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After days of preparation, Seven Treasures Academy officially opened its enrollment to the entire continent.
Half a month before the registration ceremony, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had already spread the news far and wide.
Soul masters seeking education had gradually entered Tiandou City. Upon hearing that today's registration was beginning, they flocked to Seven Treasures Academy in droves.
Due to the start of the school term, the Seven Treasures Team hadn't been assigned any training tasks in recent days.
Ning Tianchen and the others were stationed at the registration site to maintain order.
"Are there really this many people?" Oscar couldn't help but exclaim as he gazed at the sea of people before him.
There had been quite a few soul masters who registered at Shrek Academy, but compared to the scene before them now, it was like comparing a small stream to a mighty river.
He roughly estimated that at least a thousand people had come to register.
The admission criteria for Seven Treasures Advanced Soul Master Academy were as follows: under thirty years of age and possessing soul power above Level 21.
This standard was universally recognized by all advanced soul master academies across the continent.
Later, during their studies at the academy, once a student's soul power reached Level 31 or they exceeded the age of thirty, they would be considered graduates.
Of course, if the academy decided to retain certain students, they could continue their studies within the institution.
"The majority of soul masters on the continent are commoners. It's just that inconvenient transportation prevents more people from coming," Ning Tianchen analyzed.
For its first intake, Seven Treasures Academy would only admit five hundred students. Priority would be given to those under eighteen years old with soul power above Level 25. Other students with average talent would have to wait until after the registration period ended to be selected based on merit.
Not long after, a commotion broke out at the registration site.
"I joined Seven Treasures Academy to participate in the Soul Master Competition. But I heard that your academy has already predetermined the team members before formal enrollment began. If we join the academy, we probably won't even have a chance to join the team!"
This statement stirred up a storm.
The Soul Master Competition was a grand event for young soul masters across the continent. Predetermining team members in such a manner was extremely unfair to other students.
Even though the person causing trouble here almost certainly had no chance of being selected, once this rumor spread, many talented students might choose to abandon Seven Treasures Academy.
In this case, the real loss would ultimately fall on the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
Upon hearing the commotion, Ning Tianchen rushed over.
The teacher in charge of admissions didn't know how to respond.
He had just been recruited by the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect from another academy and had only started work yesterday. How could he possibly know the specific details of the academy?
As a result, his explanations sounded weak, and many registrants began to jeer, nearly causing the situation to spiral out of control.
Ning Tianchen approached the teacher and lightly patted his shoulder, signaling for him to step aside.
"Sir, may I ask where you got the conclusion that our Seven Treasures Academy has already predetermined the team members? You seem so confident in your claim."
The current team had eight members, which wasn't enough yet.
According to Ning Tianchen's plan, at least two more substitutes needed to be added to handle the grueling schedule of the Soul Master Competition.
These two individuals would undoubtedly have to be selected from within the academy.
The young man responded dismissively, "Is Seven Treasures Academy out of people? Why are you sending a kid like you to deal with this? Heh, the Seven Treasures Team fought against the Imperial Team at the Tiandou Grand Spirit Arena. At that time, they already had a seven-member team. If we join the academy later, how can we become part of the team?"
Ning Tianchen sneered and countered, "So, you're saying you personally witnessed the Seven Treasures Team's spirit duel?"
The young man raised his head arrogantly. "Of course! If I hadn't seen it, why would I make such claims here?"
Ning Tianchen followed up, "Then do you know who I am?"
The young man glanced at him and snorted, "How would I know who you are? If Seven Treasures Academy doesn't give us a reasonable explanation, we'll simply refuse to register."
Immediately, several others chimed in, "That's right! We came here to register because we want to participate in the Soul Master Competition. If you don't explain this, we won't register either."
Ning Tianchen had participated in every single team spirit duel at the Tiandou Grand Spirit Arena.
If this person had indeed watched their duels, how could they not recognize him?
After confirming the situation, it was clear that someone was secretly spreading rumors to stir up trouble.
Backed by the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, Seven Treasures Academy's influence was nearly on par with the established academies within Tiandou City.
At least half of the students registering today were currently enrolled at other advanced soul master academies.
Having poached students from other institutions, it was only natural that some people would deliberately cause trouble here.
Ning Tianchen remained calm and gestured for the crowd to quiet down. "Everyone, I can speak on behalf of Seven Treasures Academy. Don't you want to hear what I have to say?"
The commotion in the crowd subsided somewhat, and many eyes turned toward Ning Tianchen.
"First of all, the Seven Treasures Team does exist, and every member of the team has gone through rigorous selection. There is no room for mediocrity."
"You say so, but of course, you're a member of Seven Treasures Academy—you're bound to defend your own," the young man snorted coldly.
Ning Tianchen shrugged and countered, "Have you personally witnessed the strength of the Seven Treasures Team members?"
The young man stammered and couldn't provide an answer.
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Ning Tianchen continued, "First, let's clarify one point: the Seven Treasures Team will only keep the most outstanding members. After the start of the school term, the academy's selection system will be similar to that of other academies. If you believe your strength is sufficient, you are welcome to challenge the team members."
"Survival of the fittest is the law of nature, and it's also the principle upheld by the Seven Treasures Team."
"Additionally, Seven Treasures Academy has a scholarship system."
"What's a scholarship?" someone immediately asked.
A scholarship naturally had something to do with money, and most of the registrants were commoner soul masters eager to know how they could earn some.
Ning Tianchen explained, "A scholarship, as the name suggests, is awarded to students with excellent academic performance. Of course, it's not just about having high soul power levels—a higher level alone doesn't guarantee a scholarship."
"For example, Zhang San enters the academy with Level 21 soul power. After one academic year, his soul power increases by five levels, reaching Level 26. On the other hand, Li Si enters with Level 27 soul power and reaches Level 29 after one year."
"The scholarship will only be awarded to the student with the greatest improvement. So between these two, even though Li Si is stronger than Zhang San, his smaller improvement means he won't receive the scholarship."
"But stronger students aren't without benefits. The top ten students ranked by strength each academic year will, if they choose to join the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, also receive additional rewards."
"Scholarships won't be awarded to team members, so please consider this carefully, future classmates."
Seven Treasures Academy was essentially a place to select talent for the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect. For talented students willing to join the sect, the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had always been generous.
After Ning Tianchen's explanation, the rumors were dispelled without further argument.
Once the news of scholarships spread among the registrants, their enthusiasm for signing up grew even more intense. Students from other academies continued to arrive in waves.
Among them, Blue Tyrant Academy suffered the greatest loss of students.
Their sole advantage in Tiandou City had been their recruitment of commoner students. Now that this advantage was gone, they naturally couldn't retain their students.
"Tianchen, you're amazing! You convinced all these people in one go," Ning Rongrong said with a bright smile, holding his hand.
"In truth, it's nothing special. The key is that we offered an enticing incentive."
Without the scholarship, he would probably still be arguing with the crowd at this moment.
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