Chapter Two: First-Class Talent

Stepping out the main gate, Yang Fan entered the waiting area.

This was where the teenagers and their parents gathered. Alone, burdened with luggage, Yang Fan stood out strikingly, as conspicuous as a crane among chickens.

"Look, why did that guy bring his luggage to the aptitude test?"

"Who knows? Maybe he was traveling and just happened to catch the testing time?"

"Come on, he could've left his luggage at a hotel if he was a tourist. No need to drag it here!"

"Alright, stop talking about him. Let's worry about ourselves. Who knows if we'll pass."

"Sigh, I'm just too nervous, so I wanted to change the subject. But now you've brought it right back."

After a flurry of whispered conversations, the boys and girls once again wore anxious, furrowed brows.

Yang Fan paid them no mind. He simply dragged his suitcase to an empty spot and sat down.

He'd just begun to rest when a discussion nearby caught his interest.

"If you guys have the aptitude, which cultivation academy would you apply for?" a boy asked, his face alight with excitement that outshone his nervousness.

"I want to go to the Capital Cultivation Academy. It's the oldest, and the quality of its instructors is no joke—absolutely the best among all the academies. I've heard practitioners from SkyNet sometimes lecture there. That's SkyNet! Plus, the Capital has one of the relic entrances."

A poised girl, her eyes shining, replied while watching staff coming and going.

"Yeah, the Capital Cultivation Academy really is the best. But their admissions are strict—you either have to be an Awakened, or have an aptitude of Grade Four or above. Otherwise, there's little hope," said the boy, his yearning quickly giving way to disappointment. The Capital Academy's standards were just too high.

"It's true, the Capital is strict. I don't even consider it. Even if you qualify, you’d just be another face in the crowd. That place is filled with geniuses—if you don’t have some special skill, you won’t stand out. And without that, you won’t get enough resources," another boy added.

"I'd rather go to the Magic City Cultivation Academy. Their teaching is on par with the Capital’s. Plus, their headmaster is a Grade Ten Martial Sovereign, ranked about ten places higher than the Capital’s headmaster on the Heavenly Ranking," came an excited voice from a burly young man nearby. At the mention of the Magic City’s headmaster, his face shone with worship, as if he’d glimpsed a living legend.

"Enough with the daydreams," came a disdainful voice from the corner. "The Capital, the Magic City—do you really think you can just waltz into those schools? Everyone knows they’re the best, but admission requirements are there for a reason. The Capital only takes talents with Grade Four or higher aptitude. Same for the Magic City. Not just anyone can get in."

"Exactly. Those academies aren't easy to enter, and having a Grade Four aptitude is rare enough, plus the slots are limited. People all over the country want in. Let’s be realistic—our province’s Borderland Cultivation Academy isn’t bad either. It’s a prestigious school, half military, and I’ve heard they send students on missions to guard the borders and keep out foreign practitioners," someone else chimed in. Magic City and Capital weren’t for everyone; everyone had their own ambitions—none better or worse than the others.

"Right, the Borderland Cultivation Academy is decent. I think the Chuanlin Provincial Academy is good too. I heard their headmaster advanced to Grade Nine Martial King two months ago and made it onto the Heavenly Ranking. Getting on the list right after advancing, that's impressive," said a boy behind Yang Fan, voice full of youthful longing that matched the mood of most present.

Sitting near the front, Yang Fan listened to the discussions behind him, piecing together which cultivation academies were the most renowned, though his understanding was still incomplete.

"It seems I'll need to research these academies in detail later. It's unsettling to know so little," Yang Fan thought. He resolved to learn more, but for now, his priority was to wait for his aptitude results.

After a while, a staff member approached, holding a list.

"Zhang Yang, Grade Six aptitude," the staff announced. A boy immediately cheered and leapt up.

As the staff continued reading names, cries of joy rang out.

"Yes! I have aptitude! I can't believe it!"

"Alright, those whose names are called and who have aptitude, line up over there. Someone will brief you on the basics," the staffer said, gesturing toward an isolated area to the right, where other successful candidates were already being instructed.

"Quiet, please. Next, Wang Jiao, Grade Six aptitude." The girl named Wang Jiao burst into tears of joy.

"Zhang Honghua, Grade Five aptitude."

"Liu Jiannan, Grade Eight aptitude."

"Wang Zhe, Grade Seven aptitude."

"Guo Yuhang, Grade Eight aptitude."

"Ouyang Xiaona... Grade Three... Grade Three aptitude."

