The Thirteen-Year-Old Dou Ling

"Lu Guan! Are you all right?" Several friends of the senior student rushed forward and helped him up, checking him over in a flurry.

At the sight of Xiao Yan's attack, both the senior students nearby and the new students sweltering under the blazing sun swallowed hard. They looked at him with shock and fear.

When Lu Guan showed no sign of waking, his friends began to panic.

"Don't worry. He'll wake up after a nap," Xiao Yan said lightly.

They were fellow students, not mortal enemies. Naturally, he had held back.

Lu Guan had a few superficial injuries at most. A few days' rest would see him fully recovered.

Only then did the others breathe a sigh of relief, though they were more awed than ever by Xiao Yan's strength.

He had defeated a seasoned Dou Zhe with a single finger, and made it look effortless. Even a Dou Shi might not have managed that.

More frightening still, the person who had done it was a new student who had yet to enroll.

Everyone present silently put Xiao Yan on their list of people never to provoke.

Xiao Yu had watched the whole thing from behind him. Alongside her shock, she felt a strange flicker of pride.

Having made his point, Xiao Yan led Xiao Yu into the large tent without obstruction.

The senior students hurried out of their way. A few quick-witted ones even brought over chairs and invited them to sit.

Some had hoped to use their standing as senior students to strike up a conversation with Xiao Yu. After seeing Xiao Yan in action, they snuffed out the thought as soon as it arose.

An odd silence settled over the tent. The senior students scarcely dared breathe, leaving only Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu's quiet conversation.

At last, a gentle woman's voice came from outside, breaking the silence.

"It seems I've found myself quite a remarkable talent this time."

As she spoke, a mature woman with a full, graceful figure stepped into the tent.

Dressed in green, she wore a warm smile on her beautiful face. Her eyes swept lightly across the tent before settling on Xiao Yan.

"Instructor Ruo Lin!" The senior students crowded around her as though help had finally arrived.

Xiao Yan took the opportunity to study Instructor Ruo Lin.

Her features were not quite as striking as Xiao Yu's, but her gentle manner and effortless, mature charm were especially captivating.

"Let me guess. You must be that young genius, aren't you?" Ruo Lin walked up to Xiao Yan with a smile.

She hardly needed to guess. The air about him set him apart from everyone else.

"Greetings, Instructor Ruo Lin." Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu rose together and bowed to her.

Xiao Yan was always properly respectful before a teacher, content to play the obedient student.

Ruo Lin nodded in approval. For all his talent, he had good manners. She secretly relaxed; a brilliant student who refused to be managed would have been far more troublesome.

Soon, however, she noticed something that startled her.

Despite being a Da Dou Shi, she could not discern Xiao Yan's cultivation level at all.

There were only two possible explanations: either he had learned a secret art that concealed his cultivation, or he was stronger than she was.

Ruo Lin instinctively favored the first. He looked even younger than Xiao Yu beside him. The thought that he might already surpass her was too astonishing.

She set her doubts aside for the moment, called to the students outside, and brought everyone into the tent.

After briefly explaining how Jia Nan Academy graded potential, Ruo Lin began asking each student about their exact strength.

"Let's start with our young genius." Her gaze returned to Xiao Yan, and she smiled.

He had defeated Lu Guan, a Dou Zhe, with ease. Xiao Yan had to be a high-level Dou Zhe at the very least, perhaps something more.

She truly wanted to know just how strong he was.

Everyone in the tent turned to Xiao Yan expectantly.

Under their gazes, Xiao Yan remained calm. "Xiao Yan. Thirteen years old. Five-Star Dou Ling."

The entire tent fell silent. Even the faintest sound of breathing seemed to vanish. One could have heard a pin drop.

Ruo Lin's languid composure disappeared. Excitement gradually flushed her fair cheeks, and her voice trembled despite herself. "Student Xiao Yan... sorry to trouble you, but could you say that again?"

Xiao Yan spread his hands and spoke a little louder. "Xiao Yan. Thirteen years old. Five-Star Dou Ling."

This time, everyone heard him clearly.

After a brief, stunned silence, the tent erupted. Cries of astonishment rang out, and more than a few people pinched their own arms hard to check whether they were dreaming.

Xiao Yu's mouth formed a round O. She had known Xiao Yan was strong, but she had never imagined he was this strong.

A thirteen-year-old Five-Star Dou Ling. It was terrifying!

Ruo Lin came back to herself. Her gentle smile was gone, replaced by a face flushed red with excitement.

A thirteen-year-old Dou Ling!

If she brought Xiao Yan back to the academy, even the headmaster would have to greet her first—not to mention the generous rewards awaiting her.

She grabbed Xiao Yan's hand and refused to let go, as though the boy might vanish before her eyes the moment she did.

For the rest of his time there, Xiao Yan received the beautiful instructor's undivided attention.

Ruo Lin not only invited him into her private tent but also explained the academy's rules and inner workings in painstaking detail.

To keep him, she pulled out every stop, singing the academy's praises while promising one tempting benefit after another: ample cultivation resources, the best accommodations, and much more.

Xiao Yan accepted it all without hesitation.

He had no use for those things himself, but Xiao Yu did.

Xiao Yan also told Ruo Lin that he wanted to enter the Inner Academy.

She revealed that the Inner Academy selection would take place in their second month after enrollment.

Since recruitment would continue for three days, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu returned to the Xiao Clan first.

Worried that Xiao Yan might slip away, Ruo Lin followed them, shamelessly calling it a home visit.

Xiao Zhan welcomed her wholeheartedly.

Over the next two days, Xiao Yan neither cultivated nor refined medicine. He devoted himself to keeping Xiao Yi Xian and Xun'er company, wandering Wutan City with them as though he could make up in advance for all the time he would miss after leaving.