Because Wen Jiayin couldn’t recognize all the characters, Xinyun used that as an excuse to delay sending her disciple to the academy for several days.
It was only after the sect leader’s repeated urging that she had no choice but to hand her over to her senior brother.
The first time Wen Jiayin climbed onto the back of the white crane, she was especially curious, touching and poking everything.
Xinyun secured the spiritual power belt on Wen Jiayin to keep her from falling off halfway.
“Don’t worry, Master.
Mantou will take me to the academy, so you don’t have to worry.” Mantou was the name Wen Jiayin gave to the crane she was riding.
Her nickname was Rice Cake, and the crane was called Mantou—didn’t that sound harmonious?
“Don’t get distracted on the way.
Be careful not to fall out of the sky, and come back early after class.” Even though she knew Wen Jiayin was well-behaved and not like those mischievous kids, Xinyun still reminded her over and over.
“Got it, Master! See you!” Wen Jiayin waved, and the crane let out a cry before spreading its wings and soaring into the blue sky.
Because of her experiences with school in her previous life, Wen Jiayin had a kind of inexplicable reverence for academies.
So even though Xinyun told her she could go a bit later, she still arrived an hour early.
The Jing Dao Sect’s academy was mainly for disciples who hadn’t yet taken a master.
Here, disciples above the Golden Core stage from all the peaks except Lingjian Peak would teach the new kids the basics.
Otherwise, the path of cultivation was already mysterious enough—without a guiding teacher, kids with weaker talent would have a hard time even getting started.
As for why disciples like Wen Jiayin, who already had a master, were also required to attend the academy for a while, that was because of the current sect leader’s policy.
After taking over as sect leader, he found that the rift between inner and outer sect disciples had grown huge.
Many of the prodigies were putting themselves on a pedestal, and a massive gap had formed between the direct disciples and the regular ones.
If this continued, it would harm the sect’s harmony and unity, so he came up with this idea: have all the kids build friendships as classmates from a young age.
It also let the direct disciples systematically learn some basic knowledge about the cultivation world, since their masters often didn’t cover everything.
As a result, when these disciples went out to train, they were often treated like fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered—rich but clueless…
This method did have some effect in the days that followed, but it had both good and bad sides.
The good was that the direct disciples really did start mingling with the regular ones.
The bad was obvious too—like that kid who, at such a young age, was already as slick as a seasoned office worker.
This wasn’t an isolated case, and if it kept up, it would definitely cause big trouble.
But for now, that big trouble hadn’t brewed yet.
However, a new problem was already flying toward the academy on a crane—the real headache for the sect leader was about to begin.
The crane landed steadily at the academy entrance.
There were already two or three kids there.
When they saw the crane descend from the sky, their eyes filled with curiosity and envy.
This must be another elder’s disciple, right? Otherwise, who else would arrive on a crane? But this face looked unfamiliar—they’d been in class for days and had never seen her before.
Wen Jiayin undid the spiritual power belt that protected her and jumped off Mantou’s back.
“Thank you! Here’s your reward.” Wen Jiayin took out two small silver fish from her storage pouch and fed them to Mantou.
These were the crane’s favorite snacks.
After getting her treat, Mantou let out two long cries to show her happiness.
“Go play for a while.
Come pick me up when it’s time.” Wen Jiayin patted Mantou’s wing.
Mantou stretched out her neck and nuzzled Wen Jiayin’s cheek, almost messing up the hair Xinyun had just combed for her that morning.
“Alright, alright, be good, don’t mess around.” Wen Jiayin was tickled by Mantou and had to laugh as she pushed her head away.
With a soft cry, Mantou finally flew away from the academy.
Wen Jiayin tidied her hair, then turned and walked into her classroom.
The kids inside stared at the new classmate without blinking, making Wen Jiayin feel a bit awkward.
There were lots of desks in the classroom, all empty, with nothing on them to show if they were taken.
But based on her past life’s experience, kids usually picked their seats in the first few days of school.
If you accidentally sat in someone else’s spot, who knew what kind of fuss they’d make.
“Hi, sorry to bother you, but which seats are unoccupied?” Wen Jiayin approached the three kids huddled together, thinking her tone and expression were polite and friendly enough.
But the three of them still looked really nervous.
“I-I don’t know.
There are lots of seats.
I haven’t paid attention.
Sorry…” The girl who spoke looked like she was about to cry.
“Sorry, I don’t know either.
The seats in front are all taken, and I never looked back during class…” This girl didn’t look as close to tears as the first, but she was still really nervous.
Am I… some kind of villain? Wen Jiayin was baffled by their reactions.
“Oh, but there’s one seat that’s definitely empty! That one.” The last kid, a chubby boy who seemed a bit slow, pointed straight at the third row from the back.
“Thanks!” Wen Jiayin thanked him and walked over to the seat.
“Oh no, Fatty, how could you mention that seat?” The first girl, now with red-rimmed eyes, said, “Zhi Chang’an is already pitiful enough…”
“Don’t say that.” The second girl tugged on the first girl’s sleeve.
“I-I really only know that seat is empty, I didn’t know…” The chubby boy looked genuinely clueless, and when he realized he might have done something wrong, he just bit his finger in confusion.
Wen Jiayin sat down and propped her chin up, looking around.
Ever since she arrived, those three kids had been unusually silent.
Wasn’t this her first time at the academy? Why were they so scared of her? Weird…
As time passed, more and more kids came in.
Sitting in the back row, Wen Jiayin didn’t attract any attention from the newcomers, so the classroom atmosphere became much livelier.
After a while, Wen Jiayin suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Then a big group of kids rushed in, and in the middle of the crowd was a familiar face—the little princess Chu Mingqi, who’d been the noisiest on the immortal boat.
As a direct disciple of a peak master, it wasn’t surprising that everyone wanted to cozy up to her.
Class was about to start, and just as Wen Jiayin thought the seat next to her would stay empty, a slightly disheveled figure darted over and sat down beside her.
Before Wen Jiayin could be startled, the girl next to her was so scared she fell to the floor.
There was a loud “thud,” but in the noisy classroom, no one really noticed.
“It’s you!” Wen Jiayin’s eyes lit up.
Wasn’t this the little half-demon she’d found in the bushes?
“You ran off so fast last time.
I even called my master over, but we couldn’t find you.
Did those brats catch you? I brought Fasting Pills today—do you want some?”
The half-demon girl kept her head down, picked up her stool, and sat in silence, completely ignoring Wen Jiayin.
But Wen Jiayin noticed she had a lot of new wounds on her face that hadn’t been there before.
Well, guess that answers the first question.
Those brats were really annoying.
Who’d have thought there’d be school bullying even in the cultivation world? Wen Jiayin frowned, about to say something, when suddenly there was a loud “bang” as someone slapped her desk.
A shadow loomed over her, and Wen Jiayin looked up to see a face that was still childish.
“Who said you could sit here!”
Well, another familiar face—wasn’t this the brat who’d thrown a talisman in her face on the immortal boat?
“Someone sits here?” Wen Jiayin glanced at the trembling half-demon beside her, who didn’t dare speak, so she looked back at the brat with the sour face.
“No one sits here, but I don’t allow you to sit here!”
Wow, that’s a real bratty thing to say.
“If no one sits here, why can’t I?” Wen Jiayin thought for a second, then added, “Who are you, anyway? Why should I listen to you?”
Wen Jiayin genuinely wanted to know who she was, but to the brat, it sounded like a provocation, and her face instantly turned furious.
The whole classroom went dead silent.
Some of the more survival-minded kids were already clinging to the windows, ready to run.
Two Qi Refining cultivators fighting—regular kids couldn’t handle that.
