Royal Academy

The Clear Sky Sect lay several hundred miles east of the Heaven Dou Empire. Surrounded by mountains, it was easy to defend and difficult to attack. A magnificent castle stood there, built against the mountainside from hard granite.

Above the main gate hung a stone plaque engraved with the three words "Clear Sky Sect." Though there were only three characters, they were vigorous and forceful, carrying an imposing aura.

As the number one sect under heaven, virtually no one or force on the continent dared to provoke the Clear Sky Sect.

Although Tang Chen no longer traveled the continent, and many had even forgotten that such a Soul Master—one who had once swept across the continent, invincible beneath heaven—had existed, no one dared question the Clear Sky Sect's reputation as the foremost sect under heaven.

Even Spirit Hall was no exception.

Inside a lady's chamber.

Tang Yuehua was holding a book on etiquette and studying it. Since she could not become a powerful Soul Master, she could only work on other areas. If she wanted to interact with nobles, how could she get by without learning etiquette?

Though it was a lady's chamber, her room had no excessive decorations and was exceedingly simple. The only adornment was the flowers on the balcony.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell upon her exquisite face. She set down her book and looked outside.

"I wonder how Huangfu is doing."

Just then, someone knocked on the door, followed by a deep voice from outside.

"Yuehua."

Tang Yuehua immediately went to open it. Outside stood a burly middle-aged man with broad shoulders, a powerful build, and eyes that shone like torches.

Before this tall middle-aged man, Tang Yuehua's slender figure seemed utterly petite.

"Big Brother." Tang Yuehua smiled sweetly.

The visitor was Tang Xiao, the eldest of the three siblings.

Tang Xiao's usually stern face softened with a rare gentle smile when he saw his younger sister.

"Earlier, the owner of the weapon shop in Heaven Dou City came by. He delivered a letter and a jade box, saying they were sent by someone named Huangfu Ji. You'll understand once you read the letter."

With that, he handed over Huangfu Ji's letter and the jade box containing the Golden Leaf Grass.

"Huangfu sent these?" Tang Yuehua was somewhat surprised. She had not expected Huangfu Ji to need her help so soon.

Without opening the letter, she took the jade box and opened it. The moment she saw the Golden Leaf Grass, she understood.

"Golden Leaf Grass?" Tang Xiao looked at the jade box in confusion.

Tang Yuehua then opened the letter and read it. Its contents were simple: he wanted her to help deliver the Golden Leaf Grass to Xing Hu, and to make sure Xing Hu kept his promise.

After reading it, she curled her lips.

"What's this? Couldn't he at least ask how I was doing?"

Tang Xiao asked, "Is this Huangfu Ji the Huangfu Ji from Qingyang?"

Although he rarely went out, he still knew who Grand Duke Qingyang was.

"Yes, it's him." Tang Yuehua nodded.

"How did you two meet?" Tang Xiao was puzzled. The Qingyang Duchy was an immense distance from the Clear Sky Sect. Logically, the Tang Family and the Huangfu Family should have had almost no contact.

Yet his younger sister actually knew Grand Duke Qingyang.

Tang Yuehua said, "We met on the road while I was returning. He was being hunted at the time and hid in our merchant caravan, so that was how we got acquainted."

She then handed the Golden Leaf Grass to Tang Xiao.

"Big Brother, arrange for someone to take this Golden Leaf Grass to the mountains outside Baihe City and give it to someone named Xing Hu."

"Alright." Tang Xiao took the Golden Leaf Grass and turned to leave.

Still, he kept thinking about Huangfu Ji. He felt that Huangfu Ji and his younger sister had quite a good relationship.

Of course, he did not think of their relationship in that way. Though he focused solely on cultivation and knew nothing about romance, he could still tell whether someone liked another person.

So far, he had not seen any sign that his younger sister liked Huangfu Ji.

In the blink of an eye, the day Heaven Dou Royal Academy began its term arrived.

Early in the morning, Huangfu Ji left the inn and headed out of the city. The people watching him from the shadows were all thrilled to see that he was finally leaving.

"Great! Huangfu Ji is finally out of the city."

"Hurry and follow him. Kill him so we can go back and report completion."

Several people quietly followed Huangfu Ji. However, once outside the city, they were dumbfounded. Huangfu Ji had led a horse out of the city, then mounted it and galloped away at high speed. They could not catch up no matter how they tried.

"Damn, he even went out of his way to get a Heavenly Soul Horse."

"Damnable rich noble."

"What do we do now?"

They looked at one another. They had originally planned to find an opportunity to kill Huangfu Ji once he left the city, but this bastard was so wealthy that he had actually bought a Heavenly Soul Horse.

"I don't get it. Why would a puppet grand duke like him have so much money?"

"Hmph! Do you even need to ask? Cheng Yao and the others must have given it to him while he was in Qingyang. He may not have money himself, but that doesn't mean Cheng Yao and the others don't."

"If each of them chipped in a little, coming up with a million or so Gold Soul Coins wouldn't be a problem at all."

Riding a Heavenly Soul Horse, Huangfu Ji quickly arrived at the grounds of Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Looking at the mountain before him, Huangfu Ji felt a little envious.

"As expected of the Empire. They used an entire mountain just to build an academy."

Qingyang Senior Soul Master Academy had not directly used an entire mountain to build its campus either.

Nestled against the mountains and beside the water, the scenery here was pleasant and far removed from the bustle of the city, like a paradise beyond the world. Yet it was only twenty li from Heaven Dou City.

Leading his horse up the mountain, he saw quite a few students wearing goose-yellow uniforms along the way. They were clearly students of the royal academy, and they curiously sized up Huangfu Ji as well.

Huangfu Ji did not see any contempt in their eyes.

But he knew that although those who came here to study were either nobles or members of Soul Master families, there were still distinctions in class.

Nobles looked down on commoners, but great nobles likewise looked down on lesser nobles.

In the eyes of great nobles, lesser nobles were only fit to polish their shoes.

The buildings of the royal academy were mainly bright yellow and white. Even the mountain steps were made of white marble, and before the teaching building stood a swan statue with its wings spread.

When he reached the main campus halfway up the mountain, Huangfu Ji did not see many students there.

A young teacher approached him.

"Are you a new student?"

Seeing Huangfu Ji leading a Heavenly Soul Horse, he looked somewhat doubtful. Other students arrived with bags and luggage, some even bringing many servants, though those servants would leave afterward.

Yet Huangfu Ji was alone. If not for the way he was dressed, the teacher would have suspected that he had come to the wrong place.

Huangfu Ji smiled and nodded.

"Hello, Teacher. I'm Huangfu Ji of Qingyang. This is my admission notice."

In terms of status, he was far above the teacher before him, but he did not put on the airs of a grand duke.

After taking the admission notice and glancing at it, the teacher stared at Huangfu Ji in shock.

"You are Grand Duke Qingyang?"

"That's me." Huangfu Ji nodded.

The teacher no longer dared to neglect him. The youth before him was the ruler of a country, even if he held no actual power, and he was also a genius with Innate Full Soul Power.

"Please follow me. Education Committee Chairman Meng Shenji is already waiting."

The teacher led Huangfu Ji toward the office, while someone specially assigned took the Heavenly Soul Horse away to be fed.