Chapter 29: Potential Value Classification
Xiao Yan's powerful Spiritual Strength sensed that the gazes of some of the young male students in the tent had quietly become passionate after Instructor Ruo Ling appeared. The looks they were giving her also contained an inexplicable sentiment.
He couldn't help but shiver. Some of the younger ones always seemed to prefer women who were more mature than them... Uh, this must be what they call having a preference for a mature woman.
Xiao Yu and her close friends quickly gathered around the instructor and began to chatter excitedly around her.
"Instructor Ruo Ling, hehe, Yu Er has missed you dearly!" Xiao Yu giggled as she rushed to hug her instructor's waist.
Instructor Ruo Ling smiled softly as she gently stroked Xiao Yu's hair and said, "Hehe, Yu Er, did you enjoy your vacation?"
"Except for missing Instructor Ruo Ling every day, everything else was great."
"Oh, you, always so sweet with your words."
After a brief exchange, Instructor Ruo Ling looked at the fallen students with a speechless expression and shook her head. "You really did make quite a commotion, didn't you? Take the injured to a shady place and call for a physician to take a look."
"The rest of you new students, come into the tent to have your potential evaluated."
Upon hearing Instructor Ruo Ling's words, the new students who had been roasting like suckling pigs under the scorching sun seemed to have seen a savior and entered the tent with joyful faces.
Xiao Yan nodded to Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei, signaling them to follow him inside.
"Let's go, Xun Er. We should go in as well."
Instructor Ruo Ling watched Xiao Yan, noting his gentle and well-mannered demeanor as he guided the others. In her heart, she felt that she had stumbled upon not only a treasure but probably a troublesome student as well.
Instructor Ruo Ling sat at a desk inside the tent. She waved her white hand, causing the ring on her finger to flicker as a green goatskin scroll and an ink brush appeared in her hand.
She chuckled and said, "Congratulations to all of you for passing the preliminary test. You are now at the gates of Jia Nan Academy. However, we need to assess your potential to categorize you appropriately. So, I need to know your exact current strength."
"Under the age of twenty, an 8th-stage Dou Disciple is considered to have F-class potential. That is the minimum standard for Jia Nan Academy. If you are under the age of eighteen, it is also acceptable to be a 7th-stage Dou Disciple."
"Under the age of twenty, a 9th-stage Dou Disciple is considered to have E-class potential."
"A 1-star Dou Practitioner is D-class. A 2-star Dou Practitioner is C-class, and so on. The highest class is S-class for a 5-star Dou Practitioner. The younger the age, the higher the classification will be adjusted."
Instructor Ruo Ling gently explained the classification standards, which Xiao Yu had already discussed with Xiao Ning and the others. Those who came with Xiao Yu were elites selected by the Xiao Clan.
"Hehe, an S-class potential new student is something that Jia Nan Academy has only seen in one person in the past decade or so. Now, this 'Little Witch' is quite a figure in the academy."
At this point, Instructor Ruo Ling's gaze subtly swept over Xiao Yan and Xun Er. In her perception, these two had the highest potential, although she was not sure of their exact class.
Xiao Yan curiously asked Xiao Yu beside him, "Who is this Little Witch?"
"The Little Witch refers to Hu Jia, the granddaughter of the Deputy Headmaster of Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy. She's extremely talented and strong in combat. However, this person likes women," Xiao Yu couldn't help but shiver as she finished speaking.
"Uh... Xun Er, you should be careful," Xiao Yan reminded her with serious eyes.
"Hehe, Xun Er thinks that Xiao Yan ge-ge should be the one to be careful. Don't go flirting everywhere."
While Xiao Yan and the others were talking, the assessment had already begun. There was an assessment device on Instructor Ruo Ling's table that could measure one's cultivation level and age.
The vast majority of the students were around nineteen years old, and most of their ratings were F and E. There were only a few Ds.
"Xiao Mei, just turned sixteen, 9th-stage Dou Disciple."
Instructor Ruo Ling looked a bit surprised at the somewhat timid girl in front of her and said with satisfaction, "Not bad, C-class potential."
"Xiao Yan ge, my potential value is C!" Xiao Mei was full of excitement as she rushed over to Xiao Yan. Her high potential value was indeed linked to Xiao Yan, as he had given her two bottles of Foundation Building Pills to aid her. This allowed her to reach the 9th-stage Dou Disciple.
