luck when I was young, I wouldn’t have ended up without a single direct blood relative.”

[Master, I really don’t want this kind of luck.]

When they reached the hall where freshmen belts were awarded, Lin Zhao felt a gaze like a poisonous snake fall on her the instant she stepped inside.

She looked back.

Her expression cooled.

Jia Lan.

He was far more restrained now. In the final battle, Lin Zhao had ordered her strongest people to target the Sacred Light Empire. Now Jia Lan was the only one from that empire to enter the South Sea Academy.

She had cut off more than half his hope of rising to power.

How could he not hate her?

But he only dared glare in secret. When her eyes swept over him, he dropped his gaze at once.

Vicious light flickered in his eyes. “Lin Zhao,” he thought, “don’t think you’ve won. Just wait. With a face like that, don’t blame men for wanting to keep you as their private possession.”

Holy Son Qu Shu noticed the shift in her focus. “Is something wrong?”

Lin Zhao’s voice stayed calm. “After we get our belts, follow Lu Yuan’s arrangements. I need to take care of something.”

As long as Jia Lan lived, he was a threat. The tournament hadn’t ended him. He had hidden from her ever since.

Now that she had met him again, she wasn’t going to let him slip away.

She flicked a thread of spiritual power, silent as breath, and attached it to Jia Lan.

Jia Lan shivered, a chill sliding down his spine. He checked himself and found nothing. After a moment, he dismissed it.

This year, the academy had admitted more than 400 freshmen.

When they arrived at the belt-awarding hall, almost all of them unconsciously gathered behind Lin Zhao.

Zhao Ji Xing and Ji Xiao—wrapped in bandages—saw it. Their expressions darkened.

Neither dared speak.

Soon, four teachers stepped onto the raised platform.

Then a beautiful woman in academy uniform appeared, walking with unhurried grace.

Holy Son Qu Shu’s eyes widened. “Vice Dean?”

Someone in his family worked at the South Sea Academy. He knew its higher-ups well. Normally, it was already an honor if a director appeared.

This time, a vice dean had come personally.

“Freshmen of the South Sea Academy,” the woman said, voice gentle, “welcome.”

The moment she spoke, everyone felt refreshed, as if cool water flowed through their meridians.

Lin Zhao even felt her spiritual energy circulation smooth out.

She frowned, surprised.

Granny’s voice came quietly. “Sound-based technique. And this vice dean…” A pause. “She’s the most frightening cultivator I’ve seen on the Heavenly Phoenix Continent.”

Lin Zhao’s heart skipped.

Granny had seen demonic creatures beyond Spirit Transformation Great Perfection.

For her to say that—

“One step away from Tribulation Transcendence,” Granny judged.

Shock slammed through Lin Zhao like a wave.

Only one step from Tribulation Transcendence.

This South Sea Academy was terrifying beyond belief.