Why Are There Six People in the Top Five? Perfectly Reasonable, Right?

"You mean, you want her to the Jia Nan Academy?"

Mentor Ruo Lin looked at Qing Ning, who was standing timidly next to Xiao Yuan, with a face full of doubt.

What's this kid up to? He took leave to go out just to bring a little girl he seems to have a close relationship with through connections?

"A fourteen-year-old with Nine Stages Dou Qi, wouldn't you say that's acceptable?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan smiled and said.

"She's qualified, but what you're doing... Yu'er..."

Upon Mentor Ruo Lin frowned and said with some difficulty.

"Um, Professor, let's talk in private."

Xiao Yuan nodded upon hearing this, then led Mentor Ruo Lin aside and said in a deep voice.

"I bought this girl at an auction before I came to the academy. I didn't want to see her bought and used as a tool for sexual gratification, but I later discovered that her health condition was not good." Xiao Yuan briefly introduced Qing Ning's situation, and then said, "In order for her to live, I can only ask you, mentor, to take good care of her!"

As a woman, Mentor Ruo Lin's compassion surged upon hearing this, and seeing Xiao Yuan's Earth Eye, she immediately agreed.

"Okay, I'll try my best. Also, I need to report this situation to the Vice Dean."

Seeing that Mentor Ruo Lin had indeed agreed to the matter, Xiao Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Qing Ning's current strength was still too weak, and it would be better to leave the initial cultivation guidance to a professional.

Xiao Yuan's cultivation method is something that ordinary people simply cannot learn, so it has no reference value.

Moreover, it's really inappropriate to have such a little girl who looks like a maidservant around all the time.

On the way, he had already made arrangements with Qing Ning so that at the Jia Nan Academy, at least as a student, she would no longer be trampled on at will like she was in the Black-Corner Region.

"Qing Ning, you must listen to Mentor Ruo Lin from now on. I'll be waiting for you in the Inner Academy."

Xiao Yuan walked to Qing Ning's side, gently patted her head with a smile, and said softly.

"Um."

Qing Ning nodded emphatically, her little face full of seriousness and earnestness.

"Mentor Ruo Lin, thank you for your help!"

Xiao Yuan nodded to Mentor Ruo Lin and then left alone.

"Your name is Qing Ning, right? From now on, I will be your mentor. Just like Xiao Yuan, you can call me Mentor Ruo Lin."

Mentor Ruo Lin's smile was gentle and warm, like a spring rain nourishing the earth, which made Qing Ning, who was new to the place and still a little shy, feel much more at ease.

"Hello, Mentor Ruo Lin"

Walking slowly along the tree-lined paths between the academies, Xiao Yuan squinted his eyes, not paying much attention to the scorching gazes from those around him. Although he had disappeared for six days because of Qing Ning, his popularity within the academy had not diminished at all.

According to the academy's rules, within seven days after the Selection Competition Selection Competition, the top fifty students must begin preparing to enter the Inner Academy. The top five, including Xiao Yuan, can choose a time within these seven days to enter the academy's Library Pavilion. As a reward, they are qualified to choose something of their own based on luck.

Xiao Yuan was also very interested in that mysterious Library Pavilion that even Xun'er couldn't forget, after all, there was a sonic Dou Technique in it that was just right for him, the Lion Tiger Shattering Gold Roar!

However, according to the rules, only the first five people can enter at the same time.

Although Hu Jia and Wu Hao's injuries were no longer serious, three of the top five were with Xiao Yuan. Since Xiao Yuan wasn't coming back, they naturally didn't plan to enter. This left Hu Jia and Wu Hao quite helpless. However, since Xiao Yuan had defeated them so easily, they couldn't say anything else and could only wait silently.

In the Library Pavilion, Xiao Yuan walked along, lost in thought.

Although this sonic Dou Technique is quite suitable for him at this moment, in a sense, he doesn't necessarily have to take it.

