...

On the deserted island, Wang Shihai had been waiting with his group for a long time.

From afar, he saw the imposing Yuan Shui Azure Dragon in the sky and immediately flew over. When he saw Wang Shouzhe and the others disembark, he went up to greet them and bowed to Wang Shouzhe.

"Grandfather."

"Shihai, you've done well this time." Wang Shouzhe patted his shoulder.

Wang Shihai was a bit excited; it had been a long time since his grandfather praised him.

"Uncle Ninth/Granduncle Ninth/Great-uncle Ninth." Wang Anye, Wang Ningxi, and Wang Fugui all greeted him respectfully.

Although Wang Shihai spent most of his time at sea and rarely stayed at the Wang's Clan main residence, his son Wang Anrui was very close to them. Besides, Wang Shihai was generous and always brought back gifts for them whenever he returned from the sea.

Thus, they were quite close to this elder.

After exchanging pleasantries, everyone moved to the temporary camp Wang Shihai had set up.

The camp was already prepared with tea, snacks, and unique delicacies from the Tianji Continent's seas. Once everyone was seated, Wang Shihai respectfully reported the situation.

"Grandfather, this island belongs to the nearby Sea Dragon Gang and is uninhabited because it has no resources. Only some fishermen occasionally stop by. We've already bought it."

"After my initial survey, there are traces of ancient buildings nearby and the ruins of the Changxing Monument, but we haven't found a definite spatial entrance yet. However, rest assured, I've increased the manpower for a thorough search. We'll find it sooner or later."

"No need for such trouble." Wang Shouzhe waved his hand and said to Wang Anye, "Anye, I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, Great-grandfather."

Upon receiving the order, Wang Anye gently touched the Xi Rang Bracelet, and instantly, a green sapling taller than a person with slender branches and leaves appeared in the camp.

This sapling was naturally the Tree of Fortune, "Wang Bao Fu."

It affectionately rubbed its branches against Wang Anye, cooing to show that it was feeling much better and could become his life-bound spirit tree.

"Alright, alright, once we find the entrance to the Shenwu Army Officer Training Academy, I'll make you my life-bound spirit plant." Wang Anye patted its branches and took out an eight-sided die. "Let's roll together."

"Yay~"

Wang Bao Fu happily extended a branch to wrap around Wang Anye's hand, and together they rolled the eight-sided die.

The die landed, rolled a couple of times, and then slowly stopped.

The side facing up showed "Southeast."

"Let's go, southeast."

The Wang's Clan members were evidently accustomed to this method and quickly packed up to head southeast.

After a while, Wang Anye and Wang Bao Fu rolled again, and this time it pointed directly east.

They continued this way, stopping and starting, and within half a day, they began circling a small area.

Clearly, this was the location of the spatial entrance to the Shenwu Army Officer Training Academy.

It was a wild grassland with overgrown weeds and jagged rocks, looking no different from the surrounding areas, with no sign of an entrance.

However, they were prepared and remained calm.

Wang Shouzhe immediately took out a "Recommendation Letter" and his identity token from the Shenwu Fifth New Recruit Training Camp from his storage ring.

The so-called Recommendation Letter wasn't a piece of paper but a token that seemed like jade but wasn't.

Sensing something, the Recommendation Letter emitted a gentle glow, and the surrounding space rippled in response.

"Buzz~"

With a low hum, a space portal appeared before them, rippling like water.

At the same time, a gentle female voice sounded, "Hello, new student. Welcome to the Shenwu Third Intermediate and Advanced Officer Training Academy. I am the academy's spirit artifact, Ai Pan. Next, I will guide you through the enrollment process. Please hold the Recommendation Letter and step through the space portal..."

"Hello, Spirit Artifact Ai Pan." Wang Shouzhe didn't step in immediately but instead tested the waters, "Can I not enter right now?"

"Do you have any preparations left to complete?" Ai Pan's voice was tinged with curiosity. "Don't worry, our training academy is well-stocked, and you can take leave if needed after enrolling. You can handle your affairs then."

"Enrollment means admission, so what are the graduation requirements?" Wang Shouzhe asked.

"The standard training duration for the Intermediate and Advanced Officer Training Academy is one hundred years. After enrollment, you can apply for the graduation exam within a hundred years. If you haven't applied by then, the academy will schedule the exam according to regulations. If a student advances to the Purple Mansion Realm during this period, they must take the graduation exam within a year of advancing."

"If you haven't passed the graduation exam after a hundred years, you'll be considered unqualified and expelled. If you pass, you'll be awarded the rank of Provisional Captain in the Shenwu Army, qualifying you to serve as a battalion commander. Exceptionally outstanding graduates may be awarded the rank of Provisional General, directly serving as a deputy regiment commander," Ai Pan explained.

As expected.

