Protagonist Treatment! Late, but Here at Last

"Watch what you say."

Ye Qingzhou raised a hand and flicked Ye Xinlan on the forehead.

"I didn't say anything wrong." Ye Xinlan clutched her forehead, but when she met Ye Qingzhou's eyes, which saw through everything, she puffed out her cheeks. "Fine. Grandpa said I was useless, that I didn't even know you'd gotten restless and failed to persuade you to stay with the family. He said I couldn't even handle such a small thing."

Ye Qingzhou chuckled and shook his head. "You've certainly mastered taking things out of context."

"But Grandpa only scolded me because you want to go to Jia Nan Academy, Cousin." Ye Xinlan looked aggrieved. "I want compensation."

"Looks like you're determined to latch onto me." Ye Qingzhou laughed and shook his head, then reached out and brushed a finger down Ye Xinlan's nose. "You ungrateful little thing. And here I am, teaching you cultivation techniques every day."

"That doesn't count," Ye Xinlan argued. "I pay you for those lessons with pills and by cooking for you every day."

"But I use my own Dou Qi to help you cultivate." Ye Qingzhou raised an eyebrow. "How about I just explain it verbally from now on?"

"No!" Ye Xinlan immediately objected, her little face serious. "If you dare refuse to take responsibility, I'll bite you."

"What a scandalous thing to say." Ye Qingzhou felt the little girl was becoming more and more full of contrasts. He smiled and said, "Did you forget you're coming to Jia Nan Academy with me? When the time comes, I'll have to earn the Fire Energy you need to cultivate in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower."

"That's true." Ye Xinlan thought seriously for a moment, then nodded. "All right, then. I didn't get scolded for nothing, since you'll be supporting me, Cousin."

Ye Qingzhou: "..."

He couldn't shake the feeling that the little girl was deliberately misspeaking, trying to subtly influence something.

But as long as she was happy, he wouldn't lose anything either way.

"Cousin, can you tell me how you got Grandpa to change his mind?" Ye Xinlan asked curiously.

"It was nothing." Ye Qingzhou saw no need to hide it from Ye Xinlan and said calmly, "I broke through to Dou Ling. Great-Grandpa was certain that after I went to Jia Nan Academy, I could return within two years without affecting the assessment to join Sacred Pill City when the time comes."

"What!?" Ye Xinlan's mouth fell slightly open, and her eyes widened. "Cousin, you broke through to Dou Ling?"

"Keep your voice down." Ye Qingzhou remained calm. "I obtained an inheritance and was lucky enough to break through, that's all. Don't tell anyone. A tall tree catches the wind."

"If that's luck, I want some too." Ye Xinlan immediately covered her mouth, excitement on her face. "That's wonderful! You're a Dou Ling, Cousin. You'll definitely shine in today's assessment."

"All right, enough about me." Ye Qingzhou patted Ye Xinlan's head. "It's time to start today's lesson."

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye as they cultivated.

The afternoon sun was blazing when Ye Qingzhou changed into a neat, close-fitting outfit of moon-white, put his belongings into his Storage Ring, and left the Ye Clan with Ye Xinlan.

Ye Xinlan was dressed very formally today. Her long hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she had exchanged her glasses for a lighter pair with silver-wire frames. Compared with her usual appearance as a poised young lady, she looked somewhat more spirited and heroic.

But that poise vanished the moment she saw Ye Qingzhou.

She stepped forward and took Ye Qingzhou's arm. "Cousin, come on, let's go! If we're any later, there'll be too many people."

"What's the hurry? We're not going through the regular admissions line. No matter how many people are there, they're just there to watch." Ye Qingzhou reached out and tapped Ye Xinlan's forehead.

"The sooner we pass, the sooner I can relax." Ye Xinlan's steps were light, and her voice carried barely suppressed anticipation.

As they talked, they passed through several courtyards in the Ye Clan's inner residence and walked along a long bluestone path.

The maids and attendants they encountered along the way bowed respectfully, while some family disciples kept their distance, admiration and longing in their eyes.

To them, the two seed disciples of the family were people to look up to and aspire to become.

Ye City was the ancestral city of the Ye Clan, one of the Pill Tower's Five Great Families. The city was magnificent enough to astonish many people.

Ye Qingzhou and Ye Xinlan took a family magical beast carriage to the central plaza, which the Ye Clan had temporarily lent to Jia Nan Academy for admissions.

The central plaza was surrounded by layers of people. Several raised platforms had been erected in the middle, with an azure flag planted on them. The flag bore the four large characters for Jia Nan Academy and its emblem.

The area around the plaza was packed with people. At least tens of thousands had gathered, most of them there to watch. Roughly a thousand young men and women wanted to take the assessment.

Most were plainly dressed and wore nervous expressions. At a glance, they were from ordinary families in Ye City.

On a small raised platform to one side stood well-dressed young cultivators with steady presences, accompanied by their family elders. Clearly, they had come for the Inner Academy's special admissions.

Ye Qingzhou swept his gaze over the crowd and released his soul force to make a rough assessment. He found that these people were all only Da Dou Shi; there wasn't a single Dou Ling among them.

On second thought, that was only natural. Young disciples with the strength of a Dou Ling would at least be considered seed disciples in their families, so there was no need for them to study at Jia Nan Academy.

"There really are a lot of people." Ye Xinlan rose on tiptoe to look around, then pointed to the east side of the plaza. "Cousin, that's the Outer Academy admissions area. Applicants have to line up and register normally, then enter the tent for testing..."

She then pointed west. "That's the Inner Academy special admissions area. An Inner Academy elder from Jia Nan Academy is in charge of the assessment. Only a very few places have Jia Nan Academy's special admissions, and our Ye City qualifies."

Ye Qingzhou nodded slightly. He already knew these rules.

The Outer Academy's admissions standards required applicants to be under twenty and at least at the Seventh Stage of Dou Qi. The requirements could be relaxed at their discretion for those with special talent. Applicants would be given a provisional rating now, then arrangements would be made for them together after they returned to Jia Nan Academy.

Inner Academy admissions were much simpler. Anyone under twenty-five whose cultivation had reached Da Dou Shi could pass.

But anyone who wanted to obtain some Fire Energy in advance and enter the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower to cultivate immediately after joining the Inner Academy had to pass an assessment.

In short, Da Dou Shi cultivation was only the threshold. Anyone who met it was qualified to enroll.

Anyone who wanted to receive the academy's devoted nurturing or even special privileges needed to take the assessment and demonstrate their worth.

The people on those small platforms were the ones preparing to take the assessment.

"Ye Xinlan, who is she?"

Ye Qingzhou and Ye Xinlan were just about to head over when a young man's voice, tight with suppressed anger, suddenly rang out beside them, instantly attracting many gazes.

Ye Xinlan looked toward the voice, undisguised disgust appearing on her face. "Cousin, he's from the Qiu Family. His name is Qiu Yue."

Qiu Yue?

He didn't recognize the name. Just some nobody.

"Ye Xinlan, I'm asking you, who is he?"

Qiu Yue was a lavishly dressed young man with fairly handsome features. His face was somewhat contorted at the moment, and his gaze was full of hostility as he looked at Ye Qingzhou.

"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to question Xin Lan?" Ye Qingzhou stepped in front of Ye Xinlan.

Beautiful women had brought trouble since ancient times.

Ye Xinlan had grown into a lovely young woman. It was perfectly normal for men to take a fancy to her.

It was even more normal for a few of them not to know their place.

Ye Qingzhou exerted Soul Pressure.

"Get lost. Do you think this is your Qiu City?"