"In that case, Cloud Mist City is incredibly lucky."

  To think a Hero-rank powerhouse was living there in seclusion. It was simply not worth offending an expert of his own caliber over such an insignificant city. The cost far outweighed the gain.

  "It appears our plans must change," the Beast King declared. "Send an envoy to the Guro Empire and inform them of this matter."

  After issuing the order, his gaze fell back upon Naga and Nalo kneeling below.

  "Naga, since this situation was beyond your control, I will not punish you further. Go and continue training your troops. War will come again soon."

  "Yes! Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!"

  Naga immediately bowed his head to accept the order.

  On the battlefield, only results mattered, not the process. Regardless of the reason, Naga had returned a defeated general. For the Beast King to allow him to retain command and "atone for his crimes through service" was an immense grace.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty," Priest Nalo echoed, bowing as well.

  "If there is nothing else, you are dismissed."

  Meanwhile, at Brilliant Academy.

  In terms of straight-line distance, Brilliant Academy wasn't actually that far from Cloud Mist City.

  Upon returning to the academy, Zhong Lingyun immediately prepared to rush straight to the upper management. However, Ying Feng managed to hold her back just in time.

  "Instructor Zhong, are you sure the Dean will believe you based on your word alone?" Ying Feng asked, finally managing to stop her frantic pace. He analyzed the situation seriously.

  Hearing this, Zhong Lingyun calmed down.

  He was right. No matter how eloquently she described it, the items in Kael's shop were unique miracles. If she hadn't experienced them herself, she wouldn't have believed it either.

  "You have a point. What should we do then?" Zhong Lingyun asked, feeling a bit lost now that her initial impulse had faded.

  "It's simple. We just need to let the Dean experience the magic of the Boss's shop firsthand," Ying Feng said confidently.

  "Easier said than done. Getting them to travel all the way there won't be easy," Zhong Lingyun replied skeptically.

  "They don't need to go there."

  As Ying Feng spoke, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his robes. His face twitched with visible pain as he held it out.

  "What is this?" Zhong Lingyun vaguely recognized the bottle. She remembered seeing similar ones on the shelves in the shop.

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  "This is the good stuff. A Body Forging Pill. It was the only one available on this trip. I was planning to keep it for myself," Ying Feng said with deep regret.

  Pills that permanently increased stats were incredibly rare. Although a person could only consume three of the same type in their lifetime, the demand was so high that they were always sold out. Ying Feng had heard about this pill from Ke Minglang and was shocked to his core.

  Consuming a pill to permanently increase attributes was unheard of. It completely shattered the iron law that stats could only be improved through leveling up and cultivation.

  He believed this single pill would be enough to shock the Dean into submission.

  "Permanently increase attributes?! Are you serious?"

  Forget the Dean—Zhong Lingyun was the first to be shocked.

  When she visited Kael's shop, she had been laser-focused on the Combat Simulation Room. She had glanced at the weapons, armor, and pills on the shelves but dismissed them as ordinary goods. She never imagined that such god-tier elixirs were just... sitting there.

  Openly displayed on a shelf.

  Wasn't the Boss afraid someone would rob him?

  Ying Feng seemed to read her expression. After a moment's hesitation, he reminded her, "Instructor Zhong, the Boss really isn't afraid of that sort of thing."

  Zhong Lingyun paused, then nodded in agreement. With Kael's strength, anyone foolish enough to try robbing him probably wouldn't live to regret it.

  "Take the pill. Let's go see the Dean right now."

  Zhong Lingyun was, after all, one of the few All-Grade Instructors at Brilliant Academy. The guards outside the Dean's office recognized her and let her pass without issue. Ying Feng followed close behind as they entered the office.

  Coincidentally, the Dean and both Vice Deans were present.

  "Dean Gu, Dean Meng, Dean Wu."

  When addressing superiors, there was a golden rule: never use the word "Vice" unless you held a grudge. Zhong Lingyun and Ying Feng naturally knew this etiquette well.

  The three men, who had been discussing matters in the office, stopped their conversation and turned around.

  "Instructor Zhong, and..."

  "This is my student, Ying Feng."

  "Greetings, Dean Gu, Dean Meng, Dean Wu," Ying Feng greeted them hurriedly.

  Gu Pingchuan nodded. "Instructor Zhong, Student Ying, is there something you need?"

  Gu Pingchuan was the Dean of this massive institution. Rumor had it that when he took the position thirty years ago, he was already at the peak of the Grandmaster Rank. After so many years, he had likely stepped into the Hero Rank, becoming the guardian deity of Brilliant Academy.

  It was precisely because of such a powerhouse that the academy had stood tall for so long. Looking across the continent, any great nation, clan, or sect without a Hero-rank protector was merely a fleeting flower, destined to wither.

  Yet, despite likely being a Hero-rank entity, Gu Pingchuan's aura was completely restrained. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary, kindly old man.

  Zhong Lingyun immediately recounted everything she had seen in Cloud Mist City.

  "Dean Gu, I believe that this place is the optimal choice for our Off-campus Curriculum," she concluded, stating her purpose clearly.

  "If such a place truly exists, it would indeed be suitable," Gu Pingchuan said slowly, stroking his goatee.

  Suddenly, a middle-aged man in black robes sitting nearby raised a hand to interrupt. "Dean Gu, that is incorrect. Instructor Zhong's claims have not been verified. We cannot make a decision so rashly."

  This was Meng Xiangyu, one of the two Vice Deans, in charge of Battle Qi cultivation.

  The other elder, dressed in a white mage robe trimmed with gold, was Wu Zuozhou, the other Vice Dean, responsible for Magic cultivation.

  Both were peak Grandmaster-rank experts. Anywhere else, they would be legendary figures capable of founding their own sects.

  Hearing Meng Xiangyu's objection, Wu Zuozhou remained silent, but his expression showed he agreed.

  According to Zhong Lingyun, this "training ground" allowed for life-and-death combat without any risk of actual death, against opponents whose skills were godlike. Furthermore, one could challenge them endlessly without the opponent tiring.

  That was simply impossible.

  Even the combat golems within Brilliant Academy couldn't simulate a true life-and-death struggle without posing a risk to the student's safety.