Although the Northern Spiritual Academy was merely an academy, it had always placed great emphasis on cultivating its students and had developed an effective and systematic method over the years.
Among these methods, practical combat training was the most indispensable.
Only through real combat could one's temperament be honed to become increasingly tenacious—an essential quality on the path to becoming a true powerhouse.
And the Northern Spiritual Field was precisely the most ideal location chosen by the Northern Spiritual Academy for actual combat training.
The Northern Spiritual Field was located in the northwest of the Northern Spiritual Realm, about a day's journey from the academy. This vast region was one of the more bustling areas in the Northern Spiritual Realm. It was not only teeming with all kinds of spiritual beasts but also crawling with all manner of rogue cultivators many of whom bore infamous reputations.
Though the Northern Spiritual Field was riddled with danger, danger often came hand-in-hand with opportunity. As a result, the area attracted countless people from all over the Northern Spiritual Realm.
However, compared to those fierce and seasoned veterans, the academy's students were like innocent lambs. If they weren't careful, they might even fall into the hands of someone with lower cultivation than themselves. Because of this, every training mission was carried out under the protection of powerful academy forces stationed in secret.
This time, the leading instructors were Mo and Xi, the strongest mentors from the East and West Institutes respectively. With two Divine Soul Realm experts personally overseeing the expedition, it was expected that unless someone was truly deranged, no one would dare to provoke the academy's students.
Moreover, those eligible to participate in the training were all Heaven Class students. While the trial would be dangerous, it was generally unlikely to result in student casualties. This made the entire Heaven Class enthusiastic, with more than half of its students signing up to participate.
Naturally, Liu Bai wasn't going to miss such a golden opportunity.
"Liu Bai, are you ready?" Instructor Xi arrived in a hurry. As one of the instructors leading this expedition, he had many tasks to manage.
"Thank you for your concern, Instructor Xi. I've already made all the necessary preparations," Liu Bai replied with a smile.
"Mhm, I'll let you in on a little secret. Over the past few days, the Headmaster and I have been discussing the upcoming Five Academies Selection. Our Northern Spiritual Academy still holds five available slots. Many of the Heaven Class students who are potential candidates have been doing everything they can to break through. For example, Zhang Jie, Zhao Pei, and Shi Lin they've all been in the late Phase of the Spiritual Movement Realm for quite some time and are expected to reach the Spiritual Wheel Realm Within a month. They may well be your opponents."
In the eyes of most at the Northern Spiritual Academy, Liu Bai's current strength was the result of consuming too many pills.
Though medicinal pills could enhance one's cultivation in a short time, they were not without drawbacks. The main issue was that those who advanced through the aid of pills would find it much harder to break through major cultivation Realms.
Though the others were still in the late Spiritual Movement Realm and seemingly not as strong as Liu Bai, everyone believed they would surpass him sooner or later since they were walking the path of solid cultivation rather than relying on shortcuts.
Liu Bai, however, offered no explanation. He simply smiled faintly.
But within that smile lay a deep and unwavering confidence.
"Thank you for the reminder, Instructor Xi. But rest assured… perhaps I might even have a lucky breakthrough during this very trial."
His words caused Instructor Xi to momentarily freeze. Then, looking at the confident youth before him, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
If someone had reached the peak of the Spiritual Movement Realm through self-cultivation, this statement wouldn't have been surprising. After all, the gap between the Spiritual Movement and Spiritual Wheel Realms was often just a single decisive battle away.
But Liu Bai's situation was entirely different. What he needed most right now was to solidify his foundation.
Still, as an instructor, Xi wouldn't discourage a student's enthusiasm. Moreover, he could clearly see how proud this youth was. Perhaps only by hitting a wall would Liu Bai finally wake up to reality.
Before long, the academy's cultivation team set out. They didn't arrive at the outskirts of the Northern Spiritual Field until dusk, and due to the encroaching night, the two instructors decided to set up camp on the spot.
As night fell, campfires flickered throughout the encampment.
The academy students were clearly unaccustomed to such places. Many of them were visibly excited, and a lively atmosphere blanketed the entire camp.
