Chapter 55 Leaving Zhenwu Academy

  Leave Zhen Wu Academy

  This ice crystal's speed was extremely fast, and Zhou Yuan was after all three realms weaker than Bing XueTian. The gap in their strength was enormous. Although Bing XueTian had only made a light and casual strike, it was still too fast for Zhou Yuan.

  Bing Jing had not yet approached, but Zhou Yuan already felt a chill to the bone, as if he was placed in an ice cave, cold to the extreme.

  This ice crystal, with Zhou Yuan's strength, was impossible to dodge, and he was hit instantly. Then the cold air spread out, and in an instant, it enveloped Zhou Yuan, who was suddenly sealed in the icy enclosure, unable to move.

  Suddenly, a surge of nameless anger rose in Zhou Yuan's mind. His body surface began to wildly flash with electric lights, extremely violent. After three breaths, this layer of solid ice was shocked out of cracks. Then, Zhou Yuan used all his strength and fiercely shook, the solid ice shattered and fell to the ground.

  Zhou Yuan also escaped from the predicament.

  Bingjiu Tian burst out laughing instead of making another move, "A Thunder System mage, indeed formidable! With a strength three realms lower than mine, you can still escape unscathed. The Thunder element, capable of countering all other elements, is truly not an empty boast. Zhou Yuan, just based on this point, you can rest assured that I, Bingjiu Tian, will no longer bother you in the future."

  "But when I'm strong enough, I won't let you off the hook. What you've done to me today, I'll return it all to you someday."

  "Oh? You still dare to speak harshly to me, aren't you afraid that I'll kill you right now? Although the True Martial Academy has very strict rules, with my identity as the Ice King's son, even if I were to kill you, I believe it wouldn't cause too much trouble. You should know, being hated by a Thunder System mage is a very troublesome thing." Ice Nine Heavens' voice returned to its usual ethereal state.

  "You can kill me if you want, but my attitude won't change."

  When Zhou Yuan said this, Bing Jiutian suddenly laughed, and then he was shocked, the whole person flew up, and then disappeared into the vast night.

  In the void, a hollow voice transmitted again, "Don't worry, I won't be so petty. You're still too weak now and don't have the qualifications to be my opponent. I, Bing Jiutian, won't strangle an opponent with great potential in their cradle just because of that. I look forward to our next battle."

  Bing Jiutian left, leaving behind three people with heavy hearts. Zhou Yuan had fantasized about Bing Jiutian's strength countless times, but when Bing Jiutian actually stood in front of him, the huge gap between their powers still made Zhou Yuan feel a pang of loss.

  He couldn't even dodge the weakest magic of Icy Nine Heavens, and was trapped for three breaths before barely managing to break free with all his might.

  Luoshui Tian saw Zhou Yuan's dejected expression and guessed his thoughts, so he patted Zhou Yuan on the shoulder and said, "Zhou Yuan, you don't have to mind Bai Yun's strength. After all, his power is evident, three realms higher than yours, a Lingkong Xuvu realm that would be considered a top strongman in any part of the Zhongzhou continent. It's only natural that you're not his match. You should know that even an ordinary sect leader's strength is about the same."

  Feng Ao Xue also advised, "That's right, Zhou Yuan, how long have you been cultivating? Moreover, behind Bing Jiu Tian, there is the support of the Ice King Palace, his resources are much richer than yours. Besides, you are a Thunder System mage, your talent is higher than anyone else's, and you are a rare genius who appears only once in a thousand years. Surpassing him is just a matter of time."

  After listening to the two people's advice, Zhou Yuan's mood suddenly cleared up, and he also understood that Bing Jiutian was after all several years older than him in terms of cultivation, and was the only son of the Ice King of the Ice King's Palace. The resources he enjoyed were not something that Zhou Yuan could compare to. If Zhou Yuan had received attention from the Zhou family from the very beginning, his achievements now would definitely be far beyond what they were.

  Moreover, Zhou Yuan is not completely without opportunities now. Liu Taibai has said that once he reaches the Golden Elixir realm, he will openly accept him as a disciple. At that time, with his identity as the Institute Master's disciple, he will have a great backing in the True Martial Academy, and the resources he enjoys will be comparable to those of Bing Jiutian.

  "The realm of Lingkong Xūdù, I will definitely be able to reach it, and it's not very far away. Very soon, I'll be able to confront Ice Nine Heaven head-on." Zhou Yuan murmured.

  In the following days, Zhou Yuan completely immersed himself in his cultivation, and it was as if he had been stimulated by Bing Jiuyi. Therefore, Zhou Yuan's cultivation became even more arduous, and he slept less and less, meditating whenever he felt tired, recovering both his spiritual energy and physical strength at the same time.

  Even the final of Yi Duan, Zhou Yuan didn't go to watch, but as for the result, he still knew that Li Beichuan was still the strongest in Yi Duan. However, anyone who knows the news understands that this title of the strongest in Yi Duan has a lot of water, everyone knows that Li Beichuan offended Zhou Yuan and was forced to kneel down.

