"Oh, you guys got here early?"
Du Gu Lin, Chu Qingtian, Tai Xing, Pan Tao, and Zhou Sen had arrived at the Surveillance Pavilion long ago to wait. Ling Bai could vaguely see the occasional tension and unease in their eyes.
It was their first Inner Academy assessment, after all. Being nervous was perfectly normal.
"You look so relaxed. The freshman assessment task will determine whether we can continue studying in the Inner Academy. I was so anxious last night that I couldn't even meditate."
Du Gu Lin admired her emerald-green, slender nails as she casually joked. Over the past three months, she had grown much closer to Ling Bai and was one of his more familiar friends in the Inner Academy.
Ling Bai stretched and loosened his muscles, then chuckled. "No amount of anxiety can really change anything. Better to rest properly and keep your energy up."
"You're quite carefree, kid."
An aged, hoarse voice sounded. A stooped elderly figure slowly emerged from the Assessment Hall. A scar ran down from his left eye, across his nose, and deep toward his jaw, nearly splitting his entire face in half.
"My surname is Li. I'll be issuing the freshman assessment tasks as well as all your future advancement assessment tasks. So, for those of you who pass this assessment, we'll probably be dealing with each other for many years."
Old Li forced a smile. His tone was exceptionally kind, but paired with that face, it carried a rather vicious air. Pan Tao, the most timid among them, could not help taking half a step back and hiding half her body behind Du Gu Lin.
Watching in secret.jpg
Old Li had long grown used to being disliked by juniors. He paid no attention to Pan Tao's little gesture, taking out an