At this moment.
Xu Lingjun finally saw the faces of the two people opposite him clearly.
The woman was quite pretty, but at that moment, she was knocked down to the ground by Xu Lingjun. She was lying on her side, covering her full hips with her hand and showing a pained expression, looking quite pitiful.
The man accompanying her appeared worried, his hands hesitating to help her up, as if he was concerned about something, and ultimately turned his worry into an angry question.
He shouted at Xu Lingjun, "Kid, are you blind when you walk?"
Xu Lingjun did not respond.
He was already captivated by the strange attire of the two people.
From the outside, these two people seemed much older than him, likely around the same age as Wang Qingya. The woman wore a green button-up skirt, while the man wore a dark blue long gown, both wearing black ancient boots, with their long hair casually tied at the back, making them look identical to ancient people, as if they had traveled through time.
In this modern society, it was indeed strange to see such attire, but not unheard of.
Sect members!
These two were sect disciples?
Weird.
The sects had always been aloof, even the people from the Four Great Martial Mansions were not held in high regard by them, so why would they come to a place like Qingzhou City, where even birds do not frequent?
Thinking about it, Xu Lingjun instinctively reached out to help the woman, apologizing, "Sorry, I was in too much of a hurry and didn't notice earlier. I accidentally bumped into this... cough... lady, are you okay..."
"I'm fine."
The woman's gaze swept over Xu Lingjun's face, then again, and again, she unintentionally caught sight of his face, even forgetting the ground beneath her feet.
That's why he bumped into her so hard that she accidentally fell.
However, this young man is so polite, he even reached out to help me...
What a bother, don't you know the difference between men and women?
Thinking this, her pretty face turned slightly red, her right hand raised slightly, wanting to grasp Xu Lingjun's hand.
But her fellow disciple directly blocked her in front, shouting, "Take your filthy hand away, what are you trying to do to my senior sister?"
Xu Lingjun awkwardly withdrew his hand and apologized, "I'm really sorry, I was in a hurry to get to school and didn't see this lady, I hope you can forgive me."
"It's... it's fine."
The woman stared blankly at Xu Lingjun's retracted hand, suddenly feeling that the junior brother she used to regard highly was now incredibly annoying.
She gave him a fierce glare, leaving her junior brother utterly confused.
Finally, she stood up, gently patted the dust off her body, and softly smiled, "Although I'm wearing ancient clothes, this is just a sect custom. We use such behavior to honor our ancestors, you don't have to talk to me in that tone. My surname is Ji, I am called Roufeng, from the Sun and Moon Bright Sect, twenty-two years old this year. What's your name? Do you have parents at home, any siblings?"
"I'm just a student from this high school."
Xu Lingjun looked down at his phone and said, "Sorry, I'm about to be late... Miss Ji, if you're okay, I need to get to class quickly, goodbye."
With that, he turned and hurriedly ran off.
Ji Roufeng stared blankly at Xu Lingjun's departing back...
"Why is this kid so rude?"
Junior brother Zhang Ziqian complained unhappily, "Senior sister, you asked for his name, and he didn't answer. He already guessed our identity, yet still so impolite... really... humph..."
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Ji Roufeng glared fiercely at her junior brother, who usually had some sense, and angrily said, "Are you treating him so poorly because he's good-looking?"
Zhang Ziqian was silent for a moment, then asked, "Senior sister, are you treating him so well because he's good-looking?"
"Nonsense, am I so superficial?"
Ji Roufeng's pretty face turned slightly red, she patted the dust off her body, and said, "Let's go, focusing on important matters."
With that, the senior sister and junior brother walked towards Qingyang High School together.
Meanwhile…
Xu Lingjun had already made it to class just as the bell rang, entering under the adoring gazes of all the girls in the class.
"Old Xu, how come you look different from the last time I saw you? How did you get so much whiter?"
Guo Zheng approached, scrutinizing Xu Lingjun's face for a while, and said in surprise, "Don't tell me it's true that you work out with Teacher Wang? But just now in the office, Teacher Wang's complexion didn't change, could it be that you alone replenished your Yang?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Xu Lingjun glared at him and said, "That's my half-sister."
"Sister Qing?"
"Haven't I already explained our relationship to you?"
Xu Lingjun put his books into the desk drawer and asked, "By the way, I just saw two sect disciples at the school gate, do you know about it?"
Guo Zheng, the son of the principal and the school board chairman, the undisputed richest second generation at Qingyang High School, was someone who knew everything. If you wanted to know anything, just ask him.
"Is it the Sun and Moon Bright Sect?"
Guo Zheng sneered twice and said, "My father invited them, and he paid a big price to bribe the Sun and Moon Bright Sect. These two are representing the Sun and Moon Bright Sect to recruit disciples at Qingyang High School."
"Skipping the Dragon Gate Examination and joining a sect directly?"
Xu Lingjun was suddenly stunned.
The sects, organizations operating outside the Empire, if the Four Great Martial Mansions represent the richest and most extensive knowledge of human civilization, directly responsible to the Great Xia Empire...
Then the sects are the strongest representation of individual power.
Joining a sect, in a sense, was even brighter than the future of the Four Great Martial Mansions.
Personal guidance, matching martial skills and cultivation techniques, along with abundant heavenly materials and earthly treasures and equipment.
In the Martial Mansions, you still have to provide for yourself, but in the sects, they equip you with everything... the only requirement is loyalty, loyalty only to the sect, not to the nation.
Once you join a sect, you will be marked with the sect's brand for life and can never betray it until death.
The leaders of each sect are figures that even the Great Xia Empire's Emperor cannot ignore.
"Focus on preparing for class, this has nothing to do with us. Why suffer a lifetime being someone else's slave when I could be happily living as a rich second generation?"
Guo Zheng spread his hands and smiled, "I've got it all planned out. After you enter a desirable academy with the Dragon Gate Examination, I'll use my dad's connections to stay behind for another year. When you leave, I'll be the campus heartthrob, and with my status, the beauties at school will all be mine to pick."
He chuckled a few times and said, "Hehehe... Old Xu, those junior brothers and sisters, if you fancy any of them, make a move now, mark them, and I'll promise not to touch them."
Xu Lingjun rolled his eyes in exasperation.
He played dead, ignoring him.
After a while... as the class bell rang.
Martial Arts Instructor Zhou Qing strode into the room briskly.
He seemed to be about thirty or forty years old, with a crew cut, wearing a Zhongshan suit, looking quite capable.
Zhou Qing entered the class and said, "Li Lei, Lin Tao, Han Meimei, Wei Hua, go to the principal's office for a bit."
Four young men and women stood up and left the room.
Zhou Qing looked around the class and said, "Today's class is self-study, carefully review the essence of the seventh set of body tempering exercises I taught you yesterday. If there are things you don't understand, ask me tomorrow!"
Saying this, he was about to leave.
Xu Lingjun stood up, calling, "Teacher."
"Lingjun, do you have something to say?"
Xu Lingjun got up and walked to Zhou Qing's side and said, "Last night, I had some insights and ended up breaking through, I'd like to apply for an individual realm assessment!"
"Breakthrough?"
Zhou Qing's eyes lit up and asked, "Which realm?"
Xu Lingjun replied uncertainly, "It should be Body Tempering Eighth Rank."
"Eighth Rank?"
Zhou Qing sighed when he heard this and said, "Alright, I got it. Hold on for now, I really can't spare the time at the moment, stay after school and I'll help you personally, sigh... what a pity."
He patted Xu Lingjun's shoulder.
Turning away to leave.
Breaking through at this time, yet... truly a pity.