During the previous Selection Competition, he had a sudden inspiration and used the Mystic Ice Dragon Flight to draw out the dragon energy within his body, which passively caused him to roar out a dragon's cry. This shows that if he explores and studies further, he may be able to roughly grasp how to use the dragon energy.

It should be noted that Jia Nan Academy's Library Pavilion also contains Earth Rank Dou Techniques. Even someone like Yao Lao doesn't have a large stock of Dou Technique of that level. After all, it's better to barter for rare Medicinal Herbs or other more useful items than to use Dou Technique techniques whose attributes are not suitable for him.

Therefore, Xiao Yuan was considering whether to abandon the Lion Tiger Shattering Gold Roar and instead try to find a higher-grade Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills with a higher potential.

What are you thinking about?

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, accompanied by a fragrant breeze. Xiao Yu came to Xiao Yuan's side, reached out and hugged Xiao Yuan's arm, and asked with a light laugh.

"It's nothing." Xiao Yuan shook his head upon hearing this, then added, "Let's go to the Library Pavilion tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to the Dou Technique techniques there!"

"Hmph, looking forward to it? I don't see it. If you were really looking forward to it, you wouldn't have asked Mentor Ruo Lin for leave to go out these past few days. Tell me, what were you rushing off to?"

Xiao Yu smelled another woman's scent on Xiao Yuan. Although she asked him in a joking manner, if Xiao Yuan Xiao Yuan dared to lie to her, she would definitely give that philandering scoundrel a good beating.

"It's nothing. Xiao Yan and I attended an auction in the Black-Corner Region before and met a pitiful little girl. I bought her. I didn't have time to bring her before. Now that the competition is over, I brought her to the academy and entrusted her to Mentor Ruo Lin's care."

Xiao Yuan shrugged and briefly explained the situation.

"Such phenomena are quite common in places like the Black-Corner Region. Hey, Xiao Yuan, you've really played the hero and saved the damsel in distress!"

Xiao Yu said with a slightly mischievous smile.

"If it were you, wouldn't you have saved them?"

Xiao Yuan understood Xiao Yu and naturally didn't think Xiao Yu would be jealous of a little girl. He shook his head and asked seriously.

"Yeah, that's true. Although our abilities are limited, we'll save as many as we can."

Xiao Yu was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded, her face showing regret and her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

After all, even with her Peak Dou Master strength, she doesn't even have the qualifications to travel alone in the Black-Corner Region!

Xiao Yu seemed to be beginning to understand why Xiao Yuan was working so hard to cultivate.

There are so many things that require me to have enough strength on my own!

In the Douqi Continent, only those with power have enough influence and ability to do what they want! "Pop!"

Suddenly, Xiao Yu pecked Xiao Yuan on the cheek.

"Hehe, consider this a reward for you!"

Seeing Xiao Yuan's slightly puzzled look, Xiao Yu smiled and said...

Are you sure you're not rewarding yourself?

Xiao Yuan sniffed the faint fragrance emanating from the lipstick mark left by Xiao Yu on his cheek. His heart fluttered slightly, and he winked and teased her.

"Pah, you're so narcissistic!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at Xiao Yuan and said coquettishly.

"Hehe, I just have a clear understanding of myself."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

"Snort!"

Xiao Yu snorted in response, giving an expression that said, "You're an idiot, I won't stoop to your level."

The next day, after Xiao Yuan had a good night's rest and replenished his strength, he came down to the lobby and found that Mentor Ruo Lin, Xun'er, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yu had already prepared their attire, and a middle-aged man dressed in the academy's instructor robes was standing to the side.

"Everyone woke up early! Good morning! And who is this mentor?" Xiao Yuan asked with a smile as he walked downstairs and turned his gaze to the middle-aged man.

"Xiao Yuan, this is Mentor Kulu." Mentor Ruo Lin introduced with a smile, "Hu Jia and Wu Hao have fully recovered from their injuries. According to the rules, this morning is your time to enter the Library Pavilion, and this afternoon you will enter the Inner Academy with everyone else."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan nodded in understanding, then bowed to the middle-aged man and greeted him with a smile, "Greetings Mentor Kulu."

