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At the celebration banquet, there were numerous details. Northern Aristocratic Families mostly stuck together, their faces wearing smiles of having survived a disaster, so elated that they were somewhat beside themselves.

Unlike in the Capital City, the offspring of the Northern Aristocratic Families who had passed the examination were mostly previously neglected collateral descendants.

Now that they had been confirmed to stay, their fates would change drastically, and they might even have the chance to surpass those lofty magician offspring.

To them, this was as if a pie had fallen from the sky.

Even now, many felt as if they were dreaming. In their excessive excitement, they huddled in groups, exceedingly joyful with their wine, and even before the feast had begun, one after another had already drunk themselves to flushed faces.....

But it wasn’t surprising that they were so elated, mainly because they had been repressed for much too long.

In the month of family review before the examination, they endured the gloomy oppression of the magician offspring, dreading they would miss out on this opportunity during the assessment.

After several bouts of pressure, many had barely slept during the few days they were in Jiangnan—it couldn’t be helped.

Jiangnan now seemed too perfect, so beautiful that missing out felt like missing out on heaven itself!

So these examination-passed descendants from the north were now acting quite unrestrained, but not all offspring in the great hall behaved this way. Compared to the Northern offspring, the Capital City offspring acted completely differently.

The Capital City’s major families were very generous, and also among those who passed the examinations were many magician offspring. Instead of indulging in self-forgetful celebration, they paid more attention to the layout of the future.

Therefore, one would find that the offspring of the Capital City families were almost never in grouped bunches as the Northern families were, but rather scattered individually, sitting together with those from Jiangnan!

Chen Ying, seeing this, nodded slightly. The Northern Aristocratic Families remained as rigid and outdated as ever, and the offspring they cultivated performed far worse than those from the Capital City.

However, that was to be expected. The families that had made it to the Capital City were those with great courage from the past, who had placed their bets even before the Siao Family had established power.

They were farsighted and possessed extraordinary mettle.

In contrast, the atmosphere to the north was extremely conservative.

Had the Duke of Wei not strongly recommended it, many might not have given Jiangnan Academy a second glance.

This was apparent from the offspring that each had educated.

Those from the Capital City obviously had broader minds and better vision.

Even the collateral descendants who were on the list did not bask in excessive pride, but instead chose to actively establish good relations with the students from Jiangnan.

This was a very wise choice. As users of a special passageway, they were already disliked by the students of Jiangnan.

If they stubbornly kept to their own circle, they would only be ostracized more in the future.

Moreover, the academic foundation of the Jiangnan offspring was far superior, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of progress.

If they were completely ostracized, the first batch of senior students at the academy would definitely side with the locals, which was very unfavorable for them.

By reaching out proactively, they could not only ease relations but might also forge one or two good alliances, thereby collaborating opportunistically.

The study progress of the Jiangnan offspring was bound to be faster, and they could also gain access to exquisite techniques.

If good relations were established, they could exchange their own unusable techniques for those.

At this moment, mother and daughter Yunke’er were surrounded by a circle of people from the Capital City aristocracy.

Originally, she worried about her daughter’s tender age at such a large-scale feast. After all, the little girl was very mischievous, and if she drank alcohol secretly and got drunk, and something went wrong in such chaos, the regret would be inconsolable.

But she couldn’t dampen her daughter’s enthusiasm to witness the event, so she applied, bringing her child along to join the banquet.

The higher-ups agreed readily—after all, although child prodigies who could get into the academy were rare, they weren’t unheard of, and usually, their family elders would accompany them over, careful not to offend anyone.

Yun Niang felt somewhat relieved that she had come because she could clearly feel that those around her were here for her daughter.

"All you young masters... and misses, the accent... you are from the Capital City?" Yun Niang now removed her veil, and while the scars on her face had faded significantly, they still looked somewhat ferocious, which might affect others’ appetite.

Yet, this group of young heirs appeared well-bred, not minding the scars in the least, still showing a humble smile, with a lady in blue even taking the initiative to refill tea for Yun Niang.

"There’s no need to be so courteous, miss..." Yun Niang received the tea cup with a beaming smile, but became even more vigilant in her heart. Ever since Lumings had tricked her, she was particularly wary of those sunny-looking, cordially behaved people from the Capital City!

Those offspring of various families were worldly and quickly noticed the woman’s wariness. After exchanging glances, they stopped probing and chose to be more straightforward.

"Madam, you must be Yunke’er’s mother, correct?"

Indeed, they were here for her daughter!

"You know my daughter?"

