C61 Chosen 5

Su Hu's appearance wasn't exactly striking or particularly handsome, but there was something about his face that was simply pleasant to look at. His dark, arched eyebrows framed a pair of eyes that seemed to sparkle like rippling water. His nose was high and prominent, and his lips curled into a slight smile.

"Hey, Su," Tiange greeted with a polite nod and a slight smile.

Su Hu, in contrast to Tiange's reserved demeanor, casually draped an arm over Tiange's shoulder. "What's that idiot up to?"

Realizing that the "idiot" Su Hu referred to was Rong Qi, Tiange felt a bead of sweat form at the back of his head. "That's the instructor from the chess room."

"Oh..." Su Hu nodded as if he suddenly understood. "By the way, how about picking me later?"

"Sure," Tiange agreed without much hesitation, nodding.

Su Hu seemed a bit surprised but only paused for a moment. "I like how straightforward you are!"

As Su Hu walked off with his arm around Tiange's shoulder, disappearing through the academy's archway, Rong Qi stood there, his hand still frozen in mid-air. "What's that idiot up to?"

It was amusing how Rong Qi and Su Hu had such a similar impression of each other.

"I didn't notice anything," Lei Yi responded from the shadows.

By mid-morning, all twenty new students of the Martial Academy had gathered. On the stage, alongside the instructor Peng Shi, who had served as the examiner earlier, stood another figure.

Dressed in a black robe, the tall figure had a wooden hairpin securing his topknot, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

"My name is Feng Xuan, and you can call me Instructor Feng. Soon, Instructor Peng will take you to the library to choose your studies. But first, let's form groups. There are twenty new students, and you'll be divided into five groups. You have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to choose freely. If you can't decide, I'll assign you."

Grouping is mostly useful during training exercises. The stronger your group, the better your chances of success and survival in real combat.

As Feng Xuan finished speaking, the twenty new students below the stage immediately began looking around. With their lives potentially on the line, everyone wanted to team up with the strongest individuals. Xie Ruxuan almost immediately walked over to Gu Ruochen. "Brother Gu, let's team up!"

Xie Ruxuan was confident Gu Ruochen wouldn't refuse her because her father had spoken with the Huaiyin Marquis.

Meanwhile, Su Hu approached Feng Tiange. "We agreed, remember?"

Feng Tiange nodded in agreement.

On the field, several students from noble families gathered around Jun Wushang, hoping to make a good impression. To everyone's surprise, Jun Wushang stepped forward and approached Feng Tiange and Su Hu. "If I may, could I join you?"

The new students were stunned. With Jun Wushang's high exam scores, he was more than capable of leading his own group and didn't need to lower himself to ask Feng Tiange for a spot.

"No way!"

"Couldn't ask for more." Feng Tiange and Su Hu had two very different reactions.

Well, this was awkward.

"If you're not willing, you can leave," Feng Tiange said coolly, looking at Su Hu. She wanted Jun Wushang because Jun Mu wasn't from Beiming Yuan.

Su Hu just scoffed and stayed silent.

By this time, Hsiang Yan had already teamed up with three other students from humble backgrounds, forming the first group.

While everyone else hesitated, Gu Ruochen made a move.

His action drew everyone's attention.

No one expected Gu Ruochen to approach Feng Tiange. "May I have the honor of joining the three of you?"

"Impossible!" Su Hu objected. "Why make it a group of four? Two is enough!"

Feng Tiange hesitated. She was wary of Huaiyin Marquis, Gu Yu.

Gu Ruochen noticed the brief hesitation in Feng Tiange's eyes and turned away with a bitter smile.

"It's an honor that you would consider us, Gu," Feng Tiange finally said. She couldn't refuse someone as talented as Gu Ruochen.

All the new students were stunned. "This isn't fair! With those four together, what chance do the rest of us have? I don't agree with them forming a team!"

The protest came from Xie Ruxuan. There was no one left who could match Gu Ruochen's skill, and she was unwilling to accept it.

"Who are you?" Feng Xuan asked coldly from the stage.

Xie Ruxuan's innocence was almost endearing. She straightforwardly told Feng Xuan that she was the daughter of Xie Jin, the Secretary of the Ministry of War. Behind Feng Xuan, Peng Shi was at a loss for words to describe Xie Ruxuan's touching simplicity. Was he really asking who you were? Couldn't you detect the sarcasm?

"They're the top four in the Martial Academy exams. If they're together..." Peng Shi couldn't help but point out, as this had never happened before at the Academy.

"Why should others sacrifice their chance to become stronger just to give you a way out?" Feng Xuan ignored Peng Shi's words, looking coldly at Xie Ruxuan.

Xie Ruxuan felt uneasy under his intense gaze and stopped talking, pouting slightly.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the groups were set. Feng Tiange, Su Hu, Gu Ruochen, and Jun Wushang formed the first group, the most watched among the new students at the Academy. The second group, led by Hsiang Yan, consisted of students from humble backgrounds. Xie Ruxuan chose a few new students from prominent families for the third group. The remaining two groups were led by Li Xingke and Ye Qinghua.

Outside the Academy's library, Peng Shi explained the rules: everyone could choose one internal martial arts manual and two external martial arts techniques based on their abilities and preferences.

When Feng Tiange entered the library, she didn't choose an internal martial arts manual. She was certain that none of the manuals here could surpass the depth of the Grand Yin Scripture.

Because of this, she selected three sword manuals and hurried to the Wen Mansion. The mansion was divided into eight rooms, each dedicated to music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, and tea. At this moment, nineteen new students had already completed their forms, with only Feng Tiange remaining.

As she entered the main hall, all the new students looked up. Their gazes varied—some were filled with admiration and approval, while others harbored envy and disdain.

"Big sister..." Feng Xueyao, who had been bedridden for days, looked slightly pale. She waved at Feng Tiange, her smile full of goodwill and a hint of flattery. In public, she always played the role of the good younger sister or someone dependent on others.

In Feng Xueyao, Feng Tiange saw a reflection of Dugu Rou. In her past life, she had always tried to get close to Dugu Rou, attempting to erase the deep-seated insecurity within her, only to end up with a bitter outcome. This time, she didn't want to repeat the same mistakes.

Therefore, Feng Tiange didn't even glance at Feng Xueyao. She took a form from the instructor at the front and walked directly to sit beside Shangguan Jing, a woman as gentle as water, serene and elegant, as if nothing in the world could stir her heart.

"May I sit here?" Feng Tiange asked softly as she stopped beside Shangguan Jing.

Shangguan Jing looked up at the sound, offering a gentle smile. Feng Tiange sat down with a smile and quickly marked three lines on the form with her pen.

According to the rules, each new student at the academy can choose three rooms, and only three. Once Tiange made her selections, the instructor began collecting the forms. Nearby, Xueyao noticed Tiange sitting with Shangguan Jing, a hint of disappointment crossing her face.

"Why didn't your sister come over?" Siyan, seated to Xueyao's left, could clearly see the awkwardness and embarrassment on Xueyao's face after being turned down. Perhaps feeling a sense of shared experience, Siyan, though the legitimate daughter of a prestigious family, only gained that title after her mother was elevated following the death of the first wife. Before that, she often faced ridicule from her legitimate half-sisters.

Xueyao had intended to befriend Siyan, which is why she chose to sit with her. When asked, she forced a bitter smile and said, "It's fine." That simple "it's fine" carried so much unspoken meaning...

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