Di Cang gravely finished his sentence, his gaze fixed resolutely on Qin Garden. A complex look flickered in her eyes. Her plan had been to take the Holy Hall and establish it as an independent institution, fulfilling her younger sister’s wish to create an academy that surpassed even a Middle-class Empire. But the current situation in the Xuanling Empire was simply too delicate. She had long known that, in two years at most, the Xuanling Empire would become a thing of the past. After hearing Di Cang’s words, even Qin Garden was starting to believe that Mu Chen was the Empire’s only hope.

"Alright! I agree."

Qin Garden finally nodded. Even though she hated Di Cang to the bone, she couldn’t bring herself to sever the Empire’s only hope for survival. And so, she agreed.

Di Cang smiled. "I knew it. Everything you do is directed at me. For the next month, Mu Chen is in your hands."

With that, Di Cang turned and glanced one last time at the pink lamp, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Then, with a single step, he vanished from the office...

By the time Qin Garden reacted, she was alone in the office once more. A faint sense of loss washed over her. ’Back then,’ she thought, ’Di Cang, my sister Qin Shishi, and I were the academy’s three undisputed leaders.’ But now, one was gone forever, separated by death. The other was someone she should have never seen again. Yet, because of Mu Chen, because of the Xuanling Empire’s last glimmer of hope, she couldn’t bring herself to be so heartless as to abandon her home.

Clutching the pink lamp she had wiped countless times, Qin Garden murmured, "Sister, did I really do the wrong thing?"

What Qin Garden didn’t know was that high in the distant sky, Di Cang hadn’t gone far. He gazed at the newly risen crescent moon, let out a soft sigh, and finally departed from the Imperial Academy, heading toward the Flame Dragon Dynasty.

...

While Mu Chen and his friends were still eating their barbecue, a figure appeared with a WHOOSH at the gates of the Imperial Academy. Dressed in a black robe that completely obscured their face, the figure vanished into the Imperial Capital after just a few bounds.

In a small wooden cabin on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, the four Zhou brothers and He Long were peering out into the night. About ten minutes later, a black-robed figure landed before them with a soft THUD. In the moonlight, they saw that it was none other than Xuan Yu, a student of the Holy Hall.

He Long smiled. "Xuan Yu, long time no see. I received your message this morning. Do you have good news for me?"

Xuan Yu grinned. "I do. It’s not just good news; it’s incredible news. Prince He Long, haven’t you been waiting for an opportunity to kill Mu Chen?"

He Long gave a wry smile. "I have. But that vice dean of your academy guards him day and night, never leaving his side. We want to make a move, but we haven’t had a single opportunity. If we can’t find the perfect chance in the next few days, we’re prepared to launch a full-scale assault."

Xuan Yu snickered. "Who says there’s no opportunity? A golden one has just presented itself. The vice dean who was guarding Mu Chen has been summoned by the Flame Dragon Dynasty. He’ll be gone for a whole month. In other words, for the next month, Mu Chen will only have a single Martial Sect Realm instructor by his side. Why would you need to force an attack?"

He Long froze, a look of delight spreading across his face. "Is that really true?"

Xuan Yu stated firmly, "Absolutely."

"Haha, excellent! Xuan Yu, you can rest assured. I, He Long, consider you a true friend. In the future, if the Xuanling Empire is under your control, it will have the eternal protection of my Celestial Eagle Empire. If it falls into someone else’s hands, heh heh... I’ll help you kill whoever usurps your throne." A sharp glint flashed in He Long’s eyes as he spoke with a wide, meaningful smile.

Xuan Yu chuckled. "Then I thank you in advance for your support, Prince He Long. It wasn’t easy for me to slip away. To avoid raising any red flags, I must get back quickly before certain people get suspicious."

He Long cupped his fists. "Then please hurry back, Brother Xuan Yu. We will handle things from here."

Xuan Yu nodded and, in a few flickers, vanished from sight. The moment he was gone, the wide smile on He Long’s face instantly turned sinister. "Just the crown prince of a Low-class Empire," he said coolly. "His status is lower than a beggar’s in our Celestial Eagle Empire, and he dares to dream of our protection? What a joke."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family shook his head. "Your Highness, you are mistaken. Aside from his talent for duplicity, this Xuan Yu is very easy to control. If you can gain some leverage over him, Your Highness, you could take down the Xuanling Empire without losing a single soldier and turn it into a vassal state of our Celestial Eagle Empire. That way, we wouldn’t have to worry about prying eyes, and we’d still achieve our objective. Wouldn’t that be perfect?"

He Long paused, thought for a moment, and then said respectfully, "You are far more thorough, Uncle. So, you’re saying we should keep this Xuan Yu alive."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family smiled. "Of course. But what happens to him later will be up to Your Highness’s whim. Once he signs the vassal contract, who rules that vassal state will be your decision to make."