This matched Wang Shouzhe's expectations for the Intermediate and Advanced Officer Academy.

"Spirit Artifact Ai Pan, here's the situation." Having had prior experience, Wang Shouzhe smoothly began to coax the spirit artifact, "We were recommended from the New Recruit Training Camp and aren't familiar with the academy's rules. Is it like the New Recruit Camp, where excellent graduates receive more rewards? What rewards are given for breaking historical records?"

Ai Pan was a bit taken aback.

She had encountered new students asking questions before, but none so detailed.

"Uh... you'll naturally learn about the rewards when you take the graduation exam," Ai Pan's voice grew slightly impatient. "Are you enrolling or not? Asking about record-breaking rewards now seems a bit overambitious."

Wang Shouzhe never had much affinity with spirit artifacts.

"Don't be upset, Sister Ai Pan." Wang Anye quickly stepped forward, politely explaining, "We were delayed on the way, and our cultivation has already reached the Purple Mansion Realm, putting us in the awkward position of enrolling and graduating simultaneously."

"What? Delayed on the way?" Ai Pan was shocked, her voice rising unconsciously. "When you received the Recommendation Letter from the New Recruit Camp, you were at most in the early Celestial Realm, right? This so-called 'a while' seems too long."

"Sister Ai Pan, you don't understand~" Wang Anye continued to leverage his affinity with spirit artifacts, looking helpless. "In these times, fierce beasts run rampant, and outer region demons are intensifying their attacks on us. Moreover, after that great explosion, the world's geography changed significantly, making it difficult for us to find this training academy."

"Biochemical beasts have run amok? Outer region demons are becoming more rampant? Has the situation deteriorated this much?" Ai Pan murmured, "No wonder it's been so long since new students enrolled."

After a pause, perhaps due to Wang Anye's affinity, she relented, "Since you're prospective students, there's no harm in telling you about the graduation rewards. They're meant to motivate students to strive for excellence."

"Graduation rewards are divided into three parts," Ai Pan explained. "Normal graduates receive the rank of Provisional Officer and a standard Divine Spirit Artifact. Exceptionally outstanding students also have a chance at a Divine Realm inheritance and a bottle of top-grade bloodline enhancement liquid. Therefore, we generally don't recommend taking the graduation exam after advancing to the Purple Mansion Realm, as the higher bloodline awakening diminishes the enhancement liquid's effects."

"Moreover, as intermediate and advanced officers, personal prowess is important, but so is the ability to lead troops. The score ratio is equally high."

Listening to the spirit artifact's explanation, Wang Shouzhe and the others couldn't help but feel pleased.

As expected of an advanced instance, even normal graduates receive such generous rewards. The military rank aside, the opportunity for a Divine Realm inheritance alone is a huge gain.

After all, the Wang's Clan had many great prodigies, and even though Wang Fugui had secured ten Divine Realm inheritance grounds, it was still far from enough.

Wang Shouzhe had been worried about this for a long time, but now, with the officer training academy, the family's great prodigies were saved.

"Thank you, Sister Ai Pan." Wang Anye began to ingratiate himself, "Your name sounds lovely. Does it have any special meaning?"

Speaking of this, Ai Pan perked up.

"You must have heard of Grand Marshal Wu Panpan from the New Recruit Camp, right?" She began to speak spiritedly, her tone filled with pride as if boasting about her child. "She was one of the few grassroots marshals in the Shenwu Army. After being recommended to our academy, she repeatedly performed miracles, ranking among the top on the graduation hero list, and eventually became the marshal of the Third Army Group."

"Even in the hero-filled Shenwu Army, she's a legendary figure. Her story has inspired many, and many academy and military leaders idolize her, myself included. So, I had the dean change my name to 'Ai Pan.'"

Wu Panpan again?

This Wu Panpan seemed to have quite a reputation in this area.

Wang Anye suddenly took out his half-step immortal sword "Wanwan" and said, "Wanwan's previous owner was 'Yao Guifang,' who was reportedly a trusted general under Grand Marshal Wu Panpan."

"Yao Guifang? She was also an outstanding graduate of our Third Training Academy. However, she wasn't in the same cohort as Wu Panpan," Ai Pan said, needing to think for a moment. Clearly, Yao Guifang hadn't left as deep an impression as Wu Panpan.

"Sister Ai Pan, you mentioned that Grand Marshal Panpan ranked among the top on the graduation hero list. But isn't she an innate dao body, a Heavenly Daughter? How did she not take first place?" Wang Anye asked, puzzled.

He, Wang Anye, had a decent bloodline, but he was still some distance from an innate dao body. In the entire family, only Ancestor Long Yan was said to have reached the innate dao body, Heavenly Daughter level.

