Because Jia Nan Academy's recruitment teams had been sent to various places, Peace Town in the Black-Corner Region was not open to the public today.
Naturally, this included Ruo Ling's Jia Nan Academy entrance examination team. Their long line was undergoing strict registration and inspection by the enforcement team.
Suddenly, a rough male voice rang out. "Ruo Ling, how was the recruitment this time? Still no A-rank prospects? At this rate, you'll forever be at the bottom of the Yellow-rank instructors. When will you be promoted to Profound-rank?"
Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy had two types of instructors: Profound-rank and Yellow-rank, each responsible for their respective classes.
Yellow-rank instructors needed to be at least three-star Dou Grandmaster. There were two ways to advance to Profound-rank.
The first was simple: once cultivation reached Dou Spirit, one would automatically be promoted to Profound-rank instructor and could teach Profound-rank classes.
The second was through performance incentives for Yellow-rank instructors. Instructors needed to accumulate a certain number of achievements before evaluation. During evaluation, student numbers and rankings in the internal selection competition were tallied.
If students achieved the required results, even a Dou Grandmaster could become a Profound-rank class instructor and enjoy the benefits and resources Jia Nan Academy provided.
If achievements did not meet the standard, even with sufficient merit, one had to wait three years before reapplying for promotion.
Profound-rank instructors earned more merit points monthly, held higher authority, and could exchange for higher-grade pills and more advanced cultivation methods. They were also assigned better locations when leading recruitment teams each year.
This showed that the Jia Ma Empire was merely average. Being appointed to lead a Yellow-rank instructor team for recruitment clearly meant she was not highly valued.
"Sha Tie, you must have high expectations for yourself." Ruo Ling's gaze shifted to the sturdy, energetic young man. She smiled. "This year, I will definitely surprise everyone."
"Hehe." A slightly cold female laugh came from the side. "Ruo Ling, I never thought you'd start boasting too. Did you recruit an A-rank talent this time?"
The students behind the informed Qing Lin, including Xiao Yan, showed strange expressions.
One? A-rank?
If they told the truth, you would probably be scared to death.
"Huo Qing Er." Ruo Ling turned and looked at another woman in blue clothes with a voluptuous figure but not particularly attractive features, speaking with a displeased expression. "Mind your own business."
"Don't lose to me this time!"
The atmosphere among Jia Nan Academy's instructors was generally good; everyone united and cooperated. Although a few instructors were not close due to personality differences, there were no conflicts.
Ruo Ling had a gentle personality and maintained good relationships with most instructors except Huo Qing Er. There was actually no real conflict between the two; they were very close friends.
When Huo Qing Er's brother Huo Jiu confessed to Ruo Ling and was rejected, he realized his own inadequacy. Instead of becoming an instructor, he joined the enforcement team to accumulate merit and grow stronger faster.
Jia Nan Academy was a powerful force with an extremely important position in the Black-Corner Region. It had carved the word "Peace" into Peace Town with blood, deterring ordinary villains from invading.
However, the people of the Black-Corner Region were bloodthirsty and lawless. Forces like the Demon Flame Valley were mortal enemies of Jia Nan Academy, so there would always be those who opposed it.
To ensure student safety and protect the campus, the enforcement team was indispensable.
Moreover, those who dared oppose Jia Nan Academy were generally extremely powerful.
Not long after Huo Jiu joined the enforcement team, he was killed by an elder of the Demon Flame Valley.
As a result, Huo Qing Er inevitably held a grudge against Ruo Ling, but she also understood that Ruo Ling was not at fault. Therefore, she usually only spoke sarcastically and never actually took revenge.
At first, Ruo Ling felt guilty and pitied Huo Qing Er, yielding somewhat, but over time she began to fight back when provoked.
"Hehe, anyone can talk big," Huo Qing Er raised her chin slightly and crossed her arms. "I can't lose to you this time. After all, I'm aiming for first place to get the reward promised by the Vice Dean."
The other instructors were all surprised.
What kind of genius had Huo Qing Er recruited to make her say that?
"Xiao Yue."
Without keeping them in suspense, Huo Qing Er turned to the students behind her.
The students naturally parted, and a beautiful girl in tight-fitting clothes emerged. She had silver hair, extremely delicate features, and an icy, unapproachable aura like a snow lotus on an iceberg. She held a long sword.
"This is Han Yue. I recruited her from Tianbei City in the northern part of Central Plains. She is the eldest daughter of the Han Clan, nineteen years old this year, and possesses the strength of a seven-star Dou Grandmaster," Huo Qing Er introduced to everyone.
Whoosh!
Many instructors and students gasped in shock at Huo Qing Er's words.
Her strength as a seven-star Dou Grandmaster surpassed many Yellow-rank instructors at Jia Nan Academy.
With this level of ability, registering for the inner selection competition in three months would surely allow her to advance. Based on past experience, she would at least enter the top five and join the ranks of true geniuses.
