Chapter 117: Vice Dean Su Xin

As time passed, the number of new students in the massive hall grew, and the noise of the crowd surged.

On the tiered, circular viewing stands, the leaders of the various top factions in the Great Xia Kingdom began to appear one after another, which served to show the transcendent status of the Astral Sage College; all factions held it in a degree of awe.

Especially as a chime of bells and drums rang out, several figures were seen emerging from the top-most circular stand, surrounded by an entourage, drawing much attention.

Among them was a beautiful woman wearing a bright red robe; on the red robe, stars flickered, and in the center of the stars, moonlight bloomed.

The beautiful woman’s expression was gentle, giving people a sense of approachability.

"That is Vice Dean Su Xin of the Astral Sage College; it seems she is presiding over the Mentor Selection Tournament this time," some voices emerged among the new students.

Li Luo looked at the beautiful woman in the red robe; the feeling she gave him was like a vast ocean—beneath her gentleness lay a sense of boundless, majestic power.

It is said that the vice deans of the Astral Sage College are all selected from the ranks of Purple-Grade Mentors; clearly, this beautiful woman also possessed the strength of the Marquis Realm, and was a top-tier one at that.

Beside Vice Dean Su Xin was a child wearing golden robes; the child looked to be only seven or eight years old, with a delicate and handsome face, fair skin, and large, dark eyes that exuded a sense of spirit.

The dragon patterns embroidered on his golden robes revealed his identity; he was clearly the current master of the Great Xia Royal Court.

"The little Emperor I saw at the Golden Dragon Bank?" Li Luo looked at the child; his appearance was somewhat different from that day, clearly having altered his looks last time.

Beside the little Emperor was a tall, graceful figure; that figure wore a white palace dress, her dark hair coiled into a phoenix bun, adorned with a dangling golden hairpin that swayed with an elegant arc, her entire being radiating an aura of nobility.

Her appearance was also extremely beautiful—a high, delicate nose, long, narrow eyes, and skin like snow; of course, what was most shocking was the fullness of her chest, the magnificent, surging arc of which made Li Luo secretly sigh that he had finally seen a woman who could rival Cai Wei.

However, the two women had completely different temperaments: one was charming, while the other was noble mixed with majesty.

"It’s the current King, and the Eldest Princess!"

"The Eldest Princess is still a student in the Four-Star Academy of our Astral Sage College, and she also manages the Enforcement Team, so don't cause trouble in the college later, or no one will be able to save you," some whispers arose.

After admiring the Eldest Princess, Li Luo turned his gaze to the last person—a tall, sturdy middle-aged man whose aura was thick and deep like an abyss, giving one a sense of unpredictability; he merely stood there, yet in terms of presence, he even exceeded Vice Dean Su Xin slightly.

Li Luo stared at this highly majestic middle-aged man, yet in his heart, he knew his identity.

This person should be the most powerful man in the Great Xia Kingdom today: the Regent, Gong Yuan.

As the four appeared, countless people in the giant hall bowed to them; in this Astral Sage College, kneeling was not practiced, and even if the master of the Royal Court came here, they were merely a visitor.

The four nodded to the crowd, the little Emperor, the Eldest Princess, and the Regent each took their seats, while Vice Dean Su Xin came to the front of the stand.

"Fellow new students, on behalf of the Astral Sage College, I welcome you to this ancient institution."

Vice Dean Su Xin’s soft voice brushed against people's hearts like flowing water, causing the noise in the giant hall to gradually settle, and everyone’s state of mind became peaceful.

Li Luo also noticed this change and was immediately shocked; this Vice Dean Su Xin was truly unfathomable, as mere words could influence the transformation of one's state of mind.

The usually dull and boring welcome speech, in the mouth of this Vice Dean Su Xin, was soothing to the heart, making one listen quietly.

"Next, we will begin the most important Mentor Selection Tournament for new students; this tournament will determine your future mentors at the Astral Sage College, which will be of vital importance to you."

When Vice Dean Su Xin mentioned the Mentor Selection Tournament, everyone became focused, not daring to miss a single word, because they all understood the importance of this tournament.

"When the Mentor Selection Tournament begins in a moment, the teleportation arrays beneath your feet will be activated, and you will be sent into a specific area; in this area, there exist many spirit beasts of varying levels, and these spirit beasts will carry silver talismans or gold talismans."

"Silver talismans correspond to Silver-Grade Mentors, and gold talismans correspond to Gold-Grade Mentors; defeat the spirit beasts and obtain any one of these talismans, and you will be assigned to the corresponding mentor thereafter."

"However, besides this, if you can complete certain tasks, you may also obtain gold or silver talismans; as for how the tasks are issued, you will know once the Mentor Selection Tournament begins."

"Of course, some might ask, what about the Purple-Grade Mentors?"

Vice Dean Su Xin smiled slightly and said, "Purple-Grade Mentors do not have corresponding talismans, because they will observe the performance of all students in the Mentor Selection Tournament; if they feel you have the potential, they will naturally grant you the qualification themselves."

Whoosh!

The hall was in an uproar, with many students whispering to each other; some students with a clear understanding of their own strength shook their heads in regret. Everyone knew that the Purple-Grade Mentors of the Astral Sage College were all Marquis Realm powerhouses; if one could study under them, the guidance and cultivation resources they would receive would exceed those of other students, but clearly, being noticed by a Purple-Grade Mentor was not an easy matter.

Li Luo also frowned slightly; this so-called "performance" was really quite vague.

Vice Dean Su Xin said a few more rules and finally encouraged them, "In ten minutes, the Mentor Selection Tournament will begin; students, please prepare yourselves."

Having said this, she said no more and turned to take her seat.

"Vice Dean Su Xin, I heard that five Purple-Grade Mentors are selecting students this time?" The Eldest Princess asked Vice Dean Su Xin with an intimate smile.

Vice Dean Su Xin nodded and smiled, "I wonder which little ones will be noticed by them."

"The quality of this year's new students is quite high; the one from the Grand General’s Mansion will surely cause the five Purple-Grade Mentors to compete for them," the Eldest Princess said.

"An upper eighth-grade resonance is rare in any year of new students; it is inevitable that they will be fought over."

As the two spoke, the Regent on the side smiled slightly and said with some emotion, "Compared to the excellence of the students, it is the foundation of the Astral Sage College that is even more astonishing; the strength of the Marquis Realm is enough to establish a sect or clan in Great Xia, yet they are willing to stay in the Astral Sage College as mentors—this is truly enviable."

Vice Dean Su Xin smiled, "The Royal Court governs the hundred counties of Great Xia, and its strength and foundation are also not to be underestimated; the Regent is too modest."

"I dare not compare, I dare not compare," the Regent said with a chuckle.

While they were talking, the sound of bells and drums suddenly rang out in the giant hall; everyone’s expression tightened, and then they saw brilliant light emerging from the floor of the hall.

Circles of light appeared, covering all the students.

A strong light appeared before Li Luo’s eyes; before he could adapt, he felt the world spinning.

The Mentor Selection Tournament had begun.

(The public WeChat account is posting a picture of Lu Qinger today; everyone can go take a look.)