Chapter 10: Little Yun, You're So Weak!
"What a powerful aura!"
Confirming that his eyes had not deceived him, Hu Gan spoke with some surprise. Seeing the First Elder looking perfectly composed and assured, he added cheerfully,
"The First Elder has found a truly fine seedling!"
Watching the delighted Hu Gan, Su Qian smiled but said nothing. Even he had only barely managed to discern Jiang Yun's extraordinary nature. Hu Gan, as a Dou Huang who had yet to come into contact with spatial power, couldn't perceive the dense spatial energy swirling around the boy. That wasn't surprising at all.
"However, keeping this little girl in the Outer Academy would probably be a waste of her talent!" Though Zi Yan's gifts made Hu Gan's eyes burn with longing, he still tactfully voiced his objection.
There was something peculiar about Zi Yan. The fierce and aggressive aura she exuded even made him, a seasoned expert, feel a bit of trepidation. Yet her strength at the peak of the Dou Ling level was absolutely genuine. If she were placed in the Outer Academy, wouldn't she tear the whole place apart?
"I don't want to be separated from Little Yunzi!" Before Su Qian could even speak, Zi Yan was already hugging Jiang Yun's arm and wailing. If it weren't for the complete absence of any tears, Jiang Yun might actually have believed her.
"..."
Su Qian shot Hu Gan a helpless look, then simply watched him in silence. You started this mess, so you deal with it!
Though Su Qian hadn't said it aloud, Hu Gan could clearly read the meaning in his eyes, and now he found himself in a real bind.
Only after repeatedly assuring Zi Yan that she and Jiang Yun would not be separated did she finally calm down.
At last, Hu Gan could properly examine Jiang Yun, who had remained composed and unflustered from beginning to end. The moment his soul power made contact with Jiang Yun, it was immediately blocked.
"What formidable soul power!"
Hu Gan stared at Jiang Yun, somewhat dumbfounded. Had his own judgment been so far off the mark?
A flicker of admiration rose in Hu Gan's eyes. Turning his head, he caught Su Qian's amused, knowing expression, and instantly understood that the First Elder had already been aware and was simply waiting to enjoy his embarrassment!
Still, if it meant having an outstanding student, he'd happily take more of this kind of embarrassment.
"Your name is Jiang Yun, correct?" Hu Gan beamed at Jiang Yun, his eyes filled with gentle warmth. The six-year-old Jiang Yun reminded him of his own granddaughter, who was around the same age and just at that age for mischief and troublemaking.
But in Hu Gan's eyes, Hu Jia was simply adorable!
"Yes, Vice Principal!" Facing Hu Gan's inquiry, Jiang Yun nodded in affirmation.
"Have you cultivated before?" Looking at the obedient Jiang Yun, Hu Gan's mood lifted even further, and his expression grew all the more kind.
"Um... I suppose... I have?" Faced with this question, Jiang Yun hesitated for a moment. According to his previous circumstances, he could have decisively stated that he had never cultivated.
But now, having reached safety and spent the entire journey reflecting on his fight with the Black Wind Boar, he realized that the energy inexplicably absorbed into his body back then must have been Dou Qi.
Furthermore, he could indeed feel a faint stream of energy circulating within him.
"No matter, let's test it and see!"
Because one's cultivation level during the Dou Zhi Qi stage cannot be discerned with the naked eye and requires a special method to measure, Hu Gan brought out a crystal ball.
This was a tool Jia Nan Academy used to test new students, and Hu Gan happened to have one on hand.
Seeing the crystal ball offered to him, Jiang Yun did not hesitate. He placed his palm upon it. He too was rather curious about what his current cultivation level on the Dou Qi Continent was.
Instantly, the crystal ball erupted with interwoven black and white radiance. The room suddenly grew scorching hot. A moment later, the crystal ball became as blazing and dazzling as a fireball.
"???"
"What is this..."
"6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi?"
Staring in shock at the crystal ball that had transformed into a sphere of fire, Su Qian and Hu Gan lost their former composure. Their mouths slightly agape, they stared at Jiang Yun in disbelief, their gazes akin to those of ravenously hungry wolves spotting a flock of sheep.
"Mm?" Zi Yan frowned. Her intuition was terrifyingly acute. She didn't know how well Jiang Yun had performed, but the way Su Qian and Hu Gan were looking at him made her extremely uncomfortable. She discreetly pulled Jiang Yun behind her, shielding him with her small, young body.
Jiang Yun, too, was now gazing at the black and white Dou Qi in his palm with some wonder. What kind of attribute was this? Fire attribute?
'It seems that during all these years the Saint Demon Flame has been within my body, I've been influenced by it as well.'
"What a terrifying fire-attribute talent!" Su Qian reined in his shock. Under normal circumstances, a cultivator's Dou Qi element would not manifest during the Dou Zhi Qi stage.
Only after breaking through to Dou Zhe would one's attribute show itself. Yet Jiang Yun's attribute had already appeared during the Dou Zhi Qi stage, and it had provoked such an extreme reaction from the crystal ball. Clearly, Jiang Yun's affinity for the fire attribute was astonishingly high.
Had he not personally picked Jiang Yun up, Su Qian would have had every reason to suspect the boy was a member of the Yan Clan, one of the ancient Dou Di clans.
"A pity he lacks the wood attribute!" Standing nearby, Hu Gan sighed with some regret. With Jiang Yun's terrifying soul power, if he could also become an alchemist, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.
What a pity!
"Be content with what you have!" Su Qian shot Hu Gan a fierce glare. What more could you want? I brought back two peerless geniuses. If you're so capable, go pick one up yourself!
"Cough, cough..." Su Qian's glare made Hu Gan somewhat embarrassed. It seemed he truly was being a bit greedy.
"Little Yun'er, you're 6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi!" At that moment, Zi Yan sized Jiang Yun up, then said with a trace of disdain, "So weak!"
"..." That one remark—"So weak"—left Jiang Yun speechless. I'm only six! And I only absorbed a bit of Dou Qi by chance during battle to have my current cultivation.
This was already a result of his meridians being exceptionally resilient. One had to understand that Dou Qi is an extremely violent energy. During the Dou Zhi Qi stage, no medicinal pills whatsoever can be taken for assistance; one must rely entirely on their own innate talent to advance, bit by bit.
Even Yao Chen had only managed to prepare a medicinal liquid to assist cultivation. For a six-year-old like Jiang Yun to reach 6th Stage Dou Zhi Qi was already terrifyingly fast.
After all, the admission standard for Jia Nan Academy was merely reaching 8th Stage Dou Zhi Qi by the age of eighteen!
"But don't worry, from now on I'll protect you. I won't dislike you for it!" Before Jiang Yun could even reply, Zi Yan burst into loud laughter, patting her own chest as she proclaimed.
"Thank you!" Looking at the carefree Zi Yan, what else could Jiang Yun do?
"This time, our Jia Nan Academy has gained two true monsters. I wonder whether the 'geniuses' of the Outer and Inner Academies are ready for this."
Su Qian watched the two of them interact with a beaming smile, stroking his beard with one hand, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes. Jia Nan Academy had been a bit too peaceful. It needed the two of them to liven things up again.
"I don't know whether the Inner Academy lot are ready, but I suspect this year's batch of new students in the Outer Academy are in for some very rough days ahead," Hu Gan remarked with a somewhat mischievous air, clearly an old rascal at heart.
Su Qian's hand paused mid-stroke. Watching Zi Yan and Jiang Yun frolicking, he silently offered a moment of mourning for this year's new students.
(End of Chapter)