Departure

Lin Ming watched the others enter the tent and followed them inside.

Seeing that everyone had come in, Instructor Zhang Man shouted, "Stand properly! Some of you are my students, while some are not. But no matter what, you are all students of Jia Nan Academy. What kind of behavior is it to make a move in front of so many people outside? Huh?! If there is a next time, all of you can get out of the Academy."

Seeing Instructor Zhang Man lose her temper, everyone could only lower their heads obediently and listen, not daring to make a sound. Seeing their apologetic expressions, Instructor Zhang Man's anger eased somewhat. Then she introduced herself. "My name is Zhang Man. In the future, I may become the Instructor of some of you. I won't say much else. Once you become my students, you'll learn the rest yourselves."

Hearing this, Lin Ming recalled the days when he had been ruled by his homeroom teacher in his Previous Life, and suddenly felt a little afraid.

Before Lin Ming had time to think further, Instructor Zhang Man continued, "Today, the new students will register. Although you have passed the preliminary test and have become students of Jia Nan Academy, the Academy has its own educational system. Those under twenty will be assessed according to their cultivation levels. Dou Qi Level Eight is F Rank, Dou Qi Level Nine is E Rank... Five-Star Dou Zhe is A Rank. Different ranks receive different education, so you must truthfully report your cultivation and age later. If you falsify anything, bear the consequences yourselves."

Some of the new students below began discussing it after hearing this. At that moment, Lin Ming saw Instructor Zhang Man look toward him. Before he could think much about it, he heard her say, "We'll start with you, Kid. You dared to make a move against old students the moment you arrived. Let me see what you're capable of. If you can't satisfy me, go stand outside yourself."

Seeing that Instructor Zhang Man had called on him first, the corner of Lin Ming's mouth curved into a smile. He walked before her and said, "Instructor, what rank does the Academy assign to someone above Six-Star Dou Zhe?"

Instructor Zhang Man, who was preparing to record his information, was Startled as well. There were people above Six-Star Dou Zhe, but she had never encountered one before. Let Alone her, throughout the Academy's many years since its founding, there had only been a few such cases. Could she really receive such a student this year? she thought.

Hearing Lin Ming's question, the people below began discussing it as well, because they did not know what rank was assigned to someone above Six-Star Dou Zhe.

Looking at Lin Ming's serious expression, Instructor Zhang Man decided to answer him. Of course, if this Kid was playing her, she would make him understand how cruel the world could be. Thus, Instructor Zhang Man said, "I have never received anyone who surpassed Six-Star Dou Zhe before the age of twenty, and there have only been a handful of such students since the Academy was founded. Therefore, there is no separate ranking for every stage. Anyone above Six-Star Dou Zhe is uniformly assessed as S Rank." After saying that, Instructor Zhang Man added meaningfully, "At present, not a single student enrolled in the entire Academy has reached this rank."

Lin Ming felt that last sentence had been directed at him, perhaps as a warning not to play any tricks.

Took a Deep Breath, Lin Ming said, "Instructor Zhang Man. Student Lin Ming, fifteen years old this year, Two-Star Dou Master!"

"Oh, fifteen years old, Two-Star Dou Practitioner. That qualifies as S Rank," Instructor Zhang Man said as she wrote down Lin Ming's information.

Watching Instructor Zhang Man write as she spoke, Lin Ming thought, Aren't you a normal person? Why can't you understand what I said? Still, he reminded her.

"Instructor, not Two-Star Dou Practitioner. Two-Star Dou Master." After saying that, he directly summoned his Dou Qi Gauze Robe.

"T-T-Two-Star Dou Master!" The stammering words came from Zhang Man's mouth. She did not even notice when the pen in her hand fell.

The people below were so frightened that they did not dare speak either. In particular, the man who had given Lin Ming trouble Just Now turned pale and collapsed onto the ground.

Only after a long while did sounds emerge from inside the tent again. At that moment, Instructor Zhang Man came to her senses and immediately rose to Lin Ming's side. She said enthusiastically, "Lin Ming, from now on, you are my student. Let me tell you, I lead Black Tier Class One, the best class. The treatment you receive under me is absolutely incomparable to what other classes can offer..."

Seeing Instructor Zhang Man continue speaking to Lin Ming, a student beside them could not help but say, "Instructor Zhang Man, there are still new students waiting to register. What about them?"

Instructor Zhang Man glanced at him, feeling that he was completely tactless. Couldn't he see that she was trying to win Lin Ming over? Thus, she said impatiently, "Help me tally the other new students. You all know the rules." Then she continued speaking with Lin Ming.

Around three or four in the afternoon, they began packing their things and preparing to depart for the Academy. Before long, six enormous Griffon Beasts descended from the sky.

Looking at these enormous Magical Beasts, Lin Ming wore a rather curious expression. After all, he had never ridden one of these before. He wondered how it compared to an airplane from his Previous Life.

At that moment, Instructor Zhang Man spoke. "Everyone, climb onto the backs of the Griffon Beasts. Remember to sit in your seats. If you fall from the air later, no one will be able to save you."

