Chapter 14

The discipline team brought a stretcher and prepared to carry Xifan back to his residence for rest. Xifan looked at Lu Ping several times, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, the word "thank you" never came out. His feelings towards Lu Ping were just too complex to change so quickly.

As Xifan was carried away, the crowd that had come to offer condolences immediately dispersed. Even for a new student like Molin, who had only been in the academy for a day, people had shown some concern, but for Lu Ping, not a single word of greeting was offered.

No one cared if he was injured, and no one asked about his role in the incident.

"Do we even need to ask? He must have been a burden!" Everyone was so convinced of this.

The small house returned to its usual quietness, with only Su Tang left.

For three years, Su Tang was the only person who would come to this small house.

Quietly tidying up the mess left by the crowd, Su Tang stood by the window.

It was another fine day, but the flower beds outside the window were not as colorful as usual. The fierce battle last night had left the flower beds in a worse state than Lu Ping's small house. Molin stood beside a patch of flattened flowers, being scolded by Mosen.

"Are you not going to class?" Lu Ping asked from behind her.

"I'm going right away." Su Tang's gaze returned from the window, and she pointed to the small table. "Breakfast is there."

"Okay." Lu Ping nodded.

"Then I'll go. Will there be any more trouble with Xing Luo?" Su Tang asked.

"Probably not." Lu Ping said.

"Be careful."

"Don't worry."

Su Tang left. Lu Ping went to the small table and picked up the breakfast.

The buns were already cold, but Lu Ping didn't mind. He stood by the window and ate silently. He was used to being alone while Su Tang went to class or practiced.

Outside the window, Molin was still being scolded by Mosen, looking helpless.

As Lu Ping watched, he smiled.

To him, this scene was actually quite warm. Only those who truly cared would scold so earnestly! Mosen, who had always been so hostile towards him, had never given such a long, heartfelt lecture. It seemed that the relationship between this guy and Mosen was deeper than he had initially thought.

Just as he was thinking, Mosen finally finished his scolding and hurriedly went to check which of the damaged flowers could still be saved. Molin, who had found his missing straw hat in the morning, put it back on and came to the window of the small house.

This time, Lu Ping didn't avoid him. He had left two buns in the bag for Molin and handed them to him.

Molin took them.

"Only two?" he grumbled.

"They're cold." Then he complained.

"Eating cold food is bad for your stomach." He said as he stuffed one into his mouth.

"What's your relationship with Mosen?" Lu Ping asked.

"He's my uncle." Molin said.

"You also have the surname Mo."

"Right, my name is Molin, not Linmo. Don't tell anyone!" Molin said.

"Is it necessary?" Lu Ping asked.

"Of course, I'm an assassin, and I'm currently evading... uh... assassination?" His voice grew weaker, and Molin only remembered at the end that the people who were after him had now become nutrients for the flower beds.

"It doesn't seem particularly necessary anymore." Molin said, "But as an assassin, it's always good to keep your name hidden. Is your name a fake name?"

"No." Lu Ping said.

"Can you be my mentor?" Molin asked.

"What?" Lu Ping was startled by Molin's sudden question. He had thought Molin would ask more about the things he was curious about from yesterday.

"When I entered the academy yesterday, the dean asked me which mentor I wanted to follow. I just said my uncle's name, but now I think you are the most suitable." Molin said very seriously. In terms of age, he was a few years older than Lu Ping, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all, looking at Lu Ping with great anticipation.

"I can't teach you anything." Lu Ping said, lying back on the bed.

"Don't refuse so quickly, think about it more carefully." Molin said.

"I really can't teach you." Lu Ping said, lying back on the bed.

"Playing dead again, hey!" Molin shouted, being left outside the window again.

Three days passed quickly, and the annual major exam of Zhaifeng Academy finally arrived.

During these three days, nothing else happened in the academy, but there was one bad piece of news: the captain of the discipline team, Xifan, was unable to participate in the major exam due to his injuries.

After the news spread, the new student Molin immediately found the dean, Guo Youdao.

"Can I take the exam on his behalf?" he asked seriously, feeling a great responsibility for Xifan's injury. If it weren't for his presence, Xing Luo would never have appeared in Zhaifeng Academy, and Xifan wouldn't have been injured trying to save him. So he thought it was very reasonable for him to take the exam on Xifan's behalf.

However, no matter how lenient the rules of Zhaifeng Academy were, they could not allow someone to take the exam on another's behalf, even under such special circumstances. Molin was immediately kicked out of the dean's office.

However, the dean later decided to make an exception and allow Xifan to retake the exam once he recovered.

Despite this, many people still felt sorry for Xifan.

The major exam of the academy was not just a concern for the mentors and students, but also for various countries and forces on the continent.

