He had reached the mid-level Mortal Bond realm.
It had already been three days since Yang Feng arrived at the Skyfire Beastmaster Institute.
In the last three days, Yang Feng hadn't gone anywhere but had only cultivated diligently.
He smiled and felt his bond with the pearl deepen. The spark revolving in his Dantian, which had once been like a flickering flame on the verge of dying out, was now much more stable.
Yang Feng stretched and checked the time. It was 07:47 in the morning.
He quickly freshened up and drank an energy solution while sighing.
"I should have packed some food in Cody. At least I wouldn't have to rely on this tasteless nutritional fluid," Yang Feng muttered, sipping the bland liquid.
"When I have points, I'll prepare some food for emergencies," he thought.
At 08:00, he received a message informing him of the venue for the sacrificial ritual along with a simple map.
Yang Feng put on his uniform, which was already in his cupboard alongside his luggage that had been there even before Yang Feng arrived.
The uniform had a midnight blue base color with accents of gold and crimson, representing the sky at twilight and fire.
Top:
A high-collared, fitted jacket with golden embroidery resembling beast-like claw patterns around the cuffs and hem.
A crimson sash or belt tied at the waist, embroidered with the institute's emblem.
Bottom:
Tailored pants in a darker shade of blue, reinforced for mobility.
Comfortable leather boots in black with crimson details.
Yang Feng had black hair and black eyes, so the uniform complemented him flawlessly.
He looked very handsome.
He stepped out of his apartment and, at the same time, Yang Lan also exited her apartment.
She was also wearing the Institute uniform. It was mostly similar to the male version but with a little more flair. Instead of pants, she wore a knee-length skirt and a long coat.
She waved her hand toward Yang Feng excitedly. "Brother, I'm here!"
When Yang Feng reached her, she exclaimed, "Big brother, you are so beautiful—I mean, handsome!"
Yang Feng rubbed her head with a smile and complimented her, "No, you're more beautiful."
She swatted Yang Feng's hand and pouted. "Brother, you're messing up my hairstyle."
But she was still excited and asked Yang Feng, "Brother, let's go! The sacrificial ceremony will start in 10 minutes."
Yang Feng nodded, and both siblings walked toward the venue, which was the assembly square.
***
At the Assembly Square:
There were many students gathered here. They were excited because they had passed their advancement assessments.
Yang Feng spotted Tang Jia, who also spotted them, and now she was walking toward them.
She smiled and greeted both of them.
"Are you two settled in the institute?"
"Yes, but brother has been cultivating for the last three days straight. So I had to visit the institute on my own," Yang Lan replied before Yang Feng could speak, pouting.
She looked at Yang Feng and chuckled. "It's not just you. Most of the students that arrived in the last three days are the same."
Then she advised, "But you don't have to be hasty. You know that haste makes waste, right?"
Yang Lan and Yang Feng nodded.
At this moment, an authoritative voice sounded. "Silence!"
"Assemble according to your classes!"
The students stood in four groups of three lines each.
Each group represented a year, and the lines represented classes like Celestial Class, A Class, and B Class.
Yang Feng and Yang Lan were in the first line of the first group, representing Celestial Class of Year 1.
There were 20 students in Year 1 Celestial Class, including the Yang siblings.
Yang Feng and Yang Lan were in the middle of the line. In front of them was not a student but a woman in green robes.
It looked like she would be their teacher, Yang Feng thought.
At this moment, on the stage, there was a white flame burning in a pit-like altar. Around it stood four people in white cloaks and golden masks. They held golden staffs in their hands.
As everyone lined up, including the teachers, they tapped their staffs on the stage, and a ripple spread out, covering everyone.
They began chanting in an incomprehensible language, their voices growing louder by the second.
As their volume reached its peak, people dressed in white cloaks and black masks appeared, carrying crystal barrels filled with red liquid inside.
"Is that blood?" Yang Feng wondered.
They poured the blood into the pit of fire, and instead of extinguishing it, the fire burned even more fiercely.