"Hahaha... Uncle is absolutely right! But, Uncle, when do we move against Mu Chen?" This was He Long’s greatest concern. ’The man who defeated me is the disgrace of my life. The only way to erase that disgrace is to completely eradicate its source!’

The Eldest of the Zhou Family replied, "Patience. According to Xuan Yu, the Venerable named Di Cang only left today. If we were to launch a surprise attack now, it would inevitably create significant ripples. A Venerable’s Spiritual Power is incredibly potent; he might sense it and turn back. We will launch our final assault in one week. By then, our chances of success will be nearly one hundred percent!"

"Excellent. We’ll do as Uncle says. Heh heh, once we eliminate this threat, my Celestial Eagle Empire will crush the Xuanling Empire and make it our vassal!" He Long and the four Zhou brothers exchanged a knowing smile, as if they could already see the glorious future of the Celestial Eagle Empire dawning before them...

After leaving the cabin, Xuan Yu didn’t head straight back to the Imperial Academy. He first found a deserted spot to change into normal clothes before circling back through the city streets. Xuan Yu had taken great pains to be a convincing spy, completely unaware that no one was paying him the slightest bit of attention. As he strolled leisurely back toward the academy, he fantasized about the day he would become the ruler of the Xuanling Empire.

’Mu Bingling, when that day comes, I’ll make you my personal plaything!’ Xuan Yu thought viciously.

Just then, however, six students emerged from a small grove on the outskirts of the academy grounds. Xuan Yu froze. ’It’s almost eight at night. Why would students be out in the woods? Are they following me?’

Xuan Yu kept his composure. As they drew closer, the moonlight revealed the first person he recognized: an ethereal, almost otherworldly figure. The owner of that figure was now staring at him with cold, indifferent eyes.

"Mu Bingling... Wh-what are you doing here?"

Xuan Yu faltered, his heart pounding. ’Thank goodness I didn’t say that out loud,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I’d be in for a savage beating.’ He knew this because Mu Chen, standing beside Mu Bingling, was staring at him with utterly emotionless eyes.

Mu Bingling completely ignored Xuan Yu. Little Tiger, Qing Lei, and Ye Shuangshuang also remained pointedly silent. Only Mo Qing softly called out, "Second Brother," before following Mu Chen away from the area.

As Xuan Yu watched them leave, veins bulged on his forehead and his face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Heh heh... such arrogant expressions. How detestable. But don’t worry, your days of acting so high and mighty are numbered!"

...

When Mu Chen and the other five returned to their dormitory, they found that, as expected, nearly all the students had entered a state of Cultivation. Mu Bingling had moved into dorm room 200 after taking care of Mu Chen that night. This was the Imperial Academy, after all, not her home. Back home, Mu Bingling might occasionally sneak into bed with Mu Chen, but here, they had to be more discreet.

As he entered his room, Mu Chen glanced at Mo Qing and Mu Bingling, a gentle look in his eyes. Over the past month, with Mu Bingling’s encouragement, the bond between him and Mo Qing had begun to deepen into something more than friendship. Or rather, to be more precise, Mu Chen was finally starting to notice Mo Qing’s feelings for him.

Inside his room, Mu Chen placed the brightly-furred Snow Qilin on one side of the bed and lay down on the other. His thoughts were a jumble. That oppressive feeling was growing heavier. ’What kind of warning is this?’

After taking off his clothes and quickly washing up, Mu Chen wrestled with his thoughts for a long time but made no headway. Finally, he simply sank his consciousness into the Extreme Spirit Pearl to continue reshaping the World Inside the Pearl.

Outside the high-level dormitories, a slender, graceful figure flitted through the woods. It was none other than Qin Garden, entrusted by Di Cang to protect Mu Chen.

’I hope tonight passes without incident.’

...

Days spent in Cultivation always flew by. Ever since Mu Chen succeeded in Refining the Gathering Essence Pills, Lingyun had abolished the extreme training method of withholding food and replaced it with a gentler approach. The students now gathered from time to time to share their insights, and everyone’s strength was increasing at a terrifying pace.

A week passed in the blink of an eye. One evening, after distributing the remaining Gathering Essence Pills to all the students, Mu Chen headed back to the dorms with Little Tiger, Qing Lei, Mo Qing, Ye Shuangshuang, and Mu Bingling, taking a deserted path as they usually did. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But at that very moment, an intense wave of danger washed over Mu Chen. Acting on pure instinct, he screamed, "Run!!"

The shout, infused with immense Primordial Power, echoed for miles. Far away, both Qin Garden, who was rushing toward Mu Chen’s dorm, and Lingyun, who was just leaving the Demon Castle, heard it at the same instant.

"Damn it!" Lingyun and Qin Garden cried out simultaneously, unleashing their top speed as they shot toward the source of Mu Chen’s voice.

"Boy, today’s the day you die! Don’t blame us. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for provoking our Crown Prince!!" With an furious roar, a dark figure appeared with a WHOOSH behind Mu Chen, their palm, surging with formidable Primordial Power, striking swiftly at his back...