Yunke’er, confused, looked at the people around her, feeling her mother had substantial animosity, and honestly drank her tea. She really had wanted to sneak in for a drink, but her mother would surely forbid it later.

"Your daughter’s performance stands out in Jiangnan, it’s hard not to take notice..."

That was a candid statement...

Yun Niang nodded slightly, her heart still vigilant, but a hint of pride flashed unavoidably in her eyes.

She was, of course, proud of her daughter’s current achievements.

It must be known that many scions from great Jiangnan families had taken part in this examination, all of whom had been instructed by famous teachers from a young age and were talented, but even so, her own girl had secured the fifth place, ranking first among all females!

"We all come from the Capital City..." The black-clad young master leading the group bowed and said, "I am Pang Xing, a scion of the Capital City’s Pang Family.

This time, I had the fortune to come to Jiangnan and pass the assessment, but I also know that if it had not been for the segmented examination, we would have had great difficulty succeeding.

Now, seeing that Miss is so gifted in academics at such a young age, I truly feel envious. "

"The young master is too modest," Yun Niang said, her heart warmed by the compliment, but she did not become carried away with pride and quickly replied, "I am somewhat aware that you scions from the Capital City only began preparing last month, unlike those from Jiangnan who have been preparing for two years. You cannot be directly compared like this, it wouldn’t be fair. .."

"We appreciate Madame’s understanding, but we also know that academic profundity is difficult to learn and master. Even if we had two years, it would probably be hard for us to match Miss," Pang Xing replied.

"Oh, where, where..." Yun Niang’s eyes curved into crescents, and she smiled more pleasantly than before. Due to Lumings’ matter, her mood had been gloomy for many days, but now she rarely showed her smiling face.

"Has the Miss been betrothed?"

"Pfft!" The abrupt turn in the conversation caused Yun Niang to spit out a mouthful of tea!

Thankfully, everyone present was a magician, so a mouthful of tea didn’t lead to disgrace. The tea that was spewed didn’t even touch anyone around; it was blocked outside by a Wind Sorcery technique, with droplets hanging mid-air, to the amazement of Yunke’er who was staring with widened eyes!

Yun Niang’s expression tightened, she had heard that these youngsters from the Capital City were no ordinary people, but she hadn’t expected them to be so capable.

"My apologies to everyone..."

"No matter, no matter, it was our excessive eagerness," Pang Xing said with a slight smile, waving his hand as the tea formed a cluster and gently fell to the ground.

So you know it was your rashness, huh?

"This young master..." Yun Niang looked at him sternly, "My daughter is still young, and such an abrupt question in this setting is rather inappropriate, isn’t it?"

"Please forgive us, Madame..." Pang Xing immediately apologized, "It is not our intention to be abrupt; we truly do not want to miss out on this opportunity."

"Miss out on an opportunity?"

"Miss is immensely talented and will definitely become a young lady who has many suitors breaking down her door. We outsiders can only try to take the initiative like this."

These honest and flattering words allowed Yun Niang to relax a bit.

Indeed, it was factual that when her daughter’s preliminary exam results had come out, many renowned scholars from the Capital City had approached her, proposing marriage for their disciples.

While it may not have come to breaking down the door, she had received dozens of correspondences.

She never expected her daughter to be so sought after in marriage matters!

She had originally thought that a lady who stood out on her own would not be readily accepted by the men of the present, and she didn’t rely on the prospect that her daughter would depend on a man in the future.

However, the actual situation turned out to be completely different from what she had expected.

The conventional society did not shun them but made her daughter highly desirable.

Moreover, most of the suitors came from families with traditions of academics and propriety. These people, in her opinion, were the ones who valued rules and etiquette the most, yet now they were the most eager to leap.

"I apologize, Young Master Pang, but the girl is still young and currently has no intention of marrying. As a widow, I would be lonely without my daughter. I plan to keep her with me for a few more years. Perhaps you should consider another family," she replied.

"We are well aware of your situation, Madame.

.." Pang Xing, not hurried after being declined, said calmly, "You have raised Miss Yunke’er by yourself and naturally do not wish for your daughter to marry too far away.

Local families, compared to those in the Capital City, obviously suit you better.

After all, if she marries here, you could see your daughter occasionally if you miss her. "

"I’m glad you understand, young master..." Yun Niang didn’t hide her feelings; that’s exactly what she thought. No matter how powerful the suitor’s background was, she didn’t want her daughter to marry too far away. Once a daughter married off that far, seeing her again would likely be difficult.

"What if our family would be willing to have a distinguished young man from our side marry into your family?"

"What??"