Chapter 22
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Eventually, the old man called another familiar name. However, it wasn't someone Xu Zhenyan met before, but someone from the novel.
"Leng Qiuyu."
A young lady separated from the crowd, immediately drawing everyone's attention. A collection of silent gasps rang out from both girls and boys as they noted her appearance.
'So beautiful…!'
Xu Zhenyan, even though he expected it, still felt his jaw drop. It was no exaggeration to say he'd never seen such a pretty girl in this life, or the one before. It was to the extent he surreptitiously wiped his mouth, expecting to find himself drooling.
Her appearance was difficult to put into words. She was just… otherworldly.
'…and she'll only get more beautiful in the future.'
Thinking of something, Xu Zhenyan forcibly turned his gaze away from the ice-queen, looking for that punk, Li Kaiyun. With the help of his spiritual-sense, he soon spotted the kid.
'Look at that buffoon…'
The fellow in question was openly captivated, his mouth half-open and his face beet red. Xu Zhenyan was pretty sure that, unlike himself, the guy was actually drooling, judging by the glisten on his chin.
'For a girl like her to end up with the likes of him is a tragedy beyond words.'
Resolving to not let such a disaster come to pass, he returned his gaze to the podium. Leng Qiuyu, used to being the center of attention, nonchalantly set her hand on the stone.
"Aptitude four!"
The moment she did, a dim, red light shone from its center, the old speaker wasting no time in announcing it. Until now, she and Zhang Ping were the only ones to display an aptitude of four.
The students were still chattering about the picturesque beauty, remarking that the heavens were truly unjust, piling so many blessings on one person. However, the old man already announced the next applicant, not waiting for them to settle down.
"Lin Xi."
Xu Zhenyan rolled his eyes inwardly. It was finally time for the usual 'acting like a pig to eat a tiger' farce. Though, that was the usual faire for the protagonist in these types of situations, so he wasn't surprised.
Under the gazes of his friends and fellow students, Lin Xi walked toward the podium before setting his hand on the stone. Immediately, a dim, yellow light shone from within.
"Aptitude two."
The old man announced his 'poor' aptitude with a stoic face, unlike the one he showed Zhang Ping and Leng Qiuyu. However, given Lin Xi wasn't that outstanding, aside from wearing a red robe, the other applicants didn't kick up a fuss.
Wearing a somewhat embarrassed expression, the protagonist was shunted toward the back by a teaching assistant.
'Naturally, it's not that simple.'
Xu Zhenyan reflected on the situation, feeling a sense of irony. In truth, Lin Xi also had an aptitude of four. However, because he was a reincarnator with a 'two souls' constitution, his cultivation speed was only half that of someone with the same aptitude.
It was similar to how a car with a bigger fuel tank would take longer to fill up. In that sense, Lin Xi's 'gift' as a reincarnator didn't seem so exaggerated—although he had a bigger reserve of Soul Force, he paid for it in cultivation time.
However, that restriction was circumvented by him rather straight-forwardly. Despite himself, Xu Zhenyan had to admit the kid's actions were rather clever.
One's Soul Force depended exactly on the strength of one's soul, which responded to strain of the spirit. Liberally using his time-rewind ability, Lin Xi intentionally put himself in all sorts of life-threatening situations to provoke his spirit into growth.
'I don't have to do that, though.'
While normal cultivators produced their own ki or absorbed it from certain medicines, Xu Zhenyan himself could absorb it out of the surrounding environment. It was like the rest of the world lived in a spiritual-energy desert, having to struggle desperately for every drop, while he lived next to a fresh-water river.
Suddenly, while he was deep in thought, his name was actually called out by the elder.
"Xu Zhenyan."
The original 'him', being a small-time villain, actually didn't receive any screen-time during admissions, so he didn't know what to expect.
Shaking his head to dispel his mental distractions, he separated from the crowd, making his way toward the podium.
As long as he could speak to one of the academy elders, he was confident in securing a private test. In fact, he'd already tried tracking one down before the start of admissions, but they were all absent for some reason, so he could only postpone the issue until now.
"So handsome…!"
