Chapter 41: Ten Great Beauties

“This… this is Grade A aptitude!”“Oh my god, how many Grade A aptitudes does our academy even have?”“Forget our academy; even nationwide, Grade A aptitudes are incredibly rare!”

Everyone around them exclaimed in surprise. The testing instructor also changed his previously cold demeanor, smiling broadly as he inquired about the young man’s information. It was just how the world worked: if you were strong enough, minor moral blemishes didn't matter. Moreover, what had just happened was merely one person’s account; no one truly knew the actual truth.

Hong Xingying stepped down from the platform, beaming with satisfaction and enjoying the shocked and envious gazes of those around him. He felt as refreshed as if he had eaten ice-cold watermelon on a scorching summer day. At the same time, he secretly regretted his past choices. If he had known this, why had he toiled like a slave for the Chu family all those years? No matter how well he performed, Miss Chu would only treat him as a servant. If he had joined the academy earlier, he might now be qualified to stand as an equal with Miss Chu.

This thought fueled his resentment toward the person who had seemingly gained an advantage. He walked directly up to Zu An, his expression indifferent, and said, “Now do you understand the difference between us?”Rage value from Hong Xingying: 66!Zu An was somewhat puzzled. He thought Hong Xingying should be basking in his satisfaction, so why was he still generating rage value? Was this guy’s emotional state unstable?

“Next, Zu An!”Hearing the instructor’s call, Zu An walked over. The instructor pushed the crystal ball toward him and said with a rather cold expression, “A man should defeat his opponents with his own strength. There’s no future in just tattling.”

“Who’s the most powerful person in your academy?” Zu An asked with a smile.The instructor was taken aback, then subconsciously replied, “That would be the Principal, of course.”Zu An immediately asked again, “Then what would you do if the Principal slapped you twice for no reason?”“I…” The instructor choked. “How could the Principal, a person of her stature, do such a thing? If it truly happened, there must be a reason for it.”Zu An curled his lip. “If I were you, I would definitely report it to her superiors. If you don’t even dare to tattle, what kind of future do you have?”Rage value from Ni Dian: 233!

“Calm down, calm down!” Another instructor nearby, suppressing a laugh, pulled his colleague aside. Only then did he turn to Zu An and say, “Ahem, enough chatter, hurry up and take the test!”Zu An then dripped his blood onto the crystal ball. Up close, he noticed some fine, almost imperceptible lines on its surface, likely inscribed with some kind of magic array.

“What kind of aptitude could this guy possibly have?” Hong Xingying scoffed inwardly, but he still couldn’t help but crane his neck to look.“Holy cow, I’m blind!”Gasps and shouts erupted, and people around them covered their eyes.The crystal ball had transformed into something like a miniature sun, emitting an incredibly dazzling and blinding light. And to the naked eye, the intensity of the light was still increasing.Then, with a loud *bang*, the crystal ball shattered. The blinding light vanished, leaving only black, smoking residue on the table.

“What… what just happened?”“Was that Grade A, superior?”“Impossible, even a superior Grade A aptitude wouldn’t make the crystal ball explode.”“Then… could it be the legendary Super Class?”“Super Class is just a legend. Has anyone seen it in hundreds of years?”

A graceful figure passing by in the distance paused, a subtle, beautiful curve appearing on her lips. “This Chu family son-in-law by marriage… he’s quite interesting.”The instructors at the academy were still discussing animatedly. Zu An stepped off the platform and walked over to Hong Xingying. “Now do you understand the difference between us?”Rage value from Hong Xingying: 999!

Hong Xingying’s hands and feet turned cold. His eyes held a mixture of bewilderment, anger, and shame. He couldn’t fathom why things had turned out this way. It was supposed to be his moment of stunning performance, yet in the end, he had become nothing more than a foil for this person he had always looked down upon. Why was the world so unfair to him?!

Zu An cupped his hands and bowed to those around him, saying, “Please excuse me, everyone, please excuse me.” The smug look on his face was like that of a street performer after a successful act.“Rage value from Wei Suo: 66!”“Rage value from Ma Zhu: 66!”“From…”Watching the continuous stream of income in his system, Zu An suddenly thought that having such a large group of “lovely” classmates constantly providing rage value might make attending school a rather good idea.

Just as he was brimming with self-satisfaction, a faint voice suddenly piped up, “Young Master Zu, when the master tested your aptitude last time, wasn’t it only Grade D, inferior?”Zu An turned around to see Cheng Shoubing staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, filled with confusion and guilelessness.This clueless idiot… Zu An once again marveled that this guy had managed to survive until now; it was a miracle!

Hearing Cheng Shoubing’s words, Hong Xingying latched onto them like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. He burst into laughter. “I remember now, I remember! He was tested before, and his aptitude was indeed Grade D, inferior…”He then proceeded to reveal Zu An’s identity and his usual reputation in painstaking detail.“So he’s that useless son-in-law from the Chu family?”“Not ‘son-in-law,’ he’s a live-in son-in-law!”“How could someone like Miss Chu possibly fancy him?”“Maybe he has some… special talents?”A group of men exchanged knowing, lewd smiles.

