Before she could finish speaking, the two mages exchanged a glance and immediately scurried out of the arena.

  Leaving with dignity was far better than being thrown out.

  With eight people eliminated in one go, the remaining disciples grew even more nervous. Their eyes now held even more wariness when they looked at Nan Gong Huan.

  She seemed to be the real deal—a Third Spirit Life cultivator. They had never seen such a genius before!

  At the same age of sixteen, how could she be so exceptional?

  No one dared to target Nan Gong Huan anymore. The remaining disciples sought out easier targets, and another round of fierce battles ensued.

  "You’re amazing!" Mei Zhengfeng praised sincerely, still in awe of her earlier display.

  "It’s not that I’m amazing. They just have a lot of room for improvement," Nan Gong Huan tactfully avoided saying they were "weak." These people were as easy to deal with as beginners.

  Within a few minutes, the extra people were finally eliminated, leaving exactly a hundred. The assessment was over.

  The disciples who failed the assessment left dejected, while the remaining two hundred stood on the training ground. Most of them had minor injuries, but their faces were flushed with excitement and joy.

  They had successfully passed the assessment and become disciples of the Feng Xuan Royal Academy!

  "Huan Huan, you’re incredible!" Dong Yan Cuo was the first to rush to Nan Gong Huan’s side. After a moment’s thought, he pulled out a stick of candied hawthorn and handed it to her, smiling brightly. "This is your reward!"

  Nan Gong Huan looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand and took a bite without hesitation. Hmm... even though she was the one who had bought it for him.

  Yun Qingqing and Ye Wan Jun also gathered around, their faces beaming with joy.

  Only Mei Zhengfeng stood behind Nan Gong Huan, keeping a respectful distance. He was still a bit awkward but no longer as nervous as during the assessment. He cautiously glanced at Nan Gong Huan, suddenly feeling envious of her many friends.

  "Let me introduce you all. This is Mei Zhengfeng," Nan Gong Huan noticed his unease and introduced him directly.

  Since they were now acquainted, everyone greeted him warmly, even Dong Yan Cuo gave him a nod of acknowledgment. The foodie nodded and then turned his attention back to Nan Gong Huan, even carefully straightening a fold in her clothes that had been flipped during her movements.

  Mei Zhengfeng felt a warmth in his heart and greeted everyone in turn. Ye Wan Jun casually slung an arm around his shoulders, unfazed by his disheveled appearance, and glanced at the Fly in his hand. "If you come up with anything fun in the future, share it with me too."

  "I want to play too," Yun Qingqing was also quite interested in the Fly. She cautiously extended a finger to touch it but accidentally poked a hole through it...

  Mei Zhengfeng was stunned. Just how much strength did it take to poke a hole through his steel-made Fly?

  "Uh... sorry," Yun Qingqing apologized, unsure how many times she’d said it already. It was practically her catchphrase.

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  "It’s fine. It was already pretty much broken anyway," Mei Zhengfeng shook his head. Due to malnutrition, he was about the same height as Yun Qingqing.

  A group of over a dozen mentors and senior students approached, divided into four groups. Each group held a large banner representing one of the four major disciplines.

  Ye Sang stood behind the Summoning Department, holding their banner, and waved at the group with a smile.

  The mentor in charge of the assessment stepped forward and announced, "Congratulations, children, on passing the assessment. Now, you can choose the discipline you wish to join. Come to the respective mentors to fill out the forms and receive your academy badges and uniforms."

  Everyone began heading toward their chosen disciplines.

  The Magic Department, Summoning Department, Spirit Martial Arts Department, and Mechanist Department were all crowded.

  Yun Qingqing and Ye Wan Jun chose the Spirit Martial Arts Department, Mei Zhengfeng chose the Mechanist Department, and Dong Yan Cuo hadn’t made a choice yet. He didn’t even understand the academy’s rules.

  "Is there no Spiritualist Department?" Nan Gong Huan looked around but couldn’t find the option for Spiritualists.

  But then again, it made sense. This profession had long been obsolete.

  Someone nearby snickered, "Hah, does she really want to be a Spiritualist? How ridiculous!"

  "Spiritualists? Are there still people who want to be Spiritualists?"

  The disciples were about to mock her, but when they realized it was Nan Gong Huan speaking, they immediately fell silent.

  Nan Gong Huan acted as if she hadn’t heard their comments. Since there was no Spiritualist Department, she decided to settle for the Alchemy Department within the Magic Department. It would be a good opportunity to see if they had the magical herbs she needed.

  Seeing Nan Gong Huan choose the Magic Department, Dong Yan Cuo followed suit.

  "I’m surprised you didn’t choose the Summoning Department. I was hoping to take care of you a bit more," Ye Sang said, surprised. Didn’t she have a Nine-Headed Dragon?

  "I’m more interested in alchemy," Nan Gong Huan shrugged and smiled. The Alchemy Department was a sub-department of the Magic Department, and what she was more interested in was the alchemy fields.

  It was said that the academy’s alchemy fields spanned tens of thousands of hectares, and the spiritual energy there must be incredibly abundant. Of course, Nan Gong Huan only intended to borrow the energy for cultivation, not to plunder it like she did with spiritual veins.

  "Once we’re assigned to our departments, classes will start tomorrow, and we might not have much time to meet. But I’ll come to watch you all in the Freshmen Dragon-Tiger Tournament," Ye Sang said to the group.

  The academy’s grounds were vast, and visiting each other would take a lot of time without flying devices or spirit beasts. Moreover, the freshman curriculum was intensive, and most of their time would be spent on cultivation.

  "Then we’ll see each other at the Freshmen Dragon-Tiger Tournament," Nan Gong Huan smiled and nodded.

  The only one who seemed unhappy was the little loli. She didn’t want to be separated from Nan Gong Huan either and could only look at her with a resentful gaze.

  Nan Gong Huan coughed lightly and pretended not to notice.

  Once everyone had made their choices, the mentors led the disciples to their respective departments.

  It was clear that Dong Yan Cuo was in a great mood. Without that annoying little brat around, he could finally spend some quality time with Huan Huan!

  Within the Magic Department, there were further divisions: Elemental Magic, Alchemy, and Talisman Arts.

  This year, there were over forty disciples in the Magic Department. Only two chose Alchemy, one chose Talisman Arts, and the rest went for Elemental Magic.

  The one who chose Talisman Arts was none other than Dong Yan Cuo. He had heard that Talisman Arts disciples had more freedom since there were so few of them. Most of the time, they practiced drawing talismans on their own.

  This way, he would have more time to spend with Huan Huan, Dong Yan Cuo thought happily.

  "You’re the one who performed the best! You chose Alchemy, yet you’re even stronger than those Spirit Martial Artists," a voice suddenly appeared beside Nan Gong Huan, curious and admiring.

  Nan Gong Huan glanced sideways. The person striking up a conversation with her was the senior student who had carried the Magic Department’s banner, Qi Yuanguang.

  "I saw you earlier, taking on eight people single-handedly. That was incredible!" Qi Yuanguang’s eyes sparkled with admiration. He had never seen such a powerful alchemist.

  "Just luck," Nan Gong Huan nodded politely. At that moment, Dong Yan Cuo suddenly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, silently staking his claim.

  Dong Yan Cuo’s face was cold, worried that someone as persistent as Yun Qingqing might appear again. He quickly shielded Nan Gong Huan with his arm to prevent others from getting any ideas.

  So childish... Nan Gong Huan thought to herself, feeling a strange sense of possessiveness emanating from him.

  Qi Yuanguang glanced at Dong Yan Cuo, quickly understanding the situation, and took a step back to create some distance from Nan Gong Huan.