Sorry, I'm a Dou Master

The testing area was easy to find. A large sign stood there, visible the moment one looked up.

Behind the sign was, surprisingly, a huge green tent. In its shade, more than a dozen young men and women were chatting leisurely. Judging by how relaxed they looked, they were presumably students of Jia Nan Academy.

Outside the shade, another dozen or so young men and women sat cross-legged beneath the blazing sun, drenched in sweat. No surprise, they were new students who had just passed the test.

"Um, I'm here for the test." Xiao Shuang raised his hand and spoke to a female student holding a crystal ball.

"Hm? Why did you come straight here? Who brought you over?" The female student was somewhat puzzled, but she still handed him the crystal ball.

"Forget it, I won't dwell on it. Take the test first. As long as you've reached the Eighth Stage Dou Qi, you pass."

Xiao Shuang nodded, placed his palm over the crystal ball, and withdrew it once the ball lit up.

At that moment, a male student walked over. He glanced at Xiao Shuang and asked, "Who brought you here? The testing here is only open to those who have someone guiding them."

"Uh, I just happened to come by..."

Before Xiao Shuang could finish, the male student interrupted him.

"Then go wait outside for an hour first. Those are the rules."

The female student administering the test frowned at that and said, "White, you got it wrong, didn't you? If someone has the strength of a Two-star Dou Zhe, they don't need to follow that rule, right?"

The male student smiled and pointed at Xiao Shuang. "Lila, look at his age. How could he possibly be a Dou Zhe? It's better to follow the old rules."

Lila was helpless as well. Most students had gone through this rule themselves. It was nominally meant to curb the arrogance of new students, but in reality, they had suffered through it too and simply wanted to pass it on.

"Fine, then I won't interfere. Handle it yourself."

With a helpless shrug, the female student put away the crystal ball, gave Xiao Shuang an apologetic look, and walked into the tent.

Her sense of justice was not that strong. At the very least, she would not offend her classmates for the sake of a new student.

Seeing Lila leave, White chuckled. He then looked at Xiao Shuang and said smugly, "Although you passed the test, I doubt you're a Dou Zhe. You'd better follow the rules and wait outside for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Shuang shrugged and said helplessly, "Yeah, I really am not a Dou Zhe."

"I knew it. Follow the rules, then." White happily stepped forward, intending to pat Xiao Shuang on the shoulder. When he had enrolled, he had been roasted outside for four hours, so he was particularly enthusiastic about this sort of thing.

Xiao Shuang sidestepped White's hand, a faint trace of disdain on his face.

"Sorry, I'm not a Dou Zhe, but I seem to be a Dou Master..."

White had been annoyed by Xiao Shuang's movement and was just about to lose his temper when he heard those words. He jerked his head up in shock.

"A... a Dou Master?" His throat felt dry. What was wrong with this world? A Dou Master at such a young age? That had to be a lie, right?

He awkwardly withdrew his hand and looked at the new students sunning themselves outside the tent. His rationality gradually returned. If one or two geniuses appeared, perhaps it was not that outrageous?

"Well, if you're a Dou Master, then naturally this rule doesn't apply to you." White immediately put on a much friendlier smile.

"But you'll have to come with me to see the instructor. You can only proceed after the instructor confirms it."

If the youth before him, who was even younger than himself, really was a Dou Master, then White truly could not afford to offend him. In that case, he could only have the instructor verify it personally.

White's thinking was simple. If the other party truly was a Dou Master, he would give him some respect. But if he was lying? Surely the instructor would not allow someone full of lies to enter Jia Nan Academy.

"Sure." Xiao Shuang nodded and followed the male student into the tent.

At the center of the tent sat a woman, surrounded by several female students. The atmosphere was lively.

She gave off a gentle impression. Her beautiful face bore a soft, refined smile, and she occasionally chimed in with a comment, spending most of her time listening.

The atmosphere here was completely different from outside. With this woman sitting here, people seemed to calm down naturally. Compared to the scorching sun outside, staying here was undoubtedly much more comfortable.

After White led Xiao Shuang into the tent, he loudly announced, "Instructor Ruolin, I've brought you back a genius!"

The gentle woman seated in the center was Instructor Ruolin. She looked at White in surprise, and her conversation with the female students around her came to a halt.

The female students disliked White's behavior somewhat. They had clearly been chatting with Instructor Ruolin, only for him to rudely interrupt them like this. It was truly excessive.

"Hehe, which genius have you brought back for me?" Instructor Ruolin looked at Xiao Shuang and asked with a smile.

"Hmph, Instructor Ruolin, don't underestimate him. He may be young, but he's a Dou Master!"

Xiao Shuang felt somewhat helpless as he looked at the smug White beside him.

This guy was afraid he might say something, so he wanted Instructor Ruolin to quickly verify whether he really was a Dou Master. That behavior was rather childish.

"Oh? A Dou Master at this age?" Instructor Ruolin was also quite surprised. She rose and walked over to Xiao Shuang, asking softly, "Little one, is that true?"

"But you don't need to prove it right away. In a while, we'll assess your potential grade. You can state your exact strength then."

Instructor Ruolin glanced at White and smiled. "First, let all the new students outside come in."

This method of dampening their spirits was quite effective. The new students had all become far more restrained, each one leaning against a corner of the tent.

Of course, this method had been devised for new students who considered themselves geniuses. If someone was a true genius, they could ignore such rules.

After looking over the new students, Instructor Ruolin lightly clapped her hands and said with a soft laugh, "New students, congratulations on passing the test. You can now be considered enrolled in Jia Nan Academy. However, the academy must still grade your potential, so I need to know your exact strength."

"The Eighth Stage Dou Qi is F-rank, which is also Jia Nan Academy's admission standard."

"The Ninth Stage Dou Qi is E-rank. A One-star Dou Practitioner is D-rank, and so on."

"The highest is S-rank, for Five Star Dou Zhe under the age of twenty."

"Of course, if there are students who surpass Five Star Dou Zhe, I would naturally welcome them as well." Instructor Ruolin glanced at Xiao Shuang, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, her voice as gentle as ever.

"All right, let's begin." Instructor Ruolin held an ink brush and smiled.