Some women also began to whisper amongst themselves:“He actually looks quite handsome, not as bad as the rumors say.”“Of course! Otherwise, why would Chu Chuyan have picked him?”“What good is it for Chu Chuyan to be so capable and powerful if she’s stuck marrying a useless husband like him?”“Hehehe…”

The testing instructors had clearly heard the rumors about the Chu family’s son-in-law. Instructor Ni Dian sneered, “I knew it! It seems the testing crystal ball was faulty. Since the Duke himself personally tested him before, there’s no way that could be wrong. Zu An, Grade D, inferior aptitude. Go to the Yellow Class.”The academy was divided into three grades, and each grade had four classes—Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow—assigned based on aptitude. Someone like Hong Xingying would naturally be in the Heaven Class. The previous student with Grade B aptitude was also in the Heaven Class. Wei Suo, who had a mid-Grade D aptitude earlier, was now, like Zu An, unfortunate enough to be assigned to the Yellow Class.

Another instructor was about to say something when his ears twitched. He glanced toward the beautiful figure in the distant woods, nodded subtly, and said nothing further. The matter was thus settled.Zu An had been fretting about his aptitude being exposed and his inability to continue his low-profile existence. Now that they had reached this conclusion, he was naturally happy to accept it and didn’t bother to argue.

“A crow is still a crow; it can’t become a phoenix just by perching on a branch,” Hong Xingying sneered as he approached Zu An, then turned and walked away, as if another word with Zu An would lower his own standing.Zu An, relieved of one worry, couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He simply told Cheng Shoubing, “I’m in school now. You can go back.”“Young Master Zu, did I say something wrong just now?” Cheng Shoubing asked, feeling a bit uncertain.Zu An smiled and patted his shoulder. “No, no, you said exactly what I wanted to hear.”Cheng Shoubing immediately beamed with joy. “Young Master Zu, you’re so kind to me.”Zu An immediately pushed him away. “Talk properly. Don’t be so overly fawning anymore.”

Just then, a staff member came to escort them into the academy. On the way, the staff member reminded them, “There are magic arrays operating around the school. Although they are primarily to prevent external invasion, you should not wander around freely, lest you trigger an array and encounter danger.”Zu An clicked his tongue inwardly. Fortunately, he hadn't officially entered the school grounds yesterday, otherwise he would have triggered countless arrays by now. He wondered what kind of magic arrays existed in this world. Were they perhaps like the formations arranged by Huang Yaoshi, the Eastern Heretic, on Peach Blossom Island?

“How dangerous would it be?” Zu An asked tentatively.“You’ll find out,” the staff member replied with a faint, knowing smile, as if he had seen through Zu An’s thoughts.

Next, they walked past a large open space that resembled a school playground from his previous life. However, what caught his attention more was a group of young men squatting in a row on the ground.“Squat properly! Let’s see if you dare to be late again!” a middle-aged man snarled, holding a ruler and glaring fiercely at the youths on the ground.

The middle-aged man was balding at the crown, a typical “Mediterranean” style. Yet, he stubbornly combed the hair from the sides across his bald spot, though unfortunately, there wasn’t much hair on either side, making his scalp clearly visible through the sparse strands in the middle.As if sensing his gaze, the middle-aged man turned his head and glared at Zu An. “What are you looking at?!”

Oh, my temper!Zu An immediately bristled, about to retort, when the young man named Wei Suo quickly pulled his sleeve. “You absolutely must not offend him!”

Zu An was startled and couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Is he powerful?”Wei Suo lowered his voice. “That’s Lu De, our school’s Disciplinary Director, nicknamed ‘Bright Peak.’ He’s extremely strict with students. Did you see the disciplinary ruler he uses to hit students?”“I did.” Zu An had noticed a student wailing from being hit with the ruler, and subconsciously replied.“The character ‘De’ (Virtue) is carved onto that ruler. So when he punishes students, he claims to be ‘subduing people with virtue.’ Getting hit by that thing hurts even more than the Chu family’s Second Miss’s ‘Wailing Whip.’ He’s not like the gatekeeper instructor; he holds a lot of power. You absolutely must not provoke him,” Wei Suo warned.

“What era is this? They still practice corporal punishment?” Zu An grumbled incessantly. “Doesn’t anyone intervene?”“Quiet, quiet!” Wei Suo, scared, quickly clapped a hand over Zu An’s mouth. “Aside from the Principal, he’s the most powerful person in the school. Who dares to challenge a formidable sixth-grade expert like him? Besides, there are many cultivators in the academy, and they’re all arrogant and prone to causing trouble. He’s needed as a powerful figure to keep them in line, and the authorities tacitly approve of this.”

Zu An nodded, then suddenly asked curiously, “Aren’t you a new student too? How do you know all this so clearly? You even know about the Chu family’s Second Miss’s ‘Wailing Whip’?”“Of course! One must gather information before coming, you know,” Wei Suo replied smugly, as if sensing admiration in Zu An’s eyes. His desire to show off instantly surged, and he nudged Zu An’s shoulder. “Do you know about the top ten beauties in our academy’s ‘Beauties’ Register’?”