Chapter 237: Choice

The massive ancient wooden portal seemed to grow from the roots of the Resonance Power Tree, and from its dark fissures, a bone-chilling, icy aura constantly surged forth, causing one to feel fear take root in their heart without even realizing it.

That was the fear of the unknown.

As the portal to the Dark Cave opened, Vice Dean Suxin swept her gaze across the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Except for the Purple Glow Tutors remaining at the academy headquarters, all other Purple Glow Tutors, follow me into the Dark Cave to clear the path first."

"As for the team assignments among the students, you will complete those yourselves."

When Vice Dean Suxin finished speaking, flashes of Resonance Power light flickered, and several figures radiating terrifying Resonance Power fluctuations appeared before the Dark Cave portal.

These figures were all dressed in the robes of Purple Glow Tutors, exuding an astonishing pressure.

Over on Li Luo's side, Tutor Xichan also said to the three of them, "I will be entering the Dark Cave as well. You three should first find a Third Star Academy team willing to join you; they will teach you what needs to be done once you enter the Dark Cave."

Her voice paused, and although her face was covered by a thin veil, Li Luo and the others could still sense her gravity: "I hope that when I return, I will see the three of you safe and sound."

The expressions of Li Luo and his two companions were also somewhat heavy; from Tutor Xichan's words, they could sense the danger contained within the Dark Cave—a single moment of carelessness could mean a threat to their lives.

"Tutor, please take care of yourself as well," the three finally nodded and said.

Tutor Xichan nodded, said nothing more, and with a flicker of her figure, she crossed through the dense crowd as if teleporting, appearing before the Dark Cave portal.

Afterward, under the gaze of many, these Purple Glow Tutors stepped into the portal's fissures one after another and vanished from sight.

"Such a scale..."

Li Luo watched this scene, feeling a sense of awe in his heart. Those Purple Glow Tutors were all Marquis-level powerhouses. To be blunt, if this scale of force were deployed to deal with the Luolan Mansion, even with the "Strange Array" protecting the Luolan Mansion headquarters, it would likely be leveled with ease.

The strength and foundation of the Astral Sage College were truly terrifying.

Only after Vice Dean Suxin had also entered the Dark Cave portal did the silence on the plaza gradually break, with many students whispering to one another.

At this moment, a tutor maintaining order shouted loudly, "All students, get ready. If you need to form a team, please make your choices."

The scene suddenly became somewhat chaotic.

However, Li Luo also noticed that the Fourth Star Academy side was not affected by this atmosphere; the teams there were making preparations in silence. Clearly, as the most senior students in the Astral Sage College, they were already accustomed to the Dark Cave.

But the dangers of the Dark Cave could not be completely avoided through habit. Every purification mission had a high probability of casualties; no one knew if the classmates entering the Dark Cave this time would still be seen when they returned.

Compared to newcomers like Li Luo from the First Star Academy, these Fourth Star Academy students had long since experienced many partings of life and death. Although there were some who would rather be expelled from the academy than enter the Dark Cave, compared to that, more students chose to silently shoulder their own share of responsibility.

After all, they had cultivated at the Astral Sage College for many years and held deep feelings for this place.

"Captain, should we go to the Third Star Academy side and find a team to cooperate with?" Bai Mengmeng asked, somewhat nervously.

Judging from the rules Vice Dean Suxin had stated earlier, if their newcomer Purple Glow team could find a powerful Third Star Academy team, it would undoubtedly increase their safety.

At this time, several Purple Glow teams from the First Star Academy were also walking toward the area where the Third Star Academy students were.

When the senior students of the Third Star Academy saw these First Star Academy Purple Glow teams, they felt a bit of a headache. Generally speaking, they would rather choose to cooperate with a Second Star Academy team than join these newcomer teams, even if they were the top teams of the First Star Academy...

In a dangerous place like the Dark Cave, taking on the task of teaching these newcomers was quite taxing.

However, some tutors were explaining nearby that if they successfully led a newcomer team to complete the mission and return, the academy would also grant a certain amount of points as a reward, which did pique the interest of some Third Star Academy teams.

