The afternoon sun burned high over the stone arena of Vermillion Sword Hall. The last and most heated round of the entrance exam had begun. This time, only candidates in the seventh to ninth level of the Physical Body realm were allowed to compete. Unlike the previous two phases, no one was eliminated halfway.
They fought until their limbs ached and their robes stuck to their backs with sweat. Dust exploded under heavy footfalls. Those at this stage were very resilient. For two full hours, no one quit, and since they weren't using real weapons, no one was badly injured either, making it an endurance test.
The determination of level 7-9 candidates created a tension that even the audience held their breath for.
When the bell rang to signal the end, not a single contestant had fallen out of the ring.
"Now, this is the result I've been looking for in the entrance exam." Instructor Chi said, stepping onto the field excitedly: "No one dropped out during this round, so I'll have to judge based on performance."
The announcement was met with muffled groans from the exhausted children sprawled across the arena.
Back on the spectator platform, Li Jain clapped slowly as the crowd dispersed: "You all did well."
He ruffled Li Zhang's hair with approval before glancing at the dark-haired boy who had fought alongside him.
"That kid who won first place in your division is no joke." Li Jain said thoughtfully, "He has good skills and fights with excellent instinct. He is someone to watch out for."
The moment those words left Li Jain's mouth, Li Zhang's expression soured.
"Father," he muttered: "He was just standing too close and all the other applicants were targeting him. I would've also done the same."
"Oh?" Li Jain raised an eyebrow: "Even so, he's not bad."
Li Zhang turned away with a scowl, cheeks puffed in irritation. He didn't mind sharing his father's praise with his brothers, but anyone else was too much. He would accept no competition for attention.
"What are you pouting for? The boy really outshines you out there, what a pity…" Li Cheng sneered
"It's none of your business. Just worry about your own exam."
They left the field and made their way to the registration hall. Instructor Zhuang personally escorted them, chatting idly on the way.
"I saw how your children performed today," he said. "Truly impressive. Especially Li Yuhan. I can already tell he'll become a formidable cultivator."
Li Jain smiled but said nothing.
"By the way," Zhuang added, "I couldn't help but notice you brought seven children. Are the others also registering with us?"
"No," Li Jain replied lightly: "Two are already enrolled in Azure Cloud Academy. The last two are on their way to Moonstone Scholars' Institute."
Instructor Zhuang raised his brows: "Truly a pity. If they all entered Vermillion Sword Hall, their unity alone would be unbeatable. Not to mention, we offer a flexible combat curriculum and some of the best martial instructors."
Li Jian shook his head: "Thank you for the offer, but they've made their own choices. I won't override that."
Instructor Zhuang didn't press the matter further.
🪷🪷🪷
At the front desk, the registrar looked up with a professional smile: "Enrollment for three students?" She asked, setting out the entry documents.
"Yes." Li Jain nodded.
She handed over three neatly stacked forms and began to explain the costs.
"The first semester costs 10,000 high-grade spirit stones per student. Including optional extracurriculars, and spirit resource access, the full total is 15,000 each."
"That would be Forty-five thousand?" Li Jain calculated the cost and repeated.
He reached into his sleeve, pulled out a silver storage bag, and placed it on the counter. The weight alone made a loud thud against the wood.
The staff member blinked: "You're paying now?"
"Is that a problem?" Li Jain asked plainly.
The staff member thought he was going to reconsider and was ready to bargain. Unexpectedly, the man took out such a huge amount of high-grade spirit at once, which caught her off guard.
"Ah-no, not at all!" She laughed awkwardly: "It's just... most people pay huge sums with banknotes."
"Banknotes?" Li Jian tilted his head: "What do you mean?"
The staff blinked again: "Well… it's more convenient. You deposit your spirit stones into a vault, and they issue bank notes. Banknotes are accepted by more establishments throughout the continent."
Li Jain thought for a moment and asked: "So it's like a spirit stone receipt?"
"Exactly!" The staff member said with relief. She didn't know how else to explain it.
"I see… I didn't know that." Li Jain admitted calmly.
Immediately, murmurs swept through the room:
"He doesn't know about bank notes?"
"Is he a hermit? But… he's so wealthy…"
Li Yujian stood nearby with his face in his palm.
Why didn't I explain that to him earlier? He thought regretfully. I didn't think it would come up…
"I'll go to the bank tomorrow." Li Jain said with a faint smile: "For now, I'll hold onto this."
He retrieved the storage bag and placed it back into his spatial ring.
After the paperwork was completed, the registrar gave instructions for the next step: "You'll need to visit the tailor next door for uniform fittings." She said,
Li Jain thanked her, then turned to his sons: "Come along."
