Senlei now wanted to hurry back immediately.
Because the day of the grand competition was approaching!
He needed to break through and improve his cultivation level!
He didn't want a guaranteed spot; he wanted to earn it rightfully!
...
A white-bearded old man, with a gloomy expression, flew back to Ladd Academy with a young man who had his head lowered.
The old man was Su Xin, the head of the Great Fire Hall.
Su Xin's face was stern.
"Li Yi!"
The young man behind him immediately trembled.
"Hall Master... I..." the young man stammered.
"Do you have any explanation?" Su Xin asked, glaring at him sideways.
"The disciple was momentarily blinded by greed and shouldn't have stolen the Cold Spirit Grass."
"Is that what I'm talking about?"
"What then..." Li Yi looked up at Su Xin.
"How did your junior sister die? Should I explain it?" Su Xin angrily slapped him.
Li Yi, holding his swollen face, mumbled incoherently, "The disciple knows his mistake, Hall Master, please spare me!" He said, kowtowing to Su Xin.
Su Xin clenched his fists.
"Go to the Cliff of Return and reflect for a month!"
Hearing the name "Cliff of Return," Li Yi was scared out of his wits.
"Elder, please spare me this time. Elder, considering that I'm the Northern Hua Prince, spare..." Li Yi pleaded.
"No negotiations! If you weren't a prince, do you think the punishment would be this simple? You harmed your fellow disciple! You should be thrown into the Cliff of Return, not just made to reflect at the top!" Su Xin said angrily.
"Yes... The disciple obeys," Li Yi replied, gritting his teeth, with a gloomy expression.
The Cliff of Return, a place that made everyone at Ladd Academy shiver. At the bottom of the cliff lurked countless evil spirits, and no one knew where they came from. It had existed since the upper realm opened and Ladd Academy was established.
Many had tried to explore it, but anyone who entered the cliff bottom, regardless of their cultivation level, never returned.
Thus, it became a forbidden area, and a reflection house was built at the top to punish disciples.
Any disciple who entered it and came out would never dare to repeat their mistakes. Spending even a day there could make low-cultivation disciples lose their minds.
It was too eerie there, with vengeful spirits constantly lingering, and no one knew why there were so many.
Su Xin stood in front of the Great Fire Hall's plaque and sighed.
"Ladd Academy is getting worse... It's partly my fault, too. Sigh."
...
In the forest, a figure swiftly darted through.
The figure was none other than Senlei, carrying Feng Jingsheng and Xiao Qi.
"Ah! Finally away from this trouble spot!" Senlei stopped and exclaimed.
But no one responded.
Hearing the even breathing of the two on his back, Senlei knew.
These two "lords" were asleep!
Senlei couldn't help but shake his head.
"Really treating me like a driver. I'm a prince... No dignity, no dignity!" Senlei lamented.
Senlei hurried all the way and finally reached the gates of Senluo Palace before nightfall.
"Is this your Senluo Imperial City?" Feng Jingsheng, who had woken up at some point, asked curiously.
"Of course! Finally home." Senlei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The tension he had been holding for so long finally eased a bit.
Feng Jingsheng, looking around at the street stalls, exclaimed, "It smells so good!" She was eyeing a food stall.
An old lady was skillfully slapping dough onto a hot stove wall. After a while, the bread was baked to a crispy, tender perfection. She then swiftly cut it open and stuffed it with minced spirit meat, releasing an enticing aroma.
"Awroo~!" Xiao Qi jumped from Senlei's shoulder, drooling at the bread.
Seeing the two little gluttons, Senlei laughed.
"Isn't it just a roujiamo? Come on, my treat!" Senlei said generously.
"Yay!" Feng Jingsheng cheered.
In the palace, Feng Jingsheng often ate "mountain delicacies," which were bland, tasteless medicinal meals that melted in her mouth.
Now, faced with such delicious food, she couldn't resist.
Senlei, carrying Feng Jingsheng, said, "Auntie, three roujiamo, please!" Of course, it wasn't called roujiamo, but Senlei thought the name was memorable and had a taste of home.
"Alright! Just a moment, young man, and I'll have two more for you!" The old lady didn't understand the name but knew the order by quantity.
"Young man, you sure love your wife! Can't even bear to let her walk!" The old lady, seeing Senlei carrying Feng Jingsheng, naturally assumed they were a couple.
Hearing this, Feng Jingsheng's small head retracted in embarrassment, her face blushing with a hint of joy.
Senlei quickly explained, "Auntie, please don't say that. We're just friends."
"Right?" Senlei asked, turning back.
"Mm..." Feng Jingsheng responded softly.
The old lady, handing over the bread, rolled her eyes and said, "My old eyes can't be wrong. Why be shy? Be a man!"
"Ah? No, it's not..." Senlei tried to explain further.
"Alright, young man, the bread's ready. Enjoy!" The old lady took the spirit coin from Senlei and started ushering them away.
"What a situation," Senlei said, distributing the bread to the two "lords" behind him.
Crunch, crunch. Senlei bit into his bread without any regard for appearances.
"Not bad!" Senlei said, his mouth full of grease.
"Delicious," Feng Jingsheng took a small bite, savoring it.
Xiao Qi didn't even need to be mentioned, devouring it heartily.
The three of them feasted on the bread in the street.
It was one of Senlei's few indulgent moments.
"Full! By the way, I'm actually the prince of Sen Nation. Do you want to come back to the palace with me, or should I take you home?" Senlei thought for a moment and confessed.
Feng Jingsheng, quietly nibbling on her bread, wasn't surprised and remained silent.
This left Senlei puzzled.
"Are you alright?" Senlei asked.
"Actually... I'm a princess of Feng Nation, here as a hostage..." Feng Jingsheng confessed anxiously, fearing he would distance himself after knowing, but she couldn't hide it anymore.
Senlei was initially surprised but quickly calmed down, carrying her and patting her leg. "I had a hunch when you told me your name. Let's go home, Princess."
Hearing Senlei's playful tone, Feng Jingsheng relaxed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Okay!"
"Awroo~" Xiao Qi jumped back onto Senlei's shoulder.
By now, it was late.
The Senluo Imperial City was brightly lit.
Sen Yan and Meng E were calculating when Senlei would return.
Sen Yan, calculating the time, said to Meng E, "There's a week left until the grand competition. The prince's whereabouts are unknown. I've heard there's a peak Dao Mirror realm spirit beast near the Ling Beast Ridge outskirts. I hope it hasn't affected the prince."
Meng E massaged Sen Yan's shoulders, "Our child has a guardian angel. He survived the last crisis; he's bound to have good fortune. Don't worry, Your Majesty."
"Father, Mother! I'm back!"