Imperial Academy

The Imperial Academy is open once a month to all the crown princes of the capital city. The opening lasts for one day, with the morning dedicated to studying poetry and etiquette, and the afternoon offering free access to the palace's martial arts collection.

In the past, every time the Imperial Academy opened its doors, it had nothing to do with Long Chen. If he went, he would only become a target for everyone's ridicule.

But things were different now. After taking that Wind Mansion Pill, Long Chen had condensed the prototype of a Wind Mansion Star.

Although it was just a prototype and couldn't store much spiritual energy, it was still much more than his body's meridians could store. The meridians were like rivers, while the Dantian was the great sea that contained all rivers, commonly known as the Sea of Qi.

Rivers, though numerous, had limited capacity. Without the support of the Dantian, they would quickly dry up. However, all these problems were solved with the condensation of the Wind Mansion Star. Most importantly, with the prototype of the Wind Mansion Star condensed, as long as there was enough energy in the future, it would eventually form a complete Wind Mansion Star.

At that time, Long Chen would have his own first "Dantian." The most monstrous aspect was this very point.

When all nine stars were opened, it would be equivalent to having nine Dantians operating. Anyone could imagine how powerful such a vast source of spiritual power would be.

Furthermore, although Long Chen possessed the complete cultivation method for the Nine Stars, he still understood very little about this heaven-defying technique and needed to constantly explore it.

Once he fully condensed the Wind Mansion Star, he would be able to store a large amount of spiritual energy, and then he could attempt to condense his bloodline and enter the Blood Condensation Realm, becoming a true martial artist in one fell swoop.

The Qi Gathering Realm was merely the first step in cultivating martial arts. Only by stepping into the Blood Condensation Realm, with surging qi and blood throughout the body and rapidly increasing combat power, could one be considered a true martial artist.

Long Chen didn't know what stage of the Qi Gathering Realm he was currently in, but with the formation of the Wind Mansion Star prototype, his body had been greatly strengthened, which surprised him immensely.

Now, a simple punch from him could shatter a vase five feet away with a whistling sound, and his body was filled with power.

He came to the Imperial Academy this time specifically for the martial arts collection. With the Wind Mansion Star about to condense and his internal spiritual energy gradually becoming abundant, he could now practice martial arts combat techniques.

So-called martial arts combat techniques were battle skills summarized by powerful predecessors based on their own spiritual energy and meridian pathways.

Combat techniques were terrifying. They could allow martial artists to unleash powerful forces, multiplying their usual combat strength several times over, making them unstoppable.

Therefore, combat techniques were extremely important for every martial artist. Now that Long Chen had the spiritual energy to practice combat techniques, he was eager to do so.

The Imperial Academy, located on the north side of the capital city, covered an area of dozens of miles and was the most magnificent building besides the imperial palace.

After verifying his waist token, Long Chen entered the Imperial Academy and headed straight for the Hall of Literature, the place for "cultivation" in the morning, where he would listen to scholars discuss ancient and modern affairs, poetry, etiquette, literary allusions, and other outdated theories.

As soon as he entered the Hall of Literature, because he had arrived early, only a few dozen crown princes were present in the vast hall.

"Haha, Brother Long, you're here."

As soon as Long Chen arrived, several youths enthusiastically greeted him.

These youths, like Long Chen, were unable to cultivate for various reasons. Although they weren't close friends, they shared similar predicaments.

In the Fengming Empire, where martial arts were prevalent, they might not have been bullied as badly as Long Chen, but they were often ridiculed and looked down upon, enduring cold stares.

So, these few people got along quite well with Long Chen. Especially since they hadn't seen Long Chen here for a long time, they were exceptionally happy to see him today.

"Haha, you guys are quite early," Long Chen replied with a smile. With the successful condensation of the Wind Mansion Star, his mood was greatly improved, and he shed his usual dejected demeanor.

"I heard that Brother Long displayed great power a few days ago and defeated Li Hao. It truly makes us admire you. Can Brother Long already cultivate?" a lean man asked enviously.

They were originally on the same level as Long Chen. Now, hearing that Long Chen had actually defeated Li Hao, who was at the Qi Gathering Triple Heaven, they were shocked and a little envious.

