The qualified trainees followed him to a plaza where four sacred beast statues stood at the four corners: the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Vermilion Bird of the South.
Gong Ci also turned to face them at this moment and said sternly, "As new students of the Four Symbols Academy, you must understand its situation."
The young men and women immediately quieted down, focusing their attention on Elder Gong Ci, awaiting his introduction.
"The Four Symbols Academy can be broadly divided into Four Academies, Six Halls, Three Pavilions, and Two Gardens."
"These Four Academies are the Azure Dragon Academy, the White Tiger Academy, the Black Tortoise Academy, and the Vermilion Bird Academy."
"The Six Halls are the Law Enforcement Hall, the Mission Hall, the Teaching Hall, the Merit Hall, the Alchemy Hall, and the Forging Hall. I myself am an elder in charge of the Teaching Hall."
Everyone listened intently, except for Xin Ci who was silently pondering, "If just a single elder in charge of a hall in the Four Symbols Academy possesses Heavenly Realm strength, then how powerful must the deans of the Four Academies and the heads of the Six Halls be?"
Elder Gong Ci continued, "The Three Pavilions are the Cultivation Technique Pavilion, the Treasure Pavilion, and the Skill Pavilion. The Cultivation Technique Pavilion is rather special, as the four main academies each have their unique cultivation techniques and martial skills, so there are a total of four Cultivation Technique Pavilions."
"The Two Gardens are the Spirit Beast Garden and the Spirit Herb Garden."
Following this, Elder Gong Ci briefly explained the functions of the Six Halls, Three Pavilions, and Two Gardens.
As they listened, some began to feel bored and sleepy.
Elder Gong Ci frowned. This happened every year, so he quickly concluded his explanation.
"In short, to become a student of the Four Symbols Academy, you must first choose a branch academy to join."
"Xin Ci, come forward first and choose the branch academy you wish to join."
"Yes."
Xin Ci stepped forward in response.
The people around him looked at him with envy, while Nalan Wuchang stared at Xin Ci with hatred.
Because that honor originally belonged to him, and only he was worthy of being first!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. A grudge formed in his heart towards Xin Ci, and he thought venomously, "Xin Ci, you wait! The Four Symbols Academy will be the beginning of your nightmare!"
As for Xin Ci, it didn't matter which academy he joined, as Elder Han would guide his cultivation anyway.
Therefore, he chose one casually. "I choose to join the Vermilion Bird Academy."
Hearing this, Elder Gong Ci's pupils dilated slightly.
He had expected Xin Ci to join the Azure Dragon Academy, as it was the strongest among the four branch academies.
However, since it was Xin Ci's own decision, he did not persuade him further. He handed Xin Ci a token engraved with the Vermilion Bird totem and a pill bottle, saying, "This is your student token and the Yellow Dragon Pill. Ten thousand academy points have also been credited to the token."
"As for the high-grade Spirit-tier martial skill, after you join the Vermilion Bird Academy, you may go to the Cultivation Technique Pavilion and select your technique by stating your name."
Xin Ci looked at the token in his hand. The blue glowing characters displayed '10000' and his name.
After cupping his fists in thanks, he returned to the group.
Once everyone had chosen their branch academy and received their tokens, the two senior brothers from the Azure Dragon Academy led them to their respective residences.
To Xin Ci's slight surprise, the chubby boy Luo Fei and the former prince Mo Qian had also chosen the Vermilion Bird Academy, and they were assigned to the same residence.
"From today onwards, you will live in this courtyard," the senior brother from the Azure Dragon Academy told them.
As he was leaving, he seemed to remember something he had forgotten to mention and turned back to add.
"Oh, right. There is also a senior disciple named Li Jianxing residing in this courtyard. Although I don't know much about him, I know he often practices swordplay in the courtyard. It's best if you don't disturb him."
After the warning, Xin Ci and the other two respectfully saw the senior brother off.
"Brother Mo, please wait."
Just as the former prince was about to enter the house, Xin Ci called out to him.
He slowly turned his head and said emotionlessly, "Something?"
"I want to know why you intentionally conceded in our match."
"It's very simple. I'm not your opponent, and you are not my opponent."
Mo Qian uttered a rather difficult-to-understand sentence and then walked inside alone.
"What's with that? Why is this former prince talking in riddles? What do you mean, 'you are not my opponent'?"
Luo Fei pouted unhappily.
"From now on, try not to call him 'former prince.' It's not a good title for him."
When Mo Qian said his opponent wasn't him just now, Xin Ci noticed a flicker of coldness in Mo Qian's eyes, faintly tinged with hatred.
"By the way, why did you also choose to join the Vermilion Bird Academy?" Xin Ci asked.
Luo Fei chuckled, his small, beady eyes almost disappearing. He rubbed Xin Ci's arm with a knowing expression.
"Brother, don't pretend. Didn't you also choose the Vermilion Bird Academy for the beautiful senior sisters? Why are you asking me?"
Xin Ci: "?"
"Ah, Brother, you don't know, do you? Among the four branch academies, the Vermilion Bird Academy has the most female students."
Luo Fei said in surprise when he saw Xin Ci's bewildered expression.
Alas, this little fatty was not only greedy for money but also lustful.
Xin Ci shook his head and walked inside.
"Hey, Brother, don't go yet! You haven't answered my question!" Luo Fei followed him.
Just as the senior brother from the Azure Dragon Academy had said, beneath a tree with yellowing leaves in the courtyard,
there stood a well-built senior disciple with sword-like eyes and prominent brows, practicing swordplay in a trance.
Even with three more people in the courtyard, Li Jianxing remained focused on swinging his sword at the air, ignoring them.
Mu Qingqing emerged from her consciousness space and looked at Li Jianxing practicing his sword under the tree.
She could vaguely sense a trace of sword intent from his movements. Although it was faint and weak, it was undeniably present.
"To be able to comprehend sword intent before the King Realm is extraordinary for this Li Jianxing!"
She exclaimed in her heart. The Four Symbols Academy was indeed a top institution in the Eastern Continent, and it seemed that the main personality, Xin Ci, still had a long way to go.
"Brother, he should be Senior Li Jianxing. From what I know, he's been a student at the Four Symbols Academy for five years, and his performance has always been mediocre. The senior brothers and sisters from his batch are already on the Heavenly Rankings."
"Heavenly Rankings?"
Luo Fei's intelligence indeed surprised Xin Ci. Having just entered the academy, he already knew about many students and this "Heavenly Rankings" thing.
Seeing that Xin Ci was unfamiliar with the Heavenly Rankings, Luo Fei quickly explained.
"Brother, to enhance the competitiveness of its students, the Four Symbols Academy has established two rankings: the Heaven and Earth lists. Each list has only one hundred slots, and it's incredibly difficult to get on them."
"Moreover, the lowest on the Earth list has reached the Profound Realm. As for the competition for the Heaven list, it's even more terrifying; almost everyone on it possesses Earth Realm strength."
Xin Ci couldn't help but marvel. The Four Symbols Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a top power in the Eastern Continent.
The Profound and Earth Realm experts, who were rarely seen in Yichuan City, were merely students here.
It seemed he had a long journey ahead. First and foremost, he had to find a way to establish himself at the Four Symbols Academy.
With his current strength alone, even a casual encounter with another student would be difficult for him to handle.
After settling into the residence, Xin Ci proceeded to the Cultivation Technique Pavilion.
He explained his situation to the elder guarding the pavilion and successfully entered.
According to the elder, the Cultivation Technique Pavilion had four floors, with high-grade Spirit-tier martial skills displayed on the second floor.