After chatting with Xiao Zhan and the others in the main hall for a while and listening to plenty of experience , Xiao Feng returned to his independent courtyard with a fruitful harvest.
On this trip, besides the 30,000 gold coins, he also gained a fire-attribute Profound Rank Low-level Dou Technique, as well as several other Yellow Rank Advanced Dou Techniques.
In addition to that, there were also low-level healing and Qi-recovery Medicinal Pills sold in the Xiao Family marketplace.
In short, they had prepared everything very thoroughly for him; it could be described as meticulous.
Sitting on the bed, Xiao Feng put these items into the storage ring at his collar, stretched, and lay back on the bed.
When the original Xiao Yan left the Xiao Family, it seemed like he didn't bring anything, right?
Oh, that's not right. Xiao Feng suddenly remembered that in the original story, before Xiao Yan left, he used the excuse of having a mysterious powerful teacher, and helped the Xiao Family refine Medicinal Pills, earning a profit share of hundreds of thousands of gold coins. No wonder he didn't take anything when he left.
Actually, Xiao Feng didn't truly need these things right now. The thirty thousand gold coins given by the Xiao Clan were more of a formality than a necessity for him.
In Xiao Feng's mind, once he successfully entered Canaan Academy, earning resources would not be difficult. The academy rewarded its students generously—whether through missions, competitions, or contributions. If he joined the disciplinary committee of the outer academy in the future, the benefits and monthly rewards alone would easily surpass this amount of gold.
Moreover, Xiao Feng already planned to study alchemy once he had the opportunity. Alchemists were among the most respected professions in the Dou Qi continent, and even the lowest-tier pills could sell for astonishing prices. Compared to that, thirty thousand gold coins would eventually become a very small amount.
Only that Profound Rank Dou Technique had value to Xiao Feng; the others were better than nothing.
Even so, Xiao Feng did not take the clan's gesture lightly. Regardless of whether he needed the money or not, it represented the support and expectations of the Xiao Clan. Thinking of this, he carefully stored the black card away, silently reminding himself that one day he would repay the clan's goodwill many times over.
Nearly a month had quietly passed since the Canaan Academy recruitment team announced their arrival in Wutan City. Tomorrow would finally be the day of the preliminary selection. Because of that, Xiao Feng had no intention of cultivating late into the night. After a month of intense training, even he allowed himself a moment of rest. Lying lazily on his bed in his private courtyard, wrapped in a soft and comfortable quilt, he soon drifted into a deep sleep.
…
Early the next morning, crisp birdsong echoed outside the window. Gentle beams of sunlight filtered through the lush leaves in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows across the wooden floor beside the bed.
On the bed, Xiao Feng was already sitting cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed. His breathing slowly steadied as he calmed his mind and focused his Qi, entering a meditative state. Gradually, his consciousness sank inward, descending into the depths of his own body.
Internal vision—an auxiliary ability that cultivators could only properly grasp after reaching the Dou Practitioner level. The stronger one became, the clearer one could observe the situation within the body.
After breaking through to the Dou Practitioner stage some time ago, Xiao Feng had naturally mastered this ability without any teacher guiding him.
His consciousness sank toward his lower abdomen, where a palm-sized, faintly crimson Qi vortex slowly rotated. Around the vortex drifted strands of flame-like Dou Qi, forming a nebula of scarlet energy that pulsed with quiet heat.
Observing the vortex carefully with his spiritual sense, Xiao Feng nodded slightly in satisfaction. Compared to a month ago, the Dou Qi within the vortex had become far denser and more stable. Although he was currently still only at Three-Star Dou Practitioner, the refinement of his energy had reached a level comparable to someone much closer to the Four Star stage.
Naturally, most of the credit belonged to the Profound Rank middle cultivation technique — Vermilion Flame Art that Xun'er had secretly given him. Under the steady circulation of this profound technique, the Dou Qi inside his body burned quietly like a refined crimson flame, continuously strengthening his foundation.
