The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Yang Yunhai and Zhu Zhuqing got up early. After breakfast, they headed together to the city gate's carriage station.
Once they arrived, they rented a carriage and left the city, heading straight for the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
The journey was about twenty kilometers, not particularly far, and they arrived in just half an hour.
After getting off the carriage, they looked ahead. Verdant mountains rose into the clouds, with a shimmering lake at the base surrounded by light mist. Since it was already March and the climate was favorable, the lush vegetation had all begun to bloom, making the scene colorful and especially beautiful.
"This place really has a great environment," Yang Yunhai commented first.
"It truly is beautiful," Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly in agreement.
"It's getting late. Let's go, time to head up the mountain." Yang Yunhai tilted his chin and strode toward the stairs ahead.
To save money, they had chosen a rather remote hotel the previous night. As a result, their morning trip to the carriage station took a little longer than expected.
Factoring in the time spent packing, eating breakfast, and the half-hour carriage ride, it would be around 10 a.m. by the standards of his previous life.
Step by step, their pace was unhurried as they enjoyed the forest scenery on both sides while climbing the stairs.
Fifteen minutes passed without encountering a single person. Yang Yunhai began to speculate, "Could Qian Renxue already be here?"
Unlike in the original story where Tang San was blocked by Xue Beng, or ran into other students, their path was uninterrupted. Yang Yunhai guessed that someone important must be visiting the academy. And that someone, "Xue Qinghe," the empire's crown prince, was certainly important enough,especially since Xue Beng feared him.
With that thought, they continued on.
After another fifteen minutes, the two finally reached the main campus of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, situated halfway up the mountain.
The first thing they saw was a beautifully decorated, latticed academy gate. Through its openings, they could clearly see the internal structures,primarily white buildings accented with gold, exuding a noble atmosphere. On both sides were five-meter-high outer walls, all in bright yellow, topped with glazed tiles that sparkled under the sunlight,very impressive.
"So extravagant," Yang Yunhai couldn't help but remark.
Then, turning his head toward a small pavilion near the academy gate, he said, "Zhuqing, let's go," as he continued walking.
Soon, the two reached the main gate.
At that moment, a gatekeeper who had been seated in the guardhouse stood up, looked them up and down, and walked out through the side entrance.
"Are you two young ladies here to visit someone?" he asked with a friendly smile.
Since neither of them wore academy uniforms, they didn't appear to be students. Enrollment season had also ended days ago, so that was unlikely. The only other possibility was that they were here to find someone.
"We're here to register," Yang Yunhai replied politely.
The guard's expression froze, then turned to one of confusion. "Are you two from out of town?"
"Enrollment at the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy ended a while ago. I'm afraid you've missed it."
"I know," Yang Yunhai nodded. "But there are always exceptions." As he spoke, he reached into his collar and pulled out his Spirit Master ID from his spirit tool.
With a smile, he held it up in front of the guard's face. "I wonder, would I qualify as an exception?"
"Age... Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, Spirit Power: Level 31?!"
The guard scanned the ID and his expression changed dramatically. First came shock and disbelief, but it quickly shifted to something more relaxed,though his eyes now carried a hint of disdain.
So what if he cultivated quickly? His Martial Spirit was Blue Silver Grass,the continent's most recognized useless spirit. It was worthless!
Seeing this, Yang Yunhai didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled faintly and flicked his right hand toward the nearby forest.
In the next moment, his Blue Silver Grass martial spirit appeared. Vines shot out, wrapping around the trunk of a large tree that required an adult's arms to encircle.
They coiled, tightened, barbs digging in, making slicing sounds.
Under the stunned gaze of the guard, within just a few seconds, the large tree was cleanly cut in half.
"Of course, you could also choose not to report this," Yang Yunhai said casually as he retracted his martial spirit.
"But if I end up appearing in another academy's team during the upcoming Continental Spirit Master Tournament and perform well... And if your academy's board,or more importantly, His Highness the Crown Prince,finds out about what happened today..."
"What do you think they'll do to you?"
At those words, the guard's face instantly turned pale. He quickly turned around and replied respectfully, "Please wait here. I will go report this immediately."
Without another word, he turned and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him.
Not long after, inside the board's office:
_Knock knock knock_ The door was rapped.
"Come in," replied the teaching commissioner Meng Shenji, who was seated on the sofa summarizing the new semester's enrollment situation to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.
The door creaked open. The guard entered, sweating and respectfully bowing. "Greetings, Commissioners. Greetings, Your Highness."
Seems that kid is smarter than I thought, Qian Renxue mused. She maintained a calm and warm expression, nodding slightly.
She had deliberately avoided appearing at the school gate to test Yang Yunhai.
If he couldn't even deal with a gatekeeper, how could he handle the academy's three commissioners or more complex situations in the future? If he were that weak, he might as well obediently stay in Spirit Hall. From the report Snake Lance Douluo gave her the night before, she'd seen Yang Yunhai's courage, cultivation talent, and theoretical aptitude. But when it came to social intelligence, based on what she'd seen so far, his performance hadn't stood out.
But now? He seemed to be doing quite well.
"Why the rush? Did something happen outside?" asked Meng Shenji from across the tea table.
After gathering his thoughts, the guard respectfully replied, "Commissioner, two people have come to enroll in our academy. One of them is a young man who appears quite young, but his spirit power is already level 31. His martial spirit is Blue Silver Grass, but the vines he summoned were exceptionally powerful,barbed and razor-sharp. A tree this thick",he gestured with his arms,"was sliced clean in half with just one pull."
The three commissioners stood up abruptly, ready to ask questions when Qian Renxue's voice rang out.
"Looks like we've got a genius joining our academy this year. Perhaps even two."
She slowly stood up. "Such talents deserve a personal welcome. Commissioners, shall we go together?"
"A prodigy like this,I'd certainly like to meet him," Meng Shenji said with a smile.
"After you, Your Highness," he added courteously, stepping aside.
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