The moment he checked in, he was taken away?

Fang Qingyun had ranked low at the Martial Academy over the past year because of his limited aptitude, but he was absolutely well-liked.

He had a large circle of friends and could chat with anyone. He was upright and honest, and everyone liked his personality.

Although his cultivation limited his prospects and few people took him seriously, there was no need to offend him.

After all, he was a good, honest, and reliable person—everyone agreed on that.

Besides, everyone here practiced martial arts, so their legs weren't worth much. Thus, whenever Fang Qingyun came to the Martial Academy's gate to take a look, a large group of both boys and girls followed him over.

It was nothing—an exercise that didn't even count as helping with digestion. It was also a good way to relax while the old students were graduating and the new students had yet to arrive.

Several girls pressed him: "How handsome is he? Is he more handsome than Dong Yunyu, Wu Zhibing, Hua Kaixie, and Jun Hefang?"

Those four were the White Cloud Martial Academy's four geniuses, as well as its four most handsome men. Their looks, figures, bearing, family backgrounds, aptitude, and cultivation were all top-notch. Moreover, they had already achieved something and made their names known far and wide.

Dong Yunyu, in particular, was said to be able to directly join the Guardian Army after graduating next year. His prospects were limitless.

Those four were also the objects of countless female Martial Students' attention.

Although they were all martial artists, a young girl's dreamy feelings were not much different from those of an ordinary woman.

Fang Qingyun recalled for a moment and said with a bitter smile, "In terms of looks, he should be about the same. But as for confidence, bearing, cultivation, aptitude, foundations..."

He did not continue, but everyone understood.

There were plenty of handsome men. But how many people in the entire world possessed looks, figure, confidence, bearing, cultivation, aptitude, and foundations all in one?

From this, it was clear that Fang Qingyun's younger cousin was merely an ordinary person who was slightly handsome.

Everyone now had a rough idea.

As they were talking, they suddenly saw a black-clad youth walking slowly toward the Martial Academy's gate in the distance.

It was the academy's southern gate.

It was early morning. The sun had risen in the east, and the rosy light filled the sky.

The youth walked out of the rosy light. He wore a black cloak with dark-gold patterns and strolled forward. The cloak rose and fell with his steps, reflecting a bewildering radiance.

His face was as fine as jade, his brows like swords, his eyes like deep pools and stars. His nose was straight, his lips slightly thin, and his features faintly lean. Tall and graceful, with his hair drifting lightly, long arms, a narrow waist, and long legs that seemed ready to support his body all the way into the starry sky, he walked with two straight legs and a long sword hanging at his waist.

His bearing was elegant and composed.

There was a calmness to him that said, "Though mountains collapse, my expression will not change; though life and death loom, I will not be moved." There was also a sharpness that said, "I will calmly endure a thousand trials, and cleave open ten thousand hardships with one sword."

Striding forward, he seemed like a dreamlike figure emerging from boundless rosy light.

The eyes of the several girls present suddenly lit up.

"Wow..."

"Ahhh..."

"Th-this... this..."

All the girls vaguely felt that this was the perfect man from their dreams, walking right out of them.

"Who is that?"

"Is he a new student? Is he here to check in?"

"Ah, I'm dead, I'm dead..."

"Is he one of this year's new students? Can a new student really be this outstanding?"

Just then...

Fang Qingyun beside them moved.

"Cousin!"

Fang Qingyun was thrilled. I finally waited for him. I completed the task Father gave me. I won't have to get beaten anymore.

Fang Qingyun excitedly went forward, waving and shouting.

Behind him.

A sea of bewildered faces.

The male and female students looked at one another.

Was this the cousin Fang Qingyun had described as "decent-looking, not very sensible, unable to speak properly, spoiled, lacking manners, average in aptitude, average in bearing, average in confidence, average in grace, and average in foundations"?

