As soon as she appeared, the presence of the female dean made everyone hold their breaths, none daring to even breathe heavily as they watched her with nervous expressions.
Moreover, what made them even more curious was that the female dean didn't come alone; a strange man accompanied her.
Just from their interactions, it seemed they shared a very intimate relationship, which sparked great curiosity among the crowd. Who exactly was this man who could command such attention from the dean?
"This guy is truly impressive," said the man standing beside the female dean of the Sea Spiral Holy Institute, as he watched the content displayed on the screen, clicking his tongue in wonder. "I never thought he would emerge so quickly."
The female dean of the Sea Spiral Holy Institute also focused on the content displayed, her gaze resting on Ye Xin: "Indeed, the progress of these two has been unexpected."
"When the Holy Mandate was restored originally, I already sensed its presence, predicting that this kid might inherit it. But I never imagined he would come into contact with this level so soon; I thought it would take him much longer."
"Then he entered the Saint Institute midway, with your assistance, using a special quota."
The female dean simply nodded her response: "Who would have thought he would make connections with the Starry Sky Blue Phoenix clan, and have them allocate him a quota? When I reflect on this, his tactics are truly extraordinary."
Pausing a moment, the female dean continued, "So, after seeing this with your own eyes, are you reassured now?"
After these words dropped, the man lightly nodded and turned to leave: "Naturally, I am reassured now, yet I still wonder how far he can really go. The Holy Mandate is not merely his endpoint."
"You really do hold him in high regard, but that's not necessarily a bad thing." The female dean laughed softly in response to the man's remarks, then after staring at the screen's content for a moment longer, she too turned and left.
After the departure of the female dean and the mysterious man, only the shocked crowd remained within the courtyard.
The dean's interest in Lin Qian was something they had already known about; however, they hadn't anticipated it being to such an extent that she would bring someone else to watch one more time even after leaving?
What made them even more curious was the mysterious man's background.
After pondering briefly, they discarded any further thoughts of delving deeper into this matter; it wasn't something they could probe.
What they could do now, was to ensure that this trial proceeded smoothly while observing how far Lin Qian could go.
Within a year, most of the city fortresses in Trial Land had been conquered.
Given the number of participants, the fortresses were naturally limited, and those remaining unconquered were few.
Still, everyone continued searching diligently, hoping to achieve further gains in the final moments.
At present, Lin Qian no longer pursued capturing new city fortresses but defended one of the larger fortresses to ensure its security.
Lin Qian also utilized this large city fortress as his base or command center for this trial.
Large fortresses were indeed much bigger than ordinary ones, and the infusion of Soul Energy was rich, offering five seals.
However, this assumed one could keep their soul energy signature on the Soul Pillar; if it were overtaken, the seals would be taken as well.
Inside the central council hall of this large fortress, Lin Qian had used Soul Energy to condense the known geographic information of fortresses into a map, floating in midair.
Despite its usefulness, the map had significant flaws; within Trial Land, Lin Qian couldn't summon the Swift Night Shadow or the Reconnaissance Beasts to aid in exploring and improving the tactical map.
The known areas were limited, only showing what appeared on the map; other areas remained obscured and unknown.
The territory of Trial Land was vast, and Lin Qian knew it was impossible to conquer every city fortress, so he focused on a certain range to ensure he thoroughly understood the topography.
This was his preparation; Lin Qian knew well that once all the fortresses had been conquered and no further Soul Energy or resources were infused, the true great turmoil would begin. It would be a war over seals to gain entry into the Saint Institute.
Lin Qian remained confident about the upcoming war, having conquered a thousand cities and obtained numerous Soul Soldier talismans, while the resources used to defend the cities were not trivial.
Although resources were plentiful, they needed to be utilized wisely; careless expenditure could lead to defeat.
At this moment, Lin Qian's own power was by no means weak. Not to mention Lv Bu and the Red Rabbit Army, his own strength had increased by a First Level, further unleashing a First Level of power.
Ye Xin and Ye Nanxin's prowess was also formidable, capable of unleashing terrifying battle force.
Additionally, there was the Fierce Hunting Clan; at this moment, the followers of the Fierce Battle beside him had completely restored their bloodlines, their skin turned the color of Red just like theirs, transforming into the Fierce Battle Clan.
They had also taken a blood oath, becoming part of the Huaxia Empire, effectively making them his own people.
The restored Fierce Battle Clan's combat ability was incomparable to their previous state as the Fierce Hunting Clan.
They were a powerful force to rely on.
When their bloodlines were restored, those of the Fierce Hunting Clan had tears streaming down their faces, finally freeing themselves from their bloodline's curse, which was an overwhelming, uncontrollable joy.
"Based on the speed we've been conquering cities, we can roughly estimate that there aren't many fortresses left unconquered in the entire Trial Land."
"The remaining fortresses need not be conquered further; what we need to do now is to securely hold onto those cities we've already taken."
"While others are still keen on conquering the remaining cities to receive those rewards, we can seize the initiative and layout strategically."
Heading to a few key locations on the map made of Soul Energy, Lin Qian pointed: "These are the first cities we must take."
"After capturing these fortresses, we can consolidate the Huaxia World Array in this broad area. Once the Huaxia World Array is successfully consolidated, no one in this region can rival us."
Lin Qian's tone brimmed with intense confidence.