The roar of the helicopter propellers gradually faded.

The fuselage landed smoothly on an expansive tarmac.

The cabin door opened, and Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, followed behind Zhang Donglai and Zhao Menghai as he walked off the aircraft.

A breath of air completely different from Dongning Province hit them head-on.

It was much drier and purer.

A pitch-black military off-road vehicle had been waiting here for a long time.

The three of them boarded the vehicle, which quickly drove away from the tarmac and merged into the wide streets of the Imperial Capital.

Watching the scenery rapidly receding outside the window, Zhou Huai still felt a trace of shock in his heart.

Every building here was filled with an aesthetic interwoven with science fiction and art.

In the air, Classer shuttled back and forth from time to time.

On the ground, the pedestrians' attire was far more fashionable and avant-garde than that of Donghai City.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

Zhang Donglai wore a mysterious smile on his face, keeping him in suspense.

"Aren't you anxious to improve your strength?"

"Naturally, we are taking you to a good place for leveling up."

Half an hour later, the vehicle's speed slowly decreased.

Zhou Huai's gaze was firmly attracted by a magnificent building ahead.

That was a huge archway.

Sculpted entirely from pure white jade, it stood a hundred meters tall.

Above the lintel, four gold-inlaid characters were powerfully and gracefully engraved.

Imperial Capital Academy.

Sunlight shone upon it, reflecting a sacred radiance.

The vehicle passed through the archway and drove into the interior of the academy.

On both sides of the wide road were neatly trimmed lawns and lush ancient trees.

Many young students wearing the academy uniforms strolled along the road in twos and threes.

Further away, one could even see several huge open-air battle arenas.

At this moment, students were intensely sparring inside them, and the brilliant radiances of various skills soared into the sky, drawing bursts of cheers.

In the academies of this world, there was no such thing as summer or winter vacations.

Growing stronger was the eternal theme.

"This is Imperial Capital Academy, how does it feel?" Zhang Donglai asked with a smile.

Zhou Huai nodded.

"Very lively, and very vibrant."

Zhao Menghai on the side laughed heartily.

"What does this count as."

"In a while, when the National Examination results of all provinces are released and the new students who obtained the quotas enroll, that will truly be lively."

Zhou Huai looked at Zhang Donglai and asked the doubt in his heart.

"You brought me here, could it be that you want me to transfer in as an enrolled student?"

Zhang Donglai shook his head.

"That won't be necessary."

"You are now a key cultivation target registered by our military department; that set of theoretical knowledge in the academy holds little significance for you."

He paused and explained.

"However, the military department currently lacks dungeons and Secret Realms suitable for your Level."

"And Imperial Capital Academy happens to have a complete set of dungeon systems ranging from Level 20 to Level 40."

"So we brought you here first to temporarily transition."

Zhou Huai understood.

The vehicle soon drove away from the main road of the campus and turned into a sparsely populated area.

This was the villa area of the academy.

Every villa was designed to be extremely luxurious, spaced far apart from one another to ensure absolute privacy.

The people who could live here must have extraordinary identities.

Finally, the vehicle stopped in front of a villa with a bizarre style.

Zhou Huai got out of the car, and seeing the scene before him, he could not help but be stunned for a moment.

The entire villa was almost completely wrapped by various oddly shaped vines.

Those vines had eerie colors; some were pitch black like ink, while others were blood-red like snakes.

Their roots were intertwined, wrapping the villa tightly without any gaps.

The walls were covered in blue Boston ivy, their leaves swaying in the wind and emitting a faint blue light.

In the courtyard in front of the villa, various plants that he had never seen before were planted.

Some grew like a cluster of burning flames.

Others looked like clawing and baring eyeballs.

At this moment, there was a hunched old woman in the courtyard, holding an archaic kettle and leisurely watering those eerie plants.

Zhang Donglai stepped forward and politely knocked on the courtyard's picket gate.

"Knock, knock."

The old woman didn't even raise her head, her voice aged and hoarse.

"The door isn't locked, come in."