As the last drop of blood was poured into the pit, the flame had already reached a sky-high height.
At this moment, Yang Feng received a telepathic communication from Cody.
***
Yang Feng's POV
There were four people surrounding the white fire on the stage.
I felt that they were very powerful. As for the white flame, it felt a bit familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before.
As everyone lined up properly, the four people tapped their staffs on the stage floor.
I felt a warm current enveloping me.
It felt like a comfortable bath. The energy began circulating automatically, and it felt smoother than ever before.
"Are those blood?" I saw people in black masks and white cloaks appearing with crystal barrels filled with red liquid.
They began pouring the blood into the fire, but it started burning more fiercely instead of going out.
As the last drop entered the fire, I received a telepathic communication from Cody.
Yang boy, take out Pearl. There is an opportunity. I'll explain later. There's no time. Cody said urgently.
I took out the pearl from the small world, as I didn't need the summoning formation.
At this moment, Cody trembled in my heart.
I saw golden threads, about the size of a strand of hair, coming out of everyone's heads and flying toward the white fire. However, as Cody trembled, a small portion of the golden smoke drifted
toward me and merged with the pearl in my hand.
I suddenly sensed someone spying on me and looked around, but found no one looking in my direction.
This feeling persisted for a while before disappearing.
I felt nervous, thinking someone might have discovered Cody's little tricks.
After five minutes, the white fire returned to normal, and the golden smoke disappeared from my sight.
It didn't truly disappear, but Cody had retracted her powers.
I returned Cody to my body, the pearl now glowing with a faint golden line.
At this moment, the four people in white robes disappeared, along with the white fire.
***
Three people walked on stage: Two males and one female.
The male in the middle spoke.
"Hello, students. Congratulations to the new students on passing the admission test, and to the older students on passing the advancement assessment."
Then he encouraged everyone to work hard.
After which, he asked the teachers to lead their students to their respective classes.
Only the first-year students remained. The man smiled and said,
"You must be curious about who I am. Let me introduce myself."
"I am the dean of the Skyfire Beastmaster Institute, and by my sides are the vice deans."
"Once again, congratulations on successfully joining the Skyfire Beastmaster Institute."
"I won't waste time with boring speeches or introductions, as you will have plenty of time to learn about those things."
"I will only say three things.
First, the Skyfire Beastmaster Institute is not rigid in its system. Students are relatively free. There will be only three days of study, and on the other four days, you are free to do anything you want.
Second, you won't get any preferential treatment when it comes to resource distribution or studies. It depends entirely on your point balance.
Third, you don't have to feel inferior if you are a beast tamer or have a low-level relic. We are not in the ancient era. Today, anything is possible."
After saying everything, he dismissed everyone. The vice deans didn't even speak a word.
Teachers in front of every row led students to their class.
Yang Feng also followed the female teacher to their class.
It was a large hall with a desk for each student, arranged in a semicircle around the teacher's podium.
The teacher came to the podium and spoke,
"Hello, students. I am Rong Mei, and I will be your supervisor for the next four years." She spoke in a delicate voice.
She was of average height, with an oval face and delicate features. She had black hair bound in a bun, held by a lotus hairpin.
She wore a green robe with red-embroidered sleeves.
Seeing that it was a delicate woman, the students grew noisy and didn't pay any attention to her.
Teacher Rong snorted, and a crimson red summoning formation appeared beside her. From the formation, black vines emerged, followed by a ferocious-looking blood-red flower.
Everyone was stunned and shuddered in fear.
It wasn't because of the pet, but because of the crimson red formation. It was the symbol of a Level 7 Beastmaster.
They had actually disregarded such a powerhouse. What a sin.
The black vines slithered around the classroom as the flower bloomed, releasing an eerie fragrance.
The students suddenly felt their limbs freeze, as if their bodies had lost the ability to move.
The students who had mocked the teacher looked very pale at this moment.
They immediately regretted their actions.
Rong Mei smiled and said sweetly. "That's better. How obedient of you."
But when students saw this smile, they shuddered as if a demon was smiling at them.