The Ashbeast glared at the tiny creature before it.
This insignificant being showed not a trace of fear—instead, it dared to provoke it.
This was something the Ashbeast could never tolerate.
With a sweeping motion of its massive arm, it ruthlessly swung toward Niya in front of it.
Even a high-ranking warrior would need to retreat from such a ferocious attack.
However, the one standing before it was no ordinary warrior—she was one of the four Blood Clan Dukes, second only to Aina herself.
The pale, towering arm swept forward like a colossal white pillar, the howling wind whipping Niya’s silver hair back wildly.
"What an impatient creature."
Niya extended her slender arm, her dark-red nails flicking lightly through the air. A crimson streak flashed into existence, transforming into an unstoppable blade that sliced through the Ashbeast in an instant.
The entire space was suddenly dyed in blood as the five-story-tall Ashbeast collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Niya examined her delicate fingers, the lingering glow of blood illuminating her swan-like neck. She turned her head. "Feina, how’s it going on your end?"
"You made too much noise—I lost focus and messed up once already." Feina fiddled with the array of materials and magic stones before her. "I’m not great with spatial arrays. Come help me."
Niya skipped over cheerfully.
With Niya’s assistance, the spatial array soon emitted a faint silver glow, as if connecting to another place.
"What’s on the other side of this array?" Niya asked curiously.
"Not sure. Aina only gave me coordinates… Should we go take a look?" Feina’s tone was indifferent.
"Sure." Niya nodded.
"Wait, you’re actually considering it? I was joking!" Feina looked startled. "What if Aina gets angry?"
"If Aina didn’t say anything, it can’t be that important," Niya reasoned. "We’ll just tell her we were testing the array to make sure it worked properly. She won’t blame us… Aren’t you curious why Aina sent us here to set this up?"
"Fine, I can’t argue with you." Feina sighed in resignation.
The two stepped onto the spatial array together.
The silver light gradually brightened, and space began to ripple.
Suddenly, Niya and Feina leaped off the array in unison, their faces filled with shock. In that brief moment, cold sweat had already drenched their backs.
Just before the teleportation completed, they had sensed several overwhelmingly terrifying presences!
If they had truly crossed over, they would have had no chance of survival.
"What… what was that?" Feina swallowed hard, her heart still pounding.
"No idea. Felt like the lair of some monstrous existence." Niya’s body trembled uncontrollably, her nails digging deep into the stuffed bear she held.
They had come dangerously close to death.
"Why would Aina have us set up an array leading there?" Feina patted her chest, trying to calm herself.
They were Blood Clan Dukes! Yet the beings on the other side had terrified them with just their aura.
"No clue." Niya cast a wary glance at the spatial array. "Maybe it’s a trap Aina set for someone."
---
Xia Lun and Aina arrived at the meeting point with Liyana.
Kalinda was already waiting with four senior students.
Among them was a familiar face—Delyan, the senior who had overseen their entrance exam.
However, when Delyan saw them, she froze for a moment before blushing slightly.
Xia Lun found her reaction odd. What was that about?
Liyana let out a playful whistle, then stepped forward and lifted Delyan’s chin with a charming smile. "Long time no see, my little lioness."
Xia Lun: "…"
This woman… had already gotten involved with someone else so quickly?
"Liyana… stop it." Delyan shyly pushed her hand away.
The other three students included a girl in a white dress and two tall, slender young men in white robes.
The two boys looked nearly identical—likely twins.
Seeing Delyan and Liyana’s intimate exchange, their eyes flickered with surprise.
"Ahem." Kalinda cleared her throat and introduced the group. "These three are companions assigned by the headmaster to join us in the Ash Corridor… I’ll be primarily responsible for their safety."
In other words, the seniors needed to stay sharp and look after themselves.
Delyan and the others nodded, unfazed. This was just a test for them—Kalinda’s presence was merely a precaution.
Since the Ash Corridor was a conquered dungeon, they wouldn’t face any real danger as long as no one acted recklessly.
"Gauss. Goth." The twins gave brief introductions. Xia Lun and Aina quickly noted their distinguishing features, while Liyana squinted at their near-identical faces in confusion.
"Liss," the white-dressed girl murmured softly.
Xia Lun assessed their strengths at a glance—Gauss, Goth, and Delyan were all high-tier mages, while Liss was mid-tier.
However, Liss specialized in healing magic, an indispensable role in any team.
Xia Lun and the others also gave simple introductions.
"Stay close to me at all times, understand?" Kalinda reminded Xia Lun’s group. Given their youthful appearances, she saw them as children personally entrusted to her by the headmaster.
Xia Lun smiled and nodded.
"Good luck, little lioness." Liyana planted a kiss on Delyan’s cheek before sauntering back to Xia Lun’s side.
Delyan’s face burned crimson.
The atmosphere at Olifant Academy was quite liberal, with no interference in students’ personal relationships.
"Adorable, isn’t she?" Liyana boasted to Xia Lun. "So confident and authoritative when we first met, but now she’s all shy and flustered after I won her over. The contrast is just perfect."
Xia Lun sighed. "Someone like you shouldn’t be toying with an innocent girl’s heart."
"Don’t say that. I’ve made up my mind—if she’s willing, I’ll stay with her for her entire life," Liyana said, pursing her lips. "Then I’ll move on to the next one."
Aina blinked. "I’ve never seen you commit to anyone before."
"That’s because they all cheated on me!" Liyana fumed. "In the end, they still couldn’t accept that I’m not a man!"