Goldhill Academy

Reminiscing the past was something the new Qiang Lei liked to do. Whether the memories were good or bad, she would always remember them, not missing a frame out. People may often want to forget things and bury them deep in their minds especially if the feelings they bring were pain and sadness, but she was exactly the opposite case. She did not want to forget. No matter how sad, painful, hateful or despairing it was, she would only want to remember. And this was the same with the original owner's memories. It was not like the memories only brought negative feelings.

—

Goldhill Academy

Qiang Lei stopped from walking as soon as the sight of grandiose and majestic place appeared in front of her. Goldhill Academy. Truly living up to its name, the academy was built upon the most expensive and impressive materials. The academy walls stood tall towering and shining over her and the many people who come and go the academy gates. Carriages lined beside the walls as young nobles got down from them and walked with their heads held high. With their dresses made from brocades, both soft and heavy, and other high quality fabrics adorned with various rich designs, they were truly imposing. Adding the fact that they were escorted by their own maids and guards, Qiang Lei believed that this was truly what it meant to be an aristocrat.

Not allowing the carriages to go inside the academy gates was quite a surprise though. The gate was wide enough to let five carriages to go in and out at the same time and tall enough to let an elephant in and out too, and yet, any mode of transportation seemed to be prohibited.

Was it for safety? Cleanliness? Only the people seated at the top of the academy's pyramid would know why.

'Well, it's not something a person with a status like me can meddle in.'

Thinking she had admired the sight enough, Qiang Lei took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the city gates while trying to diminish her presence. Yes, diminishing her presence. Her status was enough to treat herself as an air. Hence, doing so was relatively easy. She was neither a noble or a trash who others can easily identify. She belonged to the mob and she was okay with it.

As she drew closer, she gained a clearer picture of the people who entered her line of sight. An academy was really a place where you can see all kinds of countenance and stature. It was also a place where vital force was varying and very rich. Each person carries their own vital force. Its amount in one's body was quantify through cultivation giving a discerning eye and mind a rough estimation of one's strength and progress. Qiang Lei knew very little about this. The surface knowledge she gained from reading books and hearing stories and rumours can never describe this force, let alone the whole cultivation department. It was nothing but a drop in the ocean. Hence, she never learnt it.

But Qiang Lei still had merit. She can sense the aura of all the people she encountered. It was not only the kind of aura that people usually give off. Qiang Lei can sense deeper. She can sense the genuine aura from others, the one directly connected to one's soul and spirit. Hence, she can easily tell one's true desires and intentions. That was how she survived alone for four years and she believed, with the help of this skill that she did not know the origin, she would be able to continue doing so.

She finally reached the academy gates. She saw 10-15 guards strictly monitoring the people who passed by. A small suspicion would make one be halted on their steps and a few questions would be asked before being cleared.

'What the hell is going on?' It truly aroused Qiang Lei's curiosity. She walked towards the guard who was standing behind a wooden table.

Per Qiang Lei's observation, the guard seemed to be around 30 years of age. Dark in complexion and burly in built, with narrow eyes that seemed to close from time to time. His nose was big, his lips were thin and he got a mustache that looked neat. He was wearing a black scale armour and a white owl insignia on the left side of his chest. His aura gave off a scare that no one dared approach. He was also expressionlessly monitoring the people who caught his sight.

"Mister." She called out neither in arrogant nor servile tone.

Surprised as he was, the guard's eyes widened but he quickly calmed down as his face returned to being wooden. His eyes looked down as he fixed his gaze to where the sound came from.

Standing in front of him was a young girl around 12-13 years old. She got a slender body and was around 155 cm in height. She got a fair complexion that made the calluses on her hands more prominent that one cannot help but look. Her long black hair that reached her butt was flowing like waterfall behind her back. Her thin and round eyebrows emphasised her forest green eyes. She got a small nose and thin lips. She was wearing a white flowing robe which was a peasant clothing that covered her entire body, white socks and straw sandals. She was carrying a cloth bag with her left hand while her empty right hand was rested on the side.

'Neat.' The guard thought. At one glance, one can easily tell that the girl in front of him came from a poor family but the guard thought otherwise. She looks very healthy and not deprived of her needs. What shocked the guard the most though was that he has never felt her presence until she talked. He was 100% sure that he watched the people within 15 meters from him but he never saw her.

"!" The guard furrowed his brow with this discovery. He never saw her until he heard her voice. The more he thought about it, the more disturbed he was. He calmed down once more. He stared at her.

"Yes?" Indifference was shown in his tone.

No longer speaking, she reached inside her left sleeve and retrieved a white envelope from it. She then handed it to the guard. The guard quickly opened it and read the contents of the letter. During this time, quite a number of people were already drawn to the scene.

"Is this girl wanting to attend the academy? Clearly, the school admission is over three months ago and will open again next year." A person nearby commented loud enough for a few people nearby to hear.

"This girl is clearly poor with her clothing. How can she afford to pay?"

"Look! She seemed to have handed a letter to the guard. It must be a recommendation!"

"So what if it is a recommendation? She still needs to pay to attend the school unless the letter indicates that she is exempted."

"Heh. A peasant will always be a peasant! How can the academy let someone of that status come here? She will only sully the academy's face!"

Here and there, people began to talk about the girl not caring if she can hear them or not. And yet, she remained rooted to where she was standing as if she did not hear anything. She was not bothered by them.

After a while, the guard sized her up once more. "Qiang Lei?" He asked.

"Yes." She politely answered.

"I need to confirm this first so wait for a while here." The guard said. Not waiting for her to respond, the guard turned around and entered the academy.

As soon as the guard left, there was silence for a while until one of the spectators neared her.

"Ah, ah, ah... That's Lin Ruo! She is the second miss of the Lin clan, one of the noble clans here in the Great Grey Continent. Their clan is close to the Royal family and they are really wealthy."

"She is as beautiful as what they say."

"She enrolled this year and was one of the top scorers of the entrance assessment."

"She only likes to associate herself with the nobles so she must be displeased with the girl."

"Hey, let's remain here. I bet there will be a good show!"

The crowd increased in number and formed into a bell curve that seemed to trap Qiang Lei.

Qiang Lei stayed rooted to where she has been standing. Even if she can sense other people's hostility towards her, she remained unaffected.

Lin Ruo walked passed her and stood directly in front of her. Sizing her up, she moved her eyes up and down.

"Who are you and why are you here?"

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