[Notice: Tomorrow at 7:00 am, all new students should arrive in the central square. There will be a trial for new students, and the mystic realm, Sea Island, will be opened for you to contract your first pet. Please attend on time. Those who are late will suffer consequences! —Mountain and Sea Academy Head Educational Administration]
[Additional Note: Participants are requested to go in light gear. Do not wear any protective equipment, and storage rings, amulets, and potions are also prohibited…]
"What is this mystic realm, Sea Island?" Sha Buru was the first to ask.
"You don't even know about this?" Ouyang Yuan gave him a surprised look, and said, "Mountain and Sea Academy is called Mountain and Sea Academy precisely because it has two mystic realms; the most famous one is naturally the mystic realm Heavy God Mountain. The other is the mystic realm Sea Island."
"No. First, I want to know what the mystic realm is…" Sha Buru was a little embarrassed.
"Brother Sha, you're missing some of the basics here, so hurry up and catch up sometime!!!" Ouyang Yuan looked at Sha Buru's naive look, and couldn't help but hold his forehead and sigh, kindly explaining to him, "Let's put it this way. This earth we're stepping on right now is called the Transcendental Continent, or some people call it the Transcendental Plane. In short, it's a big, big, big world that's also very stable.
"This great world is not independent. There are hundreds of millions of other worlds clinging to the multi-dimensional space around it, from the dead worlds that are deserted to the living worlds that nurture all spirits; there are all kinds of worlds.
"The mystic realm Heavy God Mountain and the mystic realm Sea Island are two small worlds that have been developed and taken in by the Mountain and Sea Academy. The former is a sacred place for the cultivation of masters and pets, and is the most important treasure of this academy, so it can be said that the majority of people who travel thousands of miles to attend school here actually come for this mystic realm; the latter is a special island-type subspace where the Mountain and Sea Academy has spent a lot of effort in cultivating and rearing a large number of young transcendent creatures, and it is opened for new students to contract their first pets every year."
"I see." Sha Buru nodded in a naive manner, and curiously added, "That means we can have our pets tomorrow?"
"That's the case, but I guess it's not that easy!" Ouyang Yuan glanced at Bai Wushang. "You should have heard about it, right? This academy is very competitive, and even if you are highly gifted and have a great background, if you don't complete the requirements set by the academy, you will be dismissed. There is no ambiguity at all."
"Well, I indeed heard one of the senior sisters mention it on the way here," Bai Wushang replied.
Sha Buru waved his fist, his face full of determination. "I'm not afraid. I came here to school to become a powerful master. I didn't think about that much besides that!"
***
Early the next morning.
Bai Wushang was woken up on time by the alarm clock.
Last night, after the trio received notice, the get-together ended quickly, and everyone went back to their room to recover.
Bai Wushang first played around with Milky Way for a while, trying to tap into something special in her; unfortunately, with no luck.
After that, Bai Wushang spent the first half of the night in deep meditation, and slept in the second half.
Everything was perfect except for Milky Way bouncing on the bed now and then, which slightly affected his sleep quality.
Even on his body, the scars left from the Ironclad Zombie were now only a shallow mark.
Holding Milky Way, who had started to doze off again in his arms, Bai Wushang rejoined Ouyang Yuan and Sha Buru, and they shared a guidance car to the central square.
"Brother Wushang, here!" Mu Xiaoxiao stood alone at a particular high point on the main road of the square, looking with expectant eyes, and the moment she spotted Bai Wushang, she kept waving towards him.
"Brother Bai, you have acquaintances?" Ouyang Yuan asked curiously. He looked out twice and didn't see the face, but from his experience, the outline was a petite beauty.
"Mu Xiaoxiao, we grew up together. She's kind of my younger sister…" Bai Wushang briefly introduced as he sought to figure out how to get past.
At this moment, the central square was filled with people, full of noisy laughter and whispers. It was like a rally, bustling with activity.
Bai Wushang spent a while before he could squeeze in next to Mu Xiaoxiao with his two dormmates.
After the initial introductions of both sides, Bai Wushang frankly asked, "Xiaoxiao, did your soul awakening go well yesterday? How much initial soul power do you have?"
Mu Xiaoxiao showed two small dimples and smiled delicately. "I was scared to death. I originally thought I was going to be at the bottom, but I didn't expect the soul power value actually to break through to the middle Spiritualist level!"
Bai Wushang sighed in relief. He didn't have high expectations of Mu Xiaoxiao; the middle Spiritualist level was already unexpected.
"You, you've become a master in earnest, so stop slacking and work hard when you should!" said Bai Wushang as he gently knocked her on the head.
"Got it! Got it!" Mu Xiaoxiao was in a good mood, and grunted in response.
Time passed quickly, and it was soon seven o'clock.
"Phew!"
A loud, clear whistle rang out from above the clouds.
The clamor in the square gradually ceased, and the more than 2,000 students raised their heads and looked up at the sky.
A bird-like raptor with a wingspan of nearly 20 meters came speeding from afar, as swift as lightning, and before they could see exactly what it looked like, it dove down vertically, gliding willfully above the heads of the students. The monstrous and endlessly fierce power coming from the sky caused countless people to scream in fear.
Bai Wushang happened to be directly below it, and took the time to catch a glimpse of its attribute panel.
[Name]: Pterodactyl (Contract)
[Race]: Demon Beast Realm - Bird Beast Type - Pterodactyl Race - Sub-Dragon Species
[Life Level]: Mid-stage complete form
[Bloodline Quality]: Commander Level 1 Star
??? (Too low in soul power to fully detect)
***
It's actually a pterodactyl?
Bai Wushang was dumbfounded, not expecting to see a dragon so soon. Even if a pterodactyl was only the lowest subspecies of dragons, it was still an incredibly ferocious creature!
The pterodactyl was huge but nimble, dodging countless architectural obstacles in a fancy manner before finally landing firmly on a thick stone pillar in the very center of the square.
In a change from its fierce and flamboyant stance, the pterodactyl gathered up its huge bat-like wings, and obediently crouched down.
A long-haired woman wearing a long golden dress and a metal mask on her face slid down from the back of the pterodactyl, her actions coming with absolute confidence and ease.
She towered over the crowd at her feet, and her sensual red lips, bare beneath her mask, suddenly rose in a teasing smile.
"Let me introduce myself: Xia Wanlong, one of the Ten Masters of the Mountain and Sea, currently ranked third.
"Of course, you may also call me… Castor!"