Hearing this only strengthened Ye Tian and Ye Feifei's belief that Qin Xiaowan was here. They had both felt a twinge of sadness when she left the Ye Family. After all, the Qin Family had been wiped out because of Ye Tian, and he couldn't help but feel a hint of guilt.
"Excuse me," Ye Tian said to the nearest waiter. "Do you have any rooms available? We'd like to get two of your better ones."
The waiter quickly came over, sized up Ye Tian, and said, "We have three tiers of rooms. The lowest costs twenty Spirit Stones, the middle tier is fifty Spirit Stones, and the highest is one hundred. Which would you like?"
"The mid-tier ones, please. We can't afford the best!" Ye Tian said. He had no desire to flaunt his wealth; for him, a hundred Spirit Stonesâor even a thousandâwas a mere drop in the bucket.
The inn's food was truly delicious and savory; the pair devoured every last bite. "I haven't eaten anything this good in a long time. The big cities really are something else!" Ye Tian remarked.
Ye Feifei smiled faintly. "Of course it is, Brother Tian. Did you really think this place could compare to Lisha City? The waiter's coming over. Let's go."
The pair then followed the waiter up to the second floor. "Here are your two rooms. Please let me know if you need anything. If not, I'll be on my way."
"We're good. You can go," Ye Tian said. He then turned to Ye Feifei. "The rooms are all set, but it's still early. What do you say we go check out that competition site they were talking about?"
"I was thinking the same thing. Let's not waste any time, then. Let's go!" Ye Feifei smiled. "Even though we have a direct pass into Linyuan Academy, it wouldn't hurt to see what these other people are capable of. Anyone who can get into the academy is an elite from their hometown. There are plenty of people stronger than us out there."
The two of them went to the counter, paid for their rooms and the meal, and left the inn. It only took a few questions for them to find out where the competition was being held.
The streets of Lin Yuan City were a veritable sea of people, with countless conversations revolving around Linyuan Academy's student recruitment. Before long, the pair arrived at the site of the trials, located on the outskirts of Linyuan Academy itself.
A large crowd was still gathered there. It was now noon, so the morning's trials had concluded. The next round wouldn't begin for at least another hour, and the people standing around were waiting for the afternoon's excitement to begin.
Ye Tian took in the surroundings of the competition. A massive arena, a full hundred meters in diameter, dominated the area. On the platform stood a Force Testing Stone Pillar and a large screen, much like the ones from the Ye Family's tournament. However, these were far larger, and undoubtedly of much higher quality.
Behind the arena stood a wall over three meters tall. Ye Tian looked along its length but couldn't see where it ended. He knew Linyuan Academy lay within those walls. 'It's just massive,' he thought.
Seeing the look of astonishment that kept flashing across Ye Tian's face, Ye Feifei asked, "Brother Tian, what's on your mind?"
"Feifei, this Linyuan Academy is enormous," Ye Tian said. "Look, I can't even see where the wall ends. I wonder how many students they have here."
"I'm not sure about that either," Ye Feifei replied with a smile. "The only thing I know is that Linyuan Academy is larger than Lisha City itself and is divided into several districts. We'll find out once we're inside."
Ye Tian fell silent and scanned the crowd. Many were around his age. 'I wonder if they have direct entry to Linyuan Academy or if they need to compete,' he thought. 'Some of them have already reached the One Vein Seventh Layer Realm.'
Time trickled by, and the crowd steadily grew. Ye Tian knew the afternoon trials were about to start. The sun overhead was blazing, fierce enough to bake the very earth dry, and beads of sweat were already forming on many foreheads.
A short while later, a middle-aged man appeared on the arena. Ye Tian couldn't discern his Power Realm, but it went without saying that anyone appearing here was a formidable figure. He was most likely the one in charge of these preliminary trials.
"This afternoon marks the final preliminary round. Anyone who passes will be eligible to participate in the main qualification tournament for Linyuan Academy. This year, we have one hundred spots available in this preliminary recruitmentâmore than ever before. Therefore, any young disciple who has reached the One Vein Fifth Layer is welcome to sign up.
Linyuan Academy offers powerful Martial Skills and a wealth of Spirit Stones for its students' Cultivation. Here, it is entirely possible for you to become a powerhouse in your own right. Our academy's mission is not to seek returns, but simply to nurture talent and produce useful elites for our Celestial Dragon Empire.
Time is short, so if you wish to become a student of Linyuan Academy, sign up now! All youths between the ages of fourteen and twenty may participate, but you must have a Power Realm of at least One Vein Fifth Layer!" the middle-aged man boomed.
Everyone present heard him loud and clear. Many of the youths, around the same age as Ye Tian, were visibly excited. A large number of them immediately went to register, since this afternoon was their last chance and no one wanted to miss it.
About an hour later, the middle-aged man spoke again. "Alright, registration is now closed! Anyone who failed to sign up will have to wait for Linyuan Academy's next recruitment. The announcement was made long ago, so there's no use for regrets now."
As his words fell, a wave of relief washed over some, while deep disappointment struck others. The youths who had just arrived looked particularly grim.
Ye Tian scanned the area but saw no sign of Qin Xiaowan. 'She must not be here,' he thought. 'She probably went back to rest and prepare for tomorrow's qualification tournament.'
Soon, the trials began in earnest. Over two hundred people were participating in the afternoon session. Ye Tian gauged their Power Realms and found that only two had reached the One Vein Eighth Layer Realm; the majority were at the Sixth Layer.
The first stage, as expected, was testing their Combat Value. However, Ye Tian noticed something interesting. In addition to displaying the Combat Value numbers, the screen on the arena also lit up with different colors. So far, he had seen three.
Red, blue, and green. Red appeared most frequently, while green had only shown up once. 'I wonder what the colors mean?' he thought, but there was no one to answer his silent question.
Before long, the first round of testing concluded. The middle-aged man announced, "Well, this is a pleasant surprise! We actually had a green light appear. That indicates an extraordinary Talent Attribute! The person with this green talent may proceed directly to tomorrow's qualification tournament. As for everyone else, you will now draw lots for your matches.
Unleash your greatest Attack Power! Rest assured, we at Linyuan Academy have excellent Healing Medicine. As long as you aren't killed instantly, we can treat your injuries. So don't hold back!"
The one who had caused the screen to glow green was a youth slightly younger than Ye Tian. His power was at the One Vein Seventh Layer, and he had a handsome, refined appearance. Dressed in a white silk robe, he looked every bit the young master from a wealthy family.
The matches proceeded in a fiery blaze. The fierce sounds of combat, punctuated by cries of pain, echoed from the arena. Ye Tian and Ye Feifei watched intently.
Just then, a familiar voice sounded from behind Ye Tian. "Ye Tian, Feifei, you're here too."
Ye Tian and Ye Feifei immediately turned around. Standing behind them was a beautiful young woman, a smile on her face that was nothing short of breathtakingâŠ