Eve of Departure

No matter how Ruo Lin Instructor tried to persuade him, Lin Feng remained unmoved about joining Jia Nan Academy. It even made her wonder—had Jia Nan Academy truly declined?

Yet when she looked at the others, they all thirsted for knowledge and could not wait to join the academy and cultivate. Only Lin Feng seemed utterly indifferent toward Jia Nan Academy.

Sure enough, geniuses like this were truly hard to come by.

The male instructor also shook his head in disappointment. If they could recruit Lin Feng into the academy, the rewards from above would be even more generous. After all, he was not only a genius but also a Tier 3 Alchemist. With that status alone, Lin Feng was far more distinguished than any of them.

Seeing the instructors leave, Xiao Yu turned to glance at Lin Feng and bit her lip. "Do you want to go in and take a look?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then nodded and followed them inside.

The students of Jia Nan Academy were helping the instructors test the applicants. Those who had been eliminated wore disappointed, miserable expressions.

Those with better talent naturally won the favor of the various instructors. As for the prettier junior girls, the senior boys were especially enthusiastic, endlessly telling their future junior sisters about life at the academy. They even patted their chests and promised that if the girls encountered any trouble at the academy in the future, they could just come find their senior brothers.

The moment Lin Feng entered, he saw several lovely girls dressed in the standard Jia Nan Academy uniform, gathered around Xiao Yan and the others, laughing sweetly.

When they saw Ruo Lin Instructor and the others arrive, they hurriedly restrained themselves and called out, "Instructor."

Ruo Lin Instructor smiled and nodded, then looked at Xiao Yan, Xun Er, and the others with satisfaction. Though they could not compare to the monstrous talent behind her, they were already quite impressive.

"Yu'er, are they all members of your clan?"

Xiao Yan and the others looked behind them and only then realized that Lin Feng had somehow entered together with their cousin Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu nodded in reply. Ruo Lin Instructor looked at Xiao Yan and the others and said gently, "Little ones, have these senior sisters tested your aptitude yet?"

Before Xiao Yan could speak, one of the girls beside him said coquettishly, "Instructor, we haven't been slacking off. We've already tested them."

Then, grinning as though seeking credit, she said, "Instructor, you've picked up two treasures this time."

"This junior sister Xun Er is an S-Rank monster, and this little brother Xiao Yan is an A-Rank genius too."

Ruo Lin Instructor nodded in satisfaction and gave the two a gentle smile. "Not bad, you two little ones. It seems my luck is truly good this year."

Then she turned and gave Lin Feng a resentful look. "Even though I failed to recruit that big treasure, having you two treasures is still some consolation."

Seeing this, Xiao Yan and the others guessed what had happened. With Feng Ge's talent, it was perfectly normal for this instructor to value him. It was just that Feng Ge would never join the academy. What a pity.

Xun Er giggled. "Of course. Our Feng Ge is amazing."

She winked at Lin Feng. Lin Feng awkwardly rubbed his nose. This girl—things were already awkward enough, yet she had deliberately brought it up and made it even more embarrassing.

Ruo Lin Instructor's gaze was filled with resentment, and in the end, she could only let out a soft sigh.

The girls, however, were utterly confused. Looking at the handsome youth beside Xiao Yu, they quietly leaned over and asked, "Tell us honestly. Is this another genius from your family?"

Xiao Yu glanced at Lin Feng and nodded helplessly. The girl's eyes gleamed with excitement as she nibbled Xiao Yu's delicate earlobe and whispered, "From the way Ruo Lin Instructor acted, he isn't participating in the recruitment?"

At those words, a trace of disappointment flashed through Xiao Yu's eyes. At last, she looked toward the figure chatting with Xiao Yan and the others and said, "He has his own things to do."

The girl seemed to notice the change in Xiao Yu's mood. Her beautiful eyes turned sly as she whispered, "You little minx, no wonder you stayed home for so long. So you were hiding such a handsome young man."

Xiao Yu's pretty face reddened as she chided her, "Don't talk nonsense. He... he's only my cousin."

The girl looked utterly unconvinced. "Cousins? Are you related by blood? Don't tell me it's like with that little brother Xiao Yan—no blood relation at all?"

"You wouldn't happen to be planning to steal him for yourself, would you?"

Xiao Yu flushed crimson at her words and secretly glanced at Lin Feng. He seemed not to have noticed them. Her jade-like hands pinched the tender waist of the girl beside her as she scolded, "You brat, stop talking nonsense."

"Hehe, you're embarrassed now. Fine, fine, I'll stop teasing you."

The girl begged for mercy, and only then did Xiao Yu let go. Looking at Lin Feng, the girl thought he was indeed quite handsome and asked Xiao Yu, "What is your cousin's strength? Ruo Lin Instructor seems to value him greatly."

"Dou Zhe Eight Star, Tier 3 Alchemist."

Xiao Yu answered calmly, but the girl was anything but calm. Her pretty face was filled with shock, and her little mouth opened wide enough to fit an egg.

"Th-this is terrifying!"

After a long while, that was all the girl could say.

Heavens, what sort of monsters were all these clansmen Xiao Yu had brought? There was Xun Er, then Xiao Yan, and now an even more terrifying one. Not only had he reached Dou Zhe Eight Star, he was also a Tier 3 Alchemist.

Either one of those qualifications alone would have been enough to suppress everyone else, let alone a genius talented in two fields.

"Your cousin isn't even twenty yet, is he?"

The girl asked in disbelief. Xiao Yu nodded. She was already used to her friend's reaction. There was no helping it—who could blame Lin Feng for being such a monster?

Excelling in one area was already enough to look down upon countless others, yet he was equally outstanding in alchemy. It truly made people jealous and envious at the same time.

Looking at Lin Feng's back, she knew that she would likely only be able to look up at him and watch him move forward.

Over there, Lin Feng was discussing matters with Xiao Yan. He had already packed everything and could set out at any time.

Xiao Yan said that the recruitment on his side had already been wrapped up. All that remained was to ask the instructor for leave.

After saying that, the two of them looked at the gentle and captivating Ruo Lin Instructor at the same time.

Ruo Lin Instructor, who had been watching them all along, was immediately stunned. From their conversation just now, she had understood some of the situation.

"No way, little one. You're asking for leave right after joining the academy?"

Then she looked at Lin Feng. "You're going on training with him?"

Lin Feng rubbed his nose. The way she said that, and the look in her eyes—it was as if he had led a good student astray.

Xiao Yan awkwardly forced out a smile and looked at the woman as gentle as water. "Instructor, I have a reason why I must go."

Seemingly afraid that she would refuse, Xiao Yan immediately added, "Just one year. After one year, I'll report to the academy right away."