Such an outstanding seedling-level student was rare even when a Profound-rank instructor led a team from a region with good training environments and abundant resources.
They had encountered Outer and Inner Academy Battle Kings or Battle Emperors along the way, received simple evaluations, and were brought back to the academy.
This time, Huo Qing Er had truly gotten lucky.
"Han Yue!?"
Upon hearing the woman's name, Xun Er, Little Fairy Doctor, and Qing Lin all turned curious gazes toward her.
Zi Yan had returned to Jia Nan Academy a few days earlier but couldn't find "Senior Han Yue" despite searching.
They seemed to have entered Jia Nan Academy at the same time, but with higher cultivation and talent, they were expected to enter the Inner Academy in three months.
According to the story's setting, they would enter the Inner Academy in two years, so calling each other "senior" was perfectly natural.
While the girls were appraising Han Yue, Han Yue was also observing them.
One look at their eyes told her they were all women who possessed copies of the Journal.
The moment their eyes met, the four women perfectly understood each other's feelings.
"Hehe." Ruo Ling puffed out her chest and laughed. "In previous years, Han Yue would have given you a high chance of winning, but this year that won't work."
Whoosh!
Many of the attending instructors, new students, enforcement team members and captains, and even some elders changed expressions.
Even after seeing Han Yue, Ruo Ling remained confident. Had she recruited a genius student?
The students standing behind the instructors all suppressed their initial pride.
Jia Nan Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a prestigious institution on the Battle Qi Continent—a gathering place for geniuses and a cradle for the strong.
While some were worried about Xun Er and Ruo Ling's situation, an old man's voice came from ahead.
"What are you all doing here? Line up properly and proceed to the Space Boat plaza. The official assessment will begin shortly."
The speaker was Fifth Elder Qian Sen of the Outer Academy, who was in charge of formal student assessments. His strength had reached the peak of Dou King.
"Yes, Elder!"
The instructors immediately obeyed and led the students toward the Space Boat plaza.
The Space Boats in this plaza shuttled daily between Jia Nan Academy's suburban campus and Peace Town, serving as transportation for suburban campus students.
Occasionally, students who lied about personal information were not even allowed to board the Space Boat to the foreign school and were sent back after assessment.
The instructors led the new students to a very spacious plaza where three huge black stone tablets stood.
These were the "Bone Age Stone Tablet" for measuring bone age and the "Advanced Test Battle Qi Stone Tablet" for detecting strength and Battle Qi attributes.
The last tablet was used to sense killing intent and aura to confirm the student was not a disguised individual.
Besides these three types of tablets, there used to be a special tablet students could attack. If they met certain standards, they could directly join the Inner Academy and receive rewards.
However, Jia Nan Academy had relaxed Inner Academy admission requirements. The Inner Academy selection test was now held three months after new students enrolled, providing a good opportunity to observe student character. Therefore, this tablet was no longer used.
"Test begins!"
With Qian Sen's loud announcement, Jia Nan Academy's entrance examination officially started.
Age and cultivation level were the basics. After registration, students who had reached Dou Practitioner were asked what level of cultivation method they practiced, and their talent was classified in detail.
Students with high talent evaluations received special benefits when studying at the Outer Academy, such as purchasing pills at low prices, learning Profound-level battle techniques, and receiving guidance from Dou King elders.
Time passed, and it was finally Ruo Ling's class's turn to be tested.
"I want to know where your confidence comes from," Huo Qing Er said with a serious expression.
All attending instructors and students watched very attentively.
Qing Lin, Little Fairy Doctor, and Xiao Yan's ages and strengths surprised many people.
They each possessed S-rank or higher talent. Qing Lin and Little Fairy Doctor were especially beautiful young women.
"That alone is nothing compared to how I recruited Han Yue," Huo Qing Er stubbornly retorted.
Considering Qing Lin, Little Fairy Doctor, and Xiao Yan's talents, with Jia Nan Academy's training they would undoubtedly reach Dou Grandmaster within two years and enter the Inner Academy. Otherwise, there would be a problem with Jia Nan Academy's educational standards.
By the time they reached Han Yue's age, they would definitely be seven-star Dou Grandmaster—especially Qing Lin.
At this very moment, Xun Er began the test.
"Xiao Xun Er."
"Bone age: 15 years and 3 months."
"Cultivation level… two-star Dou Master!"
Everyone: !!!
She had reached two-star Dou Master at 15 years and 3 months. With solid training at the Outer Academy, she would become at least a seven-star Dou Master next year. Under normal circumstances, she would definitely pass the Inner Academy examination.
Considering her talent and the academy's past teaching results, spending two years in Jia Nan Academy's Inner Court would be enough for her to reach Dou Spirit.
In other words, this person who was expected to reach Dou Spirit before turning 18 was a true genius.
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