61: Chapter 61 Blacklist Returns to Hospital

The moment he stepped into Zhuixing Divine Academy, Lu Jin's name was already nailed to the black list.

It wasn't the academy's golden honor roll for top achievers, but the black iron plaque on the outer wall of the Department of Sacrificial Materials, reserved for engraving names of subjects under observation.

On the right side of the plaque, the silver-grey markings were still wet, engraved with only four characters—'Observing Sacrificial Path.'

Three yards away from the black list, a new military training merit roll hung, its gilded characters dazzling.

Lu Jin's name was also on it.

Border Defense Camp Grade A, Military Court Temporary Pass, and Royal Court Ruins peripheral mission qualifications were all clearly listed.

One black, one gold; the two plaques stood side by side, pressing against the same wall.

The bustling return-to-academy plaza suddenly fell silent for a beat.

Qiao Ye caught sight of the black list first, his brows instantly knitting into a tight knot: "These people move really fast."

"Our carriage wheels haven't even stopped turning, and they've already nailed up your plaque."

Wen Zhao stood to the side, his gaze sweeping over the black iron plaque before returning to the golden roll. His voice was steady and deep, yet held a hint of gravity: "Getting hung up quickly isn't entirely a bad thing."

"At least the whole academy knows you aren't just being targeted by the Temple."

"The Military Court has also added you to their registry."

Ning Yanqiu didn't reply, only lifting her eyes to scan the plaza.

There were more than twice as many onlookers today than usual.

Students from the Black Well Class, the sponsorship department, and academy team reserves stood on the steps or hid in the crowd, their expressions varied—some with envy, some deliberately avoiding them, and others standing far away, as if watching a bomb ready to detonate at any moment.

Lu Jin, however, did not stop. He glanced indifferently at the black plaque and led the group into the Department of Sacrificial Materials.

Low whispers drifted from the crowd: "He still dares to enter the Department of Sacrificial Materials?"

Another voice immediately drowned it out: "Look at the pass in his sleeve first!"

"A Military Court temporary pass!"

"If you could make it onto the Defense Camp Grade A and illuminate the coordinate fire stele, you could get in too!"

The atmosphere in the plaza instantly split into two—one part the chill brought by the Temple, the other the mettle bolstered by the Military Court's temporary pass.

The people at Zhuixing Divine Academy were experts at reading the wind; everyone knew which way the tide was turning.

Inside the Department of Sacrificial Materials, it was even quieter than outside. The usual pungent mixture of gray material, kerosene, and domain-stabilizing fluid that greeted one at the door was suppressed today by a colder aura of seal markings.

Three silver-grey seal lines stretched from behind the counter to the storage shelves on the left; several black boxes that were usually accessible at will were now all plastered with Temple seal tags.

The clerk behind the counter looked up and saw Lu Jin, his eyelids twitching violently. He first glanced at the black list on the outer wall, then at the Military Court temporary pass half-exposed in Lu Jin's sleeve, his expression instantly becoming complicated.

"Name." "Lu Jin."

The clerk pushed over a thin mirror, and Lu Jin pressed his hand onto it. Two lines of text quickly appeared on the surface: [Military Court Temporary Pass: Recorded] [Observing Sacrificial Path List: Recorded]

Below were fine-print annotations: High-pollution sacrificial materials, suspended; original ancient sacrificial items, suspended; abnormal fire stele rubbings, require dual-signature authorization; Military Court standard old materials, frontline stabilizing materials, and post-battle border consumable materials, release authorized according to temporary pass quota.

In the Sea of Consciousness, Wu Fu and Grey Pupil both fell silent for a moment.

The path was cut off clearly—what the academy and the Military Court owed was given in full, but anything touching the Temple, high pollution, or ancient sacrificial items was strictly blocked.

The clerk retracted the thin mirror, his voice flat: "According to the rules, you can still open the back two layers of the third cabinet on the left."

