Passing the First Test

Since he had moved closer to the front of the line, Tang San could naturally see Dai Mubai sitting behind the old man at close range. Dai Mubai was not only responsible for keeping order, but also for leading those who passed the preliminary test into the academy.

Dai Mubai finally spotted Tang San as well. A faint smile appeared on his cold face as he nodded at them, pointed at the old man, then spread his hands with a helpless expression. He was clearly telling him that registration depended on his own efforts; there was nothing Dai Mubai could do to help.

As they communicated with their eyes, a soft cry of surprise suddenly pulled Tang San's attention away.

The old man in charge of registration wore an uncertain, startled expression. A young girl stood before him, drawing back the hand she had extended.

The girl had no parents accompanying her and was alone. Her simple white dress gave off a clean, fresh impression. Her neat short hair fell to her ears, and she was about half a head shorter than Tang San. Since her back was turned toward him, he could not see her face, but the skin at the nape of her neck showed that she had exceptionally fair, tender skin.

"Excuse me, have I passed the preliminary test?" The girl's voice was soft and pleasant. It lacked some spirited strength, but its gentle, yielding tone made people feel weak at the knees.

Tang San could tell from the way Dai Mubai looked at the girl that she had to be very beautiful. The light in Dai Mubai's evil eyes was no longer cold, but wolfish. Naturally, it was the lustful kind of wolf.

The surprise on the old man's face gradually faded. Frowning, he asked, "Do your family know you came here?"

The girl did not answer his question directly. She merely smiled. "They say education should make no distinctions. As long as I meet the academy's requirements, you have no reason to reject me, do you?"

The old man seemed to hesitate before waving toward Dai Mubai. "Take her inside."

The wolfish gleam in Dai Mubai's eyes quickly vanished, and his cold expression returned as he led the girl toward the academy.

The remaining applicants quickly passed the old man's first-round test, and it was finally Tang San's turn. After escorting several applicants inside, Dai Mubai had already returned to the old man's side.

Tang San suddenly noticed that Dai Mubai's expression had changed. He was staring fixedly in the direction behind Tang San, as though he had seen something unbelievable.

Tang San instinctively turned around. Though he did not lose his composure like Dai Mubai, his heart still jolted in shock.

Only two applicants remained behind him, and they seemed to have arrived only recently. One was a girl who looked even a little younger than he was. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, and her face was slightly lowered. She was about the same height as the girl in the white dress, with similarly fair skin. Yet this girl gave off a distinctly different feeling.

Her extremely full figure did not match her age at all. If one did not look at her face, she could easily be mistaken for an adult girl. Her especially ample chest would draw the gaze of every man. She had the standard face of a child and the body of a grown woman.

In stark contrast to her fiery figure, the expression on the girl's face was indifferent. It was a coldness that came from within, pure and icy. There was not even the slightest trace of life in her black eyes, clashing somewhat with her originally beautiful face.

Her limbs were well-proportioned and slender, her hands hanging naturally at her sides. The deathly chill radiating from her made it difficult for others to endure.

The other girl had delicate features, light purple hair reaching down to her hips, and bright violet eyes. Her entire body gave off the fragrance of a hundred flowers. Her figure possessed perfect golden proportions and was even more developed than the black-haired girl's. She had a slender little waist and wore a light purple knee-length dress. Every movement she made carried an air of elegance.

Tang San found her very familiar. Lan Xue was the first person who came to mind, but he shook his head. How could Lan Xue have changed so much in six years?

"Are you registering or not? If not, don't block the way." The old man's voice pulled Tang San from his thoughts.

"I'm registering." Tang San placed the ten Gold Soul Coins he had prepared long ago into the wooden box and held out his hand.

When the old man placed his hand on Tang San's, the soft cry of surprise sounded again.

As if unwilling to believe it, the old man pinched Tang San's hand several more times. His expression immediately turned strange. Looking up at Tang San, he asked, "Have you practiced some kind of soul skill with your hands?"

The reason he pinched applicants' hands was to determine their true age through the bones in their palms. This was impossible to fake. Yet Tang San's hand was extraordinarily flexible, and he could not make out the condition of his bones at all.

Tang San's heart tightened. He nodded. "Yes."

The old man frowned. "Lift up your lower leg."

Tang San did as he was told, lifting his lower leg onto the table. The old man pinched it several times through his trousers, and Tang San immediately felt a wave of soreness and numbness.

The old man nodded at him. "Your muscles are well developed. Your bone age is suitable. All right, release your Martial Soul."

Tang San activated the Soul Power within his body. Blue light rose up, and a hundred-year Soul Ring spiraled into view. The most ordinary Blue Silver Grass grew from Tang San's palm, rapidly transforming under the Soul Ring's effect into the grass vine he had used when fighting Dai Mubai that day.

The old man's gaze fell on Tang San. "It's actually Blue Silver Grass. Can Blue Silver Grass cultivate this quickly?"

Tang San smiled faintly. "Teacher, doesn't your academy only accept monsters? Does that make me a monster?"