One week had passed.
Gu Yehan and Gu Yuena stood in the middle of the town square with other children. Many boys were staring at Gu Yuena, mesmerized by her beauty, but none dared to approach her due to the cold, intimidating aura she gave off.
Suddenly, a group of five people appeared, flying through the air and hovering above the center of the village. The person in the middle floated slightly ahead and spoke loudly,
"Are all children ready to take part in the ceremony?"
A small boy's voice rang out,
"No! I am also participating!"
The boy had black hair and big brown eyes. The man in the middle didn't say much. He simply moved his hand, and a wave of energy surrounded the boy, lifting him gently into the air and placing him beside the other children.
Then the man asked again,
"Are all ready?"
All the children nodded.
Behind the man's head, five glowing blue shards floated in a circular pattern. With another wave of his hand, blue energy surrounded all the children at once, forming a glowing sphere that lifted them into the air. They began to float high above the village.
Some children were surprised. Others were scared. But three of them—Gu Yuena, Gu Yehan, and the boy with big brown eyes—looked excited.
The brown-eyed boy turned to Gu Yehan and said,
"My name is Tang Wulin. What's your name?"
As he spoke, the five cultivators began flying away at high speed, and the children, still enclosed within the energy sphere, followed behind them through the air.
Gu Yehan didn't respond. He simply ignored the question as if he hadn't heard it at all.
Tang Wulin frowned slightly, then turned to Gu Yuena and said,
"Tell him not to worry. Once I become strong, I'll heal his ears so he can hear again!"
Gu Yuena, who was usually cold and expressionless, suddenly began to laugh. She tried to hold it in but couldn't help smiling as she replied,
"Okay, sure. I'll tell him."
Gu Yehan calmly responded,
"I just didn't want to answer. I can hear you. My name is Gu Yehan."
Tang Wulin blinked, surprised. Then he scratched his head with an awkward smile and chuckled.
After that, the children turned their attention to the scenery around them. They were flying over 100 meters above the ground, moving quickly across the sky. Even so, the view below was breathtaking—lush forests, winding rivers, and scattered villages.
About ten minutes later, they landed in a massive city. Around them stood many children from other villages.
The same man who had led them before now stood in front of the crowd and spoke again,
"As you all know, you are here to gain admission to the Redlotus Academy. Our goal is to strengthen humanity and punish the demons and beasts who threaten us."
He continued,
"Each village has sent around 10 to 15 children. Most of you are early or mid 1-shard Asterioc level. The total number of participants here is 856… but only 100 of you will be selected. The test starts now."
With that, he flew away and sat down on a high chair to observe.
Many children stood frozen in confusion, unsure of what to do.
Then suddenly, one child released his energy—a single orange-red shard hovered behind his head—and punched the child next to him. That child couldn't even react, and before anyone could fully understand what was happening, chaos broke out.
Children began fighting all around. Fists flew, energy clashed, and the field turned into a battlefield.
One boy rushed directly toward Gu Yehan, his fist aimed straight at him. Gu Yehan calmly stepped to the side, dodging the punch effortlessly, and then countered with a precise blow to the boy's chest, sending him flying backward.
Many of the nearby children witnessed it. Without a word, they decided to stay away from Gu Yehan and focused instead on battling others far from him.
Just because they saw how Gu Yehan had thrown that child so easily, many of the children chose to stay far away from him. But Tang Wulin wasn't surprised at all. He remained standing right beside him and said excitedly,
"You're also a body cultivator like me! Amazing!"
Gu Yehan simply nodded, even though he was actually a triple path cultivator.
While other children were busy fighting, there was another group nearby. In that group, a boy with short orange hair and brown eyes sat on top of another child, who was crouched down beneath him. Another boy standing beside him said,
"Zhi Fan, just look at those three. No one is attacking them. Everyone will think they're equal to you. You should beat them up."
Zhi Fan—the orange-haired boy—nodded and said,
"Okay then."
Meanwhile, Gu Yuena told Gu Yehan to follow her, and they quietly moved to the corner of the battlefield. Tang Wulin, with nothing else to do, followed them as well.
Gu Yehan looked at him and asked,
"Why are you following us?"
Tang Wulin replied cheerfully,
"Because I have nothing to do."
Gu Yehan didn't know what to say, so he just stayed silent.
As time passed, more and more children gave up and were removed from the arena. Zhi Fan looked toward the trio and said to his group,
"Guys, now it's time to beat those three up."
But then, his eyes landed on Gu Yuena. Her beauty stunned him, and he quickly changed his mind.
"No, beat up those two boys and leave the girl. This beautiful girl should get admitted to our class with us. What do you say, guys?"
The five boys around him all nodded in agreement.
By now, out of 856 participants, only 136 were left. Many had already formed groups.
Within moments, Zhi Fan and his five companions stood about four meters away from Tang Wulin, Gu Yehan, and Gu Yuena. Zhi Fan ordered,
"Go beat those two boys."
The five boys stepped forward, releasing their energy. One orange-red shard hovered behind each of their heads. All of them possessed fire elements, and from their energy intensity, it was clear they were only at early 1-shard Asterioc.
Gu Yehan sighed and stepped forward. A blue-green shard hovered behind his head, and the intensity of his energy was stronger than all five opponents combined.
One of them muttered,
"He's at peak 1-shard..."
Zhi Fan immediately shouted,
"You five, fall back! You won't be able to handle him, even all five of you together."
As he said that, the five boys retreated, and Zhi Fan stepped forward himself. An orange-red shard hovered behind his head. His energy intensity was equal to Gu Yehan's.
Gu Yuena stood there, unmoving, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
Tang Wulin looked at her and asked,
"Don't we need to help him?"
Gu Yuena replied coldly,
"Why? My big brother Gu Yehan is strong. He can handle himself."
Tang Wulin blinked.
"So... you're his little sister?"
While they were talking, Zhi Fan and Gu Yehan stared into each other's eyes. In the next instant, they both dashed forward, fists surging with energy. Zhi Fan's hands burned with fire element, while Gu Yehan's fists flowed with wind element...