Xue Qinghe

Li Meili burst into laughter. "Doesn't that mean we can swagger around everywhere from now on?"

Shi Quan hurriedly shook his head. "No, no. Dad said we have to be steady and prudent no matter what we do. And we'd never do bad things, right, Dad?"

Shi Jian smiled and rubbed Shi Quan's head. "It's good that you remember. I'm just afraid that once you get stronger, you'll start getting full of yourself."

"Do I look like that kind of person?" Shi Quan looked at Shi Jian resentfully.

Shi Jian smiled and poked Shi Quan's little head. "Who knows? You've got far too many thoughts in that head of yours."

Fury, standing by the door, watched the affectionate family of three, and a trace of envy rose in his eyes.

Before the three could chat for long, Village Chief Shi Gandang came panting over to Shi Quan's home to find out what had happened.

Shi Jian and Li Meili then followed the village chief to the entrance of the village, where they finally understood what Shi Quan had meant by "they." Aside from Fury at the door, there was an entire squad of dozens of Iron Armored Guards outside the village.

When Li Meili saw such a display, her face went somewhat pale. But when she remembered that they had come to escort Shi Quan, the worry in her heart eased somewhat.

"Xiao Quan, so many people are escorting you. Just how far away is Heaven Dou Royal Academy?"

"I'm not sure either. Maybe five or six thousand li. It'll probably take more than half a month to get there."

"So far..." Li Meili's eyes reddened at once.

She had already been terribly reluctant to send him to Notting City to study. Now he was going to Heaven Dou City, and she had no idea when they would meet again. How could Li Meili bear to let him go?

"Mom, I just got back, and you already want me gone?"

"Aren't these soldiers here to escort you there?" Li Meili wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked toward the soldiers at the village entrance.

Shi Quan took his mother's hand and said with a grin, "Mom, I decide when I go to the academy. I just got home, so of course I need to spend more time with you."

"Really?" Li Meili's eyes brightened.

Shi Jian asked, "Xiao Quan, won't this delay your enrollment?"

Shi Quan explained, "Don't worry, Dad. There's still a month left before this semester normally ends. Since I graduated early, I don't need to attend classes for this final month. There are still two or three months before enrollment, so it won't affect anything."

Only after Shi Quan explained did the two finally set their minds at ease.

As for the Iron Guards, Shi Quan also explained the situation to them. Once they learned that they did not need to provide food or lodging for them, both sighed in admiration. As expected of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family.

After all, although ordinary villagers like them were not short of money, preparing food for more than fifty people every day would still be more than they could handle.

With such a group of Iron Guards outside the village, the villagers were somewhat unaccustomed to it at first. Being watched like that always made them feel uneasy, but as time passed, they gradually got used to it.

Time flew by, and a month quickly passed. By now, it should also have been time for Notting Academy to go on break.

"Tang Hao probably goes to see Tang San every year during the holidays. It's about time for me to leave too."

Shi Quan lay in a reclining chair in the courtyard, leisurely enjoying the warm sunlight as he slowly closed his eyes.

Over the past month, Shi Quan had truly relaxed and rested. Other than cultivating at night, he spent all his remaining time at home with his parents.

A few more days passed. After bidding farewell to his parents, whom he had already informed in advance, Shi Quan finally set off with the Iron Guards for Heaven Dou City.

A new place, a new beginning.

As Stone Family Village gradually shrank from view and disappeared behind him, a trace of anticipation surfaced in Shi Quan's eyes. Heaven Dou City—that was where he would truly rise.

Another twenty days or so passed.

"My lord, Heaven Dou City is just ahead."

Fury's voice came from outside the carriage.

Lifting the curtain, Shi Quan could already see the city walls in the distance, banners fluttering atop them. As one of the two largest and most prosperous cities on the continent, Heaven Dou City's walls stood a hundred meters tall, entirely constructed from the hardest Granite. Above and below the walls, every patrolling and guarding soldier wore full armor and carried a spear. The killing aura emanating from them showed just how elite they were.

The towering main gate was ten meters high and ten meters wide, enough for six riders to pass abreast. There were also two side gates, each five meters high and wide. Ordinary travelers could only enter through the side gates, while the central gate remained tightly shut.

Led by the Iron Guards, Shi Quan entered Heaven Dou City directly without needing to be inspected.

Heaven Dou City was exceptionally prosperous. Every street was paved with blue bricks, and no street there could be compared to those in a small city like Notting City. The scale of the entire city could only be described as magnificent.

Shi Quan knew whom they were taking him to see—the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe!

The Iron Guards proceeded onward, and before long, Shi Quan saw the towering Inner City walls in the distance, as well as the magnificent palace towers faintly visible beyond them. That was the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace!