Was this the cousin Fang Qingyun always sighed over, gritted his teeth about, and vowed, "Once he grows up and learns better, I'm definitely going to beat him up to vent my anger"?

Everyone watched Fang Qingyun's back as he went forward, utterly confused.

Martial Brother Fang, did you perhaps misunderstand the meaning of the word "average"? Just from looking at him, the only things that cannot be seen are his aptitude and foundations. Everything else, whether looks or bearing, is unquestionably top-tier! In fact, compared with the academy's top figures—Jun Hefang, Wu Zhibing, Hua Kaixie, and the others—though the aura of an aristocratic family was very strong around them, they were still far inferior to this cousin in sheer composure.

This was the unhurried calm of someone who had weathered storms, the carefree indifference of someone who had seen the rise and fall of the world.

Seeing Fang Che's composure, the students even felt as though they were looking at peak figures like the academy president and vice president.

Unmoved by honor or disgrace, watching flowers bloom and wither before the courtyard; indifferent to staying or leaving, observing clouds roll and unfurl across the sky.

He regarded life and death lightly and faced the storms with a smile.

Anyone like this would be outstanding and peerless wherever they went!...

Over there, Fang Che had already joined Fang Qingyun, smiling warmly and amiably. "Cousin, have you been waiting long?"

Fang Qingyun nodded repeatedly. "Not too long, not too long... Huh? What did you call me?"

Fang Qingyun was stunned, his eyes widening.

Is this still my cousin, the one whose sarcastic remarks make people want to draw knives and grab clubs the moment he opens his mouth? Why is he so polite?

Fang Che asked in surprise, "I called you Cousin. What else could I call you? If I called you Maternal Uncle, would you dare answer?"

Here it comes, here it comes!

There it was! That familiar, chokingly irritating tone made Fang Qingyun reveal a gratified smile. "You really are my cousin! When I saw you just now, I thought you'd become a different person."

"..."

Fang Che was speechless.

As they spoke, the dozens of people behind Fang Qingyun had already surrounded the two of them three deep.

Every one of them was full of curiosity.

The girls in particular were few in number—only four or five—but the heat in their eyes nearly melted Fang Che.

He even found such gazes difficult to withstand, feeling as though he were in danger of being eaten if he did not run at once.

"Fang Qingyun, this is our cousin? Fang Che?"

One oval-faced girl asked shyly, "Hello, Cousin. My surname is Liu, Liu Xueyun. I'm your cousin's classmate."

Fang Che's handsome face was blank with confusion. "Hello, Senior Sister Liu."

Liu Xueyun laughed generously. Her eyes seemed ready to drip water as they rested on Fang Che's face. "Why call me Senior Sister Liu? That sounds distant. You can call me Sister Yun or Sister Xueyun."

Another girl puffed out her chest and said tremulously, "Hello, Cousin. My surname is Wang, Wang Bingbing. You can call me Sister Bingbing."

Fang Che's head spun. After Fang Qingyun's introductions and the girls introducing themselves, he had met thirty or forty people, and his head felt ready to split open.

Naturally, he did not show it on his face.

Instead, he greeted each person with refined manners, measured and steady.

From beginning to end, only one girl merely smiled at him without eagerly coming forward to greet him.

Fang Che had not noticed her at first. He smiled politely and nodded at her, then suddenly realized that although the girl's expression was smiling, her eyes were not.

Her gaze was cold and indifferent.

She had come with a group of people to welcome him to school. Why was she like this?

As a seasoned veteran accustomed to keeping his eyes on six directions and his ears on eight, able to notice everyone's emotions in complicated situations, how could Fang Che overlook such an abnormality?

His heart gave a sudden thump. He immediately noted where the girl was standing. She kept a careful distance from everyone, maintaining proper boundaries while naturally remaining somewhat aloof.

It was clear that she seemed to want to blend in, yet could not. But this was not because the others rejected her. Rather, she was rejecting them.

