Pu Yin strode forward. "You can stay wherever you like. Everyone is tired today, so I won't bother you further. Just rest well."
Pu Yin did not linger. After a brief explanation, she left.
Feng Ninghe casually chose a clean room to stay in.
Xiao Zhao stayed in the room next to hers.
The spiritual energy in the room was dense, calming the heart.
Feng Ninghe calmed her mind and looked down at the jade magnolia bracelet on her wrist.
If not for the jade magnolia bracelet, the poisoned dagger would have pierced her.
Wait...
As if remembering something, she quickly flicked out a dagger and examined it closely.
The silver blade was blackened.
The blade was carved with intricate patterns.
She found such patterns to be remarkably familiar.
*Peng peng—*
The door was gently knocked.
Feng Linyuan's voice came from outside. "Little sister, are you free?"
She looked up towards the door and replied softly, "Brother, come in."
Feng Linyuan pushed the door open and quickly stepped into the room.
His eyes immediately fell on the poisoned dagger on the table. "Little sister, why is this dagger poisoned?"
Mentioning the dagger, Feng Ninghe's eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice, when she spoke, was noticeably lower. "When dealing with the human puppets, this dagger was aimed at me."
"What?"
"Who did it?"
Feng Linyuan asked urgently, a hint of anxiety in his eyes. "There were many cultivators present, but few of them held grudges against you."
Feng Ninghe stared at the dagger, her deep eyes dimming further. "Brother, do you remember that blood-stained handkerchief?"
She had torn the handkerchief into several pieces to attract the attention of the human puppets.
Feng Linyuan naturally remembered. He nodded quickly. "I remember. Could it be that the handkerchief and the dagger came from the same person?"
Feng Ninghe did not answer the question, but changed the subject. "Brother, this handkerchief belongs to Lin Yuran. Besides her and Ji Binyu, I can't think of anyone else who would want my life."
Although Sheng Linglong had argued with her, it was not to the extent of wanting her life.
Familiar names echoed in his ears. Feng Linyuan suddenly stood up, a hint of anger in his eyes. "It's them again! What do these two want? If it weren't for the rule against fighting within the Thunder Cloud Tower, they would have died a thousand times over by now!"
Feng Ninghe gently caressed the dagger with her slender hand. A faint glow crept into her eyes. "They gave me this dagger. One day, I will return it personally and let them experience what it feels like to be stabbed by this dagger."
She hesitated no longer and quickly put the dagger away.
Feng Linyuan looked at her with a hint of approval. "Little sister is right, we should use their own methods against them!"
She looked up and met Feng Linyuan's gaze. "Brother, you must be exhausted today too. You should get some good rest."
Feng Linyuan's expression softened slightly, a hint of gentleness on his cheeks. "Alright, elder brother will not disturb your rest."
He did not stay long and soon departed.
As the door closed, Feng Ninghe's gaze fell once more on the jade magnolia bracelet on her wrist.
She wondered how that man was doing.
Si Xin Xin should be safe in the First Sect, with no danger whatsoever.
She did not need to worry too much...
The next day.
As dawn broke, Feng Ninghe had already woken up.
She held a book in one hand and ate a fruit in the other.
She had obtained many good things from the Thunder Cloud Tower trial, and the heart manual in her hand was the reward for the fifth-level trial.
If she could memorize and apply this heart manual thoroughly, her mental power would reach a higher level.
*Peng peng—*
The door was gently knocked.
A familiar female voice came from outside. "Master! Pu Yin has brought the new disciples to the academy. They are waiting in the courtyard and said they want to take us to the border."
Feng Ninghe closed the book in her hand and opened the door.
Feng Xing and the others were already waiting outside.
Su Hongxiu was fiddling with a bone fan with her slender fingers, lost in thought.
The courtyard was filled with peach blossoms.
The floral scent drifted with the wind, reaching their noses.
"Miss Feng!"
Suddenly, a young man's expression became slightly excited. He raised his hand and waved quickly.
The young man was Ye Ze.
Feng Ninghe recognized him at a glance and spoke first. "It's you."
A gentle smile spread across Ye Ze's handsome face. "I was overjoyed to know you had arrived at the Strongest Academy. From now on, we will be under the same roof, and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet. We can even spar from time to time."
There was a hint of gratitude in his eyes.
If Feng Ninghe had not intervened to help him, how could he have been so lucky to escape unharmed? He probably wouldn't even have passed the third-level trial, let alone accidentally passed the fifth level.
Pu Yin watched the group before her. Her voice, though soft, was clear to everyone's ears. "You are all new disciples of the Strongest Academy. The Strongest Academy has a rule: any disciple in distress must be helped with all their might. Disciples of the Strongest Academy must not engage in internal strife and must unite against outsiders!"
The reason the Strongest Academy was at the forefront of many academies was their unity and lack of internal conflict.
The disciples following Pu Yin repeatedly chimed in, "Senior Sister Pu Yin is right. We will do our best to help the academy, unite, and repel outsiders!"
Pu Yin cast a satisfied glance over the group before her. She took a deep breath and changed the subject. "Since everyone is ready, follow me. I need to tell you about the border."
Human puppets had appeared out of nowhere in the Dragon Realm.
A large number of dragon puppets had swarmed from the border, and cultivators were stationed at the border to prevent these human puppets from leaving.
Human puppets had also appeared in other parts of the Dragon Realm, but their numbers were far fewer than those at the border.
Therefore, the academies of the Dragon Realm decided to join forces. The top one hundred academies would take turns guarding the border, while other academies not involved in guarding would provide corresponding medicinal pills.
"Why are there spirit crystals inside the human puppets?"
Feng Ninghe voiced her thoughts. "I also discovered that the higher the cultivation of the human puppet, the larger the spirit crystal inside."
Pu Yin's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her heroic face showed a hint of thought. "If I remember correctly, these human puppets absorb spiritual energy, but their physiques are different from humans. The absorbed spiritual energy turns into spirit crystals."
This explanation seemed reasonable.
The higher a cultivator's cultivation, the denser the spiritual energy contained within their dantian, which was similar to the spirit crystals of the human puppets.
Ye Ze, however, leaned closer to Feng Ninghe at this moment. "Miss Feng, what is the seventh-level trial of the Dragon Realm? In tens of thousands of years, only you have successfully passed the seventh level. It must be very difficult, right?"
"It is indeed very difficult."
Feng Ninghe lowered her gaze slightly and said softly, "The seventh-level trial is to defeat a cultivator in the He Gu stage, with illusionary bells around. If you are not careful, you will fall into an illusion."