As they watched the girl in green clothing hurl herself into Xiao Yan’s arms, the entire plaza fell into a deathly silence. Faintly, it seemed as if there were countless heart-breaking cracks echoing around. By Xiuner’s side, Elder Rulin and Xiao Yu and the others had never expected the usually reserved and indifferent girl to make such a bold move in public. They all wore expressions of shock. After a long while, they could only chuckle wryly.
Looking at Xuner, who was hugging Xiao Yan, and then glancing at Xiao Yan, whose face held a gentle smile like an intoxicating wine, Xiao Yu felt a strange and uncomfortable feeling well up within her.
On the other side of the stands, the always lightly smiling Bai Shan finally turned grim at this moment.
“How did Xuner become so bold? Just for that man?” The red-clad girl also arched her eyebrows in anger. If not for the old man beside her who pulled her back, she would have rushed over and forcibly separated the two who clung to each other like glue.
Xiao Yan tightly wrapped his arm around the slender waist, and he lowered his head to gently sniff the sweet fragrance of her hair. Since she could take such a bold step in front of everyone, he, as a man, naturally couldn’t choose to retreat. Even if the scorching gazes from the surrounding people made him feel as if he were in a furnace.
“Cough…”
After the two had embraced for nearly a minute, Elder Rulin, who could no longer bear the scorching gaze from the surroundings, lightly coughed.
Hearing the cough, Xuner, who had been nestled in Xiao Yan’s arms like a sparrow, finally snapped out of the happiness and excitement of seeing her beloved. Instantly, her lotus-like charming face flushed with a enchanting red. She hastily withdrew from Xiao Yan’s embrace and then, like a sensitive plant, shrunk behind Xiao Yu.
Seeing Xuner’s rare display of a delicate woman’s shyness, Xiao Yan also smiled lightly. Turning his head to look at Elder Rulin, he chuckled, “Hehe, sorry, Elder Rulin.”
“Do you remember I’m your teacher?” Elder Rulin glanced at Xiao Yan, saying calmly.
Seeing her expression, Xiao Yan let out a wry smile, knowing that he had indeed angered this water-like gentle woman. But because he knew he was in the wrong, he didn’t argue. He just gritted his teeth and endured her criticism and anger.
“Hmph. Don’t think you can get away with it just by staying silent. You skipped a year’s worth of classes, you must be really capable. Do you know how much I argued with the academy on your behalf for your sake this year?”
Elder Rulin said resentfully.
“Elder, this Xiao Yan really went too far. But now he’s returned and even defeated Xue Beng. As long as Xuner and he can maintain their position and not be defeated in the selection, you will be able to upgrade to a Xuan Tier elder. If you still feel unsatisfied, after the selection is over, you can punish him. At least now that he’s come to the college, there’s no fear of him running away,” Xiao Yu, although silently cursing in her heart, spoke in defense of Xiao Yan.
Hearing Xiao Yu’s words, Elder Rulin’s slightly angry face softened a bit. Glaring at Xiao Yan, she said, “Alright. After the selection is over, I’ll find you and settle the score!”
Seeing Elder Rulin temporarily giving up on her criticism, Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Lifting his head, he cast a grateful glance at Xiao Yu.
But the latter gave him a big eye roll and snorted lightly.
“Hey, Cousin Xiao Yu, I haven’t seen you in two years, you’ve gotten even prettier, have any guys chased you yet?” Xiao Yan, regardless of Xiao Yu’s face, grinned and teased.
“None of your business!” Hearing the almost identical tone from when they were young, a strange feeling arose in Xiao Yu’s heart. At the same time, her long, sexy legs, as if by reflex, rose slightly, threatening to kick.
“Enough, stop flirting. Today’s selection is almost over, follow me back first. There are more intense battles over the next few days, getting into the Inner Academy isn’t an easy task,” Elder Rulin waved her hand, ignoring Xiao Yu’s blushing face. She turned and led the way out of the plaza.
Behind her, Xiao Yu gave a fierce glare to Xiao Yan, who was gloating, and quickly followed with Xuner.