Similar to when Leng Qiuyu came forward, the applicants immediately started making remarks.
'The immortal transformation technique is really too formidable. Not only does it give me a peerless cultivation, but an appearance to match.'
Straightening his black, silver-embroidered robes, Xu Zhenyan made his way toward the testing stone. Naturally, he didn't 'ghost walk' like before, not that it would work with so many eyes on him.
"Huh? Where did he come from? Don't tell me he was standing there all the while?"
One girl, seeing this well-dressed and well-kempt princeling pop up next to her, almost died from shock. Was there something wrong with her eyes? How hadn't she noticed him until now?
Many others were having similar reactions as they watched the eye-catching young master appear from within their midst. However, Xu Zhenyan ignored the whispering from behind him, heading directly for the old man.
"Senior…"
Opening his mouth, he started on the speech he rehearsed beforehand. However, before he could say anything else, the grampa casually waved him toward the back.
"No need to test, just head through."
The words struck Xu Zhenyan dumb. For a moment, he just stood there, unable to comprehend what just happened. It was only when one of the teaching assistants came to his side, laying a hand on his shoulder, that he snapped out of it.
"The vice-principal already made arrangements for you. Go to the next room and wait for your follow-up."
Xu Zhenyan let himself be led, at a loss as to what was going on. When he disappeared behind the sectioned sliding-paper doors, the crowd of would-be students broke out into an uproar.
"How can this be? Why was he just let in? Isn't Green Luan academy supposed to be impartial?"
Sparse protests rang out, increasing in frequency as more students registered the supposed injustice.
A tall, strong youth stepped forward, his bearing heroic and his face handsome. Looking directly at the old man standing at the podium, he spoke loudly, his voice ringing inside the courtyard.
"This junior apologizes for being impolite, but can senior please give us a reason for letting that person through without a test? The rest of us have walked over mountains and through valleys to get here. Surely Green Luan academy wouldn't insult all our efforts by giving preferential treatment, right?"
Even though he was the center of attention, being stared down by the academy's staff, he didn't seem uncomfortable in the least. Rather, his back became even more straight and his shoulders more square.
The old man scanned the audience with watery eyes, likewise unperturbed. Suddenly, his creased face drew into a smile.
"So what if your efforts are insulted?"
The moment his words reached the listener's ears, the whole thousand-something throng turned dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what they just heard. Surely, the old man couldn't be so unreasonable, right?
The boy at the lead was speechless. His mouth hung open, wanting to say something but not knowing what.
It wasn't just kids like him from middle or lower class families who were uncomfortable, even the more rarified individuals among them felt their eyebrows drawing together. After all, many of the top families were at odds—their comparable statuses did little to assuage that.
"Since when does my Green Luan academy have to give explanations? If any are unsatisfied, they can get lost."
The old man's attitude clearly wasn't something the academy endorsed or even expected because the teaching assistants hurriedly came to his side before furiously whispering into his ears.
However, the senior waved them away like trying to get rid of a bunch of annoying flies.
"…and if those old farts at the top don't like it, they can get lost too!"
As if his previous rudeness wasn't enough, he directly cursed the academy's elders. Hearing this, the crowd of students, which had been getting progressively noisier, suddenly turned silent.
A quiet sigh sounded in the courtyard before a middle-aged, dark-haired man suddenly appeared out of nowhere, heading toward the podium. The students couldn't hear what he said, but they saw him whisper something in the old man's ear as well.
This was apparently enough to calm the senior because, after huffing discontentedly, the grampa flicked his sleeves before walking off, disappearing into the rear building.
"…I will be conducting the aptitude tests from now on. However, before I do, I'll answer your question."
At that, the middle-aged man cast a dark gaze toward the youth, still standing there while at a loss.
"The reason that boy didn't take the test it because it isn't necessary. Not even fourteen yet and already a Soul Expert—that should address any concerns about his talent, shouldn't it?"
The words, though spoken in an even tone, were absolutely shocking. It was to the extent that many children felt their throats going dry. With there being one surprise after the other, each more outrageous than the last, they were barely clinging onto a sense of reason.
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