Chapter 20

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Xu Zhenyan barely returned to meditation when he heard more noise outside his tent.

'For the love of…'

It was both frustrating and puzzling. He wasn't cultivating per se, but if he was, the consequences of being interrupted could be disastrous. For that reason, the academy actually forbid students visiting other rooms after hours.

For novices, being interrupted at a critical moment could mean deviation, leading to coma or death.

Feeling about ready to dole out beatings, he opened his eyes, staring at the entrance to his tent.

"…instructions from the vice principal himself."

The broken sentence drifted between the flaps. A tall figure soon followed, pushing its way inside the tent without invitation.

"Junior, the Song of Valor is an academy tradition celebrating the feats of those that came before. It can't be that you don't put those seniors in your eyes, right?"

Raising a lantern to his face, the intruder illuminated his features, identifying himself as a youth in his twenties.

"Leave him, Po. I told you he's..."

The voice of the girl from earlier suddenly emerged from behind his large frame. Outside the tent, Xu Zhenyan could see her silhouette moving as she tugged on the boy's clothes.

"Green Luan Academy isn't simply a place to learn cultivation, but also respect. Without knowing the meaning of discipline through unity, how can a student hope to progress?"

Though his tone was calm and his expression placid, 'Po's' superior attitude couldn't be hidden.

Xu Zhenyan snorted.

"If you don't get out of here within the next ten halts, I'll personally teach you the meaning of respect through discipline."

His voice was likewise even and unbothered.

Contrary to expectations, the older fellow didn't immediately become enraged. Instead, he raised an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Ho? You must be from one of the families in the Imperial City. I'm sure you know this already, but there's no special treatment for nobility."

Xu Zhenyan didn't reply. At that moment, he was thinking that he hadn't yet gotten a chance to test his new abilities. If this guy wanted to volunteer, so be it.

"Nine, eight, seven, six…"

Getting to his feet, he walked over to the boy, standing right in front of him. Although he was a-head-and-a-half shorter, Xu Zhenyan started counting immediately, not hesitant in the least.

Seeing what he was doing, Po didn't react. He simply stood there silently, wanting to see if Xu Zhenyan really dared do something to him.

"…one, zero."

The moment his countdown finished, he put his hand on Po's chest, starting to exert force. Even Xu Zhenyan wasn't so unreasonable as to start swinging immediately.

The big fellow let him, looking down at the palm against his sternum with amusement. However, as the moment dragged on, his face stiffened.

At first, Xu Zhenyan's touch was feather light, but that soon changed. The weight increased gradually until Po had to strain to keep his feet planted.

'By my guess, this guy should be a late-stage Soul Expert, yet I'm only entry-level. However, I have something he doesn't.'

Xu Zhenyan wasn't referring to the Immortal Transformation Technique. Rather than that, it was his 'two bowls' constitution. Given the cultivation of Soul Force was based on the soul and ki, as a reincarnator, he had an advantage—he could store and release twice the amount of Soul Force as someone his level.

Po couldn't hold on any longer. To avoid embarrassment, he stopped resisting solely with his body, starting to employ his cultivation.

Given Xu Zhenyan's palm connected with the other person's chest, he noticed it immediately, responding in kind.

The two of them stood there in silent confrontation, both unwilling to give in.

However, unbeknownst to Xu Zhenyan, the shock in Po's heart was steadily rising along with the pressure on his chest. One had to understand, although he wasn't the most talented in his age-group, he was still capable enough to be kept after graduation as an assistant.

To him, the idea of someone almost ten years his junior being on the same level was beyond absurd. The most mind-boggling thing of all was that he couldn't tell whether this was just Xu Zhenyan's physical body or if he'd truly reached Soul Expert level cultivation. Either feat was enough to be regarded as one of the top freshmen.

Suddenly, deciding this farce had gone on long enough, Xu Zhenyan poured a significant amount of Soul Force into his arm before shunting it toward the surface of his palm.

Po barely had time to register the tingling feeling against his chest before the subdued sound of a shockwave rang in his ears. By the time he regained his balance, he was staggering outside the tent.

