*king Li palace*
Kneeling on one knee on the ground was a young man dressed in green. His head was lowered in front of the king, who was fuming with anger.
"You dare to inform this king that you failed to bring back that man—and even the princess? Tell me what kind of punishment you deserve!" The king's strong voice echoed angrily.
"Father! Royal Father!" Li Na's voice sounded from the entrance as she rushed inside the palace recklessly. "Royal Father, there's no need to be angry over this matter. Honestly, my husband is very powerful! I met him today, and he has probably made a breakthrough." She said, standing not very far from the throne.
Seeing Li Na's childish expression, the king sighed. "You may leave," he said to the guard.
The guard replied with "Yes" and disappeared.
The king looked at his daughter and sighed again. "Royal Daughter, this man, who became your husband with an unclear background, don't you think it's dangerous for you?"
"Who says he has no background? When I met him today, he was heading to the Cultivators Academy. By now, he must have already entered the academy," Li Na pouted.
The king's eyes widened. "The academy? I thought you said he was your husband?" he asked.
"That's right," Li Na replied.
The king rubbed his forehead. "Are you sure you both have done the deed?" he asked.
Li Na frowned and looked at her father strangely. "Why do you ask, Royal Father?"
This is what you don't know: the academy doesn't allow in anyone that's in a relationship or have relationships within its walls. If this stranger you call your husband successfully entered the academy, then there are two possibilities," the king said.
"What are those possibilities, Father?" Li Na asked.
"First, you never had any intimate contact with him, or... he denied you. This denial can also be interpreted as he never loved or harbored any feelings for you," the king answered.
A full question mark was visible on her face. "That's not possible. He was quite confident about entering the academy," she murmured to herself.
"Royal Daughter, don't you understand? This stranger you call your husband is not a suitable choice for you," the king said, hearing Li Na murmur.
Li Na bit her lower lip with her brows knitted. "He might not have made intimate contact with me, but he has done so with one of his wives!" Li Na murmured, recalling Ling Wei and Shu Fang.
"What did you say?!" The king's anger voice echoed throughout the palace. His voice carried deep and powerful oppression that sent the low-level cultivator Li Na stumbling back a few steps.
"Royal Father!" Li Na shouted, using her hands to shield herself from the force that threatened to blow her away.
"Tell this king that what I just heard was the trick played by my ears," the king's voice thundered again, his commanding presence still terrifying but slightly diminished.
"Royal Father, whatever you heard was completely the tricks played by your ears! I didn't say my husband must have made intimate contact with one of his wives," Li Na argued.
"Li... Na!!!!!!!" the king's angry voice echoed throughout the palace again. Suddenly, the pressure he was exerting ceased, and he coughed several times.
"Royal Father, be careful!" Li Na's concerned voice rang out after she regained her footing.
"You... you..." The king pointed at Li Na, panting heavily.
"Royal Father, you can't be angry at me! I really love him! Though he hasn't touched me, it doesn't mean that he hasn't seen my body already. Royal Father, please bless your favorite daughter," Li Na climbed up and hugged her father's leg.
"You..." The king gritted his teeth. "That's impossible! A royal princess like you can't share a man with someone else. Even if I agree for you to be together with him, he must abandon all the women surrounding him."
"Father!" Li Na protested.
"Enough!" The king cut her off. "Besides, he must have been kicked out of the academy by now since he has already made intimate contact with his wives. I will have to see him first to determine if he is suitable to be your husband and the next king," he stated.
"Father, are you still planning to make me the crown princess?" Li Na asked, her brows knitting together in confusion.
"That's enough for today. You should go to your room and rest. I will send my men to invite him to my palace," the king said, ignoring Li Na's question.
"Father, I..." Li Na began, but her words were cut short by the guard's announcement from outside.
"Lord Gu is here to visit his majesty for important message!"
Hearing the announcement, Li Na left her father's leg and stepped down from the royal dais. She stood on the floor, facing the throne, her hands clasped half together, resting on her tummy. The cheerful and playful Li Na had now been replaced with the mature and calm version of herself.
