Chapter 86: Crossing the Boundary

The glass hatch opened.

Jiang Jian stepped out of the virtual pod and took the Hanguang from the scanning unit.

Ji Xue sat crouched on the ground, tail already raised: “I’ve packed everything, and the flyer is parked.”

Jiang Jian glanced out the window.

A brand-new luxury interzone flyer hovered outside the dormitory building, casting a massive shadow.

Although its size was smaller than a whale-oar vessel.

Yet compared to ordinary unmanned aerial flyers, it was several times larger.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Jian opened the balcony door and walked to the edge of the terrace.

Ji Xue followed behind and tapped the holographic screen.

The cabin door of the interzone flyer immediately lowered a long gangway down to their feet.

As a subsidy reward for Anmin Guards.

When claiming an interzone flyer, you are granted some propulsion fuel by the district office.

This initial propulsion fuel can last at least 100,000 kilometers—a reward for the title of Anmin Guard.

“Set destination: Anhezhou, Anhe Academy.”

Jiang Jian entered the cabin and sat down.

Ji Xue replied: “Okay.”

The cabin space was large and luxuriously decorated.

News corner, bar, virtual pod, combat room, cultivation room.

All facilities were present.

Boom.

The cabin door slowly closed.

The massive interzone flyer lifted into the air.

Amid countless admiring gazes, it sped out of the first-year campus toward the Tianzhu Mountain orbital route.

“I’ll activate the equipment.”

Ji Xue used its identity device, moving back and forth through the cabin to activate the cultivation room and virtual pod.

After more than ten minutes, it returned to Jiang Jian’s side and sighed in relief.

“All set. Ready for normal use anytime.”

Its gaze lingered on the cultivation room: “But this cultivation room, though it has an array, consumes fuel when activated.”

The interzone flyer’s built-in cultivation room has an incomplete array, usable only temporarily.

The spiritual energy it provides is roughly half that of the campus cultivation rooms.

Jiang Jian sipped his coffee, set down the cup, and walked straight toward the cultivation room.

“Activate it for me.”

Ji Xue paused, then tapped the holographic screen: “Okay.”

In the corner of the cabin, the cultivation room’s array patterns flared with light.

Clang.

The door shut behind him.

Jiang Jian stepped inside and immediately felt the spiritual energy here was highly impure.

“This array is truly crude.”

Jiang Jian frowned slightly, staring at the array beneath his feet.

As the array activated, a faint odor of fuel drifted up.

After all.

This simple cultivation room's array draws power from fuel.

The next second.

Jiang Jian’s expression calmed; he sat cross-legged on the floor.

“I’ll cultivate here.”

“It’s perfect for training my control over spiritual energy.”

As the array hummed, spiritual energy surged toward him.

Jiang Jian settled his mind and attempted to guide the spiritual energy to cultivate Shenque Lingyun.

This cultivation pace was slow.

Each time the spiritual energy completed a cycle, Jiang Jian had to hold his breath and focus, purging the impurities within it.

He retained only the purest spiritual essence to deepen his Shenque foundation.

This process was tedious.

It demanded full concentration.

One slip, and impurities would be drawn into his Shenque.

As Jiang Jian stripped away the spiritual impurities, he recalled his battle with Lu Tingting.

The virtual pod cannot simulate 100% of true combat ability.

This applies to both himself and Lu Tingting.

The variations in innate talent techniques, the characteristics of divine weapons, even the subtle maneuvers of spiritual energy control—

The virtual pod struggles to replicate these.

Only direct, real combat reveals true strength.

Even so,

Jiang Jian’s careful reflection on the battle during cultivation still brought insight and improvement.

Cultivation knows no days or months.

As the interzone flyer left Linjiang Prefecture, it grew farther from Tianzhu Mountain.

Outside the window,

the sky darkened.

The interzone flyer pierced through rolling clouds, speeding through the heavens.

“One hour until destination.”

A notification chimed.

Inside the cultivation room,

Jiang Jian sensed the dwindling demonic energy mass deep within his Shenque.

This pure source of demonic power had once been brimming with spiritual essence, sufficient for long-term use.

But after he fully cultivated for ten hours in the cultivation chamber of the special residence,

the water mass had sharply depleted—it now held only a fraction left.

“Cultivation in the Divine Bestowal Realm becomes harder the higher you ascend.”

Jiang Jian’s eyes narrowed in thought.

“Judging by this, the remaining water mass will barely sustain me up to 45% of the Divine Bestowal Realm before it’s gone.”

“At that point, my cultivation speed will plummet drastically.”

The water mass, still wrapped in flame, continued to steadily release spiritual energy.

Ji Xue, using all four paws, walked to the door and swiped its claws: “There’s a message from the Academic Affairs Office.”

Jiang Jian fell silent for a moment, paused cultivation, and stepped out of the cultivation room.

“You’ve got a lot of messages.”

Ji Xue whispered, “I’ve organized them for you. Check them yourself.”

Jiang Jian sat back on the cabin sofa and opened his identity device.

The top message was from the Academic Affairs Office.

“Student Jiang Jian, hello. We note you have left campus. This is a reminder.”

“Except under special circumstances like academic assignments, students may remain off-campus for no more than one week. For longer absences, you must request leave from your department’s lead instructor.”

Jiang Jian swiped the message away and looked at the next one.

Shan Ye: “Jiang Jian, we have an academic assignment. When will you return?”

Jiang Jian paused to think, then replied: “About ten days.”

A few seconds later, Shan Ye sent back: “Your credit points are still sufficient. We’ll wait for you.”

At this moment,

Ji Xue stepped closer and said: “Since you’re heading to Anhezhou, I pulled up all messages from Anhezhou.”

“Among them, Zhou Yu from Guangling No. 1 High School sent you four messages.”

“Zhou Chi from the Inspection Bureau of Shenzhao District, Guangling City, sent you thirteen messages.”

“Ji Ming from Luoying Academy sent you nineteen messages.”

“Nie Zheng from Guangling No. 1 High School sent you seven messages.”

…

Ji Xue extended its gray paw and swiped across the holographic screen.

Jiang Jian had full visibility over all communications here.

As they spoke.

The interzone shuttle had entered Anhezhou’s territory.

“Large vessel detected!”

Anquan Force, Air Surveillance Room, Anhezhou.

The staff stared at the screen, their expressions grim.

“It looks like a cutting-edge shuttle from Linjiangzhou!”

(End of Chapter)