But this very liveliness drew the attention of many eyes hidden in the darkness. Most of those observing from the shadows were adventurers. After taking one look at the scene, they immediately recognized the students as greenhorns fresh out of the academy and blissfully unaware of the dangers of the world. Cold smirks flashed across their faces before they silently retreated into the dark.
In their eyes, these delicate flowers raised in a greenhouse would likely tremble in fear the moment they encountered a ferocious spiritual beast.
Liu Bai sat silently cross-legged by the fire, gazing into the darkness beyond the camp, as if hearing demons whispering from the void. The faint sounds of bloodthirsty spiritual beasts echoed in his ears.
Compared to the terrifying Dark Abyss he had once experienced, the Northern Spiritual Field was nothing.
The terror hidden within the darkness of the Dark Abyss even though he had only faced it once remained etched in his memory.
At this moment, many were secretly observing Liu Bai, the newly emerged prodigy. Yet none approached him.
Since entering the Heaven Class, Liu Bai had conducted himself with a cold and aloof demeanor. To others, he came off as arrogant and antisocial. The Heaven Class students had no reason to respect his status as the young master of the Liu Domain, so no one bothered trying to get close or play the role of a bootlicker.
This brought Liu Bai a sense of relief. He had no interest in engaging with these immature, childish brats. Of course, attractive girls were a different story...
"Brother Zhang Jie, that's Liu Bai!" Within the group of East Institute students, a youth being surrounded by others was pointed in Liu Bai's direction by one of his followers.
When Zhang Jie saw Liu Bai sitting alone by the campfire, he couldn't help but let out a sneer.
"That's the guy? The so-called genius said to be on par with Brother Ling?"
There was clear disdain in Zhang Jie's gaze. The "Brother Ling" he spoke of was naturally Xu Ling, the number one figure in the Northern Spiritual Academy.
However, since Xu Ling was currently in seclusion attempting to break through to the mid-phase of the Spirit Wheel Realm, he had no interest in participating in such trials and thus did not accompany them.
As for Zhang Jie, he was one of the individuals Instructor Xi had mentioned who posed a threat to Liu Bai and was one of the leaders of the East Institute's Heaven Class. Another was Shi Lin, also from the East Institute.
In contrast, the West Institute had Zhao Pei and Li Yuan, both also in the late phase of the Spiritual Movement Realm. If Liu Bai was included, then the West Institute had the overall advantage in strength for this trial.
Unfortunately, Liu Bai had made himself an outsider from the very beginning. This caused Zhao Pei and Li Yuan to completely ignore the possibility of teaming up with him.
"Forget about him. Just another brat relying on his clan's resources. For all we know, the moment he enters the Northern Spiritual Field, he'll wet his pants from fear. Our real competition is Zhao Pei and Li Yuan. Keep an eye on them!"
Since this was a trial, rankings were inevitable. Both the East and West Institutes were brimming with anticipation, each preparing to show off and vie for the top positions.
While these little brats were gathered and plotting their strategies, Instructor Xi and Instructor Mo appeared before the East and West Institute students respectively and summoned everyone to assemble.
"This area will serve as our camp during the Northern Spiritual Field training," Instructor Mo addressed the gathered students. "Tomorrow, you will begin your combat with spiritual beasts in the Field. Before that, I must warn you, though the outer region mostly contains low-level spiritual beasts, you will still need to fight together to handle them effectively."
After all, they were just a group of unblooded lambs. Some might have strength on par with low-level spiritual beasts, but their lack of actual battle experience was their most fatal flaw. The academy naturally encouraged them to form teams.
At this moment, everyone listened attentively to their instructor. Though young, they weren't fools they knew how important this was, so no one dared zone out.
"Low-level spiritual beasts possess strength equivalent to the Spiritual Movement Realm. Mid-level beasts are at the Spiritual Wheel Realm. High-level ones are comparable to Divine Soul Realm powerhouses. And within the depths of the Northern Spiritual Field, high-level beasts do exist. So you must absolutely not go deep into the Field!"
As he spoke, Instructor Mo's tone became stern to ensure his words were etched into everyone's minds.
