When Ruo Lin arrived, Xiao Lei finally drew his spear and stared her down without the slightest fear.
"I never expected the renowned Jia Nan Academy to have such a ridiculous... admissions policy!"
Xiao Lei had long been fed up with Jia Nan Academy's so-called unspoken rule that senior students could teach newcomers a lesson. He hadn't expected Luo Bu to be stupid enough to pick a fight with him.
Hearing this, Ruo Lin glanced at the scarlet spear in Xiao Lei's hand, and her heart sank.
If they were inside Jia Nan Academy, they wouldn't have the right to challenge the academy. But this was the Jia Ma Empire, and she was only a Da Dou Shi. If a conflict broke out...
"I'm sure there must be some misunderstanding... Yu'er, you..."
Ruo Lin was about to explain when she noticed Xiao Yu standing beside Xiao Lei.
Xiao Yu was still stunned. She often saw Xiao Lei fight, but she hadn't expected him to stab a Jia Nan Academy student right in front of one of its instructors.
"Um, Teacher, this is the cousin I told you about, Xiao Lei. He's seventeen and a Dou Ling. Just now..."
Xiao Yu had just started to explain for Xiao Lei when he raised a hand to stop her.
"This man blocked the entrance and attacked my... cousin, Xiao Ning. I've heard that Jia Nan Academy tacitly allows senior students to rough up newcomers. Is that true, Instructor Ruo Lin?"
Xiao Lei decided to strike first and seize the initiative.
"Instructor Ruo Lin, this man attacked me before I even joined Jia Nan Academy. That's an insult to your—"
Luo Bu clutched the wound Xiao Lei had stabbed into him, his face twisted in agony. As he wailed, he tried to drag Ruo Lin into the matter.
But Ruo Lin merely glanced at him before firmly declaring, "The academy has never approved of any such unspoken rule. New students and senior students are equals. Neither side has the right to attack the other at will."
Ruo Lin wasn't a fool. How could she possibly admit to something like that? Luo Bu, lying on the ground, was dumbfounded.
But that wasn't how things had been when he enrolled!
Back then, he'd been a young genius from a small city, brimming with pride, until the senior students beat him black and blue.
Why had he volunteered to help with recruitment this time?
Obviously, to throw his weight around and bully the newcomers!
And now they were telling him senior students couldn't beat up new students? Then what had happened to him back then?
"If that's the case, then he attacked me of his own accord. Wasn't it only natural for me to fight back?"
Xiao Lei pressed the point. Ruo Lin frowned, unwilling to concede, and continued, "Even so, you're fellow students of the academy. He only used Dou Qi to suppress your... cousin, Xiao Ning. Why did you have to hurt him so badly?"
Xiao Lei gave a soft laugh. "I haven't even enrolled yet. How am I a Jia Nan Academy student? I have nothing to do with him. If I weren't showing respect for Jia Nan Academy, I'd have run him through the moment he provoked me anywhere else!"
Xiao Lei's words grew icy. Knowing she couldn't argue the matter any further, Ruo Lin could only say, "Luo Bu, apologize!"
At her words, Luo Bu forgot all about his pain and stared at her in a daze.
What the hell? He'd been beaten, and now he had to apologize?
Luo Bu had wanted to stand his ground, but when he saw Xiao Lei smirk and stroke his Dou Qi spear a couple of times, he hurriedly spoke up.
"I'm sorry!"
Xiao Lei looked at him with disdain. Someone like that wasn't worth so much as a kick—if he hadn't been blocking his way!
Xiao Ning finally felt vindicated. It was just a shame Xiao Lei hadn't let him teach Luo Bu a lesson himself.
With the matter settled, Xiao Yu hurried forward to break the awkward silence.
"Teacher Ruo Lin, my cousin may be a little... but there's no question about his talent..."
As she spoke, Xiao Yu took Ruo Lin by the arm and started pitching Xiao Lei to her.
"Let's go inside and talk. There's no question about his strength. I'll report this to the academy and have them assess his talent themselves."
