The sudden voice of a woman, gentle enough to almost intoxicate, made Xiao Yan, with all his composure, lose focus for a moment. After a while, he turned his eyes to follow the sound, looking into the tent. In the shadow of the tent stood a woman in green, smiling sweetly. Her beautiful face was adorned with a tender smile, and her eyes sparkled as they looked at everyone, like a gentle stream flowing quietly through one’s heart, making one irresistibly lost in the soft and graceful charm unique to a woman. The woman seemed a bit older than Xiao Yu and others, with a full and exquisite figure exuding a mature allure honed by time. This natural allure was far beyond what the inexperienced Xiao Yu and her peers could compare to. Xiao Yan scanned the woman. Although her appearance might be a little inferior to Xun’er or Xiao Yu, the genuine and unfeigned gentleness in her demeanor filled Xiao Yan’s heart with admiration. The woman before him embodied the concept of “woman as water” perfectly. After her appearance, Xiao Yan noticed that the gazes of some young students inside the tent had become heated, and their eyes held a mysterious emotion as they looked at her. Seeing this, Xiao Yan shook his head, speechless. It seemed these guys had a secret crush on this woman. But it wasn’t surprising; younger people often admired more mature women… Oh, that’s what they call a “cougar.”
“Instructor Ruolin, hahaha, I’ve missed you so much!” Seeing the gentle woman in the tent, Xiao Yu called out in delight and then rushed over, hugging the woman’s waist, which was full but not fat, with a cheerful laugh.
“Hehe, Yu, did you have a good holiday?” Instructor Ruolin, embracing Xiao Yu, smiled sweetly.
“Not bad.” Xiao Yu grinned mischievously, biting softly on Instructor Ruolin’s delicate earlobe and teasing, “You’re getting more and more gentle, Instructor. At this rate, the man you set your eyes on in the future will be hopelessly trapped by this gentle water.”
A faint blush appeared on Instructor Ruolin’s face as she shook her head helplessly. She patted Xiao Yu’s head affectionately and then turned to Xiao Yan and the others, asking softly, “Are these the ones you brought? They seem quite good.”
“Haha, of course.” Xiao Yu proudly lifted her chest, turned her head, and glared fiercely at Luo Bu, whispering, “That guy is getting more and more arrogant.”
“Who told you to provoke him on purpose? You know his feelings for you. Acting so intimate with other men in front of him only makes him find excuses to make things difficult for you,” Instructor Ruolin said helplessly.
“This only makes me dislike him more,” Xiao Yu pouted.
Shaking her head, Instructor Ruolin let go of Xiao Yu and stepped forward, smiling at the group of new students under the blazing sun, “Everyone, come in.”
Hearing her, the new students, drenched in sweat, immediately cheered and hurriedly scrambled into the tent’s shadow. Though this method of testing newcomers’ mettle was somewhat harsh, it was effective. Now, the new students entering the tent were much more subdued, hiding in the corners and scanning the interior with their eyes.
Gazing at everyone with a gentle smile, Instructor Ruolin’s eyes finally settled on Xiao Yan’s face. She smiled and said softly, “Luo Bu doesn’t have any bad intentions. He was just a bit angry earlier, so he acted rashly. Don’t hold it against him.”
“Haha, Instructor, you flatter me. I’m a very kind person, how could I blame Senior Luo Bu?” Xiao Yan scratched his head, “shyly” smiling.
Upon hearing this, most people in the tent rolled their eyes inwardly. Didn’t he think it was a bit ironic to say this after knocking out a senior so boldly?
Instructor Ruolin’s eyes fixed on the smiling young man, and she blinked her long eyelashes. She felt a premonition that, after so many years of being an instructor, she might finally meet her most challenging student…
Shaking off these thoughts, Instructor Ruolin ordered two male students to bring in the unconscious Gela, who was lying outside. She examined Gela’s injuries and then raised a slight frown, giving a reproachful glance at Xiao Yan, who looked utterly innocent.
Startled by her electrifying gaze, Xiao Yan cracked a smile, not averting his eyes. After a moment of thought, Instructor Ruolin extended her fair hand and, amidst the envious gazes of some male students, lightly touched Gela’s arm. A gentle, light blue energy flowed through his arm, soothing his chaotic qi and healing some of the injuries caused by Xiao Yan.
Water-attribute qi is the most gentle type among all qi. Without medicinal herbs, water-attribute qi is the best choice for healing, thus often called a “living medicine.” In many mercenary teams, members with water-attribute skills are indispensable, as they can provide the necessary time for treating the injured.
