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Third Brother first pointed to the sleeping youth. "He's First Brother—the first to pass the test… Ah, right—you don't know this yet, but we were all called at the same time. Those who arrived first did so because they passed the test faster."
Qing Xuanling's eyes widened slightly. They hadn't spent even ten minutes fighting the "assassins" and Elder Xuyun—yet all these people had accomplished something similar in far less time…
She was genuinely astonished.
Third Brother smiled and returned to introductions. "The sleepyhead's name is Qing Hanlin—First Brother. He's been sleeping since everyone arrived, so we haven't really spoken with him…"
Qing Xuanling nodded and examined Qing Hanlin more closely. He was a boy her age with an average appearance—not handsome, but not ugly either. However, his long black hair streaked with red was quite striking.
Third Brother continued upon seeing they'd properly observed Qing Hanlin. "Second Sister is the girl pressing his cheek with that twig. Her name is Qing Xunwei. Though she doesn't speak much, We got her name and the name of first brother from her. They took the test together."
Qing Xunwei was a beautiful girl with delicate lips and a heart-shaped face. But what drew attention most was her black hair with golden tips and her expression of extreme boredom.
"They're… quite interesting," Qing Wentian ironic smirked. "Are they from the family branches? I've never seen them before."
This time, the short-haired, mature-looking woman responded. "We all are—though most of us hadn't met before. And I'm Fourth Sister, Tanwei. Pleasure to meet you!"
"Hey—why skip the order?! It was my turn!" Third Brother pouted. "I'm Muyu! You can call me Brother Muyu or Third Brother—whichever you prefer!"
Qing Wentian laughed at Qing Muyu's antics. Even Qing Xuanling couldn't help but have the corner of her lips twitch upward. He was somewhat amusing.
Qing Tanwei smiled seeing them laugh and pointed to the two girls who'd been chatting with her earlier. "The one with pink curly hair is Fifth Sister—Rannuan. The one beside her is Sixth Sister—Huayan."
Qing Xuanling's gaze turned toward both girls. Their appearances were quite unique. Qing Rannuan's pink curly hair was distinctive, while Qing Xuanling had never seen hair with such intense red as Qing Huayan's.
Both girls gave them a smile before returning to their conversation.
Finally came the twins' introduction.
"I'm Qing Xixi—and I'm Seventh Brother!" One twin, wearing green robes, introduced himself.
"And I'm Qing Haha—Eighth Brother. Pleasure to meet you!" The other twin—who looked exactly like Qing Xixi, even his shaved head—introduced himself. The only difference was his blue robes.
Qing Xuanling's expression turned strange upon hearing the twins' names. They were… unique names.
Qing Wentian also had a strange expression for a moment—but quickly recovered and introduced himself. "Pleasure to meet you all. I'm Qing Wentian—you can call me Tenth Brother or Brother Wentian, whichever you prefer!"
He smiled brightly. His copper-colored hair and golden eyes gave him a pleasant appearance.
Everyone smiled at Qing Wentian's introduction and exchanged a few more courteous words. Then all eyes turned to Qing Xuanling, waiting for her to introduce herself.
She smiled—or at least tried to—and introduced herself. "Xuanling. Qing Xuanling. Call me whatever you like. Pleasure to meet you."
Brother Muyu and Sister Tanwei exchanged glances and chuckled softly.
"Then I'll call you Little Nine!" Sister Tanwei approached Qing Xuanling and took her hands. "I hope we get along well from now on!"
Qing Xuanling was momentarily stunned—but Sister Tanwei's kind gaze finally made her smile naturally. "Of course—I look forward to that too."
Qing Xuanling and Qing Wentian integrated into the group effortlessly, beginning to chat with everyone while waiting for the remaining students to arrive.
Every few minutes, one or two new students appeared—faces smeared with mud, robes torn. Brother Muyu and Sister Tanwei always stepped forward then, explaining things and assigning each student their corresponding number.
This continued for an hour—until finally, the last student, the thirty-second, arrived.
By then, several groups of two to five people had formed, each quietly conversing amongst themselves.
Qing Xuanling had seated herself beside Sister Tanwei and the other two girls, listening to their conversation and occasionally speaking. She didn't feel particularly uncomfortable being with them.
As she thought this, several figures suddenly appeared—literally—in front of the Green Breeze University building. Nine people. The Young Master and eight adults of varying ages.
Everyone turned toward them—even Qing Xuanling. But she was especially stunned. She recognized two people she hadn't expected to see here: the librarian who'd sold her the techniques she was currently learning, and Sister Wangu!
Qing Xuanling's mouth opened slightly as she looked at Sister Wangu—who merely winked playfully at her. The librarian, on the other hand, didn't even glance her way.
Qing Xuanling was slightly bewildered—but said nothing. Instead, she focused on the Young Master, who had raised his hand, instantly silencing everyone.
"I'm pleased to see so many talented youths of the Qing Clan." The Young Master smiled faintly. "You've likely realized—but Green Breeze University holds great importance for the clan. This isn't merely a project to strengthen the younger generation—it's a place to forge the Qing Clan's next pillars."
The Young Master's gaze suddenly turned severe. "For that reason, we've decided to share certain information with you beforehand. Some we'll tell you—others you'll need to discover yourselves. But know this—the clan is showing you tremendous trust right now. I don't want another incident like Qing Chu's to happen again."
Everyone's eyes widened. Many swallowed hard, feeling the weight on their shoulders. A few—like Qing Hanlin, who'd opened his eyes at some point—narrowed their eyes while deeply pondering something that had perplexed them until now.
