Jun Yi and Dugu Yan returned to the academy together. Dugu Yan didn't say much along the way. Although she appeared calm, her clenched fists revealed that her inner world was not as peaceful as her outward appearance. Jun Yi sensed Dugu Yan Dugu Yan's low spirits but didn't know how to comfort her. After all, he hadn't expected Dugu Yan relationship to progress so quickly.
Jun Yi suddenly felt like a scumbag who flirted with girls and then ran away, promising them nothing but empty promises. In both his lives, he had been a bachelor, never having been in a relationship. For him, it was just a wonderful encounter with Dugu Yan, their relationship ambiguous. Sometimes Jun Yi even considered staying at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy; after all, it had everything he needed, and he could live a very comfortable life. However, Jun Yi dismissed this idea.
"Since I've already made my plan, I should still carry it out. Besides, it's not like I'm never coming back. A mere two years will pass in the blink of an eye," Jun Yi thought to himself.
Jun Yi and Dugu Yan arrived at the campus. As soon as they stepped into the academy gate, Jun Yi saw a luxurious carriage parked there, with several royal guards standing outside. Clearly, Xue Qinghe had come to the academy again.
Upon seeing Jun Yi and Dugu Yan, the guard captain walked towards them.
" Sister Yanyan, I..."
Before Jun Yi finish speaking, Dugu Yan interjected, "Go on, it should be Your Highness Qinghe coming to see you. Don't keep him waiting."
Jun Yi nodded, and the captain of the guards had already walked up to them. The captain bowed slightly to Jun Yi and said, "Your Highness Jun Yi, His Your Highness Qinghe waiting for you in the Education Committee office."
Just as Dugu Yan was about to leave, the captain of the guards called out to her, "Please wait a moment. You must be Miss Dugu, right? His Your Highness Qinghe instructed that if he sees you, he should go and see him."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan was somewhat puzzled, wondering what Xue Qinghe wanted to see her about. However, she nodded and followed Jun Yi to the Education Commission office.
Xue Qinghe was sitting on the sofa in the Education Commission's office, chatting with three other commissioners. Jun Yi and his companion walked to the door, knocked, and entered, beaming. " Brother Xue, commissioners, I heard you were looking for me again?" they said.
Dugu Yan then bowed to the four of them, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Qinghe, and the three Education Commissioners."
" Brother Yi, Miss Dugu, please have a seat." Xue Qinghe stood up to greet the two as they entered and led them to the sofa.
" Brother Xue, what brings you here today? Is it that His Majesty wants me to join the royal family again?" Jun Yi asked Xue Qinghe in a joking tone.
Xue Qinghe shook his head, waved his hand, and smiled, " Brother Yi, you misunderstand. Father has been unwell recently and has no time to attend to state affairs, so he has entrusted me with full authority. I am here today in the capacity of the Emperor to discuss matters related to the academy's reform with the three members of the Education Committee. As for trying to win you over, the Emperor did mention it briefly, but I already know what you're thinking, so we won't bring it up again. If you ever want to join the royal family, just let me know."
"Thank you for your understanding, Brother Xue. But you just said that our academy is going to undergo reforms?" Jun Yi asked Xue Qinghe with a puzzled look.
Xue Qinghe chuckled and explained, "Yes, it's about the academy's admissions. Next year, our academy will be able to recruit commoner Soul Master."
Upon hearing Xue Qinghe's words, Jun Yi showed a hint of surprise. Then, seeing the smiles on the faces of the three education committee members, he knew it was indeed true. He turned and bowed to them, saying, "Congratulations to the three education committee members; you have fulfilled the academy's expectations."
"No, no, no, we're still far from it." Meng Shenji shook his head, speaking modestly, but his smile was unstoppable. "We were just lucky. Actually, it's all because of Your Highness Qinghe. Without his help, our academy wouldn't have been able to reform so quickly." After saying that, his gaze immediately turned to Xue Qinghe beside him, his eyes full of admiration.
Xue Qinghe sighed and said, "It's a pity that although reforms have been implemented, they haven't been thorough enough. After all, some nobles were unwilling to have their interests harmed, so through negotiations, they made concessions and reached a result that everyone could accept."
"What was the result?" Jun Yi asked curiously.
" The Heaven Dou Royal Academy recruits highly talented commoner Soul Master. Ordinary noble Soul Master only need to reach level 10 at age 12 to enroll, while commoner Soul Master need to reach level 20. Therefore, we can't actually recruit many commoner Soul Master."
At this point, Xue Qinghe sighed and said, "Alas, it's a pity that as a prince, I am truly powerless to do anything about it."
" His Your Highness Qinghe has done enough. The rest is up to us old folks. As long as we don't die, the academy will definitely become stronger," the three education committee members said in unison.
" Qinghe will always remember the contributions of the three education committee members to the academy." Xue Qinghe stood up and solemnly bowed to the three education committee members.
" Your Highness Qinghe, you're too kind. It's all we should do."
"Then I'll have to trouble the three education commissioners."
Jun Yi then inquired about Xue Qinghe's purpose in seeking out Dugu Yan. Upon hearing this, Meng Shenji chuckled and replied, "Actually, it's to have these three old fellows of ours come to see Miss Dugu."
"Three education commissioners are looking for me?" Dugu Yan asked curiously.
Meng Shenji stepped forward and said, "Yes, we would like to hire you as a teacher at our Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Upon hearing this, Dugu Yan was surprised and said to Meng Shenji, "Become a teacher? But I still have six years before graduation. Isn't it too early to become a teacher?"
"It's not early. Our academy's rule is that anyone with Soul Power Level of 50 or above is qualified to become a prospective teacher at our academy," Zhi Lin explained.
"Moreover, your current strength has already reached the Soul King, and you have shown such high talent in this exchange competition. We three old guys are thinking of letting you stay and become the students' teacher. What do you think?" Bai Baoshan said.
"This..."
Dugu Yan hesitated. Her original plan was to stay at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy after graduation, but she didn't expect Meng Shenji and the others to be so enthusiastic and invite her directly now. She was also a little excited.
If she hadn't met Jun Yi, she would have agreed without hesitation, but now...
Seeing Dugu Yan's hesitant expression, Xue Qinghe smiled slightly and continued, "Miss Dugu, we don't mean to force you. As you said, you still have at least six years before graduation. There's plenty of time; you can take your time to consider it."
(End of this chapter)