"What is it?" Feng Jun, gasping for breath, took a sip of water and looked at the third prince who had entered the room."Father! Please retract your order and don't let the princess go as a hostage!" The third prince, Feng Wu, knelt down and pleaded.Feng Jun frowned and said, "If you're here for this matter, then go back. I've already promised the Emperor of Senluo. If we break the agreement, you know the consequences."The third prince remained kneeling, not moving.Seeing his son still there, Feng Jun sighed. Besides himself, only the third prince doted on Sheng'er. He had already vented his anger, and now he lacked the energy to lecture the third prince. He gently said, "It's alright. Even if Sheng'er goes, it's just a change of residence, no danger involved. The Senluo Kingdom is also afraid we'll harm their precious prince. Rest assured." Feng Wu clenched his fists in anger, "Sen Lei! It's all your fault!"The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse.By the lakeside, a beautiful woman sat in a wheelchair, her hands on a guqin, swaying in the breeze. Her frail body looked like a helpless blade of grass in the wind, arousing pity in anyone who saw her.As the princess of Feng Kingdom, her strength had reached the terrifying Ling Body Eightfold, the same level as Sen Lei. Although her legs were "dead" due to spiritual medicines, the spiritual energy from those medicines remained in her spiritual veins. Despite the excruciating pain when she used her spiritual power, it was still her strength. She would channel her spiritual power into her guqin skills, both offensive and defensive, though using spiritual techniques often caused her unbearable pain, like being bitten by insects.
Nevertheless, she continued to practice diligently.
"Sheng'er, I'm sorry I couldn't change father's mind!" Feng Wu appeared behind her.
Feng Jing Sheng smiled, "It's okay, brother. Being protected by you all the time, I'm almost bored. I should take this opportunity to see some scenery." She playfully reassured him.
Feng Wu pushed her wheelchair along the lakeside.
Feng Jing Sheng was sincere. She had never left the palace since birth and was curious about the outside world. When her father told her she would go to Senluo, she eagerly agreed.
Even though her father said, "If you disagree, I'll break the promise and won't let you suffer," she still consented to go. She hoped to prevent further conflict and maintain peace between the two nations. Despite the small skirmishes, she despised war because it brought death and suffering to countless families. Her mother died in childbirth, and she was born with congenital disabilities.
Yet, she remained optimistic and kind-hearted.
Feng Wu remained silent. The Crown Prince had followed the second prince to Rad Academy three years ago, leaving only him to accompany Feng Jing Sheng. Soon, he would also receive the academy's admission notice, leaving his sister alone in the deep palace. Despite his reluctance to send her to Senluo, seeing her so happy, he couldn't bring himself to dissuade her.
"Alright then. If she gets hurt, I'll make Senluo's prince pay with his life!" he thought. Unbeknownst to him, his brother's spiritual root had been transplanted into Sen Lei. Feng Jun always claimed it was naturally present in the prince and only later activated, a story no one outside the kingdom believed.
At dawn the next day, the Feng Guards escorted Feng Jing Sheng to Senluo. A twenty-person team set out. The distance between Senluo and Feng Kingdom was vast. Only those at the Dao stage, capable of flying, could cover it in a day; others would take several days, crossing dangerous areas like Spirit Beast Ridge and the Lingjiang River before reaching Senluo.
Feng Jun sent the best guards from the Feng Guards, his face grim. He had contacted the chief elder of Rad Academy's Xuanyao Hall, also the academy's grand elder. Feng Jun graduated under his tutelage.
Xuanyao Hall was the hall where future kings mostly gathered. Rad Academy had five great halls: Xuanyao Hall, Xingji Hall, Ximu Hall, Dahuo Hall, and Jianglou Hall. Among them, Xuanyao was the most prestigious and powerful. Princes from various kingdoms would directly enter Xuanyao Hall for training. It was also the hall from which the upper realm selected most candidates. However, in recent years, no one from the upper realm had come to select students, and those who had entered the upper realm never returned.
Back in Senluo, last night, Sen Lei curiously took out the black, giant ruler. He still couldn't understand why the voice in his head told him to hold onto it. Shaking his head in resignation, he saw the ruler disappear into thin air.
"Holy crap!" he swore.
Such a huge thing disappearing before his eyes was shocking. Sen Lei hurriedly searched his space ring, but it was nowhere to be found.
"That's odd!" He was bewildered.
Giving up on finding the ruler, he didn't really mind. He couldn't imagine wielding such a black, ugly thing in battle anyway. He then took out the blood-boosting pill, Tiger Spirit Pill, that his father had found. He quickly looked around to ensure it was safe and swallowed it.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved and exploded. Sen Lei's blood-red aura surged. He felt the power of the second-level elixir coursing through him.
"Ah!" he screamed, feeling like his body was about to burst.
His left hand, pulsing with his heartbeat, turned blood-red and terrifying. He guided the blood energy into his left hand, but some overflowed into his eyes, turning his pupils blood-red, altering his refined aura to that of a frenzied, bloodthirsty demon.
He broke through to the ninth level, and in his dantian, where his spiritual root had been removed, a red bud sprouted, like the flower of a demon.
Sen Lei gradually stabilized his blood energy, spending the entire morning meditating. At noon, Sen Yan took him to a pavilion by a clear lake for a talk.
"Lei'er, the academy has confirmed your admission. Now, anyone on the continent can compete for ten spots in the academy. The whole continent probably knows by now," Sen Yan said.
Sen Lei, clueless, asked, "My admission is confirmed? What does that mean?"
Sen Yan sighed and explained what happened after his spiritual root was taken and he was gravely injured. Seeing the white hair on his father's head, Sen Lei felt moved. His father had secured the best possible outcome for him.
Sen Lei smiled and said firmly, "Father, I'll handle my own affairs! But why wasn't my spiritual body discovered by the academy?"
Sen Yan hesitated.
"Because of feelings!" his mother, Meng'e, arrived, smiling.
"Feelings?" Sen Lei stood up to offer his seat to his mother.
Sen Yan coughed awkwardly, "Don't say that in front of the child..."
Meng'e retorted, "Why not? Your past affairs got our son into this mess!"
Seeing his parents' conversation, Sen Lei realized this was more complicated than he thought.
Sen Yan sighed, "At that time, your mother and I met at the academy. The daughter of Xuanyao's elder, Qingfeng, was also there."
"We..." Sen Yan paused, looking at Meng'e.
"Go on! We're all grown up now," Meng'e said, slightly annoyed.
"Ahem!" Sen Yan began recounting those past events.