Wang Xiaoming's mouth twitched.
To be honest, he had known these nobles were pretty watered down, but he hadn't expected them to be watered down to this extent.
It had only taken one Defense Vent to knock the whole bunch flat.
If word got out about how watered down they were, it would be a disgrace to Soul Masters.
Wang Xiaoming put away his card and looked back at Xue Beng.
The arrogance on Xue Beng's face froze solid.
What was going on? What had happened? Why had those attacks bounced back!?
Was this guy a monster?!
He watched his lackeys, who usually boasted to the heavens, yowling on the ground like cats whose tails had been stepped on. He backed up two steps, his calves trembling.
"Y-you dared hit my men!? Do you know who I am!? I'm the fourth prince! Y-you... you hit them, so you can't hit me!"
Wang Xiaoming turned to him, that harmless smile back on his face.
"Your Highness is right."
Xue Beng had just breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Wang Xiaoming raised his foot and planted a swift, clean kick right in his most vulnerable royal gene pool.
"Ugh... ow!!!"
Xue Beng let out a strangled scream, his whole body curling up like a boiled shrimp. Both hands clamped over his crotch, and his knees buckled, dropping him straight to the ground.
He hunched over, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his mouth open as he trembled nonstop.
Wang Xiaoming crouched in front of him and lifted his sweat-covered chin with two fingers, meeting his tearful eyes. He spoke in a sincere tone.
"Sorry, Your Highness. Compared to you... I still prefer someone like the first prince."
With that, he let go, stood up and turned toward the carriage.
W-what did he just say? He likes Xue Qinghe? Hehe... sure enough, Xue Qinghe, there's something wrong with you... using yourself to seduce people...
Xue Beng knelt where he was, one hand over his crotch and the other braced against the ground. His body twitched for quite a while as his bloodshot eyes bore into Wang Xiaoming's retreating figure.
Then...
He suddenly laughed.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
He laughed and cried at once, snot and tears smeared all over his face, looking every bit a fool.
His lackeys lay on the ground, staring blankly at their master. For a moment, they didn't know whether to go help him up or keep lying there and playing dead.
Had the fourth prince been beaten stupid?
Xue Beng thought he had discovered Xue Qinghe's secret and was overjoyed, but he was also in a great deal of pain...
I'm going to... tell Imperial Uncle. Xue Qinghe, just watch how I make you squirm! Someone like you... don't even think about holding on to your position as crown prince!
He stood up unsteadily with his legs pressed together, tears streaming down his face as he grinned foolishly, and staggered toward the academy gates.
Only then did his lackeys scramble to their feet and follow him in a flurry, the whole group stumbling away until they disappeared.
Wang Xiaoming climbed back into the carriage, lowered the curtain and let out a long breath.
"...What a waste of time."
He wasn't the least bit worried about the consequences of kicking Xue Beng.
If the first prince, Xue Qinghe, saw what had happened, he would probably be happy enough to give him a little reward.
What the first prince needed most was news of his younger brother being taken down a peg, to shore up his own authority.
The more black marks Xue Beng accumulated, the more disappointed Xue Ye would be, and the fewer choices he would have.
In any case, the fourth prince had long since become a figurehead in the palace. The more of a fuss he made, the happier Xue Qinghe would be to see it.
But... he looked down at his foot. The angle of that kick seemed to have been a little off; he hadn't felt much.
Tsk, forget it. It hit him, anyway.
The carriage continued climbing the mountainside. The gates of Heaven Dou Royal Academy were visible in the distance, and at last they came to a slow stop in front of a teaching building.
The coachman turned around. "Young master, we're here."
Wang Xiaoming straightened his collar, picked up the invitation to enroll from the horse's head, pushed open the carriage door and stepped out.
Heaven Dou Royal Academy had been built as lavishly as a miniature imperial palace.
As he marveled at it, someone came striding out of the academy.
She was a woman in her thirties, dressed in an academy teacher's uniform, with a heroic-looking face and a steady stride.
It was Qiu Yue, who had come to deliver things to Wang Xiaoming last time.
"Hello, Viscount. I didn't expect you to actually come. After the three education committee members heard about you, they specifically instructed me to meet you."
Qiu Yue came up to greet him with a beaming smile and looked him up and down, making no attempt to conceal the delight in her eyes.
Wang Xiaoming really had come. She had thought the guards had been seeing things.
"Hello, Teacher Qiu. Sorry for the wait, but... just call me Wang Xiaoming. Everyone here is a noble, so there's no need for those empty titles."
Wang Xiaoming gave a proper bow, a standard smile on his face.
Qiu Yue nodded repeatedly. "All right, Xiaoming, that's what I'll call you, then. When the three committee members heard you were coming, they put aside their work early to wait for you.
"They're absolutely delighted. Your arrival is a great cause for celebration at our academy.
"Come, come, I'll take you inside and tell you about the academy on the way.
"The rules at our Heaven Dou Royal Academy are a little different from elsewhere. You've just arrived, so there are many things you'll need to familiarize yourself with first..."
"Sorry for the trouble, Teacher Qiu Yue."
Wang Xiaoming listened as he followed Qiu Yue into the academy, quietly surveying his surroundings.
As they walked, shouts and the muffled thuds of colliding Soul Power came from not far ahead.
Wang Xiaoming looked toward the sounds and saw several students sparring on a spacious training ground.
One slightly built fellow pushed off the ground and soared straight into the air. He spun halfway around before landing steadily on a wooden post more than ten meters away. Behind him, two faint streams of cyan Soul Power could just be made out, flowing like a pair of wings made of wind.
Wang Xiaoming took a closer look.
But soon, a rock struck the figure and knocked him down, drawing a scream.
Watching the figure, Wang Xiaoming rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
He could fly?
Could that guy be Yu Feng?
He looked about the same age as Ye Lingling.
Seeing Wang Xiaoming's curiosity, Qiu Yue explained with a smile, "That's an open combat area over there, though usually only a few teams practice there.
"At this hour, the people there should all be members of the Heaven Dou Reserve Team.
"If you're interested, you can go take a look later. And with your talent, you'll soon be standing alongside them."
Wang Xiaoming nodded.
The future Imperial Fighting Team?
For now, Ye Lingling was the only one who had caught his eye. As for the others... he would see what potential they had first.
Wang Xiaoming looked away and followed Qiu Yue through several corridors and around an artificial lake, finally stopping in front of an enormous hall.
Rather than an office, the hall looked more like a scaled-down imperial palace.
Its vermilion doors stood open, offering a casual glimpse of the golden splendor within.
At the far end of the hall stood three seats in a row, with three figures in magnificent robes sitting upright upon them.