The economic war between Wutan City's two great families had finally concluded with the Xiao Clan's victory. The Jia Lie family, as the losing party, saw its power shrink rapidly—gone were the days when their name alone could command the city's attention.
For nearly a week, the story of the two families' confrontation blazed through every corner of Wutan City. But people's fickle nature soon took hold, and attention gradually shifted toward another monumental event—the recruitment of Jia Nan Academy.
As one of the most prestigious higher academies on the Dou Qi continent, Jia Nan Academy was practically sacred ground for every young person. Anyone who graduated from the Academy could look forward to a bright future, returning home with their head held high and becoming a prize that every faction would compete to recruit.
Jia Nan Academy sat at the junction where the Jia Ma Empire bordered two other great empires. In that tri-border no-man's-land, the Academy functioned almost as a small nation unto itself. Ordinarily, no empire would tolerate such a neutral power sitting in their midst—but that calculus changed when the Academy's strength grew to rival the empires themselves. In the end, all three empires quietly abandoned their designs, leaving the Academy to occupy the borderlands like a sleeping dragon that no one dared provoke.
Over the years of development, Jia Nan Academy had not only become a renowned institution of learning on the Dou Qi continent, but through its subtle collaborations with the royal courts of all three empires, its reputation had only grown stronger. The fact that three historically antagonistic empires had maintained nearly a century of relative peace was largely due to the Academy's behind-the-scenes mediation and balancing acts.
All of this combined to make Jia Nan Academy's prestige ever more formidable among the three empires. Each year, the Academy dispatched numerous instructors to recruit students of exceptional cultivation talent from across all three nations.
The three empires' royal courts universally approved of these recruitment drives. After all, an academy was not a sect—it imposed few restrictions on its graduates. Once they completed their studies, most students chose to return to their home countries. For the three empires, this was simply a method of indirectly strengthening their national power, and no sane ruler would refuse such an arrangement.
In just a few more days, the Academy's recruitment instructors would arrive in Wutan City. As a result, all of the city's attention had shifted away from the drama of the two great families. This unexpected reprieve allowed the Xiao Clan, which had been in the public eye for weeks, to finally catch its breath.
Jia Nan Academy's recruitment focused on cultivation talent, not status or wealth. Those without sufficient talent would forever be unable to pass through those gates that symbolized a bright future. Of course, there were exceptions—if you had a powerful faction backing you, the Academy wouldn't mind adding another student who contributed generously to their coffers each year.
Because the Academy's recruitment disregarded social standing, even young beggars and petty thieves throughout Wutan City were eagerly awaiting the instructors' arrival. If they somehow managed to stumble through the testing, they would be able to shed their lowly occupations and become respected Dou Warriors.
Under the influence of this fever, Wutan City's atmosphere had become more festive than New Year celebrations. Every day, crowds gathered at the city gates, craning their necks for a glimpse of the approaching recruitment team.
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Compared to everyone else's eager anticipation, Xiao Yan found himself extremely busy. With his departure imminent, he had been pushing himself to the limit, refining healing medicines at a frantic pace. Watching Xiao Yan's desperate efforts, Yao Lao felt a pang of sympathy but could only sigh and lend a hand. With the aid of an alchemist whose grade was beyond calculation, batches upon batches of finished healing medicine poured continuously into the Xiao Clan's warehouses. With this stockpile, as long as the Xiao Clan sold their medicines at a measured pace, they would have enough to last an entire year without running dry. And by the time all these medicines were sold, the profits would be enough to make anyone green with envy.
This intensive alchemy work, though exhausting for Xiao Yan, had significantly improved his control over his internal Dou Qi. His ability to regulate flame temperature grew more refined with each session. Combined with his extraordinary spiritual perception—even Yao Lao had to admit it was remarkable—Xiao Yan's success rate in refining Blood-Staunching Powder had now reached approximately sixty percent. This level of proficiency was something only an experienced Second-Rank Alchemist could typically achieve.
Beyond his alchemical advancement, Xiao Yan's own cultivation had been steadily improving under the assistance of special spiritual liquids that Yao Lao had painstakingly formulated. During his final cultivation session after completing the last batch of medicines, the Dou Qi within his body gathered naturally, flowing together like water finding its level—and then, with unstoppable momentum, broke through to the Four-Star Dou Warrior level.
This unexpected improvement brought Xiao Yan genuine delight. It seemed that intensive alchemy practice was also quite effective for boosting one's personal strength.
