"Hahaha, it’s finally my turn—the genius Chen Xing! Everyone, watch closely. Today, I, the genius Chen Xing, am going to blind your damn eyes."
Chen Xing’s name was called, and he immediately stepped out from the crowd, a smug look on his face. His expression practically had the word "Arrogant" plastered across it.
"Isn’t that Ye Xuan’s roommate?"
"Chen Xing, the third young master of the Chen family. I heard he’s been stuck at the Four Vein Realm for a while now. He and that Ye Xuan are birds of a feather."
"Tsk, tsk. A young master of the Chen family, a man of his status, actually hanging out with that Ye Xuan."
"Look how cocky he is. Don’t tell me he’s reached the Five Vein Realm."
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Chen Xing slammed his fist into the Profound Vein machine. BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ! Six dazzling, multicolored pillars of light shot up from the machine, radiating a brilliant, eye-catching glow.
"Six! He actually opened Six Profound Veins."
"That Chen Xing actually jumped two whole veins! Incredible."
"Look at the light pillar for his sixth Profound Vein. It’s risen a full halfway, which means he’s not far from the Seven Vein Realm."
The students of the junior class were all shocked.
"Hahaha! Did I blind your damn eyes or what?" Chen Xing gloated, laughing boisterously in front of the Profound Vein machine.
Suddenly, a foot kicked him in the ass, sending him flying with a yelp. Luo Zhan said flatly, "Chen Xing, Six Veins. You’ll move up to the intermediate class next semester. Remember, get down once your test is done. Don’t hold up the other students."
Chen Xing huffed, ready to curse, but when he saw it was the cold-faced instructor who had kicked him, he immediately snapped his open mouth shut.
The test continued.
A quarter of an hour later, it was finally Ye Xuan’s turn.
"Huh, Ye Xuan’s up. In the past, that kid only ever scored one vein each semester. I wonder if anything will change this time."
"Heh, what could change? I’d bet anything he’s still at one vein."
"No way. I heard he even defeated Zhou Yan of the Six Vein Realm not long ago."
"What’s ’no way’ about it? Let me tell you a secret I dug up. The reason Ye Xuan could beat Zhou Yan wasn’t because of how many Profound Veins he opened, but because his physical strength reached the level of a Tier One Warrior."
"What? Seriously?"
"Why would I lie to you? Tsk, tsk. Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show."
The crowd murmured among themselves, staring intently at Ye Xuan. Luo Zhan and Chen Xing, however, looked completely at ease. They both knew Ye Xuan’s strength was definitely no longer just one vein.
’I haven’t seen the kid in a month. I wonder if he’s broken through to Four Veins,’ Instructor Luo thought.
Ye Xuan walked up, his expression serene. He threw a light, almost casual punch, and struck the Profound Vein machine.
BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ!
A series of resounding chimes rang out instantly. Dazzling beams of light, like a seven-colored rainbow, lit up on the Profound Vein machine. With each beam that appeared, the hearts of the onlookers skipped a beat. When all seven were lit, even Instructor Luo was left dumbfounded.
"Seven! He actually opened all seven Profound Veins!"
"How is that possible? Isn’t he a good-for-nothing? He’s been at the academy for four years without a single bit of progress. Last semester he was still at one Profound Vein."
"No wonder he could beat Zhou Yan. He’s just a step away from the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm?"
The entire student body was stunned. They had made all sorts of guesses about Ye Xuan’s results—one vein, two veins, Three Veins, Four Veins, even Five Veins—but they had never imagined he would reach Seven Veins, the level required for the advanced class.
After all, Ye Xuan was infamous for his dead martial soul and crippled veins, which made it impossible for him to cultivate. The whole affair had caused a huge stir back in Blue Moon City, and everyone knew about it.
"How could he have opened so many Profound Veins at once? I remember the Ye family hired several masters from the Soul Master Tower, but even they couldn’t cure his crippled veins!"
Many students found it hard to believe, especially those who had just been watching for entertainment. They stared with wide eyes, as if seeing Ye Xuan for the very first time.
"Hahaha! You see that? That’s the power of our dorm! A peerless duo, looking down on the world! From now on, when you see us, you’d better take the long way around. Otherwise, I’m afraid the Profound Qi on us might injure you, hahaha."
Chen Xing was startled at first, but then he burst out laughing with excitement, as if he were the one who had broken through to Seven Veins, not Ye Xuan.
"You sly dog, Ye Xuan, hiding your strength so well!" It wasn’t just the junior class students who were paying attention. Leng Yingying and Feng Rouyi were also watching closely. Seeing this, they were both slightly surprised but also happy for Ye Xuan.
"Instructor Luo, the test is over. I should be able to leave now, right?" Ye Xuan asked with a smile.
After training arduously at the Alchemist Association for over half a month, he had opened two more Profound Veins, reaching the Seven Vein Realm in one go. In fact, if he had just a few more days, he could have even broken through to become a Tier One Warrior.
"Of course, you can." Instructor Luo was overjoyed. Though he knew Ye Xuan was a genius, he was still taken aback today. At this rate, Ye Xuan’s entry into the Profound Spirit Academy next year was practically guaranteed, which naturally made him very happy.
