Wang Xiaoming lifted the curtain and peeked outside.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy was built halfway up the mountain. The farther up they went, the quieter it became. Towering ancient trees lined both sides of the road, and every so often, a grand building could be glimpsed through the shadows of the branches.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Wang Xiaoming was actually quite satisfied with the place.
After thinking it over again and again, he had decided to enroll here.
To put it plainly, the best thing about the place was that not only were there few people, but most of them were also idiot nobles: good-for-nothings with nothing to their names but their family backgrounds, all show and no substance, their Soul Power Levels forcibly piled up with resources.
With a crowd like that around, he felt no pressure.
He could build up his own team here. After all, Ye Lingling was here too, and he could also keep an eye on Dugu Yan as a lead.
As long as he got on good terms with her, he could follow the network cable all the way to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well...
Sooner or later, he was going to help himself to the good stuff at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
At the very least, he couldn't let someone else get it and turn this place into Tang Family Continent.
He was just thinking about how to approach Dugu Yan when the carriage suddenly screeched to a halt, jolting him so hard he nearly slid off his seat.
"What happened?"
The coachman pointed ahead, trembling. "Y-young master... someone is blocking the road..."
Then Wang Xiaoming heard a voice.
An arrogant voice reached Wang Xiaoming's ears.
"You're finally here, Wang Xiaoming. You've kept this prince waiting!"
Xue Beng's voice was loud and clear, as though he were afraid the whole mountain wouldn't hear him.
Wang Xiaoming jumped down from the carriage and looked at the group, speechless.
He'd actually run into a carriage-blocking scene like this?
He recognized a few faces among them. He had seen them from a distance at the palace; they were all Xue Beng's usual followers, who swaggered through the streets with him, a standard lineup of good-for-nothing trash.
There were a full seven or eight of them, all neatly dressed in Heaven Dou Royal Academy uniforms.
The fabric was fine, and the tailoring was quite fitting, but somehow, on them, the clothes made them look like dogs dressed up as men.
Standing at the front of the group was Xue Beng.
The fourth prince of Heaven Dou.
Wang Xiaoming had naturally met him before. He curved his lips into a smile and greeted him with an air of complete harmlessness.
"Yo, Your Highness, fourth prince, what a coincidence... Out for a stroll after your meal?"
Xue Beng snorted and swaggered up to Wang Xiaoming. Although he was a little shorter, he still looked down his nose at him, giving off the air of a spoiled young master from head to toe.
"Wang Xiaoming, I hear you have Innate Full Soul Power?
Not bad. Your status is a little low, but you'll do. This prince happens to need a follower like you!
I came here today to give you a chance. Leave Xue Qinghe and come over to my side."
Xue Beng didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he had said. He raised a hand and pointed at Wang Xiaoming, as though bestowing a favor on him.
Wang Xiaoming: "..."
Never mind whether I want to be your follower. What makes you so confident that someone would pass over Xue Qinghe and choose you instead?
You're not even going to paint me a pie?
Seeing Wang Xiaoming remain silent, Xue Beng continued, his head high and chest puffed out. "Follow me, and you'll be much better off than you would be with my elder brother!
I have everything I could want. If you want money, I'll give you money. If you want status, I'll give you status. If you take a fancy to a girl, I can even bestow her on you, as long as I don't want her myself.
In short, as long as you're willing to become my man, everything is negotiable!"
As he spoke, the lackeys behind him nodded along enthusiastically, their expressions animated and obsequious, just like a pack of yes-men.
"That's right, His Highness the fourth prince is very generous!"
"Don't you dare fail to appreciate his kindness, kid!"
"Follow the fourth prince, and you'll be able to walk sideways through the academy without anyone daring to say a word!"
"..."
Wang Xiaoming stared at them, speechless.
He realized that he really had underestimated just how formidable Xue Beng was.
Could low intelligence really be contagious?
It felt as though Xue Beng had perfectly replicated the lowest intelligence level of everyone around him.
To maintain his persona, he was actually trying to recruit Wang Xiaoming with an attitude like this. If that wasn't being a fucking idiot, what was?
Who would let himself be recruited like that?
Anyone with even a little sense couldn't possibly take the bait.
Wang Xiaoming really felt nothing for Xue Beng. Although the man was quite good at pretending and would end up winning by lying flat, that didn't mean Wang Xiaoming had to think highly of him.
Besides, who was standing behind Xue Beng?
Prince Xue Xing, whose real power was almost entirely suppressed by Xue Qinghe, and who had no truly powerful people behind him. Even Dugu Bo only helped them occasionally for the sake of a little friendship.
Secondly, it would invite Xue Qinghe's side to target him for no reason. The loss would outweigh the gain.
He wasn't going to play along with this game.
The smile on Wang Xiaoming's face didn't diminish in the slightest, and his tone was as gentle as if he were coaxing a fool.
"Your Highness, I appreciate the thought, but I prefer peace and quiet, so I won't disturb your enjoyment of your morning exercise."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the carriage.
Xue Beng froze for a second, then his face visibly flushed red.
"Stop right there! This prince doesn't care! If you don't agree today, don't even think about setting foot through the gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy!"
Wang Xiaoming didn't stop walking.
Seeing this, Xue Beng's face flushed red, as though he had lost face and flown into a rage from humiliation.
"Go, wreck his carriage! Let's see how he gets anywhere then!"
He pointed at Wang Xiaoming's carriage as he shouted, and the lackeys behind him immediately charged forward.
Although these fellows weren't high-level, most of them apparently around level ten or twenty, they had numbers on their side.
When their Yellow Soul Rings all lit up at once, they did look somewhat intimidating.
In an instant, the light of Soul Skills of every color flew about in a jumble. One person even hurled his scepter Martial Soul straight at the carriage to demonstrate his loyalty.
Wang Xiaoming sighed.
He had to admit, the man played the spoiled young master all too convincingly. He really was disgusted.
These fellows attacked without any regard for anyone else's life, and his coachman was nearly scared into wetting himself.
With one hand, he pulled a card from the card case at his waist and, without even looking at it, casually flicked it into his belt.
[Defense Vent!]
Several translucent magenta card images unfolded before him in an instant, like shields barring the way in front of the carriage. They caught every attack that came flying at them.
The haphazard Soul Skills blasted against them without causing so much as a single crack.
Then he flipped his wrist, and the card images instantly shattered into countless tiny specks of magenta light. The blocked attacks bounced back exactly as they had come.
"Ow!"
"Waaah!"
"My butt!"
The lackeys all fell together, sprawled on the ground with their limbs splayed, howling in pain.
Their attacks had been reflected back just as they were.
Though the attacks weren't very powerful, the lackeys hadn't been prepared for them, and their own Soul Skills struck them square in the face.
Every one of them was covered in dirt and dust, looking like a pack of stray dogs by the roadside.