Ling Yichen wordlessly passed the pack of sugar-coated roasted chestnuts to Ling Chuxi. Ling Chuxi put Little White on her shoulders, then quickly took the pack from Ling Yichen and began to peel the chestnuts. Just as she was about to pop the one she had finished peeling into her mouth, a fair and slender hand reached out and snatched it away.
“Hey!” cried Ling Chuxi angrily. She whipped her head around to glare at the person who dared steal her food away from her, only to see Mu Liufeng casually toss the chestnut he had stolen into his mouth.
“You’re such a disrespectful person!” barked Ling Chuxi in annoyance at Mu Liufeng. She had to denounce his bad behavior despite him being her master. That was her chestnut that she had laboriously peeled with her own two hands!
“You wicked disciple! If your master partakes in your food, that means he is seeing you as someone worthy of sharing meals with,” retorted Mu Liufeng candidly. Needless to say, he didn’t feel that snatching away his own disciple’s food was something to be ashamed of.
“Teacher Mu,” greeted Ling Yichen respectfully. He had naturally guessed at the identity of the chestnut-stealing man who stood before him and Ling Chuxi. Mu Liufeng was a name he had heard spoken in many a discussion before, but this was his first time seeing the man behind the name in person. At first impression, there didn’t seem to be anything remarkable about him aside from his set of very charming eyes.
“Hmm,” snorted Mu Liufeng by way of recognizing Ling Yichen’s greeting. For Mu Liufeng, this was considered a courteous response.
“Do you have any advice for the upcoming training, master?” questioned Ling Chuxi as she peeled a chestnut. She popped the chestnut into her mouth the second she finished peeling it, fearful of Mu Liufeng stealing it away again.
“Nope,” replied Mu Liufeng offhandedly. After a giving Ling Chuxi’s question more of a brief thought, he added, “If you die then you deserve it.”
Ling Chuxi’s lips twitched. What kind of master was this?!
“I have other matters to attend to, so, later.” Mu Liufeng threw out a cavalier goodbye before floating away. Literally. Even up to this point, Ling Chuxi had yet to deduce his level of cultivation.
Once Mu Liufeng was well out of earshot, Ling Chuxi muttered under her breath, “Tell me, Yichen. With such an awful personality, how is it that he still has an admirer?”
“Because he’s very powerful,” answered Ling Yichen succinctly and practically.
Upon hearing Ling Yichen’s words, Ling Chuxi lowered her head and remained silent for some time. When she raised her head again, her gaze was sharpened by determination.
Indeed, that’s how things were here. Only the strong are respected!
…
It was only during the training three days later that all newly accepted students realized they were facing White Stone Academy’s real admissions test. The ones who were able to persevere through the training would be truly accepted students of White Stone Academy!
This time, the training was held at the White Stone Canyon ten miles from White Stone City.
Ling Chuxi and Ling Yichen stood together in a group of two. What surprised Ling Chuxi was that all participating students were required to sign a death indemnity. The terms listed in the indemnity were easy enough to understand—participation in the training was deemed voluntary and that one would be held responsible for one’s own life and death!
That clause alone had scared off quite a number of new students. Many thought passing the innate talent assessment and entrance examination meant they had nothing more to worry about. Never did they think the real examination came after and that it would be so dangerous! However, Ling Chuxi saw it differently. She admired White Stone Academy for organizing such a training because it tested the valor and tenacity of students. One would not make it far along the road of cultivation without possessing such qualities.
Those who refused to sign the death indemnity would have no place as students at White Stone Academy.
Ling Chuxi and Ling Yichen signed the death indemnity without a word. When they looked around, they saw that some of the students around them were afraid to sign and withdrew their participation instead. Aside from the few dropouts, there were still many students who were willing to sign and participate.
The teacher in charge of the training this time was the academy’s vice principal. He took a look at the number of students who decided to participate and nodded his head in satisfaction. The turnout was rather large this year. Hopefully, many of them would pass the training and be able to properly enroll at White Stone Academy.
In order to pass the training, students just had to meet one requirement—they had to pass through White Stone Canyon and reach the other side of it within seven days and nights.