After carefully sensing the flow of energy within his body, Xiao Feng slowly opened his eyes. A faint smile appeared on his lips. Judging by the current speed of his cultivation, breaking through to the Four-Star Dou Practitioner stage would take no more than ten days. The upcoming selection would only be the beginning—by the time the later rounds arrived, his strength would already be on an entirely different level.
At last, the long-awaited day had finally arrived.
Early in the morning, the streets of Wutan City were already far more lively than usual. Young cultivators from various families had gathered in large numbers, all heading toward the central square where the recruitment of Canaan Academy would take place. For many of them, this was a rare chance to step beyond their hometown and enter a far greater stage.
Within the training grounds of the Xiao Clan, several young members had also gathered early. Apart from Xiao Feng, there were four other clan members who had barely reached the academy's minimum standard. Most of them came from the branch families and were already older than the main clan's younger generation.
As the members of the Xiao Clan arrived at the recruitment area in Wutan City, the instructors from Canaan Academy soon began explaining the standards for new students.
After successfully entering the academy, students would not all receive the same treatment. Instead, they would be classified according to their strength and potential, which would determine the resources, guidance, and attention they received within the outer academy.
The classification system was fairly straightforward:
8th Dou disciple → F Class (minimum admission talent)
9th Dou disciple → E Class
1-Star Dou Practitioner → D Class
2-Star Dou Practitioner → C Class
Hearing this explanation, the young members of the Xiao Clan exchanged looks.
Among the branch family members who came today, their strengths were just barely within the acceptable range.
Xiao Chen, eighteen years old and having recently stepped into the 1-Star Dou Practitioner stage, would likely be placed in D Class if he passed the selection.
Xiao Lou, nineteen years old, had not yet fully stabilized his breakthrough. His cultivation was still at the 9th Dou disciple, meaning he would likely enter as an E Class student.
Xiao Xan, the youngest among them at seventeen, was also at the 9th Dou disciple , making him another probable E Class candidate.
The only girl among them, Xiao Mei, had slightly better luck. Having reached 1-Star Dou Practitioner not long ago, she would most likely be classified into D Class upon admission.
As a Three-Star Dou Practitioner, if Xiao Feng entered Canaan Academy, he would normally be placed directly into C Class, a level noticeably higher than the other young members of the Xiao Clan who had come for the selection.
However, the academy did not judge students based on cultivation alone. Age was also an extremely important factor. A younger cultivator with similar strength would often receive a much higher evaluation for potential.
Because Xiao Feng had reached the Three-Star Dou Practitioner stage at such a young age, his assessment would likely far exceed the normal classification system. In fact, based on the academy's talent evaluation standards, someone with his age and strength would most likely be placed in the S+ talent rank, a category reserved only for exceptionally rare geniuses.
After circling halfway around the massive plaza in Wutan City, Xiao Feng finally came to a stop near the central area.
Originally, he had entered the plaza together with the other young members of the Xiao Clan—Xiao Chen, Xiao Lou, Xiao Xan, and Xiao Mei. However, the crowd was far larger than any of them had expected. After pushing forward for some distance, the dense mass of people had gradually separated them. By the time Xiao Feng managed to squeeze through another wave of spectators, the others were nowhere to be seen.
At first, he thought about finding a quieter corner with fewer people. Unfortunately, aside from the far back of the plaza—an area completely blocked off by two or three layers of fully armed soldiers—every other place looked the same.
A sea of people.
Xiao Feng obviously had no way of convincing those soldiers to give him a special entrance. In the end, he could only return toward the main recruitment area like everyone else.
"Looks like I'll just have to squeeze through honestly," he muttered to himself.
Taking advantage of his height compared to many younger spectators, Xiao Feng pushed through the crowd of people—most of whom were nearly ten years older than him. After struggling for quite a while, he finally managed to break free from the suffocating mass of bodies, his clothes slightly damp with sweat.
"Phew… finally out."