Even if you had become an undead, Gan Jin moved his entire body toward the Headmaster's office, muttering to himself, "Then I'll just kill you one more time."

Pushing open the door to the Headmaster's office, Gan Jin looked at Director Rodriguez, who was sitting in the headmaster's chair chatting with Dark beside him, and froze for a moment. "Teacher... what is this..."

"Gan Jin, come, come, sit down," Rodriguez stood up and beckoned Gan Jin over, offering a wry smile. "This noon, I suddenly received a message from the City Lord saying that something happened at Keller's house, and he had to return to the capital of Yongli Province, placing me in temporary charge of the Headmaster's position, so..."

The Headmaster... Teacher Rodriguez became the Headmaster! Gan Jin hadn't expected that one kick would not only kill Keller but also land the Headmaster's position squarely under Teacher Rodriguez's rear end. "Just for this?" Gan Jin was a bit surprised; the elderly Rodriguez he remembered wasn't one to flaunt his position.

"Of course not leaving."

Rodriguez pressed his thumbs firmly against his temples, his face contorted with the frustration of a sudden affliction. "You say Keller has matters to attend to, so he leaves. Fine. But he took Kaiqi with him too. This way... for the upcoming Comprehensive Assessment..." "Comprehensive Assessment?"

Gan Jin realized that while he had been sequestered in the Four Seasons Valley for the past two years, the outside world had changed quite rapidly. What was this Comprehensive Assessment?

"The Comprehensive Assessment is the old Four Seas Heroes Gathering, now called the True Strategy Magic Warrior Academy General Assessment," Dark quickly explained from the side. "The nature remains the same; it's still about selecting the most outstanding warrior students through these means to advance to higher-level Warrior and Magic Academies of different tiers."

Gan Jin immediately understood. Ever since he met Rodriguez, this teacher's lifelong ambition had been to cultivate a few truly exceptional warriors and magic students who could enter higher-tier magic and warrior academies, thereby elevating the status of the Oakland Magic and Warrior Academy and securing more financial and resource support from the Academy General Council!

Two years had passed, and Rodriguez's ideal hadn't shifted in the slightest. He sighed, looking at Gan Jin, "Although you haven't been able to attend school these past two years, I trust you haven't stopped training yourself, have you?"

Gan Jin shrugged and nodded, thinking to himself that not only had he not stopped training these past two years, but he had been practically flirting with death every day through his training regimen.

"I'll be blunt with you!" Rodriguez lifted his not-so-handsome face, gazing at Gan Jin as if the sun were blazing fiercely. "I had originally planned for you to repeat a year. Now it seems... there isn't enough time. Your graduating class is the strongest in overall strength in the last decade. With Kaiqi gone home... then..."

"One person is missing, right?" Gan Jin nodded. "Understood. If Teacher isn't satisfied, I can take his place."

The look in Rodriguez’s eyes as he gazed at Gan Jin carried a significant amount of guilt. This was the best opportunity in terms of overall strength. If they missed it, then even if Gan Jin’s individual strength could slightly surpass Dark, the top student of this batch, he wouldn't be able to influence the entire process of the Assessment.

"In that case, we are just short one magic student..." Rodriguez fell into contemplation, resting one hand against his chin. "Keller is gone, and Kaiqi is gone. I imagine Keller will take the magic student he promised to recruit to the school with him as well... It seems I'll have to consult with the Magic Department teachers to see who can take their place..."

"Teacher," Gan Jin pulled over a stool and sat down. "How about we try Biluo?"

"Biluo? That magic student who is historically the worst in the academy?" Rodriguez shook his head repeatedly, looking at Gan Jin with an expression of complete disbelief. "I know you two wandered outside for two years and developed quite a deep bond as classmates, but this Comprehensive Assessment is no small matter..."

"She has Level Five Spiritual Power," Gan Jin said with a slight grin, looking at Rodriguez. "How many third-year students are stronger than her? Besides, she’s gained quite a bit of practical combat experience these last two years too."

"Level Five Spiritual Power!"

Rodriguez was startled. It took him quite a while to process it and regain his composure. The Oakland Magic and Warrior Academy only had two magic students with Level Five Spiritual Power, both already selected for the Assessment roster. Everyone else was at the upper echelon of Level Four Spiritual Power. Could this Biluo, the worst magic student in history, truly become one of the strongest magic students in the Oakland Magic and Warrior Academy?

"Really?" Rodriguez still felt uneasy and softly confirmed, as Level Five Spiritual Power, while not earth-shattering in other high-level primary academies, was a very significant achievement here at Oakland.

"Really," Gan Jin replied with a smile, inwardly musing: If Huang Quan suddenly appeared, Teacher Rodriguez would probably faint from sheer joy on the spot, wouldn't he? A Great Magician! Competing in the Assessment? It would instantly annihilate any contemporary magic student! That couldn't be explained away with mere ferocity!

