Is This a Student? The Recruiting Tutor is Elsewhere

After passing the inspection of a crystal ball, Xiao Li successfully entered the tent and met Teacher Su Fei, who was in charge of the recruitment.

Su Fei was an intellectual woman of about thirty. Her pair of taut, shapely thighs constantly drew the attention of the new students participating in the assessment, and her face, adorned with a gentle smile, captivated the young men's gazes.

Xiao Li scanned the surroundings, only to find that the male students who had already been admitted all wore composed expressions; even the occasional glance toward Su Fei carried a hint of trepidation.

Xiao Li's heart tightened. This Teacher Su Fei was likely quite strict, or else she wouldn't have intimidated a group of boys in the prime of their youth.

Seeing someone enter, Su Fei put on a smile as pure as a lotus rising from the water, causing the new students in the tent to swallow hard in secret.

"Fei'er, this is a new student, right? His strength seems quite good."

As she spoke, Su Fei sized Xiao Li up, her eyes filled with surprise. She couldn't discern Xiao Li's cultivation level, yet the dangerous aura he emitted was unmistakable. Surely he couldn't be a powerhouse comparable to her, a five-star Great Dou Shi?

Dismissing the absurd thought from her mind, Su Fei cursed herself for being an idiot. Most of the new students coming here were merely at the Dou Zhi Qi stage. After searching all day, the best student she had recruited was a two-star Dou Zhe from another city; how could there possibly be a Great Dou Shi?

Su Fei picked up her pen and looked at Xiao Li's handsome face. "What is your cultivation level and how old are you? Report them."

"One-star Great Dou Shi, fifteen years old."

"Oh, one-star... What?!"

Su Fei's pen slipped, and she stared at Xiao Li as if she had seen a ghost. "What cultivation level?!"

Li Fei'er, standing nearby, was no better. Looking at the youth who was half a head taller than her, she pulled at her own hair in terror. "You, you, you, I!"

"One-star Great Dou Shi."

Hearing Xiao Li confirm it again, Su Fei could no longer hold back and her expression turned serious. "This student, it is not good to lie about your cultivation. Are you truly a one-star Great Dou Shi?"

"The real deal."

Xiao Li's aura erupted, causing the green tent to flap violently under the pressure of the airwaves, leaving the new students inside deathly pale.

A group of youths at the Dou Zhi Qi level could hardly withstand the impact of Xiao Li's aura, even though it wasn't directed at them.

Su Fei's breath hitched. This aura was definitely not something a Dou Zhe or Dou Shi could emit, and such a thick, surging wave of energy could not have been achieved by popping pills to reach the Great Dou Shi level. In other words...

Xiao Li was truly a one-star Great Dou Shi!

Su Fei suddenly shifted her gaze to Li Fei'er. "Fei'er, did you make a mistake? Is he here to apply as an Outer Academy teacher?"

"Sir, you must have misunderstood. This is for student recruitment; the instructor applications are elsewhere."

Although Xiao Li looked young, the Dou Qi Continent was vast and full of wonders. Perhaps Xiao Li was just a middle-aged man who knew how to preserve his youthful appearance.

Li Fei'er was also in a bind. With such strength, he surely wasn't here to enroll, right? Could he really be here to apply as an instructor?

Xiao Li frowned. He had already told them he was fifteen; what else could he be here for if not to be a student?

"Teacher Su Fei, I am from the Xiao Clan in Wutan City. You can inquire in the city; I, Xiao Li, am quite well-known. You should be able to hear of my reputation," Xiao Li said.

Seeing Xiao Li's impatience, Su Fei looked at his young face and gritted her teeth, putting a smile back on her face. Whatever, if this person really was a student, then she, Su Fei, had hit the jackpot!

"Alright, you pass. How old are you? I'll record it." Su Fei's breathing grew heavy; she had been so focused on his strength earlier that she hadn't caught his age. If he was around twenty, that would still be acceptable.

"Fifteen years old."

"Pfft!"

Su Fei spat out the tea she had been drinking to calm her nerves. Fifteen years old—he hadn't even reached his coming-of-age ceremony yet.

