Chapter 74: One Slap per Person
The surrounding girls were stunned on the spot after hearing Xiao Yu openly acknowledge Xiao Yuan's identity.
Even Xiao Yan and Xun'er looked surprised.
Xiao Mei glanced at the two walking arm-in-arm, a flicker of envy flashing in her eyes.
Xiao Ning looked up at the sky. His sister's business... was beyond him. He couldn't stop her, nor did he dare to try.
Otherwise, she'd beat him to death.
"Oh, is that so."
Taking a deep breath, Rob forced a stiff smile and pulled a red crystal orb about the size of a fist from his robes, raising it in front of them.
"Coincidentally, Instructor Ruo Lin just handed me this testing crystal. Let them give it a go. The others have already been sent to the front testing stations. If they don't use this one, they'll have to wait a while."
Xiao Yu nodded and turned to Xiao Yan, explaining gently:
"This testing crystal is simple. As long as your Dou Qi has reached stage eight, it will light up. That means you've passed the preliminary test."
"Alright, let Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei go first."
Xiao Yuan smiled warmly.
Hearing this, Xiao Mei, Xiao Ning, Xun'er, and Xiao Yan stepped up one by one, placing their hands on the crystal. After a moment, each time the crystal lit up, they stepped back.
After all four passed, Xiao Yuan casually touched the crystal—its brilliance shone so brightly it made Rob's eyes sting.
"Relax. If they weren't strong enough, I wouldn't have brought them."
Xiao Yu spoke coolly after confirming all five had passed.
"Hehe, I never doubted you. It's just... procedure."
Rob forced a smile and put away the crystal. Then he gestured to the young men and women seated outside under the scorching sun and said with a smirk:
"Congratulations on passing the test. Now, please join them and sit outside for half an hour."
"What's the meaning of this, Rob?"
Xiao Yu's eyes turned cold, her tone sharp.
"Xiao Yu, you're an old student—you should know this is a tradition during recruitment. Hehe, it's good to temper the newcomers' pride a little. It'll help them adjust to life at the academy."
Rob said with a fake smile.
"Cut the crap. Maybe that line works on new students, but not on me. None of the ones I brought will be going out there."
Xiao Yu snapped coldly.
"Come on, Rob, stop being difficult. You know full well that these 'rules' are arbitrary. Why stir up trouble?"
The other girls frowned, clearly annoyed by Rob's overreach.
"Hehe, sorry, but they passed the test under my supervision. According to academy rules, that gives me temporary authority over them."
Rob's smile remained bright, but just as Xiao Yu was about to explode again, he quickly added:
"Fine, fine. For your sake, they don't all have to go—just one as a representative. Let's see... how about this young man, Xiao Yuan? He's a big guy, he won't mind a little sun."
His finger stopped on Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan ignored Rob and turned to Xiao Yu. "Yu'er?"
"I never gave him permission to call me that."
Xiao Yu said coldly, her face tinged with frustration.
"Tch. Disgusting."
Xiao Yuan scoffed, casting a sideways glance at Rob.
"Jia Nan Academy's standards must be slipping. Even trash like this gets onto the recruitment team? It's a disgrace to the top institution on the Dou Qi Continent."
His words made Rob's smile freeze, his expression turning dark.
"Well, well... Looks like we've got a bold one."
At that moment, a group of male students emerged from the tent shadows, chuckling.
"It's nothing. This freshman just doesn't want to sit in the sun."
Rob said casually as he tucked the crystal ball away.
"Hey, been a while since we've seen such an arrogant rookie. Rob, need us to help?"
A student with a golden star on his chest grinned flatteringly.
"Another piece of trash. Why don't you all come at once? Save yourselves the embarrassment."
Xiao Yuan waved a hand dismissively like he was shooing flies.
"Well aren't you cocky."
One of the grunts, a One-Star Dou Zhe, laughed mockingly.
Xiao Yan and Xun'er stood side by side, bored expressions on their faces. Their eyes practically spelled out "how dull."
Xiao Yu didn't look worried in the slightest. She simply coldly added Rob and his little crew to her blacklist.
Outside, under the burning sun, the other twenty or so new students looked over curiously.
They had tried resisting too—but were all quickly beaten down by upperclassmen with superior strength. Now, watching someone else challenge the same system, many couldn't help but enjoy the show.
Boom!
In the next instant, the One-Star upperclassman flew out of the tent and slammed into the ground, unconscious.
Huh???
The new students gawked at the clear handprint on his face.
What just happened?!
Inside the tent, the girls behind Xiao Yu gasped in unison.
This pretty boy is terrifying!
Rob's frozen smile twisted into disbelief. He hadn't even seen what happened—Gola was already down.
What technique did he use?
"Hehe... you're quite something."
Rob forced a grin and walked over to Xiao Yuan, pretending to slap him amicably on the shoulder—but his eyes glinted coldly as he whispered:
"Don't get cocky, kid. You've got talent, sure—but Jia Nan Academy has plenty more just like you. That attitude of yours? It'll get you crushed."
Xiao Yuan responded with two crisp slaps to Rob's face, sending him flying.
In a flash, he appeared over Rob, stomping hard on his chest and sneering:
"Crushed? You? You think you can lecture me? You think you're allowed to call her Yu'er? Trying to provoke me into hitting you so you can frame me? Pathetic. Even with your Four-Star Dou Zhe strength, you're not worth my time.
If you weren't a student of Jia Nan Academy, you'd be dead already. But I don't have the patience for people like you. Do something else stupid, and I'll slap you into oblivion."
Pinned beneath him, Rob's face twisted with shame and rage—but the chilling look in Xiao Yuan's eyes sent a shiver down his spine.
(END CHAPTER)
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