The sudden voice of the woman was gentle, almost intoxicating. Even with Xiao Yan's usual composure, it stirred him to a degree of bewilderment. Only after a moment did he turn his gaze, following the sound, toward the interior of the tent. In the shade of the tent, a woman dressed in green stood smiling gracefully. Her beautiful face bore a gentle smile, her eyes softly shifting and reflecting the warm glances of the gathered group—like a quiet, clear stream flowing gently through her heart, evoking an irresistible sense of elegance and vitality. Though slightly older than Xiao Yu and the others, her full, well-proportioned figure radiated a mature grace shaped by time—a natural charm that could not be matched by the more youthful and fresh-faced girls like Xiao Yu. Xiao Yan scanned her over. While her appearance might not quite match that of Xun'er or Xiao Yu in terms of beauty, he was deeply struck by the genuine, unpretentious warmth and grace that radiated from her. The woman across from her embodied the concept of "a woman like water" to such a profound extent that it was almost entirely realized. Since her arrival, Xiao Yan noticed that several younger students within the tent had begun to gaze at her with a growing warmth, their looks now carrying an inexplicable tenderness. Upon observing this, Xiao Yan shook his head in mild disbelief—clearly, these students harbored a quiet admiration for her. It wasn't unusual for younger individuals to be drawn to more mature women… ah, that must be what people call "feminine maturity enthusiasts." Holding Xiao Yu in her arms, the gentle woman known as Instructor Ruolin smiled warmly and said, "Not bad at all." With a playful smile, Xiao Yu lightly teased, biting gently at Ruolin's delicate earlobe, "Instructor is getting more and more tender. If this trend continues, men chosen by you might soon be drowned in this soft, flowing warmth." A faint blush rose to Ruolin's cheeks. With a sigh of resignation, she gently patted Xiao Yu's head, then raised her chin toward the other members of the Xiao family, speaking softly, "You brought them, didn't you? They seem quite impressive." "Of course!" Xiao Yu proudly straightened her posture, glanced sharply at Luo Bu, and whispered her complaint, "That man has been acting increasingly arrogant lately." "Who could blame him? You deliberately provoked him. He's always aware of your feelings. When you're so close and affectionate with other men in front of him, how could he not find excuses to be difficult?" Ruolin said, with a look of weary understanding. "This only makes me more and more resentful toward him," Xiao Yu said, shaking her head. She released Xiao Yu and slowly stepped forward, smiling warmly at the dozens of new students beneath the blazing sun. "Everyone, please come in." At her words, the students, drenched in sweat from the intense heat, immediately brightened, quickly sitting up and scrambling into the shade of the tents. It must be admitted that while this method of dampening the students' spirits might seem somewhat unkind, it did have some effect—now, compared to when they first arrived, the new students' confidence had noticeably diminished. They huddled in the corners of the shade, constantly glancing around inside the tents. Her gaze, soft and encouraging, swept over the group, finally settling on Xiao Yin's face. She smiled gently and said, "Luobu has no ill intentions at all. He was merely stirred by frustration and anger earlier, which made him act rather impulsively. Don't mind him." "Haha, the mentor is being too kind," Xiao Yan chuckled, his tone warm and gentle. "I'm the most accommodating person you'll ever meet—how could I possibly blame Luo Bu?" Upon hearing this, most of the people inside the tent rolled their eyes, silently chuckling. Didn't he realize that, after having knocked out a senior student with hardly any courtesy, this remark now sounded rather ironic? Focusing intently on the smiling youth before her, Iflin the mentor blinked slowly. A quiet sense of anticipation stirred within her—perhaps, after all these years of mentoring, she was finally encountering the most persistent and difficult student she'd ever had. After a moment of internal reflection, Iflin shook her head and instructed the two male students to bring in the unconscious Gola from outside. She examined Gola's injuries carefully, then furrowed her brows slightly, giving Xiao Yan a mildly exasperated gaze. Stung by the sharp, electric intensity of that look, Xiao Yan's mouth parted slightly, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Frowning slightly, the Master Ru Lin extended her pale, jade-like hand and, amidst the admiring glances from several male students, gently touched Gorla's arm. A delicate, water-blue, soothing energy flowed along his arm and into his body, calming the disordered ki within and healing some of the injuries caused by Xiao Yan. In the classification of ki types, water ki is the most gentle and temperate. Without the aid of medicinal pills, water ki is therefore the most suitable for healing, often referred to as the "living remedy." As a result, members proficient in water ki techniques are indispensable in many mercenary teams, since only water and wood ki can effectively provide sufficient healing time for injured teammates during critical moments. Under the nurturing warmth of Master Ruolan's presence, Gorla, who had been unconscious, soon stirred and began to breathe softly, awakening with a sigh. As he opened his eyes and gazed at Master Ruolan standing smiling beside him, a subtle sense of admiration and affection flickered in her gaze. Then, slightly embarrassed, she rose to her feet, her eyes sweeping over Xiao Yan before shrinking back, shyly avoiding his gaze. Lifting her gaze slightly, Master Rulin smiled lazily, her tone relaxed. "Congratulations to all of you on passing the assessment—now you've officially entered the gates of the Canaan Academy. However, since the Academy needs to differentiate among