Contending for Students

At Jinxiu Academy, any student in the Five Elements Arts Department who reached the tenth level of the Qi Refining Stage could join the Wanfa Sect and become a bona fide disciple. Students in the Alchemy Department, Artifact Refining Department, and Talisman Making Department could also join the Wanfa Sect directly if they showed exceptional talent in their field or had already achieved some success, regardless of their cultivation level.

Which student at Jinxiu Academy didn't want to join the Wanfa Sect? As the saying went, it was nice to enjoy the shade beneath a big tree. Once they joined the sect, it would provide them with some of the resources they needed to cultivate. And with the sect watching over them, they would be safer when traveling through the cultivation world.

What moved the students even more was that joining the Wanfa Sect would let them cultivate better techniques suited to their talents. They might even learn some secret arts. If some senior expert in the sect took a liking to them and accepted them as a disciple, they would surely avoid many detours on their path of cultivation and go much farther.

In short, joining the Wanfa Sect brought countless benefits. It wasn't just the students at Jinxiu Academy who thought this way; students at the sect's academies in other regions felt the same.

Luo Mu was no exception. He had enrolled at Jinxiu Academy because he wanted to join the Wanfa Sect!

The new students recruited by Jinxiu Academy had generally only just entered the ranks of cultivators. They were barely at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage, the lowest rank of cultivator. Someone like Luo Mu, who had reached the sixth level before even entering the academy, was a rare sight. It was no wonder he had caused such a stir.

The new students were all weak, most hovering between the first and third levels. As for the older students, their cultivation levels varied too much to generalize. Some had enrolled late but were exceptionally gifted and cultivated at astonishing speed. Others had enrolled early, but for one reason or another, their cultivation had barely progressed.

With his sixth-level cultivation, Luo Mu would rank somewhere in the middle among the older students. Among the new students, he was even more clearly at the top.

After asking around, Luo Mu had spent a little while making his way to his destination. Looking at the scene before him, he furrowed his brow, puzzled.

It was a large plaza. At the far end stood eight long wooden tables, with one person seated behind each. A sign stood on every table.

The eight signs—Metal Element Arts, Wood Element Arts, Water Element Arts, Fire Element Arts, Earth Element Arts, Alchemy Department, Artifact Refining Department, and Talisman Making Department—were arranged one per table, each table a zhang apart. Behind each table, besides the seated cultivator, who seemed to be an instructor, stood a crowd of students in academy uniforms, shouting and hawking their wares like street vendors.

A sparse handful of students stood in front of the wooden tables. Judging by their clothes, they were new students like Luo Mu, who was among them. This was what puzzled him.

"Junior, our Wood Element Arts are one of the best offensive arts around. They're easy to learn, yet still pack a punch. Join us, and you won't regret it!" Just as Luo Mu was wondering what was going on, an older student at the front called out to him excitedly, startling him.

The older student stood behind the table bearing the Wood Element Arts sign. It seemed he was trying to recruit new students for his department.

At once, the fog cleared for Luo Mu, and his confusion vanished.

Jinxiu Academy didn't admit many new students each year, so naturally, each department tried to attract as many as it could. This scene was simply the departments' way of recruiting.

Before Luo Mu could respond to the older student's enthusiastic pitch, a woman's voice rang in his ears. It was as sweet as music, making his heart flutter.

"Junior, what's so great about Wood Element Arts? Come join the Water Department! Our arts can both attack and defend, so you'll have the upper hand when fighting cultivators of the same level. Most importantly, the girls in our Water Department are all gorgeous. Once you join us, you'll never want to leave."

"Hmph! Junior, don't listen to their nonsense. You're a smart fellow, so you must know that among the Five Elements, Fire Element Arts have the greatest offensive power. You've only just started cultivating, so of course you don't know the score. Don't let them fool you. Huh? Why can't I see this junior's cultivation level?"

An older student from the Fire Element Arts Department had first scoffed at the other two, then sung the praises of his own arts in front of Luo Mu. He had initially taken Luo Mu for just another new student, but then realized he couldn't see through his cultivation level. His heart jolted, and he blurted out the question.

The older students from the other departments had just been about to praise their own fields in front of Luo Mu and the other new students, hoping to leave a good impression and perhaps bring a few more fresh faces into their ranks. But when they heard the Fire Element Arts student's exclamation, the words died in their throats. They stared at Luo Mu in disbelief.

Exclamations of surprise and praise rang out. A few older students, already at the seventh or eighth level and long established at the academy, could tell at a glance that Luo Mu had reached the peak of the sixth level. Their faces filled with astonishment.

Luo Mu looked no older than eighteen or nineteen, yet he had already reached the sixth level. How could they not be amazed by a new student with such extraordinary talent?

The older students weren't the only ones stunned. The instructors in charge of recruiting for each department wore astonished expressions too.

"This is a fine prospect! We have to get him into our department, no matter what. If we nurture him well, he'll surely shine at the academy. And as his instructor, I'll earn no small reward from the academy."

The same thought flashed through the minds of all eight instructors. In an instant, Luo Mu became the prize everyone was fighting over, while the other new students were left out in the cold.

Curiosity, envy, jealousy, and every other kind of look landed on Luo Mu. Even with his steady disposition, he couldn't help but feel a little flustered and at a loss.

Happiness had come so suddenly that Luo Mu hardly knew what to make of it.

While Luo Mu stood there dazed, the older students from each department, spurred on by their instructors, crowded around him and eagerly promoted their fields. They exaggerated wildly, describing their departments as peerless wonders found nowhere else in the world. They looked determined not to leave until they had recruited him.

With their instructors' approval, some older students even made lavish promises. If Luo Mu joined their department, he would receive all sorts of benefits: pills, artifact materials, even low-grade magical artifacts!

The new students around them were all novices at the first level of the Qi Refining Stage. Hearing what the older students promised Luo Mu, their eyes lit up, and they looked at him with even greater envy.

What the new students found hardest to bear was that every older student sent to win Luo Mu over was a rare beauty. Luo Mu was truly surrounded by good fortune with women. The other male students watched with stars in their eyes, wishing they could trade places with him.

Luo Mu was startled at first, but soon regained his composure. He was tempted by the things they promised, but he never believed anything was his until it was in his hands. Promises were nothing but a joke.

As for the beauties, Luo Mu had already suffered a little setback over a woman, and he still hadn't recovered from it. Even though these so-called senior sisters were all quite pretty, he regarded them with nothing more than simple appreciation. He wasn't about to let them turn his head.

Luo Mu had come to Jinxiu Academy with a clear purpose. Once he had made up his mind, he rarely changed it. No matter how eloquently the senior sisters tried to persuade him, he wouldn't abandon his original intention.

Seeing Luo Mu go from startled to utterly cold and silent, the "senior sisters" trying to recruit him began to look embarrassed. Some of their faces had already darkened.

"Heh, I didn't expect this year's recruitment to be so lively. Oh? Junior sister Yan Hong, since when have you been so polite to new students? I must say, this senior brother is surprised." Just then, a man's slightly amused voice rang out. It wasn't loud, yet somehow everyone present heard it clearly.

At the sound of his voice, one of the "senior sisters" who had just been enthusiastically trying to recruit Luo Mu looked delighted. She whipped around toward the voice.

As for Luo Mu, the voice sounded familiar. A moment later, his brows drew together as if he had remembered something. His expression darkened, and he turned toward the source of the voice too.