Chapter 183: The Foundation of the Secret Institute! In Charge of Foreign Affairs!
The sudden intervention of the mysterious warrior made both parties extremely nervous. Especially the way this protector of the Hall of Souls appeared—ominous and strange, coupled with his ghostly voice and black fog. He did not seem like someone easy to deal with.
Before Xiao Ze could speak, the black fog appeared near Han Feng's corpse, emitting a strange attracting force. Soon, a somewhat blurry spiritual entity emerged from Han Feng's body, flew into the black fog, and disappeared. This bizarre technique surprised and secretly alarmed many present.
"A level six alchemist's soul, not bad," the voice from the black fog sounded pleased, and then Xiao Ze felt a gaze settle on him. "Your spiritual power is also very strong..."
Before the protector of the Hall of Souls could finish speaking, two elderly figures landed in front of Xiao Ze, one on the left and one on the right, protecting him behind them. In their hands, they held two figures with weakened auras— the Great Elder and the Vice Dean! They held the famous Golden and Silver Elders of the Black Horn Region as if they were dead dogs!
"The Hall of Souls? The Jia Nan Academy and the Hall of Souls do not interfere with each other. We ask you to leave," the Great Elder coldly said towards the fog, releasing his powerful presence without reservation, followed by the Vice Dean. The pressure from the two powerful warriors made the black fog churn, and then a strange laugh came from within.
"Ha, ha, ha, Jia Nan Academy, huh? I'll remember this. But today, taking the level six alchemist's soul is enough to report back." With these words, the protector of the Hall of Souls disappeared without a trace.
The Great Elder and the Vice Dean looked at each other, both with great concern in their eyes. Clearly, the attention of the Hall of Souls brought immense pressure.
"Young man, in the future, you must be more careful when going out. The Hall of Souls is a mysterious and strange organization; even the academy prefers not to provoke them," the Great Elder advised seriously, and Xiao Ze nodded.
"I understand, Great Elder." He then looked at Han Feng's corpse, focusing on the storage ring on his finger.
"Ha, ha, young man, go take it. It's your war trophy," the Great Elder noticed Xiao Ze's gaze and laughed. Today's battle, without Xiao Ze and Xiao Yi Xian, wouldn't have ended so quickly.
Xiao Ze took Han Feng's storage ring, satisfied to finally have a high-quality ring. As for the spiritual mark on the ring, it wasn't a problem for Xiao Ze; he just needed some time to deactivate it.
Xiao Ze noticed the Golden and Silver Elders in the hands of the Great Elder and the Vice Dean and asked, "What does the Great Elder plan to do with the Golden and Silver Elders?"
Su Qian hesitated for a moment, "They are of no use, just kill them."
"I have an idea, maybe we can use them..." The Great Elder looked deeply at Xiao Ze, then nodded, sealing the combat energy of the Golden and Silver Elders for later.
Afterward, Jia Nan Academy organized the elders to go to the cities of the various forces that joined the Black Alliance and loot the war trophies. The forces that joined the Black Alliance were numerous, and obtaining the accumulated riches of so many forces was exciting even for Jia Nan Academy.
This demonstration of power ended so quickly that the inhabitants of Maple City were left astonished. But upon reflection, they realized that Jia Nan Academy was simply too powerful. Not only did they have two Dou Zong level warriors, but they also had a Dou Huang warrior with impressive combat strength. In terms of both high-level and ordinary warriors, the Black Alliance was completely crushed by Jia Nan Academy. Losing so quickly was not surprising.
They knew that after today, there would be no more Black Alliance, and Jia Nan Academy's prestige in the Black Horn Region would increase. After all, having two Dou Zong level warriors made them one of the most powerful forces in the region.
Xiao Ze did not participate in looting the other forces, as Han Feng's storage ring was sufficient reward for him. This ring contained the riches Han Feng had accumulated over the years in the Black Horn Region. Not only did it have combat techniques and skills given by those who requested pills, but also pill recipes and precious materials collected by Han Feng. Obtaining this ring significantly enriched Xiao Ze's collection of recipes.
Back at the academy, in the study, sat the Great Elder Su Qian, the Vice Dean Hu Qian, and Xiao Ze.
"Young man, tell us your idea. Reserving the Golden and Silver Elders, warriors who can temporarily hold back the Dou Zong, must be a significant plan, right?" The Great Elder smiled as he spoke, taking a sip of tea and looking at Xiao Ze. The Vice Dean did the same. Both were astute elders and knew Xiao Ze had great ambitions.
"Actually, what this crisis at the academy demonstrates is that Jia Nan Academy lacks an effective way to handle external affairs. In the Black Horn Region, the forces are constantly changing."
"The academy can only intimidate the strong in the Black Horn Region temporarily. If there are enough tempting benefits, they will ignore the intimidation and attack the academy again."
Xiao Ze explained slowly, and the Great Elder and the Vice Dean nodded, waiting for more.
"My idea is to create an institute apart from the internal and external ones, called the Secret Institute, dedicated to handling affairs in the Black Horn Region and providing protection to students who train and travel in the region."
"Young man, your idea is good, but creating a new institute... it's a very important decision... difficult for us two alone to make..." The Great Elder hesitated, but the Vice Dean snorted.
"Su Qian, are you becoming more cautious with age? The dean is like a dragon that appears and disappears, traveling the world and hasn't returned in decades."
"In the academy, aside from those reclusive elders, who else can decide this besides us two? I have no objections."
The Great Elder sighed and remained silent. Hu Qian, seeing this, said no more. He had made his stance clear, and now it was up to the Great Elder. Xiao Ze patiently waited for the Great Elder to make a decision.
"Well, after this crisis, Jia Nan Academy also needs a change." The Great Elder looked up, looking at Xiao Ze with a hint of amusement. "But as for the leader of this Secret Institute..."
The Great Elder suggested implicitly, and the Vice Dean smiled understandingly. "I also think Xiao Ze is very suitable."
"Eh, Great Elder, Vice Dean, it's not that I don't want to take on the role, but my progress in alchemy has stalled, and I plan to go to the Central Region to see if I can enter the Dan Tower to study."
Hearing this, the Great Elder rolled his eyes and responded, annoyed, "Young man, you suggest creating the Secret Institute, but you don't want to be its leader."
Xiao Ze laughed awkwardly, "Actually, I have someone suitable in mind, both in strength and merit, to be the leader of the Secret Institute."
The Great Elder and the Vice Dean looked at each other, thinking of the same person. "You mean... Xiao Yi Xian?" asked the Great Elder, lightly tapping the table. Xiao Ze nodded and explained.
"Xiao Yi Xian is powerful, and her merits in the academy, both in the institute battle and in destroying the Black Alliance, are indisputable."
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