Hearing Instructor Zhang Man speak, everyone below climbed onto the Griffon Beasts' backs. Just as Lin Ming was about to do the same, Instructor Zhang Man called out again, "Lin Ming, come here." She wanted to keep a close eye on Lin Ming. Otherwise, when they met up with the other Instructors later, she would cough up blood if someone poached her student.

Hearing that Instructor Zhang Man wanted him to sit with her, Lin Ming did not object. After all, having a beautiful woman accompany him along the way was quite nice. Thus, Lin Ming walked toward Instructor Zhang Man amid everyone's envious gazes.

"Zhang Man, did you recruit an S Rank treasure? You're cherishing him so much," a man standing on the back of a Griffon Beast said teasingly to Instructor Zhang Man.

"Chen Yuanlong, you're from the Enforcement Team. You came here as an escort, so why are you meddling so much?" Instructor Zhang Man replied coldly.

"Damn it, this Kid isn't really S Rank, is he?" Chen Yuanlong said in surprise. He had only been joking, but judging from Zhang Man's reaction, it seemed to be true.

Instructor Zhang Man also realized that she had overreacted. The main reason was that many people had witnessed the ranking assessment. These students now all knew that Lin Ming was S Rank, and when Chen Yuanlong had asked whether Lin Ming was S Rank Just Now, she had thought he was trying to steal her student. Of course she would not give him a pleasant response.

"Just do your job as an escort. Lin Ming is already my student, so it's too late for you to set your sights on him. All right, everyone is aboard. Hurry up and leave!"

Seeing Zhang Man's impatient expression, Chen Yuanlong checked that everyone was ready, then ordered the Griffon Beasts to take off.

Lin Ming only felt a force lift him upward. The next moment, he was already airborne, rising into the sky and growing farther and farther from the ground.

"You're Lin Ming, right? Come visit my Enforcement Team after you get to the Academy! It's much more fun than staying in the Academy all the time," Chen Yuanlong said to Lin Ming.

Lin Ming subconsciously glanced at Instructor Zhang Man. Although he knew from the original work that besides their class, students could choose other departments, such as the Alchemy Department and the Enforcement Team Chen Yuanlong had mentioned, he did not know the details. Therefore, he looked at Instructor Zhang Man.

Seeing Lin Ming looking at her, Instructor Zhang Man thought for a moment and said, "I originally planned to explain it to all of you after you arrived at the Academy, but since Chen Yuanlong brought it up, I'll tell you about it first."

"On the Dou Qi Continent, everyone cultivates Dou Qi to improve their cultivation, and Jia Nan Academy is naturally no exception. After you new students arrive at the Academy, apart from two days a week of fixed classes in your assigned class, there are no fixed arrangements for the rest of your time. Some use that remaining time to cultivate, while others study other things."

"These other things are divided into different departments. You can choose electives according to your interests and talents. Of course, it is a two-way choice. Even if you want to join something, they will not accept you if you do not meet the requirements. The Alchemy Department has the strictest requirements. They only accept Alchemists; if you are not an Alchemist, they absolutely will not take you. The Enforcement Team Chen Yuanlong mentioned also has rather strict requirements. Since they sometimes need to Go Out of the Academy to carry out missions, their strength requirements are very high..."

After listening to Instructor Zhang Man's explanation, Lin Ming understood much more. Thinking that he could gain practical combat experience with the Enforcement Team in the future, he did not reject Chen Yuanlong's invitation and said that he would join the Enforcement Team for training if time permitted.

After the Griffon Beasts had flown for more than An Hour, Lin Ming and the others arrived at a small forest. Chen Yuanlong had the Griffon Beasts land in the woods, then said to Zhang Man, "We'll wait here for the other teams to meet up, then depart together tomorrow morning."

Instructor Zhang Man nodded, then said to the students behind her, "Students, we'll rest here tonight and depart again tomorrow morning. You may come down and move around, but don't Go Out too far."

After hearing Instructor Zhang Man's words, Lin Ming jumped down from the Griffon Beast's back and found a place to spend the night. Before long, several more Griffon Beasts arrived, presumably from other recruitment teams. Within An Hour, several more teams arrived, and Lin Ming saw several Instructors talking among themselves.

"S Rank!" A startled cry drew many people's attention. Lin Ming knew they were probably talking about him. Sigh, this Damn it talent. I want to keep a low profile too! But my strength is right here—I'm not allowed to stay low-key! Thinking this, Lin Ming looked toward the sound as well.

It would have been better if he had not looked. The moment he did, he saw several Instructors staring straight at him, leaving him unsure whether to meet their eyes or lower his head.

At that moment, the female Instructor who had cried out walked toward Lin Ming. Lin Ming watched as the woman, who looked like a delicate girl from a respectable family but whose ample chest was equally outrageous, approached him.

Fortunately, before she had taken more than a few steps, Instructor Zhang Man stopped her. Then he heard things like, "He is already my student, so don't even think about him," and, "When we get back, you have to treat us for at least three days."

In the Early Morning, when the sky was barely bright, the Instructors woke the students and had them set off.