students based on their potential, I'd like to know your current exact strength levels." "Eight-tiered combat energy corresponds to F-level potential, which is the standard at Canaan." "Nine-tiered combat energy is E-level." "A one-star warrior is D-level; two-star is C-level, and so on—top-tier is an S-level five-star warrior. Of course, the age limit here is under twenty." "Heh, in over a decade at Canaan, we've only encountered one freshman with S-level potential. Now, that young sorceress—well, she's quite remarkable in the Academy, isn't she?" "Covering her red lips with a soft, gentle smile, the long lashes of Ru Lin fluttered slightly: 'I didn't really expect to meet someone of that petite, fairy-like caliber, but receiving a B or C-level rating would certainly be satisfactory.' As she spoke, her gaze drifted subtly between Xiao Yan and Xun'er. In her perception, within this tent, only these two individuals remained elusive and enigmatic—she sensed their potential was likely at least equal to, if not exceeding, C-level. In fact, it wasn't just her; anyone who had witnessed Xiao Yan's earlier performance within the tent was quietly speculating about his true potential—what level might this seemingly extraordinary figure truly hold? 'Alright, let's begin,' Ru Lin smiled softly, holding her ink brush in one graceful hand. 'Starting from the left, please report your names, levels, and ages.' Upon seeing the registration process about to commence, the others in the tent, including Xiao Yu, settled in with growing interest, taking seats and observing quietly." "Hey, Yu'er, what level do you think your Xiao Yan is at?" Several attractive girls, gathered around Xiao Yu, were curiously asking. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu furrowed her delicate brows and pondered a moment. She had never seen Xiao Yan undergo a level assessment herself, so she wasn't confident enough to give an overly enthusiastic answer—fearful of making a mistake that might embarrass Xiao Yan. Uncharacteristically, Xiao Yu found herself now genuinely thinking about Xiao Yan's standing. In the past, she would have been delighted the more Xiao Yan lost face. After a brief pause, she offered a somewhat cautious response: "I think he should be able to reach C-level or possibly B-level." "Wow, that's really impressive! That already qualifies as a top-tier talent at the Gan-Can Academy. When we used to evaluate potential, even the best of us only managed D-level." The girls immediately expressed their admiration. Xiao Yu smiled lightly, then fell silent, directing her gaze toward the center of the tent where the evaluations were underway. "Black Rock, Nine-tier Battle Qi, age twenty." A young man with dark skin and a slightly flushed face stepped forward first, reporting his data. Nodding with a smile, Master Rulin quickly recorded the student's information and gently opened her lips, "E-level." "Lin Dong, Eight-tier Battle Qi, age nineteen." "F-level." "Ke Li, Nine-tier Battle Qi, age seventeen." "E-level." ... As one after another reported their personal details, a few new students who had just passed through the outer plaza were occasionally brought in. After being sternly reminded by some senior students, they promptly settled into the back of the line, waiting their turn to report their own data. Among the nearly twenty individuals who had reported so far, most were ranked below the Battle-Bringers, though there were also several newcomers who had originally held Nine-Rank Battle Qi but had fallen to Eight-Rank after failing to achieve Battle-Bringer status. When it came to Xiang Yin, the most outstanding performance among those who had gone before had been a seventeen-year-old with a single-star Battle Rank—according to potential ratings, only a D-level—yet even this achievement brought a slight sense of joy to Iflin, as becoming a single-star Battle Rank at seventeen was already quite commendable. Once the young reporter standing before Xiang Yin finished presenting his data, the attention within the tent immediately shifted to the adolescent, who was now growing drowsy from having waited so long. "Xiang Yin, it's your turn," said Xun, watching her brother's slightly blurred eyes, and gently bringing him back to awareness. "Oh." Xiao Yan, regaining his composure, quickly wiped at the saliva that wasn't even there on his lips. He shifted his gaze upward, where the beautiful Instructor Ruolin was smiling warmly at him. With a slightly embarrassed smile, Xiao Yan fluttered his fingers before revealing a bright set of white teeth: "I can't compare to the young fox-girl mentioned by the Instructor. After carefully weighing myself and my own abilities, I'd have to say I'm barely at the A-level, at best." "How could he have risen to A-level again? The Cangnan Academy doesn't usually select more than a hundred students with A-level potential in each recruitment cycle!" Several girls murmured, eyes wide as they stared at Xiao Yan. Gazing intently at the boy's refined features, Xiao Yu sighed in resignation and muttered, "How can I possibly know that this guy is getting more and more eccentric?" "Hmm… shall I exaggerate a bit?" Taking advantage of the moment when everyone had still been stunned and hadn't recovered, Xun'er gently held onto Xiao Yan's sleeve and whispered the question. "No, let's go with the truth. Do you really think I'll hold a grudge against you for that? Let the academy know about your potential—it'll be good for your future development, even if you might not personally care much about such things." Xiao Yan shrugged and smiled. Tucking her lips slightly, Xun'er nodded her head softly and giggled, "Then I'll follow Xiao Yan's lead." With a graceful step forward, she approached, her delicate and lively voice echoing gently within the tent. "Xun'er, a six-star warrior. Age—about sixteen." At the very beginning, the person who had just lifted her pen to record Ruolin's information froze—her gentle features now reflected a clear look of astonishment.