Of course, while alchemy did offer some auxiliary benefits, it was far too draining on one's energy. Once the final batch of medicinal ingredients had been refined, Yao Lao put a firm stop to proceedings. Seeing the stern look on Yao Lao's face, and considering that their stockpile was already more than sufficient, Xiao Yan didn't argue. He returned to his room and slept for an entire day. When he finally emerged, the world felt lighter and more relaxed.
Walking through the clan compound, Xiao Yan felt a touch of helplessness at the sight of the suddenly crowded training grounds.
Throughout the various training areas, young clan members were working up a furious sweat, grinding through their exercises with desperate intensity. Every one of them was hoping that in these final days, they might reach the threshold required for Jia Nan Academy's admission.
Standing at the edge of the training ground, Xiao Yan watched for a few lazy moments before turning away with little interest. He had limited sympathy for these last-minute strivers. When he had first recovered his talent, hadn't he also trained himself half to death? And these people—their talent was mediocre at best, yet they spent their days relying on the clan's name to flirt and socialize. Such behavior left Xiao Yan thoroughly unimpressed.
The Academy's admission threshold was not low: before the age of eighteen, one had to reach the eighth stage of Dou Power. This harsh requirement shattered many dreams. Of course, by Xiao Yan's assessment, no more than two people on that training ground could actually meet the admission criteria.
He clasped his hands behind his head and banished the thought. How many of them made it in had nothing to do with him. Shaking his head, he turned down a small path leading to the rear garden.
There, standing among a profusion of blooming flowers, was a familiar girl's silhouette—the graceful figure of a girl in green, gazing up at the swaying willows with a distant, melancholy expression. She looked stunningly beautiful amid the flowers.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the perfect silhouette, a gentle warmth surfacing on his face. He smiled softly and walked slowly toward the pensive girl.
"Brother Xiao Yan, you... you're leaving soon?" Before he could even reach her, her slightly sorrowful voice drifted to his ears.
His steps paused briefly. Xiao Yan nodded with a resigned sigh and continued forward until he stood beside Xun'er. He turned his head and saw her exquisite face clouded with sadness. With a gentle smile, he reached out and placed his palm atop her small head, letting it slide softly down through her silky hair. The sensation was so soothing it almost made his heart ache.
"You're not going to Jia Nan Academy?" Xun'er asked softly, allowing him to continue playing with her hair—a privilege no other man had ever been granted.
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded, his voice light: "I have my own matters to attend to."
"Because of Nalan Yanran?" A strange, cold light flickered in Xun'er's autumn-water eyes. She bit her red lip gently as she spoke.
His hand paused in her hair for just a moment, then resumed. Xiao Yan shrugged: "I accepted that challenge in front of so many people back then. I can't very well not show up, can I? If I did, even you would look down on me."
Xun'er's delicate brows furrowed faintly. She sighed softly, murmuring words so quiet they were barely audible even to herself: "I really shouldn't have let her leave alive back then."
"Heh heh, don't worry. Once I've taken care of things, I'll come to Jia Nan Academy to find you. Hmm... at most a year and a half—no, just a year..." Seeing Xun'er's face suddenly crumple with disappointment, Xiao Yan quickly corrected himself.
"Brother Xiao Yan, actually... if you came with Xun'er, Xun'er has ways to help you defeat Nalan Yanran within the required time." After a long moment of hesitation, Xun'er offered tentatively.
Xiao Yan smiled wryly and shook his head, a touch of self-deprecation in his sigh: "Sometimes the things you say make me feel almost inadequate."
"I know Brother Xiao Yan wouldn't think I'm offering charity." Xun'er beamed sweetly.
Xiao Yan chuckled softly, shaking his head. He looked up at the sky and let out a long, contented breath: "Don't worry. I'm confident. One year from now, I will ascend Yun Lan Sect and face Nalan Yanran!"
Watching Xiao Yan's sudden burst of heroic spirit, Xun'er shook her head with a helpless smile. She was about to speak—perhaps to try once more to dissuade him—but Xiao Yan suddenly turned, his arms sweeping around her slender waist and pulling her firmly against his chest.
A soft breeze swept through the garden, willow branches swaying gently. The young man held the young woman tightly, their bodies fitting together as if they were two halves of a whole, with no space between them.
Startled by Xiao Yan's sudden embrace, Xun'er stood frozen for a heartbeat. Then a deep blush crept up to the tips of her ears. She made a halfhearted attempt to struggle free, then shyly gave up, a rosy glow coloring her delicate cheeks.
"Xun'er, one year from now, I will come to Jia Nan Academy to find you. Wait for me."
He buried his face deep in her silky hair, and his promise finally coaxed a shy, obedient nod from the bewildered girl.