Heading to the Book Repository, Han Yue and the Others

Xiao Yan walked up to Ruo Lin, wearing the same cheeky grin as ever. "Instructor Ruo Lin, I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

"You little..." Looking at that face practically begging to be slapped, Ruo Lin opened her mouth to call him a brat out of habit. But then she remembered that he was now a genuine Dou Wang expert.

The gap in strength between them had grown so wide that she almost felt too awkward to scold him.

Her tone turned stiff despite herself. "Don't be so reckless next time. The Black-Corner Region really is dangerous."

Ruo Lin cared about the difference in standing that came with strength, but Xiao Yu had no intention of treating Xiao Yan differently.

She stepped forward, raised one of the long legs she was so proud of, and gave his shin a light kick. "You jerk! So you do remember how to come back!"

Xiao Yan had gone off to the Black-Corner Region without a word and stayed away for over a month. Anyone would have worried.

And he was the Xiao Clan's greatest pillar. If anything happened to him, what would the clan do?

Xiao Yan knew her kick came from genuine concern. He made no move to dodge, merely scratching his head with a smile. "I got caught up in training and lost track of time."

With nothing else to see, Xiao Yan and the others went their separate ways and returned to their lodgings.

After that battle, Xiao Yan's name rang throughout the entire Outer Academy.

A freshman who had enrolled only two months ago had already reached the Dou Wang level.

It sounded like a wild tale. No one would have believed it without seeing it firsthand, yet it had truly happened.

After returning to his lodgings, Xiao Yan stayed in, refining pills as he waited for the Book Repository to open.

During that time, Xue Ni often dropped by. Every time, she claimed she wanted to get closer to Xiao Yu, but her bright eyes kept drifting toward Xiao Yan.

Once Xue Ni left, Ruo Lin came by.

After Ruo Lin left, Hu Gan paid him a visit too.

The moment he arrived, Hu Gan pulled Xiao Yan over for a thorough examination.

"Not bad. Your Dou Qi is solid, and you're in better shape than these old bones of mine!" After checking him carefully, Hu Gan visibly relaxed and patted his shoulder with a smile.

He had worried that Xiao Yan might have forced a breakthrough with some potent pill that drained his potential. If so, such a promising talent would have been ruined.

"Don't worry, Vice Dean. My future's at stake, so I know better than to do anything foolish," Xiao Yan replied with a smile, knowing what concerned him.

Hu Gan nodded, growing more pleased with Xiao Yan the longer he looked at him.

Strong, gifted, levelheaded, and polite—he was everything Hu Gan wanted in a grandson-in-law.

But the thought of his own granddaughter's troublesome personality made him sigh inwardly.

Before coming, he had planned to introduce the two and see if he could bring them together.

Yet after seeing Xiao Yan's character for himself, he quietly abandoned the idea.

His granddaughter might not be good enough for this sweet little treat of a young man.

In all his years, this was the first time Hu Gan had found himself disappointed in his precious granddaughter.

Seeing Hu Gan's conflicted expression, Xiao Yan understood and asked with a smile, "Is there anything else you'd like to tell me, Vice Dean?"

Caught out, Hu Gan gave an embarrassed smile and told him all about his granddaughter Hu Jia's peculiar tastes and combative nature.

When he finished, he asked Xiao Yan to go easy on her for his sake.

Of course, if Xiao Yan could also help set her strange tastes straight, Hu Gan would be even more grateful.

Xiao Yan's eyelid twitched.

He knew Hu Jia, of course—the girl from the original story who had her eye on Xun'er and tried to steal her away the moment they met.

Faced with someone who came ready-made as a romantic rival, Xiao Yan agreed at once.

Hu Gan was overjoyed. He even hummed a tune on his way out, in a completely different mood from when he had arrived.

Sure enough, Hu Jia came knocking the next day. She immediately demanded that Xiao Yan suppress his strength and fight her.

The people who had sparred with Hu Jia before had all held back to some degree because she was the Vice Dean's granddaughter. Xiao Yan had no such concerns. Even while holding back, he gave her a sound beating.

But instead of frightening her off, it got her hooked. She showed up every day for the next several days, more punctual than she was for class.

At last, the day the Book Repository opened arrived.

When Xiao Yan reached the meeting place, he found five people already waiting there.

Four men and one woman.

His gaze fell on the lone woman at once.

It was not that he was lecherous. She simply stood out too much.

Her silver robe set off her snow-white skin and finely drawn features. Most striking of all was her waist-length silver-white hair, which shimmered softly in the morning light.

At the sight of them, Xiao Yan had a good idea who they were.

The five noticed him too.

Respect appeared on all their faces, and they hurried forward to greet him.

A handsome, upright young man stepped out first and offered Xiao Yan his hand with a calm expression. "Junior Xiao Yan, I'm Lin Xiuya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The name made Xiao Yan realize what had happened.

So he had ended up in the same cohort as Lin Xiuya and the others.

Xiao Yan had only enrolled this year, so it was natural for Lin Xiuya to call him "junior." It was just a form of address, unrelated to their strength.

"Xiao Yan. It's a pleasure to meet you all." He smiled and shook Lin Xiuya's hand.

He then met the other four one by one. Sure enough, they were Liu Qing, Yan Hao, Lin Yan, and Han Yue.

The moment he spotted Han Yue's distinctive silver hair, he had already guessed the identities of the other four.

Liu Qing, Yan Hao, and Lin Yan were all straightforward, hearty people, and Xiao Yan got along well with them.

As the only woman among them, Han Yue was much more reserved.

Seeing how approachable Xiao Yan was, the others relaxed.

"I didn't expect Junior Xiao Yan to be so easy to talk to. We thought you might..." Yan Hao spoke as bluntly as ever, but Lin Xiuya reacted quickly and clapped a hand over his mouth before he could finish.

Lin Xiuya looked helpless. Yan Hao was a fine hand at cultivation, but he had no tact whatsoever.

"Junior Xiao Yan, I'm sorry. Yan Hao speaks without thinking." Lin Xiuya hurriedly cupped his fists in apology.

While they had been waiting, they had talked about whether Xiao Yan would be easy to get along with. Still, discussing someone behind his back was hardly something to be proud of.

"It's fine. We're all fellow students." Xiao Yan waved it off with an unconcerned smile.

He was not so petty that a few words spoken behind his back would make him lash out.

Besides, he knew what kind of people they were. Every one of them was worth befriending.

After all, he had known them for a long time in his previous life. At least for now, no one knew them better than he did.