Chapter 19
Shen Wu Academy is situated at the geometric center of the Shen Huan Continent. It's designed as a regular hexagram, also known as the "Green Emerald of the Phantom God". The school's grounds far exceed the largest academies in the human world. It's picturesque with magical energy flowing throughout.
If one day the Shen Huan Continent were to become a human tourist attraction, the school would undoubtedly become a premier tourist destination.
In the beginning, when Yin Qingcheng received his admission letter, the envelope was adorned with the English words "Shen Wu Academy" written in beautiful cursive handwriting. An authentic introduction was found on Wikipedia, indicating that the school is one of the prestigious schools located in North America, prohibited for entry to non-elites.
Yin Qingcheng boarded the plane to the United States under the proud eyes of his family and relatives. He had always been outstanding among his peers until he turned 18. He was tall, handsome, and not only excelled academically but was also great at sports. With an impressive family background, he was the ideal man in every girl's eyes.
However, his eagerness shattered when he arrived at Shen Wu Academy. Every person here could use magic freely. Amongst the ten magic disciplines, there were countless talented students, but he could not even pass the assessment for an entry-level magician. He had made no progress in over six months.
So, when he heard from Yun Yi that he was expelled from school, he was not surprised — he had thought of this outcome early on after his admission. Despite the school’s fantastical appeal, it always furthered the strong.
Shen Wu Academy held a straightforward motto: Either become strong or become stronger.
In other words, the weak have never been necessary at Shen Wu Academy.
Although Yin Qingcheng expected to be expelled, after Yun Yi left, his mood became very low. His hair drooped over his forehead, and his handsome face looked listless.
That night, Cheng Xuyuan forced himself to finish eating the spiritual beast food despite the discomfort. He spent the entire night with a seafood-flavored belch, honestly missing the delicious food he could eat at any time in the World of the Pen God.
Early the next morning, Yin Qingcheng got up to pack his luggage and prepare to leave the school. Shen Wu Academy issued each student with a basic spatial pocket that could hold a lot of stuff, which was already more than enough for him.
Putting clothes and other items into the spatial pocket, Yin Qingcheng sighed. Holding the luggage in one hand and embracing the furry ball in the other, he locked the dormitory door and walked out of the dormitory building with heavy steps.
Today was a day off, and there were many students flying around the campus on various flying objects. The colorful magical atmosphere created a dazzling scenery.
Yin Qingcheng was not in the mood to appreciate their brilliant magic, worrying about how to explain to his family. How embarrassing it would be to mention that a student from a prestigious university was advised to leave in the first semester of his freshman year...
The furball seemed to have slept poorly last night, with drooping ears, as spiritless as its owner.
Yin Qingcheng went to the cafeteria for breakfast, thankfully, he split his food in half for the furball this time. The little fox ate vigorously, burped contentedly after finishing, and licked its paws.
"Eat slower," Yin Qingcheng said, laughing as he petted its head. Maoqiu may be the only being in this school that hadn't despised him.
After the meal, Yin Qingcheng took the furry ball to the school gate. There were several magical carriages pulled by unicorns that could take them directly to the Door of Abyss, back to the human world.
Yin Qingcheng, depressed, walked along the road. At that moment, a group of people came face to face, who turned out to be his classmates.
Leading them was a student from Italy named Mondea, with dazzling red hair. He was arrogant and would often ridicule Yin Qingcheng, flaunting his modest magical skills.
Seeing Yin Qingcheng with his spatial pocket bag and a look of depression, Mondea's mouth cocked up in amusement. "Yo, isn't this classmate Yin Qingcheng? Where are you going?"
Shen Huan Continent is an amazing land, and as long as you cross the Door of Abyss, people from any country can understand each other's language.
Yin Qingcheng jerked his head up, but before he could respond, a boy next to Mondea spoke first.
"I heard that Lord Yun Yi asked him to leave school last night." The boy's tone was full of mockery. "I don't know if it's because of Devin's disappearance, or because…"
"Because he's too weak." Mondea said bluntly, causing a wave of laughter from the surrounding group.
Hanazaki Saki, a half-Japanese student, frowned and said, "Aren’t you guys supposed to be training your magic with the teacher? Why are you standing here gossiping?"
At her words, everyone pulled a face and marched off.
Hanazaki Saki was the heroine of the Shen Wu Academy world and also the object of Yin Qingcheng's secret crush. Seeing the girl he liked stood up for him, his handsome face flushed slightly. As Hanazaki Saki passed him, he quickly said, "Thank you…"
"You don't need to thank me, those guys just like to run their mouths." Hanazaki Saki said, her smile sweet. “But Yin Qingcheng, even if the school made the decision to expel you, you need to keep working hard in the human world, hang in there!”
Yin Qingcheng’s mood was finally lifted by her words. He nodded as he and his crush exchanged a fleeting moment, a feeling of encouragement filled his heart.
“That’s right, no matter what, I need to keep fighting …”
He murmured, a hint of confidence gradually returned to his features.
________________________
Before leaving Shen Wu Academy, Yin Qingcheng decided to take the furry ball for a last walk around the school, creating his final memories.
Phones were not commonly used on the Shen Huan Continent, most people choose to use long-distance telepathic spells for communication. Of course, Yin Qingcheng is one of the few exceptions.
