Chapter 289: The Cultivation Academy Opens

Under the pressure of domestic authorities, this turmoil failed to cause any major disturbance; after all, you can't twist your arm against your thigh, and no matter how dissatisfied the public is, they can only accept this reality.

Only those previous genius examinees showed expressions of doubting life; they originally thought they were being targeted and not allowed to retake the exam, but now it's good—the college entrance exam rules have been revised, and everyone is treated equally.

The resentment in their hearts had largely dissipated, but what followed closely was shock and surprise.

They had just made a phone call, and then this announcement popped up—could it possibly be related to them!

Looking at the admission notices in their hands, everyone's expression became extremely complex.

Now they have to go whether they like it or not!

Who would dare to joke about their own future? Even if they felt unwilling, they could only go to register; fortunately, South Sichuan University is not bad—at least it's a Double First-Class university among the 985 and 211 projects.

Moreover, there are scholarships, continuous bachelor's-master's-doctoral study, and other preferential conditions.

After their anger dissipated, they also regained calm; upon careful thought, there seems to be a slight ulterior motive.

After settling the issue of over a hundred students, Sea Sky City also began its next plan,

In the coming time, the Greater Xia Cultivation Bureau plans to popularize the latest cultivation method obtained from the Longyuan Mountain Range within the military.

First, to test its effectiveness; second, so that when it is later popularized, they will also be prepared.

This is a cultivation method for strengthening the body; you need to study it diligently and grow in a short time.

From now on, daily physical training can be dropped; the remaining events, everyone must cultivate to strengthen the body!

The higher-ups have issued a death order; aside from eating, drinking, urinating, and defecating, you must study to the point of exhaustion—understood?

Facing the superiors' orders, the soldiers in the army really are at a loss.

In the army, the most important training is physical fitness; even firearms training comes after, for without a strong physique, how can one defend the homeland?

They previously spent about sixty percent of their day on physical training, and now they say it should be cancelled?

It's truly beyond comprehension!

But obedience is the nature of soldiers; despite many doubts about the orders, numerous soldiers still carry them out according to standard.

While the army began its trial, the Greater Xia High Officials also issued a notice nonstop, advancing the university's opening date.

After all, letting those over a hundred students enroll as soon as possible allows them to cultivate earlier, which is quite an advantage, and there isn't that much time to let them squander.

The college entrance exam had only just ended half a month ago, and school starts in less than a month; the examinees originally wanted to relax and rest properly.

Upon seeing the official notice, they were dumbfounded; one could say they were lamenting.

The high officials' maneuvers can be described as endless; changing the exam questions wasn't enough, they also revised the rules, and now school starts in less than half a month—it's practically demonic behavior!

Wasn't it agreed to relax? The three-month vacation has been slashed so much! It's too ruthless!

My vacation hasn't even started and it's already over.

In a daze, we're probably the most unfortunate cohort of college entrance examinees in history,

I really want to ask the education department officials: Do you have any conscience at all? Won't your conscience hurt?

Facts prove they not only won't feel pain, they might even be pleased as punch.

In the face of the hardline policy, no amount of complaints or grumbling from these students will help.

Amid the sky-filling complaints of new students, countless people shouldered their bags and embarked on the journey to university.

Faced with the brand-new campus and the impending new life, many freshmen's eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement; although they complained about the university life arriving so quickly, they had long looked forward to it.

However, they didn't realize that this year's university life differs from the past and is destined to be extraordinarily unusual.

Wu Du, South Sichuan University.

The imposing gate displays the school's ancient history; one can faintly see the magnificent teaching buildings inside, making many feel a sense of longing.

At the gate, a sea of people gathered; countless freshmen followed their parents into the campus, looking at the surroundings, they were excited, their eyes full of novelty.

Unlike previous registration procedures, South Sichuan University requires freshmen to register alone; after the students reluctantly bade farewell to their parents, they came alone to the registration site, yet were somewhat bewildered.

Because the person in charge of freshman registration there was not the usual university teachers, but a bunch of uniformed police personnel!

Logically, the freshman reception should be handled by school teachers and senior students.

Seeing the massive dark crowd, the many freshmen standing in neat rows under the sun were stunned on the spot, then felt immense pressure.

Just from its aura, this troop is anything but ordinary.

In a daze, there's an illusion that this is not South Sichuan University but a military academy.

Facing the bewildered gazes of the students, this group of soldiers and police personnel remained completely calm; several uniformed police officers sat at the registration desk, skillfully approving the students' applications and processing the paperwork.

Name, age, major.

Alright, next!

The originally noisy crowd of freshmen fell silent to an extreme, everyone lining up honestly, giving the feeling of being in an interrogation room.