At the announcement of Ouyang Xiaona's Grade Three aptitude, gasps and exclamations filled the air. Even the staff member gave her an extra glance.

"Did you hear that? Grade Three! A genius! I never thought I'd see one in person. With that, she’s guaranteed a place at the Capital or Magic City academies. As far as I know, even there, Grade Threes aren't all that common," came the excited whispers, with Ouyang Xiaona at the center of attention.

"Yeah, a Grade Three genius will be welcomed anywhere, and the resources they'll get are different too. I heard that in those academies, there are Upper Three Grades and Lower Five Grades. Aptitude Grades One, Two, and Three are the Upper Three; Four through Eight are the Lower Five. The difference in resources is night and day. For the Upper Three, the academy fully provides resources through the Bone Tempering stage. For the Lower Five, especially after Grade Four, you're mostly on your own or relying on your family. To get more, you have to complete academy missions," another explained.

The crowd’s heated discussion revealed much that interested Yang Fan—information he desperately needed. There were eight levels of aptitude: Grade One being the highest, Grade Eight the lowest. The stronger the aptitude, the better the academy treatment.

He muttered under his breath, "I hope... I really hope I have the aptitude. Best if it's one of the Upper Three."

Young people are always full of dreams. Learning that different aptitudes led to such different treatment, how could he not imagine himself among the favored?

"Upper Three? Come off it. In a place like this, having even one Upper Three in a few years is already a miracle, and you’re still dreaming?" sneered a boy beside him, cheeks reddening with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Hearing his private hopes scorned so bluntly, Yang Fan turned to see who'd spoken. The boy wore his hair neatly combed, his clothes standing out with recognizable branded logos, even if Yang Fan didn't know brands, he knew those marks.

A donkey-branded backpack stood upright at the boy's feet.

His voice was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, and they all glared at him, outraged by his arrogance.

He just rolled his eyes. "What? Not convinced? A small town is a small town. If I hadn't missed my flight and had to transfer here, I wouldn't be stuck testing in your backwater. You people wouldn't even be worthy to hear me speak!"

Yang Fan sprang to his feet, glaring. This was too much. Whatever the reason, there was no need to insult others like this.

At that moment, the staff called out again, "Huo Tian, Grade... Two aptitude!"

The boy next to Yang Fan jumped up, eyes alight, and glanced at Yang Fan with a smirk.

"Hear that? Grade Two. You’ll never see me again in this life! Angry? Did I strike a nerve? That’s right. Country bumpkins dreaming of transformation? Don’t make me laugh!" With that, he grabbed his donkey-branded bag and strode off.

Yang Fan stood frozen, eyes reddening, unable to summon a single retort. He felt utterly humiliated.

He watched the boy leave, then collapsed back onto his seat, drained.

"Yang Fan, Grade One aptitude," the staff announced as if making a proclamation.

The waiting area erupted. Grade One—the highest possible aptitude—in this remote little city?

"Grade One? Who? Who’s Yang Fan? My god, I have to meet this legend! I’m only Grade Six, and there’s someone here with Grade One!"

"Yeah, who is it? Master, please accept me! I’m Grade Five, please take me as your follower!"

"Grade One, in our little city? Even in the Capital and Magic City academies, Grade One isn’t guaranteed every year. Last year, there wasn’t a single Grade One nationwide!"

Yang Fan was overwhelmed. Just moments ago, he’d been humiliated and written off as hopeless. How long had it been? A few seconds, a minute at most? He’d just turned the tables—in the donkey-bag boy’s own words, this was a true transformation!

He stood, and instantly every gaze in the hall fixed on him.

The donkey-bag boy, about to leave, glanced back. When he saw Yang Fan rising, his face twisted, as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of mustard.

Yang Fan, ignoring the envious, admiring, and sycophantic voices swirling around him, rushed down the steps, his only thought to catch up with the donkey-bag boy and see his expression up close.

Seeing Yang Fan approach, the boy panicked.

When Yang Fan stood before him, the boy's face still hadn't recovered.

Yang Fan stared hard at him, as if trying to sear that face into his memory.

"What are you looking at?" the boy said uncomfortably. The turnaround had come too fast—he wanted nothing more than to disappear.

"Nothing much. Just wanted to tell you: even a golden phoenix can rise from the weeds; even a true dragon can leap from a shallow stream. Don’t look down on people from small towns."

With that, Yang Fan strode past him, luggage in tow, leaving the other boy standing there, stunned and disheveled in the wind.