Under Instructor Ruolin’s qi, Gela soon woke up, groaning. Opening his eyes, he saw Instructor Ruolin standing beside him, and a hint of infatuation and adoration passed through his eyes. He awkwardly sat up, his eyes avoiding Xiao Yan’s.
“Haha, are you alright now?” Instructor Ruolin asked softly, releasing her hand.
“Thank you, Instructor,” Gela nodded gratefully.
“Glad you’re fine,” she smiled, turning to sit gracefully at the head of the tent. She looked at the new students with a smile and flicked her wrist, revealing a green sheepskin scroll and an ink pen.
Instructor Ruolin lazily smiled, “Congratulations, everyone, for passing the initial test and entering the gates of the Jia Nan Academy. However, to assess your potential, I need to know your current strength.”
“Stage 8 Qi corresponds to F-level potential, which is the standard here.”
“Stage 9 Qi corresponds to E-level potential.”
“A One-star Warrior is D-level, a Two-star Warrior is C-level, and so on. The highest level is S-level, a Five-star Warrior, for those under 20.”
“Haha, in the past decade, Jia Nan Academy has only seen one S-level potential. That little vixen is quite a character now.”
Instructor Ruolin giggled, blinking her long lashes, “I don’t expect to meet another vixen, but I’d be satisfied with B or C-level.”
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Xiao Yan and Xun’er. In her perception, these two were the only ones in the tent who gave her an unclear feeling. Their potential was at least C-level.
Not only her, but anyone who had witnessed Xiao Yan’s previous actions was secretly guessing his potential.
“Alright, let’s start. From the left, state your name, level, and age,” Instructor Ruolin smiled, holding the ink pen.
Seeing the registration begin, Xiao Yu and the others sat down leisurely.
“Hey, Yu, what level do you think Xiao Yan is?” A few pretty girls curiously asked Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu frowned, thinking. She hadn’t seen Xiao Yan tested, so she cautiously said, “I think he might be C or B-level.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. That’s high-tier talent here. We’ve never even gotten D-levels,” the girls envied.
Xiao Yu laughed softly, then fell silent, watching the center of the tent.
“Heiyan, Stage 9 Qi, age 20.”
Instructor Ruolin smiled and noted it, “E-level.”
“Lindon, Stage 8 Qi, age 19.”
“F-level.”
“Ke Li, Stage 9 Qi, age 17.”
“E-level.”
And so on. As others reported, some new students also entered, joining the queue.
So far, most were below the Warrior level, except for a few who had failed to reach Warrior and dropped to Stage 8 Qi. Among them, the best was a 17-year-old One-star Warrior, which was D-level. This made Instructor Ruolin slightly happy, as a 17-year-old One-star Warrior had decent potential.
After the last student in front of Xiao Yan finished, everyone’s eyes turned to the drowsy young man.
“Brother Xiao Yan, it’s your turn,” Xun’er nudged him, pulling him back from his daydream.
“Oh,” Xiao Yan quickly wiped his mouth, noticing the smiling Instructor Ruolin, and embarrassed, he smiled, “I can’t compare to the ‘vixen’ you mentioned. After considering, I think… I’m about A-level.”
“Uh…”
Xiao Yan’s words caused a sudden silence. In a corner, Luo Bu’s face twitched. He didn’t expect this 16 or 17-year-old to be on par with him.
Gela’s face turned pale, realizing why he had lost so badly. Xiao Yan was playing the part of a tiger in sheep’s clothing.
“Yu… You said he was at most C or B-level. How did he jump to A-level? Jia Nan Academy rarely gets more than a hundred A-level potentials each year!”
The girls gaped at Xiao Yan.
Staring at Xiao Yan’s face, Xiao Yu sighed, “How was I supposed to know he’d become so powerful?”
“A-level?” Instructor Ruolin blinked, then smiled brightly, “I knew we had a treasure this time.”
Her playful wink made some boys in the tent stare.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose as Xun’er giggled, “Brother Xiao Yan, you’re stealing the spotlight again.”
“Come on, I know you’re stronger. You should be the S-level,” Xiao Yan said sarcastically.
“Should I lie about my level?” Xun’er whispered.
“Better to be honest. I won’t be jealous of you. Let the academy know your potential, it’ll help you later, even if you don’t care,” Xiao Yan laughed.
Xun’er pouted, then nodded, “Alright, I’ll listen to Brother Xiao Yan.”
She stepped forward, her voice ringing clearly in the tent, “Xiao Xun’er, Six-star Warrior, age… sixteen.”
Instructor Ruolin, pen in hand, froze, her face showing shock!
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