The inner academy was located deep within the Jialan Academy, nestled among rolling mountains, built amidst the deep mountains.
The Changhe Branch sat in a picturesque mountainous forest, with some palaces erected atop peak summits, majestic and extraordinary, resembling immortal palaces.
The next day, Lin Feng arrived at the Changhe Branch.
"You must be Junior Brother Lin Feng," she said.
At the foot of the mountain, a beautiful young female student saw Lin Feng and flashed a sweet smile.
This female student was around fifteen or sixteen years old, similar in age to Lin Feng, but already quite graceful and poised.
"I am Lin Feng. May I know how to address Senior Sister?" Lin Feng clasped his fists.
"Hehe, my name is Gongyang Xiaoxian. You can call me Sister Xian'er," said the young girl with a smile, revealing two charming dimples.
Lin Feng, looking at Gongyang Xiaoxian, who was shorter than him by a head, could not bring himself to say "Sister Xian'er" and instead said, "You seem to be younger than me. Since we are peers, I'll just call you Little Immortal."
Gongyang Xiaoxian pouted her pink lips, reached out, pinched Lin Feng's cheeks, and said, "How bold of you to be so disrespectful to Senior Sister."
Lin Feng smiled wryly and said, "Alright, Sister Xian'er, please let go. People are watching."
Gongyang Xiaoxian glanced around, stuck out her little tongue, released Lin Feng, and said, "Follow me to see the old man."
"The old man? Who?" Lin Feng asked, puzzled.
"You'll know when we get there," Gongyang Xiaoxian laughed.
This young girl was full of lively energy and smiles, and after chatting with her along the way, Lin Feng felt that his spirits had lifted, becoming quite cheerful without realizing it.
Gongyang Xiaoxian led Lin Feng to a palace halfway up the mountain.
"Old man, Lin Feng is here," she called out.
"Silly girl, is that how you speak to your grandfather?" a voice from inside the palace said, a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
Gongyang Xiaoxian stuck out her little tongue and said, "Humph, I've brought the person here. I have other things to attend to."
With that, she dashed away.
Lin Feng rolled his eyes. He felt that this girl, Gongyang Xiaoxian, might indeed be younger than him, with such a lively nature.
"Lin Feng, come in," a voice sounded from within the palace.
Lin Feng stepped inside.
The palace was quite spacious, with an elder sitting cross-legged in the middle, none other than the Deputy Director of the Changhe Branch, Gongyang Ming.
"Deputy Director, sir," Lin Feng greeted.
"We don't stand on ceremony here. It's better to be at ease. Come, sit by my side," Gongyang Ming said with a friendly smile.
Lin Feng sat beside Gongyang Ming.
"About the matter with Bai Yifei, I am aware of it. I have already warned the Bai Family members to behave themselves and not to engage in any underhanded actions. While they agreed outwardly, they might not remain honest behind the scenes. But don't worry, as long as I'm watching, those old Bai Family scoundrels won't dare act," Gongyang Ming said.
"Thank you, Deputy Director," Lin Feng said gratefully. As long as the Bai Family elders didn't intervene, he knew the threat he faced would be greatly diminished.
"Haha, you are a student I hold in high regard. Here is a bottle of Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pills, ten in total, made with a thousand-year-old spiritual medicine as the main ingredient. Consuming them will greatly benefit your cultivation. Take them," Gongyang Ming handed a bottle of elixir to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was astonished. He had heard of the Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pill, extremely rare and not available commercially, with the price of a single pill reaching fifty thousand taels of silver, certainly not affordable for a young member of a small family like him.
And now, Gongyang Ming gave him ten.
Disciples with talent received different treatment in the academy indeed. Ordinary disciples wouldn't have access to such treasures as the Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pill.
Lin Feng accepted the Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pills and solemnly said, "I will cultivate diligently and not disappoint the expectations of the Deputy Director."
"The path of martial arts is exceptionally arduous. I believe you will achieve extraordinary accomplishments in the future, bringing honor to our Changhe Branch. I will arrange your accommodation later; tomorrow, you should go to the Scripture Storage Pavilion to select a martial skill to cultivate. There are twelve Dark Stage beginner-level martial skills and one Dark Stage middle-level martial skill in the pavilion. I suggest you start with a Dark Stage beginner-level martial skill, to progress steadily for the best results."
"Yes, I understand," Lin Feng replied.
"Qichu, come in," Gongyang Ming called.
A thin disciple walked in.
"Qichu, this is your junior brother Lin Feng. Lin Feng will live with you from now on. You must take good care of him."
"Yes, Deputy Director."
Lin Feng took his leave from Gongyang Ming and then left with Zhang Qichu, who was slender but with delicate features.
Zhang Qichu said, "Junior Brother, I've heard of your reputation and how in the match you defeated that Bai Yifei scoundrel. It was truly satisfying. However, a senior of Bai Yifei is an elder at the Ziguang Academy, with a high position and authority. The Bai Family is influential; you must be careful."
"Rest assured, Senior Brother, I will be cautious," Lin Feng nodded.
The two exchanged words with laughter, arriving at their lodging.
Zhang Qichu and Lin Feng's residence was a small courtyard, and Zhang Qichu arranged a room for Lin Feng.
"Junior Brother, I live next door to you. If you need anything, feel free to come to me. In the coming days, I'll show you around to familiarize you with our Changhe Branch."
"Thank you very much, Senior Brother."
"No need to be polite among brothers. As Junior Brother has just arrived, rest for the day. I won't disturb you further."
Zhang Qichu withdrew.
Lin Feng organized his room and then sat cross-legged on the bed, eagerly taking out the Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pills.
"Ten Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pills. I wonder if they will allow me to break through?"
Lin Feng was quite expectant.
He swallowed the Great Strength Dragon Suppressing Pills and then activated the "Ancient Dragon Elephant Technique" to refine the medicine power of the pills.
Several hours passed.
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from within Lin Feng's body.
That aura soon subsided.
"Martial Artist Seventh Level, I've finally broken through..."
Lin Feng delivered a punch with the force of thunder, exhaled a breath that could cut like a sword.
Such power was the hallmark of achieving a strength of ten thousand jin.
Upon breaking through the Martial Artist Seventh Level, Lin Feng's strength reached twelve thousand eight hundred jin, comparable to cultivators of the Martial Artist Realm Eighth Layer Heaven.