Watching this scene, many people appeared dazed.

Good grief, it really is a group of soldier-police personnel entering data here—could it be that the school has no staff?

Regardless of how surprised or shocked they felt inside, they eventually obediently stepped forward, holding their ID cards and admission notices to complete the procedures.

The entire freshman hall was extremely quiet; although many people came to register, the process was indeed orderly.

Batch after batch of freshmen kept arriving, and no one knew how long it had been before another batch showed up.

Name, age, major.

The police personnel took the admission notice and spoke without looking up.

Wu Zhenghao, 18, Communications Technology major.

Hearing this voice, the police personnel who had been bowing their heads suddenly lifted their heads, scrutinizing Wu Zhenghao closely, and then took his ID card for a detailed check.

Seeing his actions, Wu Zhenghao unconsciously felt a bit nervous, after all, the people ahead of him in line had not shown such a situation.

He cautiously asked, 'Is there any problem?'

The police personnel shook their head, said a few words while turning back, handed over the handover work to others, and then spoke:

Hello, Student Wu Zhenghao; according to the superior's document, your campus is located elsewhere, not here.

Hearing this, Wu Zhenghao and Zheng An, who had also come to register, were stunned. "Not here? That can't be."

Facing Wu Zhenghao's question, the police officer nodded, picked up the admission notice beside him, pointed to the end and said, "Look carefully; it says your campus is at the branch campus."

Wu Zhenghao opened the admission notice in confusion; earlier he had been overly excited and only noticed the words "Chuan Nan University," without examining it closely.

Upon careful inspection, there was indeed a line of small print at the end; if not looked at closely, it could easily be overlooked.

"Chuan Nan University, Wu Du New Campus."

He took Zheng An's admission notice and looked; it did not have that line of small print.

Wu Zhenghao was a bit dazed, "What's going on? How could I not remember that Chuan Nan University has a branch campus?"

He had never even heard of this.

The police officer shook his head, "We're just following orders. Come with us; there are others like you who are also going to the new campus to register."

Zheng An immediately became anxious, "You haven't explained clearly; how can you just take people away like that?"

Looking at the surrounding police officers, Wu Zhenghao, though confused, furrowed his brow and said, "I'll go check; there shouldn't be any problem."

It's broad daylight and they're official personnel; nothing should happen.

Wu Zhenghao carried his luggage and got into the vehicle with the police officers; around them, even several police cars provided escort. Seeing this scene, his gaze grew ever more puzzled.

What on earth is going on?

It's just going to school; why the police escort?

If it weren't for Wu Zhenghao's uprightness—having done nothing shameful—seeing such a show of force, he would probably have been as jumpy as a startled bird.

Watching the scenery retreat outside the window, Wu Zhenghao fell into deep thought.

What exactly are they going to do? And where will they take us?

Not only Wu Zhenghao, but others also faced the same situation.

Countless, after wiping sweat, soldiers drove into the registration offices of many universities; once the targets appeared, they took these people away.

These people are none other than the over a hundred individuals who, during the college entrance exam, grasped the cultivation method of Longyuan Mountain Range.

"A new campus? I've never heard that this university has a new campus; did they get the wrong person?"

"Why are only we going?"

"You haven't made a mistake, have you?"

Facing the explanations of the soldiers and police, some freshmen expressed doubt, even calling the university's admissions office or its leaders.

The result was an affirmative reply.

There really is a new campus!

Faced with this result, these freshmen could only honestly go with the police and soldiers; only after getting in the vehicle did they realize something was off.

Even if there is a new campus, there's no need for a police escort; all these actions reveal something suspicious.

Facing the students' doubts, the police paid no heed; after taking them in, they headed straight for the destination.

"This so-called new campus is actually the Cultivation Academy secretly established in Wu Du!"

Among these personnel, there were also a few who had not registered; perhaps they arrived late, or thought the school unsuitable, wanting to inherit the family business, or planning to go abroad.

In short, whatever the reason, that very night police and soldiers from various places went door-to-door, entered homes, and directly took the people away.

Those unaware thought they had committed some wrongdoing.

To get these over a hundred people admitted smoothly, Greater Xia even changed the entire college entrance examination rules, including the subsequent series of actions.

You say if you don't want to go, you just won't—how could that be possible?

When heaven and earth suffer catastrophe, every living being should contribute their strength.

Let alone those with a bright future.

Many people do not understand the authorities' approach; they inevitably harbor some resentment, but Hua Tiancheng has no intention of explaining it.

Sooner or later, these people will understand the authorities' good intentions and also realize how heavy the burden on their shoulders truly is.

The Greater Xia High Officials know, but outsiders are unaware.