"Hehe, okay."

Mentor Kulu seemed to have a good impression of Xiao Yuan, and nodded with a kind smile.

That makes sense. Although this Mentor Kulu, is a mentor, his strength is only that of Seven Star Great Fighter. He witnessed the battle in the Selection Competition firsthand and knew that he was no match for Xiao Yuan. Naturally, he wouldn't put on any airs as a mentor.

This is the benefit that strength brings.

"Come with me."

Afterwards, Mentor Kulu gave some instructions to Xiao Yuan and the other three, and then turned around and led the way.

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan and the other three quickly followed.

In the spacious and bright room, bookshelves were crisscrossed and filled with all kinds of antique books, giving it a particularly scholarly atmosphere. At this moment, in the center of the room, two people were standing quietly. Behind the table in front of them, an elderly man with white hair and beard was slowly flipping through the documents in his hands. The entire room was in a state of silence.

Standing in the room were Hu Jia and Wu Hao, both of whom had almost fully recovered from their injuries and were in high spirits. Wu Hao stood tall and straight, his breathing steady, while Hu Jia stared at the old man reading a book, then pouted with a wronged expression after a long while.

After a silence that lasted for about ten minutes, Vice Dean Hu Qian finally looked up from his book and said calmly, "Don't expect me to avenge you. You gathered so many people to attack, and you were still defeated. If you're so capable, you can go and beat him up to vent your anger. But as for who can beat whom, I don't care. Jia Nan Academy does not prohibit such sparring. You can do it anytime you want."

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to do anything. I was careless when I was defeated like that. I didn't expect him to be able to use such a powerful Dou Technique. But I didn't use my real trump card either, otherwise, we don't know who would have won or lost." Hu Jia snorted and said, "I'm just angry that that guy doesn't know how to be gentle with women. I'm a girl, after all. Couldn't he have gone a little easier? I'm not like Wu Hao, who's thick-skinned."

Wu Hao, who was standing to the side, had originally been indifferent to the matter, but he was inexplicably caught in the crossfire and couldn't help but turn his gaze over.

Then, he glanced at Hu Qian again, and decided to be magnanimous this time and not stoop to Hu Jia's level.

Hearing Hu Jia's mutterings, Hu Qian couldn't help but laugh, saying somewhat teasingly, "Tender for women? You don't seem to be considered a jade in his eyes, do you?"

"Hey old man, are you really my grandfather?!"

Hu Jia was immediately struck by this and stomped her feet in anger. If Wu Hao hadn't been there, she would have dared to pluck Hu Qian's beard right now! "Crunch."

The door opened and a voice suddenly rang out. "Vice Dean, Xiao Yuan and the other three have arrived."

"Please invite them in." Closing the book in his hands, Hu Qian replied with a smile, then turned his gaze to Hu Jia and Wu Hao, and said, "You two will likely have to fight together when you enter the Inner Academy, so don't let things get awkward. Every year, the new students who enter the Inner Academy don't stick together, otherwise the outcome won't be very good. Besides, in the Inner Academy, strength is paramount. Whoever has the strongest fist will get the best cultivation conditions. There, your background is useless, including mine!"

As he said the last sentence, Hu Qian stared intently at Hu Jia, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Hu Jia pursed her lips, and although she didn't agree or disagree in her heart, she nodded on the surface.

Shortly after Hu Qian finished speaking, four figures quickly entered through the door. Their gazes swept around the spacious room before finally settling on Hu Qian behind the table. They then stepped forward in unison and bowed in greeting.

"Hehe, the four of you have finally arrived."

Smiling at the two of them, Hu Qian's gaze lingered on Xiao Yuan's face for a while longer. He felt that his earlier assessment was indeed quite good. In all his years of life, this was the first time he had ever seen such a perfect face as Xiao Yuan's.

