485: Chapter 485 Dean of the Extreme Academy, Regina

"I still have work, you should head home first."

Amivika did not dwell on the matter further.

Today was the shop's grand opening, and she had a lot on her plate.

Additionally, she had to train the staff to prepare the dishes, so she likely wouldn't have much time to spare for Nie Ning in the near future.

"No worries, go ahead and do your thing. I'll go home and look after the kid."

Nie Ning waved his hand, preparing to head back to look after Xiao Guang.

*Dong!*

Suddenly, a sound like the tolling of a massive bell rang out.

The atmosphere in the restaurant suddenly froze. The Transcendents didn't even care about finishing their meals; they quickly shoved a few bites into their mouths and rushed outside.

Nie Ning was left completely bewildered.

Realizing that something important might be happening, he exchanged a glance with Amivika, and the two of them flew outside along with the crowd.

Once they reached the sky, a massive number of Transcendents surged up from below.

Seeing this, Nie Ning called out to a nearby Transcendent, "Hey brother, what's going on? Why is everyone in such a rush?"

The Transcendent he addressed sized Nie Ning up. "You must be new. The Extreme Phase Demon Palace is gathering everyone. There's probably an important announcement."

"With such a grand turnout, could it be that another faction is attacking us?"

Nie Ning asked with some concern.

If a war between top-tier factions really broke out, since the enemy dared to attack, they would have certainly come fully prepared.

People like them, at the fifth or sixth rank, would likely be no different from cannon fodder.

"What are you thinking? Do you think our Extreme Phase Demon Palace is some pushover?"

The Transcendent couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Wars between top-tier factions rarely occurred because each territory possessed comprehensive defensive fortifications. Without the joint efforts of three to five top-tier factions, it was impossible to breach them.

Besides, the Extreme Phase Demon Palace had been busy cleaning up its reputation lately and hadn't done anything out of line. No top-tier faction would risk the deaths of their peak powerhouses just to lay siege to the Extreme Phase Demon Palace.

That would just be looking for trouble for no reason.

"Then what else could it be?"

Nie Ning looked around curiously.

"How should I know? And why do you talk so much? Just wait a bit and you'll find out."

The Transcendent couldn't be bothered to talk to Nie Ning anymore and flew off to the side.

Nie Ning rubbed his nose and couldn't help but look at Amivika beside him.

Amivika remained expressionless. Seemingly anticipating what Nie Ning wanted to say, she flatly replied with two words: "So annoying."

Hearing this, Nie Ning tactfully shut his mouth.

As a vast number of Transcendents ascended into the sky, the gates of the palace floating in the center of the Central City slowly opened.

Instantly, the sky and earth changed color. The entire space was enveloped in a seven-colored aura, followed by an inexplicably powerful pressure that swept over everyone present.

With a solemn expression, Nie Ning fixed his gaze on the palace gates.

Out from the dark palace stepped a pair of feet in red high heels, followed by a long red gown. A woman wearing a white veil slowly walked out.

"Welcome, Palace Master!"

Someone shouted from the crowd.

"Welcome, Palace Master!"

Hearing this, the others bowed in succession and called out loudly.

However, Nie Ning looked at a few nearby Transcendents with some confusion.

Were these guys really that gutsy? They didn't even utter a greeting. Weren't they afraid that the Palace Master would make life difficult for them?

"There is no need for formalities, everyone."

A voice like silver bells chimed from the woman in red.

"However, you can save the title of Palace Master. I am Regina, the Dean of the Extreme Academy. You can vote for me next time I run for Palace Master, so it will be official."

Hearing this, Nie Ning widened his eyes. He looked in disbelief at the Transcendent he had spoken to earlier, who was also the leader who had initiated the shout of 'Palace Master'.

My god, if you didn't even recognize her, why the hell did you start shouting blindly?!

Before anything had even happened, he had ended up looking like a clown.

No wonder some people had remained silent. He had thought they were just being bold, but it turned out they had foresight and were simply waiting to watch everyone else make fools of themselves.

Still, this Dean of the Extreme Academy...

Nie Ning knew that the Extreme Phase Demon Palace operated under a system of one palace and three academies. The three academies were the Fiend Academy, the Water Sky Mansion, and the Extreme Academy.

The Water Sky Mansion was essentially a nursery, primarily used to nurture the rising generation of the Extreme Phase Demon Palace. Amivika fell under the jurisdiction of the Water Sky Mansion.

The Fiend Academy represented "rogue cultivators," which referred to salted fish like Nie Ning and the others.

However, it was highly free with minimal restrictions, relying entirely on self-discipline. Under normal circumstances, the administrators of the Fiend Academy would not interfere.

The Extreme Academy was quite formidable. It was the core strength of the Extreme Phase Demon Palace, a gathering place for the geniuses among geniuses.

Its welfare and benefits were unparalleled. It was said that their annual contribution points alone were more than double those of the Fiend Academy. Most of what they practiced were top-tier techniques, and they also enjoyed discounts on cultivation resources.

The number of members in the Extreme Academy was fixed at one hundred. If someone rose to the top, someone else would inevitably be pushed down. Defeating one of them was one of the conditions for joining the Extreme Academy.

However, to prevent people from taking cheap shots, such challenges could not be conducted indefinitely; everyone only had three opportunities.

To prevent people from challenging students of the Extreme Academy while they were injured, the bottom twenty Transcendents of the Extreme Academy would engage in battles on a rotational basis.

In the early stages, there were also specific strength evaluation phases.

After all, the students of the Extreme Academy also needed time to cultivate. No one would want to waste time fighting others every single day.

The Palace itself was a group of powerhouses led by the Palace Master, where one needed to be at least at the eighth rank to have a chance of entering management.

Of course, this was only a rough division. There were many sub-categories further down, most of which fell under the banner of the Fiend Academy.

For example, some were scientific research geniuses who needed to go to specific places to undergo procedures, after which they could enjoy their corresponding benefits.

There were also combat, equipment crafting, various elemental classifications, and so on. These were all managed by specific departments, primarily aimed at maximizing an individual's potential strengths.

Nie Ning belonged to the salted fish faction, meaning he hadn't joined any department. He only needed to pass the annual assessment to continue staying here.

This was the advantage of a major faction; not everyone was forced to go out and complete missions.

After all, the Extreme Phase Demon Palace had tens of thousands of people. There weren't that many missions to go around. The primary way to acquire contribution points was through internal circulation.

Just like money in the outside world, where there is buying and selling, there is circulation. The various official institutions existed to reclaim contribution points and prevent currency inflation.

But in the end, it mostly came down to resource production. Small-time operations simply couldn't compare to a powerhouse like the Extreme Phase Demon Palace.

And resources only had value when they were put to use.

...

"Greetings, Dean!"

Only now did the remaining silent people call out.

"Greetings, Dean!"

Nie Ning and the other clowns could only bite the bullet and shout along once more.

After shouting, Nie Ning glanced at Amivika beside him. Her slightly curved eyes seemed to be mocking him.

"I have gathered everyone today because we have discovered another new world."