The teleportation array set up by Shiyan Academy was situated on a small island at the end of the waterway, surrounded by a barrier of spiritual light that kept out the distracting, impure air from the outside world.
Its outer structure was a massive circular platform covered with dense array runes, glowing with clearly visible light even in broad daylight. Towering stone pillars enclosed the perimeter, each draped with a fluttering banner bearing the words “Shiyan Academy,” lending it a solemn and majestic air.
The entrance to the array consisted of several small arched doorways, each wide enough for only one person to pass through at a time. On either side of every doorway stood a student in Shiyan Academy robes, holding a token and a register to check and record the identities of those entering.
Although Shiyan Academy had set up this array specifically for recruitment, it was not open solely to applicants. Maintaining such an array incurred immense expenses, so ordinary travelers could also use it to teleport to Shiyan City—with Shiyan Academy at its center—provided they paid enough spirit stones, saving themselves a long journey and unknown risks along the way.
When Shi Yu walked up to the entrance of the teleportation array, she was stopped by a young woman in light green robes with dark circles under her dull, listless eyes. The woman gave her a lazy once-over, flipped open the register in her hand, and asked, “Please state your name, and your purpose for traveling to Shiyan City.”
Before Shi Yu could answer, the woman self-absorbedly repeated the explanation she had already given a hundred times that day: “Shiyan Academy's recruitment is currently open, so the coming and going of people is complicated. Since this teleportation array leads directly to the inner city, we need to register your information. We hope for your understanding...”
Listening to her spiritless words, Shi Yu's gaze drifted to the jade token pinned to her chest, which bore a line of small characters: Yellow Tier, Inner House — Shen Yun.
Earlier, Shi Yu had heard President Song and Master Ji give a general explanation: during recruitment, Shiyan Academy would comprehensively assess and score students' talents, categorizing them into four tier levels: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. Different talent tiers naturally enjoyed different resources and treatment.
Among Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, the Yellow tier was the lowest. Furthermore, within each of the four tiers, a class-division system called the “Three-House Advancement System” was implemented, dividing classes into Outer House, Inner House, and Upper House.
After new students enrolled, everyone would first study together in a single large class. This class was the Outer House, equivalent to a foundational class. After studying for a while and reaching the assessment standards, one could advance to the Inner House, which served as an advanced class. Going higher still, the top students of the Inner House could advance to the Upper House, equivalent to an experimental or graduation-prep class.
The student named Shen Yun before her was a member of the Yellow Tier Inner House.
Looking at the other listless, bored students guarding the array, the badges on their chests were also mostly Yellow Tier Inner House or Yellow Tier Outer House.
Shi Yu mused to herself: Being assigned to guard the teleportation array gate—tedious, boring, and full of trivial work—is clearly not a good task. It seems the treatment of Yellow-tier students really isn't great.
As the thought crossed her mind, she answered Shen Yun's question, “Shi Yu. I am heading to Shiyan City to participate in the recruitment assessment.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun sized Shi Yu up and down, a look of doubt entering her eyes.
She didn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from Shi Yu, thinking secretly: She's probably wearing some breath-concealing artifact or cultivated a similar technique.
In truth, Shi Yu's cultivation was a full major realm higher than Shen Yun's. Combined with her soul being far stronger than that of cultivators at the same level, Shen Yun couldn't sense her unless Shi Yu intentionally released her aura.
Shen Yun didn't dwell on it and slightly raised her hand.
Around her wrist was a uniquely styled bracelet set with a bright, reflective crystal mirror—a small artifact for recording appearances. She exposed the bracelet, and once the mirror recorded Shi Yu's appearance, she gestured toward Shi Yu with her chin. “Pay one hundred spirit stones and go on in.”
Shi Yu wasn't naive enough to think the spirit stones mentioned here meant low-grade spirit stones. Gathering her divine sense, she retrieved a hundred medium-grade spirit stones, stepped into the arched doorway behind Shen Yun, and set foot on the massive circular platform.
On the platform, besides herself, twenty to thirty people stood scattered about.
Shen Yun watched her walk in and added another deadpan, exhausted line: “We need to wait until a hundred people gather before the teleportation array will run.”
Shi Yu nodded her understanding, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and began to wait while regulating her breathing.
Every short while, a few people would come up, and the number of people on the platform rapidly grew. Once the headcount reached a hundred, Shen Yun also walked onto the platform. She strolled to the center, where a dragon-head sculpture stood, picked up a large bag of spirit stones, and poured them into the dragon's mouth with a clattering noise. The crisp sound of spirit stones clashing drew everyone's attention.
Once the spirit stones were poured in, the dense array runes flowed at a dizzying speed, emitting a powerful wave of spiritual energy as the entire teleportation array began to rumble.
Shen Yun didn't leave the array. Joining the crowd, she offered one last reminder: “Stand firm.”
The edges of the teleportation array were enveloped in a faint blue light. The surrounding air grew oppressive, and sounds became muffled and chaotic. Shi Yu felt a powerful suction pulling her, her body seemingly wrapped in a beam of light. The scenery before her shifted rapidly, and a buzzing sound hummed in her ears.
Space folded and shifted before her eyes like a shattered mirror flashing scenes that flew past far too quickly to be made out. Her body drifted like floating duckweed on the water, with no fixed place to settle...
This sensation didn't last long. Before long, Shi Yu felt her body lighten, the light vanished, and the buzzing stopped. Opening her eyes to look around, she realized she had arrived in another location.
This was also a circular platform, but much larger than the previous one, crowded with people who had just been teleported in from various places.
Around the area, several students in Shiyan Academy robes were maintaining order, guiding the crowd in and out in an orderly manner.
“Those taking the academy's recruitment assessment, head north!”
“Everyone else, disperse quickly! Do not linger here and block the way!”
“Those waiting for people, step to the side as well! Let the people on the teleportation array get off first!”
The crowd surged and bustled around her. As Shi Yu sensed the spiritual energy here, surprise touched her heart: The world's spiritual energy here...
As expected of the center of the entire East Continent, the worldly spiritual energy in Tianyuan Prefecture was far richer than in Changyuan Prefecture. Shiyan City, being the heart of Tianyuan Prefecture, had spiritual energy that was yet three times denser. Cultivating here long-term would offer benefits far beyond comparison to before.
Shi Yu looked out through the crowd and immediately caught sight of the massive complex of buildings belonging to Shiyan Academy.
The academy was situated right at the center of the city—or rather, Shiyan City itself had been built around the academy. Renowned and long-established, it stood there like a giant beast sleeping against a mountain, exuding an ancient, simple, yet deeply imposing aura.
...
Withdrawing her gaze, she discreetly observed the nearby people and found that most wore excited or nervous expressions—clearly all here to participate in the recruitment assessment.
Mindful of her goal, Shi Yu didn't linger. She followed the flow of people off the teleportation array and headed toward Shiyan Academy.
The student named Shen Yun happened to be not far from Shi Yu. Only after handing off her duties to another Yellow-tier student did she finally look relieved. Giving a huge yawn, she also walked toward the academy. “This is killing me... Day and night with no rest, I'm exhausted...”
Though shrouded in lingering resentment and fatigue, Shen Yun was quite warm-hearted. Passing by Shi Yu, she glanced at her and recognized her as the girl who had entered the teleportation array through her gate earlier. Remembering that Shi Yu was also here for recruitment, Shen Yun waved at her listlessly. “We're going the same way. Walk with me.”
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