Hualie Hotel

Hualie Hotel was the most luxurious place inside Ernst Institute where students could spend their money. Yale was treating them today, so the four brothers from Dormitory 1987 had gathered there for a meal.

The first floor of Hualie Hotel.

The hotel's polished floors gleamed like mirrors. A row of beautiful waitresses stood respectfully at attention, ready to serve at a moment's notice.

The hotel was full of young men and women in student uniforms. Most of those who could afford to dine here came from well-off families; even a simple meal at one table cost dozens of gold coins. Lin Feng couldn't have afforded it.

The grade-level competition had just ended, and most of the students in the hotel were talking about it. Most of the people here were young adults, but one table was occupied by four children.

"Just thinking about this year's competition makes me mad. I was so close—so close to making the semifinals. I might even have placed in the top three!" Reynolds complained. He was the youngest of the four brothers, and also the proudest and most confident.

Yale laughed. "It was a shame. I didn't expect Land to take first place in the end."

George smiled but said nothing.

George was a good-natured fellow who almost never made enemies.

"Land?" Lin Feng hadn't expected events to follow the original story. Land had still taken first place. If Lin Feng's guess was right, the next part would be him beating the grade's top student, Land, to a pulp.

To be honest, Lin Feng had never fought anyone since he began studying magic. He'd only killed a few wild chickens and rabbits. The thought of using magic to duel someone filled him with excitement.

If he wanted to fight Land and find out what it felt like to pelt someone with magic, he had to keep this act going.

"Land? Right, I remember you mentioning him. Is he the one among this year's new students who has exceptional elemental affinity and spiritual force?" Lin Feng had remembered the name Land.

George nodded with a smile. "That's him. He was already highly gifted, and before he'd even started training, his spiritual force had naturally reached the level required of a second-rank mage. This past year, all he had to do was build up enough magical power. With the strength of a second-rank mage, winning first place in the first-year arena competition wasn't difficult."

"What does talent alone prove? Can he compare with Dixie, the greatest genius in our institute?" Yale curled his lip. "I really can't stand Land. So what if he won first place in the first-year arena competition? Lin Feng, you should've seen how smug he was afterward. I wonder what he'd be like if he won first place in the fifth- or sixth-year competition."

The higher a mage's level, the harder it was to advance.

That was why most of the thousands of students at Ernst Institute were in the upper years. The competition grew fiercer with each year.

Reynolds nodded. "I can't stand him either. Dixie, the greatest genius in our institute, is only in his third year. Look at how he carried himself after winning first place in the third-year competition. There's no comparison. And Land isn't even the best student in our year."

"Right. You didn't compete, Third Brother. If you had, heh-heh," Yale said with a snort.

Their conversation wasn't much different from the original story, and their unrestrained discussion eventually drew the displeasure of Land, who had just arrived at the hotel.

The next part would be even simpler: the conflict would escalate until they had to settle it with a fight.

They would open the arena, duel, and put up a prize of ten thousand gold coins.

The result of the duel would naturally be beyond doubt. Lin Feng would easily beat Land until even his mother couldn't recognize him, then claim the ten thousand gold coins.

"Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, tomorrow's the end of the month. My father's people will be here tomorrow, and I can arrange carriages and guards. How about the four of us go sightseeing in the Holy Capital?" Yale suggested.

"The Holy Capital?"

Reynolds, George, and Lin Feng all brightened.

The Holy Capital, Fenlai City, was no ordinary bustling city.

"The Holy Capital sounds great! I came all the way from the O'Brien Empire to Ernst Institute, but I only spent two days in Fenlai City. There are so many places I never got to visit," Reynolds said quickly.

George and Lin Feng nodded as well.

"There are plenty of places to see in the Holy Capital. Tomorrow, I'll take you around and open your eyes," Yale said mysteriously.

Early the next morning, the four brothers from Dormitory 1987 and Beibei followed Yale's father's caravan to Fenlai City.

With the guards Cass and three others protecting them, Lin Feng and his brothers toured the city.

"So, where should we go now? Fenlai City has plenty of fun places. The east side has lots of luxurious establishments, and plenty of beautiful women to wait on you. The west side has plenty of artistic venues, like the famous Proulx Gallery," Yale said. He knew Fenlai City very well.

"Beautiful women to wait on us? Great! Let's go to the east side!" Reynolds's eyes lit up, despite his young age.

"It's still morning. Those places are more fun at night, but we can go now if you want," Yale said with a laugh.

Lin Feng was a little uncomfortable with those places, so he said, "Forget it, Yale. What's the point of a bunch of kids going there? You mentioned the Proulx Gallery just now. It's named after Master Proulx, so it must be something special. Let's go take a look."

Proulx was the greatest stone sculptor in Yulan's history.