"You don't know," Ai Pan explained. "An innate dao body is indeed impressive, but our Shenwu Dynasty is full of talents, and there are many prodigies who shine in their era. Wu Panpan wasn't the only one with an innate dao body. Moreover, she came from a humble background and lacked support from elders in the early stages, which slowed her progress. However, after demonstrating exceptional command abilities, her resources improved. After joining the Shenwu Army, His Majesty the Holy Emperor also favored her, so she wasn't short of resources later on."

Hearing this, the Wang's Clan members felt the pressure.

Even a Heavenly Daughter-level existence only ranked among the top in the graduation exam, indicating how difficult it was to break the overall record.

Fortunately, Ancestor Long Yan was now in the late Purple Mansion Realm, and as a fellow Heavenly Daughter, breaking the record shouldn't be too hard.

The only small issue was that Ancestor Long Yan might not score high in the "command assessment."

While the Wang's Clan members were pondering, Wang Anye continued chatting with "Sister Ai Pan."

He truly lived up to his reputation as the "spirit artifact sister killer." After a few exchanges, he had Sister Ai Pan chatting happily, revealing all sorts of record-breaking rewards.

The top-tier rewards were enough to make one's blood boil just hearing their names.

Things like dao artifacts weren't considered high-end, and even ordinary Lingxu Codexes, True Immortal Strikes, top-grade bloodline enhancement liquid essences, Divine Realm puppets, top-grade spiritual stones, and eleventh-tier pet beasts were abundant, only ranking in the mid-tier reward pool.

The valuable ones were items like Immortal Spirit Stones, "Void Realm Guardian Puppets," "Half-step Celestial Plants," "Half-step Celestial Beasts," mid-tier Lingxu Codexes, half-immortal artifacts, immortal-grade bloodline enhancement liquids, Chaos Essences, His Majesty's Protection, and so on.

And that wasn't even the most valuable!

If one could break the overall record and take first place on the hero list, there were even unique super rewards like celestial beast cubs, celestial plant seedlings, celestial artifacts, immortal-grade bloodline enhancement liquid essences, a large bottle of Chaos Essence, high-tier Lingxu Codexes, late Void Realm Guardian Puppets, His Majesty's Wrath, Chaos Spirit Stones, and more.

Wang Shouzhe, Wang Anye, Wang Ningxi, Wang Fugui, and Wang Lixian all felt their hearts race, their eyes shining.

The wool from this officer training academy was astonishingly rich. If the Wang's Clan could shear all this wool, their family foundation might even rival that of the Immortal Dynasty's royal family.

"Wait, why is there no Immortal Scripture?" Wang Shouzhe suddenly realized and frowned. "The top-tier reward pool should have an Immortal Scripture, right?"

"Immortal Scripture? That's for the Divine Realm to inherit." Ai Pan clearly didn't have much affection for Wang Shouzhe, her tone instantly cooling. "This is the Intermediate and Advanced Officer Training Academy. Graduates are at most in the early Purple Mansion Realm and can't inherit Immortal Scriptures. How could they be in the reward pool?"

Wang Anye's eyes lit up, "Sister Ai Pan, does that mean there's an even higher-level academy where one can obtain Immortal Scriptures?"

"Of course," Ai Pan said proudly. "As long as you perform well in the graduation exam and earn the title of 'Outstanding Graduate,' you can be recommended by the academy to study at the 'Advanced General and Marshal Training School.'"

"The principal there is personally appointed by His Majesty the Holy Emperor. Students who enter can at least become regiment commanders in the future, and exceptionally outstanding ones may even receive Immortal Scripture inheritance and embark on the path of a True Immortal. Grand Marshal Wu Panpan took this path."

Upon hearing this, the Wang's Clan members' eyes lit up.

They hadn't expected there to be another academy above the Intermediate and Advanced Officer Training Academy. Didn't this mean that after shearing this wave of wool, there was another wave waiting for them?

The rewards from the Intermediate and Advanced Officer Training Academy were already so good. How good would the graduation rewards from the "Advanced General and Marshal Training School" be?

The instance hadn't even started, and they were already thinking about the next one.

Wang Anye was also excited and asked a barrage of questions.

Ai Pan finally grew a bit impatient, "I say, Anye, why don't you enroll first, and we can chat slowly later?"

Ai Pan had been lonely here for a long time and genuinely hoped for students to enter quickly so she could start her exciting training program.

"Sister Ai Pan, we can't enroll just yet." Wang Anye looked a bit embarrassed, "We have some companions who haven't arrived yet. We need to wait for them to enroll together."

"You have companions?" Ai Pan was surprised.

It had been years since any students appeared, and she thought having a few was already rare. She didn't expect there to be more? But that's a good thing; the more, the merrier.

She grew even more excited, "How many companions do you have?"

"Uh... a lot, a lot. I haven't counted."

