Chapter 44: The Five Major Element Academies Exchange Meeting
Upon seeing Ye Wen, Shui Bing'er felt a little happy inside, but she didn't show it. Instead, she found an excuse and asked, "Ye Wen, Xie Hu, how has your practice been going with the dance performance assigned by the school during this two-and-a-half-month break?"
She wasn't really here to ask about that, because someone like Ye Wen, a genius student, wouldn't be scolded even if he failed the dance assessment.
For some reason, however, she really wanted to see this boy.
"Uh..." Ye Wen and Xie Hu exchanged a glance, feeling a bit awkward. Dance? Dance what? They had long forgotten about it.
"Hurry up! The school year starts in three days, and we will have a collective assessment." Shui Bing'er continued.
"We know, we know."
"By the way, there's something else I need to tell you."
"What's that?"
Shui Bing'er finally became serious, saying, "In five months, it will be the Five Major Element Academies Exchange Meeting. You are the elites of your current year, and you will definitely need to go on stage and compete."
"The Five Major Element Exchange Meeting? What's that?" Ye Wen asked in confusion.
"It's a friendly competition between the five major elemental academies: Tianshui, Shenfeng, Chihuo, Leiting, and Xiangjia. Every two years, we hold this competition." Shui Bing'er explained, then elaborated, "This year, it's the turn of the other four academies to come to our Tianshui Academy, so we'll be hosting."
"The rules of the exchange are simple. From first grade to senior class, each year will send three students to compete with students of the same year from the other four academies."
"After you return, you'll be second-year students, so you'll represent the second-year class."
"I see, no wonder," Ye Wen mused.
The five major elemental academies had many geniuses, and Ye Wen was familiar with quite a few of them, such as Feng Xiaotian from Shenfeng Academy, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang from Chihuo Academy, Hu Yanli from Xiangjia Academy, and Yu Tianxin from Leiting Academy.
These were all minor recurring characters who would become core members and talents in the future Soul Master Tournaments.
In Ye Wen's memory, Feng Xiaotian from Shenfeng Academy liked Huo Wu from Chihuo Academy and was very fond of her.
It turned out they had already known each other, probably because of this Five Major Element Exchange Meeting, or maybe their two families had connections beforehand.
"So what's the significance of this Five Major Element Academies Exchange Meeting? Or is there any reward?" Ye Wen continued asking.
Shui Bing'er explained, "The reward is money—every month, the academy gives out 2,000 Gold Soul Coins, totaling 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. The academy with the highest score at the end gets all the prize money, which is then distributed to the participating students."
"As for the significance... there's not much to it. For the students, it's an opportunity to spar with geniuses from other academies. The real meaning is the underlying competition between the five academies. They all want to prove who's stronger and gain more prestige."
"Only 10,000 Gold Soul Coins? Heh," Ye Wen chuckled.
For ordinary people, 10,000 Gold Soul Coins was a fortune. But when you divide it among 21 students—three from each year, six years total, plus the senior class—it's just 476 Gold Soul Coins per person. Yes, for ordinary people, that's still a large sum.
But for Ye Wen, it was pocket change. He wasn't interested in such a competition and waved his hand dismissively, "I understand. I'm not interested in this exchange meeting. Let the other students from the second year handle it."
"No!" Shui Bing'er put her hands on her hips and pouted, "You're the strongest in the second-year class. You need to help Tianshui Academy! We don't want to lose to the other four academies. It's about the reputation of our academy!"
"Alright, alright, I'll participate. There's still half a year to go," Ye Wen shrugged helplessly and then asked, "Do you have anything else?"
"No, no," Shui Bing'er said.
"Then what are you standing here for? Want to come into the boys' dormitory and sit for a bit?"
"I..." Shui Bing'er hesitated but then decided against it. "Well, I'll leave now."
With that, Shui Bing'er turned and left.
Xie Hu, who had already seen through everything, muttered to himself, "Boss, you really didn't see it! Shui Bing'er just wanted to talk to you more."
As the saying goes, the person involved is confused, but the bystander sees clearly. Xie Hu felt that Shui Bing'er probably had feelings for Ye Wen, but he didn't point it out.
Three days later, Tianshui Academy resumed classes.
Ye Wen, Xie Hu, and Xiao Bai successfully advanced to the second year and became second-year students at Tianshui Academy.
The dance assessment at the beginning of the school year was, as expected, a disaster for Ye Wen and Xie Hu. The entire school watched in silence, unable to bear it.
Dancing was a unique feature at Tianshui Academy and a mandatory course. Its main purpose was for the female students to develop an interest, a hobby, and to relax from the stress of soul master cultivation through dancing.
Although Ye Wen and Xie Hu were boys, they had to accept the traditional values of the academy since they had joined.
The dean couldn't bear to watch Ye Wen and Xie Hu's dancing, so he assigned Shui Bing'er to teach them long-term.
Three days later.
In the dance studio, Ye Wen and Xie Hu stared at Shui Bing'er, who was teaching them how to dance, with expressions full of despair.
"Watch carefully. Place your left hand gently on the side of your hip, squat slightly, arch your hips, and let your palm glide gently down your thigh and calf while squatting," Shui Bing'er explained patiently as she demonstrated the movements for them.
She danced beautifully, but Ye Wen couldn't take it anymore. He groaned, "Wait! Wait! Stop, Shui Bing'er!"
"Look at this! Is this the kind of dance a guy should be doing?"
"And what's with the arching of the hips? Isn't it disgusting for a guy to dance like this?"
"This is our academy," Shui Bing'er replied, feeling uncomfortable too, but she had no choice—this was their academy's tradition.
"How about this? Ask the academy for a male-specific dance. If we keep doing this hip thing, I'll drop out!" Ye Wen said helplessly.
"Fine, I'll ask the dean."
Shui Bing'er immediately reported the situation to the dean. Upon hearing this, the dean, naturally, decided that since Ye Wen was a genius, the boys' dance would be adjusted accordingly. He arranged a dance more suitable for males as Ye Wen requested.
Thus, Ye Wen continued his academy life. Besides attending classes, cultivating, and learning to dance from Shui Bing'er, he spent his days.
Unknowingly, four months had passed.
Over these months, Ye Wen and Shui Bing'er's relationship had grown closer. From strangers to classmates, and now, the two had developed a solid friendship.
(END CHAPTER)
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