“Could Lin Zhu do something weird to Gandalf tonight while my main body is away?”

He reconsidered, thinking it unlikely.

If anything had truly happened last night, the System would have definitely given him a notification.

Since the System was completely silent, it was clear that nothing had occurred.

Only then did Zhou Huai slightly relax.

He decided that in the future, he would have Gandalf’s Smart Core AI be more vigilant.

...

Twenty minutes later.

Led by Lu Zhiyi, the two finally arrived at the Instance Zone Zhang Donglai had mentioned.

The sight before them once again left Zhou Huai in awe.

It was a skyscraper crafted entirely from obsidian and alloy, piercing the clouds, easily twenty or thirty stories tall.

The building’s surface was covered with flowing light screens, displaying various information and leaderboards, full of futuristic technology.

At the entrance of the building, people flowed like a river, countless students in Academy uniforms entering and exiting, creating a bustling scene.

In the plaza outside the entrance, various shouts and cries rose and fell.

“Hard mode 【Wailing Mine】 forming a group! Need a powerful warrior, strength above 300 required, epic weapon preferred!”

“Twenty-person raid 【Molten Core】 needs two violent damage dealers! Any big shots to lead the team?!”

A loud-voiced boy shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Any powerful damage dealers? Our team has a D-cup Priest Senior Sister! Plenty of healing! Amazing awareness! Top-notch positioning!”

Zhou Huai looked at the building, feeling emotional.

This was far more magnificent than the small Trial Tower in Donghai City.

Lu Zhiyi, with a hint of pride on her face, began to introduce it.

“This is our Imperial Capital Academy’s most famous Myriad Phenomena Trial Tower.”

“We privately call it the Instance Tower.”

“Here, instances from Rank 20 to Rank 40 are all available.”

Lu Zhiyi led Gandalf, squeezing through the crowded masses and entering the interior of the building.

The lobby on the first floor was exceptionally spacious, with a very high dome, like a giant train station.

The flow of people was even more bustling, even more so than outside.

“This is the first-floor points exchange area,” Lu Zhiyi explained.

“Students can exchange the Materials or equipment they obtain in instances for Academy points here.”

She pointed to rows of windows in the distance, where many students were queuing.

“Don’t underestimate these points.”

“With enough points, you can go to the twentieth floor and above of the building to purchase anything you want with points.”

“Equipment, Materials, skill books, and even legendary quality equipment blueprints.”

Lu Zhiyi’s eyes sparkled with longing.

“Of course, the points required for those are astronomical.”

“Besides these, points can also be used to offset tuition fees, meal expenses, and accommodation fees.”

“In the Academy, points are everything. This is also to stimulate everyone’s enthusiasm for clearing instances.”

Zhou Huai nodded understandingly, then asked.

“Can I exchange Materials for points in my situation?”

After all, he wasn't an official student of the Imperial Capital Academy; he was just here to use instances for leveling up.

Lu Zhiyi smiled upon hearing this and nodded.

“General Zhang has already told me about your situation.”

She pulled out a brand new black crystal card from her pocket and handed it over.

“General Zhang also considered this point, so he had me process your points card yesterday.”

“With this card, you can also exchange the Materials obtained in instances for points.”

“Additionally, General Zhang has already topped up this card with ten thousand points, which should be enough for your daily expenses in the Academy.”

Zhou Huai took the card.

His impression of General Zhang grew even more favorable.

This General was truly thoughtful.

He had even considered this detail.

Unfortunately, Gandalf’s Clone didn't need to eat at all.

However, to avoid suspicion, he would still have to pretend to eat in the cafeteria every day.

After introducing the first floor, Lu Zhiyi led Zhou Huai towards an elevator nearby.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the second floor to have a look.”

The elevator doors opened.

The scene on the second floor once again broadened Zhou Huai’s horizons.

This place was like a giant teleportation hub.

Teleportation gates, each emitting a faint blue glow, were neatly arranged along both sides of the hall, stretching endlessly.

Between the teleportation gates were large resting areas, furnished with comfortable sofas and tables and chairs.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, quickly scanned the area.

He found that there were at least a hundred instance teleportation gates here.

Each entrance was marked with the instance name and Rank, mostly Rank 20.

The difficulties ranged from Normal, Hard, Nightmare, all the way to the highest Calamity Rank, all available.

The biggest difference was that, in addition to the conventional five-person instances, there were also large-scale team instances for ten, twenty, or even fifty and a hundred people.

Above each teleportation gate hung a large electronic display screen.

It continuously showed the fastest clear records for that instance.

The names of the team members, their professions, and the clear time were clearly listed.

This served to motivate other students, who viewed them as goals to strive for.

At this moment, there weren't many people on the second floor.

In a resting area not far away, several students were sitting together, sighing.

“Damn it, failed again!”

“It’s all Wang Hao’s fault; his awareness is too poor. We told him to block the front gate, and he didn't move for ages. We almost got wiped out!”

“Exactly! We’ve been trying for three days, and we can’t even clear a Hard mode ten-person instance. It’s so damn embarrassing!”

A boy, surrounded by them, his face flushed, suddenly stood up.

“You think I’m bad, huh? Fine! I’m not playing with you guys anymore!”

“You guys go find another awesome Mage!”

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

The remaining few merely pouted in dissatisfaction.

“Forget it, let him go.”

“He doesn’t listen when told, doesn’t do it when he listens, does it wrong when he does it, doesn’t correct it when he’s wrong, and he’s still wrong when he corrects it. Who's going to indulge his bad habits?”

“Exactly, we’ll just find someone else.”

As they spoke, the few of them happened to see Lu Zhiyi and Student Gandalf approaching.

Lu Zhiyi was clearly a prominent figure in the Academy.

As soon as the students saw her, they enthusiastically stood up.

“Oh, isn’t that Senior Sister Lu Zhiyi!”

“Why are you on the second floor today?”

Lu Zhiyi smiled in response.

“I’m accompanying this Junior Brother today to experience our Academy’s instances.”

A male warrior, who was the leader, his gaze fell on Gandalf and his eyes lit up.

“There’s a new Junior Brother so soon?”

He immediately approached, a smile plastered on his face.

“Senior Sister, coincidentally, a Mage just left our team. How about this Junior Brother joins us?”

“Leave it to us, we guarantee to carry him!”

He then looked at Gandalf and asked.

“Junior Brother, what is your profession?”

Zhou Huai thought for a moment, then, controlling Gandalf, calmly spoke.

“Mage.”

The boy immediately rejoiced upon hearing this.

“A Mage is great! A Mage is exactly what we need!”

Seeing this, Lu Zhiyi looked at Zhou Huai, seeking his opinion.

“In that case, Student Gandalf, why don’t you try the ten-person raid with them?”

“I presume you haven’t experienced a ten-person instance yet, have you?”

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, nodded.

He was indeed very curious to see what a ten-person instance was like.

Soon, this hastily assembled ten-person team quickly gathered.

They selected the instance 【Guard Tuoye Town】.

The difficulty was still Hard.

As the captain pressed the confirmation button, the ten figures were instantly swallowed by the teleportation gate.