The stars twinkled, and the night was as still as water.
Under the faint starlight, a figure drifted out of the inn like a wisp of smoke, and disappeared at the end of the street in a few flashes.
This person was Chen Nan. During the day, he had already found out the approximate location of Shenfeng Academy. As night fell, he flew towards the academy.
The city of sin is far from peaceful at night; many places are brightly lit all night, casinos are noisy, and brothels are filled with the sounds of women singing…
After traversing numerous streets, Shenfeng Academy came into view. The academy was larger than he had imagined, occupying roughly one-fifth of the entire East City. The ancient gate and blue stone steps bore the marks of time, and a solemn and sacred aura permeated the entire academy—a testament to the millennia of history accumulated by this ancient institution.
Countless powerful figures rose from here, their brilliance illuminating the land. When they recall their glorious past, no one will forget the cradle of the strong—the Shenfeng Academy.
Chen Nan stood quietly outside the academy gate, indeed sensing an unusual aura. A complex and inexplicable emotion welled up within him—admiration, respect…
"Gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the aura of peerless experts throughout history, it truly is a sacred place for cultivation. The Divine Wind Academy lives up to its reputation; just standing here for a short while has already stirred my emotions greatly."
Chen Nan leaped up the tall courtyard wall, observed carefully for a while, and finding nothing amiss, then floated inside. At this time, Shenfeng Academy was quiet; only a few rooms in the courtyards still had lights on. He wandered around the academy like a midnight ghost.
As he passed the enormous training ground, he noticed people cultivating inside. The fluctuations of magical elements were incredibly strong, suggesting that the mage's cultivation level must be extraordinary. He dared not approach too closely, only observing from a distance for a while; it seemed that two mages were engaged in combat.
"Hmm, if I spar with people every day, will my cultivation level improve faster?"
Chen Nan suddenly had an urge to join Shenfeng Academy, but after calming down, he shook his head and smiled.
"If you want to find someone to practice with, just come here and cause trouble. Why bother becoming a student here? Hehe..." His decision meant that Kamikaze Academy would be in turmoil for some time to come.
Chen Nan wandered around and discovered that there were as many as seven or eight such huge training grounds, and people were cultivating in each of them.
"The students here are so hardworking!"
Chen Nan searched carefully for a long time but couldn't find the flute player. He was somewhat alarmed: "Could this person's cultivation level be far superior to mine?"
He quietly bypassed the small lake and continued walking forward.
A man and a woman were sitting on a pair of stone chairs next to the flowerbed, whispering to each other in a very intimate manner.
"So they're a couple." He was about to walk around them when the sound of a man and woman talking caught his attention.
The woman said, "The sound of this flute is so sad, so poignant and sorrowful."
The man said, "This flute music has existed since the academy was first established. One legend says that a woman's spirit lingers at the bottom of the lake, and whenever the stars shine brightly, she plays a melodious flute. Another legend says that beneath the lake is an ancient array left by an ancient immortal, and the flute music is merely the wondrous sound of heaven and earth emitted when the array is in operation."
The woman said, "I believe the first explanation more."
The man said, "The truth is probably unknown even to our dean."
Chen Nan was startled and thought to himself, "I never expected this academy to have such a strange place. I must explore it thoroughly when I have the chance." He didn't listen any further and walked past the couple.
Further in, a mountainous area appeared before him. Two low hills stood side by side, stretching for about three miles. Chen Nan was secretly amazed. Shenfeng Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a thousand-year-old academy renowned throughout the continent. It had actually enclosed lakes and mountains within the academy grounds. What a grand gesture!
As he approached, he discovered many enormous caves in the low hills. Some colossal creatures were either crouching inside the caves or lying outside them. Upon closer inspection, they were clearly dragons—earth dragons, flying dragons, and even sub-dragons. From the enormous caves, which were dozens of feet high, one could imagine that there must also be giant dragons there. This place was actually a habitat for dragons.
Chen Nan was genuinely surprised and exclaimed, "There are so many dragons! It seems that Shenfeng Academy has at least several dozen dragon knights. Truly, there are many experts among them!"
