Signing Up for Jia Nan Academy

Having obtained a large quantity of alchemical ingredients, broken through to become a Dou Practitioner, and successfully refined the Spirit Awakening Pill, Xiao Yan was greatly pleased by all three achievements.

However, what excited him most was that by using the secret Unity Return Art with Xiao Xun'er and borrowing the Golden Emperor Incinerating Flame, he could greatly improve his alchemical ability and refine pills that had originally been difficult to make.

With this discovery, Xiao Yan enjoyed resources beyond the imagination of ordinary people during the following nine months of cultivation—Upgraded Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, Bloodflame Pills, Spirit Awakening Pills, and Bloodfire Pills, which he refined by adding second-tier fire-attributed Magic Cores to the Bloodflame Pill formula.

If Ya Fei alone had been gathering ingredients, Xiao Yan's Magic Cores would never have been enough for such extravagance. However, the box of Magic Cores provided by Xiao Xun'er gave him the capital to experiment with pills.

Under the effects of all kinds of medicine, Xiao Yan's cultivation speed at the Dou Practitioner level not only exceeded expectations, but even surpassed the speed at which he had advanced as a Dou Zhe.

Amid his diligent cultivation, a year passed in the blink of an eye, and Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team arrived in Wutan City.

However, they were not recruiting only people from Wutan City. People from several nearby cities could also come here to register.

A great number of outsiders flooded in. Even though the Xiao Family was far stronger than before, it still could not control those from elsewhere.

Looking at the seemingly endless sea of people, Xiao Yu, who had received medicinal liquid assistance and met Jia Nan Academy's admission requirements early, was somewhat dumbfounded.

"It seems I won't be able to get through the assessment today." Xiao Yu sighed deeply, her face full of frustration.

She had finally attained the strength needed to enter Jia Nan Academy, yet she could not immediately meet the academy's recruiters. She was like an ant on a hot pan.

Xiao Xun'er smiled faintly beside her. "Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team will stay in the city for seven days. Let's come earlier tomorrow." As she spoke, she looked around.

However, the flow of people was simply too great. Though the person she sought was quite conspicuous, she still did not spot that figure.

"Looking for Xiao Yan?" Xiao Yu put away her frustration. "Xiao Yan has been coming and going like a ghost lately. Who knows what he's been up to? If he misses this registration, he'll have to wait a long time."

"Registration has only just started. I shouldn't be late, should I?"

The two followed the familiar voice and saw Xiao Yan emerge from a street corner, with a young woman in a white dress beside him.

"She's the Xiao Yi Xian from Thousand Medicine Hall whom you chose as your helper?" Xiao Yu's gaze swept past Xiao Yan and swiftly settled on the girl. She did not know how skilled the girl's medicine was, but she certainly deserved the word 'fairy' in her name.

A flash of golden light passed through Xiao Xun'er's lively eyes. Unlike Xiao Yu, who had only judged her appearance, Xiao Xun'er saw much deeper.

Her strength is actually no weaker than mine. Even with Brother Xiao Yan's resources supporting her, isn't this cultivation speed a little too fast?

"This is my cousin Xiao Yu, and this is Xun'er, whom I often mention," Xiao Yan introduced.

Cousin... often mentioned? The difference in treatment made Xiao Yu stop Xiao Yi Xian before she could speak. "Let's save the small talk. The noise around here is deafening."

"Let's register first." Xiao Yan smiled faintly.

"You have a way?" Xiao Yu pointed at the seemingly endless crowd.

Xiao Yan smiled. "I do have a way, but we'll have to offend someone."

"Stop keeping us in suspense." Xiao Yu stomped her foot. Her desire to join Jia Nan Academy was no secret.

Xiao Yi Xian stepped beside Xiao Xun'er and smiled at Xiao Yan.

"Like this." Xiao Yan walked forward, wrapping one arm around Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian and the other around Xiao Yu. Amid cries of surprise, he used a Flying Dou Technique and shot into the sky.