After saying this, Wang Anye bid farewell to Ai Pan and left the space portal with the Wang's Clan members, leaving Sister Ai Pan bewildered in the wind.

A lot, a lot, just how many is that?

Meanwhile, the Wang's Clan members returned to the camp.

Having learned the graduation exam mechanism, the next step was to draft a personnel list, devise a plan, and find the optimal solution for the graduation exam.

With the experience from the last graduation exam, the Wang's Clan members were already familiar with the process.

Wang Shouzhe handed this task to the two academic geniuses, Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui, while he returned to the camp to eat, drink, and supervise Wang Shihai in strengthening the island's construction.

Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui had no choice but to accept their fate and start working.

After reviewing the details of the last graduation exam and the true strength of a few rarely-returning elders, the two buried themselves in discussion.

Resources, when left in the academy's space treasury, were useless. Only by extracting them and bringing them into the Wang's Clan could their value be maximized.

Having gathered most of the intelligence, and considering that the Wang's Clan's vanguard not only needed to pass the graduation exam but also exhaust the reward pool, they naturally needed to meticulously design tactics.

In less than half an hour, the two produced a detailed plan.

Looking at the plan submitted by Wang Ningxi and Wang Fugui, Wang Shouzhe felt gratified, "If I had either of you during the Shenwu New Recruit Training Camp, I wouldn't have wasted so many brain cells. Having many children and grandchildren is beneficial; with enough numbers, geniuses will emerge."

"..." Wang Anye.

Was he being disliked?

Once upon a time, he was the most cherished and valued junior by his great-grandfather. Indeed, the Wang's Clan produced talents in every generation, and new generations replaced the old.

Meanwhile.

Wang Shouzhe had already sent the drafted list back to the Wang's Clan through Wang Lixian's avatar and issued a summons to those on the list through the Wang's Clan's intelligence system.

The Wang's Clan had developed to such a scale that it had formed a complete operating system, with very few matters requiring Wang Shouzhe's personal attention.

After issuing the summons, all that was left was to wait.

With nothing else to do, Wang Shouzhe had Wang Anye acquire some officer academy textbooks from Sister Ai Pan and spent his days studying them.

After all, this was an officer academy, and leading troops in battle was a compulsory subject, accounting for a significant portion of the total score. Any improvement was worthwhile.

As time passed, the Wang's Clan members and other list members began to gather on the island.

As the numbers grew, the simple camp was no longer sufficient.

Wang Shouzhe simply ordered the Wang's Clan to have his son Wang Zong'an bring an engineering team over and start large-scale construction on the island.

In just over half a year, the once barren island was transformed into a "celestial island" with flowers and birds, pavilions and towers, resembling a leisure and vacation paradise.

This wait lasted for another two years.

During this time, the Wang's Clan's elites rarely gathered together.

As the Wang's Clan grew stronger and its members more numerous, those of Wang Shouzhe's generation or slightly younger had become "ancestor" figures, each needing to guard a region for the family.

Wang Shouzhe had long been separated from them, and it was difficult to gather everyone even for the New Year.

This time, it was a rare gathering, a unique harvest.

Besides the Wang's Clan members, Prince An, Gongye Qingrui and his wife, Wang Shizhao, and many young great prodigies from the Great Qian royal family and the Wang's Clan's in-law families also arrived.

Finally.

Even Ancestor Long Yan, Wang Mei, and the Qinghuang Demon Emperor, who were far away in the Demon Dynasty, hurriedly arrived on the island.

With Wang Mei's magical makeup skills, Wang Shouzhe didn't recognize Ancestor Long Yan at first glance.

With everyone present, Wang Shouzhe convened a meeting to explain the academy instance plan and assigned each person their tasks.

Once everyone understood their roles, he led the grand group of two to three hundred people back to the academy's space entrance and had Wang Anye take out the "Recommendation Letter" to awaken Ai Pan.

When Ai Pan was summoned and saw the "sea of people," she was dumbfounded.

Her voice unconsciously weakened, "Brother Anye, is this a joke? Did your New Recruit Camp produce so many outstanding students at once?"

This wasn't an officer training; it looked more like a market gathering.

"It's not so bad~ It just took some time to find the academy, and over the years, the numbers accumulated," Wang Anye said, a bit embarrassed. "Sister Ai Pan, don't worry. Most here are ordinary students with innate third-level great prodigy qualifications."

Ai Pan was about to say something when she suddenly noticed a distinctive little girl in the crowd.

The little girl was exquisitely beautiful, clearly only eleven or twelve years old, yet her strength was about to break through to the Lingtai Realm, and her eyes held a maturity and defiance beyond her age.

Ai Pan's breath caught, her voice suddenly sharp with disbelief, "Panpan, how are you here?!"

...