Even his own beautiful granddaughter was still slightly inferior.

The key is that this young man's Dou Technique are extremely proficient, making one wonder if he started practicing Dou Technique from the womb. "Since you're all here, I won't waste any more time. You should know why you were called here." Standing up from his chair, Hu Qian smiled and said, "You are the top five in this year's Selection Competition. According to the rules, you are qualified to enter the Library Pavilion to try your luck."

As he spoke, Hu Qian went to the wall behind him and casually clapped his hands a few times. A deep rumbling sound rang out, and then a dark passage appeared in front of Xiao Yuan and the other six.

"Follow me." Waving to the six people, Hu Qian took the lead and entered the dark passage. Hu Jia, looking curious, followed without hesitation, followed by Wu Hao. After they all entered, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance and nodded before each pulling their girlfriends and carefully entering the dark passage. Their years of experience had forged their cautious nature.

After entering the passage, Xiao Yuan discovered that the walls were inlaid with large luminous pearls. The faint light made the passage somewhat hazy, but it was enough for Xiao Yuan and the others to see everything clearly.

The atmosphere in the passageway was quiet, with only the soft rustling of footsteps.

About half an hour later, a glimmer of light finally appeared at the end of the passage. Seeing the light, the people in the passage quickened their pace, and after a moment, they finally reached the end of the passage and stepped out.

The blinding sunlight streamed down from the sky, causing Hu Jia and the others to habitually close their eyes slightly. However, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan simultaneously covered their eyes with the Heavenly Flames, completely unaffected by the change in environment, and focused on observing everything before them.

Before Xiao Yuan and the others lay the bottom of a valley, with steep cliffs rising all the way to the horizon. Between the three cliffs, there was a wide open space, and on that open space stood a massive, somewhat astonishingly ancient pavilion.

His gaze slowly swept over the massive, ancient pavilion, finally settling on an extremely old plaque outside the pavilion, on which three characters, somewhat blurred by the erosion of time, were faintly visible.

The Library Pavilion! The ancient characters, though weathered by time, still left Xiao Yuan and the others in awe of the rustic charm they conveyed. As expected of the mysterious Library Pavilion in the Outer Academy of the Jia Nan Academy, this plaque alone revealed its identity.

Hu Qian led the five people slowly toward the Library Pavilion. When they were about twenty meters away, he suddenly stopped, cupped his fists toward the Library Pavilion, and said, "The top five in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been determined. According to the rules, I have brought them here. Please open the door, elders!"

Hu Qian's words, carried by his Dou Qi, lingered in the small valley, never dissipating.

Shortly after Hu Qian finished speaking, Xiao Yuan's expression hardened, and he focused on the two Gray-robed Man figures sitting cross-legged at the entrance. When he came in earlier, he had clearly seen that there was not a single person here!

But just after Hu Qian's voice rang out, these two appeared out of thin air! And these two were the guardians of the Jia Nan Academy, the Thousand-Hundred Two Elders, whose strength was equivalent to the Peak Dou Zong!

Before them, even the former Venerable Yao had to remain silent within the ring to avoid being sensed by them.

Hu Qian's voice slowly dissipated in the valley, while the two Gray-robed Man figures remained completely still, as if they had not heard a thing.

Seeing that there was no response to his words, Hu Qian remained silent, keeping his fists clasped and waiting quietly.

After a nearly ten-minute silence in the valley, the robes of the two Gray-robed Man figures sitting cross-legged at the pavilion's entrance trembled slightly. Then, two pairs of eyes, as calm and still as those of old monks, rose from beneath their robes, sweeping lightly over Hu Qian and the others before finally settling on Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan. Their gray robes trembled slightly, and a soft, hoarse exclamation of surprise escaped their lips. "Heavenly Flames?"

The faint sound echoed slowly in the silent valley, and clearly reached the ears of Xiao Yuan and the others.

"May I ask your names, young friends?" A man in Gray-robed Man stared at Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, his hoarse voice revealing a sense of vicissitude accumulated over the years.

