Tian Yuanli

Jingting Private Aristocratic Academy.

The backgrounds of the academy's students were far too complicated, filled with the offspring of all kinds of high-ranking officials and wealthy families.

Those scions of power already possessed various forms of external influence.

And external influence could interfere with the academy's internal authority, forcing the two sides to balance one another...

So.

The headmaster and teachers often held only half, or even less than half, of the authority within the academy.

The remaining half was basically controlled by the Student Council and a small number of special students.

Of course.

Even among the ordinary students, there were plenty of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.

No one could say for sure whether the fat otaku sitting in front of them every day, going "Nico Nico Nii," had some distant relative who had once been a prime minister or finance minister...

And precisely because of this.

Taking every student into consideration, for a freshman to successfully enroll, they had to pass not only the headmaster's assessment but also the Student Council's.

The headmaster was usually responsible for examining a freshman's qualifications.

For example:

What kind of family did they come from?

How were their academic abilities?

The Student Council, meanwhile, was responsible for examining a freshman's personality and whether the other students would accept them.

For example:

Were they quick-tempered?

Would they make the other students feel uneasy?

--

A few more minutes passed.

Standing inside the moving elevator.

With a ding.

Xi Shenlian saw a broad, luxurious corridor.

Looking around.

Both sides of the corridor were lined with all kinds of rooms, each bearing a wooden plaque with different words written on it.

The Student Council Archives, the Student Council Treasury, the Student Council Activities Management Office...

The floor was covered with a high-end red carpet. Judging from its material and craftsmanship, it was probably some kind of exceptionally luxurious handmade plush carpet.

There were also all kinds of portraits and works of art lining both sides of the corridor.

There were sculptures from another continent, as well as Dongying-style paintings native to the region.

Even the ceiling and walls were covered in all kinds of exquisite, lifelike murals crafted by hand.

At the end of the corridor stood a red sandalwood door about four meters tall, covered in various golden decorations. A plaque beside it read: Student Council President's Office.

"Hmm~"

"It looks even more luxurious than the headmaster's office~"

With a hint of emotion in his voice.

Xi Shenlian strode out of the elevator.

He paid no attention at all to the furtive glances of the several Student Council members nearby.

Among them.

A female student about 170 centimeters tall wore a pair of old-fashioned glasses. Her golden hair was tied into a ponytail, and her skin was as fair as milk. She had beautiful features and a good figure, but her expression was aloof and unapproachable, radiating a cold air. She stepped forward and said directly:

"Are you the new student?"

"The headmaster already informed us in advance that you would be coming."

"I'm the Student Council secretary—Hisamatsu Minori. Come with me to meet the president."

She looked completely businesslike.

Normally.

Faced with such an introduction.

The other party should have answered her questions at once.

Then, they would have been obediently brought to the Student Council President's Office.

But what Hisamatsu Minori never expected was that Xi Shenlian would completely disregard procedure.

Faced with her words.

Xi Shenlian did not hurry to answer. Instead, he tilted his head with interest and carefully observed her.

Those strange, deep-purple eyes looked her up and down, then back up and down again. He stared until she could barely maintain her composure. Even her originally cold, rigid expression began to flush uncontrollably. Only then did Xi Shenlian calmly reply, as if nothing had happened, under her embarrassed and furious gaze:

"Then let's go."

Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was simply a few beats slow to react.

This caused Hisamatsu Minori to unconsciously grit her silver teeth.

She immediately wanted to scold him for being rude.

But when the words reached her lips, she ultimately said nothing.

After all, Xi Shenlian had indeed done nothing substantially discourteous just now.

Thus, she could only snort coldly before leading Xi Shenlian toward the room at the end of the passage, her expression somewhat irritated.

At the same time.

She could not help repeatedly pondering how to prevent him from enrolling...

And as he sensed her anger.

Xi Shenlian became even happier.

In particular, the sight of her clearly icy face paired with slightly flushed cheeks pleased him immensely.

The smile at the corners of his lips made the three Ye Qi sisters beside him exchange a glance before shaking their heads helplessly.

They could not understand what Xi Shenlian was trying to accomplish by deliberately offending a Student Council member right from the start.

However.

Based on their interactions over the past few days.

They felt that he probably found it more interesting this way, which was why he had deliberately done it.

As for the other Student Council members nearby, their heads were full of question marks. They had no idea what had just happened.

It was not long before.

When the doors were pushed open, an enormous office appeared before Xi Shenlian's eyes.

The various furnishings were things he could not quite understand, but every single one exuded an air of expense. They amply proved just how noble the identity of the office's occupant was.

However.

Xi Shenlian felt no particular reaction to the luxury of the place.

His strongest impressions were actually about unrelated matters.

For example:

Antiques really are far too common in this world...

The various thousand-year-old families can turn anything they stockpile into an antique...

So.

Very soon.

His gaze turned toward the graceful figure standing by the window and surveying the scenery below, showing him only her back.

Hmm...

Not a bad figure...

That was his first thought.

All right, her hair looks pretty good...

That was his second thought.

And her strength isn't bad either...

That was his third thought.

Yes, her strength was not bad either.

This was the highest evaluation Xi Shenlian had given anyone's strength in the past few months!

Apart from that.

Every other person was a weakling in his eyes.

Whether it was the three Ye Qi sisters behind him, Saigo Kadoko from the government, or the security captain he had encountered earlier.

Their strengths might differ somewhat when compared to one another.

But to Xi Shenlian.

There was no substantive difference whatsoever!

They all belonged to the level where he could accidentally crush them to death!

When coming into contact with them.

Xi Shenlian had to restrain his own strength as much as possible.

After all.

When a human touched an ant, crushing it to death on the spot was far easier than picking it up without harming a hair on its body!

But the person before him was different.

She was probably... at the level where he would have to deliberately exert a little force when squeezing her to death?

The gap had gone from an ant to a chick.

An Awakened...

The Initial Awakening stage?

Xi Shenlian thought uncertainly.

And at that moment.

The Student Council president, who had been gazing out at the scenery, finally spoke:

"Lord Xi Shenlian, welcome to Jingting Private Aristocratic Academy. I'm the current Student Council president—Tian Yuanli!"

"I originally thought I would have to seek you out and negotiate with you myself. I never expected you to choose to attend our school of your own accord. It seems we're quite fated to meet..."

Thanks to reader Shaoyan Wuyan for the 100 Qidian Coins! And to Mo Menghui for the 200 Qidian Coins!