Registration began, and the new students stepped forward one by one to give their names, levels, and ages.
"Ruo Chen, Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, twenty years old."
"E rank."
"Li Chengfei, Eighth Stage of Dou Qi, nineteen years old."
"F rank."
"..."
More than a dozen students gave their information. The highest level among them was a One-Star Dou Zhe, aged nineteen, who received a D rank.
When it was Xiao Yan's turn, everyone in the tent turned to look at him.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "Xiao Yan, Four-Star Dou Zhe, sixteen years old."
"A rank."
Ruo Lin's eyes lit up, and she smiled. "Not bad. This trip to Wutan City has certainly been worthwhile."
Xiao Yan stepped back, and Xun'er moved forward.
"Xiao Xun'er, Six-Star Dou Zhe, sixteen years old."
The moment she said this, the tent fell completely silent.
Six-Star Dou Zhe? At sixteen?
That was way beyond S rank!
It took Ruo Lin several seconds to recover. She looked at Xiao Xun'er differently now.
"Looks like I really struck gold this time."
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile from the side. Xun'er had surprised him too. She'd hidden her abilities well.
Ruo Lin took a deep breath to steady herself, then looked at Ye Xiu.
She asked softly, "What's your name, and what's your level?"
He certainly was handsome, but Ruo Lin didn't expect much from a student who'd managed to keep such a low profile. Either his strength was lacking and he was deliberately hiding it, or he simply didn't like drawing attention to himself.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed more like the former.
Ye Xiu glanced at Ruo Lin, then said calmly, "Ye Xiu, Three-Star Dou Ling, fifteen years old."
"???"
The tent went so quiet that you could've heard a pin drop.
Everyone stared at him, unable to believe what they'd just heard.
Three-Star Dou Ling?
Fifteen years old?
How could those two things possibly go together?
Everyone's mouths gaped wide enough to fit a fist. They'd just thought Xiao Yan was freakishly talented, then Xun'er had appeared, and now this was even more outrageous—a Dou Ling? Could it be true?
After a long while, Ruo Lin finally managed to ask, "What did you just say? Three-Star Dou Ling?"
Ye Xiu nodded. "Mm."
Ruo Lin took a deep breath, stood up, and walked over to examine him.
She couldn't believe it, but as a Da Dou Shi, she couldn't sense Ye Xiu's strength at all.
Xiao Yan spoke up from the side. "He really is a Dou Ling powerhouse. I was shocked when I heard he was coming to take the Jia Nan Academy entrance exam. With his strength, he could easily go straight to being a teacher!"
"Y-you really are a Dou Ling?" Ruo Lin asked, her voice uncertain.
Ye Xiu couldn't be bothered to argue. He simply released a trace of his aura.
Everyone in the tent immediately felt the Dou Qi within their bodies go haywire. Their faces flushed red as they scrambled backward.
Ruo Lin's face turned deathly pale as well. She was closest to Ye Xiu and felt it most keenly. That overwhelming aura left her unable to move.
Only when he withdrew his aura did the pressure lift.
Everyone in the tent gasped for breath. They looked at Ye Xiu as if he were some kind of monster.
Ruo Lin braced herself against the table, her chest heaving. It took her quite a while to recover.
She looked at Ye Xiu, her expression suddenly complicated.
A fifteen-year-old Three-Star Dou Ling—what did that even mean?
The Jia Ma Empire hadn't produced a monster like this in hundreds of years!
She opened her mouth, then gave a wry smile and shook her head. "I've led the Jia Nan Academy recruitment team for years, but you're the first... monster like this I've ever seen."
Ye Xiu asked, "So what rank do I get?"
Ruo Lin paused, then smiled even more wryly. "How could I even rank you? S rank is for a Five-Star Dou Zhe, and you're already a Dou Ling. The gap is enormous... I... I guess that makes you SSS rank?"
No one in the tent said anything, but they all agreed silently.
Of course. There was no way their standards could measure someone like him.
