Ch. 60 - Try Hitting Me Again

The steaming aroma of fresh buns lingered in the morning air. The youths who had come to participate in the Celestial Tiger Academy entrance exams had woken up early, dressed neatly, fastened their swords and sheathed their blades.

They were ready to take the first step that might change their fates, to enter the academy, and make a name for themselves.

Xu Zimo and his companions finished getting ready and headed straight to the academy.

At this moment, Clear Wind City was lively and crowded. The closer they got to the academy, the thicker the crowds became.

Although Celestial Tiger Academy was just a branch of the Heavenly Dao Academy, it wasn’t limited to just one location. As far as Xu Zimo knew, there were over ten Celestial Tiger Academies in the Western Region alone.

Across the entire Eastern Continent, their number even exceeded one hundred.

These academies were among the most formidable institutions. They accepted all students, regardless of status or race. As long as you could pass the entrance trials, they would teach you with all their resources and dedication.

Just think, From the Desolate Era to the Imperial Era, the Heavenly Dao Academy had produced countless legends.

And whenever the academy summoned them, these alumni would return without hesitation.

Some even believed that the Heavenly Dao Academy’s foundations were stronger than those of many Imperial Lineages.

“Brother Cheng! It’s been a while. I didn’t expect us to meet again here.”

“Brother Fan, best of luck in today’s test!”

In the bustling crowd, many talented youths who had once known each other greeted one another warmly.

At the academy's front gate, two majestic white tigers carved from black-iron stood imposingly.

Though they were lifeless statues, they radiated the domineering aura of beast kings, as if they could spring to life at any moment.

Outside the gates, all the aspiring students were arranged into two long vertical lines, waiting to enter.

Xu Zimo and his companions joined the procession into the academy.

Inside, the students were gathered onto a spacious plaza.

Parents and guardians who had accompanied them stood to either side, creating a chaotic and noisy scene.

The Celestial Tiger Academy didn’t judge students based on cultivation. Instead, they tested only two things: Talent and Dao Heart.

Cultivation could be affected by family background and access to resources. It wasn’t a fair or accurate reflection of someone’s potential.

Academies that relied on brute-force duels and "whoever punches harder gets in" were seen as low-tier.

From the plaza, the students gazed into the distance where the inner academy stood.

Towering mountains pierced the clouds. Students flew on winged spirit beasts overhead. The architecture was grand and majestic, Iron towers stood a hundred stories high, sword-shaped peaks rose from the ground.

Every boy and girl there yearned to enter that sacred place. If they passed the tests, it would become their home for cultivation.

“Senior Brother, why are we even here?” Little Gui asked, confused.

Having grown up within the True Martial Sacred Ground, Little Gui found this academy unimpressive.

His sect rivaled the Heavenly Dao Academy in power, he naturally looked down on this place.

“I came to retrieve something,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.

As they were chatting, a shifty-eyed youth in white robes approached them.

“You guys here to sign up too?” he asked with a grin.

“What do you want?” Little Gui frowned.

“Let me introduce myself, name’s Liu Ye. Just like you, I’m a new student,” the young man said with a confident smile. You might not know how things work here yet, so let me fill you in real quick: Us freshmen will definitely be bullied by the upperclassmen. That’s just how it is, where there are people, there’s a pecking order. Totally understandable, right? That’s why we newbies need to stick together. Form a united front. My cousin is a second-year student, pretty well-known. He started a faction called Wind-Rain Alliance. It’s a support group. If we freshmen join, and each pay 20 spirit crystals per month, he’ll protect us from harassment.”

As Liu Ye droned on and on, Xu Zimo and the others found it pretty amusing.

So this guy was trying to scam them.

“Forget it. We’re not interested,” Little Gui said, shaking his head. “We might not even pass the entrance exam. I can tell from your bones, you’re a shoo-in,” Liu Ye said with a serious face.

“I said we’re not interested. Don’t make me repeat myself,” Little Gui said coldly.

Liu Ye’s face darkened.

“Tch, acting all high and mighty. Just wait till we’re inside, you’ll regret it.”

He turned and went off to scam someone else.

Suddenly, Little Gui kicked him square in the back, sending him flying.

Then he and Lin Ruhu rushed forward and started beating him senseless.

“Try hitting me again, I dare you, !”

SMACK!

“You’ve got a problem? Gonna call for backup?”

SMACK SMACK!

“My cousin’s a second-year student. He won’t let you off!”

SMACK SMACK SMACK!

“Please, brothers! I was wrong! Stop hitting me!”

SMACK SMACK!

“Can’t you show some mercy?”

SMACK!

“Daddy, please forgive me!”

SMACK!

At this point, Xu Zimo stepped in, pulling the two away. He looked down at Liu Ye with amusement and asked: “So your cousin’s a second-year student?”

Liu Ye’s once-clean robe was now covered in footprints, and his face was stamped with shoe prints.

He nodded like a pecking chicken.

“You guys are terrible,” Xu Zimo scolded Little Gui.

“Even dogs have owners, right? Let’s go find his owner.”

He turned to Liu Ye.

“Take me to your cousin.”

The plaza they were in wasn’t technically inside the academy, it was just where new students were tested.

But the item Xu Zimo wanted was located inside the main campus.

Since he didn’t care to participate in these meaningless tests, he needed an upperclassman to lead him in.

Liu Ye’s cousin was named Cheng Feng. In addition to the new students, there were plenty of second-year students lingering nearby to watch the show.

These upperclassmen, like Cheng Feng, were trying to recruit members for their personal factions.

And the best candidates?

The clueless new students who had just arrived.

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