Hearing that the Gray-robed Man had abandoned Hu Qian and asked Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan questions, the people in the valley were all taken aback. They then turned their strange gazes to the two men. Judging from Hu Qian's respectful attitude towards the two Gray-robed Man, the two men clearly held extraordinary positions in the Jia Nan Academy. The fact that the two Xiao Clan brothers could attract the interest of these two men was truly enviable.

Immediately afterwards, several surprised and suspicious gazes fell on Xiao Yuan.

Judging from the Gray-robed Man's words, could it be that Xiao Yuan also possesses Heavenly Flames? Xiao Yuan was somewhat troubled by the Gray-robed Man's question. He had never used Heavenly Flames since entering Jia Nan Academy, and yet it had been brought up like this. It was truly unpleasant! However, he could not remain silent. He exchanged a glance with Xiao Yan, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and respectfully said, "This humble one, Xiao Yuan (Xiao Yan), greets the two elders."

"Fire is divided into black and white, rising and falling, seemingly distinct, but in reality they are interdependent, mutually transforming and restraining each other. If I am not mistaken, the Heavenly Flames that you control, young friend, should be the Yin Yang Dual Flames, ranked twenty-first on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

The aged voice lingered in Xiao Yuan's ears, causing a hint of surprise to appear in his eyes. This old man had actually seen at a glance that the Heavenly Flames within him was the Yin Yang Dual Flames. Such insight was truly astonishing! "It seems that you two are brothers. To be able to control Heavenly Flames at such a young age is truly a gifted talent," the Gray-robed Man on the left sighed softly, his voice tinged with admiration. Then he shifted his gaze to Hu Qian and said in a hoarse voice, "The top five this year are much better than the previous year."

Hearing this, Hu Qian breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled, "In that case, please unlock the Space Lock, elders."

"Wait, how come there are six people in your top five?"

The Gray-robed Man on the left then asked.

"Well, it's reasonable that there are six people in the top five, right?"

Hu Qian said somewhat hesitantly.

Logically speaking, it would be better to have Hu Jia and Wu Hao compete again to determine the fifth place, but what if Hu Jia loses? Wouldn't that be a huge loss? "Hehe, never mind."

The Gray-robed Man on the right seemed to be in a good mood upon hearing this. He smiled and waved his hand, then slowly extended two pairs of withered palms from his sleeves. He then slowly formed hand seals, one finger at a time. As they formed the hand seals, Xiao Yuan and the others could clearly feel two extremely powerful and invisible waves emanating from their palms like waves.

The invisible fluctuations gradually spread, finally coming into contact with the spatial folds. Upon contact, the space in front of Xiao Yuan and the others became like a mirror made of water, constantly rippling. After a moment, the ripples stopped, and a slightly illusory door was slowly torn open by an invisible hand.

"Let's go." Upon seeing the spatial portal appear, Hu Qian waved and then took the lead in walking in. Xiao Yuan followed without hesitation.

Stepping out of the invisible doorway, Xiao Yuan found that his vision had become much brighter than before, and his eyes, which were looking at the pavilion, were also clearer. Clearly, they had truly entered the Space Lock.

After thanking the two elders who opened the door, Hu Qian pointed to the Library Pavilion and turned to Xiao Yuan and the others, saying, "Now you can enter the Library Pavilion on your own. Remember, no matter what you want, you must not force it, because everything inside has been covered with an energy layer. If your hand can pass through the energy layer without any hindrance, then you can take the things inside. Of course, no matter how much you can take, you can only take one thing out of the Library Pavilion. Do not be greedy, otherwise you will end up with nothing."

If you cannot penetrate the energy layers, then give up. With your strength, you cannot break through them. Every year, many people enter the Library Pavilion, but quite a few leave empty-handed. Therefore, everything is up to fate; do not force what you cannot have.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan and the others nodded, exchanged glances, and then slowly walked towards the Library Pavilion.