"Returning home without showing off your wealth is like wearing brocade in the dark." The emperor's voice drifted down from above. "Make your preparations."
"I-I, your subject, wish to request a position! A position as an imperial official!" Yu Xiaogang suddenly bowed to the floor. This Grandmaster, supposedly unmoved by fame or profit, had actually taken the initiative to ask for an office.
"Heh." The emperor smiled, showing his teeth. "Deputy Envoy."
Yu Xiaogang knelt. "Your subject accepts the decree."
The guards escorted Yu Xiaogang away. He needed to pack for his journey to the Douluo Continent. This time, he would return home in glory.
Only after watching Yu Xiaogang leave did the emperor speak. "What use is this, Long Yue?"
Long Yue and his teacher, En Ci, emerged from the rear hall. Long Yue bowed. "Have Yu Xiaogang invite the dean of Shrek Academy here. That is his purpose."
"Historically, it was precisely the presence of uncrowned kings such as Shrek Academy that ensured the Douluo Continent's endless stream of geniuses received proper training."
Long Yue's words rang out with conviction. "After all, the academy asks neither nationality nor whether someone is poor or wealthy. Anyone with talent will be trained. And Shrek Academy has no dirty dealings that might ruin some of those geniuses."
"Would Spirit Hall not suffice?" the emperor asked, testing the thirteen-year-old Long Yue.
This was the first time Dai Tianling had formally scrutinized Long Yue as he would an official.
If not for that essay on "cultural hegemony," the emperor would never have associated Mad Dragon-a talented but brawny, rough fellow-with an understanding of governance.
"Spirit Hall is not an academy," Long Yue said. "Spirit Hall also harms geniuses from the two great empires. It cannot treat everyone equally."
"Mm." The emperor nodded.
"Your