"Good! Biluo it is!" Rodriguez said with a determined expression. "Then, Gan Jin, go back and pack. We set off in three days." "Set off?" Gan Jin rolled his eyes upward, calculating the time. "It seems there's still some time until the Assessment, right? Going so early? Isn't that too soon for reconnaissance?"

"We aren't going to the Assessment," Dark said, his eyes shining with a worshipful gaze toward Rodriguez. "Teacher says that only warriors who have witnessed life and death are true warriors. Our academy's students have never truly experienced a battlefield where life and death hang in the balance. Compared to students from many academies that regularly send people to the front lines, we fall short in mentality and in every other aspect."

Gan Jin approvingly gave a thumbs-up. Teacher Rodriguez was indeed the best teacher in the school, seeing issues more clearly than most educators.

Rodriguez's smile was laced with bitterness. To achieve some results in this Assessment, he had risked everything. Not only had he persuaded Keller to divert a significant portion of the school’s educational funds earlier, but he had also taken out considerable loans externally. If they still failed to show results this time, the academy might really have to shut down.

"In three days, we head to the nearest Human-Demon Battlefield: the Earth Fort Battlefield," Rodriguez clapped Gan Jin on the shoulder. "Go back and prepare. It looks like we'll only be able to arrange the Dou Ling Grand Array for you after the Assessment brings in funds."

Gan Jin began to understand why Teacher Rodriguez had sought him out this time. It seemed one foot of the academy was already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Even the worst academies could usually manage an annual Dou Ling Grand Array; the fact that the current academy couldn't even afford that suggested that Teacher Rodriguez had likely pawned most of the Spirit Stones to scrape together money.

Seeing Gan Jin's rather expressionless face, Dark proactively stepped forward, nudged his shoulder, and sighed softly in comfort. "Gan Jin, you don't need to worry too much about this Assessment. After all, you were missing for two years, delaying your studies and training. Just do your best. I believe in you, and you must believe in me too. As long as you work hard enough, you can surely surpass me again."

Gan Jin could only offer a wry smile looking at Dark. He had initially wanted to display his warrior strength to Teacher Rodriguez, but now, doing so might feel like disrespecting his classmate’s concern and encouragement. He decided to wait for another time.

With a strained smile, Gan Jin left the room and returned to his dormitory bedroom in the academy, looking at Fatty Luo’s empty bed. "Classmate, remember to wake up early for a run tomorrow."

The light of the oil lamp swaying in the wind was extinguished, and it was the last oil lamp to go out in the Oakland Magic and Warrior Academy dormitory. The entire academy was painted over with a thick coat of blackness.

The next morning, Gan Jin went directly to the academy library to look up information about the Earth Fort Battlefield. The True Strategy Dynasty and the Demon Race had been fighting for countless years. Nearly every spot along their border was a battlefield. Apart from a few larger theaters of war, there were so many smaller skirmish zones that even those who specialized in battlefield studies might not be able to recall all the names.

The Earth Fort Battlefield was located exactly five hundred li due west of Oakland City. It was named after a very dilapidated and ancient earth fort near the site, classifying it as a small fortress with a standing garrison of over three thousand soldiers.

Reading the historical records and descriptions of the earth fort in the book, Gan Jin casually flipped through the map data and quickly understood that this place was not a particularly dangerous, life-or-death battlefield. Due to the relative scarcity of resources in the surrounding area, the Demon Race never launched large-scale offensives here.

Of course, the Demon Race also lacked the time and opportunity for massive assaults; the main forces of both sides kept the other side locked down tightly. If one side were to pull troops, the main force would likely suffer a powerful counterattack from the opponent's main contingent before the diverted troops even reached their intended attack position.

The smaller battlefields were primarily intended to eliminate the enemy’s key forces, forcing the opponent to draw personnel from their main contingent to gain an advantage on the primary front. The demonic soldiers opposite the Earth Fort were mainly of the Belial Demon Race, interspersed with a small number of the Mammon Demon Race.

Gan Jin paid close attention to the Belial Demon Race on the map. Among the seven great demonic clans, apart from the royal Lucifer clan, the most famous demonic race was the Mammon Demon Race. Thirty percent of the most renowned Demon Warriors in the entire demonic army originated from the Mammon Demon Race, a clan possessing an innate, extreme lust for greed.

Nearly every demonic army's core elite troops were predominantly composed of Mammon Demon Warriors. As for the Belial Demon Race, they were rarely seen in the Demonic elite forces.

Gan Jin tapped his finger on the name "Belial Demon Race" in the book and chuckled softly. "The Belial Demon Race, the laziest among the seven great demonic clans, serving as the main force garrisoning the Earth Fort Fortress. It seems the fighting here won't be too intense, exciting, or bloody."