They merely saw several students being taken away by police and soldiers.

"Have you heard? It seems that when registering as freshmen at Chuan Nan University, a student was taken away by the police!"

"I happened to be at the school gate at the time and personally saw a student get onto a police car!"

"What crime did they commit?"

"Who knows? In short, this year's freshman registration is a bit absurd—first parents were barred, then I heard from my child that the person handling the procedures wasn't a teacher but a group of police officers!"

"Exactly, my child said the same; those who don't know might think they'd arrived at a detention center."

"What, you too? Located in South Province, I thought only we were the exception."

"How strange—what on earth is this about?"

Many outsiders have been discussing this year's freshman registration procedures.

However, in Wu Du, the many students brought here are unaware of the outside uproar.

Inside the large carriage, over a hundred students clutched their luggage, feeling somewhat uneasy, because as soon as they arrived, their phones, computers, and all devices capable of communicating with the outside world were confiscated.

Over a hundred personnel were successively sent here, then, under the military's unified escort, proceeded to the destination.

Even someone slow to react noticed something was off.

All the previous oddities were already extreme; not to mention the confiscation of communication equipment, which completely severed their contact with the outside world.

Looking out the window, the scenery moved away from the city's bustling streets, replaced by shady green trees; the surroundings grew increasingly desolate, eventually reaching a place where human traces are scarce.

Everyone's mood grew somewhat tense.

Aren't they supposed to go to university to register?

Where exactly are they headed?

Even if it's a new campus, it shouldn't be built deep in the mountains, right?

As the travel route became increasingly remote, as if heading into an unknown world, everyone felt uneasy; to ease their tension, they started chatting with those around them.

However, if they didn't talk, they wouldn't know; after exchanging basic information, their unease reached its peak.

All of them had experienced abnormal situations during the college entrance exam.

Even if they hadn't, they would be extremely rare.

If this were a coincidence, it would be far too coincidental.

Finally, someone couldn't help but ask, "Where exactly are we going?"

The soldier in charge of the escort replied calmly, "To your new campus; it's just a bit remote."

Far from just a bit remote!

They still didn't know they were being taken to that Jiaojiao Gada place.

Hearing that, everyone's expression instantly turned speechless.

What normal school would put its new campus in such a jungle!

Many students were puzzled, but seeing several police officers nearby holding firearms, they dared not ask further.

At least these people are official personnel, not terrorists, so nothing major should happen, and they shouldn't be harmed; besides, they're just students, so there shouldn't be any danger to their lives.

In fact, it's not that these people don't want to explain; they're also confused.

The sudden order from above, they were just following it; their doubts were no better than the students'.

After all, this order was really strange, but they also knew that some things shouldn't be probed.

The entire carriage was eerily quiet, only breathing and the engine could be heard; no one knew where they were headed, or what awaited them.

No one knew how long had passed when the huge convoy finally stopped.

Several soldiers opened the carriage and said, "We've arrived."

The students, who had been holding it in all the way in the carriage, hurriedly got out, but once they saw their surroundings clearly, everyone froze in place.

What hadn't seemed obvious through the car windows earlier had now completely changed.

The former skyscrapers and bustling traffic had vanished, replaced by towering trees that blocked the sky, like a huge canopy stretching endlessly into the distance.

It felt as if they had stepped into an ancient forest, with a primal natural aura rushing over them.

An unobstructed emerald green sky burst into their view, displaying nature's miraculous craftsmanship.

Everyone stared blankly, their expressions somewhat incredulous.

What place is this?

Wasn't there supposed to be a new campus? This place has not a single building—could they have been kidnapped?

A commotion immediately broke out among the group, and everyone became alert.

At that moment, the police personnel said, "Alright, we've brought you here; from now on, you must go on your own—our mission is complete."

???

What does it mean that they have to go on their own from now on?

A student quickly asked, "What does that mean?"

The police personnel shook their heads, "We don't know either; the higher-ups just told us to bring you here." After saying that, he pointed to a nearby mountain.

"Your destination is up there."

Does this mean they're supposed to walk there themselves?!

The student who had spoken earlier widened his eyes, "We're supposed to walk there ourselves?"

The police personnel nodded, giving an affirmative reply, "Yes, that's right."

Everyone couldn't believe it, all looking toward the distant mountain with expressions of doubting life.

Could there really be a school up that mountain?!

The police personnel, regardless of how the students felt, returned their phones and computers, then turned and drove away.

Watching the car drive off, it soon became a tiny black dot disappearing from their sight, utterly indifferent to their fate.

Everyone stared in disbelief as the police personnel actually left!

They had thought the officials wouldn't act recklessly, but in fact they were completely wrong!

(End of chapter)