The king looked at Li Na, noticing her change in just a blink, and shook his head. "Let him in," he said. His voice was neither low nor too loud, but as soon as the words left his lips, the gigantic door opened, and a middle-aged man rushed in, his head bowed and his hands clasped together.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," Lord Gu greeted.
"Why are you in such a rush? What's the matter?" The king asked, his brow furrowed.
"Your Majesty, I just received news from the academy that a nature cultivator has appeared there," Lord Gu replied immediately, without raising his head.
"What did you say?" The king stood up, excitement visibly spreading across his face, and his chilling aura completely dissipated. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, trying hard to conceal his excitement.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I personally looked into this matter and confirmed it—the nature cultivator is a female," Lord Gu replied promptly.
"Good! Good! The heavens have finally heard my pleas! Hahaha!" The king laughed wholeheartedly. "Right, write a visit letter to the academy immediately. I will personally visit the nature cultivator early tomorrow," he commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lord Gu replied and left with his head lowered.
"Royal father, heaven has truly answered our prayers," Li Na smiled.
"That's right! Haha!" The king laughed happily.
"Father, allow me to accompany you to the academy tomorrow," Li Na proposed.
"Alright, Prepare yourself and your siblings as well; we will all visit the academy together! Haha!" The king replied immediately, without giving much thought to Li Na's proposal.
"Then I will get on it, Royal Father," Li Na bowed and left. "I will meet you again, husband", she thought to herself with a sweet smile on her lips.
---
*Cultivators Academy, Third Square, Class A, Fire and Ice Cultivatiors Class*.
Zi Chen sat in the seat behind Han Jun with a displeased expression on his face.
Han Jun noticed him and tilted his head back slightly. "What's with her?" he asked curiously about the middle aged woman.
"Captain, this woman's name is Zhang Li, but we nicknamed her the 'Old Female Devil.' Not only is she strict in her teachings, but she also creates more opportunities for the icy students to defeat us during competitions. She's not a cultivator, but her knowledge of the elements is profound and admirable. Though she deliberately allows the icy students to oppress us, it's for our benefit. However, the fact that they always win only makes me dislike her more and more. Trust me, this lady is not nice at all; she shows no special treatment to new students and no favoritism. The worst part is, if you dare try to propose bribery to her, I will say you throw yourself into a lion's den. Her assignments are always so strict that I end up with a headache every time," Zi Chen explained heartbrokenly in a low voice.
"I see," Han Jun nodded and sat up properly.
The middle-aged woman named Zhang Li readjusted her glasses and walked over to the teacher's desk. She placed the books in her hands down on the table and looked at Han Jun and Yue Bing, her gaze drifting back and forth between them. "I see we have new students," her voice echoed throughout the whole class.
"You..." she pointed at Han Jun, "what are the steps needed to be taken after entering Stage One of Beginner Level One?" she asked.
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Han Jun's mind scattered, and his expression showed endless cracks of worry". Does she really have to be as violent as she was described? he thought to himself.
Zi Chen's mouth twitched as if he had expected the scene. Perfectly fitting the title 'Old Female Devil', he thought.
"What to do now? I don't know what to say," Han Jun was completely at a loss.
As a newly entered Beginner cultivator in Stage One, Level One, the first step is: the mind must be calm and perfectly merge with the element being cultivated.
Second: the Inner Mind Sea must be trained to be small; if non-existent is possible, then non-existence is the best choice.
Third: battle with a spiritual beast to merge the Inner Mind Sea together with the element being cultivated.
Fourthly: balance your state of mind and Inner Mind Sea.
And lastly, start the journey of a cultivator.
"A melodious voice sounded, drawing everyone's attention."
As everyone turned to the source of the angelic voice, they confirmed that it belonged to the veiled lady, Yue Bing.
"Very good!" Teacher Zhang exclaimed, evidently impressed, as she gave Yue Bing a smile.
Turns out this old female devil can smile, "Zi Chen thought, his mouth twitching to one side".
"You both impressed me," Teacher Zhang said, her voice ringing out again. "You both truly deserve to be in this class," she added, flashing Han Jun a smile.
"What is going on here?" Han Jun thought to himself, completely at loss.