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The tailor shop was clean and brightly lit. A warm herbal scent filled the air. A middle-aged woman in a blue cheongsam dress stood behind the counter, her tape measure looped around her shoulders.
"Oh my," She said with a chuckle when they entered: "All three are yours?"
"All seven." Li Jian replied casually.
The woman's eyes widened: "Heavens. You and your wife must be very blessed."
"I'm raising them myself." He answered without hesitation.
The woman's eyes softened: "You're admirable. Not many men take responsibility like that these days. Children are blessings, but raising them with virtue and care that's something else entirely."
As she measured each child, she explained: "Every student receives three sets of robes per semester. It's included in the fees."
"Only three?" Li Jian frowned. "That won't last five months."
The woman looked at him with a surprised smile: "They're made of spirit thread linen. They're very durable."
"Still," Li Jian said, glancing at his sons: "Boys this age grow too fast and fall too often."
He bought several extra bolts of cloth: "I'll craft a few spare sets myself." He added.
The woman was once again impressed: "You sew too?"
"I'm not that good." Li Jain replied modestly.
After chatting for a while, the children were all measured, and their uniforms were set for pickup the next day.
"Good luck to you and your boys." The tailor said as they departed.
Li Jain nodded polity: "Thank you for your work."
They're now heading to the last Academy…
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By the time they arrived at Moonstone Scholars' Institute, the sky was already glowing orange. Unlike the strict and martial atmosphere of the previous schools, Moonstone's campus was calm. Stones carved with literature lined the garden paths, and a light mist hung over the koi pond.
They were received by the same instructor as during the initial tour.
"Welcome." The instructor greeted, politely: "We've prepared the exam hall. If you're ready, I'll take the applicants for the exam."
Li Cheng and Li Juanxin followed him. The other children and their father waited on the veranda as their two brothers followed the instructor through an arched door.
Inside, the process was simple. First bone age, then root examination, and finally aptitude.
Ten minutes later, both children returned. Li Zhang immediately asked: "Well? How'd it go?"
"I… don't know," Li Cheng replied uncertainly.
Juanxin looked a little anxious: "We didn't get the results yet."
Yujian patted his head: "Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, Father will take care of it."
Li Jian knelt beside his youngest son and smoothed his hair. "You did your best. I'm sure you'll get a good result like the rest of us."
After waiting for another ten minutes; The instructor returned with a scroll and a pleased expression.
"We've completed the evaluation," he said: "Both children have been accepted."
Juanxin's shoulders dropped with relief and he smiled at his order brother.
"Li Cheng has a Heavenly-grade single mutated Lightning root," the instructor continued: "Very rare, his control is excellent, and his spirit circuits are already partially refined."
Li Cheng blinked, unsure how to respond. Li Zhang let out a low whistle. Although Li Cheng wasn't encouraging after his match, he was still happy for him and cheered him on."
"As for Li Juanxin," the instructor said with a smile: "He possesses a Superior Earth-grade single Light root. He's the only Superior Earth-grade light root in the entire continent. Combined with his healing aptitude, it's an ideal fit for our curriculum."
Juanxin's mouth parted slightly in surprise.
"As per policy, Moonstone accepts primarily single-root students. Dual roots are only accepted if aptitude compensates. These two meet and exceed the minimum by far."
The group nodded proudly.
"The first year is broad study," the instructor explained: "Students take all courses to establish foundation. Specialization begins in year two."
Li Jian nodded: "Understood." He reached for his ring, then stopped: "I'll return tomorrow with the bank notes, if that's ok with you." he said.
The instructor didn't object. "That's acceptable. The total is 36,000 high-grade spirit stones."
The sun dipped low as they exited the academy.
🪷🪷🪷
By the time they reached home, the streets were dark and the gate was lit by lanterns. But what caught their attention wasn't the light.
It was the crowd at the entrance of their residence.
Zhou Lifen stood at the gate, arms crossed. He bowed when he saw them.
"What happened?" Li Jian asked.
"A woman arrived this afternoon," Zhou Lifen replied flatly. "She claims to be your wife—and the mother of your children. She says she came from the capital."
Li Jian's face didn't change, but his eyes cooled slightly.
The children all stiffened.
Jingxuan clutched his father's sleeve and whispered: "...It won't be our mother, right?"
Jingsheng and Jingxuan didn't respond but their fists were already clenched
If you look closely, you see that all seven children were very nervous. It was obvious that none of the children have good impression of their mothers'
Li Jian stepped through the gate: "Let's welcome the guest."
Unlike the children, Li Jain has no impression of their moms. All he knows from the memory is that all seven children were born to three women. As for their faces, they were all blurry.