Selection

Walking along the path, Xiao Yun looked at the family grounds, which had suddenly become much emptier, and felt a bad premonition.

Today was the day Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team would arrive in Wutan City. Judging by this, most of the clan had probably gone to watch the selection.

If the Xiao Clan was like this, the others were probably no better. Xiao Yun guessed that the square where the recruitment selection was being held had likely already been drowned beneath an excited crowd.

He hurried toward Jia Nan Academy's designated recruitment square. Although he had prepared himself mentally, when Xiao Yun arrived and saw the sea of people stretching almost beyond sight, he was still stunned.

"What a bunch of lunatics. What are they all crowding around here for? Do they think having more people will lower the difficulty?"

A wave of clamor rose into the sky over the massive square as countless young people desperately squeezed toward its center.

Soldiers sent by the City Lord's Manor maintained order in the square, but with so many people present, their efforts were like scratching an itch through a boot and had little effect.

Xiao Yun stared blankly at the crowd and sighed. At this rate, there was no chance of getting through the test smoothly today.

He circled the enormous square once, only to end up back where he had started.

He had originally wanted to see whether he could find the Xiao Clan's main group and follow them in, but outside the square there was nothing but fully armed soldiers and ordinary spectators who had come for the excitement. There was simply no shortcut.

Xiao Yun did not have the ability to make the soldiers responsible for maintaining order give him special treatment, so he could only return to where he had been.

"Forget it. I'll just use the dumb method and squeeze my way in honestly."

Taking advantage of his shorter height, Xiao Yun spent a long time squeezing through the crowd at waist level before finally emerging, drenched in sweat.

"Whew, I finally got out. These people watching the spectacle are something else. It's so hot, yet they still insist on squeezing together to watch." Seeing the green tent in the distance, Xiao Yun finally let out a breath.

There was quite a distance between the crowd and the tent, with several passageways in between. Young men who looked like academy students stood in those passageways, holding fist-sized blue crystal balls and testing people.

Xiao Yun headed straight for a passageway with few people. Before long, it was his turn to step forward for the test.

Seeing Xiao Yun's childlike appearance, the male student conducting the test was quite curious.

"Little friend, this isn't a place to play games. This is Jia Nan Academy's recruitment selection. Where are your family members? They'll get worried if they can't find you later."

"Uh, I know. I came here to take the test. Please test me, Senior."

Xiao Yun silently rolled his eyes. His age really put him at a disadvantage. Everyone thought he was merely playing some childish game.

"Then inject your Dou Qi into this testing crystal. Once you do, if your cultivation has reached the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi, the crystal will light up automatically. That means you've passed the preliminary test."

The male student did not believe Xiao Yun, but testing Dou Qi was no trouble. He could indulge the little fellow before him for a moment.

"Mm..." Xiao Yun nodded in understanding. He stepped forward and placed his right hand on the crystal ball. After a brief pause, he withdrew his hand only once the crystal lit up.

Wait, it really lit up! The male student stared in disbelief, wondering if the crystal ball in his hand had malfunctioned after testing too many people.

"Wait a moment. I'll get another testing crystal." Without waiting for Xiao Yun's reply, the male student turned and hurried over to the others, returning with another crystal ball.

Xiao Yun said nothing. He understood that the man before him could not quite accept that someone so young had passed the test. He silently placed his hand on the crystal ball, and moments later, it lit up again.

"!" The male student's jaw nearly hit the ground. He could not understand why the gap between people could be so vast. Xiao Yun was just too young. At that age, he had still been playing in the mud.

"I've passed now, right?" Xiao Yun's voice jolted him awake. "Passed, passed. Hurry inside."

Xiao Yun nodded and slowly walked toward the tent. Upon entering the large green tent, he saw more than a dozen men and women gathered in several small groups beneath its cool shade, chatting among themselves.

Outside the shade, over twenty young men and women sat on the ground beneath the blazing sun, sweat streaming down their faces from the heat. Yet their expressions were full of restraint. They seemed to be freshmen who had just passed the outer test.

"Cousin Xiao Yun, come over here!" Someone among the freshmen spotted Xiao Yun and called out in delight.

He looked over to see two young men in Xiao Clan attire waving at him, their heads covered in sweat.

