Just as everyone was gathered around the Body Tempering grounds, a voice suddenly came from a distance.
"Teacher Han!"
Everyone was startled by the sound and looked towards its source, discovering a short, stout middle-aged man, about 1.65 meters tall, with a slight belly, but he appeared very amiable and harmless.
"Greetings, Elder Jiang." Han Ying looked at the man, and surprisingly, she instantly put away her smile, even bowing slightly to the middle-aged man.
This person was named Jiang Dihan, the Elder in charge of the Body Tempering Tower.
In the Academy, an Elder was one rank higher than a Teacher, serving as an administrator of the Academy.
And generally speaking, an Elder's strength was also above that of a Teacher.
Seeing that even the Teacher was bowing, the students also quickly bowed slightly.
After all, in Starfire Academy, leaving a good impression on an Elder was very important.
"We are all friends, Teacher Han, why be so polite?" Jiang Dihan showed an amiable smile, his round face stretching out, then he turned to look at the unfamiliar faces before him and said, "Are these all new students?"
"Yes." Han Ying nodded and said, "I brought them here for their first Body Tempering session."
Jiang Dihan nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, then smiled again and said, "I happen to be free, let's watch together."
"Alright." Han Ying nodded, then turned back to all the students and said loudly, "This is Elder Jiang Dihan, in charge of the Body Tempering Tower.
Any problems you encounter in the Body Tempering Tower in the future, Elder Jiang will help you solve them.
Having Elder Jiang here for your first Body Tempering will be of absolute help to you!"
The students were delighted to hear this and collectively bowed to Elder Jiang, saying, "Thank you, Elder!"
"It's my duty, my duty." Jiang Dihan smiled and waved his hand, then said to Han Ying, "You may begin."
Han Ying turned to everyone and said loudly, "Now, everyone, enter the Body Tempering grounds in sequence.
Once everyone is in position, I will activate the Heart-Guiding Fire.
Be aware, the Body Tempering grounds are large enough, there's no need to fight for positions, the effect is the same everywhere."
All the students took note, and looking at the vast Body Tempering grounds, they slowly walked in with a mix of anticipation and trepidation.
Lu An and Fu Yu were no different, though Lu An was cautious, while Fu Yu simply jumped down without a care.
Jumping down from a height of over a person, their feet landed on a soft surface, even sinking into the ground.
Indeed, the Body Tempering grounds were just as they appeared; the ground was covered with a thick layer of sand.
However, this was no ordinary sand; it was very, very heavy, even heavier than iron sand, making every step difficult.
Because the Body Tempering grounds were so large, capable of accommodating three thousand people, let alone three hundred, the students gathered on the side closer to the Teacher.
The closest spots were already taken, and Lu An and Fu Yu were once again pushed to a corner, while the positions at the very front were, as expected, occupied by Chu Ling and Zhou Chengkun, among others.
"Who is the Chosen One?" After everyone had descended, Jiang Dihan asked Han Ying indifferently, without turning his head.
Han Ying's body trembled upon hearing this; this Jiang Dihan was not as amiable as he appeared on the surface, and she quickly said, "It's that young girl in the leftmost corner."
Jiang Dihan turned his head upon hearing this and indeed saw a beautiful young girl.
He scrutinized her, observing that her emotional state was completely different from the others; she showed no interest in the Body Tempering grounds, merely standing there and casually looking around.
"A Chosen One cannot appear in a small place like ours," Jiang Dihan said, his voice a little hoarse, and slowly continued, "Every Chosen One is not a coincidence, I'm afraid this young girl has a significant background."
Han Ying nodded; Jiang Dihan had mentioned this during the overnight meeting yesterday, so the Academy had already sent people to investigate.
However, they couldn't understand what a person or Family with a Chosen One would want to gain from the Academy; they racked their brains but couldn't come up with a reason.
"Let's wait and see.
Cultivating a Chosen One is also an honor for us." Jiang Dihan sighed, shook his head, then, remembering something, asked, "What about the one with five light pillars?"
"The person next to the young girl on the far left is him," Han Ying quickly replied.
Jiang Dihan looked at the young man beside the young girl upon hearing this.
He had noticed this person earlier; there was no way not to, dressed in ragged burlap clothes.
Although the Academy provided free education, food and clothing were not free.
More importantly, Cultivating required many, many things that cost money.
For example, weapons, Medicinal Pills, Strange Beast rebirth crystal cores, and so on and so forth.
If the Academy had to bear these costs as well, then the entire Ziye Country would probably have gone bankrupt long ago.
Seeing that all the students were in position, Jiang Dihan said to Han Ying indifferently, "Begin."
Han Ying nodded, turned to the side, grabbed a black long pole with her hand, then pushed it forcefully, creating a loud noise.
Boom—
A powerful sound wave spread, accompanied by a deafening noise, and all the students suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet tremble, with even a few students losing their balance and falling to the ground!
After everyone had regained their footing, they saw the thick sand beneath their feet begin to turn red.
This was not due to rising temperature, but as if millions of rays of light were shooting out from the ground beneath their feet.
Just as all the students were curiously looking at their feet, in an instant, everyone's eyes widened, and they stood frozen in place!
Everyone felt their heart tremble violently, then a burning sensation started from their heart, rapidly spreading throughout their body with their blood.
Wherever it passed, it felt like molten iron being poured in, as if their blood vessels were being torn open!
"Ah!!!"
Almost everyone screamed at the same time, their voices hysterical, their faces instantly covered in bulging veins, their taut blood vessels seeming about to burst through their skin!
At the same time, red, flame-like light began to emanate from within each person's body.
Three hundred beams of light connected, instantly becoming very noticeable, like red ribbons swirling among the crowd, emitting a terrifying glow.
Especially when combined with the frantic screams, the entire scene appeared extremely eerie, like Hell.
Most of the people here were children of wealthy families, accustomed to a life of luxury with numerous servants, let alone enduring such pain.
That feeling was like the cruel torture used to punish slaves, repeatedly branding the body with hot iron.
In just an instant, several people screamed loudly and ran out!
When these people ran out, they showed no shame, but rather knelt on the ground, panting heavily, covered in sweat, instead feeling the relief of having escaped death!
And once someone took the lead, the students immediately scrambled to rush up the steps, frantically trying to escape this place!
For a time, the not-so-small steps were overcrowded, everyone frantically pushing upwards, as if mad!
Those in the back who couldn't push their way up endured the cruel torture while standing in the sand, frantically clawing at their own bodies, and in an instant, the necks and chests of those in the back were covered in deep bloody scratches!
To escape here as quickly as possible, all the students resorted to unscrupulous means!
They pulled their classmates' hair, regardless of gender or wealth, frantically pulling anyone they encountered backward, just wanting to escape even a second sooner!
"Ah!!"
The escaping students gasped as if they had escaped death, while most of the students still on the sand went mad as if undergoing torture, and none of this escaped the eyes of Jiang Dihan and Han Ying.
Of the three hundred students, almost all of them were desperately pushing their way out.
Jiang Dihan frowned upon seeing this and said, "The quality of this batch of students is even worse than the last."
Han Ying nodded, her expression also very displeased.
Although the Body Tempering grounds were excruciatingly painful, they were the best way to improve strength before becoming a Heavenly Master, but these students...
Suddenly, Jiang Dihan and Han Ying both noticed a few figures still standing in place, motionless.
The quietness of these few individuals formed a stark contrast to the desperate escape of the others.
Looking at these few students with ashen faces, Jiang Dihan finally showed a slight smile and said indifferently, "At least a few people aren't disappointing."