371: Chapter 371 Sea Clan

The closer he got to the city wall, the more palpable the unique atmosphere in the air became—solemn, heavy, faintly laced with the scent of blood and iron.

Soon, Qin Yan was less than a hundred feet from the city wall.

Just as he paused to observe, attempting to proceed further—

"Halt!"

A cold and authoritative roar, like a thunderclap, exploded beside him!

Immediately after, a tall figure clad in dark red full-body heavy armor, wielding a cold-gleaming heavy halberd, with even his face concealed behind a ferocious visor, appeared like a ghost!

The tip of the halberd shimmered with a cold, eerie light, unceremoniously barring Qin Yan's path forward, blocking any possibility of further advance.

An aura of fierce, battle-hardened killing intent, tempered through countless battlefields and mountains of corpses, emanated from the armored soldier!

Merely standing there made Qin Yan feel his breath catch and his skin prickle faintly.

"Restricted area ahead. Unauthorized passage is strictly prohibited! Violators will be dealt with according to military law!"

From behind the visor came a muffled, utterly emotionless voice, carrying the ironclad weight of indisputable authority.

Qin Yan's heart clenched, and he immediately halted all movement.

This place was indeed extraordinary!

"This student was rash and strayed into this area by mistake. I will leave now."

Qin Yan cupped his fists respectfully towards the armored soldier, his tone deferential.

Facing a powerful guardian of a restricted area, any unnecessary probing or explanation would be foolish.

The armored soldier did not withdraw his halberd, standing there in silence.

Not daring to linger, Qin Yan quickly retreated along the path he came.

Only after putting considerable distance between himself and that area, returning to the relatively familiar forest path, did Qin Yan slow his pace, his mind still unsettled and filled with doubt.

"Restricted area... military zone... and that terrifying roar..."

He glanced back towards the direction of the city wall. It had already returned to calm, as if the earth-shaking roar from moments ago had never happened.

"For Modu University of Martial Arts to cordon it off so seriously as a forbidden zone and station such a powerful guardian... there must be a tremendous secret hidden behind that wall..."

Qin Yan shook his head, suppressing his urge to investigate. "Enough. For now, improving my strength is fundamental."

"Some secrets, learned too early, aren't necessarily a good thing."

"When my strength is sufficient, what I need to know will naturally be revealed."

He no longer lingered, quickening his pace to leave the area.

Qin Yan followed the familiar tree-lined path back towards the direction of the manor district.

However, as he walked, he keenly sensed that the campus atmosphere seemed different from usual.

On the roads, by the training grounds, even in some public rest areas, many unfamiliar young faces had appeared.

Most of them gathered in small groups of two or three.

Some curiously surveyed the grand campus buildings, others conversed in low voices, their faces showing excitement, nervousness, and anticipation.

The aura emanating from these youths was generally not strong.

The vast majority were merely at the First-Rank Skin Tempering Realm, their qi-blood fluctuations still noticeably immature, clearly having just embarked on the martial path not long ago.

Their fragmented conversations drifted into Qin Yan's ears with the breeze:

"There's less than ten days left until the Monthly Exam. I wonder if my ranking can move up this time..."

"I want to try and break into the top ten this month!"

"I heard the top ten get extra credit rewards, and those with exceptionally outstanding performance might even get a chance to live in the manor district!"

"Keep dreaming. There are many hidden talents among this year's freshmen. That 'Northland Spear King's' grandson, and those twin sisters from Jiangnan, their strength is ridiculously high."

"Who will be first is still hard to say..."

"Who knows... But anyone who got into Modu University is a genius, right? The competition must be fierce!"

Monthly Exam? Freshmen? Breaking into the top ten? Living in the manor?

These keywords instantly made Qin Yan realize.

These vibrant, still relatively weak young people before him were precisely the freshmen who had recently enrolled at Modu University of Martial Arts this year!

"Time flies..."

Qin Yan's steps faltered slightly. Watching the energetic backs of these freshmen, a wave of emotion rose in his heart. "In the blink of an eye, a year has passed. I'm already... a sophomore senior."

In this past year, he had experienced the special entrance trial, the challenge of the Secret Realm Tower, the top university exchange tournament...

And this summer vacation, he had spent it entirely in the perilous, bizarre Canglin Ancient Mountain Range.

There was no leisure or relaxation of a normal holiday, only relentless life-and-death struggles, competition for opportunities, and undercurrents of schemes.

He hadn't even had time to return home to properly spend time with his parents and younger sister.

During the video call with his family last night, listening to his mother's worried nagging and his sister's chattering about amusing things, the genuine feelings of longing for home and guilt truly surged in his heart.

It took considerable effort to convince his family he was fine, just that the school had special training tasks.

The martial path is often a lonely one!

Looking at these freshmen's energetic figures, Qin Yan seemed to see himself from a year ago.

Only now, he had already shed that youthful naivety.

A steadiness and resolve, honed through life-and-death trials, now resided between his brows, and the power surging within him was worlds apart.

"Speaking of which, Teacher, as well as Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother... I haven't been able to reach them these past few days..."

Qin Yan wondered privately.

Since returning to Magic Martial, he had tried sending messages in their small master-disciples group chat, asking about their recent situations.

He shared news of his return, but aside from automatic system notifications, there had been no response.

"I'll wait a couple more days. If there's still no news, I'll go ask other mentors from the First Institute."

Qin Yan made up his mind.

Teacher Xiao Huo was the chief mentor of the Sixth Institute. Perhaps some teachers over at the Sixth Institute knew of his whereabouts.

...

Modu University of Martial Arts core area, First Institute Administration Building top floor, conference room.

The atmosphere here was starkly different from the relaxed, youthful energy on campus, so heavy it felt like it could drip water.

Around the spacious round conference table sat solemn-faced high-level institute personnel, their auras profound.

These individuals were at least senior mentors from various institutes, their cultivation levels generally above Fifth Rank.

At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the head of the conference table.

There sat a middle-aged man with an elegant yet authoritative countenance, a trace of lingering weariness between his brows—Su Zhiming, Dean of the First Institute.

The University President and several Vice Presidents were either away on important duties or guarding strategic locations. A significant portion of the burden for the university's daily operations now rested on his shoulders.

"Dean."

"We just received encrypted communication. Dean Xiao Shan has already reached the frontlines. Regarding the Sea Clan matter, news just came in that it has been dealt with." Lin Jian, the First Institute's Chief Mentor, spoke up.

Su Zhiming gave a slight nod, his fingers lightly tapping the smooth table surface. "It's good that the trouble with the Sea Clan has been suppressed for now."