Ye Xuan carried his sister back to the residence, and as soon as they returned, Ye Ling fell asleep.
After putting Ye Ling on the bed, she curled into a ball, her body trembling.
Ye Xuan was startled. He quickly covered her with a thick quilt, but she was still shivering from the cold.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan panicked. He quickly took out the Heavenly Fire Warming Jade hanging around Ye Ling's neck, and when he looked at it, he was stunned.
The surface of the Heavenly Fire Warming Jade was covered in a faint layer of frost!
"Senior?"
Ye Xuan called out in his heart, "Senior, what's happening?"
"Send the jade into the tower!"
The mysterious woman's voice suddenly sounded.
Ye Xuan quickly sent the Heavenly Fire Warming Jade into the Boundary Prison Tower. Moments later, the jade reappeared in his hand, now restored to its original form.
Ye Xuan hurriedly hung the jade back around Ye Ling's neck, and gradually, her condition improved.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan sighed in relief.
At this moment, the mysterious woman's voice echoed again, "The jade's spirit and essence have already dissipated by ninety-nine percent. It will last for only one more day before it becomes a useless stone. Make preparations."
A useless stone!
Ye Xuan's expression grew heavy. If the Heavenly Fire Warming Jade lost its effect, how would his sister survive the cold?
After a while, Ye Xuan left the room.
Outside, he gazed at the bright moon in the night sky, his fists clenched tightly.
Tomorrow was the day of the Cangmu Academy admissions!
Cangmu Academy!
The largest academy in Jiang Kingdom. Once he was admitted, he could seek medical help for his sister. She would no longer have to endure her illness!
Just then, Lu Xiaoran entered the courtyard.
Lu Xiaoran smiled wryly, "Young friend Ye, about tonight, my apologies."
Ye Xuan shook his head, "It has nothing to do with you, Senior Lu."
Lu Xiaoran said softly, "I had high hopes for the Grand Prince, but after what happened today, I realized he wasn't as I imagined... Alas, these royal descendants are truly masters of appearances."
Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Senior Lu, if I may speak frankly, it's too early for you to choose a side now. Moreover, if you do, those above may not look kindly upon it."
Lu Xiaoran smiled bitterly, "I am well aware. It's just that if we don't choose a side now, we may not have the chance to later."
Ye Xuan shook his head, "With all due respect, Senior Lu, as long as you remain loyal to the current emperor, as long as the emperor lives, neither you nor the Lu family will come to harm."
Lu Xiaoran nodded, "I've been thinking the same. The struggle for the crown prince is something my family wants no part in."
Ye Xuan nodded, saying no more.
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Young friend, tomorrow is the admissions for Cangmu Academy. My useless son will rely on you to look after him in the academy."
Ye Xuan smiled, "Senior Lu, I may not even be able to join Cangmu Academy myself!"
Lu Xiaoran shook his head slightly, "If Cangmu Academy doesn't accept you, it would be their greatest loss!"
Ye Xuan smiled, saying nothing.
After Lu Xiaoran left, Ye Xuan returned to the Boundary Prison Tower.
The moment he entered, he heard something upstairs—a faint sound, but he definitely heard it.
Ye Xuan spoke in a deep voice, "Senior, what is that?"
The mysterious woman said, "What do you think it is?"
Ye Xuan smiled bitterly, "Senior, what exactly is on the second level?"
After a moment of silence, the mysterious woman said, "It's not someone good. Anyway, once you enter the academy, you need to find a spiritual sword to improve your cultivation. Everything must be sped up!"
Ye Xuan nodded. The current state of the Boundary Prison Tower made him uneasy—constantly on edge.
He could sense that whatever was on the second level wasn't something good.
There was no evidence, just a feeling—a warning given to him by the tower itself.
As the mysterious woman had said, he needed to speed up his cultivation.
Of course, his immediate priority was to join Cangmu Academy!
The day passed.
At dawn, the red sun slowly rose from the horizon.
Ye Xuan held his sister's hand as they left the residence, where Lu Xiaoran and the chubby Lu Ming awaited them.
Lu Xiaoran looked at Ye Xuan, who wore a white robe today. Ye Xuan was already very handsome, and with a bit of dressing up, he looked like a refined and graceful young man. If he wore a sword at his waist, revealing his identity as a swordsman, he could easily charm many girls in the capital.
Ye Ling also wore a dark green dress, with a long braid tied behind her head. Though still young, anyone could see that she was a beautiful young girl—one who would grow to be a stunning beauty in a few years.
Seeing the siblings' appearance, Lu Xiaoran became even more certain—these two siblings definitely had an extraordinary background!
Pushing his thoughts aside, Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Young friend Ye, shall we?"
Ye Xuan nodded, holding Ye Ling's hand as they followed Lu Xiaoran and his son toward Cangmu Academy.
The academy wasn't far from them, so they decided to walk.
Today, the capital was exceptionally lively. The admissions of Cangmu Academy were considered a major event. For anyone in Jiang Kingdom, the fastest way to rise to prominence was to join Cangmu Academy!
Entering Cangmu Academy was akin to leaping over the dragon's gate. Every time the academy opened admissions, geniuses from all over Jiang Kingdom would come, accompanied by their families.
Because of this, the capital was bustling.
In fact, Ye Xuan didn't know this, but if it weren't for Lu Xiaoran, he and his sister would have struggled to find a place to stay. The inns in the capital had been booked out a month in advance!
