Today's auction at the Mitel Auction House was unquestionably the most packed it had been in half a year. The spacious main hall seethed with bodies, and the cacophony of voices crashed over Xiao Yan and his companions the moment they stepped inside, making their heads spin as though a swarm of flies buzzed directly inside their ears.
Surveying the jam-packed hall, Xiao Zhan frowned and shook his head helplessly. He summoned a staff member and had them lead the group through the VIP corridor, which granted them a far more comfortable entry.
Inside the auction chamber, the crowd was still sizeable, but considerably quieter than the chaos outside. Xiao Zhan swept a practiced eye over the seats, then guided Xiao Yan and the others to a row close to the auction platform with the ease of a man who had done it a hundred times before.
Xiao Yan settled into a seat slightly farther back, glancing around with a bored expression. He leaned lazily against the backrest and waited for the proceedings to begin.
"Sister, isn't the enrollment period for Jia Nan Academy coming up in about half a year?" Xiao Ning's voice reached him, tinged with unmistakable eagerness. The name — Jia Nan Academy — made Xiao Yan's brow twitch upward involuntarily.
Jia Nan Academy was one of the most renowned cultivation academies on the Dou Qi continent. Its strength far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine. It was said that to become an instructor at Jia Nan Academy, one's cultivation had to be at least at the Great Dou Master level. When it came to sheer accumulated power, even the Yun Lan Sect could not compete.
On the Dou Qi continent, academies and sects operated on different principles. Joining a sect meant accepting its restrictions — your actions henceforth represented the sect behind you. An academy was different: once you graduated, there was no binding relationship whatsoever.
That said, people were not creatures devoid of emotion. In the pure, ivory-tower environment of an academy, students easily developed a sentimental attachment to the institution. After graduation, this quiet loyalty meant many alumni were willing to lend a helping hand within their power.
One person's help might amount to little, but when thousands and even tens of thousands of graduates offered theirs, the resulting web of connections became a formidable force — and that was precisely the goal of every academy.
Entering an academy was the best shortcut to acquiring cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques. At a prestigious institution like Jia Nan Academy, outstanding performance or a mentor's patronage might even net you high-tier techniques. With those in hand, the road to becoming a powerhouse shortened considerably.
Cultivation techniques, Dou Techniques, elixirs — the three most coveted things on the Dou Qi continent. Jia Nan Academy held two of the three. Consequently, in the minds of countless people across the continent, stepping into Jia Nan Academy was tantamount to a secure future. Every graduate who emerged from its gates was aggressively courted by various factions, their prospects shining bright.
Each year, countless young people in the Jia Ma Empire fought tooth and nail to gain admission, deploying every trick they could devise.
Jia Nan Academy was indeed an excellent place to gild one's credentials, but its admission requirements were extraordinarily strict: one had to reach eighth-stage Dou Power before the age of eighteen.
This rigid threshold shut out all who lacked sufficient talent, which meant every student who entered the academy was, without exception, a young person of notable ability.
...
Hearing Xiao Ning's question, Xiao Yu nodded slightly. She cast a sidelong glance at Xiao Yan, her tone laced with a hint of smugness. "Don't worry — you've already met the admission requirements. And as it happens, the person responsible for enrollment in the Wutan City district is my mentor. She's a five-star Great Dou Master, you know. With me putting in a good word, there shouldn't be any problem."
"Hehe, that's great then." Xiao Ning's face lit up with delight, and he nodded enthusiastically.
Listening to the conversation beside him, Xiao Yan's lip curled slightly. In the past, his only option would have been to enter Jia Nan Academy in hopes of obtaining higher-grade cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques. But now, with Yao Lao — a teacher of mysterious origins — at his side, the academy held very little appeal.
"Aren't you planning to apply to Jia Nan Academy in half a year, Brother Xiao Yan?" Xun'er's soft voice came from beside him. She had noticed his lack of interest.
Before Xiao Yan could respond, Xiao Yu's delicate eyebrows arched upward, and her gaze shifted to him as well. She had already made up her mind: if that little brat wanted to attend Jia Nan Academy, she would privately ask her mentor to make things difficult for him.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, his tone deliberately casual. "Not really interested. What's the point of being cooped up with a bunch of brats? If I wanted cultivation techniques, I'd rather jump off a cliff looking for treasure — at least that would be exciting."
"Hmph, what an arrogant mouth! You think the academy would beg you to join? A little talent and your head swells. People with your level of talent aren't rare at Jia Nan Academy. It's actually better if you don't go — with your insufferable personality, you'd probably just find yourself getting humiliated." Xiao Yu's pretty face turned icy at hearing Xiao Yan disparage the academy she held so dear.
Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Yu's indignant expression and shrugged, too lazy to engage. His agreement with Nalan Yanran had less than two years left. His sole aim now was to surpass that woman.
Time was running short, and the gap between them remained significant. Xiao Yan did not believe that anyone at Jia Nan Academy could help him close that gap in the remaining two years.
Since the goal was unattainable there, what was the point of attending that wretched school? Could they teach him alchemy the way Yao Lao did? And even if they could, did they possess Yao Lao's level of skill?
Shaking his head, Xiao Yan dropped the subject. His gaze drifted to a nearby section of the hall, where he spotted members of the other two great families entering the auction as well.
Behind a cluster of people, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a cold, hostile gaze settle on him. He turned his head slightly and was surprised to find Jie Lie'ao — the young master of the Jie Lie family — staring at him with undisguised malice. It was the same man with whom he had clashed at the marketplace days before.
Jie Lie'ao fixed Xiao Yan with a menacing glare, his eyes occasionally drifting to Xun'er's graceful figure beside the boy. Catching Xiao Yan looking back, he let out a sinister chuckle, his lips moving silently.
Xiao Yan studied the moving lips and managed to make out the silent words: "You little waste of the Xiao Clan — your coming-of-age ceremony is finally over, isn't it? Don't let this young master catch you in Wutan City again, or else... hehe!"
Squinting back at the smugly grinning Jie Lie'ao, Xiao Yan offered a faint smile of his own. In the depths of his lowered eyes, a dangerous gleam flickered.
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