Liu Yi stood beside Xiao Li. The aura that had seemed murky and indistinct to Xiao Li now felt a little clearer.
"The Dou Technique you used last time looked like a Yellow Tier one."
"You're right, Teacher Liu. It was indeed a Yellow Tier Dou Technique," Xiao Li replied.
Liu Yi nodded and pondered for a moment. "I could offer you some advice, if you..."
Xiao Li was taken aback. It seemed Teacher Liu wanted to give him some pointers. He hurriedly bowed. "Please, Teacher Liu. The path of cultivation demands that we press forward without hesitation."
Liu Yi nodded in satisfaction. "The Inner Academy Selection Tournament will be held soon after the new students enroll. If you pass the selection and place among the top contestants, you'll be able to obtain a Dou Technique from the Library Pavilion. It'll be at least a Profound Tier technique."
Xiao Li understood. But wasn't it too soon to take part in the Inner Academy selection right after enrolling? Xiao Yan had only done so because he'd taken a long leave of absence. Strictly speaking, he hadn't been a new student either.
"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher Liu. How can I take part?"
Liu Yi smiled and shook his head. "Don't rush. You'll have to ask Teacher Su about that."
At this point, Liu Yi glanced around. Once he was sure nobody was paying attention, he continued.
"You have exceptional talent, and a teacher's rank is determined by their students' results. The Inner Academy Selection Tournament is the most important factor, but there are also plenty of other competitions, big and small, that affect a teacher's evaluation. If you take part in the selection tournament as soon as you enroll, then your teacher..."
Liu Yi stopped there, saying no more. He only gave Xiao Li a meaningful look. "A year in the Inner Academy is very different from a year in the Outer Academy."
Xiao Li fell silent, then turned and left, having already made up his mind.
Teacher Su Fei's evaluation?
Did that matter more than the Xiao Clan, which would face a great calamity in the coming years?
The answer was obvious. Xiao Li couldn't waste a year for someone he'd only just met.
As for why he hadn't responded to Liu Yi, it was simply because he didn't think Liu Yi was someone worth befriending. Why else would he tell him this in private, other than to keep a colleague from getting ahead? If Xiao Li stayed in the Outer Academy for two years, Su Fei might even be rated as a Heaven Tier teacher.
Xiao Li had thought Liu Yi was a decent person, but now it seemed the human heart was truly hard to fathom.
"Knock, knock!"
The door sounded. Su Fei opened it and saw Xiao Li, the student she regarded as her ticket to promotion. She could hardly keep the smile off her face.
"What's wrong, Xiao Li? Have you run into trouble with your cultivation?"
Xiao Li gently shook his head. "It's like this, Teacher Su. I'd like to know how I can enter the Inner Academy."
"The Inner Academy?"
Su Fei furrowed her brows. Xiao Li's question had caught her completely off guard.
"You just need to take part in the Inner Academy Selection Tournament. What's the matter?"
Looking at Su Fei, Xiao Li felt nothing stir within him.
The bond between teacher and student, the gratitude of being recognized?
That was the relationship between Yao Lao and Xiao Yan.
As for Xiao Li and Su Fei, they were not things that could be weighed on the same scale. Even without Su Fei, Xiao Li would meet Zhang Fei or Wang Fei at Jia Nan Academy.
If Su Fei hadn't taken Xiao Li on, she might remain a Yellow Tier teacher for years to come. She was already lucky that he'd given her a hand. Xiao Li had no obligation to help her any further.
"When is the selection tournament? I want to enter the Inner Academy as soon as possible."
The smile froze on Su Fei's face, and her lips pressed together. She chose not to hide the truth. Xiao Li would find out once he reached Jia Nan Academy anyway, and keeping it from him would only make him think less of her.
"It's held soon after enrollment. The academy chose that time specifically to motivate the new students."
At those words, Su Fei sighed inwardly. She knew this exceptional genius would never willingly waste a year in the Outer Academy. He'd go compete in the more challenging Inner Academy instead.
When Xiao Li said he wanted to sign up, Su Fei could only sigh helplessly. She'd prepared herself for this, but that didn't make it any easier to face.
"I'll sign you up. You should get ready."
Her voice dry, Su Fei managed to say the words, then returned to her room with a heavy heart. The treatment for a Heaven Tier teacher was vastly better than for a Profound Tier one. Even though she could at least count on a Profound Tier rating, the hope of reaching Heaven Tier still made her chest ache.
"Forget it, forget it. He would've found out after he got to the academy anyway, and I... Wuwuwu, but my heart still hurts so much QAQ."
...Several days later
For a hundred li around Jia Nan Academy, forced flight was prohibited. Anyone who tried would be attacked. The academy's own flying magical beasts were, of course, exempt.
At the point where two towering mountains met, a small town could be glimpsed through the haze.
There were many travelers on the dirt road leading straight to the town, and it was clear they had come from the Black-Corner Region.
Although a trace of ferocity clung to these people, not a hint of murderous intent showed on their faces. Yet the way they concealed it didn't seem natural. It was more as if they were forcing it down, which gave the passersby rather peculiar expressions.
Xiao Li clicked his tongue in wonder. The pills Jia Nan Academy used to detect murderous intent truly were extraordinary.
After showing the enforcement squad some tokens, Xiao Li and the others were allowed through.
They switched to a griffin bound for Peace Town, officially entering Jia Nan Academy's territory.
At the entrance to Peace Town, Xiao Li also saw the infamous Death Spirit Tree of the Black-Corner Region.
The sinister aura seeping from the eerie Death Spirit Tree sent a chill through the bones of everyone gathered at the town entrance. In the Black-Corner Region, the tree's reputation had become enough to make people tremble at the mere mention of it.
The corpses of two Dou Wang experts and one Dou Huang expert had been hung from its branches in a manner that was almost cruel.
The other new students all kept their heads down, afraid to look, lest the evil aura above affect their minds. Such an evil thing wasn't something ordinary people could gaze upon.
As for Xiao Li... he was lamenting that the Siphon Technique couldn't be used on human corpses. Otherwise, if he stole those three bodies, wouldn't he rise straight to Dou Wang?
Still, it was a good thing it couldn't. With the burden of his clan weighing on him, Xiao Li had always felt oppressed deep down. He was genuinely afraid he might become a murderous fiend. Some things were better kept in check.
He looked into the distance, where the outline of a vast city, so enormous it beggared belief, slowly emerged through the thin mist.
"So this is Canaan City..."
Even from high in the air, he couldn't take in the entire city. That alone showed just how vast it was.
At Jia Nan Academy, a giant square had been specially set aside that day as the entrance point for welcoming new students. On it, a group of second- and third-year students exchanged knowing smiles.
This was a tradition at Jia Nan Academy. Whether you were entering the Inner Academy or enrolling in the Outer Academy, you were bound to get a beating from your upperclassmen.
It was precisely this tradition that made new students let go of the pride they'd carried as geniuses from tiny places. They would realize they were only ordinary people among countless others, and settle down to cultivate.