Jia Nan Academy

Dawn had barely broken when Chen Cang's cultivation was interrupted yet again.

Last night, it had been Xiao Zhan. This morning, it was his three "good-for-nothing" sons.

"You'd better think carefully before you speak. If you don't have a reason that convinces me, I'll be giving your strength a thorough test today."

Being forced to stop cultivating again and again had left Chen Cang simmering with anger. His words carried a dangerous edge, and the look he gave the little shorty was especially eager.

After all, he beat up Xiao Ding and Xiao Li so often that it had lost its novelty. Only the youngest, Xiao Yan, had yet to experience his iron fists.

Now that the brat had started Qi Refining, his body would grow stronger by the day. In the future, Chen Cang could beat him up for fun whenever he had nothing else to do.

Noticing the ill intent in Chen Cang's gaze, Xiao Ding hurriedly pulled the little shorty behind him and offered an explanation with an ingratiating smile.

"Brother Cang, don't joke around. We came to ask if you wanted to go out and watch the fun."

"What fun?" Chen Cang asked, puzzled.

"No way, seriously? You haven't heard anything, Brother Cang? Everyone in Wutan City has been talking about it these past few days."

Xiao Ding cried out in surprise, showing not the slightest trace of the steadiness he would possess in the future.

Perhaps, if nothing went wrong with Xiao Yan's cultivation, he could spend his whole life laughing and joking like this.

"I've been busy cultivating lately. Apart from taking my horse out every day, I've hardly gone anywhere."

The horse he walked was no ordinary horse, so naturally, he avoided crowded places. He really had not noticed any major news in Wutan City.

As for reading memories, it was like watching movies-the more he watched, the pickier he gradually became. In the current Wutan City, no one interested him except the silent old ghost in Xiao Yan's ring.

"So that's why. I'll just tell you, then. Today is the day Jia Nan Academy comes to recruit students. There are already enormous lines forming in the city."

Jia Nan Academy was one of the renowned institutions of higher learning on the Dou Qi Continent, a sacred place in the hearts of countless boys and girls!

For those without a powerful background, graduating after further study at Jia Nan Academy was tantamount to leaping into a higher social class. Their future would be an almost entirely smooth road. Not only could they return home in glory, heads held high and dressed in fine robes, but they would also become prized catches that every faction fought to snatch up.

With benefits like those, it was hard not to be tempted.

Thus, Jia Nan Academy's recruitment was a major event in Wutan City, even livelier than the New Year celebrations.

"That is a big deal. But if I remember correctly, Jia Nan Academy's admission requirements are pretty high, aren't they? You need eighth stage Dou Qi before eighteen. One of you has sixth-stage Dou Qi, another has fifth-stage, and the last has only just sensed qi. What are you going there for?"

Every cultivation realm could actually be divided into three tiers: high, middle, and low.

Stages one through three were low, four through six were middle, and seven through nine were high.

This was a small dividing line.

So, although Xiao Ding and Xiao Li did not seem far from eighth stage Dou Qi, they might not actually meet Jia Nan Academy's requirements before turning eighteen.

Compared to them, even Lü Guan, who had once shared a courtyard with Chen Cang, could be considered quite a talented young man.

The three brothers were still too young to mind Chen Cang's teasing. They replied enthusiastically, "To watch the fun! You have no idea, Brother Cang. There's always loads of it around this time every year. I still remember this uncle with a face full of beard who tried to sign up last year. When the recruiting instructor asked how old he was, he actually said thirteen. The instructor was completely dumbfounded."

"There are plenty of people who try to get clever, too. Some try to use the crowds as cover to sneak into the group that's already passed registration. Most of them walk in standing up and come out lying down..."

Talking about these amusing incidents made Xiao Ding even more animated.

Clearly, he really enjoyed watching a good spectacle. He had some potential to become a devotee of elation.

Caught up in his enthusiasm, Chen Cang grew a little interested in this recruitment circus, where every demon came out to dance.

"Now that you've put it that way, I want to see it for myself. All right, I'll join you for some fun today."

Jia Nan Academy was an important anchor point and had already been part of Chen Cang's plans.

It simply was not nearly so urgent for him.

For now, waiting for the Gu Clan's young heiress to appear was his top priority.

If he could meet Gu Xun'er's father and glimpse even one ten-thousandth of his memories, the benefits would be unimaginable.

Thus, before Gu Xun'er arrived, Chen Cang would go nowhere. He had to ensure he happened to be at the Xiao Clan that day.

By his reckoning, it should be soon.

Only after leaving the Xiao Clan did Chen Cang realize just how prestigious Jia Nan Academy was.

The eastern sky was only beginning to lighten, yet outside was already a sea of people. The registration line stretched almost from the city's central square to the Xiao Clan's gates, and that was in just one direction.

"This is way too many people, isn't it? Wutan City's population is beyond anything I imagined."

"That's not quite it. Jia Nan Academy sends out a lot of teams for its annual recruitment, but there still aren't nearly enough for all the cities in the three great empires. So each team usually handles several cities. In our area, the recruitment site is often set in Wutan City. The instructor leading the team notifies the other cities under their charge beforehand. At most, only one-fifth of these people are from Wutan City," Xiao Li explained to Chen Cang.

Compared to his elder brother, Xiao Li had a somewhat subdued temperament.

Of course, at present, he was merely introverted, unlike the dark, ruthless man he would become.

Xiao Ding nodded in agreement with his younger brother. "Come on, Brother Cang. Let's circle around to the west side of the square. We don't need to line up for testing anyway. As long as we don't run into the soldiers on guard, they won't bother us. The view's better over there, too."

Xiao Ding knew the rules well. Leading the other three through a series of twists and turns, he really did find the perfect spectator spot on the west side of the square.

From there, they had an unobstructed view of the square's center.

They could see that registration testing had not officially begun. At the center of the square, a dozen or so young men and women with distinguished bearing stood in a semicircle while a middle-aged man in front of them gave instructions. His identity was obvious: he was most likely the instructor leading the team.

Chen Cang watched him intently, but soon shook his head inwardly.

This instructor was from the Outer Academy, and his knowledge was very limited.

It was the expected result.

The crowd was not kept waiting long. As the rising sun cast its light from the east, registration testing officially began.

Perhaps the four of them were unlucky. Apart from a few applicants trying to get clever, nothing particularly outrageous happened during this round of recruitment.

The spectacle-seekers were sorely disappointed.

After watching for a while, Chen Cang lost interest. Just as he was thinking of finding an excuse to slip away, a paper ball suddenly shot through a gap in the crowd behind them. Amid the noise and bustle, no one noticed it except the distracted Chen Cang.

Chen Cang caught the paper ball precisely and opened it to take a look.

There was a single baffling sentence written on it.

"Five li east outside the city. A run-down inn. Three cups of tea, two people."