"Master Proulx? I've heard of him too. They say one of his works was sold for several million gold coins. I think it was called 'Hope.' Several million gold coins! That's an incredible amount of money," Reynolds marveled.

George smiled confidently. "From prehistoric times to the present, countless stone sculptures have been passed down. Each of the ten most highly ranked sculptures is worth at least a million gold coins. Master Proulx alone has three of them. He can be called the greatest stone sculptor of all time!"

"Let's go see," Lin Feng said at once.

Proulx Gallery.

It was the foremost gallery of stone sculpture, with branches in several of Yulan's greatest cities. The gallery covered a vast area, and most of its visitors were people who considered themselves cultured.

At Proulx Gallery, if you wore a few diamond rings enchanted with magic, people would probably look down on you and sneer that you lacked taste.

Art and refinement!

Those were what mattered most here.

Admission to Proulx Gallery cost one gold coin per person.

Music like the gentle tinkling of a mountain stream drifted out of the gallery. Listening to it brought a sense of peace. Visitors streamed in and out—noblemen, noblewomen, and beautiful young ladies, all dressed with great taste.

In front of Proulx Gallery, commoners couldn't help feeling inferior.

Lin Feng and his three brothers, along with the four guards, went straight to the plaza in front of the gallery. Anyone with a discerning eye who saw the Ernst Institute uniforms on the boys and the Green-eyed Thunder Eagle perched on Cass's shoulder became more deferential.

"Uncle Cass, come inside with us. The other three can wait outside," Yale said casually.

Lin Feng, his three brothers, and Cass entered Proulx Gallery. In the center of the main hall stood a towering statue of a man—the very Master Proulx, the greatest figure in the history of stone sculpture.

The entire gallery was very quiet.

Almost everyone, no matter how high their station, lowered their voice for fear of disturbing others.

Yale, Reynolds, George, and Lin Feng looked at the various stone sculptures on display. They all felt that the pieces were truly exquisite.

Looking at the sculptures, Lin Feng instinctively compared them to the bronze and wood carvings of his own era. The result surprised him: in form, spirit, and charm, the stone sculptures were superior. He didn't know how to appreciate works of sculpture, but his instincts alone let him clearly see the difference in quality. As a result, Lin Feng, who had never thought much of stone sculpture, began to take it seriously.

"The exhibition halls at Proulx Gallery are divided into three sections: the regular exhibition hall, the master sculptors' hall, and the grandmasters' hall. In the regular hall, stone sculpture enthusiasts submit their works for people to inspect and bid on. They're exhibited for one month, and at the end of that month, the highest bidder takes them. Most of these pieces are ordinary, worth a few gold coins. The better ones might fetch a few dozen."

Yale explained with a smile, "The master sculptors' hall is different. It's divided into separate rooms, each containing the works of a single sculptor. Someone is called a master sculptor because their skill has been recognized, and their works are generally worth around a thousand gold coins."

"As for the grandmasters' hall, that's even more impressive. It's in the innermost part of the gallery and contains works by only a handful of grandmasters. Their pieces are worth frightening sums—tens of thousands of gold coins each, and some of their best-known works fetch hundreds of thousands." Yale gave his three brothers a detailed explanation.

As he wandered through the quiet, spacious gallery, listening to the peaceful music, Lin Feng felt immersed in an ocean of art. Just then, Doehring Cowart emerged from the Coiling Dragon Ring, something he rarely did, and began admiring the sculptures around him as well.

"Terrible, just terrible. What kind of standard is this? How dare they put these on display?" Doehring Cowart complained.

Lin Feng couldn't help laughing when he heard that. Given Doehring Cowart's status as the founder of the Flat Blade School, it was only natural that he'd judge the sculptures so harshly.

As Doehring Cowart continued to sigh and disparage the works, Lin Feng gained little beyond doubts about his own taste.

When the four brothers returned to the institute's entrance, a familiar voice suddenly called, "Lin Feng."

Lin Feng turned around and saw who it was. Delight spread across his face. "Uncle Hillman!"

Seeing Uncle Hillman there, Lin Feng thought for a moment and immediately guessed why he had come. Wharton's bloodline concentration must have been discovered to meet the requirements of a Dragonblood Warrior, and Hillman had come to bring him the good news.

Events were still following the original story. After Lin Feng handed Hillman the Magic Crystal Card containing the 9,900 gold coins he'd won from his duel with Land, they talked for a little while before Hillman headed back to Wushan Town.

After seeing Hillman off, Lin Feng felt a little wistful. "Wharton has also set out on the path to becoming a strong warrior, just as he was supposed to. I hope he turns out like he did in the original story, studying happily in the O'Brien Empire and then marrying a beautiful woman."

Lin Feng shook his head and walked into the institute.