I'm Back, Heaven Dou Royal Academy!

The Blazing Wolf's red flames burned more intensely as it spat out a piece of torn fabric and tossed it to the ground with a shake of its head. The Ice Feather Eagle landed nearby, its feathers dusted with grime, yet its eyes still glinted with a fierce, predatory light.

Luo Chen crouched down and patted each of their heads in turn.

"Good work."

The Blazing Wolf let out a whimper and rubbed against his palm, wearing an expression that clearly said, "Master, you finally let me vent my anger."

Luo Chen recalled his other soul beasts into the Gulu Ball, leaving only the Blazing Wolf out, and turned back toward the carriage.

Lin Xiaomei had already helped Luo An'an into the carriage, and Luo Dashan was sitting on the driver's bench, inspecting the reins left behind by the Blazing Wolf. Fortunately, they were still sturdy, so Luo Chen secured them, and the family continued on their way.

"Dad, let me take the reins." Luo Chen took them from him.

Luo Dashan glanced at him, offered no objection, and nodded before climbing into the carriage.

The carriage resumed its journey. Luo An'an poked her head out the window and looked back. "Big Brother, where did those bad people go?"

"They... they left."

"Will they come back?"

"No. Never again."

Luo An'an pulled her head back, satisfied, and curled up in Lin Xiaomei's arms, falling asleep shortly after.

Luo Chen sat on the driver's bench, holding the reins in his left hand while pulling out his pocket watch with his right to take a look.

The second notch was still glowing with a faint light, unchanged.

He snapped the watch shut and drove on in silence.

"Evil Emperor."

"What is it, kid?"

"I killed people just now," Luo Chen said, his face expressionless.

The Evil Emperor let out a scoff. "You killed them, so what? Are you getting soft-hearted?"

"It's not about being soft-hearted." Luo Chen's gaze rested on the road ahead. "I'm just worried that An'an saw."

"Didn't you make her close her eyes?"

"Even if she didn't see it, I feel uneasy." Luo Chen paused. "Those people deserved to die; they crossed my bottom line."

The Evil Emperor was silent for a moment, his tone turning uncharacteristically serious. "The fact that you think that way shows you haven't been blinded by power. If it were me, those people wouldn't even have ashes left, but I wouldn't care if a child saw. You are stronger than me."

Luo Chen didn't respond, but his expression grew exceptionally firm, and a hint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

The carriage rolled along the main road at a steady pace, the wheels creaking as they crushed the gravel.

He could almost see the silhouette of Tiandou City...

Two days later, they arrived at Tiandou City.

Looking at the familiar yet vastly changed scenery, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion.

Although it felt like less than a month to him, ten years had truly passed.

Ten years... enough for a small child to grow into a refined gentleman, and enough for a young man to reach middle age.

"Big Brother, what a huge gate!" Luo An'an leaned against the window, tilting her head to look up at the city gate, her mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

"It's big, isn't it? Once we get inside, there's even bigger." Luo Chen handed the reins to Luo Dashan, jumped off the carriage, and took the token Meng Shenji had given him from his ring. He flashed it at the guards outside the gate, and their expressions immediately shifted to one of deep respect.

"My Lord, please, right this way!"

The Luo family entered Tiandou City without a hitch. Only after they had passed through did the guard suddenly realize what that token was...

Tiandou City was even more prosperous than it had been ten years ago. The streets had been widened, and the shops on both sides sported new signs. The streets were bustling with crowds, and the cacophony of hawkers calling out their wares made the air feel lively and somewhat chaotic.

Luo Chen followed his memory toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He passed the stall where he used to buy candied haws, but the vendor had been replaced by a young man—he wondered if it was the old vendor's son.

He stopped in front of the academy gates.

The gate was the same as before, with the words "Heaven Dou Royal Academy" carved into the pillars. The paint had been refreshed, looking much brighter than it had ten years ago.

Two students in uniform were standing guard. Seeing a silver-haired young man approach, one of them raised a hand to block Luo Chen and his family.

"Halt! This is Heaven Dou Royal Academy! All unauthorized persons, turn back at once!"

Arrogant—extremely arrogant!

Luo Chen frowned.

He hadn't intended to bicker with these two gatekeepers. He had been away for ten years, and the academy had seen several batches of new students; it was normal that they didn't recognize him.

But his parents and sister were behind him—Luo Dashan and Lin Xiaomei were stepping down from the carriage, and Luo An'an was peeking out, curiously eyeing the two uniformed men.

The tall student saw that Luo Chen hadn't moved and stepped forward, his finger nearly poking Luo Chen's chest. "Are you deaf? Can't you understand human speech? This is Heaven Dou Royal Academy, not some vegetable market for commoners like you to wander through!"

The other, a short and stout student, crossed his arms and chimed in with a sneer, "Look at him—silver hair and purple eyes. Probably some barbarian from a foreign land. To think a barbarian would dare to barge into our Heaven Dou Royal Academy. How unlucky!"

Luo Chen said nothing. He merely narrowed his left eye slightly. A cold light flashed within his purple slit pupil.

"Say that again."

His voice was not loud, but every word hit the ground hard, like shards of ice.

The tall student felt a chill run down his spine under his gaze, yet he still braced himself and puffed out his chest. "So what if I said it? Do you even know where this is... Ah!"

He didn't finish his sentence. Luo Chen didn't lift a finger; he simply focused his Spirit Abyss Realm mental power precisely upon the boy. The tall student felt as if a massive mountain had crushed down upon him, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, his face deathly pale as he trembled uncontrollably.

The short, stout student jumped in fright, retreating two steps before shouting with a fierce expression that masked his inner cowardice, "What... what are you doing? Do you dare to strike someone at the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy? Do you have any idea who we are?"

"I don't," Luo Chen said, withdrawing his mental pressure as the tall student slumped to the ground, gasping for air. "And I don't care to know."

He reached into his ring and produced a deep purple token, waving it briefly before the two of them.

The short, stout student froze; he recognized that token—it was the personal token of Meng Shenji, the Chief of the Education Committee.

Never mind them, almost everyone in the academy had to treat that token with the utmost respect.

"Th-this... this...?"

Luo Chen tucked the token away. "Go tell my teacher that Luo Chen has returned!"

The short, stout student's face flushed red, his lips trembling for a long moment before he suddenly pointed at Luo Chen and cursed, "Don't try to scare us with that token! Who knows if you stole it? Chief Meng doesn't even have a disciple! How dare you impersonate one!"

Luo Chen slapped him across the face, the force controlled perfectly—stunning him without causing injury—and the crisp sound echoed at the academy gates for a long time.

The short, stout student clutched his face, spun around from the impact, and fell straight to the ground. His eyes widened in shock and rage, tears already welling up in his sockets.

"You dare hit me? Do you know that my father is—"

"I don't care who your father is," Luo Chen interrupted. "You just called us 'foreign barbarians,' and what did the commoners' market ever do to you? You are a disgrace to Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"