"Domain-stabilizing bricks, old fire ash, standard wing bones, and Post Station repair materials can all be retrieved." "Cabinet A and Cabinet C are sealed; you cannot touch the high-risk sacrificial materials inside for the time being."

Qiao Ye flared up immediately: "When we were defending the camp, clearing lines, and illuminating the stele, they were nowhere to be found! Now that we've just returned, they seal the cabinets first?"

The clerk smiled bitterly: "Getting angry at me is useless. The seal tags were pressed by the Temple, and the release authorization was given by the Military Court; I can only follow the rules."

Wen Zhao was calmer than Qiao Ye: "What about the side records and the old material storage?"

The clerk flipped out a thin piece of paper: "The outer layer of the old material storage is accessible, but the side records require approval from the academy and Instructor Gu Pingchuan."

He paused, his voice dropping lower: "There is one more thing I should tell you clearly. The academy currently has mixed opinions about you."

"Some want to elevate you into the main academy team, while others argue for keeping you on ice, fearing that if something really goes wrong, it will drag the whole line down with you. Two rounds of meetings have already been held today."

Lu Jin raised his eyes: "The conclusion?" The clerk shook his head: "Nothing settled."

"But Instructor Gu Pingchuan came back and slammed the table, so at the very least, the academy doesn't dare to suppress you openly."

This was classic Instructor Gu Pingchuan.

Lu Jin didn't ask more, directly requesting the materials: four domain-stabilizing bricks, a bundle of standard wing bones, half a jar of old fire ash, two bags of Post Station fire-seam repair materials, and a list of forward station consumables.

He ordered very quickly, without any emotional impulse. Since high-pollution sacrificial materials were unavailable, he would first replenish the basic materials needed to stabilize the framework of the divine domain.

Grey Pupil spoke first in the Sea of Consciousness: "The old fire ash is enough for me to stabilize the Priest Well one more time."

Wu Fu followed immediately: "Use the domain-stabilizing bricks for the secondary nest floor, and don't burn the wing bones recklessly; I'll sift through them first."

Qiao Ye stared at the seal tags on the cabinet, still unable to suppress his anger: "This isn't guarding against you; it's clearly forcing you to slow down."

Lu Jin tucked the material list into his sleeve, his voice as steady as a rock: "Then we'll slow down for this one step. As long as the path isn't broken, we haven't lost."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion came from outside the door, and the crowd automatically parted to both sides. Several academy administrators walked along the corridor, followed by a Temple observer in silver-grey robes, and behind them stood Ning Yanqiu.

She didn't step forward, only holding a Cold Mirror message slip between her fingertips—thin as crushed ice, with the old crest of the Ning Family main residence pressed into the corner; this was definitely not an ordinary family letter.

Ning Yanqiu rarely received official message slips from the Ning Family; for this item to have pursued her all the way to the academy, its weight could be imagined.

The academy administrator dismissed half of the Department of Sacrificial Materials attendants before looking at Lu Jin: "Instructor Gu Pingchuan is still in a meeting upstairs; he said for you to leave once you've collected your items and not to congregate here."

He glanced at the Cold Mirror slip in Ning Yanqiu's hand and added: "People from the Ning Family just went to the Academy Affairs Hall. If you need to send a reply, you can go to the Silent Mirror Corridor."

Ning Yanqiu replied indifferently, her face expressionless, but her knuckles tightened quietly as she turned.

Lu Jin didn't follow—matters of the Ning Family were not for him to interfere with at this moment. But in less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Ning Yanqiu returned.

The Cold Mirror slip was shattered, with unmelted cold-white shards remaining on her fingertips. As soon as Qiao Ye saw her expression, he knew the matter was serious: "Did your family give you trouble?"

Ning Yanqiu flicked off the shards, her voice calm: "Not trouble, just passing a message."

Wen Zhao looked up: "What did they say?"

