Sick Leave Requests Galore

Seeing Ruo Lin arrive, Xiao Lei finally withdrew his long spear, staring straight at her without a hint of fear.

"I never expected that the renowned Jia Nan Academy would have such moronic... recruitment rules!"

Xiao Lei had long found the unspoken rule of Jia Nan Academy's senior students "teaching" the newcomers a lesson to be an eyesore, and he never imagined that Luo Bu would be foolish enough to run headfirst into him.

Upon hearing this, Ruo Lin glanced at the crimson spear in Xiao Lei's hand, and her heart sank.

If they were within the grounds of Jia Nan Academy, she would have the authority to handle such insolence, but they were in the Jia Ma Empire, and she was merely a Dou Grandmaster; if a conflict were to break out...

"I believe there must be some misunderstanding here... Yu Er, you..."

Just as Ruo Lin was about to explain, she noticed Xiao Yu standing beside Xiao Lei.

Xiao Yu was still stunned; although she often saw Xiao Lei take action, she never imagined he would stab a student of Jia Nan Academy right in front of one of its instructors.

"Um, Teacher, this is the cousin I mentioned to you, Xiao Lei. Seventeen years old, a Dou Ling, and just now..."

Xiao Yu was about to help Xiao Lei explain, but he reached out a hand to stop her.

"This person blocked the entrance and attacked my cousin, Xiao Ning. I heard that this is supposedly an unspoken rule of Jia Nan Academy, allowing senior students to bully the newcomers. Instructor Ruo Lin, is there such a thing?"

Xiao Lei decided to strike first to seize the initiative.

"Instructor Ruo Lin, this person attacked me before I had even joined Jia Nan Academy. This is a slap in the face to your..."

Luo Bu clutched the wound Xiao Lei had inflicted, his face twisted in agony. As he wailed, he prepared to drag Ruo Lin into the fray.

To his surprise, Ruo Lin merely glanced at him before speaking decisively.

"The academy has never endorsed such an unspoken rule. Whether they are new or old, all students are equal, and no one is permitted to attack another at will."

Ruo Lin was no fool; how could she possibly admit to such a thing? Luo Bu, lying on the ground, was instantly dumbfounded.

He knew that when he had enrolled years ago, it hadn't been like this at all!

Back then, he had been a small-town prodigy with high aspirations, only to be beaten black and blue by the seniors of that time.

Why did he volunteer to come for recruitment this time?

Naturally, it was to throw his weight around and bully the newcomers!

If he were told now that seniors couldn't hit newcomers, what did that make his own past?

"If that is the case, he attacked me of his own volition, so it is only reasonable that I fought back, right?"

Xiao Lei pressed on, step by step. Ruo Lin frowned, feeling somewhat unwilling, and continued.

"Even so, you are all fellow students of the academy. He was merely using his Dou Qi to suppress your cousin, Xiao Ning. Why resort to such a heavy hand?"

Xiao Lei chuckled softly at this, laughing, "I haven't even enrolled yet, so how can I be a student of Jia Nan Academy? He has nothing to do with me. If it weren't for the sake of Jia Nan Academy, I would have run him through with my spear the moment he provoked me elsewhere!"

Xiao Lei's tone grew colder. Realizing that this matter could no longer be argued, Ruo Lin had no choice but to speak up.

"Luo Bu, apologize!"

Luo Bu, still on the ground, couldn't even care about the pain in his body; he stared at Ruo Lin with a blank expression.

What kind of nonsense was this? He was the one who got beaten, yet he had to apologize!

Luo Bu originally wanted to put up a fight, but seeing Xiao Lei stroking his Dou Qi spear with an evil grin, he had to speak up in a hurry.

"I'm sorry!"

Xiao Lei looked at him with disdain. If this kind of trash hadn't blocked his path, he wouldn't even have bothered to step on him!

Xiao Ning finally felt satisfied, though it was a pity Xiao Lei hadn't let him teach Luo Bu a lesson himself.

Seeing that the matter had concluded, Xiao Yu hurriedly jumped in to break the awkwardness.

"Teacher Ruo Lin, although my cousin is a bit... his talent is beyond question..."

As she spoke, Xiao Yu took the initiative to hold Ruo Lin's arm, beginning to promote Xiao Lei.

"Sigh, let's go inside and talk! His strength is beyond doubt. I will report this to the academy, and they will personally determine his talent rating."

