Xiao Yan: Why the Different Treatment?

After being brutally beaten by Xiao Peng, he was certain that Xiao Peng had gone to Jia Nan Academy and leapt through the dragon gate. He was no match for him at all.

As the blue glow faded, Ruo Lin withdrew her hand and rose to her feet. "The injuries have been temporarily stabilized. The rest will require proper recuperation."

She felt somewhat helpless. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

Ruo Lin looked at Xiao Peng and the others. "Everyone, come with me."

With that, she headed deeper into the Great Cloak.

Seeing this, Xiao Peng and the others all entered the Great Cloak.

Ruo Lin explained the potential classifications, then had everyone step forward one by one to report their information.

When everyone learned that Xiao Xun'er was a sixteen-year-old Seven-star Dou Practitioner, expressions of utter shock appeared on their faces.

"Xiao Peng, your turn."

"Xiao Peng, sixteen years old, Nine-star Dou Practitioner."

Xiao Peng gave a slight nod as he stated his information.

Everyone else was stunned. They truly had not expected such an absurdly gifted person to appear in a place like this.

Xiao Yu and the others already knew, so they did not look surprised.

Xue Ni quietly leaned toward Xiao Yu and whispered so only the two of them could hear, "Xiao Yu, your cousin is way too terrifying, isn't he?"

His talent was even greater than that person's. Perhaps Xiao Peng would reach the Dou Master realm before long.

The thought of pursuing Xiao Peng even crossed her mind. If she did not befriend a genius like this now, she would have no chance to get close to him in the future.

Xiao Yu unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes around her fingertips, yet a faint, barely noticeable pride appeared on her face. In a lowered voice, she replied, "He's always been like this."

Though her words were calm, she could not hide the glimmer of shared pride in her eyes.

Xue Ni clicked her tongue in amazement. Her gaze circled Xiao Peng's back twice before she glanced at Xiao Xun'er beside him.

The young girl's features were cool and detached. Upon hearing Xiao Peng's information, her long lashes merely trembled slightly, as though a Nine-star Dou Practitioner was no different from the third stage of Dou Qi in her eyes.

Those two were quite well matched. Xue Ni quietly muttered to herself, nearly laughing aloud at the thought.

Instructor Ruo Lin was clearly quite surprised by Xiao Peng's talent as well. The recording pen in her hand paused for half a second before she looked up at him. "A sixteen-year-old Nine-star Dou Practitioner? Are you certain?"

It was not that she did not believe him; this was simply too outrageous.

Xiao Peng nodded. "Yes."

The surroundings instantly erupted.

"Are you insane? A sixteen-year-old Nine-star Dou Practitioner? That's even more outrageous than the geniuses in the Inner Academy!"

"When I was sixteen, I had only just broken through to the eighth stage of Dou Qi..."

"No wonder he beat Luo Bu that badly. With talent like that, he's simply beyond comparison!"

The discussions buzzed all around them, and the eyes of many new students had already filled with awe when they looked at Xiao Peng.

Luo Bu's entire face turned deathly pale. He knew perfectly well that every star among Dou Practitioners represented a considerable gap.

A Nine-star Dou Practitioner was only one step away from becoming a Dou Master. To possess such cultivation at Xiao Peng's age, there were probably only a handful like him in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

Ruo Lin quickly regained her composure and recorded the information in the register, her pen scratching softly across the paper. "Today's registration will end here for now. We will remain here for another seven days. Congratulations to all the new students registered today. You are now members of Jia Nan Academy. I hope everyone can make all necessary preparations within these seven days. Seven days from now, we will leave Wu Tan City."

She secretly sighed at how many monsters there were in the Xiao Family. Xiao Peng, Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Yan—and Xiao Mei's talent was not bad either.

In the future, the Xiao Family would at the very least become a major clan in the Jia Ma Empire. If nothing unexpected happened to Xiao Peng and Xiao Xun'er, they could reach even greater heights.

Xiao Peng stepped forward and said to Ruo Lin, "Instructor, may I take a leave of absence for a while?"

Ruo Lin's hand holding the register paused slightly. She raised her eyes to Xiao Peng, a trace of surprise flashing through them. "You're asking for leave right after enrolling? Is something the matter?"

Xiao Peng scratched his cheek. "My master assigned me some tasks that I need to complete. It will take about a year."

Ruo Lin was not surprised in the slightest to learn that Xiao Peng had a master.

With Xiao Peng's talent, it would have been strange if no one had taken him as a disciple.

There were also some students at Jia Nan Academy who had masters before coming here to study. It was nothing unusual.

Jia Nan Academy was merely a school. It would not interfere with its students taking masters.

Ruo Lin considered it for a moment before saying, "All right."

If it had been anyone else, she definitely would not have agreed.

Xiao Yu looked at Ruo Lin in surprise. She had not expected her to actually agree.

Xiao Mei and Xiao Xun'er had not expected it either. Neither of them had thought Xiao Peng would request leave.

Xue Ni and the others were just as astonished as Xiao Yu. They had never expected the instructor to agree.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He had also planned to request leave.

Since Xiao Peng had gotten leave so easily, he could ask for leave too.

Seeing that Ruo Lin had agreed, Xiao Peng thanked her. "Thank you, Instructor."

Ruo Lin waved her hand, her gaze lingering on Xiao Peng for another moment. "A year is not a short time, but since you have a master, I assume you have your own path of cultivation. Go, then. But you must return in a year."

"This student understands." Xiao Peng bowed slightly.

The surrounding new students were already too stunned to speak.

A year of leave?

This was Jia Nan Academy!

Countless people fought tooth and nail to get in, yet he had just earned his place and already dared to skip an entire year.

But when they thought of Xiao Peng's terrifying talent and the fact that he had a master, it somehow did not seem quite so absurd anymore.

Xiao Yu quickly walked over to Xiao Peng, her face full of concern. "You're leaving for that long? What kind of task takes a whole year?"

For some reason, her heart felt uneasy. She always felt that many things might happen after this parting.

Xiao Peng smiled and reached out to ruffle Xiao Yu's hair, his movements natural and intimate. "Don't worry. It's nothing dangerous, just some training. A year will pass quickly. I'll bring you a gift when I return."

The warmth of the young man's palm passed through her hair. Xiao Yu's cheeks reddened, and the unease in her heart faded somewhat. She muttered, "Who wants your gift... Just be careful."

Xue Ni saw it all clearly from the side. She secretly winked at Xiao Yu, her eyes full of a knowing smile.

Xiao Xun'er walked over and lightly pinched him. "Brother Xiao Peng, have you forgotten about Xun'er?"

Xiao Peng was momentarily stunned by the sudden pinch. Looking down, he saw the girl's pale fingers resting on his arm, neither too hard nor too soft, carrying a hint of coquettish reproach.

"How could I forget?" Xiao Peng laughed, reaching out to ruffle her hair, but Xiao Xun'er tilted her head slightly and avoided him.

Xiao Xun'er looked up at him, her tone carrying a faint, barely noticeable grievance. "Then why did you only tell Sister Xiao Yu that you'd bring her a gift? You didn't mention Xun'er at all."

Seeing this, Xiao Peng hurriedly apologized to Xiao Xun'er.

Meanwhile, after watching the lively scene, Xiao Yan walked over to Ruo Lin.

"Instructor, I'd also like to take a year of leave..."

"No."

Seeing Ruo Lin reject him so decisively, Xiao Yan was completely dumbfounded.

What? Why was he being treated differently?