The two days following the midnight standoff at the Jia Lie estate passed with a surprising, yet deeply welcomed, tranquility.
As Yoriichi had orchestrated, Liu Xi was vanished from Wu Tan City before the sun even crested the horizon. The Jia Lie Clan woke up to empty guest quarters and this sudden disappearance broke the their Clan's medicinal market offensive, handing the Xiao Clan an easy victory.
With the geopolitical storm successfully diverted, the city's attention violently pivoted to an event of greater importance.
The Jia Nan Academy recruitment delegation had finally arrived.
The prestigious academy was a behemoth that transcended the petty squabbles of border cities. Because Xiao Yu was a prominent senior student, the recruiters had chosen the Xiao Clan estate as their temporary residence. This naturally drew the intense jealousy and ire of the Jia Lie and Ao Ba clans, who feared the Xiao Clan would receive preferential treatment.
However, the lead tutor of the delegation had publicly and firmly assured the city that the Jia Nan Academy answered to no single clan. The assessments would be absolutely unbiased.
On the morning of the third day, the recruitment officially began.
Yoriichi stepped out of the Xiao Clan gates, walking at a measured, unhurried pace toward the massive central square located near the southern gates of Wu Tan City. The streets were an like chaos of humanity. Hundreds of people—merchants, mercenaries, anxious parents, and nervous youths—were all flowing in the same direction.
The air was electric with a mixture of hope and anxiety. For the youths of Wu Tan City, under the age of eighteen, this was the ultimate crossroads. Passing the test meant stepping onto a broader stage, securing a future of immense respect and power. Failing meant remaining a big fish in a very small, muddy pond.
When Yoriichi finally reached the designated testing area, the sheer scale of the event was apparent.
A long perimeter had been established by heavily armed city guards. In the center of the square stood several large, elevated wooden platforms, shaded by grand, azure-blue tents bearing the crossed-sword and shield insignia of the Jia Nan Academy.
The filtering process was already underway, and it was undeniably brutal.
"Seven-star Dou Zhi Qi. Failed! Next!" a senior academy student shouted coldly from the platform. A young girl burst into tears, covering her face as she was ushered away by her disappointed parents.
"The requirement is absolute," the student announced to the murmuring crowd. "You must be under eighteen years of age, and you must possess a minimum cultivation of eight-star Dou Zhi Qi! Do not waste our time if you do not meet the threshold!"
Yoriichi silently joined one of the long, winding lines of candidates. He stood with perfect posture,and his aura was like suppressed and placid that he blended into the crowd like a shadow.
He didn't need to turn his head to know who was standing a few dozen paces behind him. His Transparent World vision passively picked up the familiar, dense fire attribute and the dormant golden spark. Xiao Yan and Xun'er had also joined the line, chatting quietly among themselves.
The line moved slowly. One by one, the youths of Wu Tan City stepped up to the massive, transparent assessment crystal resting on a stone pedestal. And one by one, the vast majority were sent away weeping. The eight-star threshold was a big wall that separated true talent from mediocrity.
Finally, after an hour of waiting, it was Yoriichi's turn.
He stepped up onto the wooden platform. Standing beside the crystal was a stern-faced senior student holding a clipboard.
"Place your hand on the crystal and circulate your Dou Qi. Do not hold back," the senior instructed mechanically, not even looking up from his parchment.
Yoriichi looked at the crystal. To anyone else, it was just a magical measuring tool. But to Yoriichi's Transparent World, he could see the intricate, microscopic lattice of energy-conducting veins inside the stone.
Yoriichi raised his right hand and placed it flat against the cool, smooth surface of the stone. He took a shallow breath, carefully leading a single, refined thread of Dou Qi from and gently pushed it into the crystal.
Vrrrrm.
The crystal instantly ignited. It didn't just glow; it radiated a small piercing white light that eclipsed the previous candidates' attempts. The light was stable, possessing no chaotic flickering, representing a good foundation.
The stern senior student finally looked up, his eyes widening in genuine surprise as he read the distinct markers illuminating within the stone.
"Oh! A one-star Dou Zhe!" the senior student announced, his voice carrying over the immediate crowd, a rare smile breaking across his face. "Finally, at least one good seed here. Your foundation is solid. State your name, age, and clan, boy."
"Xiao Ning. Age Sixteen. Xiao Clan," Yoriichi answered calmly, retracting his hand.
"Excellent. You have passed," the senior nodded respectfully, checking a box on his clipboard. "Proceed to the designated waiting area behind the main tents."
Yoriichi offered a polite nod and walked past the assessment pedestal. He navigated through the bustling academy personnel and stepped into a large, roped-off clearing designated for the successful candidates.
He looked around. Out of many tested so far this morning, there were only three other youths standing in the vast clearing.
'So low,' Yoriichi mused, genuinely impressed by the academy's strict standards. 'They truly focus exclusively on quality over quantity. A one percent passing rate is practically a battlefield culling.'
One of the three youths was Xiao Mei. She was standing slightly apart from the others, looking nervous but proud, having recently broken through to the eight-star realm.
The other two youths, however, were entirely unexpected. They wore the distinct clan robes of the Jia Lie and Ao Ba families.
As soon as Yoriichi stepped into the clearing, the two rival clan youths slightly stiffened.
"Master Xiao Ning!" the Ao Ba youth called out, immediately stepping forward and offering a deep, respectful bow, his fists cupped together.
"We greet you, Young Master Xiao!" the Jia Lie youth echoed, hastily mirroring the bow.
Xiao Mei stared at the scene, her jaw practically unhinging. She was completely bewildered. Why on earth were the elite, arrogant youths of their mortal enemies bowing to her cousin like he was a revered martial arts instructor?!
She didn't know that Yoriichi had treated them like disobedient disciples—effortlessly disarming them, pointing out the fatal flaws in their stances, and physically demonstrating true martial superiority.
Yoriichi offered the two rival youths an acknowledging nod, but he did not engage in conversation. He walked to the edge of the clearing, seeking a quiet spot.
Xiao Mei, feeling awkward and out of her depth with this bizarre dynamic, chose to remain mostly silent, occasionally stealing glances at Yoriichi.
A few dozen yards away, seated beneath the largest, most ornate azure tent, were the academy officials.