And Qing Xuanling—upon hearing Qing Chu's name—was momentarily perplexed. It took her a moment to recall.
'Right—that was the bastard I suspected of selling my information!'
She'd forgotten such a minor figure amidst everything she had to do—but apparently, the clan had already dealt with him. She suddenly felt happy.
The slight grievance she still held over her current robes' condition instantly vanished. She smiled happily while awaiting the Young Master's next words.
"There are many things you must know—but I'll only share two for now." The Young Master took a deep breath before continuing. "As many know—a few weeks ago news spread of a secret realm containing many treasures."
The Young Master observed the comprehending eyes of some students and nodded. "As some may have guessed—Green Breeze University was only approved because of this secret realm. The clan must obtain good results—no matter what."
"Many may wonder why the clan is training such young members when we have clan veterans. The answer is simple: the secret realm has restrictions—and the primary one is that entrants must be twenty years old or younger!"
The faces of the thirty-two adolescent youths filled with shock for a moment—before giving way to unrestrained excitement. Many had bright eyes as they imagined bringing back hundreds of treasures and secret techniques for the clan.
Each was a genius within their circle—so each possessed confidence in achieving great results!
The Young Master sighed seeing the brats' excitement and shook his head.
"That's Green Breeze University's long-term objective—but we won't discuss it much. After all, the secret realm still won't open for two years. What truly matters is something else…" The Young Master's and the elders behind him exchanged meaningful glances.
"In two months—the three great powers will hold a tournament with three leagues—one for each Qi Refinement stage. If we win all leagues—we'll obtain six spirit mines, two supreme-grade second-level artifacts, and two second-level celestial objects!"
Everyone gasped. The rewards were outrageous! If the Qing Clan dominated this tournament, its foundations would strengthen several times over!
The Young Master smiled satisfactorily seeing everyone understood the tournament's importance—and began delivering a brief speech about his hopes for the university and some rules.
"…In conclusion—I remind you to choose your elective classes wisely. Behind me stand the instructors who'll teach various subjects—and trust me when I say they're the clan's finest experts in their respective fields. Inside await people to advise you on available classes and such. So hurry—some classes have limited spots!"
With that, the Young Master waved his robes—and vanished along with the elders in a simple breeze.
The thirty-two youths stood stunned for a moment—before finally reacting! None wanted to miss the opportunity to enter their desired classes!
Even Qing Xuanling hurried—though she was among the slowest due to her low cultivation base…
However, two people walked calmly. Qing Hanlin and Qing Xunwei. Both strolled without any urgency. Though no one noticed this.
Returning to Qing Xuanling—she'd already entered the university building. The first thing she encountered was a reception area filled with furniture and plants, along with several mortals behind counters.
But her attention was drawn to the bulletin board—where everyone who'd arrived before her was crowded.
There, a mortal was explaining the available classes.
"Green Breeze University will offer twenty-one classes total—but each person can only take a maximum of six classes per month." The mortal was an eloquent man. "Of those six classes—the Battle Formation class is mandatory for everyone. The rest depend on the score you earned in the previous test."
"The remaining classes are divided into combat and profession classes. Combat classes are: Sword Art, Spell Control, Close Combat, Spear Art…"
"Those are all combat classes. Profession classes are: Alchemy, Refining, Medicine, Geomancy…"
Both combat and profession sections had ten classes each—each taught by an elder or expert in the craft. Everyone's eyes couldn't help but light up. Even Qing Xuanling felt excited.
However, the eloquent man presenting the classes soon poured cold water on their enthusiasm.
"Hehe—I regret to inform you, esteemed masters—but some classes have basic requirements. If you don't meet them—you'll have to forget about taking that class until you fulfill the requirement or choose another class."
Many faces froze—and they quickly rushed to the bulletin board to check if their desired classes had requirements. Qing Xuanling did too. She already had the classes she wanted to attend in mind.
She quickly searched the bulletin board for information on her classes of interest.
'Sword Art class… Mmm, requires having taken the first step in converting sharp Qi to Sword Qi—I exceed that requirement easily. Alchemy class requires being an official alchemist—I qualify. And luckily—Spell Control, Qi Control, and Survival Knowledge classes have no requirements!'
Qing Xuanling clenched her fist happily. She quickly stepped back from the crowd and headed to a counter to register for her chosen classes. The process was surprisingly swift—and since she was among the first to finish (by knowing immediately which classes she wanted), she avoided the inconvenience of her chosen classes being full.
She smiled and headed toward the building's rest area. Surprisingly, she found two people already there: Qing Hanlin and Qing Xunwei.
Qing Hanlin was sprawled on a sofa, eyes half-lidded with sleepiness. And Qing Xunwei… well, she was killing ants on one of the reception's plants with a bored expression.
Qing Xuanling looked at them bewildered—and couldn't help but ask. "Have you already chosen which classes to register for?"
Both youths turned toward Qing Xuanling simultaneously—sending chills down her spine. Qing Hanlin half-opened his eyes and shook his head while yawning.
"No… I don't want to squeeze into that crowd. Anyway—if the class I want to attend is full—it's fate. I weren't destined for it from the start…"
He closed his eyes again after that.
Qing Xunwei merely shrugged while continuing to kill ants. "It's more interesting not knowing which class I'll attend—so I prefer choosing randomly anyway. Doesn't matter if I go now or later."
"Oh…"
Qing Xuanling nodded silently and sat on one of the sofas—feeling these two weren't normal…