These two were the ones Xiao Yun had seen at the training grounds some days ago and thought had a chance of passing Jia Nan Academy's recruitment test. He had not expected both of them to successfully enter Jia Nan Academy.

Their calls naturally drew many eyes. The freshmen all curiously sized up Wutan City's legendary greatest genius.

Ignoring their gazes, Xiao Yun walked straight up to the two Xiao Clan members.

"So many people from the clan came, and only the two of you passed the test?"

It was not surprising that someone from the Xiao Clan had passed. After all, it was one of Wutan City's three great clans. But only two people passing the test truly surprised Xiao Yun.

The Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony required one to reach the Seventh Duan of Dou Qi by age sixteen. It was not strange for no one under sixteen to pass, but for only two people above sixteen to pass seemed rather pitiful.

"Only the two of us who came passed. But there are actually others in the clan who meet the requirements. They simply don't want to go to Jia Nan Academy and have gone to other sects to cultivate instead."

Xiao Yun nodded in realization. Jia Nan Academy might be a sacred place in many people's hearts, but there would always be those who believed cultivating in a sect was better than studying at an academy.

Under the blazing sun, Xiao Yun sat on the ground and chatted idly with the two clansmen. As time passed, the sun gradually moved directly overhead, and more than a dozen additional freshmen gathered nearby.

From their earlier conversation, Xiao Yun learned the two clansmen's names: Xiao Long and Xiao Hu. They were biological brothers, with Xiao Long one year older than Xiao Hu, though both had reached the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi.

The three had grown much more familiar, and Xiao Hu dared to complain to Xiao Yun. "Damn it, these senior students are deliberately making us sit out here in the sun. None of them have come to deal with us."

Xiao Yun glanced at Xiao Hu. He knew this was an old Jia Nan Academy tradition. Those who met the admission requirements were generally talented young people, and in their small hometowns, they were likely pampered and rarely subjected to ridicule or mockery.

But if they entered Jia Nan Academy, where outstanding people appeared one after another, with that sort of mentality, it would be easy for trouble to break out over a single disagreement.

Therefore, during recruitment, the senior students had to let the freshmen understand their own limits and grind down that fearless edge of theirs, preventing unnecessary trouble in the future.

What Xiao Yun and the others were experiencing now was precisely that process of grinding down their spirit.

Xiao Yun personally did not feel much about it. This behavior was somewhat excessive, but he was not some arrogant prodigy who picked fights with the heavens and the earth. As long as no one deliberately targeted him, he could not be bothered to act.

But if some blind nobody wanted him to slap their face, he could reluctantly smash that face to pieces.

Seeing Xiao Hu's dissatisfied expression, Xiao Yun smiled helplessly. "Endure it a little longer. These senior students are trying to blunt our edge. We aren't strong enough, so complaining is useless."

"It's true that we aren't strong enough, but Cousin Xiao Yun, your talent is so high. I believe you can beat those senior students."

Xiao Yun's face darkened when he heard that. "My talent may be good, but I'm young. What use is your faith in me? I don't even believe in myself."

Good heavens, he was only seven years old, with merely the cultivation of a One-Star Dou Zhe. Those senior students had cultivated at Jia Nan Academy for at least a year, and most of them were above One-Star Dou Zhe. If he went over to show off now, he would probably get beaten black and blue.

Hearing Xiao Yun say this, Xiao Hu was left speechless. Even the Xiao Clan's greatest genius was willing to sit outside in the sun, so what else could he say?

Fortunately, they did not have to wait long before a senior student inside the tent informed the freshmen that they could enter.

Upon hearing the notice, the freshmen were overjoyed. They swiftly rose from the ground, dusted off their backsides, and headed into the tent.

Xiao Yun also dragged Xiao Long and Xiao Hu into the tent. Though he had not complained, he really had been scorched by the heat.

"Hahaha, it seems I really have recruited a monster this time.

"Earlier, I wondered whether you would come directly into the tent. I didn't expect you to stay outside until now. Exceptional talent, yet neither arrogant nor impatient. Good, very good."

As soon as Xiao Yun entered the tent, he saw a broad-shouldered, burly, fat man staring at him as though he were treasure. The students beside him addressed him as Instructor Xu Ning.