Although she'd clashed with Xiao Lei just now, Ruo Lin wasn't the sort of petty person who abused her position to make things difficult for others. She would still do what fell within her duties.
Still, the question of how to rate his talent left her speechless.
Seventeen years old, and already a Dou Ling.
How was she supposed to rate that?
S? SSS? Or SSR?
Never mind. She'd leave it to the people at the academy to worry about.
Ruo Lin wisely gave up trying to judge Xiao Lei's talent.
The group followed Ruo Lin inside, where she checked the cultivation levels of everyone except Xiao Lei.
"Nine-star Dou Shi? Young lady, how old are you this year...?"
"I'm already nineteen. I wonder if I can still join Jia Nan Academy?" Xiao Yi Xian asked calmly. As it happened, she was two years older than Xiao Lei.
"I'll have to report this to the academy for them to decide, but I think there's a very good chance you'll be accepted!"
Ruo Lin looked at Xiao Yi Xian as if she were a priceless jade. At her age, she was already a nine-star Dou Shi—she could even go to the Inner Academy. And most importantly, Xiao Yi Xian seemed so sensible, unlike a certain Dou Ling...
Ruo Lin's first impression of Xiao Lei had been poor, and it hadn't improved.
Xiao Yi Xian didn't react to her words. Instead, she asked, "Instructor Ruo Lin, may I take a leave of absence?"
The question left Ruo Lin dumbfounded. A leave of absence? Classes hadn't even started, and she was already asking for one. What kind of thing was that?
But Ruo Lin was pleased with everything about Xiao Yi Xian.
"That's fine. How long do you need? I'll discuss it with the academy!"
Thinking of spending a year training Xiao Yi Xian until she reached the Da Dou Shi level, then having her represent Ruo Lin's class in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament and defeat all the other instructors' students, Ruo Lin decided to agree to Xiao Yi Xian's request first.
What was wrong with taking leave? The young woman might have something of her own to take care of. Of course that was understandable!
"One year. At least one year!"
Xiao Yi Xian remained calm. Ruo Lin answered without hesitation.
"Oh, one year... That's fi—"
Suddenly, Ruo Lin seemed to realize what she'd just heard.
"One year! What do you need a whole year off for?"
A year off? What did that even mean? The Outer Academy's entire course of study only lasted a few years, and she was asking for a year off before she'd even started!
"No need to ask. I'm taking her out to gain experience. And I'm taking a year off too!"
Xiao Lei couldn't be bothered to explain. He simply told Ruo Lin the truth.
Ruo Lin's already poor impression of Xiao Lei worsened. She didn't care if he took leave, but she'd had her eye on Xiao Yi Xian.
Gain experience? What was there to gain experience from?
Without someone to protect and guide you, it wasn't training—it was survival. It was far less effective than receiving the academy's instruction.
Ruo Lin was about to use that argument to object, but then she reconsidered. Xiao Lei was a Dou Ling, and even he wasn't qualified to guide Xiao Yi Xian. Did that mean a mere Da Dou Shi like her was qualified?
After all, the strongest instructor in the Outer Academy was only a Dou Ling, and might not even be stronger than Xiao Lei.
Xiao Lei said no more. He touched the Mystic Flame Longblade at his waist, curious whether Ruo Lin would propose a wager like she had in the original story.
After a long while, Ruo Lin gave in. The bet from the original story never happened with Xiao Lei.
Much later, Xiao Yan finally got to see Ruo Lin after waiting in line half the day and nearly being roasted into an idiot.
But after Xiao Lei and Xiao Yi Xian had tested her limits, Ruo Lin's nerves had grown much thicker. She didn't make a big deal out of Xiao Yan's strength as a five-star Dou Zhe.
"Taking leave? You want to take leave too! For how long? Don't tell me it's a year as well!"
Ruo Lin hadn't felt anything unusual before, but the moment Xiao Yan mentioned taking leave, she became instantly agitated.
Xiao Yan was taken aback. What did she mean, "you want to take leave too"?
"You can take leave, but first you have to withstand ten of my moves. If you do, I'll approve it!"
Xiao Yan: Why was there so much killing intent in her eyes when she said that?
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