"Did you hear that? Brother Xiao said his spiritual seed is a... Huh? Brother Xiao, are you messing with me?" Xiao Liuzi had been too confident and couldn't stop himself. He had only spoken half the sentence when he realized.
Laughter erupted from the crowd. Xiao Liuzi's face instantly turned red, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
However, Chen Xiao didn't care about the ridicule. He just wanted to finish registering and leave, not waste any more time here. So, he turned his gaze to the reception disciple and asked, "Excuse me, have I finished registering? Can I go now?"
Looking at the reception disciple again, the admiration in his eyes for Chen Xiao had long since vanished. After Chen Xiao admitted to having a first-grade spiritual seed, the disciple felt utterly tricked and his expression turned sour.
His gaze towards Chen Xiao was now filled with disgust and contempt. Upon hearing Chen Xiao's question, he replied ungraciously, "Scram, scram, scram! A trash with a first-grade spiritual seed wants to participate in the assessment? If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to live. Just go bang your head against a wall and die!"
Hearing the reception disciple's impolite words, Chen Xiao's expression changed. He asked indignantly, "When did I ever hear that the Martial Academy's assessment had requirements for spiritual seeds?"
"Damn it, if I say there are, then there are! If you don't leave now, I don't mind giving you a push." As he spoke, the reception disciple began to rub his fists and toes, clearly indicating that if Chen Xiao didn't leave, he would resort to force.
"Chen Xiao, is that really you!" Just then, a melodious voice rang out, and a graceful figure emerged from within the mountain gate.
Wang Hao felt the voice was familiar. He turned his head and his heart sank. "How does this trash know Miss Lan?"
The person who arrived was none other than Lan Qing'er. When she confirmed that the person standing at the registration desk was indeed Chen Xiao, her steps quickened, and she walked towards Chen Xiao like a little bird.
Like Wang Hao, the reception disciple was also stunned. "This... isn't this Miss Lan? She knows this trash with the first-grade spiritual seed?"
Seeing Miss Lan's delighted expression, it seemed they weren't just acquainted, but their relationship was quite good. Thinking this, he lamented his misfortune. "This is terrible!"
"I didn't expect it to be you! You... are you here to register?" Lan Qing'er asked Chen Xiao with a beaming smile as she arrived in front of him.
But thinking of Chen Xiao coming to register for the assessment at the Sky Maple Martial Academy, she found it somewhat unbelievable. After all, with Chen Xiao's array and talisman skills, why would he need to participate in an assessment? Such a young four-star array master should be sought after by the Martial Academy.
Chen Xiao was also happy to see Lan Qing'er. He smiled heartily and said, "Yes, I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Hehe, of course, you'll meet me, because I'm also a disciple of the Martial Academy! From now on, I'll be your senior sister!" Lan Qing'er chuckled. Although she didn't know why Chen Xiao insisted on participating in this assessment, Lan Qing'er believed that with Chen Xiao's abilities, passing the assessment would be a trivial matter.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm afraid I don't have the fortune to be your junior brother. My spiritual seed is only first-grade, and I don't even qualify to register."
"What?" Lan Qing'er suspected she had misheard. She couldn't believe that Chen Xiao, who was so outstanding, only had a first-grade spiritual seed.
However, she quickly understood the key point. What did a first-grade spiritual seed matter? There were countless people with fourth or fifth-grade spiritual seeds in the Sky Maple Martial Academy, but not a single one could draw enchanted arrays and talismans. While a spiritual seed certainly represented a person's talent to some extent, it was not everything.
Moreover, she sensed a hidden meaning in Chen Xiao's words. Lan Qing'er, being the daughter of a great general, was a sharp individual despite her young age. Upon realizing this, she immediately turned her attention to the reception disciple. "Since when are four-star array masters unqualified to participate in the Sky Maple Martial Academy's assessment? If Chen Xiao doesn't even have the right to register, then what right do you have to remain in the Martial Academy?"
Her words stunned everyone present.
"What, this kid is a four-star array master?"
"You must be kidding. How can there be such a young four-star array master in this world?"
"Who is this kid? Even Miss Lan is speaking so highly of him."
Among the crowd were people who recognized Lan Qing'er. Although they didn't believe Chen Xiao was a four-star array master, they were filled with envy seeing Lan Qing'er's enthusiastic attitude towards Chen Xiao.
The reception disciple was also dumbfounded. His worst fear had come true; Miss Lan and this kid were indeed close. He now wished he could gouge his own eyes out. What was the use of them if he couldn't recognize a friend of Miss Lan?
The reason he feared Lan Qing'er so much was not only due to her family background but also because of her outstanding talent. In the entire Martial Academy, only three people possessed a sixth-grade spiritual seed, and Lan Qing'er was one of them. Lan Qing'er also cultivated diligently, and at just sixteen years old, she had already reached the sixth level of Body Tempering.
Even more impressive was that Lan Qing'er was not only highly cultivated but also possessed a sweet appearance. Coupled with her cheerful personality, countless young talents in the Martial Academy regarded her as their dream lover, including the descendants of powerful figures and martial artists with top cultivation talent.
It could be said that offending Lan Qing'er was equivalent to offending most of the disciples in the Martial Academy. For him, who had neglected his cultivation after entering the Martial Academy and instead focused on scheming for personal relationships, this was a fatal blow.
Therefore, facing Lan Qing'er's questioning, the reception disciple turned ashen. He didn't even consider the implications of the term "four-star array master" in Lan Qing'er's words. If he had realized that he had just offended such a young four-star array master, he would have wished for death.
"I, I..." At this moment, he was completely stunned, stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence.
Lan Qing'er didn't expect her words to scare the man half to death. She turned and stuck out her tongue playfully at Chen Xiao, looking incredibly cute. Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle at her adorable demeanor.
However, Wang Hao, who was standing behind the reception disciple, was now dumbfounded. The words "four-star array master" that Lan Qing'er had spoken kept echoing in his mind.
"Could it be that this trash Chen Xiao is actually a four-star array master? How is that possible? I know exactly what he's capable of. But if not, then with Miss Lan's status, why would she speak such a lie for a mere Chen Xiao?"
Wang Hao's mind was in turmoil. But no matter what, he refused to believe that Chen Xiao was a four-star array master. So, he shouted loudly, "Miss Lan, you must have been deceived by this trash's sweet talk. He's from Qingyuan City, just like me, but he is genuinely a trash with a one-star spiritual seed."