Treatment

"Grand Elder, I dare guarantee that Xiao Yan's soul talent would rank among the very best even in the entire history of Canaan Academy. He was born to be an alchemist. It wasn't impossible for him to become renowned across the Dou Qi Continent in the future! We can't let such uncut jade go to waste..."

"Cut it out, you old Fire fool. Is that boy's cultivation talent weak? Forget becoming famous across the continent—I'd say Xiao Yan could cultivate all the way to Dou Saint! Wouldn't that be more impressive than being some alchemist? In any case, giving up Dou Qi cultivation would be a terrible waste of talent. This old man refuses!"

Grand Elder Su Qian watched the two men arguing nonstop ever since they had arrived and sighed inwardly. Hu Gan was one thing, but for Fire Elder, who was known for rarely smiling or speaking frivolously, to become so emotional was enough to show just how astonishing that little fellow's performance had been.

Su Qian had not expected cultivation talent and alchemy talent, both monstrous enough to defy reason, to gather in a single person. Countless people begged for even one and failed to obtain it! Who could have imagined that someone would have to make such a blissful yet painful choice?

"Today has truly broadened the horizons of these old bones..."

Su Qian cleared away his jumbled thoughts. After pondering for a while, he raised a hand to stop the two from arguing. A trace of reminiscence appeared on his face as he slowly brought up another subject.

"When I traveled and roamed the Central Plains in my early years, I was fortunate enough to meet a powerful senior alchemist. Though it was only a single encounter, he left an unforgettable impression on me. You should both know that senior's title as well. He was the Pill Association champion who became famous throughout the continent over twenty years ago—the Medicine Venerable."

"As far as I know, not only had the Medicine Venerable's alchemy reached an unfathomable and transcendent level, his Dou Qi cultivation was no weaker than anyone else's. A Calamity Poison Body with the strength of a Dou Sect once appeared in the Central Plains. Its sinister and bizarre poisons were such that even Dou Venerable experts were unwilling to provoke it, yet it still suffered a loss at the hands of the Medicine Venerable, who had also been a Dou Sect at the time..."

"This shows that alchemy and Dou Qi cultivation are not mutually exclusive. Ordinary people simply tend to lose sight of one while pursuing the other, so they have no choice but to settle for one bird in the hand rather than ten in the forest. But Xiao Yan is an exceptionally rare genius. If his opportunities are sufficient, he may not be unable to glimpse the bearing of those great predecessors."

"Besides, we should consider the student's own wishes. Since Xiao Yan himself has no intention of abandoning Dou Qi, why not let him try? He is only eleven years old. Young people's greatest asset is that they can afford to make mistakes. If he truly is not suited for it, it will not be too late for him to choose then..."

Xiao Yan had originally prepared himself to fight hard for the opportunity. He had even drafted vows and oaths in his mind, yet Fire Elder's final answer was far better than he had imagined.

Fire Elder would have him continue attending classes in the Alchemy Department, but special instructors and elders would be assigned to teach Xiao Yan individually in both Dou Qi and alchemy, ensuring that he would not fall behind in either subject!

"This is only a temporary trial arrangement, so don't get happy too soon, brat. If the academy finds that you cannot keep up and your cultivation affects your alchemy, or the other way around, then you will have to make a choice! Are you prepared? Your studies will be far more difficult than everyone else's!"

Even after hearing old Fire's stern-faced "threat" before leaving, Xiao Yan still smiled happily.

Hadn't he come to Canaan Academy to improve his strength? Now, he had also received the unexpected delight of becoming an alchemist. Never mind a little hardship and exhaustion—even if there were mountains of blades and seas of fire before him... That probably would not happen... right?

Still, Xiao Yan was deeply moved. He and Canaan Academy were neither relatives nor old acquaintances, yet the academy was willing to invest so much in nurturing him. He secretly swore that he would never disappoint the academy's expectations. Once he became strong someday, he would surely repay the academy with all his might. Xiao Yan's creed was to repay kindness many times over and avenge every grudge!

But when Xiao Yan returned to the dormitory under the moonlight, filled with anticipation, he saw Lin Xiuya sitting in a chair with his sleeves rolled up, applying ointment to his reddened and swollen forearm by candlelight.

"Brother Lin, what happened to you?"

Seeing that Xiao Yan had returned, Lin Xiuya gave a bitter smile. Qian Mo, who had been lying on the bed, sat up and answered.

"Brother Lin and I ran into that guy called Liu Qing when we came back from cultivation just now. He insisted on sparring with Brother Lin, and well, you can see the result~"

Liu Qing was the sturdy man from the neighboring dormitory who was in the same class as Xiao Yan and the others. Canaan Academy indeed encouraged sparring, but Xiao Yan could not understand why Lin Xiuya, who clearly did not even know the man, had been challenged on the very first day.

"Why did Liu Qing specifically come looking for you, Brother Lin? Could it be that he just wanted to spar for the academy rewards?"

