Targeted by Blue Tyrant Academy again, Lin Qian said this was all standard procedure-no need for applause.
Outstanding people would be on others' minds wherever they went~
Soul Fighting rewards + compensation for emotional distress = 250,000 Gold Soul Coins.
After receiving the money, Lin Qian stopped as promised and no longer went to the Great Soul Arena to compete. He had already made a name for himself; now he would see how things developed.
Several days passed.
Lin Qian received some bad news-
Qian Renxue could not get away for the time being and sent someone to tell him she would meet him later.
He had come here as an undercover agent in the first place. Now he could not make contact with his colleague, and he could not go to the Soul Fighting Arena either, which more or less meant eating his fill and waiting to die.
After turning it over in his mind, Lin Qian went somewhere.
The Moonlight Pavilion.
It was a place that specialized in teaching court etiquette. In principle, it only accepted nobles, admitting one hundred people each year, none older than thirty.
In the original story, Princess Xue Ke, the daughter of Xue Ye, had studied here. Later, after leaving Slaughter City, Tang San had also studied here for a year to restrain his killing intent.
This originally had nothing to do with Lin Qian, but for the mission's sake, he had to find something to do. Otherwise, what would he say if someone asked?
While he was at it... he could do a few other things too. Those who knew, knew~
The owner of the Moonlight Pavilion was named Tang Yuehua. She was the younger sister of Tang Xiao, the Clear Sky Sect's master, and Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, as well as a female simp.
She had fallen in love with a man she should not have loved and had since vowed never to marry.
The original story had been very oblique about this, but anyone with eyes could see that the one she liked was her own elder brother, Tang Hao.
Moreover, their body language in the animation also showed that her feelings for Tang Hao were anything but ordinary. In the end, she had even given her nephew every green light, letting him enroll.
Lin Qian was still confident about dealing with a woman whose mind worked in such peculiar ways.
"The Moonlight Pavilion is restricted ground. No loiterers!"
As soon as he reached the entrance, Lin Qian was stopped, just as expected.
"I have business with your headmistress. Please let her know."
Simply saying he wanted to enroll definitely would not work. This was not a park where anyone could wander in. If he said that, he would most likely be thrown out.
"You want to see the headmistress? Are you a noble?"
The person blocking his way looked him over and asked.
Whether in Heaven Dou or the Star Luo Empire, nobles had to be formally ennobled by the imperial family. Someone with the identity of a distant nephew of the minister of internal affairs certainly would not have a noble title.
Never mind him-even the minister of internal affairs' own son would need the imperial family to grant him a title before he could join the nobility.
Soul Masters, on the other hand, could earn titles from the imperial family through their own abilities and become nobles.
But he had not even met Qian Renxue yet, had he?
"Not at present, but I have..."
"Sorry, our academy does not receive anyone other than nobles. Nor is the headmistress someone any stray cat or dog can see whenever they please."
The instant the attendant heard that he was not a noble, his expression turned cold and merciless, and he sneered as he showed him the door.
No wonder Spirit Hall had managed to establish an empire and nearly unify the continent. With an attitude like this, he would be ashamed to step outside without giving out a few resounding slaps!
"And if I don't leave?"
As usual, Lin Qian offered courtesy before resorting to force.
"Then I'll send you on your way!"
Relying on their considerable strength, Soul Masters generally had bad tempers. The purple-clad attendant had seen plenty of them and released his martial soul without another word.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black-six Soul Rings pulsed in orderly rhythm.
"You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you dare run wild in the Moonlight Pavilion? Kid, I'll say this one last time..."
Hum!
Lin Qian released his martial soul.
Four Soul Rings shone: yellow, yellow, purple, and black.
"You're a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor? That's impossible!"
The boy looked only twelve, yet he already had rank-forty cultivation? But so what if he was rank forty? The attendant himself was a full-fledged Soul Emperor!
Word of Yu Wenmu's beating had not yet spread, so he did not know that the person before him was the Ice Jade Scorpion King who had defeated a Soul Emperor in an instant.
After a moment's thought, the man in purple raised his right hand. Purple vines sprouted from his palm, forming a barrier around them.
"Ready?"
Since he was in the Moonlight Pavilion, wrecking the whole place would not be good, so Lin Qian decided to end the fight quickly. After that question, he raised his right arm. "Ice Explosion!"
He narrowed the attack's range once again. Before the Soul Emperor could even make a move, he was frozen solid. Lin Qian clenched his five fingers, and the ice instantly exploded.
"Aah!"
Screams rang in their ears, and the receptionists were so frightened that they hid beneath their desks. Fortunately, Lin Qian had controlled the attack's range, and the Soul Emperor was the only person injured.
"Everyone, stop!"
Just then, a cool voice suddenly rang out.
Lin Qian looked over and saw a beautiful, graceful woman descending the stairs, followed by two maids.
At first glance, the woman appeared twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but her eyes seemed to see through everything, as though she had weathered all the vicissitudes of life.
Her silver court gown fit her perfectly. Her graceful, regal bearing was beyond compare; in all the world, only Pope Bibi Dong could stand alongside her.
The difference was that her bearing felt more like a gentle spring breeze, placing no pressure on anyone and making her seem approachable.
When she saw the purple-clad man's miserable state, her brows creased slightly, but she did not lose her composure. Everything was just right. "Chief Steward Aode, what happened?"
Forcing himself to endure the pain, Aode stepped forward to report, "Madam, this person came here to cause trouble!"
She glanced at Lin Qian, surprised by his Soul Ancestor cultivation, yet her tone remained mild. "Cause trouble? Why don't I see it?"
As she spoke, a peculiar ripple emanated from her. Gentle soul power spread outward, seemingly capable of soothing all the sorrow in the world.
The solemn, oppressive Moonlight Pavilion became serene and natural again.
Knowing that this was her domain-the Noble Ring-Lin Qian experienced it for a moment before saying, "I'm the minister of internal affairs' nephew. He recommended that I come study at the Moonlight Pavilion. But this chief steward tried to drive me away without distinguishing right from wrong, so we had no choice but to fight."
He spoke lightly, as though he had suffered a tremendous injustice. Although that was indeed how it had started, the Moonlight Pavilion's side had clearly suffered more.
Looking at Aode, who had lowered his head, Tang Yuehua smiled and did not dwell on the matter. "The fault was ours. Please don't take it to heart, young man."
Since he would be studying here afterward, Lin Qian did not want to make things too ugly either. "With the headmistress coming out to explain in person, I'm not so unreasonable." As he spoke, he took out Li Yan's letter of recommendation.
Tang Yuehua accepted it without reading it and stepped aside to clear a path. "This isn't the place to talk. Please follow me."
And so, with her leading the way, Lin Qian went up to the second floor.
The Moonlight Pavilion's top floor was an enormous hall, elegantly and lavishly furnished. Even the furniture and decorations were made of agarwood.
Tang Yuehua smiled. "The top floor is my private space. No one may come up without permission. Please, sit!"
Lin Qian sat down as instructed.
Tang Yuehua said, "Normally, according to the rules, the Moonlight Pavilion only admits people with noble titles."
Lin Qian smiled without arguing.
Pleased by his composed demeanor, Tang Yuehua continued, "But the chief steward handled things improperly just now, and I offer my deepest apologies on behalf of the Moonlight Pavilion. Since the minister of internal affairs referred you, you can count as half a noble. I can make an exception and admit you."