Ning Yanqiu paused for a moment and said bluntly: "Patriarch Ning Zhenyue's intent is for me to register my forward station qualification back under the Ning Family main team. If the No. 7 Rift Zone opens a forward station, the merits and demerits are to be recorded in the Ning Family's general ledger."

Qiao Ye understood instantly: "They want to pull you back?" "Just about." Ning Yanqiu nodded.

Lu Jin spoke then: "How did you respond?"

Ning Yanqiu looked at him, her gaze determined: "I said, my name is already signed into the frontline team; how I walk this path is up to me."

She paused slightly, her voice dropping lower: "The person who delivered the slip also brought a message—my father has seen the battle report, and he didn't reply."

The words on the tip of Qiao Ye's tongue stuck, and Wen Zhao's expression also darkened. Sometimes, silence is heavier than opposition.

It was a piece of iron hanging over the chest that refused to fall. Ning Zhaochuan's old vanguard line from back then was already weighing on Ning Yanqiu's shoulders; at this moment, neither blocking nor persuading, just casting silence, the weight was even greater.

Ning Yanqiu didn't say much more, raising her hand to fasten the military pass tightly to her wrist again: "If he doesn't speak, I'll pretend I didn't hear it. I'm still going to the No. 7 Rift Zone."

The words were short but landed firmly. Lu Jin nodded: "Follow the original plan; you take your frontline position."

Ning Yanqiu's eyes steadied: "That was my intention all along."

With this decided, the stifling atmosphere in the Department of Sacrificial Materials caused by the Temple's black list dissipated by more than half.

After collecting the materials, the group headed to the Black Well living quarters. Along the way, the entire academy seemed to have grown countless eyes—

People at the practice field stopped to watch, people on the corridor bridge whispered, and even the sponsorship students who usually loved to curry favor stood far away, first looking at the military pass in his sleeve, then glancing at the Black Well Class emblem on his back.

Some wanted to step forward to get close, but the moment they saw the Temple observer coming with the Academy Affairs Hall staff, they immediately retreated.

People in the academy are most realistic: if you can fight, everyone respects you; but if you can fight and also stir up trouble, most will choose to stay three steps away.

Returning to the Black Well living quarters, the weekly ranking wooden board at the entrance had not been removed, still showing the names of Lu Jin and Ning Yanqiu from when they last fought their way into the top ranks. The board remained the same, but the eyes of everyone in the living quarters looking at them were already different.

On the communal workbench in the innermost room, a stack of thick paper was already laid out—rubbings of the military training merit roll, copies of the Temple observation list, and a page of observer minutes stolen from the Academy Affairs Hall, with only one line of text: Lu Jin, tentatively listed for core observation.

Qiao Ye laughed at the sight: "These people are truly idle. Our carriage hasn't even stopped, and they've already copied the minutes."

Wen Zhao swept a glance and turned the paper over to the side: "Normal. The academy looks to see if you can take a ranking, the Military Court looks to see if you can go to the frontline, and the Temple looks to see if you'll go astray. With all three sides watching, it's hard not to be the center of attention."

Lu Jin put down the materials and was about to open his Sea of Consciousness to take inventory when Instructor Gu Pingchuan's footsteps sounded outside the door—hurried, hard, as if the person hadn't arrived yet, but his aura had already slammed against the door.

The door was pushed open, and Instructor Gu Pingchuan held something in his hand. It wasn't a standard academy document, but a thin grey paper order: the corners were pressed with the academy's observer seal, and below it was stamped a Military Court fire-pattern temporary pass.

He entered and first scanned the materials on the table, looking at Lu Jin: "Got them?" "Got them." "What about the ones that were blocked?" "High-pollution sacrificial materials, original ancient sacrificial items, and fire stele rubbings are all sealed."

Instructor Gu Pingchuan sneered: "I knew it. The academy argued for three rounds today—one round wanted to elevate you into the core of the academy team, one round wanted to keep you in the Black Well Class until the observation period passed, and the last round was even more direct: make you hand over the side records, materials, and routes, and just leave you out to dry."

