Enrollment, Nine Apertures Golden Pill

Through the window, Xiao Yang looked outside, where the outline of an enormous city slowly came into view.

"So this is Canaan City..."

Even from high in the air, he still could not take in the entire city at a glance. Its sheer size was evident.

Before long, the entire group landed at Canaan City's flying transport station.

Following Instructor Ruo Lin, Xiao Yang left the station. The moment he stepped through the gates, a broad street paved with bluestone stretched out before him. The surging crowds reminded him of visiting tourist attractions during holiday breaks in his previous life. His mouth twitched at once. He truly had no desire to become a human sandwich again.

He followed Instructor Ruo Lin for nearly half an hour. After turning onto another street, the ancient academy situated at the heart of the city finally came into view.

Instructor Ruo Lin treasured Xiao Yang dearly and personally took him to register. Then she brought him to collect the academy student badge and uniform.

However, an awkward issue arose: Xiao Yang could be said to be the youngest student in Jia Nan Academy's history.

Jia Nan Academy accepted students under the age of twenty, but they had to reach the eighth stage of Dou Qi before turning eighteen.

Thus, most students who came to enroll were around eighteen or nineteen years old.

No one would come to the academy as early as Xiao Yang.

On the Douqi Continent, if one began cultivating at the age of four, reaching the ninth stage of Dou Qi by fifteen was already considered outstanding.

Then, going from the ninth stage of Dou Qi to the tenth stage—the quasi-Dou Zhe level—would take roughly another year.

The only difference between the tenth stage of Dou Qi and a one-star Dou Zhe was condensing a Dou Qi Cyclone and cultivating a Dou Qi technique suited to one's attribute.

If one also took into account the unfortunate possibility of failing to condense the Dou Qi Cyclone and falling back to the eighth stage of Dou Qi, becoming a Dou Zhe at eighteen was already exceptionally impressive.

Of course, obtaining a Qi Gathering Powder could skip the cultivation process from the ninth stage of Dou Qi to the tenth stage, while also guaranteeing a one-hundred-percent success rate in condensing a Dou Qi Cyclone.

A tiny pill saved not only a year of bitter cultivation, but also eliminated the risk of failed advancement and a regression in Dou Qi.

Taken together, that saved at least three years.

Suppose a student intending to apply to Jia Nan Academy broke through to become a one-star Dou Zhe at fifteen. Normally, they would continue cultivating for another year or two, raising their cultivation to the five-star Dou Zhe level before applying to Jia Nan Academy. That way, they could receive an S-rank evaluation and better treatment.

That was also why Instructor Ruo Lin had not placed much emphasis on age during the admissions evaluation.

Because under normal circumstances, three extra years of cultivation naturally meant a higher level of cultivation.

Therefore, as long as they did not exceed the age limit, most students would surely wait until they were eighteen before enrolling.

As for someone like Xiao Yang, that was a privilege reserved for geniuses and monsters.

How did that saying go again? Other Jia Nan Academy students were rated S because their abilities only reached S-rank.

Xiao Yang was rated S because S was the highest standard Jia Nan Academy had. It did not mean they were qualified to stand on equal footing with him.

Thus, Xiao Yang's academy uniform had to be custom-made, and he would have to wait a while for it.

Xiao Yang could only pin Jia Nan Academy's badge to his chest.

Then Instructor Ruo Lin led Xiao Yang through more than half the academy. After passing several shaded paths, they finally entered an elegant, secluded little building.

Once inside, Instructor Ruo Lin told Xiao Yang to sit wherever he liked. Looking at him, she gathered her thoughts before slowly speaking. "Jia Nan Academy is divided into the Inner Courtyard and the Outer Courtyard. The Outer Courtyard is where we are now. The New Students recruited from all across the continent all study in the Outer Courtyard.

"Once their strength reaches a certain level, they may participate in the annual Inner Courtyard Selection Competition.

"The top fifty participants in each competition earn the qualification to enter the Inner Courtyard.

"The Inner Courtyard is completely different from the Outer Courtyard. To put it bluntly, Jia Nan Academy's Outer Courtyard is merely a place to test New Students. The true core of Jia Nan Academy lies within the Inner Courtyard!"

Jia Nan Academy's Outer Courtyard has Mysterious Rank and Yellow Rank classes. The class I manage is Yellow Rank.

If you can place among the top fifty in next year's Inner Courtyard Selection Competition, I can be promoted to a Mysterious Rank instructor.

This is my residence. You're still young, so you can live here from now on. It will also make it easier for me to look after you. Just cultivate in peace. Your teacher is still waiting for you to pass the assessment a year from now, charge into the Inner Courtyard, and make us proud."

Late at night, faint moonlight spilled down from the sky. Beneath its glow, the elegant little building appeared especially tranquil.

Xiao Yang sat cross-legged, recalling the notification that had sounded in his mind earlier: "Arrive at Jia Nan Academy and successfully enroll. Reward: one Nine Apertures Golden Pill."

To be honest, Xiao Yang had been startled when he heard the reward.

Because, frankly speaking, it was a little too generous.

The Nine Apertures Golden Pill came from the world of Eternal Life. It was among the finest spiritual pills for strengthening one's foundation and nourishing one's essence. It could cleanse one's meridians and marrow, remold one's body, and transform one's very constitution.

It could raise the aptitude, physique, and comprehension of one's physical body to their limits.

But to Xiao Yang, that was merely the most basic part.

Beyond that, once consumed, the Nine Apertures Golden Pill could increase one's lifespan by a full seven or eight hundred years!

And with that, he would no longer have any worries about taking the Life Devouring Pill!

But none of that was the most crucial part.

What truly mattered was that the Nine Apertures Golden Pill had been refined with the blood of the demonic sect's Yellow Springs Great Emperor mixed into it!

Xiao Yang had always considered comparing power levels across different works unreliable. Even so, he believed that Yellow Springs Great Emperor was far stronger than a Battle Emperor!

And the blood of such an expert—even a mere trace of it—would definitely be enough to completely awaken the Battle Emperor Bloodline within Xiao Yang, which had long since dried up.

However, this Battle Emperor Bloodline clearly had nothing to do with the Ancient Xiao Clan.

So there was no need to visit the Heavenly Tomb again in the future. Otherwise, Xiao Xuan might just slap him to death.

Xiao Yang took the Nine Apertures Golden Pill from the system space and examined it carefully. It was a thumb-sized, dark-golden pill. What was strange was that it had nine apertures on its surface. Merely the wafting pill fragrance from those nine apertures left him feeling clear-headed and refreshed.

Even more miraculous, the pill's nine apertures were like the nine apertures of a human body. Air currents flowed within them, gently inhaling and exhaling without pause, as though they contained a peculiar vitality.

At the same time, an instinct that seemed to come from the depths of his bloodline surged within Xiao Yang's body, urging him to swallow the pill.