Xiao Yan walked slowly toward the tent, while Xiao Yu glared angrily at his back, utterly surprised that he had been so unceremonious. As they approached the large green tent, they saw several groups of men and women gathered in various clusters under the shade, chatting casually—clearly, like Xue Ni, they were all students from the Gan'an Academy. Outside the shade, twenty-some young men and women sat on the ground, enduring the scorching sun, their faces beaded with sweat. Despite the heat, they maintained a reserved demeanor, suggesting they were new arrivals who had just passed the preliminary screening. Suddenly, several women chatting inside the tent looked up as Xiao Yu and her group approached, their faces brightening with delight. A group of women immediately rushed over, surrounding Xiao Yu and bustling with cheerful chatter. The sudden wave of sonic attacks left Xiao Yan momentarily stunned, his mind suddenly swelling as he scanned the faces of these young, beautiful female students. Observing their expressions of surprise, Xiao Yan realized that Xiao Yu must have strong connections within the academy. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Just be a little more composed!" Xiao Yu sighed, pushing away several friends who kept pressing themselves against her, clearly embarrassed. "Yu, it's been two months—how much more full-figured you've become! Now, come on, admit it—have you been... uh?" A woman with a delicate face gently ran her hand over Xiao Yu's chest before resting it on her fragrant shoulder, teasing her with a smile. Gently pushing the woman in his arms aside, Xiao Yu stepped back as another woman approached with intentions to join the scene, quickly pointing at Xiao Yin and the others, introducing them in a rush before finally calming the women's lingering interest. "Oh, what a beautiful young lady!" His gaze swept over Xun'er and Xiao Mei, whose striking appearances naturally amazed the women. His eyes then shifted to Xiao Yin beside him, while Xiao Ning—being closely related to Xiao Yu as siblings—was fortunately overlooked by the women. Though Xiao Yin was a few years younger than Xiao Yu, his height had grown significantly over the past year and a half, now matching Xiao Yu's. While his face remained slightly refined and youthful, there was an unexpected maturity and seasoned grace in his expression that contrasted with his age, creating a subtle visual tension that caused the women to glance at him more than once. "Oh, what a handsome young man! Yu, this is your cousin." Isn't he your younger brother? Just come clean—have you ever been guilty of embezzlement? Hearing these women raise such bold questions right in front of the当事人, even though Xiao Yan remained as composed as ever, a subtle twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth. His gaze toward Xiao Yu grew increasingly strange. Xiao Yu, listening to the women's teasing, her delicate face flushed with both embarrassment and helplessness. As she prepared to explain, her eyes caught sight of a man hurrying toward them. Her expression shifted instantly—her brows furrowed slightly, then softened, a gentle blush spreading across her cheeks. With a pout, she chided, "Stop teasing him! He's always been shy since childhood." "Huh..." The women paused, taken aback by Xiao Yu's rare sense of dignity and earnestness. They had only meant to jest, but now Xiao Yu was seriously stepping in to defend him—her tone, in fact, carried the very air of someone defending a beloved partner. Xun and the others were equally taken aback by Xiao Yu's warm and familiar tone, exchanging glances with one another, utterly confused—when had Xiao Yu's relationship with Xiao Yan become so close? Standing aside, Xiao Yan watched the woman's performance with a cool gaze, tugging at his lips as he prepared to speak directly to her, only for Xiao Yu to swiftly reach out with her delicate hand, seizing his wrist and gently patting the dust from his clothes with one palm. Xiao Yu's bashfulness gradually faded as she turned around, still holding Xiao Yan's arm, glanced at the young man, and said softly, "Luobo, it's been a while." "Ah, yes." The young man, known as Luobo, smiled and nodded, his gaze casually sweeping over the hands intertwined between the two. In Luobo's eyes, a subtle chill and simmering anger flickered. "Ah, these few—were they brought by you?" Luobo stepped forward with a warm smile. "Yes." Xiao Yu nodded casually and introduced Xiao Yan and the others once again, smiling, "I brought them here for testing." "Oh, I see." Luobo nodded, then withdrew a red crystal ball about the size of a clenched fist from his coat, held it up, and said, "I just received a testing crystal from Teacher Ruolin a moment ago. Why not have them try it out? The other testing crystals have already been moved to the front testing corridor. If they don't use mine, they'll have to wait a while." "Heard this, Xiao Yu hesitated slightly before finally nodding, then turned to Xiao Yin and softly explained, 'The crystal test is quite simple—once your strength reaches the eighth level of Battle Qi, the crystal will automatically glow, and then you've passed the initial examination.' 'Let go!' Xiao Yin glanced at her coldly and said calmly. 'Oh.' Xiao Yu smiled gently, nodded obediently, and released her hands. Watching her attentive demeanor, the young man named Luo Bu tightened his grip on the crystal ball considerably. 