Xiao Yan smiled gently and said, "This is the result of your own hard work. I only provided a little help."
"Xiao Ning, eighteen years old, 1-star Dou Practitioner," Xiao Ning said in a deep voice.
"Not bad, you're also a C-class potential."
Clasping his hands tightly, Xiao Ning respectfully walked over to Xiao Yan and bowed. Xiao Yan simply waved his hand in response. Xiao Ning's achievement of becoming a 1-star Dou Practitioner was also entirely due to Xiao Yan's Qi Gathering Pill. It could be said that without Xiao Yan, today's Xiao Ning would not exist.
"The next one, Xiao Xun Er."
Upon hearing the name, Xiao Yan gently stroked Xun Er's hair and said, "Go and leave them astonished."
Xun Er shrugged her shoulders and mimicked Xiao Yan's helpless expression, "Sigh, in the end, I won't be able to surpass Xiao Yan ge-ge."
Xiao Yan chuckled, "What, are you jealous of me now?"
Pursing her small mouth, Xun Er walked over to the desk and said softly, "Xiao Xun Er, 7-star Dou Practitioner, sixteen years old."
Clang! Instructor Ruo Ling's wrist stiffened, and the brush in her hand slipped and fell. She raised her head with her mouth slightly open, looking at the beautiful girl in front of her.
Are you kidding me???
The girl's clear voice caused the tent to fall into a dead silence. All eyes were fixed in stunned disbelief on the girl in green. Even Instructor Ruo Ling couldn't immediately assess what level this talent was.
This was off the charts!
Even stronger than the Deputy Headmaster's granddaughter! And only sixteen years old?!
Xiao Yan could only smile wryly to himself. Xun Er's cultivation speed was truly unprecedented. If it were not for his possession of the Flame Mantra and the Bone Chilling Flame, he would have been surpassed long ago.
Taking a deep breath, Instructor Ruo Ling wrote an SS-class rating in the register.
"I'm giving you an SS-class. Although there is no such class on the scale, you've clearly exceeded the S-class. I'll explain this to the headmaster," Instructor Ruo Ling made an unprecedented exception!
"The academy's Little Witch finally has a match," Xiao Yu muttered to herself.
The tent was buzzing with discussions among the new students. They were all openly speculating about Xun Er's background without any attempt to conceal their fantasies about her.
Yet, Xun Er remained as aloof as ever, paying no attention to anyone as she returned directly to Xiao Yan's side.
When Instructor Ruo Ling took a look at the last name on the register, her expression became a bit strange as she looked at Xiao Yan and said, "The next one, Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan slowly stood up, walked over to the desk, and said, "Xiao Yan, sixteen years old, 8-star Dou Practitioner."
Pfft!!!
In a corner, Luo Bu and Ge La, who had just been healed and awakened, were about to take a sip of water and some medicine when they spat it all out. Both of them had a mixture of horror and astonishment in their eyes and were almost about to fall to their knees.
"Sixteen years old??!!"
"Impossible! How can an 8-star Dou Practitioner be this powerful!"
As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, the tent filled with the sound of sharp, cold breaths. Surprised and even fearful glances were directed toward him. They were filled with astonishment at such a terrifying talent.
When they saw how easily Xiao Yan had defeated Luo Bu and the others, they all speculated that Xiao Yan must have the cultivation of a Dou Master, and guessed that his age would be close to twenty, similar to that of Xiao Yu.
But Xiao Yan was only sixteen! And his cultivation level was not even that of a Dou Master, yet he exhibited the combat power of one! This was even more terrifying than a Dou Master!
"An 8-star Dou Practitioner at the age of sixteen... higher than Xun Er, and with extremely formidable combat strength! This is a genius!" Instructor Ruo Ling took a deep breath and her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the young man in front of her.
His talent and fighting ability were much stronger than that of the Little Witch!
Xiao Yu's close friends had become numb to surprises. Xue Ni asked, "Yu Er, what's going on with your clan? Each one is more monstrous than the last! Your cousin is just... too monstrous."
Xiao Yu's lips slowly curled into a smile, as if the praise was directed at herself. She amusedly thought to herself, 'If they knew Xiao Yan was also an alchemist, I'm afraid they'd probably faint from shock.'