Chapter 97: Jia Nan Academy and the Misty Cloud Sect!
Above Wutan City, Jiang Lin rode Ying Jiang across the skies. Soon after, the fully prepared Blood Beast Mercenary Group followed him out through the city gates.
"You all look confident. I take it you've mastered Feather Sheath?" Outside the city, Jiang Lin sat on a boulder while Ying Jiang stood beside him. Watching the five mercenaries rushing over, he asked calmly.
Mu Yun immediately thumped his chest. "No worries, Master Jiang Lin! We've got it down!"
As he spoke, the group activated their Dou Qi. Phantom-like wings of energy appeared behind each of them.
"Good." Jiang Lin took five sets of Dual-Blade Feather Sheath Wings from his bone ring and handed them to Mu Yun for distribution.
Mu Yun excitedly strapped one set to each teammate before finally donning his own.
Buzz!
Five glowing wings of Dou Qi flared open behind them!
"Let's go—next stop, Jia Ma Holy City." Seeing their fluent movements, Jiang Lin guessed correctly: they had likely trained hard and endured some suffering in Wutan City to master both Feather Sheath and the flying device.
He wasn't wrong. Mu Yun's team had constantly sought guidance from Gu Ni and even borrowed the flying Dou Device from Lin Hong—who'd won one in the auction—for flight practice. That cost them quite a bit, but compared to the opportunity ahead, it was worth it. They did everything to avoid delaying Jiang Lin's schedule.
They suspected he might choose to fly all the way to Jia Ma Holy City, so they didn't want to slow him down.
Screech!
With a powerful cry, Ying Jiang took off from the boulder. The five mercenaries followed, lifting into the sky and surrounding the eagle in a protective formation as they flew toward the capital.
From afar, it looked as if five Dou Wangs were soaring through the sky!
Driven by Da Dou Shi-level Dou Qi, their flying speed was much faster than when Chen Hong had used the device with Dou Shi-level strength. On the whole, flight was much quicker than traveling on foot.
The only drawback was that every hour of flight forced Mu Yun's team to land and recover Dou Qi through cultivation. If not, they'd risk depletion and be unable to defend themselves.
After roughly two days, the group had circled around the Magic Beast Mountains and arrived at the outskirts of Ghost Suppression Pass, where they made camp to rest before a final flight straight to the capital the next day.
Others had noticed the flying squad en route, but no one dared to interfere.
After all, in the minds of most on the Dou Qi Continent, the power of flight belonged to Dou Wangs. In the Jia Ma Empire, even a Dou Ling could dominate locally. A Dou Wang was a veritable powerhouse. Even if other Dou Lings or Dou Wangs saw Jiang Lin's group, they wouldn't approach—what if this was an official escort mission? Who'd dare stop a squad of five flyers alone? That'd be suicide.
That night, by the campfire in a forest outside Ghost Suppression Pass, Jiang Lin sat silently, gazing at the heavy sky. Beyond the pass lay the infamous Dark Region—Black-Corner Region—where all sorts of monsters and demons roamed freely, filled with opportunity and danger alike.
"You mentioned this Jia Nan Academy… is it really that great?" Ying Jiang kept watch from a tree while Mu Yun and the others, even while resting and recovering, maintained their defensive formation around Jiang Lin.
No doubt about it—the Blood Beast Mercenary Group was truly elite. These second-generation clan elites were no amateurs.
"In general, if a family can't get into Misty Cloud Sect, Jia Nan Academy is the next best choice," Mu Yun said, ending his cultivation as he looked at Jiang Lin. "If Master Jiang Lin doesn't want to join Misty Cloud Sect, I'd recommend trying Jia Nan Academy. They'd be thrilled to have someone like you."
"Some of our clan members have trained there too. There's a lot of good stuff, and honestly, Jia Nan Academy is stronger than Misty Cloud Sect. If not for the distance, it'd be the top choice for most people in the empire." Seeing Jiang Lin was interested, Mu Yun elaborated on what he knew.
He understood—Jiang Lin wasn't just a blacksmithing prodigy, but a cultivation prodigy too. To reach one-star Dou Shi before fifteen was already enough to cause major sects to fight over him.
Yet Jiang Lin's identity as a genius blacksmith often overshadowed his talent in cultivation.
"Of course, we wouldn't recommend joining Misty Cloud Sect," said Mo Lan, the team's only female member, suddenly.
"Oh? Why not?" Jiang Lin had been daydreaming about crashing Xiao Yan's three-year duel at Misty Cloud Sect and stealing the show… but it was only a thought. He didn't particularly like sects to begin with.
Mo Lan's voice was hoarse—not from her throat, but due to physical injury. Jiang Lin glanced at her right hand hidden under her black cloak. Through his Qi perception, he noticed the flow of energy there was blocked.
"Misty Cloud Sect is too entangled in worldly affairs. One of our elders pays a fortune every year just to hold a mere outer sect deacon position—maintaining our clan's status while propping up their prestige. It's disgusting." She was referring to Elder Mo Cheng, a Dou Ling known in her clan as the Executioner.
This alone revealed how involved Misty Cloud Sect was in mundane politics—and that meant all sorts of messy vendettas came with it.
"The Blacksmith Guild generally discourages ties with Misty Cloud Sect. The smiths I know—like Chairman Hu Lei—all send their people to Jia Nan Academy instead." Jia Nan Academy had a special training tower that greatly boosted cultivation speed. Since blacksmiths capped at Tier-Six, the Guild often urged them to strengthen their combat ability too—so they could shut arrogant alchemists up with fists, not words.
"I see." Jiang Lin nodded. He'd visit Jia Nan Academy eventually, after solving his own cultivation issues. Otherwise, he might go in and get sent back like defective goods by the Guild.
(END CHAPTER)
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