Carrying his giant black ruler, Xiao Yan was walking at the back of the group. Just before leaving the plaza, he suddenly stopped, frowned, and turned around, his gaze directed to the other side of the plaza. There, a white-robed young man was glaring at him with a hostile look.
“Who is this guy? Seems pretty strong…” Withdrawing his gaze, Xiao Yan mused for a moment, then shook his head and, under the watchful eyes of many, quickly followed Elder Rulin and the others out of the plaza.
Out of the bustling plaza, Elder Rulin drove away the girls surrounding Xiao Yan with stars in their eyes. Then, leading Xiao Yan, Xuner, and Xiao Yu through several shaded paths, they finally entered a unique and elegant building.
Inside, Elder Rulin let the three of them sit down wherever they wanted before turning her gaze to Xiao Yan, smiling and saying, “Young man, you’ve made quite a leap in these two years, haven’t you?”
“Just lucky,” Xiao Yan shrugged and smiled.
“Alright, no use in arguing. Since you’re here now, and I’ve already signed you up for the Inner Academy selection, over the next two days, you and Xuner must strive to enter the top fifty. That way, you’ll have the chance to enter the Inner Academy, and I’ll be promoted from Yellow Tier to Xuan Tier Elder…”
Waving her hand, Elder Rulin said seriously.
“What’s so good about entering the Inner Academy?” Leaning back in his chair, interlocking his fingers in front of him, Xiao Yan asked, looking up.
Staring intently at that smiling young face, Elder Rulin sighed after a while and said, “It seems taking a two-year leave was the best thing for you. Where’s the innocence you had back in Wu Tan City? No one would think you’re just an eighteen-year-old boy now.”
Smiling, Xiao Yan remained silent. In these two years, he had experienced too many ups and downs, which only solidified his inherent calmness. Now, he had completely shed the immaturity of youth.
“Ji Nan Academy has both an Inner and Outer Academy. The Outer Academy is where we are now. New students from all over the continent study here until their strength reaches a certain level, at which point they can participate in the annual Inner Academy selection. As long as they enter the top fifty, they can qualify for the Inner Academy. Unlike the Outer Academy, to put it bluntly, the Outer Academy is just a testing ground for new students. The real core of Ji Nan Academy is the Inner Academy!”
Elder Rulin organized her thoughts and spoke slowly.
“The Outer Academy of Ji Nan Academy is divided into Xuan and Yellow level classes. The class I oversee is the Yellow level, and the Xue Beng you fought earlier was from the Xuan level class. From this, you can see that the overall strength of the Xuan level class is generally stronger than the Yellow level class. Of course, there are exceptions, like Xuner, and… you…”
“I guess your current strength is around the Great Fighter level, right?” Elder Rulin suddenly stared at Xiao Yan and asked.
Hearing Elder Rulin’s question, Xiao Yu, who was beside, looked at Xiao Yan in surprise. She was only at the five-star Fighter level, and this guy had become a Great Fighter in just two years. Wasn’t that a bit too fast?
“Uh-huh,” amid Xiao Yu’s astonishment, Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
“Truly a freak, just like that little Xuner,” muttering to herself, Elder Rulin continued, “I can’t tell you too much about the Inner Academy, but since it’s called the true core of Ji Nan Academy, it has places that the Outer Academy can’t compare to. So, if you can get in, it’ll only be good for you.”
“Alright, I’ll try my best…” Spreading his hands, Xiao Yan smiled. On the way, he’d heard Old Man Medicine mention the Inner Academy. Naturally, he wouldn’t oppose the opportunity to enter it.
“With your strength, as long as you don’t run into Bai Shan or that Little Demoness and a few others, entering the top fifty shouldn’t be too difficult,” seeing Xiao Yan nod, Elder Rulin relaxed and continued.
“Bai Shan? Little Demoness? I heard Elder mention the second name two years ago…” Repeating the names, Xiao Yan smiled.
“Bai Shan has been one of the most popular figures in the Ji Nan Academy Outer Academy in the past two years. Handsome, strong, and a crush for many female students. He also seems to be one of Xuner’s suitors. Even if I don’t tell you, he’ll eventually come to find you,” Elder Rulin giggled, covering her mouth.
