Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...
Golden sword beams imbued with the might of thunder shot forth, supremely firm and yang, incomparably sharp and tyrannical!
Without a divine artifact to protect his body, Shi Dexiang could only fend them off with his divine saber!
Even after burning his Divine Body's essence blood, he couldn't break out of the sword formation or directly threaten Hong San!
Pfft!
A sword beam pierced Shi Dexiang's body!
Gravely wounded, Shi Dexiang suffered a sharp drop in both strength and reaction speed, causing even more sword beams to strike him.
Before long, the Quasi-God expert of the Lingxi Royal Clan was riddled with holes and perished in despair!
Hong San withdrew the sword formation and put away Shi Dexiang's divine saber as well.
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, flew down beside Lin Heng, and presented him with the divine saber Shi Dexiang had left behind.
"After losing two Quasi-Gods and a divine artifact, I'm afraid the Lingxi Royal Clan is going to collapse!"
Lin Heng accepted the divine saber and spoke with a smile.
He didn't bestow it on Hong San. With the Golden Thunder Divine Sword, Hong San had no need for it!
"Little Prince, were these three Quasi-Gods... killed by you?"
Pointing at the corpses of Xu Bai and the other Quasi-God experts, Hong San asked with a look of astonishment.
"Is there anyone else here?"
Lin Heng asked in return.
"Uh..."
Only then did Hong San understand why Lin Heng had once said that he would only be qualified to protect him after obtaining the divine sword and divine armor!
He couldn't help marveling inwardly that Lady Goddess truly was extraordinary!
It was one thing for her to be so powerful that she had reached the realm of invincibility, but she had even made her son, who was only three years old, capable of slaying Quasi-God experts!
Hong San had reason to believe that even if the Little Prince wasn't yet invincible under heaven like his mother, it probably wouldn't take him much longer!
Hong San couldn't help feeling that he was truly fortunate!
"Let's continue on our way!"
"This old servant obeys!"
Because he had just fought a battle that had drained him considerably, Hong San slowed down a good deal.
It wasn't until dawn the next day that master and servant reached the vicinity of the Great Xia Imperial City.
The western gate of the Great Xia Imperial City was already in sight.
The Great Xia Imperial Clan had decreed that no one was permitted to fly within or near the Imperial City, not even the emperor, unless special circumstances arose.
The majestic Imperial City was more than five times the size of Chishui Royal City!
Its walls towered at least fifty zhang high!
It was said that the walls of the Great Xia Imperial City had been built from extremely hard black-yellow rock!
Talisman patterns were inscribed all over the walls, greatly increasing their resistance to attack!
Formations had been set up atop the walls, making it difficult for anyone to fly over them without being detected!
In fact, no one dared violate the Great Xia Imperial Clan's prohibition!
After all, aside from the formations, there were many experts in the city, even God Realm experts stationed there year-round!
Lin Heng and Hong San had no intention of entering the city, because the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute wasn't inside it!
Nor did the two descend from the air.
They flew around the city from dozens of li away, only landing after they had traveled from the western gate to the vicinity of the eastern gate.
The Great Xia Divine Martial Institute lay to the east of the Great Xia Imperial City!
Outside the Imperial City's eastern gate was Martial Institute Street, a road only about two li long, with shops lining both sides.
At the end of Martial Institute Street stood the western gate of the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute, which was also its main gate!
The morning sun had just risen!
Lin Heng and Hong San arrived outside the Divine Martial Institute's main gate, where two students on gate duty stopped them.
"Who goes there?"
"Outsiders are not permitted to enter the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute without permission!"
The two students stared at Lin Heng and Hong San with cold, arrogant expressions.
Lin Heng swept his divine sense over them and found that both were actually at the Martial Ancestor Realm. He couldn't help marveling inwardly that this was indeed worthy of the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute!
At Chishui Academy, Martial Ancestor Realm students were already among the very best!
"This is Lin Heng, the Little Prince of the Chishui Kingdom. He has come at the invitation of the Great Xia emperor to enroll and further his studies at the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute!"
Hong San stepped forward and said, "I am Hong San, the Little Prince's accompanying guard!"
"Lin Heng, the Little Prince of Chishui?"
"The Invincible Goddess's son?"
Both students were taken aback. They had heard of Lin Heng, since the Invincible Goddess's name was so well known, but they hadn't known that he was going to enroll in the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute.
"Please wait a moment while I go inside and announce you!"
With that, one student turned and entered the institute.
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed before he returned, following a white-haired elder dressed in golden robes.
"I am Dongfang Xi, one of the vice deans of the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute. On behalf of the institute and the Great Xia Imperial Clan, I welcome you both!"
The white-haired Dongfang Xi was also a Quasi-God expert. He cupped his hands in greeting and spoke with a beaming smile.
His name alone made it clear that he came from the Great Xia Imperial Clan, and as a Quasi-God, he was naturally qualified to represent it.
"You're too courteous, Vice Dean Dongfang!"
Hong San cupped his hands as well and bent slightly to return the salute.
"Please follow this old man into the institute!"
Dongfang Xi gestured through the gate with one arm.
Lin Heng and Hong San then followed Dongfang Xi into the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute.
The Great Xia Divine Martial Institute occupied a vast area, shaded by green trees and filled with exotic flowers and plants!
Pavilions and towers stood everywhere, with rockeries, ponds, and springs scattered among them!
The scenery was beautiful and elegant!
As they passed a completely open training ground, they could see several students sparring with martial techniques.
The Great Xia Divine Martial Institute only recruited young geniuses under twenty, but unlike Chishui Academy, students could remain there until the age of forty, provided they broke no rules and passed the assessments!
"You two haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"
Dongfang Xi asked as they walked.
"No."
Hong San replied, "Missing one meal is nothing. When cultivating in seclusion, it's normal to go ten days or half a month without eating."
"You should still eat your first meal here on your first day at our Great Xia Divine Martial Institute."
Dongfang Xi led Lin Heng and Hong San into a dining hall.
The dining hall was quite large, with three floors in all!
Dongfang Xi said there were two such dining halls at the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute, and both followed the same rules.
The first floor was where Spirit Guiding Realm and Body Tempering Realm students ate, the second was for Purple Mansion Realm and Martial Ancestor Realm students, while only students above the Martial Ancestor Realm and instructors were allowed on the third.
It wasn't just the dining halls; every part of the Great Xia Divine Martial Institute had a strict hierarchy!
The treatment afforded to the strong and the weak differed greatly!
The three of them went up the stairs to the third floor of the dining hall.
"Vice Dean Dongfang, I'm not qualified to dine on the third floor, am I?"
Lin Heng suddenly asked.
"Little Prince, you haven't officially enrolled yet, so you aren't a student of our Great Xia Academy at present. You're a guest, and those rules don't apply to you!"
Dongfang Xi replied with a smile.
The surroundings on the third floor were clearly better than those on the first and second. Every table here was in a private booth separated by screens.
Dongfang Xi was walking along when he suddenly stopped in front of a booth.
Looking at a young girl seated inside, he greeted her warmly. "Sister Yao, it's perfect that you're here too. Come and meet your fiancé, Little Prince Lin Heng!"