Xuan Ren was the ninth member of the Xuan group.
An Jiu thought to herself, “What’s with this ‘Tian Di Xuan Huang’ naming system and the title ‘Instructor’? It sounds like some Eastern cult organization.”
Sheng Zhangku locked away An Jiu’s file and said to Xu Zhi, “You take her.”
By the rules, Xu Zhi shouldn’t be the one to escort An Jiu, but Sheng Zhangku had worked with Xu Zhi for many years and had never encountered a mind he couldn’t read. So he deliberately let him interact with her a bit longer to see if there could be any progress.
Xu Zhi eagerly agreed and led An Jiu to the Chief Instructor, introducing her to the Crane Control Institute’s situation along the way, inevitably probing her as well.
The main official of the Crane Control Institute was the Institute Affairs Officer, followed by the Institute Envoy, then the Deputy Institute Envoy. There were also many other officials of various ranks. However, the person managing the specific affairs of the institute was the Chief Instructor, under whom were the instructors of the Tian, Di, Xuan, and Huang divisions.
New entrants like An Jiu weren’t qualified to meet everyone; they only needed to be seen by the Xuan Instructor.
Xu Zhi led her to the training ground. “Usually, the Xuan Instructor wouldn’t be at the training ground, but these days happen to be when new members are assigned to groups. The instructors are all here selecting people. You’ve been assigned to the Xuan group, so you’re considered part of the Divine Martial Army now. But if your abilities don’t meet the requirements and the Xuan Instructor doesn’t accept you…”
Xu Zhi deliberately left his sentence hanging, but An Jiu didn’t take the bait and showed no intention of asking. Disappointed, he could only mutter, “If the Xuan Instructor doesn’t accept you, you might be assigned to another group.”
An Jiu responded with a simple “Mm,” indicating she understood.
Her calm demeanor made Xu Zhi grit his teeth. He steeled himself and asked directly, “I heard most of the people who attacked the Mei clan were eighth or ninth-rank experts. Wasn’t it terrifying to escape death?”
An Jiu replied flatly, “It was terrifying.”
“Doesn’t it make you sad to think about it now?” Xu Zhi was nearly going mad because he still couldn’t detect any emotional fluctuations from An Jiu!
An Jiu paused for a moment but still didn’t respond. She knew her words might not be well-received, and as a new entrant to the Crane Control Institute, it was better to say less to avoid mistakes.
At this point, Xu Zhi finally sensed An Jiu’s thoughts. Realizing she was naturally cautious and vigilant, he stopped probing. Calming down, he recalled his previous questions and felt like digging a hole to bury himself in embarrassment. Such a low level of questioning was truly a disgrace to the term “mind-reading”!
An Jiu followed Xu Zhi, keeping her eyes straight ahead, but her peripheral vision was constantly surveying the layout of the Crane Control Institute.
The path was lined with cold, austere buildings, reminiscent of some training facilities An Jiu had been in before. The area near the training ground was more open, but surrounded by thirty-foot walls. The design of the buildings cleverly obscured the light, with even the areas receiving the most sunlight getting no more than two hours of direct light daily.
“The training ground is just ahead,” Xu Zhi said, nodding towards a closed black iron gate ahead, his hands tucked into his sleeves.
The black iron gate was about nine feet tall, unadorned, and without even door rings. It looked very heavy, a solid black mass.
“Mr. Xu,” the guard on the gatehouse saluted when he saw Xu Zhi.
Mind-reading was a rare ability, its mastery entirely dependent on innate conditions. So although Xu Zhi worked on the periphery without official rank and couldn’t interfere in internal affairs, his status in the Crane Control Institute was not low. Most people still had to politely address him as “Sir.”
“This is a recruit recommended by the Divine Martial Army, Xuan Ren. Sheng Zhangku asked me to bring her for the Xuan Instructor to see,” Xu Zhi said.
Hearing this, the guard didn’t dare delay and called for someone inside to open the gate.
The heavy iron gate emitted a dull, occasionally sharp scraping sound as it slowly opened a gap wide enough for one person to pass through. Inside was pitch black, with a cold wind whistling through. The faint sounds of fighting could be heard from afar.
“This is as far as I can take you,” Xu Zhi said.
An Jiu said a word of thanks and walked in without looking back.
Xu Zhi was somewhat surprised. He had thought this girl was naturally cold and didn’t understand social niceties, but he hadn’t expected to hear a “thank you” from her! He suddenly felt his earlier understanding was mistaken and wanted to say a few more words to her, but the iron gate was already slowly closing.
A heavy, muffled sound, like the low growl of a beast, cut An Jiu off from the normal world.
An Jiu followed the guide through a long corridor. Intermittent sounds of fighting came from ahead, but otherwise, there was only the sound of her footsteps, as if a living person had entered hell.
At the end of the corridor, another wooden door opened, and dazzling light suddenly flooded in. An Jiu squinted her slightly pained eyes.
After adjusting for a moment, An Jiu could see two people fighting not far away. Dark red blood was splattered everywhere, and yellow sand rose with their movements, carrying a heavy smell of blood, forming a mist in the arena.
This was a circular arena, not very large, with sunlight fully illuminating the center. However, the surrounding pavilions cast heavy shadows, so that anyone standing in the center would be completely exposed but unable to see those under the pavilions.