He observed the area for a while before continuing his exploration. Carefully traversing the mountainous terrain, he arrived at the deepest part of the academy. A dense forest appeared behind the low hills, casting a large shadow that gave off a heavy and oppressive feeling.
Chen Nan hesitated for a moment, but finally walked forward. The forest was eerily dark and very large. It took him a long time to get through it. When he emerged from the forest, he felt a chill run down his spine. Before him was a graveyard, with eerie phosphorescent lights and a ghostly atmosphere that sent shivers down his spine.
He steeled himself and walked around, only to discover that this was the burial ground for generations of powerful figures from the Divine Wind Academy. This was the very end of the Divine Wind Academy grounds, surrounded by a high wall, where the sound of the ring river flowing could be heard.
"What a disheartening thought, I actually ended up in this godforsaken place." He retraced his steps.
Chen Nan briefly toured the Divine Wind Academy and prepared to leave. But as he passed through a courtyard, a door suddenly opened, and a long-haired woman, seemingly half-awake, stepped out. Upon seeing Chen Nan, she immediately screamed, "Pervert! Help! There's a lecher here! Catch the lecher!" In the dead of night, her scream was particularly piercing, and candlelight immediately illuminated the nearby houses.
Chen Nan cried out in despair, realizing he had stumbled into the girls' dormitory area. He hurriedly jumped onto the roof.
"You pervert, stop right there! Don't run away! Sisters, come out quickly! Catch the pervert!" In an instant, all the rooms in this row of girls' dormitories lit up. Many girls, their clothes disheveled, rushed out of the rooms, the air filled with the scent of perfume, making the girls' dormitory area quite lively.
"This woman who urgently needs to pee, why did she have to come out now of all times? I'm going to run away... I hope those old guys in the academy don't chase after me. If I get caught, I'll never be able to clear my name."
"Catch the lecherous thief; don't let him get away."
"Where is the thief?"
"On the rooftops of those houses, hurry and chase after them!"
...
Fortunately, it was already past midnight, and almost everyone was asleep; the training ground was quiet. Chen Nan fled through Shenfeng Academy with a pounding heart, leaving the student dormitory area in chaos behind him. More girls poured out, and many boys, hearing the commotion, also rushed out, becoming part of the army chasing the lecherous thief.
Chen Nan exerted every ounce of his strength, pushing his speed to its absolute limit. With bated breath, he finally scaled the academy's walls, disappearing into the distance after a few leaps.
Shortly after he left, a dozen figures appeared outside the academy gates. These people looked in the direction he had fled but did not give chase.
An aged voice said, "Hmm, this young man is quite interesting. I noticed him as soon as he entered the academy; he has good potential."
Another aged voice said, "This kid has even more potential to be a lecher. He's truly swift as the wind, leaving no trace whatsoever."
...
The dozen or so old men exchanged a few words in hushed tones and then returned to Shenfeng Academy together. Only after they disappeared did the students in the academy rush out.
"Where is the pervert?"
"We must catch this pervert."
"This is outrageous! How dare this guy make a move on the girls in our college? He's incredibly audacious."
"Let's split up and search."
...
Countless boys formed a volunteer army to search the streets, but very few girls came out.
By this time, Chen Nan had already run back to the inn. He was fast asleep by the time the boys from Shenfeng Academy finished their search. If he knew that over a dozen old men had noticed him the moment he stepped into Shenfeng Academy, it's uncertain whether he would still be able to sleep peacefully.
The next day, Chen Nan's sneak attack on Shenfeng Academy didn't cause much of a stir, but another shocking piece of news was spreading like wildfire throughout Sin City. A notorious thief known as the Flying Tiger Bandit had appeared near Sin City; a flying tiger carrying a bandit was committing a series of robberies near Freedom City, stealing the belongings of countless people.
When Chen Nan heard the news, he was stunned. In just one day, the little princess had become a "celebrity" in the city of freedom.
