Enrollment

---

Chapter 50: Enrollment

Early in the morning, Xiao Yan, dressed in his attire, sat at the table, propping his chin as he stared at the faint yellow Dou Qi in his palm. After a long silence, he finally let out a deep sigh.

"What? Regretting it?"

Yao Chen's elegant figure appeared, teasingly looking at the slightly dejected Xiao Yan.

Ever since Xiao Yan had learned the "Flame Mantra," he often stared at his palm and sighed. His face was constantly clouded with worry, all because of this cultivation technique.

"Regret? No. This is the path I chose myself. I have no right, nor will I ever regret it," Xiao Yan replied calmly. Then, he sighed lightly again. "It's just that the hardships I will face in the future might be far more challenging than I initially expected."

As Yao Chen had mentioned earlier, before its evolution, the "Flame Mantra" was merely a Yellow-tier low grade technique, offering virtually no advantage. Even the most rudimentary techniques could outperform it.

This meant that, at the same Dou Qi level, Xiao Yan's technique was practically equivalent to having none. Against opponents of the same level, he was at a clear disadvantage.

"I honestly think you have no reason to worry about this," Yao Chen said, looking at Xiao Yan with some exasperation.

Although Xiao Yan was currently only a three-star Dou Practitioner, even a low level Dou Shi would find it hard to last more than a few moves against him. Xiao Yan's actual combat strength far surpassed that of his peers, even without a high-tier technique.

Suddenly, a knock on the door brought Xiao Yan back to his senses. He got up, opened the door, and saw Xiao Yu standing at the doorway with one hand on her hip, smiling at him.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Sister Xiao Yu," Xiao Yan replied with a smile. Xiao Yu motioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"Come on, the enrollment for Jia Nan Academy has already started at Wutan City's square. Let's go sign up!"

"Alright," Xiao Yan responded softly. He closed the door and followed Xiao Yu out of the courtyard. As soon as he stepped outside, a figure leaped into his arms.

"Cousin Xiao Yan! Good morning!"

There was no need to guess—it was naturally Xiao Mei, the little girl who had been clinging to him even more tightly since he mentioned going on an adventure a few days ago. If it hadn't been for Xiao Xun Er and Xiao Yu forcibly pulling her away, Xiao Mei might have even followed him into his room at night.

Xiao Yan could only look at her helplessly but did not stop her.

Since it would be a long time before he saw her again, he let the little girl cling to him a while longer.

Although Xiao Yan planned to visit Jia Nan Academy for the "Fallen Heart Flame," now wasn't the time. Even Yao Chen disapproved of him heading to the academy right away.

Firstly, Xiao Yan lacked the necessary strength and hadn't yet gathered the required alchemy ingredients. Going now would be pointless and a waste of time at the academy.

Secondly, Yao Chen understood that the "Fallen Heart Flame" was essentially the academy's treasured artifact, guarded by numerous powerful teachers. There was no reason they would let a student approach its core.

For these two reasons, Yao Chen believed Xiao Yan should focus on adventuring and gathering the materials for the Heavenly Flames rather than heading to the academy immediately.

Most importantly, Yao Chen didn't want her own goals to hinder Xiao Yan's pursuit of a righteous path.

Although Yao Chen greatly admired Xiao Yan's sense of justice, hers years of experience made her realize that there were still many flaws in Xiao Yan's current understanding of righteousness.

These flaws couldn't be corrected just by Yao Chen's words. Xiao Yan needed to experience them himself to comprehend them.

"Xiao Yan ge ge, good morning!" Xiao Xun Er greeted, her hands behind her back and a gentle smile on her face. "Cousin Xiao Ning has already taken others to the square. Let's hurry and register."

"Alright."

Xiao Yan nodded. With Xiao Mei clinging to his back, he followed Xiao Xun Er, trailing behind Xiao Yu toward Wutan City's square.

As they approached the square, Xiao Yan saw the bustling crowd from afar. The crowd was dense, even more crowded than the busiest market.

"Why are there so many people?" Xiao Mei, her arms around Xiao Yan's neck and her head resting on his shoulder, frowned in confusion. "I remember the enrollment criteria for Jia Nan Academy require candidates to be under eighteen and have Dou Disciple at the eighth stage, right? Are there really so many people who meet the criteria?"

Wutan City wasn't a hub for cultivation. Many weren't cultivators at all. Among those who were, some were too old, while others hadn't reached the eighth stage of Dou Disciple. Only a small fraction should have qualified.

Hearing Xiao Mei's question, Xiao Yu turned slightly and replied.

"Most people are just here to watch the excitement. Of course, there are also those hoping to sneak in. This happens every year, though none of them ever succeed."

Jia Nan Academy's reputation spread far across the Dou Qi continent. It was a renowned institution that many dreamed of entering.

However, Xiao Yu hadn't initially been very eager to join Jia Nan Academy. She went there to investigate the cause of Xiao Yan's loss of Dou Qi, hoping to find answers.

To gather more useful information, Xiao Yu trained hard at the academy. Last year, she even ranked among the top fifty in the Outer Academy, where the average student was a seven-star Dou Shi, despite being only a one-star Dou Shi herself. She broke the academy's record for entering the Inner Academy with the lowest rank.

[T/N: I am changing the cultivation of Xiao Yu from Practitioner to Dou Shi. It was my mistake and I have already edited the previous chapters]

After spending a year in the Inner Academy, Xiao Yu improved from a one-star to a three-star Dou Shi but found no clues about Xiao Yan's condition. Frustrated, she quit the Inner Academy before returning home for the New Year.

"Not a single clue, and you have the nerve to call yourselves the continent's top academy!"

This was what Xiao Yu angrily shouted at the elder who saw her off when she left the Inner Academy, leaving him utterly baffled.

Now that Xiao Yu knew the reason behind Xiao Yan's loss of Dou Qi and that Yao Chen had resolved the issue, her resentment toward Jia Nan Academy had mostly dissipated.

Leading Xiao Yan and the others, Xiao Yu queued up properly. Although the leader of this enrollment was Xiao Yu's former instructor, she felt it inappropriate to seek special treatment, especially since she had already been in the Inner Academy.

Moreover, knowing Xiao Yan, he wouldn't accept favoritism. Since Xiao Yan wouldn't cut in line, neither would Xiao Mei or Xiao Xun Er, making it unnecessary for Xiao Yu to pull strings.

After a long wait, it was finally their turn. Unsurprisingly, all three passed the requirements. Under Xiao Yu's guidance, they headed toward a temporary courtyard set up behind the square.

Before they even entered, an angry shout erupted from within.

"You're just freshmen! Don't get too arrogant!"

---

(End of translation.)

(Review Please)

For every 100 power stones = 1 chapter

300 power stones = 5 chapter

500 power stones = 8 chapter