Chapter 17: The Entrance Examination of Tiandou Royal Academy

“Tang Xi, fifth-year student at Notting Academy.”

When the examiner’s voice sounded, Tang Xi was still staring at Yu Tianheng’s back.

She hadn’t expected that the first familiar face she would encounter upon her return would be his.

Tang Xi remembered that when she was still known as Xue Yuan, the Snow Night Emperor had told her: among the former top three sects, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect supported the Tiandou Empire, the Haotian Sect favored the Xingluo Empire, and only the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Sect had remained neutral. Therefore, gaining the favor of the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Sect was crucial to surpassing both Xingluo and the Martial Soul Hall.

Because of this, in her childhood she often lingered between the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Sect, even attending school alongside Yu Tianheng for a few months.

At that time, Tang Xi found Yu Tianheng to be arrogant, and she herself was equally proud and complacent. They clashed constantly, each finding the other insufferable. Now, seeing him again, it was clear that much had changed between them, and yet everything had changed.

Tang Xi withdrew her gaze, her thoughts momentarily frozen.

The examiner frowned at Tang Xi, who was standing there lost in thought, and urged her:

“Tang Xi, fifth-year student at Notting Academy, are you going to take the test or not?”

Yu Tianheng, standing beside Dugu Yan, heard this and slightly turned his head.

The examination list was arranged according to the ranking of each academy within the empire, and being last indicated that this academy was the weakest in the entire empire. The so-called “geniuses” from such a school were hardly worth anyone’s interest, and now with this attitude, it only bred impatience.

Under the disdainful gazes of the crowd, Tang Xi stepped forward and placed her hand above the crystal orb used to measure soul power.

The orb’s light gradually blossomed, and the examiner announced:

“Eleven years old, Tang Xi, level three—”

He paused slightly, and when he clearly saw the level displayed within the orb, his voice rose several octaves:

“Level thirty?”

Level thirty?

Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan, who were about to leave, abruptly stopped and turned back with disbelief, all eyes fixed on the deep blue glow within the orb.

Such intensity—indeed, it was level thirty.

All the nobles present had been nurtured since childhood with family supplements, yet this girl came from a humble background, and to have reached level thirty by this age relying purely on her own talent…

Impossible!

The examiner, who had initially been somewhat lax, stared at Tang Xi in disbelief:

“Are you really a student of Notting Academy?”

Tang Xi placed her hands behind her back, looked up obediently, nodded, and said:

“Yes. The school wanted me to draw my third soul ring soon, so they allowed me to apply for early admission by a year. I kindly request the teachers to guide me in hunting soul beasts.”

The examiner was around level forty himself and nearing fifty in age, but he had never encountered such talent before. For a moment, he was the one left stunned.

Qin Ming, who had been watching quietly from the side, finally chuckled softly and reminded:

“Tang Xi, please announce your martial soul.”

Tang Xi gently brushed her long hair aside; her eyes shone like obsidian in the morning light. Amid the murmurs of the crowd, her clear voice slowly rang out:

“My primary martial soul is Silver Element, a control-type battle soul master.”

Yu Tianheng frowned again as he listened from nearby and exchanged a glance with Dugu Yan.

Dugu Yan was the first to furrow her brow, whispering:

“Silver Element doesn’t belong to any sect’s martial soul, and I’ve never heard of it before.”

Yu Tianheng looked at the plain-looking girl who could easily be lost in a crowd, raising an eyebrow with interest: “A commoner genius? That’s truly rare.”

Qin Ming gathered the list of those who had passed the preliminary test and, replacing the initial examiners, led the successful candidates into the academy, saying:

“Although you few have been admitted exceptionally, you still need to undergo practical combat tests. Come, I’ll take you to the next venue.”

Tang Xi walked at the back of the group. Qin Ming glanced back at her, raising his voice to explain:

“Every year, the Tiandou Royal Academy receives tens of thousands of applications but enrolls only about a hundred students. Among them, ninety percent are nobles admitted through recommendation; the remaining ten percent are fiercely contested by these thousands of applicants.”

“Of course, because the training methods differ between recommended and elected students, many truly talented nobles also choose to compete with this ten percent.”

“The way to secure a spot is simple: practical combat. You will be randomly paired for two-on-two battles.”

“This year, given your exceptional talents, the Academic Department has decided that the winners of these matches will be placed in the elite class for special training and will represent the academy in the next Continental High-Level Soul Master Elite Tournament!”

At this, Qin Ming led everyone to a small sub-arena within the academy.

He turned to face the group of eleven- and twelve-year-old prodigies, smiling gently, holding dozens of small balls of various colors, and introduced:

“This is the competition arena. Random drawing of the colored tokens will determine teams—matching colors form a group, matching numbers identify opponents. You have ten minutes to get acquainted. After ten minutes, the first pair will take the stage.”

With that, he distributed the small balls into the hands of the students.

The students immediately began searching for their teammates, knowing full well the importance of coordination.

Tang Xi received a white ball drifting into her palm and looked around quickly.

Those holding the same color formed a team, but all the nearby children had found their teammates except for Tang Xi—she couldn’t spot another holding a white ball.

Qin Ming, watching Tang Xi still searching, calmly cleared his throat. When Tang Xi looked over, he gestured with his eyes toward a small girl standing in the far corner of the arena.

The girl seemed reluctant to interact, her expression embarrassed, eyes avoiding contact.

Time was short. Tang Xi quickly approached and straightforwardly introduced herself:

“Hello, I’m Tang Xi, a level thirty control-type battle soul master. I’m your teammate.”

The girl, with bangs hanging over her eyes, looked shy but responded with a self-introduction:

“I-I’m Ye Lingling, a level twenty-two support-type soul master. My martial soul is Nine-Heart Begonia.”

She hesitated before explaining why she had not sought out her teammate sooner:

“Sorry, although my clan’s martial soul has the power of resurrection, I’m afraid I won’t be much help in combat support.”

“I see…”

Tang Xi watched Ye Lingling’s cheeks flush deeper, smiling gently as she reached out and grasped Ye Lingling’s hand, her eyes sparkling like autumn waves, curving into a crescent moon:

“You won’t need to do anything during the match. Just stand behind me.”