Jia Nan Academy Enrollment

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Every day, aside from cultivating, Xiao Ling spent his time accompanying Xiao Xun'er as they wandered the streets together.

Early in the morning, when the sky had only just begun to brighten, Xiao Ling opened his eyes, got up and dressed, then left the small courtyard.

He had deliberately risen early because he was afraid there would be too many people registering later. Waiting in line would be far too troublesome.

After leaving the Xiao Family and arriving at the selection site, he found that there were indeed not many people there. Xiao Ling let out a sigh of relief and headed toward the tent in the square.

There were not many people at the moment. Rather than passing through a human wall formed by soldiers as in the original story, Xiao Ling made his way in turn to the registration site at the center of the square.

Before him stood a large, tall tent. Several young people in front of it were testing the cultivation of applicants. The requirement for registration was the Eighth Stage of Dou Qi before the age of eighteen—a simple matter for Xiao Ling.

Although quite a few people had gathered outside, this was not Jia Nan Academy's first recruitment drive, and the requirements had long since spread. Yet there were not many who truly had confidence in being selected; most had simply come to watch the excitement.

"Too old. Next."

Before long, Xiao Ling also arrived before the testing Crystal Ball.

The tester was a female student. Seeing a handsome little boy walk in, she judged him to be no more than ten years old. Since her first impression of him was favorable, she did not look down on him. Instead, she flashed a bright smile and handed him the testing Crystal Ball.

"Little brother, this test is very simple. Just inject your Dou Qi into it. As long as your strength has reached the Eighth Stage of Dou Qi, it will light up. Then you'll have passed."

Xiao Ling did not hesitate. He took the Crystal Ball directly into his hand and injected his Dou Qi into it. Once the Crystal Ball emitted a dazzling glow, he returned it to the female student.

The female student was rather surprised. It had actually lit up. After all, Xiao Ling was simply too young.

"I passed, right, Sister?"

Xiao Ling's voice pulled her out of her daze.

"Oh, you passed. But you really are a little genius!"

The female student pointed inside. "Just head in."

Xiao Ling nodded and entered the tent. There were only a few newcomers who had passed, not many at all. Unlike in the original story, there was no standing around in the sun, which made Xiao Ling breathe a sigh of relief. He did not want to waste too much time on something like this.

"Hehe, this little fellow has quite good talent. Looks like I picked up a treasure today."

The sudden female voice caught Xiao Ling's attention, and he looked further inside.

In the shadows of the tent stood a woman dressed in green, smiling sweetly. Her beautiful face held a gentle smile, her eyes shimmering as she gazed intently at Xiao Ling.

This should be Instructor Ruo Lin from the original story. What a beauty, Xiao Ling could not help but sigh inwardly.

Xiao Ling walked forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Hello, Instructor. My name is Xiao Ling."

Ruo Lin did not put on any airs as an instructor. "My name is Ruo Lin. Just call me Instructor Ruo Lin. Little brother, how old are you this year? You're not even ten yet, are you? This is the first time I've seen someone so young pass the test."

"I'm eight this year, and I'm a One-star Dou Zhe." As soon as Xiao Ling said this, everyone around who had been chatting turned their gazes toward him. There was surprise, envy, and jealousy.

Upon hearing this, Ruo Lin was overjoyed. The pen in her hand creaked as she gripped it tightly, her eyes shining as she stared at the child before her. She had not expected to truly find such a treasure.

After calming her excitement, Ruo Lin smiled and said, "Although your current strength has not yet reached S-rank, you are still young, so I'll grant you S-rank treatment. This is the highest treatment I can offer you. Do you have any objections?"

Xiao Ling shook his head. He had not expected such a good thing. "Thank you, Instructor Ruo Lin. I have no objections."

"Alright. Gather here in three days. For now, you may go home and say goodbye to your family." With a wave of her hand, Ruo Lin turned and left. She needed to report this to the academy's higher-ups. Such talent was rare even in the Inner Academy.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling did not linger any longer. He turned and left the tent, heading back toward the Xiao Family.

The bright moon hung high in the sky, surrounded by countless stars.

Xiao Family, Back Mountain.

Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Ling sat on a hillside, watching the stars in the night sky together.

The two leaned shoulder to shoulder. As the evening breeze swept past, their black hair intertwined, difficult to separate.

The young man turned his head to look at her. Moonlight spilled over the girl's delicate profile, making her seem like a spirit of the bright moon—elegant and mysterious.

Looking up at the stars filling the night sky, Xiao Ling felt nothing but incomparable peace.

"Brother Xiao Ling, next year I'll go to Jia Nan Academy to accompany you. How does that sound?" Xiao Xun'er asked softly.

"Sure. Then we'll cultivate together and enter the Inner Academy together." Taking Xun'er's jade-like hand, Xiao Ling replied with a smile.

Xiao Xun'er nodded and rested her head on Xiao Ling's shoulder. Listening to the young man's steady breathing, she gradually fell asleep without realizing it.

Ling Ying, hidden in the shadows, could not help shaking his head. He sighed inwardly, It seems the young lady's heart has truly been stolen by this boy. In truth, he held no ill will toward Xiao Ling either. He merely felt that the gap between their statuses was too great, making it difficult for them to end up together. Sigh, let nature take its course.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Last night, Jia Nan Academy announced the recruitment rankings, spreading Xiao Ling's name far and wide. Many people marveled that the little Xiao Family had produced such an outstanding genius.

Over these three days, Xiao Ling had not cultivated at all. He spent every day traveling around with Xiao Xun'er, leaving their footprints in every corner of Wutan City.

Standing before Xiao Xun'er's courtyard and looking at the girl nestled in his arms, Xiao Ling helplessly shook his head. "Xun'er, if you don't let go soon, I'm going to be late."

Xiao Xun'er raised her head and shot Xiao Ling a glare. Then, she took a porcelain bottle from her Storage Ring. Inside was a cluster of crimson flame. Raising it before Xiao Ling, Xiao Xun'er said softly, "This is Beast Flame from a Sixth Rank Blazing Fire Wolf. Didn't you say you planned to become an alchemist? Consider this a gift for you." With that, she pried open Xiao Ling's hand and placed it in his palm.

Looking at the Beast Flame in his hand, Xiao Ling was ecstatic. Fen Jue was at precisely the stage where it needed flames to evolve. With the flame already prepared, he only needed to prepare the medicinal pill before he could advance the cultivation technique.

Putting away the Beast Flame, Xiao Ling rubbed Xiao Xun'er's head and said, "Xun'er, you really are my lucky star."

"As long as you like it, that's all that matters. It's only a small thing. When you go to Jia Nan Academy, remember to miss me." Seeing Xiao Ling's delighted expression, Xiao Xun'er smiled as well.

"Of course. I'll miss Xun'er every day—the kind where I miss you very, very much." Xiao Ling gently caressed the girl's cheek and lightly kissed her forehead before turning to leave.

Beneath the setting sun, the young man's figure grew farther and farther away, until it vanished from the girl's sight.