Wutan City's central square was packed with a sea of people stretching almost beyond sight. They had all come to take part in Jia Nan Academy's student selection.
The square was filled with clamor as countless young people desperately squeezed toward its interior. Around the edges, troops dispatched by the City Lord's Manor maintained order, holding back the excited crowd.
Fully armed soldiers surrounded the square in two or three layers. Their weapons gleamed with cold light, reflecting dazzling rays beneath the sun.
The strict security forced the applicants to line up and wait for selection. Even the descendants of Wutan City's three great families received no special privileges at a time like this.
But there were always exceptions. The three great families of Wutan City could not demand special treatment from the City Lord's Manor troops, but no one dared refuse the Mitel Auction House's request. Under the guidance of a Mitel Auction House attendant, Yan Qingshan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xuelan arrived at the rear of the square.
The Mitel Auction House attendant spoke quietly with an officer-like soldier for a while. After the officer swept his somewhat grim gaze over them, he waved his hand and shouted, "Let them through!"
At the officer's shout, the tightly packed wall of soldiers rang with the neat clatter of armor as a gap just wide enough for a person to pass opened up.
Yan Qingshan turned back and smiled faintly at Ya Fei, who was lifting the carriage curtain to watch them. Then he turned around and led Xuelan and Xiao Yi Xian through the human wall and into the selection area.
At the center of the square stood a huge temporary tent. Outside was a vast sea of people, while inside were young men and women who had passed