Everyone nodded vigorously. They weren't stupid enough to risk their lives. Forget high-level beasts even mid-level ones were something they would flee from at full speed.
"For this training session, the top three ranked teams will each receive a Spirit-Nurturing Pill."
After Instructor Mo played the role of bad cop, Instructor Xi stepped in as the good cop, introducing the rewards for this trial.
Seeing the students' eyes light up, he smiled and added, "So if you want a good ranking, make sure to cooperate well with your teammates. At your current level, teamwork is essential if you want to stand out in the outer region of the Spiritual Field."
"Yes, sir!"
The students responded in unison.
"Oh right—don't forget to collect spiritual beast essences after killing the beasts. Although low-level spiritual essences may not attract Divine Soul Realm powerhouses for refining, they are the standard by which your trial performance will be judged."
After both instructors explained the details, the students grew even more excited and quickly began forming teams with their friends.
Of course, there were some who wanted to team up with Liu Bai.
No matter what others thought, he still had the highest cultivation level among them. Many students in the early or mid-phase of the Spiritual Movement Realm thought that following him would at least be a safe bet.
Unfortunately for them, Liu Bai had no intention of dragging around any burdens. He rejected them all without hesitation.
Among them was even Ming Die, the most sought-after girl in the current West Institute… This scene caused quite a few people to boil with rage.
They had all tried and failed to form a team with Ming Die, yet this guy had so casually thrown away the very opportunity they could only dream of.
To this, Liu Bai could only shake his head in speechless silence.
Although he was usually gentle toward beautiful girls, Ming Die's looks in his eyes could only be considered slightly above average. Compared to the shy young girl, Hong Ling, she still fell short.
Perhaps in another year or two, once Hong Ling advanced into the Heaven Class of the West Institute, this so-called "Flower of the West Institute" would immediately change hands.
The next morning, at daybreak, the students of the Northern Spiritual Academy set off under their instructors' instructions.
Most of them formed pairs or three-person teams, vanishing one after another into the lush forests of the Northern Spiritual Field.
The only exception was Liu Bai, who remained alone. This sight made both instructors frown slightly.
Liu Bai paid them no mind. He didn't charge blindly into the forest like the others.
Back when he was in the Dark Abyss, he had followed his second uncle and learned quite a bit about wilderness survival, including how to track cunning spiritual beasts.
They were still only at the outermost edge of the Northern Spiritual Field. To find spiritual beasts, he would need to venture deeper.
Liu Bai moved like a nimble panther, swiftly navigating through the forest.
From time to time, he would pause to inspect certain hidden marks left on the ground.
As he moved farther in, the traces left by spiritual beast activity became increasingly obvious. It didn't take him long to locate his first target.
It was a fox about the size of an adult hunting dog, drinking from a creek. Its fur was a vivid cyan, and when its tail flicked, it seemed to stir a faint current of wind.
"A Wind Fox…"
This was considered a common low-grade spiritual beast. Its cyan fur was highly prized by female cultivators. More importantly, if one could craft a leather armor using the Wind Fox's pelt, thanks to its innate wind-controlling properties, the wearer's speed could increase by up to thirty percent.
It was one of the most valuable low-grade spiritual beasts.
However, due to its naturally high speed, it was extremely difficult to capture. Even a seasoned adventuring party would need to be fully prepared in order to have a chance.
"In that case, I only get one shot!"
Liu Bai pondered silently.
If he missed the first strike, there was no way he could catch up with the Wind Fox.
After all, while his Blaze Step possessed explosive speed and was excellent for burst movement, it wasn't suited for long-distance pursuit. Not to mention that he was alone in the Northern Spiritual Field, so he needed to conserve his spiritual energy.
Once he was within thirty meters, Liu Bai halted. Any closer and the fox would definitely detect him. Now, it was time to prepare for the strike.
Perhaps sensing some danger, the Wind Fox suddenly raised its head while drinking. Its intelligent eyes flicked alertly toward another direction.
This sight made Liu Bai's heart tighten slightly, and he immediately froze.
At the same moment, from the direction the fox had glanced at, two figures suddenly burst out from the shrubs. Each of them held a net stretched between their hands, which they flung toward the Wind Fox.
.....
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