Chen Xiao headed to the Tianfeng Martial Academy as soon as they finished breakfast. Since he was unfamiliar with the route, Xiao Liuzi accompanied him.
Xiao Liuzi was extremely excited on the way, chattering endlessly and appearing much more thrilled than Chen Xiao. He was a year younger than Chen Xiao and at an age where he loved to play, but he usually had to stay at the Zhengyi Pavilion and rarely had the chance to go out. Although he was only accompanying Chen Xiao to register today, it felt like an outing to him.
The western suburbs of Tianfeng City bordered the Daqi Mountain Range. At the foot of Daqi Mountain stood a grand and magnificent complex of buildings, which was the Tianfeng Martial Academy.
The Tianfeng Martial Academy was built against the mountain. When Chen Xiao and Xiao Liuzi arrived, the square in front of the mountain gate was already crowded with people, forming several long queues. Clearly, they were all there to register.
"There are so many people. I should have come later. How long will we have to wait?" Xiao Liuzi said with a hint of helplessness as he looked at the long queues.
Chen Xiao hadn't expected so many people either. After observing carefully, he said, "Does the Tianfeng Academy's assessment have no age requirement?"
"Of course it does. You can't register if you're over eighteen," Xiao Liuzi replied, not understanding the intention behind Chen Xiao's question. Chen Xiao was only seventeen and didn't need to worry about age.
"Oh, then let's wait. I believe it will be our turn soon. Although the queue is long, many people are not here to register," Chen Xiao said confidently.
"Not here to register?" Xiao Liuzi was a bit puzzled, but after observing the crowd closely, he understood. "Ah, I see. Many people are accompanying their children."
It turned out that besides the teenagers in their teens, there were many adults in the crowd. They couldn't possibly be there to register themselves; they must be accompanying their children.
These people came from all over the empire. Judging by their attire, most of them were ordinary people. Under the scorching sun, many had beads of sweat on their faces, but their eyes were filled with eager hope.
Undoubtedly, they all hoped their children could be admitted to the Tianfeng Martial Academy to change their fate. However, reality was cruel. As the most reputable martial academy in the empire, the difficulty of the Tianfeng Martial Academy's assessment was imaginable. The vast majority of them would fail.
Chen Xiao didn't have the leisure to feel sympathetic. He suddenly remembered that Xiao Liuzi was around his age and wondered if he had ever participated in the assessment. He asked, "Liuzi, have you ever participated in the Tianfeng Martial Academy's assessment?"
Xiao Liuzi was startled, then stammered, "No, Elder Wang... he wouldn't allow me to register."
Chen Xiao's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he said with some displeasure, "Why is that old man so harsh on you?"
Xiao Liuzi quickly replied, "It's not like that. Elder Wang is very good to me. It's just that my cultivation talent is too low... Besides, my greatest wish in this life is to learn array formations."
Chen Xiao shook his head helplessly. "Alright, one day I will make you the most powerful array formation master in the Tianfeng Empire."
"Heh heh." Xiao Liuzi chuckled. If anyone else had said that, he would have thought they were bragging, but when Chen Xiao said it, he believed it one hundred percent.
Just then, several fine horses galloped from not far behind them. The riders were several young men dressed in luxurious clothes. They didn't slow down at all despite the crowded people ahead, rushing through the crowd as if no one was there, heading towards the mountain gate.
"Damn it, get out of the way! Anyone who bumps into my horse won't be able to afford it!" one of them shouted loudly, not feeling at all that he was riding too fast. Instead, he blamed the crowd for blocking his way.
Seeing these young men on their fine horses, it was clear they came from distinguished families. Everyone present dared not speak out, though they were indignant.
Chen Xiao, however, was filled with anger because he recognized one of these young masters as Wang Hao.
"Damn it, are you guys rushing to reincarnate?" Xiao Liuzi only dared to curse after the horses had gone far away. Seeing Chen Xiao's displeased expression, he quickly comforted him, "Brother Xiao, don't mind them. They're just a bunch of spoiled brats. They're not even worthy of carrying your shoes."
Chen Xiao continued to stare at those people. After dismounting at the mountain gate, they went to the registration area. It turned out they were also here to register. However, they completely disregarded the hardship of others queuing and brazenly cut in line to the very front.
Wang Hao whispered a few words to the reception disciple, who was fat and big-eared. The disciple immediately bowed and scraped to Wang Hao, ignoring those who had been queuing for a long time and instead attending to Wang Hao and his companions.
"Damn, barging through and cutting in line. These guys are too arrogant," Xiao Liuzi said indignantly.
Those at the front of the queue were naturally also very displeased. They had queued diligently for most of the day, and just as it was their turn, someone cut in front of them.
The person who spoke was a dark-skinned man with bulging muscles that stretched his outer garment taut. He was very strong. Standing beside him was a dark-complexioned, sturdy young man who looked like a smaller version of him.
Wang Hao and his companions turned to look at the person who had shouted. Before they could speak, the reception disciple lost his temper and shouted sternly, "What are you shouting about? Don't you know the rules? Nobles don't have to queue. Do you think everyone is a bumpkin like you? If you shout again, I'll cancel your registration qualifications."
It turned out that there were mainly two types of disciples in the Tianfeng Martial Academy: one type was admitted based on their own cultivation talent, and the other type was from noble families.
The Tianfeng Martial Academy was established by the Tianfeng Sect in the Tianfeng Empire. The imperial family annually supplied a large amount of resources to the Tianfeng Sect. Naturally, the Tianfeng Sect would show some respect to the imperial family.
Nobles were enfeoffed by the imperial family, and their descendants inherited their titles. There were intricate connections between them. Therefore, descendants of nobles not only did not need to pass any assessment to enter the Tianfeng Martial Academy but also enjoyed many privileges.
However, as far as Chen Xiao knew, the Wang family of Qingyuan City was not a noble family. He didn't know how Wang Hao had managed to obtain noble status.
"You..." The dark-skinned man, also hot-tempered, turned even darker as the reception disciple spoke so offensively. His eyes were full of rage, and he rolled up his sleeves, about to step forward.
At this moment, the sturdy young man beside him quickly pulled him back. "Dad, forget it. We've waited this long, it won't make much difference to wait a little longer."
Although this young man was trying to dissuade the dark-skinned man, his gaze towards Wang Hao and his companions was also filled with fiery anger. His fists clenched and then relaxed, clearly suppressing his rage.
"I... alas!" The dark-skinned man sighed and followed the young man's advice, quieting down.
"Hmph." Wang Hao snorted disdainfully and said to the reception disciple, "Don't bother with them. I have other things to do after registering."