Ruo Lin rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She'd thought Xiao Yan was already a pleasant surprise, but then Xun'er had turned out to be even more impressive—and now a Dou Ling had appeared out of nowhere!
She took a deep breath, sat back down, picked up her pen, and wrote Ye Xiu's name on the parchment.
"Ye Xiu, fifteen years old, Three-Star Dou Ling, potential rank: SSS."
Registration continued, but no one cared what level the remaining students had. Everyone was still thinking about Ye Xiu.
Once all the new students had registered, Ruo Lin put away the parchment and smiled. "That's all for today. We'll be staying in Wutan City for seven days. A flying transport fleet will come to take you to the academy after that. Make sure you prepare everything you need during these next few days."
The new students nodded and began to leave.
Just then, Xiao Yan stepped forward and said with an awkward smile, "Instructor Ruo Lin, there's something I'd like to discuss with you..."
Ruo Lin looked at him. "What is it?"
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed. "I was hoping... to ask for leave."
"Leave?" Ruo Lin paused. "For how long?"
Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, then said, "About a year."
Those still in the tent stopped in their tracks and looked at him as if he were an idiot.
He'd only just enrolled, and he was already asking for a year off? Was there something wrong with him?
Ruo Lin was stunned too, then laughed helplessly. "Xiao Yan, are you joking? A year off? Do you know that's a third of your total study time?"
Xiao Yan replied seriously, "Instructor, I'm not joking. I really have something important to do. I have to go."
Ruo Lin frowned. "What could be so important?"
Xiao Yan shook his head awkwardly. "I... can't really talk about it."
Ruo Lin sighed. "Xiao Yan, you have great talent. You can get the best training at the academy. Why waste your time going somewhere else?"
Xiao Yan smiled wryly. "Instructor, I really don't have a choice."
Ruo Lin thought for a moment. "Then ask for less time off. How about six months?"
Xiao Yan shook his head. "A year is already the most conservative estimate."
Ruo Lin felt a headache coming on. Why was this kid so stubborn?
She was about to try persuading him again when a voice suddenly came from beside her.
"I want to ask for leave too."
Ruo Lin turned and saw that it was Ye Xiu.
She froze. "You want leave too? For how long?"
Ye Xiu replied, "Depends on my mood."
Ruo Lin: "..."
Xiao Yan alone had been enough to give her a headache. Now this even more troublesome one was joining in.
"Ye Xiu, why do you want leave too?" Ruo Lin asked helplessly.
Ye Xiu thought for a moment, then answered casually, "I have some things to take care of."
Ruo Lin stared at him for a long while, then finally asked helplessly, "You wouldn't happen to have to go, no matter what, either?"
Ye Xiu nodded. "Mm."
Ruo Lin rubbed her temples, feeling her head throb.
Xiao Yan, standing nearby, was also stunned. He hadn't expected Ye Xiu to ask for leave too. He couldn't help asking, "Do you have something you need to take care of as well, Senior?"
Ye Xiu glanced at him but said nothing.
Xiao Yan gave an awkward smile and didn't ask again.
Ruo Lin looked at the two of them, fell silent for a long while, then suddenly asked, "You two didn't discuss this beforehand, did you?"
Xiao Yan hurriedly shook his head. "No, no. I had no idea Senior was going to ask for leave too."
Ye Xiu added, "Just a coincidence."
Ruo Lin sighed and looked at Xiao Yan. "Tell me first: what are you asking for leave to do? If your reason makes sense, I might be able to consider it."
Xiao Yan hesitated, then said, "Instructor, I really can't tell you, but this is extremely important to me."
Ruo Lin's brows furrowed even more. This kid really wouldn't budge.
She turned to Ye Xiu. "What about you? Can't you tell me either?"
Ye Xiu thought for a moment, then said, "I need to take care of something in the west."
Ruo Lin paused. "The west? What are you going there for?"
Ye Xiu replied, "To find something."
Ruo Lin pressed him. "What thing?"
Ye Xiu glanced at Xiao Yan, then said to Ruo Lin, "You don't need to know."
Before you continue