Qiao Ye frowned: "How did you respond?"

Instructor Gu Pingchuan slapped the grey paper order onto the table with a "smack": "I said, people with real talent aren't meant to be left out to dry. Guarding against risk is fine, but not even letting people walk the path is just pushing away those who can fight."

He pushed the order paper in front of Lu Jin. Lu Jin lowered his eyes—there was only one line of regular script on the paper: 'Temporary Access Order for Page Two of the Sealed File.' Below were clear restrictions: Limited to the individual, limited to tonight, limited to side records, no rubbings allowed, no dissemination allowed.

Lu Jin's gaze suddenly darkened. Instructor Gu Pingchuan didn't beat around the bush, saying directly: "The Military Court provided a side-access pass, and on the academy side, I pried open a crack for you. There isn't much you can see, just the second page, but it's the most solid thing I could scrape together right now."

Wen Zhao reacted first: "Page two of the sealed file... is it your father's old file?"

Instructor Gu Pingchuan nodded: "Yes. The first few pages are all outer directories; the really useful stuff is all pressed in the back. You have a Military Court temporary pass now and just returned from the Broken Realm, so the timing is perfect. Any later, and it might not be your turn to see it first."

The room fell silent, and even Qiao Ye shut his mouth. Everyone knew that Lu Jin had fought all this way, not for rankings, qualifications, or passes, but for the truth about his father back then. Now, that line had finally moved forward an inch.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan looked at him, his voice lowered but heavier: "Let me warn you first, this isn't a reward; it's an opening. If you look at it tonight, it's equivalent to telling everyone that you won't stop. More people in the academy will watch you, and the noble families will come sniffing around even faster."

Lu Jin picked up the access order, his fingertips steady and firm: "I never intended to stop."

Instructor Gu Pingchuan stared at him for two breaths, then finally nodded: "Alright. Half an hour later, come with me to the Star Map Library. Don't bring anyone else, don't bring unnecessary items; how much you can see tonight depends on your own ability."

Having said that, he turned and left. The moment the door closed, the stifling atmosphere in the room completely changed. The Temple black list still hung, the Military Court pass was in his sleeve, and Instructor Gu Pingchuan had handed over the sealed file access order—three lines of pressure, but the door ahead had finally opened inward by an inch.

Lu Jin folded the grey paper order and tucked it into his sleeve. The night had deepened, and the lights in the Black Well living quarters lit up one by one, but the distant Star Map Library was abnormally quiet, like the unspoken secrets of the entire academy, all pressed into the shadows of the old building.

He stood up: "I'm going to the Star Map Library." Ning Yanqiu also stood up: "I'll walk you to the end of the corridor." Lu Jin looked at her and didn't refuse.

The two went out one after another, the night wind blowing in from the end of the corridor, brushing the stray hair on Ning Yanqiu's forehead. When they reached the end of the corridor, she spoke: "I didn't reply to the Cold Mirror slip today. I won't yield on the No. 7 Rift Zone line."

Lu Jin gave an "en": "I know."

Ning Yanqiu's gaze was direct: "After you read the sealed file tonight, if you see anything bad, don't bear it alone. Some burdens are too heavy for one person to carry; it might not be a good thing."

Lu Jin was silent for a moment: "Let me finish reading first."

Ning Yanqiu didn't press him, nodding: "Alright, don't keep Instructor Gu Pingchuan waiting."

Lu Jin took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped and called her: "Ning Yanqiu." She raised her eyes.

Lu Jin gazed at the heavy shadows of the old building ahead, his voice steady and clear: "When the No. 7 Rift Zone opens, you come with me."

The coldness pressed in Ning Yanqiu's eyes finally relaxed a fraction: "I was going to go anyway."

Lu Jin didn't say any more, turning to step into the night. His silhouette was stretched long by the streetlights, and the grey paper order in his sleeve gradually grew hot in his palm. Page two of the sealed file. He had chased for so long, and finally, he was about to touch it.