by Tinalynge
Outside the City Lord’s Mansion was a carriage waiting for them. It was being pulled by four Kirins. They were related to Qilins, however they were much more elegant. Where the Qilin was like a horse and dragon mixed together, the Kirin was more a deer mixed with a dragon. It was gracious and elegant while the lean muscles were bulging underneath the scaled skin.
“The Royal Academy is located on a mountain range behind the city,” Rong Xing explained, “It is not too far away, but we are expected to ride a carriage when we travel from the City to the Academy.”
The travel through Riluo City was much like the previous day where Hui Yue did not have the time to see anything in detail, but he comforted himself with the fact that he had no money to entertain himself with. Cities were only fun for the rich people.
The travel to the Royal Academy really did not take long. As soon as the carriage exited the city walls they gained in speed and almost flew towards a distant mountain. With the Kirins pulling the carriage it only took them half an hour to reach the destination.
The carriage stopped right at the foot of the mountain where large fields were filled with young children and their entourages. Some of the children had come in groups and looked poor, which caused Hui Yue to assume that they were the commoners that Elder Wang was supposed to dislike, while other children were bringing a wide array of experts and servants with them to the examination.
There were seven elderly figures apart from these children and their entourages, and they were positioned in a straight line in front of the mountain entrance. There was exactly three metres between each of the elders, and in front of them were a small table.
On the table was a book, a pen and a white stone slab. In front of the elders were a queue of around ten children. One child at a time went towards the elder and stated their name and age, then the elder ordered them to lay their hand upon the stone slab, before they themselves inserted some of their qi to activate the slab, making it write down the child’s real age and cultivation rank.
Hui Yue furrowed his brows slightly, as the highest ranked of those Elders was a four-star duke, where the others were nine star Grand Masters. None of these elders would be capable of detecting Lan Feng.
‘Their skilled experts must be hiding within the academy,’ Lan Feng said with slight relief visible in the voice.
“Oh no,” whispered Rong Ming next to Hui Yue, who had been busy worrying about being noticed, “Elder Wang is here. Let’s go queue up over here,” he continued and grabbed Hui Yue’s arm while dragging him towards one of the elders all the way to the side.
Hui Yue was confused. Elder Wang was supposed to have a high standing within this academy, however none of the experts here were any real threat to Hui Yue and Lan Feng. Suddenly a thought hit Hui Yue, and he narrowed his eyes slightly while asking, “What rank are the teachers at the academy?”
“Hmm, most of them are Grand Masters. A few are Masters and we have a couple of Duke ranked experts,” Rong Xing answered after thinking for a bit. Hui Yue felt relief washing over him, as he had realised why. This was after all only the outer disciples. The students here all depended on the lower dantian to train, while the students who had already opened the middle dantian would be moved to the main Royal Academy within the Capital City.
It made perfect sense that any instructor or teacher with a higher cultivation would teach the higher ranked students. For now, it did not seem as if Lan Feng and Hui Yue would have any problems while moving around at the academy.
Hui Yue was in a great mood when he stood in the queue, waiting for his turn to be tested. The Rong twins were standing next to him, and although they were already students and allowed to enter the Royal Academy already, they would not go before Hui Yue had been accepted.
The two children of the City Lord who stood next to the unknown beautiful kid did cause quite a commotion and many noble families started guessing as to what the heritage of this unknown child could be.
Neither Hui Yue, nor the twins had any interest in the gossip that was going around, as all three knew that his origin was to be kept a secret, and as soon as it was their turn, Hui Yue strode towards the elder with a calm radiating from within that was unlikely anyone his age.
“What is your name?” the elder asked with a friendly voice. This child was after all being guided by two students of high profile.
“Hui Yue,” was the clear answer,
“Place your hand on the stone slab,” the elder ordered, and Hui Yue did as he was told. A second later, the elder placed a finger on the same stone slab and allowed some of his qi to pull out a bit of Hui Yue’s qi from within his body. Suddenly letters appeared on the surface and Hui Yue removed his hand.
“five-star student rank. Boy age ten.” The elder said with a mumbling voice while recording the result within the book on the table. He opened a bag and pulled out an emblem. The emblem was small and shaped as a pentagon. Printed on the emblem was five flower petals that surrounded a sun in the middle.
“Here you go,” the elder said while handing the emblem to the child in front of him, “Keep this for the years you study at our academy. Make sure to keep it safe.” With a wave of his hand, the elder moved his attention towards the next child in line for the admission test and Hui Yue quickly moved forward, following the Rong twins towards the entrance leading up the mountain.
The entrance was simple. The three children moved through a stone pavilion, and Hui Yue noticed how his student emblem started shining as soon as he entered, but nothing else happened, and as soon as they had walked through, the weird shine had vanished.