"Greetings, Instructor..." Since Xu Ning kept staring at him, Xiao Yun could not pretend not to notice. He nodded politely.

"Good, good. You're quite polite too. Wait a moment while I record your talent ratings." Xu Ning was extremely pleased with Xiao Yun. Even such a simple polite greeting was treated as one of the youngster's great virtues.

It had to be said that although Jia Nan Academy's method of dulling newcomers' edge was somewhat excessive, it did have some effect.

At the very least, after being roasted under the blazing sun until drenched in sweat, the freshmen were clearly much less arrogant than when they had first arrived. They all huddled in the tent's shade, and no one caused trouble by confronting the instructors.

Once everyone had gathered, Instructor Xu Ning took out a parchment scroll, ink, and a brush from his Storage Ring.

"Students, congratulations on entering the gates of Jia Nan Academy.

"However, before that, I need to know each of your true ages and cultivation levels so that I can assess your talent according to the potential rating system established by the academy."

"Eighth Duan of Dou Qi corresponds to F-Tier Potential, the minimum standard for entering Jia Nan Academy.

"Ninth Duan of Dou Qi corresponds to E-Tier Potential.

"One-Star Dou Zhe corresponds to D-Tier Potential, Two-Star Dou Zhe corresponds to C-Tier Potential, and so on. The highest rank is Five-Star Dou Zhe, which corresponds to S-Tier Potential! Of course, all of these cultivation levels must be achieved before the age of eighteen."

"The academy has not recruited an S-Tier Potential student in a long time. I have a feeling that one of you will produce an S-Tier student!"

After saying this, Xu Ning glanced at Xiao Yun. It was obvious that the S-Tier student he meant was Xiao Yun. Sometimes, age truly was an enormous advantage. For Xiao Yun to pass the test at such a young age, becoming S-Tier Potential was practically certain.

"Alright, line up in a single row. From left to right, report your age and cultivation one by one." Xu Ning stood before the crowd and shouted loudly.

"Wang Lin, eighteen years old, Ninth Duan of Dou Qi." A skinny youth at the head of the line on the left blushed deeply as he excitedly called out his age and cultivation.

Xu Ning smiled and nodded, quickly recording the student's information with his right hand. "E-Tier Potential. Cultivate diligently."

"Lin Shan, seventeen years old, Eighth Duan of Dou Qi."

"F-Tier Potential."

"Black Stone, eighteen years old, Ninth Duan of Dou Qi."

"E-Tier Potential."

Most of the freshmen who had passed the test were below the Dou Zhe realm.

Of course, quite a few freshmen had originally been at the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi, but after failing their attempt to break through to Dou Zhe, they had dropped back to the Eighth Duan of Dou Qi.

Soon it was Xiao Yun's turn. Before him, the best result had only been a One-Star Dou Zhe with D-Tier Potential. The brothers Xiao Long and Xiao Hu had also finished their tests, both receiving E-Tier Potential.

Xiao Yun had no intention of hiding his strength. He knew that at Jia Nan Academy, the better one performed, the more resources one received. There was no need to conceal his abilities.

"Xiao Yun, seven years old, One-Star Dou Zhe." As Xiao Yun's words fell, everyone in the tent who heard them unconsciously opened their mouths wide and drew in sharp breaths.

Xu Ning was overjoyed, nearly snapping the brush in his hand. He had originally thought Xiao Yun was at most at the Ninth Duan of Dou Qi and would need to wait until entering Jia Nan Academy to break through to Dou Zhe.

He had not expected Xiao Yun to have already broken through and stabilized at One-Star Dou Zhe. Lowering his head, Xu Ning stared at Xiao Yun with an even more fervent gaze than before.

He had truly stumbled upon a treasure this time. With a genius like Xiao Yun, the higher-ups would certainly reward him once he returned to the academy.

"Good, good, good! A seven-year-old Dou Zhe, S-Tier Potential!" Xu Ning grinned so widely that he could not close his mouth.

Once everyone's information had been recorded, Instructor Xu Ning told them all to return home, enjoy their final days of leisure, and properly bid farewell to their families.

Three days later, everyone was to gather here again. At that time, Jia Nan Academy's exclusive magical beasts would come to take them to Jia Nan Academy.