"This little devil is a real troublemaker. He's so crazy. If the Emperor of Chu finds out about this, he'll immediately send assassins to kill me."
"This little girl is nothing like a princess. No, I have to find her quickly, or she'll cause unmanageable trouble."
There were also many people in the inn discussing the Flying Tiger Bandit.
"It's been a long time since anyone in the City of Sin has dared to be so arrogant. The cultivators from the Divine Wind Academy will have something to do again this time."
"Have you heard? This guy actually gave out his name before robbing us."
Hearing this, Chen Nan's heart skipped a beat.
"Yes, I think his name is Chen Bei."
...
Upon hearing this, Chen Nan was filled with rage; the little princess was clearly warning and threatening him. He visited many inns but found no trace of the little princess. Instead, he discovered many cultivators who had come from all over the Tianyuan Continent. He knew that most of these people had come for the severed hand of the ancient god.
"The little devil must have gone into hiding after hearing the news. This little girl is really alert; she'll be hard to find."
For several days in a row, there was no further news of the little princess.
"Is the little devil captured? If anything happens to this little girl, the old emperor of Chu will definitely stop at nothing and send people to hunt me down." But when he thought of the little princess's cunning and intelligence, he was no longer worried.
"Maybe she's already robbed enough money to enroll in Kamikaze Academy."
Chen Nan thought about it more and more and felt that it was possible, so he decided to go and take a look.
This time, he arrived at Shenfeng Academy openly and honestly. The ancient academy, with its thousand-year history, radiated a sacred glow under the morning sun. Many people were coming and going from the gate, mostly young students. The academy was full of experts, so there was no need to worry about being challenged. There were no guards at the gate, and Chen Nan walked straight in.
Although he had taken a general tour of the place last time, he only knew the general layout. As for where each courtyard was, he had no idea.
After entering the three courtyards, he stopped a young man who had come down from the side path and said, "Excuse me, sir, where do I register if I want to join the Divine Wind Academy?"
The young man said, "It's in the courtyard inside, but it's not registration time yet. You can register here at the beginning of each month, but you'll have to wait seven or eight days."
"Oh, thank you." Chen Nan had already confirmed that the little princess had not yet entered the Divine Wind Academy.
The young man said "No need to thank me" and was about to turn and leave, but suddenly stopped. His face was full of infatuation, and he said, "So beautiful! Could she be that legendary beauty from the magic department?"
Chen Nan looked in the direction he was staring in disbelief, and a feeling of amazement welled up inside him. A tall, slender woman in her early twenties with a graceful figure was walking towards him with elegant steps. The woman's long, black hair was slightly curled and fell to her chest. Her jade-like cheeks shone with a captivating glow. Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, her delicate nose, and her rosy lips combined to create an absolutely stunning face.
The stunningly beautiful woman moved gracefully, swaying with captivating charm, exuding an aura of purity and elegance. When she saw Chen Nan, a look of confusion crossed her face, then her expression changed drastically. She pointed her magic staff at Chen Nan and exclaimed in surprise, "It's you…!"
Chen Nan was shocked. He felt the woman's voice was extremely familiar, and he immediately thought of the woman he had bumped into in the girls' dormitory that night. He cried out in his heart, "Could it be her? No way, why am I so unlucky!"
He was on the verge of tears, and hurriedly protested, "You've mistaken me for someone else, I don't know you."
"Hmph, I've never mistaken anyone for someone else. I recognized you the moment I saw you. I didn't expect you to be so bold as to come here."
Upon hearing this, the young man next to him immediately drew his long sword from his waist and said, "Miss, I am happy to serve you."
"You stand aside for a moment, I have some questions to ask him."
Chen Nan was secretly anxious. If he were caught as a pervert, he could imagine the tragic ending.
"Please, beautiful lady, I really don't know you." With that, he started to walk away.
But the stunning beauty immediately used a whirlwind technique to fly in front of him, blocking his path, and said, "Want to leave? Not so easy. Our academy is searching for you two."
"Huh?" Chen Nan was stunned. He felt that there might have been a misunderstanding.
