[My Immortal Diary]

Early the next morning, all the new students gathered at the massive martial training grounds. Roughly 500 students were present, creating a chaotic scene as groups of friends clumped together, chatting non-stop.

This behavior seemed quite normal, and no instructors came out to maintain order.

Su Hao, along with Little Fatty and He Qingqing, stood together silently, curiously observing the chaotic crowd around them, patiently waiting without speaking.

Soon, a new development unfolded. Eight people dressed in matching uniforms stepped onto a platform at the front of the training grounds. These eight—five men and three women—seemed to be instructors. Each one exuded a strong, commanding aura that instantly caught the attention of the students, and the noisy grounds gradually quieted down.

"Clap∼ ! Clap∼ ! Clap∼! " A round of applause broke the silence, drawing everyone's gaze.

A middle-aged man with graying hair, wearing a cloud-patterned white robe, walked up in front of the eight instructors, clapping as he went. Seeing that he had captured everyone's attention, the middle-aged man began to speak, "Welcome to Lingyun Warriors Academy!"

His voice was low and raspy, not particularly loud, but somehow, every person present heard him clearly.

"I am Xiao Jixuan, the head of Lingyun Warriors Academy."

"Boom~"

As soon as Xiao Jixuan introduced himself, the crowd of students erupted in excitement.

"That's Headmaster Xiao Jixuan!"

"Oh my gosh, it's my first time seeing him in person, he's so cool!"

"No wonder he's one of the top three powerhouses in Lingyun Town. Just look at him—you can tell he's incredibly strong!"

"He's so handsome! He's my idol!"

...:

Xiao Jixuan remained unfazed by the outburst, waiting for the noise to die down before continuing, "You are all promising young talents of the human race, and the future of our people. It is my honor to see you here today. Thank you for choosing Lingyun Warrior Academy, and thank you for joining us."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Our people stand strong in this world through our wisdom and the legacies we pass down from generation to generation. Warriors academies are the most important of these legacies. Here, you will embark on the path of Warriors, gaining strength to resist the invasions of other races, expanding the territories of our people, and fighting for the eternal survival of humanity."

The students' hearts swelled with excitement.

"Here, besides martial arts training, you will also learn a variety of knowledge to enrich your understanding of the world. You will speak with virtue, act with wisdom, measure your words, and conduct yourself with grace, making your soul noble."

"Practicing martial arts will grant you great power and rid your heart of cowardice. Learning will quietly wipe away your ignorance and superficiality."

....

"With that, I wish you all success in your studies at Lingyun Warrior Academy. May you achieve your goals."

After finishing his speech, Xiao Jixuan smiled and left the platform. The students below immediately started buzzing with excitement, their faces flushed with enthusiasm.

Seeing Little Fatty and He Qingqing's excited expressions, Su Hao couldn't help but sigh in exasperation, "That speech deserves a 99 out of 100 for brainwashing."

Moments later, a muscular man wearing a cloud-patterned yellow robe stepped onto the platform. His expression was cold, as if everyone owed him money. The students could feel an inexplicable chill emanating from him, and the crowd quickly fell silent, cautiously watching this new instructor.

The man soon spoke, "Remember this, my name is Jin Datong. Do as I say, and you'll benefit. If not, you will be expelled."

From within the crowd, a student named Jin Xiaohan covered her face, whispering, "Third Brother, Big Brother is so embarrassing."

Jin Dayan's cold expression flickered with a hint of red as he awkwardly muttered, "What are you talking about? He's your Big Brother."

Meanwhile, Mo Xin's face was filled with admiration. "So cool! Dayan's Bro is so cool!"

Jin Datong continued, "You kids think you've successfully enrolled? Dream on! Let me tell you, your behavior this morning pissed me off. So, I've decided on the spot that some of you will be expelled from Lingyun Warrior Academy. You'll go back to wherever you came from!"

The crowd was shocked. What? There was still an elimination round? Panic spread, and the students became restless again.

Next to Su Hao, Little Fatty grabbed his arm, clearly anxious. "Xiangwu, did you hear that? He's going to expel people! We're not officially enrolled yet! What do we do? What if I get expelled?"

He Qingqing also looked at Su Hao, her face full of concern, hoping he would reassure her that she would pass.

Su Hao comforted them, "Don't worry. We'll take it as it comes."

Jin Datong smirked coldly and continued, "See the eight instructors behind me? Each instructor will only take 50 students, which means there are only 400 spots. But there are 518 of you here. In other words..."

He enunciated each word slowly, "We're going to expel 118 people."

"Boom~"

The crowd exploded once again.

This time, the panic was even worse. Many of the young students, with little life experience, were on the verge of tears, their faces filled with worry and helplessness.

Little Fatty, now fully panicking, tugged on Su Hao's sleeve. "Xiangwu, what do we do? What if we get expelled?"

Su Hao sighed, "If you get eliminated, we'll head back to Chashan Outpost."

"No way! That's too embarrassing! If I go back like that, I'll be laughed at."

"Then do your best to stay here!"

"Xiangwu, you've got to help me!"

Su Hao nodded. "I'll help however I can."

Little Fatty and He Qingqing both breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Datong spoke again, "Now, everyone listen to me. If you don't follow my instructions, you'll be expelled."

At this moment, someone jumped out of the crowd, pointing at Jin Datong and shouting, "Why should we listen to you? Who says you can just eliminate us? I paid the fees and I have the academy token!"

Jin Datong nodded and said, "Very well. Congratulations on being the first one expelled. Hand over your academy token and throw him out."

As soon as Jin Datong finished speaking, a man in a black, cloud-patterned robe stepped in from outside the training grounds, grabbing the eliminated student and hauling him away.

No matter how much the kid kicked and screamed, it was useless.

It was only then that Su Hao noticed more than ten black-robed men surrounding the training grounds.

"They're serious about this!" Su Hao muttered to himself, suddenly becoming more focused. If he didn't get enrolled, his gold coin would be wasted.

Jin Datong sneered, "Anyone else unhappy with this? Speak up now, don't waste everyone's time."

After waiting a moment and seeing no one respond, he continued, "Next, everyone will run 20 laps around the training grounds. I'll randomly eliminate those I don't like! And for the one who finishes first, there'll be a reward—depending on my mood. That's all!"

The students looked at each other, but none of them started running immediately.

Jin Xiaohan covered her face again, muttering, "So embarrassing, so embarrassing!"

Jin Dayan turned his face away in shame.

"Start running already!" Jin Datong suddenly roared, his demeanor turning ferocious. "I'm counting to three. Anyone not running will be kicked out!"

"Three!"

The group of roughly ten-year-olds snapped out of their daze and began running, albeit sluggishly.

Su Hao, along with Little Fatty and He Qingqing, blended into the crowd and started running as well.

He noted what Jin Datong had said about eliminating those he didn't like during the run, but Su Hao wasn't sure what Jin Datong's criteria were. For now, he decided to play it safe and gather more information before making any moves.

He believed that Jin Datong wouldn't be arbitrary and that there had to be some standard for selecting suitable students.

The purpose of the run, after all, was likely to weed out unqualified candidates.