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly.
“As for the Little Demoness, she’s the granddaughter of the vice president, with a background that’s not to be taken lightly. With her abnormal cultivation talent and the vice president’s personal guidance, her strength may surpass Bai Shan. Her independent and distinctive style and beauty make her a target for many pursuers in the academy, but she seems uninterested in men, and instead, prefers women. Xuner, with her charm and talent, is naturally her coveted target. So, your appearance should also make her hold some hostility towards you.”
Coughing, Elder Rulin blushed slightly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face turned peculiar. Glancing at Xuner, who also wore a helpless expression, he half-smiled and said, “Killers of both genders?”
Xuner imitated Xiao Yan’s actions, spreading her hands, signifying that she couldn’t do anything about it. In these two years, she had already been very low-key, even giving up the previous Inner Academy selection for Xiao Yan’s sake.
“Sigh… Truly, rivals are everywhere…” Sighing, Xiao Yan looked up at Elder Rulin and smiled, “But for the sake of Elder Rulin’s promotion, I’ll try my best to enter the top fifty.”
“That’s good. Rest here today. This is my place; Xuner and Yu’er stay here too. Tomorrow, all the strong contenders in the selection will appear, and you’ll get a feel for their strength,” standing up, Elder Rulin instructed.
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile.
In a quiet room filled with bookshelves, seven or eight elders sat in chairs around a round table. One of them, the old man who had spoken to the red-clothed girl in the plaza earlier, was also among them. Judging from their breaths, they were likely not weak in strength or status. After all, ordinary elders had no right to sit in this meeting room, which decided the major and minor affairs of the college.
At this moment, the old man referred to as the vice president by the red-clad girl was slowly putting down a document in his hand. Scanning the room, he smiled and said, “Tsk tsk, this Xiao Yan is indeed something. With his own strength, he resisted the Yunlan Sect of the Gama Empire, killed a Fighter King, and then escaped smoothly from a Fighter Grandmaster. Such a record would be difficult even for the best of the Inner Academy.”
“Oh?” Hearing the words from the old man, the faces of the surrounding elders showed a flicker of surprise.
“This is intelligence on Xiao Yan. You can check it out yourselves.” The vice president flicked his finger, and the documents automatically shot toward the elders below. Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, he waited for the astonished sounds of those who had finished reading the materials. He smiled and said, “There’s a lot of potential, but his relationship with the Yunlan Sect has soured too much, making it hard to reconcile…”
“His potential is indeed strong. If cultivated properly, he might become another peak fighter,” a gray-robed elder said softly. “As for the Yunlan Sect, we don’t need to worry too much. A single Fighter Grandmaster doesn’t have the guts to do anything to our Ji Nan Academy.”
“The Yunlan Sect is indeed nothing… but what’s behind them…” The vice president frowned slightly, but then suddenly quieted, his face changing subtly. In the end, he didn’t say anything extremely secret. Waving his hand, he said, “Let’s observe Xiao Yan secretly for now. If he’s worth cultivating, we can give it a try.”
“Hmm…” Hearing this, the other elders nodded in agreement. Seeing the vice president fall silent, they exchanged glances and their bodies flickered, disappearing mysteriously from their seats.
Deep in the night, faint moonlight spilled from the sky, casting the unique pavilion in an exceptionally serene light. In the quiet of the night, a white figure suddenly flashed out, lightly touching a tree branch with its toes, and gracefully leaped onto a pile of rocks not far from the pavilion. Its calm gaze fixed on a room in the pavilion, a pale silver battle qi barely visible seeping from its body.
“Shh…”
Only a moment after the battle qi appeared in the white figure, a black figure shot out from the pavilion like lightning, landing steadily on a large rock near the white figure after a few bounds. It slowly raised its head, looking indifferently at the handsome, tall man in white.
The collision of their gazes in the night, without any warning, sparked a tiny flame.
“Leave her,” the white-clothed man’s voice came out calmly and ethereally.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan chuckled, raising his head. His clear features, under the moonlight, seemed exceptionally arrogant.
“By yourself?”
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