Mu Changfeng looked at the numbers on the three disciple tokens, nodded in satisfaction, and spoke.

"Ye Qingchen, 1,500 points. Zi Xing, 1,200 points. Wang Teng, 1,100 points. Not bad."

After he finished, Mu Changfeng waved his hand, and the disciple tokens flew back to their owners. He continued, "Your points are sufficient. You have passed this assessment, so there’s no need to continue the trials here. When you return, have your respective academy heads exchange your tokens for those of an Inner Court Disciple."

Once Mu Changfeng finished, Wang Tong led the disciples from Duanjin Academy in a respectful bow before turning to depart. After all, Wang Tong had just prepared himself for certain death. Now that he had been unexpectedly rescued, his only thought was to get as far away from Elder Yang and Li Nian’er as possible.

Seeing them leave, Mu Changfeng walked over to Elder Yang and said with a smile, "Academy Head Yang, the great war against the Demon Clan has begun, so the greater good of the human race must be our priority. However, you have indeed cultivated many excellent disciples for our Central Celestial Academy. On behalf of the academy, I thank you."

After speaking, Mu Changfeng gave a slight bow to Elder Yang.

This scene shocked Zi Xing yet again. Although many things had stunned her in her life, the events of today were by far the most shocking. Mu Changfeng’s status was incredibly prestigious, yet he treated Elder Yang with such deference. Surely he wouldn’t receive such treatment simply for being an academy head, right?

Faced with Mu Changfeng’s compliments, however, Elder Yang simply waved his hand dismissively. "Let’s skip the pleasantries. Is there anything else? If not, I’ll take them and leave. My other disciples have all returned to Shenmu Academy, and since I’ve just taken on a new one, it’s a good time to introduce them to each other."

Mu Changfeng nodded, then gave Ye Qingchen a deep look and praised him. "I saw your performance in the Secret Realm. You are very impressive. Elder Yang is a rare and excellent teacher; follow him and cultivate well."

Before Ye Qingchen could even process the words, Mu Changfeng had vanished.

Ye Qingchen had originally planned to complain to Mu Changfeng about Elder Yang. After all, the man hadn’t taught him a single thing since he joined the academy. How can Mu Changfeng praise such an irresponsible academy head as an excellent teacher? The injustice of it all irked him. But with Mu Changfeng gone, Ye Qingchen could only suppress his urge to complain.

Zi Xing, however, seemed even more excited than Ye Qingchen. Her excitement stemmed not only from Mu Changfeng personally announcing that she had passed the assessment to become an Inner Court Disciple, but also from his praise for Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen might not have known, but Zi Xing had heard many legends about Mu Changfeng. In the entire history of Central Celestial Academy, the number of students he had personally praised could be counted on one hand. Without exception, every one of them had grown into a formidable powerhouse.

Now that Mu Changfeng has praised Ye Qingchen like this, doesn’t that mean he could one day reach such heights too? Thinking back on all the extraordinary things Ye Qingchen had done since they met, her conviction grew stronger.

Seeing Mu Changfeng leave, Elder Yang stroked his beard and grumbled, "Always so mysterious and smug. Taking such good care of his skin at his age... does he really think he’s a woman?"

Hearing Elder Yang’s slander, Zi Xing was inwardly shocked but dared not object, choosing instead to stare straight ahead as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

What she didn’t expect was for Elder Yang to suddenly speak to her. "Young lady, will you be returning to Ferocious Fire Academy on your own, or would you like to come back with us to Shenmu Academy?"

Zi Xing’s mouth fell open in surprise. "Go to Shenmu Academy together? Is that possible?"

She had just heard Elder Yang say that the disciples of Shenmu Academy had all returned. After witnessing Li Nian’er’s power, Zi Xing was filled with curiosity about the academy and was eager to see what the other disciples were like.

Li Nian’er also walked over to Zi Xing with a smile. "Little sister, you still haven’t answered my question from before."

Zi Xing nodded in confusion. "Senior Sister Li, what question?"

Li Nian’er gave a sly smirk, glanced at Ye Qingchen, and said, "Tell your senior sister the truth. Are you interested in this little junior brother of mine?"

"What are you talking about?!"

Hearing Li Nian’er’s words, Zi Xing flushed beet red. Forgetting all decorum, she turned and fled. She was afraid that Li Nian’er would say something even more outrageous if she stayed a moment longer.

As Zi Xing fled, Li Nian’er burst into laughter. Elder Yang stroked his beard, his face full of mirth, while Ye Qingchen could only shake his head helplessly. Having a master and a senior sister like these... I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse.

...

「Atop the dwarf mountain, in front of Shenmu Academy!」

Ye Qingchen looked at the deserted courtyard and gave Elder Yang a scornful glance. "So, where are all these senior brothers and sisters you were talking about? Why is Shenmu Academy still completely empty?"

Elder Yang glared at him irritably. "Your senior brothers have been out training for a long time. They’re probably in the Contribution Hall right now, turning in missions and exchanging them for heavenly materials and earthly treasures. What’s the rush?"

Ye Qingchen pouted but decided to trust Elder Yang one more time.

Meanwhile, Li Nian’er frowned as she looked at the dilapidated thatched cottages. My cottage was already falling apart, but after being exposed to the wind and rain, it looks even worse now, doesn’t it? Her frown only relaxed when she saw that her cottage was, in fact, clean and tidy.

This change in her expression, however, gave Ye Qingchen a very bad feeling.

Sure enough, he heard Li Nian’er say to Elder Yang, "Not bad, Elder. You actually remembered to look after my cottage. How unexpected."

Elder Yang stroked his beard, a righteous look on his face. "Of course! I dote on you so much. After you left, I cleaned your room every single day, just waiting for your return so you’d have a place to stay."

Ye Qingchen was rendered speechless. That old man is such a shameless liar. Given Elder Yang’s lazy disposition, it was doubtful he had even washed his face today, let alone cleaned a room. The cottage was spotless for one simple reason: it was Ye Qingchen’s room. When he first arrived, Elder Yang had told him to pick any cottage he liked, so he had chosen the one that looked relatively clean. He never expected it to be Li Nian’er’s old room, which only looked dilapidated because it hadn’t been lived in for so long.