"Hehe, it was just luck. However, I recently learned a new Divine Skill," Long Chen said mysteriously, wanting to change the subject.

"Divine Skill? What's that?" As expected, everyone was immediately intrigued, and the topic shifted instantly.

"Hehe, I recently obtained a Physiognomy Secret Manual and have been diligently studying Physiognomy, with considerable success," Long Chen said with a hint of pride.

"Physiognomy? Isn't that just fortune-telling tricks used by street charlatans?"

"That's not entirely accurate. I've been studying Physiognomy recently and have made some progress. That day, I saw that Li Hao's complexion was dark, and his forehead was clouded with misfortune. Clearly, he was destined for bad luck. So, I agreed to duel him. And the result? Hehe," Long Chen chuckled without elaborating.

The crowd was half-believing, half-doubting. Suddenly, one person said with realization, "It seems to be true. I heard that Li Hao seemed possessed that day, and he couldn't display any of his combat power before being defeated by Brother Long."

Everyone had heard about the duel between Long Chen and Li Hao, but most people found Li Hao's defeat inexplicable. Now, with Long Chen's mention, everyone immediately connected the dots, and they couldn't help but believe him a little more.

"Hehe, Brother Long, since you're skilled in physiognomy, could you take a look for me? Why does my fiancée always avoid me and refuse to see me? What's going on?" one person asked with some distress.

"No problem. Come, let's find a place to sit. Standing here isn't very suitable."

The group found a table in a corner and sat down. There were some pastries on the table for the crown princes to enjoy.

Long Chen pointed at the pastries on the table and smiled at the man, "Have one."

"Okay." The man didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a pastry to eat. The others looked at Long Chen with some confusion.

"How does it taste?"

"Very good."

"Would you like another one?"

"Okay."

The man picked up another pastry and took a bite. Suddenly, his face lit up with understanding, and he said respectfully to Long Chen, "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Long. I understand now. It seems I was too greedy. Brother Long is reminding me that one needs to be content, right?"

Everyone looked at Long Chen with admiration, not expecting his wisdom to be so profound that even a small pastry could be so thought-provoking.

However, Long Chen shook his head and sighed, "You're wrong. What I wanted to remind you is: you're already so fat, and you're still eating so much. You'll soon be too big to fit through the door.

Your fiancée is just avoiding you and hasn't broken off the engagement, which is already a great act of tolerance. Be content with that.

With your physique, any woman sleeping next to you would be too scared to sleep, for fear that you'd roll over and crush them into a pancake."

The man's face turned red. After Long Chen's reminder, he looked at his own body, which was over five feet tall and nearly four and a half feet wide, and felt that perhaps he had gained a little bit of weight.

"Fatty Yu, don't waste Brother Long's precious time. Hurry back and lose weight. Brother Long, hehe, how about you take a look at my face?" another lean man said respectfully with a smile.

"You..." Long Chen looked at him with mock seriousness. After a long pause, he said, "Your face indicates you'll be poor and destitute before the age of thirty. However, fortunately, after thirty..."

The man's eyes lit up. "You mean after thirty, I can become successful?"

"No, after thirty, you'll slowly get used to it," Long Chen replied.

The man was speechless.

The crowd couldn't help but burst into laughter. As they were laughing, a pair of venomous eyes suddenly looked over, causing their laughter to abruptly stop.

Long Chen had already sensed it. He turned his head and saw Li Hao staring at him fiercely, his eyes like two sharp blades.

"Crown Prince Li, are you recovered? That's truly cause for celebration. But even if the wounds up there have healed, how are the wounds down below?" Long Chen asked with concern.

Li Hao's face twitched. He had been carried back to his manor, his entire face nearly flattened by Long Chen's knee.

The Li family had urgently sought out an alchemist from the Alchemist Guild and spent a large sum of Gold Coins to help Li Hao recover.

One had to admit, money was a wonderful thing. In such a short time, Li Hao looked no different from a normal person.

But today, with Long Chen's mention, Li Hao felt an immediate, involuntary sharp pain in his nether regions, as if recalling Long Chen's kick from back then.