"I won't let you off easy the next time."

The two assistants stood there dumbfounded, watching stupidly as Xu Zhenyan closed the flaps of his tent before deftly tying them closed.

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That next morning, Lin Xi walked alongside his friends, on their way to have breakfast. Last night, the song recounting the deeds of Principal Zhang and his fellows from Green Luan academy didn't leave his head. There were many oddities, things that made him wonder if that middle-aged uncle wasn't someone like him—a reincarnator from earth.

'I'm so tired, I barely even slept…'

"Hey Lin Xi, Zhang Ping was talking to you!"

Suddenly, a round-faced youngster, looking like he was a bit too fond of dumplings, jostled him with an elbow.

"He did arrive a bit later than us. It's not strange if he's a bit tired."

It was Zhang Ping who spoke consolingly.

Surprisingly, he was exactly the son of the drug-store owner Xu Zhenyan met on the road. However, even if he was here, he wouldn't recognize the fellow, given they never met—not by his appearance, at least.

Seeing Lin Xi blinking blearily, trying to rouse himself from his torpor, another boy patted him on the shoulder.

"Lin Xi, you should wash up by the lake. It should help you wake up."

However, Meng Bai, the fatty from before, was quick to deliver a warning.

"Hurry, a lot of tasty stuff has been prepared. If you're late, who knows if there'll be any left."

"I'll go with you to make sure you don't fall in."

The third boy, a youth named Li Kaiyun, the very same one who managed to score the academy's most beautiful fairy in a different lifetime, spoke again.

After promising to meet soon, the group split into two parties, one heading for Azure Lake and another to the breakfast banquet.

If Xu Zhenyan were to witness this friendly and harmonious scene, he wouldn't be surprised. Being the type to believe in the power of friendship above all else, Lin Xi's growing collection of coattail passengers wasn't surprising.

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A bit later, after the lot reunited, they strolled among the dozens of tables, stacked from bottom to top with mouth-watering dishes. Though there were over a thousand applicants, things were quite orderly.

It was a testament to the academy's standards—even though most students would end up returning home after today, being able to obtain a token of admission was already an achievement most in the empire could only dream of.

With their trays and bowls filled to the brim, the group of boys were looking for a place to sit. It was then, out of the corner of his eye, that Lin Xi spotted a familiar figure.

Gleaming black hair, handsome features and an embroidered, collared robe—it was Xu Zhenyan, though Lin Xi didn't yet know his name. For a moment, that weird feeling from yesterday resurfaced, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare.

"Hey, what's the matter?"

Zhang Ping, having Lin Xi come to a standstill in front of him, almost dropped his food.

Realizing he almost caused an accident, Lin Xi waved his hand apologetically.

"Sorry, I was just… that guy over there, he must be a golden spoon, right?"

The phrase 'golden spoon' was commonly used to refer to privileged children from well-off families.

The others followed his gaze, but didn't seem to see anything significant.

"Who do you mean, that fellow in the white robes?"

Meng Bai looked curiously at Lin Xi, wondering if he knew the person in question.

However, the youth shook his head.

"No, not him. I'm talking about the one in black, the one with the silver trimmings."

"I don't see anyone like that."

Li Kaiyun shook his head, wondering if Lin Xi was going to be alright. He even regretted not sharing his sleeping tonic with his friend, the one his mother packed to help him relax before admissions.

Doing everything but pointing at Xu Zhenyan directly, Lin Xi was astounded when they still didn't seem to see him. However, before he could say anything, Zhang Ping suddenly spoke.

"Could it be…? Are you talking about the person leaning against that willow tree?"

Staring at Xu Zhenyan's figure, it was as if fog was gradually disappearing in front of his eyes. Realizing it was that young master Xu from the road, he almost couldn't understand how he didn't recognize him immediately.

"Yes, that's him."

Seeing Zhang Ping's reaction, almost as if he were peering into a wall of mist, Lin Xi's feeling of weirdness only increased.

'Sure enough, there's something strange about that guy.'

With growing curiosity, he suddenly found his feet moving unconsciously toward the other person.

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