Yoriichi stood calmly as a silver-armored captain passed a glowing jade mirror over his body. The mirror remained perfectly clear.
"All clean, Teacher Ruo Lin," the captain announced, lowering the artifact. He then turned to the exhausted, awe-struck youths and offered a sharp, respectful salute. "Welcome to Jia Nan City, new bloods. May your cultivation be swift and your blades sharp."
"Thank you, Captain," Yoriichi replied politely, bowing his head slightly, prompting the other youths to hastily follow suit.
With the security clearance granted, the group finally dismounted the aerial platform and stepped onto the pristine, white-stone avenues of the city.
"Teacher Ruo Lin," the lead senior student said, stepping forward with his peers. "We will take our leave now. We need to report to the Mission Hall to officially log our return and claim our contribution points for assisting with the recruitment."
"Very well," Ruo Lin nodded gracefully. "You have all performed excellently. Take two days of rest before resuming your classes."
The senior students bowed respectfully to their tutor, offered encouraging smiles to the new recruits, and quickly dispersed into the bustling city crowds.
Xiao Yu turned to Yoriichi, hoisting her heavy travel pack onto her shoulder. "I need to report back to Mission Hall also. I will come find you in the freshmen dorm district later tonight, okay?"
"I will be waiting," Yoriichi nodded, watching his sister hurry off down a side street.
Now alone with her six fresh recruits—and the silent, enigmatic Xun'er—Ruo Lin clapped her hands together to draw their attention.
"Alright, stay close," Ruo Lin instructed. "Jia Nan City is vast, but the Outer Academy is a city within a city. First, we must get you officially registered."
She led them through a series of grand, towering archways, officially crossing the threshold into the Outer Academy grounds. The sheer density of the ambient worldly energy here was staggering; Yoriichi could practically feel his Dou Qi accelerating in his meridians just by breathing.
Their first stop was a massive, solemn building constructed from dark, polished mahogany—the Office of Student Affairs.
Inside, the atmosphere was incredibly strict. Ruo Lin led them to a long, elevated desk where an elderly man with a long, grey beard sat surrounded by towering stacks of ledgers.
The moment Yoriichi laid eyes on the old man, his Transparent World vision flared violently.
'Oh...this....' Yoriichi thought, his pupils constricting slightly. The old man looked frail, but the sheer volume and terrifying density of the Dou Qi compressed within his body was akin to a dormant volcano. 'That is a Dou Wang. An absolute, genuine Dou Wang... doing clerical paperwork.'
"Elder Shu," Ruo Lin greeted politely, bowing deeply. "I have returned with the new recruits from Wu Tan City."
The elder didn't look up from his ledger immediately. He simply raised a hand, gesturing lazily toward a large, black crystalline pillar standing nearby.
"Put your hands on the measurement stone. One by one. State your name," Elder Shu commanded, his voice dry and raspy.
The recruits obeyed. It was a secondary, highly advanced version of the assessment crystal they had used in Wu Tan City. It didn't just measure their current star level; it actively scanned their bone age and meridian width to confirm the data Ruo Lin had submitted.
When Yoriichi placed his hand on the cold black stone, it flared with a steady, pure white light.
"Xiao Ning. One-Star Dou Zhe," the measurement crystal chimed mechanically.
Elder Shu finally looked up, his sharp eyes lingering on Yoriichi for a fraction of a second longer than the others, his immense perception catching the terrifying physical density hiding beneath the youth's low cultivation realm. But he said nothing.
When Xun'er stepped up, the crystal flared with a brilliant, golden-white intensity.
"Xiao Xun'er. Six-Star Dou Zhe."
Elder Shu's eyebrows shot up. A rare, approving glint appeared in his ancient eyes. "A Six-Star Dou Zhe at her age... S-Rank potential is accurate. Excellent."
Once all the data was perfectly confirmed and logged into the academy's massive archive, a set of administrative clerks emerged from the back rooms. They handed each recruit a folded set of high-quality, azure-blue academy uniforms, alongside a smooth, heavy jade token engraved with their name, rank, and identification number.
"This token is your lifeblood in the academy," Elder Shu warned them, his raspy voice echoing in the quiet hall. "It acts as your identification, your key to your dormitories, and your ledger for Contribution Points. Do not lose it. You are officially outer sect students now. Dismissed."
With their registration complete, Ruo Lin led the newly minted students out of the office, beginning a comprehensive, awe-inspiring tour of the colossal Outer Academy.
"The academy is divided into several specialized districts," Ruo Lin explained as they walked down a wide, tree-lined avenue bustling with hundreds of students.
She pointed to a massive, dome-shaped structure in the distance that crackled faintly with residual energy. "That is the Testing Hall, where you will periodically verify your cultivation progress and challenge for higher class rankings. Adjacent to it is the primary Training Hall, outfitted with gravity-amplification rooms and elemental-concentration chambers."
As they continued, she pointed out a colossal, open-air coliseum that dominated the central skyline. The roar of cheering crowds and the distinct, concussive sounds of Dou Skills clashing echoed from its walls.