C33 Everyone Looked at Him Differently.

Xie Yang showed no mercy to those who dared to confront Bai Tian. He zeroed in on their vulnerabilities, aiming for sensitive spots like faces and nerves, intent on incapacitating his opponents swiftly. His efforts yielded impressive results.

More than a dozen boys now lay on the ground, clutching their wounds and wailing in pain, their earlier bravado completely shattered.

"What's going on here?" A middle-aged man approached, his face etched with anger. He was a teacher from Nightbay Academy, assigned to oversee the hotel accommodations for visiting students. He hadn't anticipated that his first day would involve a report from the hotel staff about a student brawl. Frustrated, he had hurried to the scene.

The sight that greeted him was unexpected: one person had taken down more than a dozen?

"What happened here?" he asked Xie Yang, his face expressionless.

Xie Yang, still standing while the others lay moaning on the ground, hadn't even opened his mouth when Bai Tian stepped forward. Pointing at the prone figures, he declared, "They started it!"

"That's right!" Moo Shuqin and Zou Xinrui chimed in, backing up Xie Yang.

"They were trying to take advantage of Bai Tian!"

"They resorted to insults when we stopped them. That's when Xie couldn't hold back any longer!"

The middle-aged man's brow furrowed as he surveyed the scene: three poised girls and a group of boys on the ground, many of whom quickly looked away when his gaze met theirs. It didn't take long for him to piece together what had transpired.

Still, he refrained from passing immediate judgment and instead summoned the hotel staff, instructing them to review the corridor's surveillance footage. Once the video confirmed that it was indeed the boys who had instigated the altercation, the middle-aged man fixed them with an irate glare.

"Which school do you belong to?" he demanded.

The boys mumbled, too intimidated to respond.

With a dismissive snort, the middle-aged man pulled out his phone and began dialing.

Moments later, he set his phone aside and approached Xie Yang with a stern look. "I've notified their school about their actions today. They'll face consequences for their behavior," he said gravely.

"Also, even though they instigated the fight, you were still involved. You're not without fault. Go back to your room and reflect on what happened."

Moo Shuqin bristled at his words, ready to argue, but Bai Tian quietly held her back.

The middle-aged man's criticism of Xie Yang seemed harsh, but in reality, he was shielding him. He asked Xie Yang to reflect but imposed no further punishment. The outcome was quite favorable.

As a teacher, he couldn't overlook the involvement in a brawl. Xie Yang understood this and accepted the directive with a calm demeanor.

"What's your name, and which school do you attend?" the man inquired.

"I'm Xie Yang, from Lakeshell High," he replied.

"You're Xie Yang?" The man seemed taken aback, having heard of him before.

After scrutinizing Xie Yang, his stern expression softened, and a smile emerged. "So you're Xie Yang. I knew about your Beastmaster talents, but I didn't expect your fighting skills to be so formidable. You truly are a genius."

His tone was now markedly different from the official one he had used earlier. Bai Tian and the others exchanged puzzled glances, while Xie Yang appeared contemplative.

Without further comment, Xie Yang bid the man farewell and left with Bai Tian.

Once they were gone, a teacher who arrived a bit late asked Kong, "Who was that young man? You seem to hold him in high regard. Is he from a Beastmaster family?"

Kong laughed softly and replied, "Remember the discussion from the recent meeting? There's a genius in Lakeshell who passed the Apprentice Assessment with superior grade."

The teacher's eyes lit up with excitement. "Was it that guy?"

"Yes, that's him. The dean himself has insisted we recruit this prodigious student into the academy."

The teacher nodded, clearly impressed by the revelation.

"He's a prodigy capable of conquering challenges of the highest difficulty. I'm curious to see how he'll perform in the entrance exams."

Stepping away from the corridor, Di Feng couldn't resist the urge to pat his chest, relieved, saying, "For a moment there, I thought we were about to get mobbed."

He then turned to Xie Yang with eyes brimming with admiration and exclaimed, "I knew you had exceptional talent as a Beastmaster, but I had no idea you were such a formidable fighter. Taking on more than a dozen guys single-handedly and laying them all out without a scratch? You're incredible. From now on, you're my big brother!"

Di Feng's attempt to ingratiate himself with Xie Yang was so overt that it sent Bai Tian and the others into fits of laughter.

Xie Yang gave Di Feng a wry smile in response.

Despite Di Feng's seemingly simple demeanor, he was quite astute.

He was indeed trying to curry favor with Xie Yang, just as he had previously admitted.

But Xie Yang didn't mind. After all, Di Feng's knack for gathering information could be very useful to him.

"Which school did those guys belong to?" Xie Yang asked offhandedly.

Without a moment's hesitation, Di Feng replied, "They're from Whitmount School in Whitmount City."

He added, "Xie, you should be on your guard. Yun Ye from their school is the fifth student to possess a third-rank pet. His pet is the Iron-armored Dragon Snake, and it's at the third rank, second layer."

Xie Yang nodded in acknowledgment.

He wasn't concerned about Yun Ye seeking revenge.

For the next couple of days, Xie Yang and his group stayed put in the hotel, avoiding any unnecessary trouble.

Following the brawl, teachers from various schools sternly cautioned their students.

Consequently, the candidates became much more well-behaved, and incidents like that ceased.

Feng Hao didn't scold Xie Yang; instead, he simply had a brief chat with him and quickly moved on from the subject.

Truth be told, he wasn't in a position to reprimand Xie Yang.

Xie Yang was now the pride of Lakeshell High and the entire Lakeshell City.

While it seemed like few were in direct contact with him, many influential figures in Lakeshell City were keeping a close eye on him.

They were all eager to see just how far Xie Yang could advance on the path of a Beastmaster.

If Xie Yang were to reach the pinnacle of Beastmasters in the future, Lakeshell City would surely reap substantial benefits.

Feng Hao, naturally, wouldn't dare to cross a future Peak-level expert.

Beyond this episode, there was also another piece of exciting news.

Moo Shuqin and Zou Xinrui's pets, already on the cusp of evolution, had finally made the leap in the past couple of days. Their levels had advanced to the second rank.

This brought them considerable relief; they were no longer on edge as they had been previously.

With second-rank pets in their possession, their odds of passing the recruitment assessment were significantly high.

Time raced on.

Before long, the day of the recruitment test arrived.

Early that morning, candidates made their way to Nightbay Academy.

Stepping through the grand, historic gates, they assembled in the plaza.

Each candidate had been issued a copper badge tied to their identity.

Per Nightbay Academy's instructions, this badge was the key to entering the Void Realm of the Stone Tablet of Origin.

Similar to the Beastmaster Association's Apprentice Assessment, Nightbay Academy's enrollment exam took place within the Land of Nothingness.

Indeed, it was only the boundless expanse of the Land of Nothingness that could accommodate the simultaneous assessment of five thousand apprentice Beastmasters.