NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50: Enrollment
In the early morning, Xiao Yan, dressed in clothes, sat at the table, supporting his cheeks and gazing at the faint yellow Dou Qi in the palm of his hand. After a long silence, he finally let out a deep sigh.
“What’s wrong? Are you regretting it?”
Yao Chen’s graceful figure appeared, teasing Xiao Yan who seemed a bit lost.
Since learning the Flame Mantra that day, Xiao Yan often sighed while looking at the palm of his hand. His face was constantly filled with worry, all because of this cultivation method, the Flame Mantra.
“I wouldn’t say I regret it. This is the path I chose for myself, and I have no right to regret it.” Xiao Yan said calmly, then sighed lightly. “But the battles I will face in the future may be even more difficult than I expected…”
As Yao Chen had mentioned before, the Flame Mantra, before its evolution, was just a low-level Yellow tier technique that offered almost no enhancement to oneself. Even the most trashy technique would probably surpass the current Flame Mantra.
This meant that when facing opponents of the same Dou Qi level, Xiao Yan’s cultivation method was essentially useless. He would clearly be at a disadvantage against opponents of the same level.
“Well~ I don’t think you need to worry about that at all…”
Yao Chen looked at Xiao Yan somewhat speechlessly.
Although Xiao Yan’s current strength was only that of a three-star Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner, 2nd Level), even a low-level Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level) would have a hard time lasting a few moves against him. Even without a cultivation method, Xiao Yan’s true strength would definitely surpass that of opponents at the same level.
Suddenly, a knocking sound came from the door, bringing Xiao Yan back to his senses. He got up and walked to the door, opening it to see Xiao Yu standing there, with one hand on her waist, slightly smiling at him.
“Hey~ Good morning~”
“Good morning, Sister Xiao Yu.”
Xiao Yan smiled and responded, then Xiao Yu tilted her head slightly at him.
“Let’s go~ Jia Nan Academy has started enrollment at the Wutan City Square. Let’s go and register.”
“Okay~”
Xiao Yan replied softly, closed the door, and left the courtyard together with Xiao Yu. Just as Xiao Yan had barely stepped out of the courtyard gate, a figure suddenly pounced into his arms.
“Cousin Xiao Yan! Good morning!!!”
There was no need to guess; it was naturally Xiao Mei, the little girl who had been clinging to Xiao Yan even more since he mentioned going out for training a few days ago. If it weren’t for Xiao Xun’er and Xiao Yu forcibly dragging her away, Xiao Mei probably wouldn’t let go even if Xiao Yan went back to his room to sleep.
Xiao Yan was helpless but didn’t try to stop her too much.
They hadn’t seen each other for a long time, so let this little girl cling to him for a while longer.
Although Xiao Yan would definitely go to Jia Nan Academy for the Fallen Heart Flame, he didn’t plan to go there now. Even Yao Chen didn’t agree with his idea of going to Jia Nan Academy directly to obtain the Fallen Heart Flame.
Firstly, Xiao Yan’s current strength was insufficient, and there were also reasons such as not having gathered all the necessary medicinal herbs. Going there now would be a waste of time, just staying at the academy would be a waste as well.
Secondly, Yao Chen knew very well that the Fallen Heart Flame could be considered Jia Nan Academy’s most prized possession. It was guarded by several powerful teachers at all times, and there was no reason to let a student approach the source of the Fallen Heart Flame.
For these two reasons, Yao Chen believed that instead of Xiao Yan going directly to Jia Nan Academy, it would be better for him to go out for training first and gather the medicinal herbs needed to tame and subdue the different fire.
And most importantly, Yao Chen didn’t want to hinder Xiao Yan’s pursuit of the right path because of her own affairs.
Although Yao Chen admired Xiao Yan’s pursuit of the righteous path, her years of experience made her realize that there were still many flaws in Xiao Yan’s current pursuit of the righteous path.
However, these flaws couldn’t be effectively conveyed to Xiao Yan through mere words from Yao Chen. He had to experience and comprehend them firsthand.
“Good morning, Big brother Xiao Yan!” Xiao Xun’er, with her hands behind her back, smiled at Xiao Yan. “Cousin Xiao Ning has already led the others and gone ahead. Let’s go and register as well.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Yan nodded and carried Xiao Mei on his back, walking behind Xiao Xun’er as they headed towards Wutan City Square.
As they approached Wutan City Square, Xiao Yan could see a bustling crowd from a distance, with people packed tightly together, even more crowded than the busiest marketplace.
“Why are there so many people?” Xiao Mei, hugging Xiao Yan’s neck, rested her small head on his shoulder and furrowed her brows in confusion. “I remember that the enrollment conditions for Jia Nan Academy are being under eighteen years old and having reached the eight-stage Dou Qi. Are there so many people who meet the requirements?”
Wutan City was not a major cultivation city, and many people there were not even cultivators. Among the remaining people, some were either overage or hadn’t reached the eight-stage Dou Qi. So, in the entire Wutan City, there should only be a small fraction of people who were truly qualified.
In response to Xiao Mei’s question, Xiao Yu, who was leading the way, slightly turned her head to answer.
“Most of these people are just here to watch the excitement, and of course, there are those who are trying to pass off as qualified. We see such people every year, but they never succeed.”
The name of Jia Nan Academy was well-known throughout the continent and was considered a renowned institution for cultivation. It was a place that ordinary people would strive to enter.
However, Xiao Yu wasn’t initially so eager to enter Jia Nan Academy. She only entered the prestigious institution to search for the reason behind Xiao Yan’s loss of Dou Qi, hoping to find answers.
For this purpose, Xiao Yu tirelessly trained within the academy, aiming to gather more useful information. Last year, she even managed to rank among the top fifty in the outer courtyard, despite having only the strength of a one-star Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level), breaking the record for the lowest-ranked student to enter the inner courtyard in the history of Jia Nan Academy.
After entering the inner courtyard, Xiao Yu spent a whole year there, diligently cultivating and searching for records related to Xiao Yan’s condition.
However, even after a year, Xiao Yu’s strength had only increased from a one-star Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level) to a three-star Dou Shi (Battle Master, 3rd Level), but she still hadn’t gained any valuable information about Xiao Yan’s condition. Frustrated, Xiao Yu left the inner courtyard before the New Year.
“I can’t find a single clue for my cousin’s problem in this academy! It’s unbelievable that you still have the nerve to call yourselves the number one academy on the continent!”
That was the remark Xiao Yu shouted at the elder who escorted her out of the inner courtyard. The elder was completely bewildered, not understanding what Xiao Yu was talking about.
But now, Xiao Yu had already learned the reason behind Xiao Yan’s loss of Dou Qi, and his Dou Qi problem had been resolved by Yao Chen. As a result, Xiao Yu’s resentment towards Jia Nan Academy had subsided to some extent.
Xiao Yu led Xiao Yan and the other two to line up properly. Although the person in charge of the Jia Nan Academy enrollment was Xiao Yu’s former mentor, Xiao Yu had already spent a year in the inner courtyard, so she didn’t feel comfortable using her connection to jump the queue.
Moreover, knowing Xiao Yan’s character, he would never accept such preferential treatment. If Xiao Yan didn’t cut in line, Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun’er would also obediently follow suit, making it unnecessary for Xiao Yu to use her connections.
After a while, they finally reached their turn, and the three of them naturally met the enrollment requirements. They were then led by Xiao Yu towards a temporary courtyard set up behind the square.
However, just as the four of them approached the temporary courtyard, before stepping inside, they heard an angry voice suddenly emanating from within.
“You are all just mere potential candidates for freshmen! Don’t get too arrogant!!!”