Although Zhaifeng Academy was not as famous as the four major academies, it was one of the two academies in the remote Xianfeng District. Compared to the other, Xianfeng Academy, its influence was still much smaller. Xianfeng Academy had a history of over two hundred years and had developed alongside the Xianfeng District, with deep resources and background, and was always highly regarded by the Xianfeng District. Zhaifeng Academy, established later, had grown rapidly thanks to the prestigious background of its dean, Guo Youdao, from the four major academies, but it still could not match the two hundred years of accumulation of Xianfeng Academy.

The annual major exam was held together by the two academies, with a competitive element. Xianfeng Academy had more students and had always held the upper hand, but in recent years, Zhaifeng Academy had produced many outstanding students who had made a name for themselves, causing some embarrassment for Xianfeng Academy.

Xifan had been a standout in the major exams for two consecutive years, and in this year's fourth-year exam, he was a major threat to Xianfeng Academy. But the news of his serious injury and inability to participate in the exam made Xianfeng Academy feel very optimistic.

"What a pity! How could Xifan be so careless?" In the center of the examination platform, the deans of the two academies were seated. The dean of Xianfeng Academy, Balian, was smiling insincerely as he expressed his regret and condolences to Guo Youdao.

"As long as he's safe." Guo Youdao said coolly.

"Ha, that's right, that's the most important thing." Balian laughed, and a row of mentors from Xianfeng Academy echoed him.

After the laughter, someone came up and said, "Dean, it's about time."

"Oh, then let's start! As usual, we'll start with the first year, and let Zhaifeng Academy go first. They have fewer students, so it will be faster." Balian said confidently. Without Xifan, he didn't think Zhaifeng Academy had anyone who could challenge them.

The preparatory bell for the exam rang, and the first-year students of both academies lined up under the tower.

The Tower of Souls.

This was the examination venue used by various academies, with different design standards. The Tower of Souls used by Zhaifeng Academy and Xianfeng Academy had twelve floors. Students entered the tower with the goal of climbing as high as possible, with each floor worth eight points, totaling ninety-six points. If a student could break through all twelve floors, they would receive an additional four points, for a perfect score of one hundred.

Although it was only four points, these four points were the hardest to earn. In the twenty-four years of Zhaifeng Academy's major exams, only four students had achieved a perfect score, and all four were later absorbed by the four major academies, becoming the greatest pride of Zhaifeng Academy.

"This year's first-year students from Zhaifeng Academy look very spirited!" Balian's gaze swept over the Zhaifeng Academy students, insincerely praising Guo Youdao. In fact, he already knew the level of this batch of first-year students.

"Wow, five types of soul power, that's really impressive!" Balian pretended to be surprised. He had known about this student in Zhaifeng Academy's first year, but he didn't remember the name because he didn't think this level was worth remembering. This year, Xianfeng Academy had many first-year students who could sense five types of soul power, and twelve who could sense all six, with three of them already breaking through to the first level of the Heavenly Realm. In this comparison, Zhaifeng Academy was bound to suffer a crushing defeat. Balian didn't mind praising Zhaifeng Academy a bit more; the higher he praised them, the harder they would fall.

He smiled and continued to look, but when he saw a guy wearing a straw hat near the end of the line, Balian was slightly stunned. After increasing his soul power, he confirmed that what he saw was correct.

Balian's expression instantly changed.

"Dean Guo, there seems to be something wrong with one of your first-year students? Sixth level of the Central Soul Power? Is this a first-year student? Dean Guo, this is a bit too much, isn't it?" Balian's expression changed, but he wasn't panicked. A student at this level being a first-year student? No one would believe it. It was too foolish for Zhaifeng Academy to place such a student in the first year to boost their competitiveness.

"Dean Balian, are you talking about the one with the straw hat? You're mistaken. He's just here to watch, not to take the exam. He's a visiting student." Guo Youdao said calmly.

"A... visiting student?" Balian's expression couldn't be controlled. As a dean, he knew very well what this meant. It implied recognition. Only more prestigious academies could attract visiting students. Despite its two hundred years of history, Xianfeng Academy, located in this remote district, was not much more famous than Zhaifeng Academy on the entire continent, and no one had ever thought of coming to their academy for a visit. But now, Zhaifeng Academy had a visiting student?

Balian deeply doubted the authenticity of this, but since Guo Youdao had said this student wouldn't take the exam, there was no need to explain whether he was really a visiting student.

Reluctantly, Balian looked further back, to the last first-year student of Zhaifeng Academy, behind the straw hat guy.

Hmm? Hmm?

Balian confirmed twice before he dared to be sure, and then he laughed. "Dean Guo, you even kept such a student for the major exam. I admire your perseverance! He's not here to watch, is he?"

(We will soon be recruiting extras, so keep an eye on my public WeChat account for updates!)

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