A Terrifying Genius

"Great Dou Master, Three-Star!"

A searing aura like a volcanic eruption swept over them. Every Canaan Academy student went pale and collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat.

Just then, a green figure suddenly appeared. A cool aura spread outward, blocking the pressure while dispelling the ever-rising heat in the area.

Though her voice carried surprise, it could not conceal its innate gentleness, as though it possessed a spellbinding magic that could intoxicate anyone.

The suffocating, scorching sensation abruptly eased, yet the dozen or so students felt no joy at having survived a catastrophe. Instead, they were even more shocked, and fear rose unbidden in their hearts.

"Three-Star Great Dou Master!" The dozen people scrambled to their feet and stared in stunned disbelief at the youth clad in golden Dou Qi Armor.

A Great Dou Master so young was already unbelievable, yet he had gone a step further—he was actually a Three-Star Great Dou Master!

Even the most senior students in the outer academy would find it difficult to reach such a level. How could someone applying to Canaan Academy already possess this much strength?

Ruo Lin wore a smile, but her heart was deeply shaken. Even she seemed to be no match for him.

Recruiting a gifted student brought great benefits to a mentor like her, but talent this terrifying had instead become a headache.

Looking at the woman before him, whose voluptuous and exquisite figure far surpassed the immature girls like Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan felt a flash of amazement.

Like Ya Fei, she had a very full figure, yet their temperaments were utterly different. Ya Fei exuded seductive charm, enough to make one's bones melt and soul wander; but this woman seemed to embody the saying that women were made of water, gentle as water itself.

"Are you trying to bully the young with the old?" Xiao Yu cried delicately, grabbing Xiao Yan's hand. "Xiao Yan, let's go! Canaan Academy may indeed be a famous Dou Qi academy on the Dou Qi Continent, but it isn't the only one. You're still young. With your talent, you'll receive the best resources anywhere. We of the Xiao Family are not people to be bullied at will!"

She did not know Ruo Lin's strength, but as a Canaan Academy mentor, she surely had some ability. Xiao Yan was still young; he must not suffer a loss.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er were both surprised. Everyone in the Xiao Family knew that Xiao Yu had wanted to apply to Canaan Academy since childhood. Yet now that Canaan Academy had come to recruit students and she herself met the strength requirement, she was actually willing to give it up.

Ruo Lin blinked her long lashes and smiled gently. "It seems I haven't done anything. Since these students proposed a test and you passed it successfully, that means you have entered Canaan Academy's gates. However, the academy needs to distinguish between students and teach according to their aptitudes, so I still need to learn more information."

Seeing that Ruo Lin had no intention of making a move and that her words made some sense, Xiao Yu looked awkwardly at the hand with which she was holding Xiao Yan. Should they leave or stay now?

Xiao Yan smiled and asked, "Sister Xiao Yu, what should we do now? I'll listen to you."

Xiao Yu remembered that Xiao Yan had always been rather resourceful and realized she had been a clown blindly worrying over nothing. Dejected, she said, "Your strength is so high. What use are my words?"

"Canaan Academy's teaching ability is first-rate. If you enter the academy to cultivate, you might even catch up to me." Xiao Yan grasped Xiao Yu's hand and smiled.

Xiao Yu's cheeks reddened. If the gap had only been a few stars, she would have had confidence, but asking her to cross an entire realm to catch up was far too exaggerated, both for the academy's ability and for her own talent. Xiao Yan had only said it because he wanted her to enter the academy she had set her heart on.

Ruo Lin had originally thought it would be difficult to make this member of the Xiao Family change her mind, yet Xiao Yan resolved it in just two sentences. Not only was his talent unparalleled, the finest she had ever seen in her life, but his mindset was also vastly different from those pampered, arrogant geniuses.

"The crafting methods for Flying Dou Techniques have almost been lost, but to activate one requires strength at least close to that of a Dou Practitioner. Remember that next time." Ruo Lin turned to the still-shaken students and lectured, "Call everyone into the tent."

Shi Shan suddenly recalled that books indeed stated that using a Flying Dou Technique required an enormous amount of Dou Qi. Even a Dou Practitioner cultivating a Basic Profound Rank technique had to wait until reaching eight or nine stars before using one.

