Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

"I wonder if any children will be able to successfully enroll in Qianshan Academy this year?"

"I heard that Li Yatou is very talented. She's only fifteen years old and already has four levels of spiritual power! She's also usually very clever and quick-witted. Maybe she can get promoted."

"That's not necessarily true. You've forgotten the admission rules that were just changed a few years ago. They still require talent testing. Even if you cultivate to the level of a Spirit Master at this age, you still have to be assessed on your talent level before you can be admitted."

"Oh, right, right."

Several women watching the spectacle chattered amongst themselves beside the procession, constantly craning their necks forward.

Compared to the spiritual master recruitment offices of other academies, the line at Thousand Mountains Academy was significantly smaller, with fewer than ten people. However, it was also the most attention-grabbing, since being able to enter this academy was an honor for the entire town!

When Guan Xun stepped forward to join the queue, people around her turned to look at her, and the topic of conversation suddenly shifted from enrollment to discussing her.

"Oh, whose daughter is this?"

"I've never seen her before. She looks so pretty and fresh. She must not be from our town. She must be from another town."

"I think so. They don't look very old. It's impressive that they enrolled in this academy."

The woman in gray couldn't help but sigh. To raise such a fair-skinned, beautiful, and capable child, the family must be quite wealthy.

Guan Xun seemed not to have heard them speaking, and turned his head to one side of the group, as if there had been some kind of accident ahead.

A sharp shout rang out from the admissions desk, drawing everyone's attention.

"The rules are clearly written. Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?" The stern male voice carried a hint of anger. It was the admissions officer, who was staring seriously at the young girl in front of him.

"But... ..."

The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old. She had two long braids on her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she looked very embarrassed.

"Are you here to cause trouble? Registration is voluntary, and once the registration fee is submitted, it will not be refunded." The admissions officer waved his hand impatiently. "There are still many people in line behind you, so don't delay them."

"Isn't that Li girl? She's not married yet?"

"I told you it all comes down to talent in the end. She's been training since she was a child, but it seems she's not very talented. Tsk tsk."

"Didn't she sign up last year too?"

"Yes, it seems that this level of cultivation really indicates a lack of talent."

"Pity."

The women started whispering again, which made Guan Xun turn his head to look. Is that so? She hasn't made any progress in a whole year. It seems that in addition to her lack of talent, the lack of guidance in her cultivation is also a reason.

Fifteen-year-old Li Yatou ran away crying. This was her last chance to register. She wouldn't be able to apply to this college after she turned fifteen next year. Of course, she was open-minded and could apply to other colleges.

It's understandable that this academy is so strict, after all, it was founded directly by the royal family. Graduates should be able to work for the royal family. If it only accepted ordinary cultivators, it would be overcrowded long ago.

"Next." The admissions officer didn't even glance at anyone else, simply waving his hand and pointing to the wooden box next to him, indicating that the registration fee should be put in.

After the applicants had inserted their silver coins, he took their hands, ran his fingers over their wrists a few times, and nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with the person's rank. He also softened his tone of voice.

"Come, place your hands on the crystal ball and release your spiritual power to your heart's content."

It was a transparent crystal ball placed on the table, which looked like the thing the woman had mentioned that could test talent. There was a light blue dividing line at the top of it, and only those whose talent reached that line were considered qualified.

The applicant nervously placed his hand on the crystal ball and, following the instructions given during the recruitment process, transferred all his spiritual energy into it.

All that could be seen was that the originally transparent crystal ball was now being gradually shrouded in white mist, which spread upwards from the bottom. Although the mist was like white smoke, it was very regular and even.

The white mist slowly rose and soon filled half of the crystal ball, but it stopped just as it was about to reach the light blue dividing line.

No matter how the applicant transmitted spiritual power, it could not be moved even slightly, and a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd.

"Unqualified, next one."

Recruitment continued, and the number of people ahead of Guan Xun gradually decreased, but not a single one qualified.

Soon it was her turn.

"Bone age fourteen, grade 2, grade 2?!"

Meeting the somewhat surprised gaze of the admissions officer, Guan Xun politely gave him a sweet smile: "Hmm? Is there a problem?"

Before coming, she asked Dongyang, and he said that the highest cultivation level at this age is usually level 2. Anyway, he had never heard of a spiritual master who exceeded this level. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Guan Xun deliberately suppressed his level to this highest point.

A month ago, her cultivation level was Level 1, Stage 3. Now... her actual level has reached Level 4, Stage 7. Although Chi Rong is still constantly absorbing the spiritual energy she converts in her dantian, she can feel that since its appearance, her absorption speed of spiritual energy is more than a hundred times faster than before. If she didn't have to share half of its spiritual energy with it, her current cultivation level might be the same as before.

It truly lives up to its reputation as her companion spirit pet.

The admissions officers were only momentarily taken aback. It was indeed rare to see a Level 2 Spirit Master at this age. But no matter how high the level, they had to look at the talent first. If the talent wasn't up to par, their training would be in vain.

Given the choice between a high-level spirit master with poor talent and a low-level spirit master with high talent, they would still choose the latter.

He shook his head, gesturing for Guan Xun to place his hand on the crystal ball: "Don't hold back, release your spiritual power to the fullest."

Really? Guan Xun raised an eyebrow, staring at the light blue dividing line with a half-smile, and then a thick spiritual power surged from his palm!

The white mist inside the crystal ball, like a wolf that hadn't eaten in a long time, instantly swept past the pale blue dividing line and rushed towards the top of the crystal ball, filling the entire ball in a flash.

"My God!"

"Is this real? Is his talent maxed out?!"

"This is the first time I've ever seen anything like this! Whose daughter is this? A genius!"

"Hey? Wait a minute, look at that crystal ball!"

"How... did it crack?!"

The surrounding area erupted in uproar, like a pot exploding in a cauldron. Those who observed closely exclaimed in surprise.

The once smooth and translucent crystal ball suddenly shattered before the naked eye, cracking open from top to bottom...

There was a moment of silence, followed by a great uproar. Even the teams and teachers from the surrounding academies peeked out and looked in their direction.

Dongyang was still in line, and he was also extremely surprised. Although he knew that his sister was talented, he never thought she would be this good. Looking at the envious looks of the people around him, a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

"This is... a max-level talent?!" The admissions officer suddenly stood up from his chair, placed his hands heavily on the table, and leaned closer to look at the crystal ball.