An ordinary youth would merely feel that the girl was somewhat aloof. But in Fang Che's eyes, this woman was abnormal. She stood among her friends while rejecting every one of them? Humans were social creatures. No matter how cold and aloof a girl was, she would still have friends.

If someone remained completely out of place among the people they spent every day with, then either the group had a problem, or they did.

It was like a wolf mingling with a pack of huskies. No matter how it disguised itself or tried to fit in, deep down it would always feel that the creatures around it were not its own kind.

Fang Che spotted her at a glance.

He sighed inwardly. Compared with the pretenders he had encountered in his previous life, these people from the Martial Academy were indeed still far too immature.

After greeting everyone, he deliberately moved closer to that girl and said in surprise, "Cousin, you all came to welcome me? This is... this is too unexpected. Sister Xueyun, Sister Bingbing, and this... this..." He looked at Wan Zhimei. "This is my first time receiving such a grand welcome from so many beautiful women."

His meaning was obvious: I don't know this one's name.

A burst of laughter immediately broke out.

Amid the laughter, Fang Qingyun introduced her warmly. "That's your Sister Wan, Wan Zhimei. She's my senior classmate."

Fang Che suddenly understood. "Hello, Sister Wan."

Wan Zhimei could only smile and nod. "Your cousin is so handsome."

Fang Che laughed loudly. He silently memorized her name and said happily, "I never realized my cousin was so popular at the Martial Academy, with so many warm and loyal male classmates and so many beautiful, graceful, gentle female classmates. Before I came, my Maternal Uncle was worried. He said my cousin's personality was average and that he probably didn't have many friends. When I go back, I'll definitely tell him, 'Old man, you were wrong!'"

The male students were delighted.

The female students were even more radiant.

Fang Qingyun was completely dumbfounded.

Cousin, where did your venomous tongue go?

Where are your sarcasm and cutting remarks? Bring them out!

You're making everything I said before look like a pack of lies.

Could it be that your poisonous tongue and sharp remarks were aimed only at me?

"You seem to have grown quite a bit taller?" Fang Qingyun said somewhat sourly. He was taller than me before.

"Mm, I grew about a palm taller. I'm around one meter eighty-three now." Fang Che smiled and lowered his gaze to look at his cousin's head.

Fang Qingyun's mouth twitched.

Feeling Fang Che's gaze from above fixed on the crown of his head, he snorted and retreated several steps.

He suddenly felt a strong urge to hit someone.

After getting acquainted with everyone, they chatted and laughed as they accompanied Fang Che to check in.

"Check-in."

"What's your name?"

"Fang Che."

"Fang Che?"

The registration staff inside suddenly fell silent.

The people waiting outside could not help looking at one another in surprise.

What was going on?

This was the first time they had seen the registration staff freeze after a new student reported his name.

Then...

They saw several people rise into the air within the White Cloud Martial Academy and fly over from afar.

The leader was actually the academy inspector, with several administrators beside him. Then another person overtook them from behind, white beard fluttering as he suddenly descended. It was the Vice President.

Everyone was struck dumb and held their breath. They hurriedly bowed in greeting, not even daring to raise their heads.

Why had these super-major figures from the academy come today?

What had happened?

Then they heard the academy inspector ask, "Who is Fang Che?!"

Fang Che was somewhat surprised. He stepped forward and said, "I'm Fang Che."

"Good. Enter him into the register."

Then he said, "Fang Che, come with me."

The speaker was the Vice President.

Immediately afterward, the group of important figures took Fang Che and turned, roaring away.

Fang Che did not even have time to greet Fang Qingyun before he was taken away.

Behind him, Fang Qingyun and all the students were collectively dumbfounded.

Wh-what was going on?

His cousin was not only handsome, graceful, and refined—could it be that he also had such an enormous face? But this was wrong. With all these people escorting him, why did it look like they were taking a criminal away? Had his cousin committed some offense?