Zhang Donglai turned back, looked at Gandalf, and instructed with a serious expression.

"After going in, speak less."

"Did you remember?"

Zhou Huai was left completely baffled by his solemn appearance, but still nodded.

The three of them pushed open the picket gate and walked into the small courtyard.

Zhang Donglai walked forward quickly and bowed respectfully to the old woman.

"Junior Zhang Donglai pays respects to Principal Lin."

Zhao Menghai also bowed similarly.

"Zhao Menghai pays respects to Principal Lin."

The old woman, referred to as Principal Lin, continued watering the flowers on her own, as if she hadn't heard.

After a moment, she slowly spoke.

"Oh, it's little Zhang."

"What kind of wind blew today, blowing the two of you over here?"

Zhang Donglai forced a smile onto his face.

"Well... Principal Lin, there is something I'd like to trouble you with."

"Marshal Zhao should have already mentioned it to you, right?"

"We want to send a student over to stay temporarily at your place for a period of time."

Hearing the three words "Marshal Zhao", the old woman's flower-watering motion suddenly paused.

She raised her head, and that wrinkle-filled face was full of dissatisfaction.

"That old thing Zhao Qingcang is now unwilling to even meet me once; what could he possibly have to say to me?"

She placed the kettle heavily on the ground, akimbo with her hands on her hips, like a wronged little girl.

"This old lady has kept herself pure for him for over seventy years, and he—instead—only knows how to hide from me now!"

"You tell me, am I that scary?"

A layer of fine sweat beads seeped out from Zhang Donglai's forehead, and he hurriedly stepped forward to pacify her.

"Principal Lin, please calm your anger. Marshal Zhao might be busy with affairs recently and certainly doesn't mean to avoid you intentionally."

The old woman puckered her lips and let out a cold hum.

Her gaze crossed over Zhang Donglai and glanced at Gandalf behind him.

Her brows immediately knitted together.

"You guys aren't unaware that I, an old woman, am used to living alone and find noise most annoying."

"And yet you arranged for a greenhorn kid to live at my place?"

"The things planted in my courtyard are all treasures; what if they get frightened by him?"

She waved her hand impatiently.

"No way, no way, you guys should change to another place!"

Seeing this, Zhang Donglai hurried to Principal Lin's side, leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice, and quickly muttered a few words.

Zhou Huai saw Principal Lin's expression changing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

First surprise, then astonishment, and finally turning into a trace of solemnity.

Her turbid old eyes fell back onto Gandalf, carefully and meticulously sizing him up several times.

"There is actually such a thing..." she muttered to herself.

Zhang Donglai nodded forcefully.

"That's why I thought of letting this child temporarily stay at your place."

"Under the vast heaven, only your place is the safest."

Hearing this, Principal Lin nodded.

"What you said indeed makes some sense."

She glanced at Gandalf again and finally relented.

"In that case, let him stay here first."

Zhang Donglai was instantly overjoyed and hurriedly bowed again to express his gratitude.

"Many thanks, Principal Lin!"

He straightened up, pulled Gandalf aside, and instructed him once more.

"During this period, you can rest assured and stay here."

"This Principal Lin doesn't like things too lively; try to keep quiet on usual days and listen more to her words."

He paused and added.

"Don't look at how fierce she seems; actually, she is a very kind person and very easy to get along with."

Zhou Huai was somewhat puzzled.

"Why must I live here?"

"Aren't there dormitories specially prepared for visitors in the academy?"

Zhang Donglai gave a bitter smile and lowered his voice.

"This is also for the sake of your safety."

"Those lunatics of the Dawnbreaker Guild have too many means, making them impossible to guard against."

"I must place you in an absolutely safe place to feel at ease."

He quietly glanced out of the corner of his eye at the old woman in the courtyard who was picking up the kettle again to water flowers.

His voice lowered even further, almost inaudible.

"This person is no ordinary academy principal."

"She is one of the only two surviving veteran SS-Rank Professionals openly remaining in our Great Xia Nation."

"The Lord of Senluo, Lin Zhu."