"Good, good, good! Potential: SSS-rank. Wait in the waiting area, or go home to pack your things. We return to the academy in three days."

With that, Su Fei hurried out, clearly arranging for someone to investigate Xiao Li's background.

Inside the tent, besides the new students who still looked unwell, there were Li Fei'er and the other senior students, all staring at him like he was a monster.

Looking at Xiao Li's expressionless face, Li Fei'er, who had previously thought him handsome, now felt a sense of suffocation and didn't even dare to strike up a conversation.

If what Xiao Li said was true, a fifteen-year-old Great Dou Shi was not something ordinary students like them could compare to.

It wasn't just Li Fei'er who thought this; everyone else did too. For a time, the tent became deathly silent, and it wasn't until Xiao Li walked out that the noise returned, erupting into a heated discussion.

Xiao Li left the recruitment point after receiving an identity token. With this, he could successfully rejoin the group in three days; otherwise, he would be stopped by the army.

As for now, he wanted to return to the Xiao Clan to see Xiao Yan and talk to him, lest he become too decadent due to the loss of his Dou Qi.

After all, he was his younger brother, whom he had spent over a decade with. Even though he knew Xiao Yan would be fine, Xiao Li still felt uneasy.

In Xiao Yan's private courtyard, Xiao Li and Xiao Yan sat opposite each other.

"Xiao Yanzi, I heard from Father that you can no longer cultivate?"

Xiao Li's eyes seemed filled with worry as he asked with concern.

Xiao Yan felt a warmth in his heart. "Don't worry, Second Brother, I'm already better. It won't be long before I return to being a Dou Zhe. You shouldn't slack off, or it'll be embarrassing when I catch up to you, hahahahaha!"

Xiao Yan laughed heartily, and the confidence in his words didn't seem fake. Xiao Li was slightly stunned, then chuckled. It seemed that Yao Lao's presence in this life had changed things.

Xiao Yan had hidden nothing from him except for Yao Lao, clearly treating Xiao Li as someone he could truly trust.

"As long as you're fine. I'll be waiting for you to challenge me; just don't end up dizzy and disoriented like you were a few years ago," Xiao Li laughed, his teasing tone causing Xiao Yan's face to flush red.

After a disdainful snort, Xiao Yan shifted the topic nonchalantly. "Eldest Brother has gone to the Tagor Desert to work as a mercenary."

"Mm, I know." The smile on Xiao Li's face faded. Eldest Brother Xiao Ding had left for Shimo City with the family's trusted followers; he would have to go visit him when he had the time, just to ensure nothing went wrong.

The two fell into a brief silence, clearly worried about their eldest brother, Xiao Ding.

Among the three brothers, Xiao Ding had the least talent; at seventeen, he was only a high-level Dou Zhe. Having left like that, there was no telling how he was faring now.

Xiao Li stood up and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder. "Work hard. Don't forget that Big Brother left so early only because he was worried you wouldn't have anywhere to go later. I snuck a peek at his plans; he originally intended to wait until he broke through to Dou Shi at twenty before setting out."

Xiao Yan nodded heavily, clenching his fists in secret. Now that his talent had returned and he had a powerful alchemist like Yao Lao by his side, he would surely reach the pinnacle of the Gama Empire in the future. When that time came, he would be able to help his father, his eldest brother, and his second brother.

After Xiao Li left, Yao Lao emerged from the ring. "You three brothers have a very close relationship."

Xiao Yan nodded silently. Seeing this, Yao Lao sighed softly. He had felt that the worry in Xiao Li's eyes earlier was strangely indescribable, yet the bond between the three brothers was so genuine that the concern couldn't possibly be fake.

Could it be that Xiao Li had known all along that Xiao Yan would recover?

Yao Lao was startled by his own thought. Impossible. No matter how gifted Xiao Li was, he shouldn't have been able to discern the methods of the Medicine Venerable.

It must have been his own misperception, or perhaps Xiao Li simply had too much faith in Xiao Yan to ever worry that he wouldn't recover.

Yao Lao shook his head and slipped back into the ring.