He smiled and said, "Hehe, it turns out it was a misunderstanding. We can have a good talk. You'll find that I'm definitely not the person you're trying to arrest."
The stunningly beautiful woman retorted, "You're still trying to deny it? It's not like I haven't seen you before. You were watching from below when I was fighting that slovenly little brat in the air. Don't think I didn't notice you."
Chen Nan suddenly realized that she was the masked woman who had ridden the giant golden eagle that day.
"You...you're that old woman?" Chen Nan regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but it was too late to take them back.
Upon hearing this, the stunningly beautiful woman's expression changed drastically, and she angrily retorted, "You're even more despicable than that little slob!" She gripped her wand tightly in anger, and tiny arcs of electricity crackled incessantly between her fingers.
The young man standing beside him raised his longsword and pointed it at Chen Nan, saying, "I will punish you on behalf of this incomparably beautiful young lady."
"No need, you step aside. I want to teach this thief a lesson myself."
Chen Nan was taken aback, but quickly realized that the woman had mistaken him for the little princess's accomplice and thought he was the Flying Tiger Thief.
"It's a misunderstanding, beautiful lady, please let me explain."
"What else do you have to say for yourself? You and that little slob have been robbing people all over Sin City, causing widespread panic. Now, everyone knows the Flying Tiger Bandits. And you're even more despicable than that little slob. You never show your face, but remotely control her to commit evil deeds everywhere. In fact, you're the mastermind. I suspect that the little slob was originally a pure and kind girl, but you corrupted her. You're not only a notorious thief, but also a shameless and despicable instigator."
Chen Nanzhen felt an urge to bang his head against a brick wall. He had not only become a notorious thief, but also an instigator. The cunning and despicable little princess had become an innocent and kind little girl, and all the crimes committed by the little devil had been transferred to him.
"Beautiful lady, you must be discerning! We only met briefly, and without any evidence, how can you so readily conclude that I did everything?"
The stunningly beautiful woman said, "You and she are accomplices. If you're not the mastermind, then who is?"
"I... I separated from her as soon as we entered the city. What she did has nothing to do with me." Chen Nan was clearly not confident. Although it had nothing to do with him, to outsiders, he was indeed highly suspicious.
"So, you think you can clear your name of all guilt with just a simple sentence?" The beautiful woman thought for a moment, then continued, "If you want to prove your innocence, find that slovenly girl. Only by finding her can we find out the truth."
Chen Nan said, "I've been looking for her for several days, but I haven't found any trace of her."
The stunningly beautiful woman said, "I have something to do right now. Come here tomorrow and tell me in detail about her preferences and habits, and then we'll go look for her together."
Chen Nan thought to himself: Do you think you're a divine constable? Knowing all this, you think you can catch that little devil?
The stunningly beautiful woman said, "If you dare not come tomorrow, I will plaster your portrait all over Freedom City, and all the experts from Divine Wind Academy will hunt you down as the Flying Tiger Bandit. Hmph, if that little slob were even a bit cleaner, I would have drawn her portrait long ago, and I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble to catch her."
Chen Nan inwardly groaned, watching the stunning woman gradually disappear into the distance. He couldn't help but curse, "I'm so XXXXX..."
Upon hearing this, the young man beside her, who had been gazing infatuated at the stunning woman's back, roared, "You...you actually dared to insult Miss Dongfang behind her back! I challenge you to a duel!" With that, he pointed his longsword at Chen Nan.
Chen Nan sighed, marveling at the unparalleled power of beautiful women. He chuckled, "I wasn't really cursing her; I was just momentarily angry and couldn't help but blurt it out. May I ask, what kind of person is this Miss Dongfang?"
"She's a magic student, but you have absolutely no hope. You'd better prove your innocence quickly." With that, the young man turned and left.
"What are you talking about? I never said I wanted to pursue her, I XXXXX..."
Chen Nan quickly walked out of Shenfeng Academy. He had almost become a "Flying Tiger Bandit" just now. If he stayed any longer, he might be recognized as a "lecherous thief".