Tu Xiao’an looked ahead. In the plaza, a massive white Crystal Stone stood amidst the crowd, occasionally emitting a dazzling light.

A young man walked over, stood beside the white Crystal Stone, and placed his hand on it.

"Feng Fengyi, Rank One Seventh Stage, Power Martial Cultivator."

The white Crystal Stone directly manifested the man’s data.

"Wow, so strong... This guy will definitely make it into an upper-tier class."

A stir went through the crowd, and many people started discussing it. Although being a Power Martial Cultivator was considered ordinary, it was still very impressive for a new student to already be at Rank One Seventh Stage.

’So that Crystal Stone can measure a person’s cultivation level. It seems pretty magical.’

Tu Xiao’an mused to himself, ’Can this thing measure my strength?’ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He cast his Conscious Insight on the young man. Level 17, which was Rank One Seventh Stage here.

He was a bit worried now. This Crystal Stone was clearly something special; he wondered if it would expose his identity as a Snake Spirit.

If he was exposed, things would get ugly. He probably wouldn’t be able to stay at the Ancient Academy.

"Sir," Lin Fan said suddenly after a moment of thought, "the strength measurement isn’t just for placing people in the upper, middle, and lower classes. There’s another one that surpasses them all: the Super Genius Class."

"The Super Genius Class?" Tu Xiao’an was slightly taken aback. "Tell me more."

"Everyone in the Super Genius Class is a monster. You need to be at least Rank Two, and that’s just the first, minor requirement. Your Awakened Ability is also extremely crucial. Anyone who gets into the Super Genius Class is destined to be one of the future’s brightest stars."

"Currently, across the entire Ancient Academy, regardless of when they enrolled, the Super Genius Class is capped at fifty people. When your strength is measured and you qualify, you still have to challenge the weakest member inside. Only if you win can you get in."

Tu Xiao’an showed a look of interest. "So you’re saying this Genius Class always has only fifty people, right? The weak are weeded out, and the strong get in."

"Are you in it?" Tu Xiao’an asked, looking at Lin Fan.

’Actually, after Lin Fan merges with his pet Rat Spirit, his strength is quite impressive. In terms of level, he’s at Rank Two Fifth Stage.’

"I was eligible to challenge the fiftieth member of the Genius Class, but unfortunately, I failed my challenge last year," Lin Fan said, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Tu Xiao’an looked surprised. Lin Fan couldn’t even defeat the fiftieth-ranked person in the Genius Class. ’Looks like it really is a *Super* Genius Class.’

’Everyone inside must have terrifying strength, or perhaps terrifying Superpowers.’

"Sir, with your strength, getting into the Genius Class will be absolutely no problem," Lin Fan said, extremely confident in him.

’His Elemental Ability was able to trap me in an Ice Seal with a single move, even after I had merged with my spirit. He’s a monster among monsters.’

Tu Xiao’an hadn’t really come to the Ancient Academy to cultivate. Firstly, it was to protect Dongfang Yuan’s safety. Secondly, he was a little interested in what lay at the bottom of the Ancient Academy’s lake.

He really wanted to know if there was truly a Rank Three Demon Spirit being suppressed beneath the lake.

Also, what was the deal with that flute music?

"I hear you’re very strong. Get into the Genius Class. I’ll be waiting for you."

Suddenly, a chilling voice abruptly entered Tu Xiao’an’s mind.

’Someone’s using voice transmission on me?’

’Who is it?!’

Being incredibly perceptive, Tu Xiao’an’s bewitching gaze instantly snapped in a certain direction. He saw a strikingly handsome young man with sharp brows and star-like eyes standing under a lush tree at the edge of the plaza. The man was dressed in white, revealing his strong, bronze skin, and he exuded a terrifying aura. Chewing on a blade of grass, he watched Tu Xiao’an with a devilish charm.

The voice had come from him.

’I don’t think I know this person.’

"Who are you?"

Tu Xiao’an’s voice appeared in the other man’s mind as well.

The bronze-skinned man smiled. Suddenly, his figure flickered like a phantom, and in less than three breaths, he appeared in the middle of the plaza right in front of Tu Xiao’an.

His Ghost-like appearance gave Lin Fan and Dongfang Yuan a huge fright.

When Lin Fan saw the bronze-skinned man, his expression changed drastically. He stumbled back three steps, a clear sign of his inner shock.

"You stole my Snake King Stone, yet you don’t know who I am. Isn’t that a little ridiculous?" he said leisurely, his tone casual and unrestrained.

"The Young Master of the Bai Family... Bai Junran..." Lin Fan shrieked.

’Snake King Stone? Bai Junran?’

Tu Xiao’an understood in an instant. It was someone from the Bai Family again. This one, however, was finally someone extraordinary. His aura was intense, like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Tu Xiao’an was certain this was the strongest human Martial Cultivator he had met since coming to Wencheng.

He was even stronger than Leng Shuang, the Level 29 Frost Martial Cultivator and team leader from the Demon Management Bureau.

He was extremely close to becoming a Rank Three Creature, with one foot already over the threshold.

Tu Xiao’an was very perceptive. Even if this man wasn’t a Rank Three Creature, his combat power was likely even more terrifying than one.

The moment he appeared, a powerful pressure bore down on Tu Xiao’an like Five Finger Mountain, rendering him immobile as the space around them began to fluctuate violently.

"Get back, get back..."

Lin Fan shouted, immediately yanking Dongfang Yuan away. Any later and the fatty would have been severely injured. The man’s powerful aura was not something an un-Awakened person like him could withstand.

"So the Snake King Stone was yours," Tu Xiao’an said as the realization dawned on him. As he spoke, his eyes narrowed. With a jolt, a wave of Qi erupted from his body, shattering the other man’s pressure.

Bai Junran remained perfectly still. Seeing this, he actually smiled—a cold smile that twisted into a savage grin.

"You dare to resist?"

In that instant, a terrifying and immense aura shot toward the sky. Bai Junran’s body suddenly erupted with a mass of cyan light, which enveloped him like flickering flames.

The clothes on his upper body disintegrated in a flash, the shredded fabric drifting down like dust and revealing his bronze skin. At the same time, the cyan light crashed toward Tu Xiao’an with overwhelming force.

Space itself seemed to shatter layer by layer.

A sharp glint flashed in Tu Xiao’an’s eyes as a deep blue aura erupted from his body. It coalesced into its own power, and an armor of sculpted ice suddenly enveloped him, blocking the force of the incoming cyan light.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The space around them boomed with massive explosions. Gale-force winds began to sweep out wantonly, sending many bystanders flying.

"What’s going on..."

The sky seemed about to collapse, and a suffocating pressure washed over the entire plaza. The massive commotion attracted all the new students on the small plaza who were preparing to have their strength measured. They stared in horror at the two young men in the distance. The two were evenly matched, and the power fluctuations they radiated were simply unbelievable.

"Oh no, it’s Bai Junran from the Super Genius Class!"

"I heard he’s infinitely close to becoming a Rank Three Creature! He’s one of the top five masters in the Genius Class and one of the absolute Peak students at the Ancient Academy."

Many people instantly recognized the shirtless Bai Junran with his bronze skin. The explosive cyan light radiating from his body was enough to make one mistake him for a God.

But who was the other one?

He was actually able to stand up to Bai Junran, and it seemed like he wasn’t at a disadvantage at all.

Many people turned to look at Tu Xiao’an with even greater astonishment.