Not Even a Goodbye, Meeting Dugu Yan at a Crossroads

When the first rays of morning sunlight shone into the room, Jiang Nanchen woke up. More precisely, he woke up from hunger. Rubbing his eyes, he headed to the study, only to find two guards standing outside the door.

"Young Master Jiang, please wait a moment. His Highness is still resting."

The guard spoke respectfully.

Jiang Nanchen nodded and did not make things difficult for them. He simply sat on a stone bench in the courtyard and waited.

At that moment, Qian Renxue was writing in her diary inside the study.

There came a knock at the door, followed by a guard's voice. "Your Highness, Young Master Jiang is awake."

"I know."

Qian Renxue answered, finished the last line of her diary, closed it, and placed it in a hidden compartment. Only then did she leave with peace of mind.

The little fellow had gotten up rather early.

"This weather..."

Qian Renxue looked at the sunlight outside the window. It was somewhat blinding. "I stayed up all night again."

Before she knew it, the entire night had passed.

As she left the study, the two guards were about to salute when Qian Renxue raised a hand to stop them.

Qian Renxue quietly approached Jiang Nanchen, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Resting her chin in her hands, she looked at him. "Nanchen, why are you up so early?"

Jiang Nanchen opened his eyes. "I woke up hungry."

"You woke up hungry?" Qian Renxue paused, then burst into laughter. "You ate so much yesterday, and you're already hungry again? You really are a big eater."

"Cultivation requires a great deal of energy replenishment. It's normal to be hungry," Jiang Nanchen said seriously.

"So that's how it is." Qian Renxue pretended to understand, then said, "Then let's go have a filling meal before heading to the academy."

Holding Jiang Nanchen's little hand, she left the Crown Prince's Residence. They ate at a nearby restaurant, then headed for the academy.

They did not go to Gathering Immortals Tower. Breakfast only needed to be enough to tide them over; there was no need to make it overly lavish.

"Today, I noticed you only ate until you were half full. You didn't keep eating?"

Qian Renxue raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"We're going to the academy. I can't eat too much. It would be inconvenient if I had to spar with someone."

Jiang Nanchen never ate until he was stuffed in the morning. It only made his stomach feel bloated and uncomfortable.

Even delicious food became tiresome if eaten too much. Eat it for a month straight, and just seeing it might make one want to throw up.

Having it once in a while was still quite nice.

"You know yourself pretty well."

Qian Renxue had just raised a hand to rub Jiang Nanchen's head when he dodged aside, putting some distance between them.

"Your Highness, I told you not to touch my head," Jiang Nanchen said.

"You won't even let me touch your head? Just now, while we were eating, you kept calling me Crown Prince Brother. Now it's Your Highness? You change your face faster than turning a page."

Qian Renxue snorted lightly and rolled her eyes at Jiang Nanchen.

What was that supposed to mean?

Jiang Nanchen covered his ears and chose to ignore Qian Renxue's words.

It was fine as long as he could not hear them.

Before long, the two arrived at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

After arriving at the academy, Qian Renxue stopped at the entrance after seeing him there.

"Go to class. I still need to go to the palace. I'll come pick you up later."

Qian Renxue gave him a few more instructions. If anyone failed to recognize their place, he could beat them as badly as he liked. She had his back, so there was nothing to fear.

"Actually, I can stay at the academy. Crown Prince Brother, you can focus on your own work."

Jiang Nanchen was very understanding.

"Dream on!" Qian Renxue said irritably. "If I say I'm picking you up, then I'm picking you up. What if Tang Hao comes to the academy looking for trouble? You need to understand my good intentions."

Jiang Nanchen sighed helplessly. "All right, all right, I'll listen to you. Hurry back, and remember my herbal medicine books. Get them to me quickly. I still need to study them carefully."

After reminding her once more, Jiang Nanchen turned and entered the academy.

Qian Renxue watched his retreating figure and snorted. "He didn't even say goodbye. What a little brat!"

She set off for the palace.

Jiang Nanchen's entrance into the academy undoubtedly drew everyone's attention.

At the academy, people with golden hair and golden eyes were almost nonexistent.

More importantly, Jiang Nanchen had entered Heaven Dou Royal Academy, an advanced academy, at only six years old.

Quite a few people were shocked and assumed he was the child of some noble family who had gotten in through the back door.

Jiang Nanchen ignored the gazes of the others. Instead, he was wondering which classroom he was supposed to attend.

Qian Renxue had told him to go to Room 301 in a five-story building.

"I'm actually lost!"

Jiang Nanchen sighed and wandered around nearby until he stopped at a fork in the road.

There were five-story buildings on both sides.

"Little brother, are you lost?"

A voice rang out. Before Jiang Nanchen had time to turn his head, the owner of the voice came before him and crouched down.

Jiang Nanchen gave her a glance.

The newcomer was a young girl with short dark-purple hair. She looked valiant and spirited, while her pair of emerald-green eyes carried a strange, bewitching air, with a hint of eerie charm.

Her beauty was not peerless, yet she possessed a naturally alluring temperament and a slender figure.

"I suppose I am. I need to go to Room 301 for class, but I can't find the way."

Jiang Nanchen explained.

"I see!" The girl smiled. "Looks like you're a new student. I'm also heading to Room 301 for theory class, so come with me. And tell me while we walk—how did someone as young as you get into this academy?"

The girl's curiosity was overflowing, practically written all over her face.

Jiang Nanchen did not refuse.

The two walked together and chatted as they went.

"My name is Dugu Yan. What's yours?"

Dugu Yan asked.

"Jiang Nanchen, from the Crown Prince's Residence!" Jiang Nanchen answered.

"Jiang Nanchen, the Crown Prince's Residence..." Dugu Yan murmured. "If the Crown Prince personally recommended you, then that makes sense. I thought you were some family's little brother!"

It was not that Dugu Yan was overly suspicious. How could there possibly have been a six-year-old child at the academy before?

"No, I didn't get in through any back door. I got in based on my own strength."

Jiang Nanchen felt that Dugu Yan had underestimated him, so he had to explain himself.

"Your own strength? You're six years old. What level is your soul power?"

Dugu Yan thought Jiang Nanchen was joking.

There were far too few youths with innately full soul power.

At Kamikaze Academy, one of the elemental academies, Feng Xiaotian possessed innately full soul power, but he was the only one.

As for Heaven Dou Royal Academy, there were no students with innately full soul power, though there were a few with innate ninth-rank soul power.

"Thirteenth-rank soul power."

Jiang Nanchen spoke.

"Thirteenth rank!" Dugu Yan's eyes widened, and her smile froze on her face.

"You really are a genius!" Dugu Yan exclaimed.

"What else would I be? And just now, you seemed to be looking down on me. You thought I was joking, didn't you?" Jiang Nanchen said in a faint voice.

"Ahaha, how could that be? I was just too surprised."

Dugu Yan gave a couple of dry laughs and raised a hand to rub her head, concealing her embarrassment.

It was no good for a little fellow to be too smart. That made him less cute.

Dugu Yan coughed lightly twice. "Little Nanchen, we should hurry to the classroom. Today's class is theory, taught by Teacher Zhi Lin from the Education Committee."

For the time being, she put away her thoughts and hurried with Jiang Nanchen toward the classroom.

Before long, they arrived at the classroom.

Almost everyone else had already arrived.

Zhi Lin was somewhat surprised to see Jiang Nanchen arrive together with Dugu Yan.

"Dugu Yan, go to your seat. I'll introduce the new student first."

"Yes." Dugu Yan nodded and quickly returned to her seat.