The dense, dark aura emitted from that strange ‘Death Spirit Tree’ caused everyone, who had stopped at the entrance of the small town, to feel a chill in their bones. In the ‘Black-Corner Region’, the name of the ‘Death Spirit Tree’ had nearly already reached a stage where one would tremble with fear just from hearing its name. Many of the people, who had lived in the ‘Black-Corner Region’ for some years, would not forget the deadly and bloody battle between the ‘Black-Corner Region’ and Jia Nan Academy. There weren’t many people who really paid much attention to the reason for why that bloody battle began . The only thing that people knew was after that bloody battle, the corpses of two strong Dou Wangs and one Dou Huang were hung on this ‘Death Spirit Tree’ with a incomparably cruel method...

From that day on, the area around Jia Nan Academy descended into a quiet region that was incomparable with the outside world. There were no longer any strong people from the ‘Black-Corner Region’ who dared to carry a face filled with killing intent and charge into these small towns. Even though there were a few riots, the people who were involved in it would become a corpse which was fixed onto the ‘Death Spirit Tree’ within an hour.

During these years, the notoriety of the ‘Death Spirit Tree’ had nearly spread throughout the entire ‘Black-Corner Region’. Therefore even those diabolical people seldom had the courage to enter this place, which was like digging their own grave.

Xiao Yan stood at the entrance of the small town and inhaled a deep breath of air. The chillness in his heart was banished. He ignored those people, who hesitated and didn’t dare to enter the town, and lifted his foot before stepping into this ‘Peace Town’, which represented the entrance into Jia Nan Academy.

The moment when Xiao Yan’s footstep had just stepped into the ‘Peace Town’, he sensed a strange undulation sweeping through him.

Ignoring the undulation which carried the taste of an inspection, Xiao Yan raised his head and eyed the street of the small town. There were quite a number of people on the street, with various different stalls placed on either side. Some children were shuttling about as they played roughly and laughed. This serene atmosphere of harmony was too drastic of an appearance from the ‘Black-Corner Region’.

Those people on the street naturally discovered Xiao Yan, who had walked in through the entrance of the town. Although their eyes had a cautious light to them, they did not have an overly frightened reaction.

Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the street. He was just about to step onto it, when his heart suddenly moved. As he lifted his head and threw his gaze toward the rooftops of the houses in the town, only to see more than ten shadows briskly rushing toward the direction of the town’s entrance like monkeys.

A moment later, over ten human figures flashed and appeared at the small town’s main entrance. Their gazes swept across Xiao Yan and the others. Among them, a middle-aged man, who was presumably the leader, said faintly, “Anyone who wants to enter ‘Peace Town’ must report their identity, name, etc. Otherwise, they will be directly expelled.”

Xiao Yan’s eyes drifted across these ten plus human figures. He realized that other than the middle-aged man, who was the leader, there were male and females among the other ten plus people present. However, they were all very young. From their appearances, they appeared to be around twenty two or twenty three years old.

These young people were wearing the same pale-blue-colored clothes. Additionally, they wore an azure-colored badge on the chest area of their clothes. Within the badge was a dagger that was contaminated with some bright-red, liquid blood.

At this moment, these ten plus young people were using an alert and faint discriminating gaze as they stared at Xiao Yan and the rest.

“Additionally, after you have reported your name and identity, you will consume this medicinal pill.” The middle-aged man waved his hand, and a bottle of pale-red medicinal pills appeared in his hand. He carelessly glanced at everyone people who had just arrived from the ‘Black-Corner Region’ whose expressions had changed slightly as he coldly spoke, “Rest assured that this is not some poison. It is a medicinal pill refined by the alchemist department in the academy that senses killing intent. If you all possess killing intent within your hearts while you are within the academy’s borders, this medicinal pill will emit a red glow from within your bodies. Our Law Enforcement Unit will follow this red glow and come searching for you. You should all know how our Jia Nan Academy deals with those who bring the practices of the ‘Black-Corner Region’ into this place... Before you all plan to leave the small town, you can go to the heart of the town to obtain the antidote. However, once the antidote is in your hands, there will be the Law Enforcement Unit supervising you all the way out of the town.”

When they heard the words of the middle-aged man, the faces of the people at the entrance of the town could not help but change. With their sensitive nerves from frequently living on a knife’s edge, how was it possible for them to swallow an unknown medicinal pill? Was that not equivalent to putting their lives into another person’s hands?

However, just as some unruly people could not resist wanting to retort, the ten plus men and women behind the middle-aged man immediately let out a choking sound. They then drew the longswords that they carried on their waists in an orderly manner. Dou Qi of different colors seeped out from within their bodies as they finally pointed the tip of their swords toward the entrance of the town. They clearly had the thought of directly attacking and expelling those people, should there be any disagreement.

“The rules of the ‘Peace Town’ have always been like this. If you don’t want to, then don’t enter. Otherwise, if you enter and go against the rules, there might be more decorations to hang on the ‘Death Spirit Tree’.” The middle-aged man held out his hand as he spoke indifferently. As his words fell, a powerful force slowly began seeping out from within his body.

“This person’s strength should be at least above a seven star Da Dou Shi...” Xiao Yan softly muttered as he sensed the powerful force originating from the middle-aged man.

Seeing that the other party did not ease up, a fierce air involuntarily surged onto the faces of the people at the entrance of the town. However, when the corner of their eyes drifted toward the ‘Death Spirit Tree’ at the side, their entire bodies trembled as they felt a chill. The fierce aura, which they had just brewed, disappeared immediately and completely. They gritted their teeth and some people, who were still unwilling to swallow the medicinal pill, helplessly left.

