56: Chapter 56 Blue Tyrant Academy

The next morning, Liu Erlong woke up, tidied herself, and walked out of her room.

She arrived at Bai Qi's door and knocked. Finding it unlocked, she felt puzzled but pushed the door open and entered regardless.

The scene that met her eyes was Bai Qi with his upper body bare.

However, Liu Erlong was someone who had seen much of the world. After a moment of shock, she regained her composure, stepped inside quickly, and closed the door behind her.

Bai Qi calmly put on his shirt throughout the process. Once dressed, he coughed twice and said with a hint of embarrassment,

"Teacher Erlong, you're awake. I was just about to go call you. Since you're up, come eat; I went out and bought food as soon as I woke up."

Liu Erlong gave a soft hum of agreement, walked over to the table and chairs by the window, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

The two tacitly remained silent, eating quietly, but the redness at the tips of their ears showed that neither was truly calm.

Bai Qi was actually quite innocent. After waking up, he had first knocked on Liu Erlong's door, but receiving no response, he assumed she was still sleeping and went to buy food alone.

Upon returning, he had just placed the food on the table and decided to change his clothes. He had just stripped and was about to put on a fresh shirt when Liu Erlong walked in.

Seeing her enter, Bai Qi suddenly realized he had forgotten to lock the door. Though startled, he maintained a calm facade as he dressed and invited her to eat.

After finishing their meal, they checked out and prepared to head toward Lanba Academy.

They didn't dally along the way. After traveling for about two hours, the silhouette of Heaven Dou City came into view.

While Bai Qi knew Lanba Academy was located in the southeastern corner of Heaven Dou City, he didn't know its exact location.

But Liu Erlong did. Bai Qi simply followed behind her. They passed through the city gate security check and, once inside, walked for about another half hour.

Before them lay an urban forest. Walking deep into it, a magnificent academy appeared before their eyes.

From a distance, a ten-meter-high gatehouse stood silently, possessing an extraordinary Aura. It was clearly modeled after the Heaven Dou City gates, though it appeared more slender in comparison.

Above the academy gate, eight large characters—'Lanba Advanced Spirit Master Academy'—shone brilliantly.

On either side of the gatehouse, bluestone walls extended into the woods, solid and orderly, enveloping the entire academy in a sea of green.

Someone was already waiting at the entrance. The leader wore a simple gray Spirit Master robe, his brow furrowed with anxiety.

Behind him followed over a dozen students in matching blue uniforms, all around fifteen or sixteen years old. They craned their necks to look down the road, their eyes filled with concern.

Bai Qi recognized those people; they were the group he had encountered fleeing when he was rushing into the depths of the Sunset Forest. It seemed they had been waiting here every day.

Seeing Liu Erlong appear at the intersection, the Spirit Master's eyes lit up. He quickly led the students forward to meet her, his pace urgent yet polite.

"Dean! You're finally back!"

He rushed to Liu Erlong, inspecting her carefully. His heart finally settled, and his voice trembled slightly.

"That day you had us evacuate first and stayed behind alone to cover our retreat. We've been waiting at this gate every day, fearing the slightest accident might have befallen you. Are you injured?"

The students behind him also swarmed forward, calling out 'Dean' in unison, their voices filled with genuine concern.

Liu Erlong waved her hand, her tone as straightforward and calm as usual.

"What's the panic? Nothing could happen to me. Everyone, rest easy and go back to your Cultivation."

Hearing this, he inspected her again. Seeing she was unharmed and that her breath felt even stronger than before, he breathed a complete sigh of relief. His gaze then fell upon Bai Qi, and a flash of confusion appeared in his eyes as he asked,

"Dean, who is this?"

Liu Erlong patted Bai Qi's shoulder and introduced him casually.

"My newly recruited student, Bai Qi."

Seeing this, Bai Qi cupped his hands and bowed in greeting.

The man's gaze lingered on Bai Qi for a moment. He felt the youth had an extraordinary bearing and was clearly no ordinary person. What puzzled him more was that he couldn't see through the young man's Soul Power. However, since the Dean had brought him back, he didn't pry and immediately nodded.

"Since he is a student brought back by the Dean, please, come inside!"

Liu Erlong then led Bai Qi into the academy, while the students behind them couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

They were all curious about the origins of the youth the Dean had brought back. Bai Qi merely tilted his head slightly to listen for a moment before ignoring them entirely, following closely behind Liu Erlong.

Upon entering the academy, a straight and spacious bluestone main road met their eyes, leading deep into the grounds.

Both sides of the road were lined with tall trees.

Reaching the center of the academy, a circular bluestone training ground over two hundred meters in diameter came into view.

Surrounding the training ground were several three-story gray buildings, simple and modest in style, without a hint of luxurious decoration.

Liu Erlong slowed her pace, turned toward Bai Qi, and slowly introduced the place:

"This is the core area of the academy. These teaching buildings around us include classrooms, dormitories, offices, and specialized Mimicry Cultivation Rooms."

"While Lanba isn't large and doesn't have the grand style of those noble academies, it has all the necessary Cultivation facilities."

Then Liu Erlong stopped, looked back at Bai Qi, and asked with a smile, "How is it? Not bad, right?"

The corners of Bai Qi's mouth curled up as he chuckled softly. "It's very good. Quiet and elegant, perfect for Cultivation."

He knew Lanba Academy was good, but he hadn't expected its location to be this favorable.

Seeing Bai Qi's somewhat perfunctory response, Liu Erlong gave a light huff but said no more, turning to continue leading him deeper into the academy.

Passing the training ground, Liu Erlong led Bai Qi off the main road and walked slowly toward the back of the academy.

This area was exceptionally secluded, far from the teaching zone, and few students ventured here.

They arrived at an open space. Liu Erlong stopped, her gaze sweeping the surroundings as she spoke slowly to Bai Qi:

"Few people come here, so it's quiet enough. I'll assign this area to you. With a little tidying, it can serve as both your residence and a place to Cultivate alone without being disturbed."

Saying this, she raised her hand to point toward a deep forest path nearby and continued:

"Follow this forest path inward, pass through the shrubs and bamboo groves, and you'll find the courtyard where I live. If you have any questions regarding your Cultivation, you can come find me anytime."

Liu Erlong paused, thinking of Bai Qi's talent, and smiled to herself as she added,

"Of course, that's if you even have any questions about Cultivation."

Seeing no one around, Bai Qi grew a bit bolder. He leaned down close to Liu Erlong's ear and said in a somewhat playful, cloying voice,

"Really? But can I only come to Teacher Erlong with Cultivation questions?"

Liu Erlong was startled by Bai Qi's action. Hearing his voice, her ears and legs felt a bit weak.

When he finished speaking, she snapped back to her senses. Thinking of the age gap between them, she instinctively pushed Bai Qi away.

Bai Qi timely adopted a look of feigned hurt as he watched her.

Liu Erlong said with some fluster,

"Of course not. You can find me for other matters as well."

With that, she turned around and ran back with somewhat frantic steps, leaving Bai Qi watching her with a face full of smiles.