'Xun and you go first,' Xiao Yin said, rubbing the slightly flushed wrist that had been squeezed by Xiao Yu. With a warm smile, Xun, along with Xiao Mei and Xiao Ning, stepped forward. They held the crystal ball for a moment, and once it began to glow, they stepped back. Seeing the three succeed, Xiao Yin also approached, touched the crystal casually, and achieved the same result. "Rest assured, if we hadn't reached the threshold, I wouldn't have taken the initiative to bring them in." Xiao Yu spoke calmly as he watched the four successfully pass. "Heh, I'm not doubting you—this is just protocol." With a polite smile of apology toward Xiao Yu, Luo Bu folded the crystal ball, then pointed toward the men and women sitting on the ground under the scorching sun outside, and smiled warmly at Xiao Yin and the others. "Congratulations on passing the initial assessment. Now, please stay outside for the next thirty minutes." "Luo Bu, what do you mean by that?" Hearing this, Xiao Yu raised her brows, her expression frosty as she coldly demanded. "Xiao Yu, you're a seasoned student—should know this is part of the admission protocol. Heh, today's new students are increasingly restless, so we've been putting them through this kind of test to help them adjust to life in the academy." Luo Bu chuckled. "Hmph. Luo Bu, when you tell those ignorant newcomers all this, I don't even bother to listen. But don't you dare apply these messy rules to the people I've brought!" Xiao Yu said coldly. "This is the rule," Luo Bu murmured, his mouth twitching as Xiao Yu publicly scolded him so directly—making him feel both angry and slightly embarrassed. "Luo Bu, just stop being so disruptive. You yourself know these rules are merely formalities—why make such a fuss over them?" The women standing nearby, who found Luo Bu's tendency to treat minor matters as major issues rather irritating, all frowned slightly. "Ah, I'm sorry. They passed their evaluations under my supervision. According to the regulations, I should temporarily oversee them during this period." Luo Bu smiled warmly, but as he saw Xiao Yu about to lose her temper, he quickly changed his tone: "Well, considering your standing, they don't have to all be sent away. Just one representative will do." Hmm... Let me see. Well, let's just send this young fellow out—after all, a grown man doesn't need to worry about getting sunburned. Roeb's fingers slowly traced over each of the guests before finally stopping with a smile on his face, settling on Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan gently lifted his eyes, calmly gazing at the smiling youth in front of him. "Get out of the way, Xiao Yan won't be going out. I'll go speak to Master Ruolin myself—there's no need for you to keep hovering and fussing!" With a graceful step forward, Xiao Yu stepped in front of Xiao Yan, her long legs radiating charm, and spoke with a cold tone. "Oh, Roeb brother, it seems there's a bit of a problem on your end?" As the group continued to bicker, a fresh group of men emerged from the shade of the tent, smiling warmly. "Not much—just that this new student isn't willing to step outside and get some sun." Roeb finished setting up the crystal ball and offered a casual smile. "Hey, it's been a while since I've seen such a bold new student. Roeb brother, shall we lend a hand?" "Heard this, a young man with a golden star embroidered on his chest chuckled warmly at Luo Bu, his smile carrying a touch of politeness. Nodding in agreement, Luo Bu glanced at Xiao Yu, whose face remained stern, and after a brief pause, smiled gently. 'How about this—we'll stay if we must. But with so many new students watching outside, if our group refuses to go out and get some sun, others might feel a bit uneasy.' Saying this, Luo Bu patted the young man's shoulder and turned to Xiao Yu, saying, 'Since you're not inclined to go out, why not spar with Gola? You don't have to win—he just needs to hold you for twenty rounds.' Upon hearing this, the women standing beside Xiao Yu immediately shouted angrily at Luo Bu. Now it was clear to them that he was jealous of Xiao Yu and had plans to settle his personal grudge. Compared to the outbursts of the other girls, Xiao Yu remained strangely silent, slightly tilting her head and fixing her gaze on Xiao Yan. She was well aware of Xiao Yan's current strength—he was certainly no weaker than herself—and defeating a one-star combatant was far from difficult. Ignoring Xiao Yu's steady gaze, Xiao Yan quietly stared at Luo Bu, who beamed with joy at him. A faint coldness flickered in his dark eyes. Though he had originally intended to stay out of it, this young man had persistently acted with arrogance, pressing him relentlessly. "Heh, come on, youngster," said the young man named Gola, stepping forward with a mocking smile toward Xiao Yan. "Let me show you how to show proper respect to an elder student. Otherwise, when you face difficulties at the academy, you'll have to blame us." With a slow exhalation, Xiao Yan sighed in resignation under the watchful eyes of everyone, then shrugged and took a few steps forward. As he approached Xiao Yu, he suddenly extended his arm, firmly wrapping his slender waist and drawing her tightly into his embrace. Surprised by Xiao Yan's sudden assault, Xiao Yu first froze, then her cheeks flushed deeply. Considering Gobu was standing nearby, she had to stop struggling, gritting her teeth in resentment, cursing the very person who had taken advantage of her in such a public setting. Xiao Yan's actions left the nearby women once again stunned, while Gobu's expression instantly darkened. He turned his head and said coldly to Gola, "Strike with precision!" Gola nodded, a faintly smug smile on his face. The three women beside Xun watched the two exchange their odd behavior, shaking their heads in resignation. "This is interest," Xiao Yan murmured softly, gently stroking his hands along Xiao Yu's waist twice. Then, without looking at the blushing Xiao Yu, he deliberately released his hands, turned his neck slightly, and slowly walked toward Gola, who was steadily and quietly watching him.