Things you didn't know about the academies

"Tch."

An Xin rolled her eyes, looking all the cuter. "Even if I'm here for training, I'm still a member of the Demon-Slaughtering Pavilion for now."

"Besides... I can't let that woman Zhao Qingyi outdo me."

"Tsk, tsk."

"I'm off, old man. Don't forget, the Ink Pavilion's conference hall in a week!"

Waving, An Xin slipped both hands back into her pockets, walked out onto the street, and blended into the crowd, gradually disappearing into the distance.

The Dark Pavilion.

In the service area in a corner of the magnificent, brightly lit lobby, Zhao Qingyi poured herself a cup of coffee and stirred it evenly, holding a silver spoon with elegance.

Her face was as cold as ever, her powerful presence seemingly declaring that strangers were forbidden within three meters.

She took a small sip.

A classical guzheng melody rang out. She gently wiped her hands and picked up her phone.

"Speak."

Her voice was calm and unruffled.

"All right."

After a moment, she answered again, put down the phone, took another small sip of coffee, and rose to leave.

From beginning to end, she had been like an icy goddess, elegant and composed.

But once she turned the corner, her expression instantly twisted, and she frowned. "I forgot the sugar. So bitter!"

She pulled a piece of candy from her pocket and was just about to unwrap it when she heard footsteps approaching from a distance.

She decisively put the candy away, restored her icy expression, and walked off.

Untouched by worldly dust.

A graceful beauty.

"Has the timing of the operation been confirmed?"

"All right."

"I'm worried the Ink Pavilion might have countermeasures."

"The Divine Envoy will take action personally too?"

"Understood."

"Rest assured. I guarantee that once the exam is over, all of Mobei City will be thrown into chaos!"

The young man spoke respectfully into his phone.

After hanging up, an elegant smile curled his lips. "Once I've earned merit this time, I should be promoted to Divine Attendant too."

"Having that useless fool lord it over me all the time is irritating."

At this moment, a brand-new map of Mobei City was already hanging on the wall of his room.

The Guard Bureau and the school had been circled.

As the Human Race's major exam drew closer, the atmosphere at school grew increasingly tense and serious.

To use the technical term... rat race.

Almost everyone with the means had bought Demon Crystals and begun awakening in earnest. Even among Li Yihan's somewhat younger cohort, some had already caught up from behind and successfully awakened.

For a time, the exam and the rankings had become what every student of the Human Race most eagerly anticipated.

Martial arts training classes, awakened ability testing camps, and similar establishments were doing booming business.

There were even some...

"How to get into an academy: read this book and you'll understand"

"Things you didn't know about the academies"

Sales of books that were obviously a tax on stupidity had also soared for a time.

This was a carnival for the students.

It was also a carnival for the merchants.

And...

Yu Sheng's joy.

"Brother Yu, my dear brother, stop... stop hitting me!"

Zhao Zicheng leaned against the wall, his face bruised and swollen. Even "too horrible to look at" could not describe his current state.

Yu Sheng, on the other hand, still looked frail and delicate, but clenched his fists with some excitement, staring intently at him.

"Let... let me catch my breath, okay?"

Seeing Yu Sheng walk toward him again, Zhao Zicheng could no longer stay seated. He scrambled up in terror and backed away.

Unfortunately, there was a wall behind him.

With a piercing scream, Zhao Zicheng summoned his punching bag and blocked himself with it.

Yu Sheng punched it, and the punching bag solidified from an insubstantial form, giving off a faint glow.

Immediately afterward, a faint wisp of energy split in two. One portion passed through the punching bag into Yu Sheng's body, while the other fed back into Zhao Zicheng.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

"Boss Yu, it feels great, but I have to say... it really hurts..."

Zhao Zicheng howled like a pig being slaughtered, leaning against the wall in agony.

The main thing was that his voice also carried a faint, pleasant note of... enjoyment.

It was as though he was clearly happy, yet had no choice but to suffer.

The sight made Du Xu, not far away, itch to join in. Several times, he clenched his fists and wanted to participate, but hesitated. In the end, he rubbed his fierce-looking bald head and backed off.

In just a few days, a piece of news had spread throughout the entire campus.

Yu Sheng was using his strength to bully his classmates like a school tyrant.

This was blatant school violence, and it ought to be addressed.

But the principal now seemed possessed. Every day, even while eating, he muttered about advertisements. After hearing that the person Yu Sheng was beating was Zhao Zicheng, he had even less intention of intervening.

This led the students to speculate that perhaps Yu Sheng's biggest backer was the principal himself.

This was a textbook cover-up!

Especially since their school uniforms were already densely covered in writing, with the largest advertisement of all pasted across the chest...

"No brothers, no alliance!"

This also caused their emotions to fluctuate violently every day.

The gray vapor that had already dissipated once again poured continuously into the scroll. The result was... Yu Sheng beat him even more enthusiastically!

Even Du Xu could no longer hold back and ultimately chose to join in.

If one only listened without looking at the scene...

It was captivating.

On the blackboard, the exam countdown read: five days!

That heavily emphasized five was like a mountain pressing against their chests, leaving them struggling to breathe.

"I know you're nervous right now!"

"But the content of every year's exam is set by the Ink Pavilion. Don't believe all those so-called experts analyzing it for you!"

"That will only waste your money and your time."

"All you need to remember is that staying calm and cautious is an eternal truth."

"If you're already at a complete loss before the exam even begins, then when exam day actually comes, you'll only be hurting yourselves!"

Liu Qingfeng stressed the importance of their mindset over and over.

But Liu Qingfeng had said things like this so many times that before he had even finished one sentence, they could already guess the next.

"Ah..."

"Class dismissed."

Looking at the many students before him, still so nervous, Liu Qingfeng waved his hand somewhat helplessly.

Clearly, most of them had not taken his words to heart.

It was as though all their emotions had gathered into a pressure lodged in their hearts, completely closing them off.

Liu Qingfeng understood all this, but did not know how to relieve it.

Ultimately, this was only the first class of students he had taught.

Watching the students he had painstakingly nurtured for years about to face the most important exam of their lives made even him nervous, let alone the students themselves.

The students left the classroom one by one.

Only Yu Sheng remained seated in the corner, gazing out the window somewhat absently.

Liu Qingfeng walked over to Yu Sheng's desk and sat down. Looking at Yu Sheng, a smile appeared on his lips. "What are you thinking about?"

Yu Sheng raised his head, and as he looked at Liu Qingfeng, a little emotion could now show on his face.

It was as though this little fellow, who had wrapped himself in spikes like a hedgehog, was already trying to slowly open a tiny, tiny gap for Liu Qingfeng.

But at the slightest disturbance, that gap would swiftly close, and the spikes outside would grow even sharper.

Liu Qingfeng was like the world outside Sin City.

Perhaps the moment Liu Qingfeng could truly enter Yu Sheng's heart... would be the moment Yu Sheng could begin gradually accepting this New World.

And Liu Qingfeng clearly understood this too.

"I was thinking... what I should do if the assessment requires fighting."

"I don't know how to fight."

Yu Sheng spoke with a conflicted expression.

Liu Qingfeng chuckled. "Perhaps you could try removing the heads from your crossbow bolts and dulling your dagger..."

"That way, even if you perform as you normally would, you won't have to worry about killing anyone."

Hearing Liu Qingfeng's words, Yu Sheng shook his head seriously. "I can't. You must never deliberately weaken your own weapons, no matter when. Otherwise, it's very easy to end up in danger."

"And... even then, there's still a very high chance I would..."

"Why is killing against the law?"