It was simply that Flying Dou Techniques existed almost solely in book records, so he had not taken the matter to heart. As a result, he had done the foolish thing of challenging someone stronger than himself—and not merely stronger, but vastly stronger.

His face flushed crimson as Shi Shan hurried with his classmates toward the patch of blazing sunlight nearby, calling over the row of new students and telling them they no longer needed to stand there.

Canaan Academy's long-standing unwritten rule of tempering new students' temperaments was thus broken in Wutan City.

Everyone entered the tent. Ruo Lin sat behind a table in the center and took out a green parchment scroll and an ink brush from her Storage Ring.

She swept her gaze over the new students, congratulated them gently on passing the test, then immediately began discussing potential scores and asked everyone to state their age and strength.

Most of the dozen or so new students who had passed the test possessed Eighth-Stage Battle Qi, having only just met Canaan Academy's minimum requirement.

Xiao Yu had used Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, greatly increasing her cultivation speed. Having applied early, she had now reached Ninth-Stage Battle Qi and become one of the few among the dozen with an F-grade potential score.

Xiao Yu's outstanding result could not help but make the students speculate about the potential of the other two girls beside Xiao Yan.

Some felt they should also be F-grade, while others believed that since the two were younger, having Eighth-Stage Battle Qi would already be impressive.

Ruo Lin could not see through those two either, but she thought it would be nice if they could enter Canaan Academy. She did not think too much about it; one ruthless monster was enough.

With light lotus steps, the young girl moved forward. In a clear, pleasant voice, she said, "Xiao Xun'er, Nine-Star Dou Practitioner, eleven years old." Her crisp voice was not loud, yet it echoed ceaselessly through the tent, lingering by everyone's ears.

Ruo Lin's hand froze as she held the brush, and shock surfaced on her gentle, lovely face.

The tent fell silent as gaze after gaze stared blankly at the girl in green.

A Dou Practitioner—and a Nine-Star Dou Practitioner at that. Someone had actually cultivated to such a level at eleven years old. It was truly difficult to imagine.

Xiao Yu was stunned as well. Although Xiao Xun'er's talent had always been good, it had never seemed this exaggerated.

Thinking back, whenever they had asked why Xiao Xun'er's parents, who had left her in the Xiao Family's care, had never appeared, Grandfather's face would show a wary expression. She could now gradually understand why.

"Then what about Xiao Yan?" Ruo Lin blinked in confusion.

Xiao Yan answered vaguely, "I'm a little older than her. Consider me twelve."

Xiao Xun'er smiled. "Brother Xiao Yan is simply too modest. Let me say it instead."

"All right." Ruo Lin smiled and nodded. With her experience, it was not difficult for her to see that the two had been childhood sweethearts. She glanced at Xiao Yan.

Seeing Xiao Yan nod helplessly, Xiao Xun'er smiled sweetly. "Brother Xiao Yan began cultivating qi at four, became a Dou Practitioner at ten, and is now not only a Three-Star Great Dou Master, but has also taught himself alchemy and become an alchemist capable of refining third-grade medicinal pills."

Everyone in the tent shuddered violently. Cultivating the initial stages of Battle Qi was extremely difficult. Generally speaking, even someone with excellent talent who began cultivating Battle Qi at four might only reach Ninth-Stage Battle Qi at thirteen or fourteen. Becoming a Dou Practitioner at ten was truly terrifying.

After becoming a Dou Practitioner and cultivating a Dou Qi technique, one's advancement speed improved noticeably compared with the Battle Qi stage. But reaching Three-Star Great Dou Master in less than two years was simply unheard of.

Most terrifying of all was that Xiao Yan's cultivation speed was not merely fast. During that process, he had also mastered the Alchemy Art and become an alchemist, an identity held in the highest esteem on the Dou Qi Continent.

There were people in the tent who had seen alchemists, even multiple alchemists, but such a young third-grade alchemist was a first for them—not to mention one who had taught himself...

The sounds of people sucking in cold breaths rose one after another throughout the tent. Every gaze directed at Xiao Yan was filled with trembling awe at such heaven-defying talent.

Ruo Lin's beautiful eyes remained fixed on Xiao Yan in his black robes for a long time. What a terrifying genius!