As the Crown Prince's personal guards, they traveled all the way without even being stopped by the guards of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace. They continued until they reached a magnificent courtyard, where the Iron Guards finally came to a halt.

"My lord, we have arrived outside the Crown Prince's Palace. You'll have to walk the rest of the way yourself," Fury's voice sounded from outside the carriage.

Shi Quan had already awakened from cultivation when the carriage stopped. He rose and stepped down from the carriage.

The grandly decorated gates slowly opened. Led by Fury, Shi Quan entered the Crown Prince's Palace. Its furnishings were classical, and its first impression was one of refined elegance, which suited Xue Qinghe's persona quite well.

After winding through numerous corridors, the two finally arrived before a palace spanning several hundred square meters. Before Shi Quan even entered, he saw a young man in luxurious robes walk out of the palace. At that moment, the system's familiar voice rang out in his mind once more.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on encountering a Destiny Villain. A Destiny Treasure Chest has been triggered. The system has opened it for the Host. Congratulations, Host, on obtaining the Bloodline Extractor."

There really is a Destiny Villain! Shi Quan was secretly delighted. Before coming here, he had wondered whether he would trigger another Destiny Treasure Chest. It had actually been triggered.

One word: awesome.

When Xue Qinghe saw Shi Quan and Fury in the distance, he immediately waved excitedly at Shi Quan. "Brother Shi Quan, I've been waiting for you!"

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Upon seeing him, Fury immediately knelt respectfully in salute.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Shi Quan quickly came to his senses and put on a flattered expression, hastily making as if to kneel as well.

Xue Qinghe strode forward and quickly pulled Shi Quan up. "Brother Shi Quan, you truly are a young talent. If Headmaster Ma hadn't told me your age, I would have found it hard to believe that you were only ten years old. When I was ten, I was merely an ignorant child. I'm very pleased to meet you. 'Crown Prince' is a title for outsiders. I'm a few years older than you, so if you don't mind, you can simply call me Brother Xue."

Just like in the original story—refined, elegant, and approachable, Shi Quan thought.

"Your Highness personally came to welcome me. I am already deeply honored. With someone of my status, how could I dare address Your Highness as a brother?" Shi Quan immediately put on a panicked expression.

Xue Qinghe hurriedly waved him off, patting Shi Quan on the shoulder as he led him toward the palace. "Brother Shi, you're being too formal. Headmaster Ma traveled all the way from Notting City to Heaven Dou City specifically to seek an audience with me. That shows that you and Headmaster Ma trust me. For the sake of that trust, there's no need to mention the words 'Crown Prince.'"

Shi Quan hurriedly cupped his hands. "Then thank you for recognizing me, Brother Xue."

"Ha ha ha, good." Xue Qinghe laughed heartily. "Brother Shi, you must be tired after such a long journey. I've already prepared a banquet and a room for you. Rest here tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you to enroll at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"Thank you for the trouble, Brother Xue." Shi Quan smiled.

Xue Qinghe waved his hand. "With a genius like you joining the academy, it is Heaven Dou Royal Academy's honor."

"Brother Xue, please don't say that. I wouldn't dare accept such an honor."

"Brother Shi, you don't understand the significance of your theory to the Spirit Master World. Even the Three Great Education Committees have praised your theory highly. When we learned that you were only ten years old, we were utterly astonished. The Three Great Education Committees even directly called you a genius."

Faced with Xue Qinghe's blunt praise, Shi Quan's chest rose a little higher, though he still waved his hand. "Brother Xue, my theory still has many areas that need improvement. The road ahead is long, and I still need to work hard."

"Don't worry, Brother Shi. Once you arrive at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, the academy will fully support your theoretical research. You need not worry about anything else."

The two sat down and continued chatting while eating pastries.

Whatever else could be said, Xue Qinghe was truly a skilled conversationalist. He never ran out of topics and was incredibly knowledgeable. He would not make anyone feel awkward, and there was a calm, magnanimous quality to his manner of speech. His friendliness seemed almost natural, making people feel favorably toward him.

After dinner, the two chatted merrily until nightfall.

They talked all the way from Heaven Dou City to Notting City, then from Notting Academy to Heaven Dou Royal Academy, then from Spirit Soul Theory to sects, academies, and various factions...

From their conversation, Shi Quan could sense that Xue Qinghe was intentionally and unintentionally probing his views on Spirit Hall.

Naturally, Shi Quan could only say that he held no hostility toward Spirit Hall, and that the reason he worried Spirit Hall might act against him was because his teacher disliked Spirit Hall.

Shi Quan had mastered the art of shifting blame with ease.

Marde had always been at odds with Spirit Hall, and anyone could find that out with a little investigation. So placing the blame on him was absolutely no problem.

To be more precise, he did not hold any resentment toward any faction at the moment. Where would so much inexplicable hostility even come from...