But this interest was limited to some Third Star Academy teams that were not particularly elite, because the truly top-tier teams did not care about these point rewards; after all, as long as they purified more pollution or eliminated more Otherkind in the Dark Cave, these points would be easily earned.

They really did not want the burden of dead weight.

The several Purple Glow teams from the First Star Academy were also somewhat helpless about this; they were considered top-tier in the First Star Academy, yet here, they were being picked over and shunned.

"Captain, the seniors of the Third Star Academy don't think much of us," Bai Mengmeng sighed, though she understood it, as there had been no precedent for a First Star Academy team entering the Dark Cave before.

Li Luo smiled helplessly and said nothing. Previously, Jiang Qing had said she would take him, but at that time he didn't understand the dangers of the Dark Cave as well as he did now, so now... he actually felt like he didn't want to drag Jiang Qing down. If it came to it, he would just muddle through this first time in the Dark Cave.

Although he might not get many academy points this way, he would treat it as gaining some experience.

Just as Li Luo was thinking this, the crowd of Third Star Academy students suddenly split into a path, and then, under the gaze of many, Jiang Qing's slender and graceful figure walked out.

Behind Jiang Qing followed two teammates who looked somewhat helpless.

Jiang Qing walked straight toward Li Luo.

However, at this moment, a voice came from the side: "Senior Sister Jiang, for this purification mission, how about our 'Mountain and Water Cauldron Team' helps you out?"

Jiang Qing paused her steps, looked over, and saw a Second Star Academy team walking over quickly. The person leading them was no stranger—it was Ye Qiuding.

Ye Qiuding had a handsome face, and as he met Jiang Qing's gaze, he revealed a well-behaved and confident smile: "Senior Sister Jiang, our team has cooperated with you on missions before, so we know each other quite well. If we team up, I believe we won't let you down."

He even smiled at Qiu Bai and Tian Tian behind Jiang Qing: "Senior Brother Qiu, Senior Sister Tian, what do you think?"

Qiu Bai and Tian Tian looked at each other and shrugged helplessly. In truth, they had favored Ye Qiuding's team earlier, but unfortunately, their captain was too overbearing.

"Captain, do you want to reconsider? Many teams in the Third Star Academy are interested in Ye Qiuding's team. Li Luo and the others are, after all, entering the Dark Cave for the first time; there's really no need for them to be with us, as that would actually be more dangerous," Qiu Bai whispered, making a final effort.

Because according to academy rules, Third Star Academy teams needed to shoulder the responsibility of leading lower-star academy teams, and compared to leading pure newcomers from the First Star Academy, it was clear that more people preferred Second Star Academy teams, as the latter could truly provide them with help rather than requiring their protection.

There was no ripple on Jiang Qing's beautiful face; her golden eyes seemed even brighter and more piercing than the scorching sun in the sky. She said nothing, only shook her head gently.

Li Luo needed a large amount of academy points to exchange for Emperor Flowing Sap, so he had no more time to muddle through for experience in the Dark Cave. If he wanted to obtain one hundred thousand points, he had no choice but to be adventurous and aggressive.

And by following her, at the very least, she could provide help.

Although this might be somewhat unfair to her two teammates, Jiang Qing had given them her word that she would bear the gap caused by this team selection alone.

Jiang Qing's gaze turned to the expectant Ye Qiuding, and she shook her head slightly, saying calmly: "Sorry, I believe that with your team's ability, there will be other, better choices."

After her voice fell, she stopped lingering. Under the eyes of the crowd, she walked straight to Li Luo, reached out, and grabbed Li Luo's wrist, her eyes glancing at the somewhat stunned Bai Mengmeng and Xin Fu.

"Your team, follow me."

The faint words made Bai Mengmeng and the other feel what it meant to be domineering.

And as they felt Jiang Qing's domineering aura, the surrounding Third Star Academy students couldn't help but burst into an uproar, casting looks of astonishment.

They had not expected that Jiang Qing would actually choose a newcomer team first.

This choice was far beyond their expectations.