Even An Jiu could only vaguely make out that four people in black clothes sat under the pavilion to the south, with one person standing beside each of them. Directly opposite her, more than twenty people sat in the open. An Jiu glanced briefly and was surprised to see a familiar face!
As the wooden door opened, everyone on the opposite side looked over. Lou Mingyue, sitting on that side, recognized An Jiu immediately and nodded slightly to her.
“Follow me,” the guide said softly.
An Jiu withdrew her gaze and followed him to the pavilion where the four people in black sat. She quickly glanced at them: three men and one woman, all wearing loose cloaks with their entire faces hidden under hoods, making it impossible to discern their features.
“Four Instructors, another recruit has arrived,” the man bowed and reported the situation. “She was recommended by the Divine Martial Army. Sheng Zhangku has already assigned her to the Xuan group, numbered Xuan Ren.”
The four people almost simultaneously looked at An Jiu, their gazes carrying spiritual pressure that felt almost tangible.
Seeing An Jiu slightly lower her head but remain unmoved, the four were surprised. With such strength, she could have directly entered the Crane Control Army. Why go through the formalities at the Crane Control Institute?
“Who recommended you?”
The second person from An Jiu’s side spoke, sounding at least sixty years old.
An Jiu guessed this must be the Xuan Instructor.
Sheng Zhangku had known early on that Chu Dingjiang recommended her, so that was already exposed. Chu Dingjiang, that big tree, seemed to be in a precarious position himself, but hadn’t he been the Divine Martial Commanding Officer? Someone rumored to be the Emperor’s man shouldn’t fall so easily, right? Moreover, her current situation wasn’t very optimistic.
After a moment’s consideration, An Jiu said, “Former Divine Martial Commanding Officer of the Crane Control Army, Chu Dingjiang.”
“Chu Dingjiang…” The Xuan Instructor wasn’t very clear about the affairs within the Crane Control Army, but news as big as a Commanding Officer being removed had reached his ears, especially since that person was considered his superior.
“Your timing is perfect. Arrange for her to go down to the arena,” an old female voice said.
The speaker was the person farthest from An Jiu. Based on the “Tian Di Xuan Huang” arrangement, An Jiu deduced she should be the Tian group’s instructor.
“The Divine Martial Commanding Officer was demoted but is still the Divine Martial Deputy Yuchi. Since he recommended her, I think we can skip this,” the Xuan Instructor said.
An Jiu hadn’t expected Chu Dingjiang to still have prestige in the Crane Control Institute. Even after being demoted, there were still people willing to respect him.
“We’re not saying she can’t join the Xuan group. It’s just that this is the first time such a high-ranking official has personally recommended a candidate. We should bring her out to practice and let us open our eyes,” the Di group’s instructor said, his words carrying a faint smile that sounded quite sarcastic in this context.
The Di Instructor’s voice was somewhat effeminate. An Jiu couldn’t judge his age from his voice, but he was much younger than the others, probably under forty.
The Tian Instructor and Huang Instructor agreed.
The Xuan Instructor laughed, “Since she’s entered the Crane Control Institute, you’ll see her sooner or later. Why the rush? Sheng Zhangku has already named her Xuan Ren, so she’s a student under my name. I say she doesn’t need to go to the arena, so she doesn’t! If anyone disagrees, go argue with Sheng Zhangku!”
Because Sheng Zhangku looked like Zhao Shanzhang from the Mei clan’s school but was fairer-skinned, An Jiu had silently nicknamed him “White Fox.”
An Jiu had observed his perfunctory way of handling affairs, writing “To be investigated” for any unclear situation. At first, she hadn’t realized this White Fox had such great authority.
“That’s true,” the Di Instructor chuckled lightly, using his pinky to brush away a stray hair from his temple. “Three months is indeed plenty of time. We’ll have to plan carefully for this recruit.”
A clear threat! There would be a major life-and-death trial in three months, and he was openly planning to make things difficult for An Jiu.
The Xuan Instructor snorted coldly and didn’t respond further.
After hearing this exchange, An Jiu could roughly guess that the situation at the Crane Control Institute was quite complex. Her initial impression was that the Xuan Instructor was upright in character, the Tian Instructor wasn’t afraid of trouble, and the Huang Instructor, who spoke little, was probably more cautious. As for the Di Instructor, An Jiu’s strongest impression could be summed up in two relatively polite words: effeminate! If she were to add an adjective to these two words, it would be: foul-mouthed effeminate! If she were to use a more fitting phrase, An Jiu wanted to say: dead eunuch!
“Go sit over there for now,” the Xuan Instructor said.
An Jiu cupped her hands in salute and turned to go to where Lou Mingyue and the others were.
The four instructors watched An Jiu’s neither servile nor overbearing demeanor, each lost in their thoughts.
The seats to Lou Mingyue’s left and right were occupied, so An Jiu sat in an empty spot not far behind her.
The focus in the training ground returned to the two people fighting in the center.
An Jiu was watching the fight when she suddenly sensed someone peeping at her. She turned her head and saw an unfamiliar face.
The person had a thin, long face, completely pale, with brown eyeballs and even eyebrows tinged with a light brown-yellow, giving him a delicate appearance. He was sitting next to Lou Mingyue, and when caught staring, he first froze for a moment, then smiled openly at An Jiu.
An Jiu vaguely felt this person was familiar, but who was he?