Ye Ling was in high spirits today because Ye Xuan would be joining Cangmu Academy. Once he joined, he wouldn't be alone anymore—he'd have support and a promising future. Even if her illness couldn't be cured, she could rest easy.
Thinking of this, Ye Ling tilted her head to look at Ye Xuan. She held his hand tightly. If she could, she wanted to live. Since their mother had left, her brother had been living such a hard life. She wasn't afraid of dying, but she feared that if she died, her brother would be left all alone.
The streets became increasingly crowded, with everyone heading in the same direction.
Cangmu Academy!
To the north of the capital, there was a great mountain called Cang Mountain, standing nearly a thousand meters tall. From its midsection, one could overlook the entire capital.
And atop this mountain was Cangmu Academy.
On the way, Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Cangmu Academy has a long history. Throughout countless changes of dynasty in our land, Cangmu Academy has always stood. Like the Drunken Immortal Inn, it is a truly mighty force!"
Ye Xuan said seriously, "Is there a Cangmu Academy in other countries too?"
Lu Xiaoran nodded, "Of course. It is said that the headquarters of Cangmu Academy is located in the Central Divine Continent—a far-off place!"
He shook his head with a smile and looked at Ye Xuan, "Young friend Ye, if you have the chance, you should leave Jiang Kingdom and Qing Province to see the wider world. Only then will you not have wasted your journey in this world!"
Ye Xuan smiled, "That's too far away. It's more important to walk the current path well."
Lu Xiaoran laughed heartily, "That's true!"
Soon, they arrived at the foot of Cang Mountain. Looking up, they felt a deep sense of insignificance.
At the base of the mountain, it was already packed with people—clearly all here for the admissions.
Ye Xuan was a bit stunned at the sight, as these people were at least at the Spirit Mastery level, and they were all very young!
Seeing Ye Xuan's astonishment, Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Don't be so amazed. All of Jiang Kingdom's geniuses are here. Out of tens of millions of people, only these few are the true geniuses—is that really a lot?"
Ye Xuan nodded. In Qingcheng, an eighteen-year-old Spirit Mastery cultivator would be considered a super genius. But Qingcheng was just a small town. In a bigger city, such a person might be only an average talent!
In Jiang Kingdom as a whole, they might not even count as anything special!
Just then, a crane descended from above. On the crane's back sat an old man, who soon arrived above the crowd. The old man looked down, "I am Elder Cang Li, an outer courtyard elder of Cangmu Academy, in charge of today's admissions. Today, there are twenty spots available. There will be three tests, and if more than twenty pass, they will compete against each other, and the victors will be admitted!"
Twenty!
Hearing this, the crowd erupted.
There were at least a thousand people here, and only twenty spots—that meant ninety-nine percent would be eliminated!
Ye Xuan's expression grew serious!
Only twenty spots—that meant the competition would be extremely fierce!
In the air, the elder's voice rang out again, "The first test: climb the mountain. Anyone who cannot make it to the halfway point on foot will be eliminated!"
Climb the mountain?
Ye Xuan was stunned and looked at Lu Xiaoran, "That simple?"
Lu Xiaoran shook his head, "It's not that simple. This mountain climb has formations that suppress one's cultivation. The purpose of this test is to weed out those whose cultivation is unstable. Many here are at the Spirit Mastery stage, but their foundation is shaky."
Ye Xuan nodded, then looked at the chubby Lu Ming, "Senior, it seems Xiao Ming hasn't reached Spirit Mastery yet."
Lu Xiaoran smiled bitterly, "Of course not. He's only joining the academy as a special student."
"Special student?"
Ye Xuan was puzzled, "What does that mean?"
Lu Xiaoran's expression grew a bit awkward, "Basically, I bought him a spot, but he's not an official student. He's in a lower class, where there are also teachers, but it's very different from being an official student. He won't have the status of an official student."
Beside him, Lu Ming complained, "Dad, Brother, can't you give me some dignity?"
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoran's anger flared, "Dignity? If you worked harder, would your old man have to beg and buy you a spot?"
Lu Ming pouted, not daring to talk back.
Ye Xuan and Ye Ling exchanged a smile.
Lu Xiaoran then said, "Young friend Ye, let's head to the starting point."
Ye Xuan nodded, and they made their way to a small path at the foot of Cang Mountain. Beside the path, a wooden stake held the body of a man who had clearly been dead for some time.
The crowd pointed and discussed the sight.
Ye Xuan glanced at the body, then turned to Lu Xiaoran, "Senior, what's this?"
Lu Xiaoran said seriously, "A student of Canglan Academy!"
Canglan Academy!
Ye Xuan was taken aback, "Is that also in the capital?"
Lu Xiaoran nodded, "It's normal if you haven't heard of it. Nowadays, everyone in Jiang Kingdom knows Cangmu Academy, but few know Canglan Academy. In the previous dynasty, Canglan Academy was on par with Cangmu Academy. For some unknown reason, the two academies became mortal enemies, holding a life-or-death duel every three years. Later, Canglan Academy began to weaken for some unknown reason, while Cangmu Academy grew stronger. Over the past fifty years, Canglan Academy has almost always lost to Cangmu Academy in these duels. The defeated students were nailed to stakes along this path. As you climb, you'll see more bodies."
He sighed, "According to the agreement between the two academies, if Canglan Academy wins, they can take back their students' bodies. But to this day, not a single student from Canglan Academy has defeated a student from Cangmu Academy!"
...