  Although Li Beichuan got the first place, he still felt embarrassed and low-key in his actions, unlike his usual arrogance. Moreover, he kept his word and avoided places where Zhou Yuan, Luo Shui Tian, and Feng Ao Xue were present. Even if they met, he would turn around and leave immediately. This made Zhou Yuan quite satisfied.

  Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, three months have passed. Spring is almost over, and the temperature has gradually warmed up. In these three months, Zhou Yuan's strength has continued to advance rapidly. Although he still hasn't broken through to the Golden Core realm, his strength has become much stronger compared to when he faced Ice Nine Heavens.

  On this day, after Zhou Yuan's cultivation was completed, he felt that his cultivation had been slow in advancing to the next realm. He always believed that only by fighting at the edge of life and death could one's strength advance the fastest.

  Then, Zhou Yuan once again came to the Task Hall, preparing to accept the academy's regular task.

  The academy's missions are divided into regular missions and bounty missions.

  Regular tasks are those long-term effective tasks issued by the college itself, which are valid for a long time, such as killing monster tasks and bandit elimination tasks.

  Bounty tasks are mostly personal goals that individuals want to achieve and publish through the college.

  Zhou Yuan walked into the Task Hall, and many people immediately recognized him. After all, there was only one Thunder System mage in the True Martial Academy, and his reputation was too great. Almost all the students knew that such a special student existed, and those who had seen Zhou Yuan were not few.

  As soon as Zhou Yuan appeared, many disciples who were receiving or handing in tasks immediately shifted their attention to him.

  "Look, he's the only one in the entire academy who is a Thunder System mage, a thousand-year-old prodigy!!!"

  "Oh, I've heard of this person. They say that within the same realm, they're almost unbeatable. Truly formidable. A Thunder System mage... I thought they only existed in legends, but it turns out there's actually one in our academy."

  "Hmm, neither the Fa Wang Academy nor the Tong Tian Academy have one, only our Zhen Wu Academy has. Moreover, in the entire Zhong Zhou continent, there are no more than five mages who cultivate the Thunder element, and except for him, those four people are legendary existences. I believe that soon, he will also be able to join their ranks."

  "That's natural, mages who cultivate thunder element have always been legendary. Look, he went to receive the task."

  Zhou Yuan ignored the surprise of the crowd and walked towards the instructor who had assigned the task, still the same woman as last time. However, this time, the woman also knew Zhou Yuan's true identity.

  Her gaze at Zhou Yuan was also filled with kindness and became even more polite.

  "Hello, Zhou Yuan, are you ready to accept a mission?" The female instructor's voice was melodious, and even Zhou Yuan felt his heart flutter.

  However, Zhou Yuan was after all Zhou Yuan, and he quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart.

  "Yes, I'll take on regular tasks, such as killing demonic beasts and eliminating bandits!"

  The female instructor was taken aback, "You want to leave Zhen Wu Academy?"

  Only those who have left the academy are likely to accept tasks such as slaying demonic beasts and eliminating bandits, because it is impossible to complete them within the academy.

  "Right, we need to leave for a short while!"

  The female instructor smiled and said, "Alright, this is a Shadow Crystal. After you complete your mission, as long as you infuse it with your vital energy, the crystal will record the scene of you completing your mission. The higher-ups at the academy will be able to see whether or not you've completed your mission. And let me remind you, if you obtain a demon beast's Crystal Core after killing it, you can keep it for yourself and use it to cultivate or sell it to get spirit stones, which all belong to you."

  Zhou Yuan felt the kindness of the female instructor and smiled, "Thank you for reminding me, Instructor. I'll go first."

  It turned out that Zhou Yuan had not expected that this Shadow Crystal was a very precious item, and it was usually only available for high-difficulty tasks. The people who received it were all top-notch experts like Bing Jiutian, who had reached the fifth level of magical cultivation, the Lingkong Xudu realm, and had the qualifications to receive it. As for Zhou Yuan, he was able to obtain it mainly because his reputation as a Thunder System mage was too loud.

  After leaving Task Hall, Zhou Yuan returned to his residence and bid farewell to Luo Zhan and Feng Ao Xue. Although Feng Ao Xue was reluctant to part with Zhou Yuan, she also agreed with his point of view that only in life-and-death battles could one's realm be rapidly elevated. Given Zhou Yuan's current situation, time was indeed pressing, so the faster he could enhance his strength, the better.

  Although Feng Ao Xue wanted to go through the trials with Zhou Yuan, she also knew that her current strength was still too weak, and she couldn't even cast spells. If they were to fight, not only would she be unable to help Zhou Yuan, but she would also bring trouble to him and be a hindrance everywhere.

  Zhou Yuan's destination this time was the southernmost part of the Zhongzhou continent, the Southern Wilderness, where it was said that the lair of the demonic beasts was located. Inside, there were countless powerful demonic beasts, including legendary ones, and even the Demon Emperor lived deep within the Southern Wilderness.

  Fresh flowers, come and vote!