Chapter 37: The Breakthrough Sect Pill; Jia Nan Academy's Recruitment

The Sect Breaking Pill!

Little Purple's beautiful eyes went wide, and her body trembled with excitement she could not contain.

The Sect Breaking Pill was the real deal.

Though its grade was lower than the Transformation Pill's, it could greatly improve one's chances of breaking through to Dou Zong. Even if the breakthrough failed, it would protect one's current cultivation and prevent a drop in rank.

She had refined the last of the Transformation Pill's medicinal power and firmly reached Peak Dou Emperor. She was only one step away from breaking through.

The Sect Breaking Pill had come at just the right time.

"Th-thank you, Master!" Little Purple's voice caught in her throat. Tears welled in her eyes, and her shoulders shook. Her mature, alluring face looked heartbreakingly vulnerable.

Looking at the beautiful woman weeping before him, Xiao Yan found it hard to connect her with the majestic sixth-rank Magical Beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King.

"There, there. Take it and make your breakthrough. Afterward, look after the Xiao Clan for me." Xiao Yan gently tossed the jade box into her hands and spoke in a soothing voice.

Little Purple caught the box in both hands, wiped her tears away, and nodded firmly.

After returning from Little Purple's place, Xiao Yan went back to his daily cultivation and pill refining.

The days passed, and Jia Nan Academy's recruitment drew steadily closer.

Xiao Yan told Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian about his plans.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you leaving again?" Xun'er's eyes reddened as soon as she heard.

She and Xiao Yan had been inseparable since childhood. Whenever he left, it took her a long time to get used to the emptiness.

Beside her, Xiao Yi Xian pressed her lips tightly together as tears gathered in her eyes. The time she had spent with Xiao Yan had been the happiest and most peaceful of her life.

Xiao Yan reached out and gently wiped the tears from both girls' eyes, then drew them into his arms. "Don't worry. I'm only going to Jia Nan Academy. I'll be back before long."

The two girls leaned against him. Though neither wanted him to go, neither asked him to stay.

They both knew Xiao Yan had a mind of his own and a path he needed to follow.

The next day, Jia Nan Academy's recruitment team arrived in Wutan City as scheduled.

Xiao Yan got ready and set off for the recruitment site.

He had barely stepped outside when he ran into Xiao Yu.

The moment she saw Xiao Yan, the memory of him touching her leg that day sprang unbidden to mind.

Gratitude and mortification warred within her, leaving her unsure what expression to wear.

Xiao Yan's gaze made its customary appreciative sweep over her long legs. Then he casually laced his hands behind his head and fell into step beside her.

"Jia Nan Academy likes to put new students in their place. Stick with me when we get there, all right?" Xiao Yan said as they walked.

"How do you know?" Xiao Yu turned to him in confusion. Wasn't this his first time attending recruitment too?

"Don't worry about that. Just stick with me," Xiao Yan replied casually.

Xiao Yu did not argue. She nodded obediently.

Xiao Yan usually acted like a carefree rascal, but Xiao Yu had to admit that when trouble came, she could count on him.

They arrived at the recruitment square and found it packed with people. The queue stretched beyond sight.

"So many people! How long are we supposed to wait?" Xiao Yu's face fell as she stared at the long line.

Queue? Not a chance.

It was one thing to make new students at the Dou Zhe or Dou Qi level wait in line. But Xiao Yan was a Dou Ling. Was he supposed to stand there with them?

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and abruptly released his aura.

Boom!

An immense pressure swept out in every direction. The people nearby felt its suffocating force and parted like a tide, clearing a broad path for Xiao Yan.

Those who had scrambled aside stared at him in terror, hardly daring to breathe.

"Let's go." A faint smile touched Xiao Yan's lips as he beckoned to Xiao Yu.

Startled and delighted, Xiao Yu hurried after him on her long legs.

At the registration desk, the staff member was still shaken by Xiao Yan's aura. He stared at him for a long moment before coming to his senses.

The aura coming from this young man was more frightening than that of the academy's teachers. Anyone would have been stunned.

He swallowed hard and pointed at the crystal ball before him. "Please place your hands on it. If you meet the requirements, it will light up."

They still had to go through the formalities.

Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu placed their hands on the crystal ball as instructed. It glowed softly, showing that they had both passed.

The staff member registered their names, and Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu passed through the large tent to the grounds behind it.

As soon as they emerged, they saw a group of new students standing under the blazing sun, panting and drenched in sweat.

Beneath a tent opposite them, an older student assigned to receive newcomers glanced over Xiao Yan, then fixed his gaze on Xiao Yu's long, shapely legs. His lips curled into a smile.

"Congratulations on passing the initial test. Now please stand outside for half an hour."

Xiao Yu immediately understood. This was what Xiao Yan had meant by putting new students in their place.

She was secretly glad he was there. Otherwise, she too would have had to stand under the scorching sun for half an hour. What a miserable thought.

As for whether Xiao Yan could handle this older student, the question never crossed Xiao Yu's mind.

She might doubt Xiao Yan's character, but she had never doubted his strength.

"And if I don't?" Xiao Yan took a step forward and lifted his chin, looking every bit the insolent rascal.

"That's fine too. You just have to be able to take a beating." The older student grinned viciously and rolled his neck, his joints cracking. The "gentleness" of his smile sent a chill down the spine.

The other older students emerged from the tent with their arms folded, eager to watch their usual spectacle: an older student beating up a defiant newcomer.

"Come on, then." Xiao Yan smiled back, raised his middle finger, and crooked it at him.

"You arrogant brat!" Enraged by the gesture, the older student's face twisted. He kicked off the ground and shot forward like an arrow, throwing a punch at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan neither dodged nor blocked. He merely bent that middle finger and flicked it lightly through the air.

Before finger and fist could meet, the force from Xiao Yan's flick sent the older student flying backward like a kite with a severed string.

He crashed into the rack behind him with a clatter, landed flat on his back, and promptly passed out.