Pretending to Faint

Jia Lie Jun did not mind. He simply stood there, smiling as he gazed at Xun Er, his eyes filled with affection.

The middle-aged officer gave Jia Lie Jun a deep look, then let his gaze linger on Xun Er and Xiao Yan for a moment, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes. "It seems Instructor Ruolin will be receiving some exceptionally outstanding students this time."

Xiao Yu waved her hand impatiently and headed toward a green tent in the center of the square.

"Yu'er, you're finally here." As they neared the tent, a girl dressed in red pounced on Xiao Yu. Though the girl was not stunningly beautiful, she was still delicate and pleasant-looking. Her long brown hair was simply tied into a ponytail, making her appear quite capable and spirited. The two horsed around for a while before finally stopping.

Xiao Yu then affectionately introduced Xiao Yan and the others to Xue Ni. Xiao Yan had been utterly haggard these past few days because of Xun Er and Jia Lie Jun, and he had long lost the splendor he had displayed before. Thus, he did not stand out much among the group.

"And who is this remaining handsome fellow?" Xue Ni asked, pointing at Jia Lie Jun. Xiao Yu snorted coldly and glared at Jia Lie Jun with open hostility.

Seeing this, Jia Lie Jun introduced himself. "I am Jia Lie Jun, and I am Xun Er's admirer. My greatest goal in life is to marry Xun Er. I swear here and now that I, Jia Lie Jun, will love no one but Xun Er in this life and will marry no one but her. If I break this oath, may Heaven strike me down with thunder."

Xue Ni clasped her hands before her chest, her eyes seemingly filled with pink hearts. "You're so devoted, little handsome. And you and Xun Er are such a perfect match—truly a pair of talented man and beautiful woman. Keep it up, little brother. I'm rooting for you."

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I'll work hard. In the future, I'll invite you to officiate my and Xun Er's wedding," Jia Lie Jun said with a resolute expression. Xun Er acted as though she had not heard him. Her arms remained folded across her chest, and she did not even glance at Jia Lie Jun, offering no response whatsoever.

Xiao Yu and the others turned to look at Xiao Yan. They found it strange as well. They did not know why the two, who had once been so close, had grown somewhat distant recently. Faced with Xun Er's warmth, Xiao Yan merely responded perfunctorily. How could they know that the kiss between Jia Lie Jun and Xun Er had left an indelible impression on Xiao Yan's heart? Every time he saw Xun Er smiling brightly at Jia Lie Jun, it felt like a knot had formed in his heart. He felt uncomfortable all over. Moreover, because of Liu Xi, his father had suffered an undeserved accusation—though it could not exactly be called undeserved, since Xiao Yan had killed Liu Xi, and the father had paid the son's debt.

After introducing everyone, Xue Ni led them toward a large tent. More than a dozen tents had been set up around the square. Groups of two or three young men and women gathered in the shade, chatting loudly, with bursts of laughter occasionally ringing out. Some youths sat directly on the ground beneath the blazing sun without saying a word. These were presumably the newcomers who had just passed the test. Faced with an unfamiliar environment, they appeared somewhat reserved and awkward.

The moment they entered the tent, a group of girls surrounded Xiao Yu and chattered nonstop. As they talked, they kept pointing toward Jia Lie Jun, making his head ache from listening. Only after fooling around for quite a while did they finally settle down.

"Xiao Yu, long time no see." A voice came from outside the tent, and a young man in grayish-white robes walked in. He was rather handsome, with a smile on his face. However, when he saw Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan's linked arms, his expression immediately stiffened before quickly returning to normal. Still, the flash of anger and chill in his eyes was clearly noticed by Jia Lie Jun, whose spiritual perception was exceptionally sharp.

Brother, your path just got a whole lot narrower. Jia Lie Jun felt nothing but sympathy for this senior. Could anyone who opposed the chosen son of the plane possibly meet a good end? If he had not awakened his golden finger, he probably would not even know where he would be cooling off right now. Even after awakening his golden finger, he had taken every step with the utmost caution. Otherwise, even with the information he possessed, he might not necessarily have been able to deal with Xiao Yan. Jia Lie Jun watched with interest from the side. Since it had nothing to do with him, he was happy to watch the excitement. Besides, watching the chosen son of the plane show off and slap faces firsthand was quite a novel experience.

Luobu took a red crystal ball from his robes and addressed the group. "Instructor Ruolin gave me a crystal ball. The other testing crystal balls are urgently needed elsewhere. If you do not wish to use mine, you may wait a while longer."

Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment before nodding. She explained to Xiao Yan and the others, "The test is simple. Place your hand on the crystal ball and circulate your Dou Qi. As long as you have reached the eighth stage of Dou Qi, the crystal ball will glow."

Jia Lie Jun seized the crystal ball first, but instead of testing himself, he walked over to Xun Er and said gently, "Xun Er, you've been standing for so long. You must be tired, right? Here, you test first. Once you're done, sit to the side and rest for a while."

Xun Er glanced at Xiao Yan. Seeing that he did not say anything, she accepted the crystal ball and placed both hands on it. Golden Dou Qi circulated, and the crystal ball immediately emitted a dazzling radiance. After finishing her test, Xun Er casually handed the crystal ball to Xiao Mei and walked to the side. Jia Lie Jun hurriedly followed, taking a chair and some snacks from his Storage Ring. "Here, Xun Er, sit here. If you're hungry, have some snacks."

To Jia Lie Jun's surprise, Xun Er actually sat in the chair, though she did not touch the snacks at all. The others all passed their tests afterward. Luobu pointed at several new students sitting beneath the sun and said, "Since you've finished testing, I'll have to trouble you to go outside."

"What do you mean by that, Luobu?" Xiao Yu demanded angrily.

"Some of the newcomers nowadays are too arrogant. We need to temper their edge a little, or they won't obey their instructors once they arrive at the academy. But if you do not want to go outside, that is fine too. One of you can go out and stand as the representative for half an hour." Luobu wore a smile as he spoke.

"I'm willing to stand outside as the representative for half an hour. Xun Er, I'm willing to do anything for you. I'm a man—being exposed to the sun for half an hour is nothing. But you're a girl, and it wouldn't be good if you got tanned." Jia Lie Jun immediately rose to his feet, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Xun Er. Then he quickly walked out of the tent.

Luobu stood there blankly as he watched Jia Lie Jun leave the tent, only coming back to his senses when someone beside him tugged at his sleeve. Luobu truly had not expected someone to be willing to stand beneath the blazing sun for half an hour. Looking at Jia Lie Jun under the scorching sun, Luobu unexpectedly felt a sense of mutual understanding. Both of them admired a woman, yet neither of their goddesses paid them much attention.

Jia Lie Jun stood beneath the sun, drenched in sweat. Suddenly, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground. Everyone hurried out of the tent and carried Jia Lie Jun back inside.

"Where am I?" Jia Lie Jun woke groggily and looked around.

"You fainted just now. You're in the tent now," Xue Ni said softly.

Then she shouted toward the outside, "Xun Er, Jia Lie Jun is awake! Come take a look."

Xun Er came to the bedside and looked down at Jia Lie Jun. She simply stared at him silently. She did not believe that someone with cultivation above a three-star Dou Zhe could faint from standing in the sun.

Jia Lie Jun felt somewhat guilty beneath her gaze and awkwardly said, "Xun Er, you're here."

"Since you're awake, get up and take the final test," Xun Er said expressionlessly.