Qian Mo clicked his tongue. "Liu Qing is from a Central Plains clan too, just like us. The academy's little rewards aren't worth anything in our eyes. I think he might just be jealous that Brother Lin is more handsome than him!"

That final sentence was shouted toward the wall facing Liu Qing's dormitory. Lin Xiuya was speechless for a moment. After stopping Qian Mo's nonsense, he explained to Xiao Yan.

"It's not a big deal. Liu Qing is something of a battle fanatic. In our class, only he and I are at the same strength, both Nine-Star Dou Practitioners. He only sought me out to temper himself through battle."

Then Qian Mo vividly recounted Lin Xiuya and Liu Qing's sparring match to Xiao Yan. Just as he reached the part where the two supreme experts had fought to the edge of the universe and even worn away the Great Dao, Yan Hao returned.

Lin Xiuya and Qian Mo both cultivated wind-attributed Dou Qi, so they traveled together. Yan Hao, meanwhile, cultivated earth-attributed Dou Qi, and his training ground was the farthest from the dormitory...

The moment Yan Hao entered, he saw Lin Xiuya's injury as well. "Yo! Old Lin, who beat you up on the first day of school?"

"What are you talking about? Who got beaten up? I was just caught off guard during our first exchange. I'll definitely beat him next time!"

Lin Xiuya became flustered. What followed was a string of difficult-to-understand phrases about "knowing yourself and your enemy" and "showing weakness to deceive the enemy," drawing laughter from everyone. The room was immediately filled with cheerful air.

After fooling around for a while, Yan Hao turned to Xiao Yan and slapped his shoulder hard with a grin. "And you, kid. I haven't congratulated you yet on passing the alchemist test today! You really are enviable."

"What?!" Lin Xiuya and Qian Mo cried out at the same time.

"What, you two didn't know? The news is practically spreading like wildfire outside. The Super S-rank talent and the mysterious new student in the Alchemy Department are the same person. Some people have even put out rewards for detailed information about Xiao Yan!"

Seeing Lin Xiuya and Qian Mo turn their shocked gazes toward him, Xiao Yan gave an awkward yet polite smile. "Just luck. Nothing but luck." Then he hurriedly asked Yan Hao, "Brother Yan, has this news really spread so widely through the academy?"

Yan Hao burst into laughter. "Of course it has! This matter even has something to do with Fatty Qian. Yesterday, he let a lot of people know that our class had a Super S-rank talent. Then today, quite a few people saw you enter for the alchemist test and never come back out. Two groups of people started asking around about you, and once everyone compared information, your traits were way too obvious: a short, young boy. The moment they confirmed it, the news exploded. I'd say you'll be famous throughout the whole academy within two days!"

Xiao Yan's face darkened with black lines. He was starting to get a headache just thinking about the days ahead. He was no longer merely something to look at—at the very least, he was now on the level of an endangered magical beast. No matter how little he cared about other people's opinions, he could not withstand the entire academy coming to stare at him!

The three did not care what Xiao Yan might suffer at the academy in the future. Instead, they eagerly asked what the situation in the Alchemy Department was like.

Xiao Yan briefly explained the academy's arrangements for him, prompting another round of startled cries from the three.

"Personal classes! Individual instruction?!"

"Did your family donate a building to Canaan Academy?!"

"Or are you actually the headmaster's son?!"

It was not that the three were deliberately exaggerating. Canaan Academy's education could be described as merely giving students a taste. The academy would not strictly require students to cultivate any particular cultivation method or Dou Technique. One could say that Outer Academy education existed only to help talented students with difficult beginnings take the first steps on the path of cultivation and form a bond of goodwill with them.

What Xiao Yan did not know was that one-on-one instruction like this was practically equivalent to a master-disciple relationship on the continent, and such a relationship was extremely formal. Especially since it sounded as though more than one person would be teaching Xiao Yan, the three who understood the implications could not help casting sour looks at him.

"High talent really lets you do whatever you want! ヽ(≧Д≦)ノ"

"..."

The next day, Xiao Yan parted ways with the other three beneath the dormitory building. He sighed at the thought that after meeting his classmates only once, he would now be studying alone. He had previously harbored quite a few fantasies about campus life—who would have thought that ideals were full and reality was so thin?

Even more troublingly, Yan Hao had been completely right. People pointed at Xiao Yan from time to time along the road, and several even came up to strike up conversations. This was before the news had fully spread. Xiao Yan had no choice but to reveal some strength. Using the explosive speed of a Fourth-Rank Dou Practitioner, he finally managed to evade those people.

Just as Xiao Yan was considering getting up earlier in the future to avoid unnecessary trouble, a colossal object was whistling over a city a thousand miles away from Canaan Academy. It was a majestic, imposing vessel that looked like a pavilion built upon a sea ship.

Yet strangely, despite this bizarre vessel being so enormous as to be terrifying, it caused no commotion whatsoever in the city below, as though no one had noticed it.

At the bow of the vessel stood a delicate young girl. Looking in the direction of Canaan Academy, she curled her lips into a lively, playful smile.

"I'm really looking forward to it."