After the cries died down, Xiao Yu was utterly shocked. Dou Qi Wings... a Dou Wang?

He had become a Dou Wang in only a year and a half? Did Xiao Yan jump off a cliff?! Such terrifying progress left Xiao Yu too stunned for words.

Noticing several figures suddenly appear in the sky, many people waiting in line were equally astonished.

"A Dou Wang has brought people here to register too?"

"Jia Nan Academy truly deserves its reputation as a renowned advanced dou qi academy of the continent!"

Thinking that Jia Nan Academy's foundations were no weaker than those of the Misty Cloud Sect, some of the youths grew even more impassioned. "It's only a Dou Wang! As long as I can enter Jia Nan Academy, I'll break through eventually too!"

Soaring over the crowd, Xiao Yan brought the others down in the center of the square beside a large green tent.

Several passages for testing young men and women could be seen here. Occasionally, someone who passed the assessment would excitedly head into the empty area within.

Not long after Xiao Yan's group of four landed, more than ten young people in academy uniforms emerged from the other side of the tent. Looks of realization appeared on their faces, while traces of envy and jealousy flashed through their eyes.

It was said that the method for creating Flying Dou Techniques had long been lost. Such things had never appeared even in Jia Nan Academy, where geniuses gathered, let alone someone who could embrace three rare beauties from the academy—one older and two younger—on either side.

A tall, thin man sneered. "I thought a true Dou Wang had appeared. So he's just someone who got lucky and obtained a Flying Dou Technique."

A fat man snorted angrily. "Do you take Jia Nan Academy's students for ignorant fools, unable to distinguish a Dou Wang from a Flying Dou Technique?"

At that moment, a sturdy man said amiably, "Since you've come this far, you should undergo a test. We don't have testing equipment with us, so if you young people can hold out for thirty exchanges, all of you will be considered to have passed."

"Senior Shi Shan is indeed reasonable." The fat man and the tall, thin man said this as though they were inferior to him.

The two of them, along with the surrounding students, were secretly laughing. Shi Shan had already reached the level of a three-star Dou Zhe; dealing with newcomers registering for admission would be effortless.

Moreover, they were not afraid of any trouble. This was practically an unwritten rule of Jia Nan Academy: dampen the spirit of new students so that those who had reached the admission threshold but lived pampered lives would understand their own level.

Xiao Yu frowned. Why did Jia Nan Academy's people speak like this? Only then did she recall that there was indeed something called a Flying Dou Technique, which allowed someone to gain the ability to fly ahead of time. It was extremely rare, and she had not expected Xiao Yan to have the fortune of acquiring one.

Xiao Yan remained perfectly calm. Jia Nan Academy was indeed like this, and it had long since become a tradition.

"Will Senior take action alone, or will all of you come at once?" Xiao Yan asked with a smile.

Looking at that harmlessly handsome face, a face that practically made one want to stomp it flat, Shi Shan shouted furiously, "Get past me first!"

He strode forward, and with a raise of his hand, he used the Advanced Yellow Rank Dou Technique he had learned, Southern Mountain Fist.

When he had first enrolled, he had been brutally thrashed by a three-star Dou Zhe senior. Now that he had become an older student and reached three-star Dou Zhe himself, every time he saw new students, he felt an intense urge to torment them.

Seeing Shi Shan truly use his signature Dou Technique, the students behind him all wore expressions of eager anticipation.

They wondered whether the three girls would soon be tearful and pitiful, or ruthlessly abandon some trash.

Bang! None of the dozen people saw what had happened. Senior Shi Shan, who should have displayed great might, had instead been thrown onto the bluestone bricks in the distance.

"Taking them one at a time is too slow. Come at me together." Xiao Yan took a step forward. Golden light flickered over his body as a suit of armor, as though forged from gold, covered his surface.

The fat student and the others widened their eyes, crying out in disbelief, "Dou Qi Armor—the specialty of a Da Dou Shi!"