Along the southern edge of the Division compound, a very high wall cut off any view between inside and out.

The idea was to let the new practitioners inside forget the life and noise of Qingzhou city — put all their attention on training.

Reaching the Threshold Realm in ten years was something most sect disciples considered out of reach.

But with the Division's considerable resources behind them, Threshold practitioners came up behind this wall like new growth after rain — wave after wave, never stopping, and many of them didn't need the full ten years.

No one guarding the entrance.

The energy of these new people was pressed to its limit by the Commanders every day.

Following Chen Jinyu, Shen Yi stepped into this stretch of ground that smelled thoroughly of sweat.

If he hadn't made it past the Threshold Realm, he'd be part of this crowd right now.

The night was dense and dark. In the distance, small cramped courtyards packed close together, each with a faint light burning.

"Everyone has their own little yard." Chen Jinyu seemed genuinely content with the arrangement. Compared to Baiyun County, her brother's current living situation was considerably more spacious. Even she, as a family member, had been given separate lodging not far from here.

"Not bad." He gave a casual nod.

The new recruits had it strict, but they weren't crammed into large shared bunks. These weren't soldiers — they'd go on to work alone in dark robes someday, and as long as they built real credits and earned another cloud-band on the sleeve, the treatment became genuinely good.

Courtyard was generous — two rooms facing each other, with a narrow open space between them that five people standing shoulder to shoulder could just fill.

The small private stove Chen Jinyu had mentioned was set up in the open space. A clay pot gurgled with a low, steady sound, meat fragrance spreading everywhere.

Two noticeably more solid-looking men in sleeveless short jackets were crouched on the ground, staring at the clay pot with open longing.

Niu Da swallowed. "Lucky you have…