"It’s just seven Profound Veins. Why are you so excited? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d broken through to the Spirit Martial Realm Warrior level."
"You’re Ye Xuan?"
Just then, two voices spoke at the same time. One was haughty and laced with obvious mockery, while the other was as cold as ice—melodious, yet filled with a chilling intent.
The crowd parted to reveal a young man in a white martial robe and a young woman in silver armor walking in together. They had spoken in unison and glanced at each other, both slightly surprised.
"It’s Wang Fei of the Wang family, and Zhou Xuan of the Zhou family."
"Zhou Xuan! She’s one of the academy’s three great goddesses."
"Where? Let me see, quick, let me see!"
"Don’t push! What’s with the shoving? Are you in a hurry to get reincarnated or something?"
"Fuck, who’s poking my ass with a stick? Pervert!"
Hearing that Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan had appeared in the junior class testing area, the crowd erupted. Students from other classes who had finished their tests swarmed over, surrounding the area completely.
"Wang Fei and Zhou Xuan are both from the advanced class. What are they doing here?"
"Are you an idiot? Ye Xuan taught Wang Yue and Zhou Yan a lesson earlier. They’re obviously here to get revenge for them."
"Damn, the kid pissed off two major families at once. He must have felt good doing it, but now payback’s here."
"Quick, shut up. Let’s see how this plays out."
For a moment, the crowd buzzed with discussion. The flames of gossip burned brightly, and their blood began to boil with excitement.
In the center of the crowd, Wang Fei gave Zhou Xuan a faint smile and said with the air of a gentleman, "Ah, it’s Miss Zhou Xuan. May I ask what brings you here?"
Zhou Xuan was usually cold to everyone, but since it was Wang Fei of the Wang family speaking to her, she couldn’t just ignore him. She replied coolly, "Why ask such a question, Young Master Wang? Our purpose here is obvious to everyone."
"Heh, Miss Zhou Xuan is right. In that case, it seems I was being petty. However, this Ye Xuan bullied a member of my Wang family and even framed my dear younger brother, forcing him to withdraw from the academy. As his older brother, if I don’t stand up for him, I would be unworthy of being a disciple of the Wang family."
"Of course, I am also aware of Miss Zhou Xuan’s purpose here. Rest assured, I will be sure to leave Ye Xuan breathing. I will leave the final disposal to you, Miss Zhou Xuan. What do you say?"
One had to admit, Wang Fei’s speech was smooth and elegant. It portrayed him as a good older brother, showed the unity of a great family’s disciples, and was delivered with a gentlemanly flair that even took Zhou Xuan’s feelings into account. It made people want to applaud in approval. Some of the infatuated female students were even staring with sparkling eyes.
"Since Young Master Wang has put it that way, I, Zhou Xuan, will give you face. But Ye Xuan must be left for me in the end. He injured my brother, Zhou Yan. I, Zhou Xuan, want to see just who has the gall to do such a thing."
As her voice fell, a cold glint flashed in Zhou Xuan’s eyes, her killing intent laid bare. Clearly, this woman was a ruthless character.
A sharp glint flashed in Wang Fei’s eyes as he smiled faintly. "But of course."
With that, he walked directly up to Ye Xuan, a smile playing on his lips.
"So you’re Ye Xuan? Heh, I think you know why I’m here. You’ve been hiding like a coward for so many days. Why not keep hiding today?!"
Wang Fei spoke coldly, an air of superiority and condescension radiating from him without restraint. The way he looked at Ye Xuan was like an emperor gazing upon a beggar—not just haughty, but filled with a contempt that came from his very bones.
Ye Xuan had seen his fair share of arrogant pricks. He shot him a glance and said flatly, "I was wondering which dog was barking. Turns out it’s just a dead dog from the Wang family."
"You..."
Wang Fei flew into a rage, so furious he almost spat blood. At the academy, which student would ever dare to speak to him like that, especially in front of so many people!
"What did you say?"
"Heh, the dead dog is starting to bark again."
"You..." Wang Fei’s gaze was like a knife, as if he wanted to slice Ye Xuan into a thousand pieces. He gritted his teeth and said, "I hope you can still be this arrogant in a little while."
In his imagination, Ye Xuan should have been panicking after being cornered. He never expected him to be not only perfectly calm but also this brazenly arrogant, causing Wang Fei to lose his usual composure.
At this moment, Instructor Luo stepped forward. "Wang Fei, what do you think you’re doing? This is the junior class testing area. All of you, get back to your own places."
Wang Fei took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the rage in his heart. Striving to maintain his composure, he smiled. "Instructor Luo, junior brother Ye Xuan bullied my younger brother. As his older brother, it’s only natural that I stand up for him. I would ask that Instructor Luo please not interfere."
Luo Zhan’s brow furrowed. "I don’t care about your messy affairs. Wang Fei, if you don’t back down now, don’t blame me for getting rough."
When the cold-faced instructor unleashed his authority, all the students felt a jolt. It seemed the show was over for today.