Chapter 73: The Beautiful Newcomer

Two days before registration, the academy was still rather quiet, but now it had suddenly become lively. On the campus paths, upperclasswomen, graceful and flirtatious, moved about, their laughter ringing and their postures alluring, making Shi Feng so excited he nearly wept. Ah, older women are the best, he thought. After a month of boredom at home that nearly drove him to despair, he felt as if he had finally emerged from suffering, filled with the urge to shout and vent his relief.

And when the stallion brother was roused, he always liked to act immediately. Shi Feng cupped his hands into a makeshift megaphone, dashed forward, and bellowed skyward, “Beauties of Blue Emperor Academy, your top man Shi Feng has arrived—spread your legs and wait for me!”

Luo Chen, knowing his friend’s personality, immediately sensed trouble when he saw Shi Feng’s exuberant, rooster-in-heat demeanor, but it was already too late to stop him.

In an instant, the nearby crowd fell silent. People turned to stare at Shi Feng with astonishment, even Luo Chen found himself implicated by association.

Under the barrage of incredulous, angry, or contemptuous gazes, Luo Chen felt utterly mortified.

“My apologies, truly, I’m so sorry,” Luo Chen stammered, pointing to his own head by way of explanation. “My friend here, he’s… you know.”

At that, the others’ looks turned to sympathy, though many were puzzled—could the admissions tutors at Blue Emperor Academy really be letting just anyone in, even those with questionable minds?

On the first day of term, as was customary, the new students had to gather in their classrooms. Each year at Blue Emperor Academy, there were fifteen classes per grade, each with nearly eighty students, including two honors classes. All those who made it here were already the elite from their respective basic martial academies, and the honors classes comprised the very best, either directly recommended or those with the highest graduation exam scores.

Luo Chen’s case was unique; he was the only one among the recommended freshmen not placed in the honors class, as his abilities were not yet on par with the top students. Shi Feng, unsurprisingly, was assigned to the second honors class, while Luo Chen found himself in Class Three—a standard class—conveniently next to Shi Feng’s classroom. The class order from three to fifteen didn’t reflect academic ranking or any particular meaning.

Though it was a standard class, Luo Chen noticed his classmates were all rather proud; they’d all been standouts at their previous academies. None had a spirit energy level below four—most were mid-to-high level fours, and a few had even reached level five—yet they’d still been sorted into the regular class. Such was the caliber of students at Blue Emperor Academy.

Luo Chen chose a seat at random and listened to the idle conversations: names, which basic academies people were from, and so on. Not long after, several individuals who looked like tutors entered, and the classroom immediately quieted.

A man, about fifty, short and rotund as a ball, with no visible neck and a comical figure, took the podium. He cleared his throat and began, “Good day, students. I am Porter, your homeroom tutor for Class Three. On behalf of all the tutors, I welcome you to Blue Emperor Academy.”

Here Porter paused, saying nothing further, simply gazing at the students, who looked at each other, uncertain what was expected. Only when the other tutors began to clap did the students realize and hurriedly joined in.

Satisfied, Porter smiled and continued, “Here, you will spend three unforgettable and meaningful years. I hope that each of you, upon leaving Blue Emperor Academy, will become pillars of Canglan Continent and the entire Eternal Union!”

He paused again, and this time the students needed no prompting; applause broke out immediately. The homeroom tutor was certainly an interesting character, clearly fond of recognition—every few sentences, he’d stop for applause. Still, he seemed amiable enough, not the harsh, sour type.

After the obligatory opening address for new students, Porter introduced the other tutors, then said, “Today is your first day; formal training begins tomorrow. For now, get to know each other. I hope you’ll encourage one another and make progress together in the next three years. In the afternoon, I’ll take you all to familiarize yourselves with the academy’s trial grounds.”

After the tutors left, the students resumed their discussions. Luo Chen decided to try making a few new friends himself, and was just starting a conversation when someone suddenly exclaimed, “Look! Gorgeous girls! They must be new students like us!”

In the dreary routine of academy life, beautiful female students were a rare source of joy for the boys. At this age, the boys were all in the throes of adolescence, hormones raging, and nothing caught their interest like a pretty face. Nearly all the boys rushed out, leaving behind a group of girls who looked rather forlorn.

It wasn’t entirely the boys’ fault; after all, the girls in their class were underwhelming in terms of looks. The classes were divided based on academic achievement, not appearance, and their class seemed to have drawn the short straw—barely a girl present could be considered attractive. For the boys, this was a blow to their enthusiasm for study; had there been a beauty among them, they’d have worked twice as hard just for a chance to impress her.

Luo Chen considered for a moment, then joined the crowd outside—there was no point resisting the current. If he stayed behind, he’d seem aloof and apart from his peers. He too wanted to blend in.

The so-called “beauty effect” was not to be underestimated; the corridor outside quickly became packed. The boys’ exclamations rang out:

“Wow, not just one beauty!”

“Yeah, and all of them are absolutely stunning. None of the campus queens at my old school could compare!”

“I saw them coming from Class One—they must be from the honors class. So beautiful and so strong. Who could possibly win their hearts?”

“Who cares! Just being able to spend three years at the same academy as such gorgeous girls is enough to make me feel blessed!”

Luo Chen stretched on tiptoe and finally caught sight of the fabled beauties—and was stunned.

One had blue hair, the other red, and their faces and bearing were unmistakable—it was Ellie and Joanna. He hadn’t expected the two of them to be so popular wherever they went.

Faced with so many admiring stares, Ellie and Joanna showed not the slightest embarrassment, having long since grown used to such attention back at Weston Academy.

Joanna curled her lip and said, “Lily, men are all the same everywhere—just as lecherous as ever!”

Ellie quickly chided her, “Alright, not so loud.”

Joanna snorted, “Am I wrong? Look at them, each one more like a rutting rooster than the last. Disgusting.” She let her gaze sweep challengingly over the crowd, then suddenly stopped. “Huh? Luo Chen?”

Without caring about the onlookers, Joanna strode right over. “Hey, you’re in Class Three?”

Immediately, all eyes turned to Luo Chen, every boy amazed—what was this unremarkable guy’s story, to be approached like this by a beauty?

Luo Chen smiled, “Yep. You and Ellie are in Class One, I suppose?”

Ellie came forward as well. “How about it, Luo Chen—did you get much out of this vacation?”

“It was alright, but I’m still way behind you two. I’ll have to work harder.”

Seeing it wasn’t the place for conversation, Joanna took Ellie’s arm. “Alright, Lily, let’s go. We’ll talk later.”

After the two girls left, the boys of Class Three returned to the classroom, abuzz with speculation—their topic, naturally, Luo Chen. Thanks to Joanna’s words, everyone was guessing at his background.

Besides Luo Chen, there were one or two others from Weston Academy in Class Three, and they privately shared his story—the misdeeds during his internship, the intervention of Tutor Andrew, how Ellie became his tutor, and Joanna’s self-nomination.

To abandon one’s companions in battle against a beast was a disgrace anywhere on the continent; as a result, Luo Chen now found himself the subject of scornful and disdainful looks. The few students he’d just started to befriend began to distance themselves.

Luo Chen sighed. He realized that, during his three years at Blue Emperor Academy, making new friends might be a challenge he could never overcome.