Wei Cheng's words were quite encouraging, and confidence filled the faces of many students. Even if they couldn't make it into the advanced class, staying in Class Three wasn't bad, because they had a very good instructor.
Ye Tian felt a surge of excitement as well. He could sense that the instructors of the five regular classes would definitely compete to see whose students were more outstanding—or perhaps whose class would have more students promoted to the advanced class in the future. That was a matter of honor.
He was still a little hesitant about whether he should even go to the advanced class. 'I'll see how Ye Feifei and the others do first. If they don't make it, then there's no reason for me to be in the advanced class. Even from a regular class, I can surpass the students in the advanced one.'
"Let's go, everyone! Show them your best, and make your dreams a reality!" Wei Cheng announced.
The group immediately left the academic building. With Wei Cheng leading the way, they soon arrived at the top of the same dam where they had first teleported.
The top of the dam was as empty as before, but Ye Tian was sure there was something special about this place. 'Otherwise, Instructor Wei wouldn't have brought us here. It might be a Teleportation Gate, just an invisible one, or maybe it's hidden by a Barrier.'
After glancing at the empty space before him, Wei Cheng suddenly sprang into action. His hands began to form a series of gestures as Spiritual Power surged forth.
The surrounding space began to tremble, gradually forming violent gusts of wind that blew in every direction, kicking up clouds of dust.
The fluctuations of Energy grew more and more distinct until, with a crisp CRACK, a massive Teleportation Gate materialized before them.
'So it really is an invisible Teleportation Gate,' Ye Tian thought to himself. 'It must be incredibly difficult to make it appear. You'd never be able to do it without sufficient strength. Once you're here, getting out would be a real challenge. It's basically a completely sealed-off place.'
In front of the Teleportation Gate stood four familiar stone pillars, the grooves on their tops clearly visible. Wei Cheng took out four Top-Grade Spirit Stones and placed one into each groove.
A few moments later, the Teleportation Gate flared to life. "Everyone, enter in order, same as when you first arrived!" Wei Cheng instructed.
Soon, all sixty people had entered the Teleportation Gate. A powerful pulling force emerged, and the group inside vanished from sight.
Ye Tian's group of four was in the second batch. Qian Xiaohao looked a little nervous, likely unaccustomed to the sensation of suddenly vanishing. After all, as a young master from a prominent family, he had never truly experienced hardship.
When Ye Tian's group emerged from the teleportation, the vast Martial Arts Training Ground was already crowded with people. The students from the five classes had nearly all arrived. Class Three was one of the last, likely due to the time they had spent waiting for Ye Tian's group.
Ye Tian immediately spread out his Divine Sense, searching for Ye Feifei and Qin Xiaowan. His priority, however, was finding Ye Feifei.
"Ye Tian, what are you spacing out for? This is the perfect time to go spot some beauties! Why don't I go catch up with my friends for a bit? I'll come back later with a surprise for you guys," Zhou Xiang said.
"Go on! I'm going to find a friend too!" Ye Tian said with a smile. The four of them split up for the time being. They would, of course, have to regroup later, since the test was still organized by class.
Even though the Martial Arts Training Ground was packed with people, Ye Tian's Perception Power allowed him to easily pick out Ye Feifei and Qin Xiaowan from the crowd.
Ye Feifei was over two hundred meters away, and Qin Xiaowan was more than three hundred meters away. The moment Ye Tian spotted Ye Feifei, she spotted him too, and they both began walking quickly toward one another.
"Brother Tian, I've been looking all over for you! It's been a few days. Are you doing okay?" Ye Feifei asked the moment she reached him.
"I'm doing great. What about you?" Ye Tian asked with deep affection in his voice.
"I'm fine too, but I've really missed you. I'm still not used to the days without you around. I'm going to work my hardest to get into the advanced class this time. That's the only way we can be together," Ye Feifei said.
"Yeah, you'll have to give it your all. Qin Xiaowan is coming over, let's go meet her," Ye Tian said.
"You two certainly have a special connection, finding each other so easily in this crowd. Finished whispering sweet nothings to each other?" Qin Xiaowan teased as she joined them.
"What are you talking about, Xiaowan? We were looking for you, too! We all have to get into the advanced class this time," Ye Feifei replied with a smile.
"Getting into the advanced class isn't as easy as you think. You have to pass the test. Talent comes first, and strength second. It's not like everyone in the advanced class is overwhelmingly powerful. Some people can get in even if their strength is only at the Sixth Layer," Qin Xiaowan explained.
"I know," Ye Feifei said with a smile. "But I'm sure our talent is good enough. Then we can all be together and look out for each other."
At this moment, Ye Feifei's veil was off. An instructor had told them they weren't allowed to cover their faces and had to show their true appearance, as it was a matter of respect.
Ye Feifei had wanted to argue with the instructor, but she held her tongue. 'In any case, I'm already Ye Tian's woman, so it doesn't matter if other people see my face.'
The sight of the three of them standing together drew the attention of many students. Some of them recognized Qin Xiaowan, and when they saw two peerless beauties standing with one young man, countless hostile glares landed on Ye Tian.
The three chatted for a moment before Zhou Xiang suddenly appeared in front of Ye Tian. "There you are, Ye Tian! We've been looking all over for you. I've already gathered some intel, wanna hear it?" Zhou Xiang asked.
"Oh? What kind of intel? Let's hear it," Ye Tian said with a smile.
"Brother Tian, who's this?" Ye Feifei asked immediately. As far as she could recall, Ye Tian didn't have any friends like him, which prompted her question.
Perhaps because he was so eager to share the first-hand information he'd gathered on the "beauty rankings," Zhou Xiang hadn't even noticed the two beauties standing next to Ye Tian. It was only when Ye Feifei spoke that his attention was finally drawn to them.
But when he saw Ye Feifei and Qin Xiaowan's faces, he was so stunned he was nearly speechless.
Both Qin Xiaowan and Ye Feifei were on his beauty rankings. Their looks were on par with one another; the only difference lay in their aura.
Qin Xiaowan possessed a cold, maidenly air, which had earned her the title Fairy Ice. Ye Feifei, on the other hand, had blossomed into a true woman, exuding a mature charm. Her smile was as sweet as a blooming peony, captivating anyone who saw it and making it impossible to look away.
Thus, she was also known as Fairy Peony. Seeing these two great Fairies standing before Ye Tian at the same time gave Zhou Xiang quite a shock.
This was especially true because both women were ranked very high on his list: Qin Xiaowan was third, while Ye Feifei, with her added womanly charm, was ranked second. This was what left Zhou Xiang momentarily unable to process the scene.
After a long moment, he finally asked, "Ye Tian... you know them?"
PS: Where are the subscriptions? The tips? Come on, fellow readers, show some love! My thanks in advance!