Long Chen's kick back then was too vicious; it had almost crippled him. What made him grind his teeth in hatred the most was that when he was carried back to the manor for treatment, it was discovered that one of his testicles was missing.

By the time the manor's people rushed to the stage, it had already been cleared. It was said that the missing testicle had been carried off by a stray dog.

When Li Hao woke up and heard this news, he almost fainted from anger, but it was irreversible. No matter how skilled an alchemist was, they couldn't reshape a testicle for him.

Although he could walk without a limp, the sudden absence of something that should have been symmetrical made him extremely uncomfortable.

Now, with Long Chen's mention, his face turned extremely ugly. He stared intently at Long Chen, gritting his teeth and saying, "Long Chen, you bastard, I want a death match with you. Do you dare accept?"

Long Chen's originally smiling face suddenly tensed. That title was extremely insulting, especially to his mother.

Truly, some people just ask for it. Since you want to escape the troubles of this world, I'll grant your wish.

"The same goes for me, I want to add stakes."

Long Chen looked at Li Hao. If you want to die, you should at least die with some value. After all, we're from the same country. I can't bear to see you die lighter than a feather.

"Fine, no matter how much you bet, I, Li Hao, will accept it." A cold smile flickered in his heart. You won't live to spend any more stakes. Last time, Li Hao had been careless and Long Chen had caught him off guard, leading to his miserable defeat. He would never make the same mistake again.

This time was different from last time. He was talking about a death match, whereas last time's duel, while allowing killing, meant no responsibility if the opponent surrendered.

But a death match was different. Once two people stepped onto the stage, they had essentially handed over their lives. Even surrendering was useless. The victor could decide the loser's fate at will.

"Good, tomorrow at noon, we'll meet on the Death Stage," Li Hao sneered, looking at Long Chen as if he were already a dead man.

Long Chen inwardly sneered. Now is the time to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. Seeing Li Hao about to leave, Long Chen said with a sinister smile, "Watch your balance when you walk, don't fall."

Hearing Long Chen's words, Li Hao, who had already turned to leave, suddenly stiffened. His face contorted almost beyond recognition. He understood the meaning behind Long Chen's words.

He took a deep breath, as if he hadn't heard Long Chen, and slowly walked in another direction of the Hall of Literature.

But Long Chen's words pierced his sensitive spot like steel needles, making him feel as if lifting a leg would trigger a bone-chilling memory.

He wanted to pretend nothing had happened and walk away, but the more he tried, the more unnatural his walk became, drawing strange looks from everyone.

Watching Li Hao walk away like a duck, someone next to Long Chen cautiously reminded him, "Brother Long, why did you agree to it? That's a death match, people can die."

"It's nothing. Today, I observed his face and eyebrows; they were dark and enveloped in deathly energy, a sign of being guarded by ghosts and bound by fate. He won't live past the day after tomorrow. Oh, right, I need a few of you to help me with something," Long Chen said, then whispered something to them.

The men looked at each other. Finally, the one called Fatty Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Long, since you've asked, take all my savings."

He handed Long Chen a Crystal Card. Long Chen was surprised by Fatty Yu's loyalty; the card contained eighty thousand Gold Coins.

Although they were all heirs of nobles, they were mostly from collateral branches and not highly valued. These Gold Coins represented a huge sum for Fatty Yu.

"Damn it, I have sixty thousand here, take it."

"I have less, only thirty thousand. That's all I can manage, Brother Long."

"I have..."

Long Chen had expected to borrow perhaps ten to eight thousand at most. He never imagined they would help him with their entire fortunes.

"Everyone, if I die, your money will be wasted," Long Chen reminded them, looking at the Crystal Cards in his hand.

"Are you looking down on us, Brother Long? We can't cultivate, and we've suffered their bullying often. Brother Long, you dare to fight them to the death; although we don't have that courage, we must support you with our numbers."

Seeing that Long Chen had agreed to Li Hao's death match, the group's shared hatred for their enemies was ignited. When Long Chen asked for help, they acted impulsively without thinking.

Long Chen nodded, remembering this kindness. With over two hundred thousand Gold Coins in hand, it was enough for him to do something.

Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed. A group of people entered the Hall of Literature. The previously noisy hall immediately fell silent.