The First Summoner - Chapter 90

After a long while, Shen Yan’s temperature gradually returned to normal.

She closed her eyes, but Feng Xingyao’s final question before returning to the ability space repeatedly surfaced in her mind.

She did her utmost to cast away his influence on her thoughts.

Every injury had healed. Even her old scars were gone.

His blood…

It was more effective than any miraculous pill.

Just who was Feng Xingyao?

…

As Western Region Academy’s entrance test approached, Shen Yan left the inn to purchase practical supplies. At a pill hall, she spent nearly thirty thousand taels of gold on a bottle of second-grade pills.

She had won a great deal during her time at the Beast-Martial Arena, most of it through wagers.

Once her basic preparations were complete, she returned to the inn to refine spiritual energy and attempt a breakthrough.

She was currently at Yellow-rank level ten. Ten consecutive days of combat had benefited her immensely, sharpening her control over both spiritual power and swordsmanship.

She meditated on a cushion in her room.

Western Region City was livelier than ever. Major factions from across the Pingze Western Region had sent representatives, and many independent cultivators had come simply to watch.

Had Shen Yan and the brothers arrived any later, they would never have found lodging.

Some people spent fortunes merely to remain in the city.

The Zhuge brothers also avoided the crowds and cultivated in their rooms. Only three days remained before the test.

On the final day, Shen Yan broke through at last.

She advanced three minor levels in succession, reaching Mystic-rank level three in one leap.

If word spread, jaws would drop.

Her advancement was simply too terrifying.

On the night before the entrance test, the Zhuge brothers knocked on her door and invited her to dinner at a restaurant.

Shen Yan agreed without hesitation.

She needed to relax in moderation.

Nearly every restaurant in Western Region City was full, but Zhuge Weiran had arranged for someone to reserve seats in advance.

They entered a restaurant called Pingfan and took a second-floor table beside the window.

A server hurried over. “What can I get for the three of you?”

They ordered several dishes.

Shen Yan gazed outside. A crescent moon hung above, while crowds surged below amid brilliant lantern light.

A gentle breeze drifted through the window.

It brought a sense of peace.

The brothers sat opposite her. Studying her profile, Zhuge Youlin praised her without reserve.

“Shen Yan, you’re truly beautiful.”

She turned back to him. “You’re not bad either.”

“Naturally. This young master is handsome and dashing. Everyone agrees.”

Shen Yan had nothing to say.

Zhuge Weiran laughed and shifted the topic to tomorrow’s test. “What do you think they’ll test us on?”

Zhuge Youlin said, “I researched the academy’s previous entrance tests. There are usually two rounds. The first assesses intelligence, aptitude, and martial strength. Passing two of the three is enough to clear it. The second and final round is more mysterious, because it changes every recruitment year.”

Shen Yan fell into thought.

At that moment, several impressive young men climbed the stairs, drawing many eyes.

Their leader appeared twenty-three or twenty-four. He was handsome, though his hooked nose gave him a deep, incisive air. Tall and dressed in blue brocade with his hair bound by a golden crown, he wore a smile.

The server greeted him respectfully. “Young Master Huo, you’ve arrived. Please take a seat.”

Huo Wanchen nodded and was about to lead his companions onward when a figure caught his eye.

His expression changed violently.

He strode straight over.

“Shen Huai?!”

Shen Yan looked up. “You have the wrong person.”

Huo Wanchen stared at her with dark eyes and gritted teeth. “Shen Huai, you’re alive? And now you’re… disguising yourself as a woman?”

The Zhuge brothers were about to intervene when Shen Yan spoke.

“Yes. But why are you reacting so strongly to my survival? Did you plot against me behind my back?”

The brothers blinked in confusion.

Huo Wanchen sneered. “Don’t try to slander me!”

Shen Yan’s thoughts stirred. His reaction did not resemble that of a guilty man. He seemed more like Shen Huai’s bitter rival.

“If you’re alive, why haven’t you returned to the academy? Are you trying to escape something?” Huo Wanchen’s gaze flickered over her beautiful face, and a strange feeling stirred within him.

The Shen Huai he remembered had been young, but not delicate. This person looked strangely different.

Their commotion drew attention.

At the name Shen Huai, people soon remembered.

“Isn’t that the Summoner genius Shen Huai? I heard he summoned the ancient divine beast Vermilion Bird at a young age, so an elder of Western Region Academy brought him back from a border kingdom.”

“The Vermilion Bird?!”

“Wasn’t Shen Huai a man? Why is she…”

Everyone studied Shen Yan.

Huo Wanchen’s companions also approached and stared.

The resemblance was astonishing.

Yet this ‘Shen Huai’ had softer, more refined features. On closer inspection, it was difficult to believe she was him.

Huo Wanchen narrowed his eyes. “Why aren’t you speaking?!”

Shen Yan answered calmly, “I am Shen Huai’s elder sister, Shen Yan.”

Their expressions changed in disbelief.

“You…” Huo Wanchen frowned.

A black-clad man beside him stared at Shen Yan with a complicated gaze.

He had once investigated Shen Huai and discovered the boy had a supposedly useless elder sister. To humiliate him, he deliberately spread the news throughout Western Region Academy.

When Shen Huai heard another student insulting his sister, he attacked and nearly beat the student to death.

The punishment had almost cost him the opportunity to participate in the Three Top-Secret Missions.

The black-clad man frowned. “You’re Shen Huai’s sister? Doesn’t that make you a piece of trash?”

Bang!

Someone slammed the table.

Zhuge Youlin looked up at them in irritation. “Hey, are you going to let us eat or not? You’re blocking the server from bringing our food!”