Although she had just had a conflict with Xiao Lei, Ruo Lin was not the type of petty person to use her authority to make things difficult for others; she would naturally continue to perform her duties.

However, speaking of this talent rating, Ruo Lin was at a loss for words.

Seventeen years old, a Dou Ling.

How was she supposed to rate that?

S-rank, SSS-rank? Or SSR-rank?

Forget it, she would leave that headache to the people at the academy!

Ruo Lin wisely gave up on evaluating Xiao Lei's aptitude herself.

The group followed Ruo Lin inside, and she proceeded to test the cultivation levels of everyone except Xiao Lei.

"A nine-star Dou Shi? Little girl, how old are you this year..."

"I am already nineteen. I wonder if I can still join Jia Nan Academy?" Xiao Yi Xian said calmly. Come to think of it, she was two years older than Xiao Lei.

"I will have to report this to the academy for a decision, but I think the chances of you passing are very high!"

Ruo Lin looked at Xiao Yi Xian as if she were examining a precious jade; to be a nine-star Dou Practitioner at this age meant she could already qualify for the Inner Academy. Most importantly, Xiao Yi Xian seemed truly honest, unlike a certain Dou Ling...

Ruo Lin's first impression of Xiao Lei remained poor, after all.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian showed no particular reaction, instead asking, "Instructor Ruo Lin, may I request a leave of absence?"

This question left Ruo Lin completely stunned. A leave of absence? School hadn't even started yet, and she was already asking for time off—what kind of maneuver was this!

Yet, Ruo Lin was so satisfied with everything else about Xiao Yi Xian.

"It is no matter. How long do you need? I will communicate with the Academy administration!"

Thinking of spending a year cultivating Xiao Yi Xian to the level of a Dou Grandmaster, then having her represent her class in the Inner Academy selection tournament to defeat the disciples of all the other instructors, Ruo Lin decided to agree to Xiao Yi Xian's request first.

What was a little leave of absence? Perhaps the young girl had her own matters to attend to. Of course, it was understandable!

"One year. At least one year."

Xiao Yi Xian spoke with her usual indifference, and Ruo Lin replied without a second thought, "Oh, one year... no..."

Suddenly, Ruo Lin seemed to realize something.

"One year! What do you need a year of leave for?"

A one-year vacation? What kind of concept was that? One had to know that the entire duration of study at the Jia Nan Academy Outer Academy didn't last many years, and she was starting off by asking for a full year!

"No need to look into it. I am taking her out for training, and naturally, I am also requesting a one-year leave."

Xiao Lei couldn't be bothered with small talk and told Ruo Lin the truth directly.

Ruo Lin's already poor impression of Xiao Lei plummeted further. She didn't care if Xiao Lei wanted to take leave, but she had her eyes set on Xiao Yi Xian.

Training? What was there to train for?

Truth be told, training without protection or guidance wasn't called training; it was called survival, and the results were far inferior to receiving instruction from the Academy.

Ruo Lin was just about to refute this when she checked herself; Xiao Lei was a Dou Ling. If he wasn't qualified to provide guidance, was she, a mere Dou Grandmaster, qualified?

One had to remember that the strongest instructors in the Outer Academy were only Dou Ling, and they weren't necessarily stronger than Xiao Lei.

Xiao Lei didn't waste words, touching the Xuan Yi blade at his waist. He was curious if Ruo Lin would propose a wager as she did in the original story.

After a long while, Ruo Lin compromised. The wager that occurred in the original story did not happen with Xiao Lei.

After a long time, Xiao Yan, who had been standing in line for ages and was nearly baked into an idiot by the sun, finally met Ruo Lin.

However, having been stimulated by Xiao Lei and Xiao Yi Xian, Ruo Lin's nerves had grown a bit thicker, and she didn't show much amazement at Xiao Yan's five-star Dou Practitioner strength.

"Leave of absence? You want to take leave too! How long? Don't tell me it's also for a year!"

Ruo Lin hadn't felt much of anything before, but the moment Xiao Yan mentioned leave, she immediately became reactive.

Xiao Yan was left bewildered by the question. What did she mean by "also"?

"I can grant your leave, but you must first take ten moves from me. If you can withstand them, I will approve your request!"

Xiao Yan: Why is your gaze so murderous when you say that!