Half a year in the wastelands passed as quickly as sand slipping through one's fingers.
The changes to the Li Xing Institute were visible to the naked eye.
The stronghold, which originally consisted of five connected courtyards, had now expanded outward by another ring.
The earthen walls were raised to three meters, and the wooden spikes on top were replaced with iron caltrops quenched in the Beast Blood of Corrupted Beasts, which glinted with a sinister, cold light under the dim red sky.
Above the courtyard gate, the words "Li Xing Institute" had been re-carved with powerful, chiseled strokes.
The youths within the courtyard had changed even more.
All thirteen of them were now as fierce as wolves, their gazes sharp. Whether walking, sitting, or lying down, they all carried an intimidating aura forged on the battlefield.
The most shocking of them all was Li Yao.
