The assessment at the Four Seas Academy was quite complicated, especially with tens of thousands of participants entering at once — it would take several days of rolling through before everything was complete.
During that time, Chu Feng remained at the resting quarters, continuing to study his vein-finding technique while waiting for the results of Zhang Tianyi and the other four's assessments.
"Chu Feng! Chu Feng!" Several days later, the long-silent resting quarters were suddenly broken by a voice brimming with joy. At that moment, Chu Feng knew that the lengthy assessment had finally come to an end.
When Chu Feng opened his eyes, he saw that his door had already been pushed open. A slender figure had darted inside, and in the blink of an eye she was right in front of him, throwing herself into his arms.
Looking at the beautiful girl in his embrace, Chu Feng chuckled, because it was none other than Su Mei. "You look so happy — did you pass?"
"More than just pass! Su Rou and Su Mei, those two girls, absolutely made Tianyi and me jealous to death this time." Before Su Mei could even answer, Jiang Wushang's voice rang out from the doorway.
Turning toward the voice, Chu Feng saw Jiang Wushang, Zhang Tianyi, and Su Rou walking in together. All three wore faint smiles, and Su Rou — that enchanting and alluring mature beauty — looked positively devastating when she smiled.
"Wushang, what do you mean?" Chu Feng asked curiously.
"This time's assessment actually had the Ten Heavenly Instructors observing. Brother Chu Feng, you probably don't know about the Ten Heavenly Instructors, but they're incredibly prestigious. Let me put it this way — inside the Four Seas Academy, there's no such thing as a 'Master.' There are only Instructors, and the Instructors are the ones who teach us our skills."
"Instructors have different tiers, and the Ten Heavenly Instructors are the ten most powerful Heavenly-grade Instructors in the entire Four Seas Academy. Their status is extraordinary — being chosen as one of their disciples is everyone's dream."
"Because once you become their disciple, not only will you receive the finest training, you'll also enjoy an incredibly elevated status. Even many elders and Instructors will treat you with great respect."
"And Su Rou and Su Mei have already caught the eye of two Heavenly-grade Instructors, who confirmed on the spot that Su Rou and Su Mei wouldn't need to participate in any further assessments or competitions — they would be the instructors' personally cultivated disciples for the next four years."
"Brother Chu Feng, don't worry — both of those Heavenly-grade Instructors are women, so they definitely weren't won over by Su Rou and Su Mei's beauty. They saw their potential."
Jiang Wushang narrated in an enviable tone, but the smile on his face made it clear he was genuinely happy for Su Rou and Su Mei.
"Little brother Wushang, stop playing the aggrieved one. You and Senior Brother Zhang are pretty impressive too — you both earned the recognition of Heavenly-grade Instructors. As long as you win tomorrow's showdown, you'll become Heavenly-grade Instructors' disciples as well," Su Rou said from the side.
"Showdown? What's this about?" At the word "showdown," Chu Feng's interest was immediately piqued, and he hurriedly pressed for details.
"Chu Feng, it's like this — Senior Brother Zhang and Wushang were each noticed by a Heavenly-grade Instructor."
"However, those two Instructors also had their eyes on several other quite capable disciples, and each Heavenly-grade Instructor can only take on one disciple. So if Wushang and Senior Brother Zhang want to follow them, they'll have to defeat the other disciples and come out on top." Su Rou stepped forward and explained in a gentle voice.
"They chose multiple disciples at once? These two Heavenly-grade Instructors are a bit indecisive, aren't they?" Chu Feng teased with a laugh.
"Sigh, that's exactly why Su Rou and Su Mei are so amazing — being directly confirmed as disciples by the Instructors without having to go through any competition. They're probably the first in history," Jiang Wushang said, curling his lips.
"Actually, it's not that big a deal, because apart from the two Instructors who picked Su Rou and Su Mei, all the other Instructors chose quite a few disciples. Most of them wanted to do an elimination-style selection," Zhang Tianyi said with a smile.
"Mm, but Brother Chu Feng, don't worry."
"Tianyi and I have already carefully looked at the people competing against us. Honestly, there's some pressure, but it's not too great."
"Oh, and Brother Chu Feng — here's something interesting. Among the people competing against me and Tianyi, there's actually a pair of brothers, and they both have the surname Shentu. They're from the Shentu Royal Clan, so they probably have some connection to that Shentu Lang." Jiang Wushang spoke with a wicked grin, as if he were eager to get back at Shentu Lang for the humiliation he'd suffered that day.
"Heh, connected or not, this is a rare opportunity. No matter who your opponents are, don't go easy on them. The more the Instructors see what you're capable of, the better it'll be for your future development. So don't hold anything back," Chu Feng said earnestly.
"Don't worry — neither Tianyi nor I are the type to give our opponents any face. Right, Brother Tianyi?" Jiang Wushang looked at Zhang Tianyi with a proud grin.
To Jiang Wushang's question, Zhang Tianyi simply smiled and replied, "Obviously."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
At that moment, Chu Feng and the others all burst into hearty laughter. They were all delighted — after all, if Zhang Tianyi, Jiang Wushang, and both Su Rou and Su Mei could truly become disciples of Heavenly-grade Instructors, their status within the Four Seas Academy would skyrocket overnight.
In terms of strength, they would advance by leaps and bounds, and in terms of status, they would earn the respect of many.
"Oh my, congratulations, congratulations!" Just then, a burst of extremely excited laughter suddenly rang out from outside.
When the laughter sounded, Chu Feng and the others exchanged glances, their smiles deepening — because even before seeing the person, they knew exactly who had arrived. It could only be Yu He.
"Junior brothers and sisters, what a congratulations — you've all been taken in by Heavenly-grade Instructors! In the future, you'll have to look after me." Sure enough, Yu He walked in moments later, carrying congratulatory gifts in his hands.
However, behind him trailed several other Four Seas Academy disciples, all beaming with smiles and likewise holding gifts of considerable value.
"Senior Brother Yu He, what's all this?" Jiang Wushang asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Oh, Junior Jiang, just a small token of our esteem — nothing grand, but please do accept it." Yu He pressed the gifts into Jiang Wushang's hands.
"That's right, junior brothers and sisters — this is just a little something from us. You must accept it. We'll be counting on your help in the future!" Right behind him, the other disciples came forward with wide smiles, offering their gifts as well.