48: Chapter 48 Qinglan's Powerful Foundation

The journey was silent; the sedan drove steadily along the suburban road.

Outside the window, the scenery shifted from familiar alleys to stretches of protective forests, and further back, rolling green mountains; everything exuded peace.

Yet, as Zhang Wen sat in the backseat, his palms were constantly damp.

Watching the shadows of trees streak past the window, chaotic thoughts involuntarily popped into his mind—in those novels he had worn out from reading, whenever the protagonist set out on a long journey, they would either encounter a Vicious Beast blocking the road halfway or be intercepted by enemies, always turning a simple trip into a thrilling ordeal.

He quietly gripped his backpack strap, his fingertips even touching the outline of the short blade inside.

When the car passed through a tunnel, the light suddenly dimmed; he subconsciously straightened his back, and not until the headlights pierced the darkness and he saw the empty road ahead did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

This happened a few more times until the sedan drove into an area built against the mountains, and the four gold-stamped characters "Qinglan University" came into view, at which point Zhang Wen finally felt completely at ease.

Looking at the neat teaching buildings and the faintly visible Cultivate venues outside the window, he couldn't help but exhale—"Phew, thankfully nothing happened."

Just as he pushed open the car door, he saw Director Qian walking up with a beaming smile, enthusiastically patting his shoulder: "Student Zhang Wen, you've had a long journey! Let me show you around the school."

Walking along the main road planted with magnolia trees, Director Qian did not stop, his voice carrying a familiar smile: "Our school is divided into five academies: Martial Dao, Elemental, Beast Taming, Formation, and General Studies, each with top-tier mentors presiding."

He pointed to a building on the left that shimmered with a metallic luster: "First, let's talk about the Martial Dao Academy. You must remember Mentor Li Kuang—this man has truly carved the word 'Martial' into his bones."

In his youth, he hunted Domain Realm Vicious Beasts at the border; his 'Mountain Crushing Fist' can shatter granite. Now, when training students, he still follows the old rules: every morning at five, they must go to the Martial Arts Field to practice horse stances, and any slight slackness earns a whack on the back with a stick."

"However, the students he trains have top-tier combat abilities among all universities in the country. The Disciple who graduated last year is already a Silver-rank Hunter in the Beast Hunting Alliance."

Turning a corner, a courtyard shrouded by an invisible barrier appeared before them, and faint beast roars could be heard from within.

Director Qian pointed to that area: "That is the core area of the Beast Taming Academy, Mentor Zhao Wan's territory."

"She is different from other Beast Tamers; she doesn't rely on forced contracts, but entirely on 'Empathy'—did you pass by that bamboo forest just now? The Golden-Eyed Snow Fox inside was a Vicious Beast that bit anyone it saw three years ago, but now it follows behind her like a house cat."

"Her talent is an S-rank 'Beast Spirit Resonance,' which allows her to communicate telepathically with her contracted beasts, doubling her combat power. However, you need patience if you want to become her student; it's said that last year, a student squatted at her courtyard gate feeding spirit deer for three months before earning a chance to be assessed."

While speaking, they passed a stone building covered in runes, and Director Qian looked up at the rotating Formation Plate on the roof: "Mentor Zhou Ming of the Formation Academy is an Elder of the National Formation Association."

"This man has a strange temper; he never uses textbooks in his lectures, just tossing you a pile of crystal shards and letting you figure out how to set up a defensive Formation yourself. But his skills are truly solid; last year, he led the setup of the protective Formation on the mountain behind the school, which can withstand the impact of a Domain Realm Vicious Beast."

"Learning from him, if nothing else, your survival skills will be top-notch—it's just that you have to be patient; sometimes, researching the position of a single Formation eye can keep you in the laboratory for half a month."

As they spoke, the two had reached the depths of the dormitory area.

Director Qian stopped in front of an independent small building and pushed open the carved wooden door: "This is the dormitory arranged for you, and it is also the best one in the whole school."

Zhang Wen walked into the room and immediately felt a faint energy fluctuation flowing in the air.

Director Qian pointed to the crystal Formation base embedded in the corner and explained: "A Spirit Gathering Formation has been set up here, and the Cultivate efficiency is ten times that of a normal dormitory. But there is one condition—you must maintain a top-ten ranking in the grade in the monthly exams; once you fall behind, you have to move out."

Seeing the surprise in Zhang Wen's eyes, he added, "Pressure is also motivation; with your potential, it won't be hard to maintain."

After settling his luggage, Director Qian took him to visit the various academies.

Mentor Li Kuang of the Martial Dao Academy was instructing students at the Martial Arts Field, rubble flying amidst the whistling of his punches; Mentor Zhao Wan of the Beast Taming Academy was squatting on the grass, her fingertips gently stroking the mane of a silver wolf, its eyes revealing a surprising gentleness.

Finally, arriving in front of the circular teaching building of the Elemental Academy, Director Qian slowed his pace: "Among the mentors of the Elemental Academy, Mentor Lin Mo is considered an outlier. Everyone else is researching how to apply elemental power in combat, but he, on the other hand, spends all day dealing with microscopic particles."

As he said this, he pushed open the slightly ajar laboratory door, and a sizzling sound of electric current came from inside, "Look, he is inside."

Zhang Wen looked inside and saw a middle-aged man in a white lab coat staring blankly at a flame floating in the air, his fingertips occasionally flicking out a wisp of electric sparks, outlining strange trajectories in the air.

Director Qian added from the side: "He can split the flame at his fingertips into 360 small flames, with the temperature of each flame precise to the degree Celsius; he can also make lightning circle inside a glass cover without harming a single leaf inside."

"It is said that he is researching 'Elemental Fusion'; if he succeeds, the combined power of fire and lightning could break existing records. However, he values 'purity' when accepting Disciples; the year before last, a student with excellent talent was directly rejected by him because they were too eager to show off—he said, 'Elements are not weapons, they are partners.'"

After the tour, Director Qian asked: "Have you decided which mentor to study under? Mentor Li Kuang has strong combat skills, Mentor Zhao Wan has extensive connections, and Mentor Zhou Ming's Formation survival skills are top-notch; all are good choices."

Zhang Wen, however, looked towards the direction of the Elemental Academy's laboratory, thought of his two talents, and then said earnestly: "Director Qian, I want to choose Mentor Lin Mo."

Director Qian was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Good eye! Mentor Lin Mo seems dull, but he is actually exceptionally attentive to students who are willing to delve deep. Come, I'll take you to meet him right now."

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you," Director Qian suddenly remembered something and added, "The strength threshold for our school's mentors is the Domain Realm. The deans of each academy have long since firmly established themselves in the Transformation Realm, and as for the principal and several vice-principals..."

He smiled, with a touch of self-deprecation, "My cultivation level isn't enough to even inquire about that, but based on the specifications, they are at least in the Resonance Realm, and might even have touched the threshold of the Origin Tracing Realm."

Zhang Wen's footsteps faltered, and he gasped.

The Domain Realm was already considered the peak of strength in the eyes of the world, yet the Transformation Realm, Resonance Realm... these Realms that others could not reach in their entire lives had actually become the norm in this university.

Looking at the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, he suddenly understood why Qinglan University could firmly hold its position as the top in the country—such a foundation was truly worthy of all the praise.