He took out his phone and snapped several panoramic shots of Shen Wu Academy. Radiant flowers bloomed at the top of the divine tree in the school center, several Lingfeng Sparrows soared into the sky, causing waves of wind. A fire elemental mouse quietly snuck through the bushes, accidentally igniting a flame, which was promptly extinguished by a gardener using water magic. On a main road in the campus, a couple was seated on a magic carpet, kissing recklessly in mid-air.
In this utopia-like place.
Yin Qingcheng walked to the south gate of the campus. At the gate, several griffon beasts sat solemnly and elegantly, dutifully guarding this prestigious institution. Outside the gate, there was a row of tall, handsome white unicorns.
The furball in Yin Qingcheng's arms suddenly let out a small wail.
Yin Qingcheng thought it was scared by the griffon beasts, so he gently stroked its fur.
Cheng Xuyuan's sense of smell was extremely sharp. Although he was now a seemingly useless fox, he could easily distinguish various magic elements flowing in the air.
Nearby, a strong sense of dark magic was approaching.
Clearly, the protagonist didn't have this acute ability. He walked towards the unicorn holding the furball without any clue. The majestic unicorn lifted its head, shaking its mane, the shimmering silver horn dazzling in the sunlight.
The magic chariot set in motion.
The unicorn effortlessly leaped towards the air, moving agilely through the air with wind magic. The furball's white fur was blown into a mess by the wind as it curiously checked out the view below.
However, before Cheng Xuyuan had a chance to marvel at the beautiful scenery of the magical continent, the dark magical aura became even stronger. He whimpered again, trying to draw the protagonist's attention, but the latter was lost in thought.
Anxious, Cheng Xuyuan asked the system, "Why is this guy so clueless? He's wasting that handsome face!"
"That's his character setting," the system calmly replied. "A wise protagonist pretending to be foolish."
"I don't see any wisdom at all, just..."
Before he could finish the word "foolishness", the two unicorns pulling the chariot suddenly let out fierce neighs. The magic chariot became extremely unstable and in the next moment, it started plummeting towards the ground.
Yin Qingcheng instantly embraced the Qingqiu fox in his arms with a grim expression. The unicorns were self-driving and had always been gentle-natured, never causing any accidents. Right now, he was in a panic inside but didn't know who to ask for help.
Fortunately, the unicorns didn't completely lose their sanity. They slowed down before reaching the ground to prevent any harm to the passengers. However, once they touched the ground, they stopped moving forward.
They raised their heads, neighing in fear and uncertainty, their eyes revealing panic as if a terrifying demon were in front of them.
With no other option, Yin Qingcheng got off the chariot with a puzzled expression, staring at the path ahead but not noticing anything unusual.
"I don't know what's going on, but we'll have to walk from here," Yin Qingcheng sighed, and spoke to the little fox in his arms. However, the little fox's reaction only made him even more confused — the furball who usually knew only eating and sleeping now showed a trace of unease?
Yin Qingcheng suddenly felt uncertain, unsure whether continuing forward would lead to trouble. However, in order to catch up with the opening of the Door of Abyss, he decided to keep moving.
Just as he had walked another 200 meters, the aura of dark magic suddenly intensified, and even someone as slow as him could notice it.
Dark magic is the most controversial form of magic in the Shen Huan Continent. Those who possess this magic are usually very powerful, but dark magic practitioners are also the ones most likely to be overwhelmed by magic backlash and lose themselves.
Yin Qingcheng's heart pounded like a drum, but he still held onto the Qingqiu fox tightly, fearing the tiny, fragile fox in his arms might be frightened.
As Yin Qingcheng stopped and looked around, a dark-patterned giant python with a strong coating of dark magic stealthily approached. The snake was over five meters long, and its scales didn't reflect light under the sun at all.
This kind of python is called a "Dark Giant Python," which normally lives in uninhabited valleys. It was a mystery why it suddenly appeared near Shen Wu Academy.
The python, flicking its tongue, quickly approached Yin Qingcheng. By the time he realized what was happening, a thick tail with a fierce cutting wind swept across him.
Yin Qingcheng's eyes widened. Without time to react, he was knocked to the ground, the painful sensation spreading throughout his body.
The two unicorns had already run off to who knows where, and there were no signs of people around. It was as if someone had set up a powerful barrier, preventing anyone from getting close.
Yin Qingcheng gasped for breath, tossing his spatial bag aside and holding the furball tightly, attempting to escape.
However, the Dark Giant Python didn't give him a chance. The next moment, its powerful tail struck at Yin Qingcheng again, coiling around him and brutally tossing him to the side.
"Bang--"
Yin Qingcheng felt as if his insides were going to spill out from the impact, his handsome face contorted with pain.
At this rate, it wouldn't even take the python a minute to kill Yin Qingcheng.
Cheng Xuyuan, held firmly in strong arms, remained unharmed. He sighed and said to the system, "This kid may be a little silly, but he's quite reliable..."
Before the system could reply, the Dark Giant Python fixed its predatory gaze on the man and the fox, baring its long, sharp fangs. The snake's mouth slowly oozed green venom.
As Yin Qingcheng lay on the ground unable to move, he suddenly felt an emptiness in his arms. The furball had actually wriggled free of his embrace, and its small, chubby body was now standing in front of him, shielding him from danger!
Yin Qingcheng stared blankly at the tiny figure standing between him and the python, his mind went blank for a moment.
Facing an enemy hundreds of times larger than itself, the furball was not scared at all. It raised its round head, stood up its tiny fox ears, and its fluffy tail struggled to wave in the air. Then, it let out a soft, mellow howl.
"Awoo--"
At this, even the Dark Giant Python paused in surprise.
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