As those people left, the remaining ones could only enter despite being unwilling. After which, they walked toward the middle-aged man and reported their names, took a pale-red medicinal pill and swallowed it in front of the Law Enforcement Unit.

The middle-aged man’s indifferent expression only became slightly less dark when he eyed those people obediently swallowing the medicinal pill. However, he appeared to look badly upon everyone from the ‘Black-Corner Region’. Therefore, he did not display any nice expressions from beginning to end.

“That... do the students of the academy need to eat this thing?” A young man in front of the middle-aged man suddenly asked when the latter habitually handed the medicinal pill to the former.

“Uh?” When they heard these words, the surrounding people, as well as the ten plus members of the Law Enforcement Unit, cast their stunned gazes over. As he eyed the young man’s delicate and handsome face, the middle-aged man asked with a face filled with doubt, “You say that you are a student of this academy?”

“Back then, after I passed the student recruitment test, I took leave for a period of time. Therefore, I could only come by myself...” Xiao Yan shrugged his shoulders, smiled and replied.

“You have passed through the ‘Black-Corner Region’ by yourself in order to come here?” The middle-aged man was immediately blank when he heard this. His face was filled with shock. It should be known that usually, the new students of the academy would be escorted by some people sent by the academy all the way in after arriving just outside of the ‘Black-Corner Region’. After all, a group of new students, who had just left their cottage, might not even be able to walk out of the Great Plains of the Black Region before they were finished off by a countless number of hidden knives. Afterall,this kind of chaotic place was somewhere people were eaten with their bones.

Xiao Yan simply smiled and nodded his chin slightly when faced with the strange gazes of the middle-aged man and the ten plus young male and females behind.

Seeing that Xiao Yan nodded his head, the astonishment in the middle-aged man’s eyes became even more abundant. His gaze swept up and down Xiao Yan as he said, “Report your name, age, and recruitment instructor.”

“Xiao Yan, eighteen, instructor...” Xiao Yan blinked his eyes. The mature woman who was as gentle as soft water back then surfaced in his mind. He could not help but say with a smile, “Instructor Ruo Ling.”

“Eighteen years old? You dare to cross the ‘Black-Corner Region’ at only eighteen years old? Little fellow, regardless of whether you are speaking the truth, it is the first time that I have seen anyone with such boldness.” The middle-aged man waved his hand. He was just about to turn around and instruct the people to investigate, when the expression of a young person, whose eyebrows were knit tightly together as he bitterly thought of something, changed abruptly. He cried out involuntarily, “Xiao Yan? Don’t tell me that you are that Xiao Yan from the Jia Ma Empire who had taken two years of leave in one go?”

The involuntary cry of the young person caused the people around him to be blank. Immediately, their faces were filled with a sudden understanding. They threw a somewhat strange gaze at Xiao Yan. Everyone in the academy had heard of the name of this thorn-like student who had taken two years of leave before he even entered the academy in this one year. Of course, the reason for Xiao Yan’s name being able to be deeply rooted within the hearts of the people at the Jia Nan Academy was naturally because he had a great relationship to Xun Er...

“Xiao Yan? That Xiao Yan ge-ge of junior Xun Er?” After the few young people were stunned for a moment, there was suddenly an additional unknown meaning within the gaze they used to look at Xiao Yan. This kind of expression was something that Xiao Yan had once seen in Young Master Jia Lie’s eyes back at Wu Tan City.

TL: ge-ge - older brother or an older male friend (latter meaning is used by females in an affectionate manner

“Hei, this girl... I haven’t even come to the academy but she ended up creating all these inexplicable love rivals for me?” Xiao Yan was immediately ammused as he eyed the expressions in the young men’s eyes. In his heart, he felt neither able to laugh nor cry as he shook his head.

“If you are speaking about the Xiao Yan from Wu Tan City of the Jia Ma Empire, then it should be me.” Xiao Yan spread out his hands at the middle-aged man, whose face was similarly surprised as he spoke with a smile.

“You should first come with us to the administrative office to check the records. If what you said is true, you don’t need to consume this thing. Oh right, I am called Huo De and I am the section leader of the second section of the Jia Nan Academy Law Enforcement Unit and also a Huang class instructor at the academy.” When Xiao Yan had mentioned the name Wu Tan City, the middle-aged man believed him a little more. However, in order to be safe, he still needed to have Xiao Yan follow him to the academy administrative office in the town.

“Instructor Huo De.” Xiao Yan greeted him. After seeing Huo De nodding his head, Xiao Yan followed him under the strange gazes of the ten plus Law Enforcement Personnel.

“Hey, is that fellow really Xiao Yan?” The ten plus academy’s Law Enforcement Personnel eyed Xiao Yan’s back as they followed at a distance, neither far nor near, behind Huo De. They could not help but begin to engage in private conversations.

“Looks like it should be the truth. He does not seem to be very handsome. Why does Junior Xun Er constantly think of him? She even directly rejected being wooed by our head because of him.”

“You should not really underestimate this Xiao Yan. Being able to charge into the ‘Black-Corner Region’ alone and safely arrive here is sufficient to explain something. At the very least, if we were to have a short stay of ten days to half a month within the ‘Black-Corner Region’, I dare not guarantee that my hands and feet would still be safe and sound.” A young man, whose face was ordinary, stared at Xiao Yan’s back, then glanced at his companions as he said faintly.

This ordinary looking young man appeared to have quite a great reputation in the Law Enforcement Unit. Therefore, when the other ten plus members of the Law Enforcement Unit were startled when they heard these words of him. They also nodded silently. As the first small town, which came into contact with the ‘Black-Corner Region’, they had seen many of those lunatics from the ‘Black-Corner Region’ everyday.