“It is a key,” Rong Xing explained, “only the ones who has an emblem that belongs to the Royal Academy can enter the Academy grounds.” The Rong twins found their own emblems, both looked identical to Hui Yue’s.
“A golden one shows that you are an inner disciple from the Royal Academy in the capital. The teachers and instructors all have white symbols,” Rong Xing continued to explain.
“This is the worst part of the academy,” Rong Ming said with a sigh, while looking in front of him, and Hui Yue moved his gaze towards the front, only to see endless stone steps leading towards the mountain top.
The three children smiled to each other before they slowly started moving up, one step at a time. It has to be said that they were all cultivators so it required quite a bit for those three children to be tired, but Rong Ming was often bored, and he had had enough after half an hour of climbing the stairs.
“We got a lot of friends at the academy, and I am sure that they will like you too,” he started while looking disapproving at the many steps in front of him. “Quite a few of them are commoners, but your family background does not matter if you are strong, that is what father always taught us.”
“I usually hang around with Gao Yan, Ma Kong and Deng Wu.” He continued while the three climbed one step after another, “Gao Yan’s family is really poor, but his talent is as good as mine and Xing Er’s. Dad asked us to look after him at the start, and he is a really good guy. Most of the commoners at the academy look up to him. Ma Kong is from the Ma family, they are nobles, but they gained nobility quite recently so most of the other nobles looks down upon them, and then Deng Wu. He is a weirdo. The Deng Family is one of the Great Hundred Names, but Deng Wu is such a skirt chaser. He followed us from the start because he fell for Xing Er,”
After getting a quick explanation of the different friends’ family backgrounds they had arrived at the top of the stair and Hui Yue sucked in a deep breath.
This was supposed to be a mountain top, but instead it was a city buzzling with youngsters everywhere. Every mountain top had been connected with long bridges and there were flying magical beasts hovering around, waiting for their masters.
Four of the mountain tops were filled with small houses, counting at least a thousand on each, which Rong Xing explained to be dormitories. Each student had their own room. There was also a cafeteria placed on each mountain top that w
ould offer food three times a day free of charge.
These four mountain tops were all to the left from the staircase while the right side was filled with tall buildings. Each building had different nameplates pasted upon. One said ‘Martial Art Skill Hall’, while another said ‘Qi theory lessons’, yet another said ‘Cultivation methods’.
Several mountain tops had been completely flattened and changed into training grounds and yet again others were changed into fighting arenas.
Right in front of Hui Yue was a big pagoda which was the Royal Academy main building. It housed the most important martial art skills and all the instructors and teachers lived within.
Everywhere Hui Yue looked he saw students. Some were young and scared, while moving around in groups, while others were older and much more comfortable while traveling with a certain feel of belonging.
This was the new place for Hui Yue to live, and he could feel joy bubbling inside. A whole new world was waiting for him, just waiting to be explored.
“Rong Ming!” a voice called from the side, and Hui Yue turned around to see a youngster rushing towards them.
Chapter 9 - Courtyard 1009
* * *
Chapter 9: Courtyard 1009
Hui Yue continued to narrow his eyes as he observed the young man who was running towards them, yelling Rong Ming’s name. His tense muscles quickly relaxed as he noticed the biggest smile he had ever seen plastered upon the youth’s face. It was obvious that there was no hostility between this youth and Rong Ming.
“Hey Gao Yan,” Rong Ming said happily as the shouting youngster reached them, and Hui Yue used the opportunity to hide slightly behind Rong Xing, observing the boy. According to the information given earlier, Gao Yan was as talented as Rong Ming and Rong Xing. He was born to an incredibly poor family, and the only reason his talent had been discovered was due to one of the martial arts schools that Lord Rong Liang sponsored in Riluo City.
At first, Gao Yan only saw Rong Ming, as the two of them were good friends, but he quickly noticed the white-haired boy hiding behind Rong Xing. Gao Yan opened his mouth and was about to say something when he was interrupted by a dramatic voice.
“He is a boy, you commoner,” it said. Although the voice was slightly arrogant, the way it said commoner was more caring than unfavorable.
Hui Yue looked at the newcomer and noticed that here was indeed a beautiful young man. He was the same age as the others, but he seemed slightly more mature. He was the tallest of the group, and his body was lean with strong muscles playing underneath his fair skin.
His long hair was as black as charcoal, and his eyes were like two beautiful obsidian gemstones. Within those eyes were small stars of happiness dancing around, mischievously observing the world around him with a certain arrogance. His body was clothed in simple black clothes, but although the robe was simple, it was obviously of the best quality. This man was definitely a young master.
The young master slowly strode towards the group and handed a flower to Rong Xing, before he fell onto one knee “Oh, lady of my heart, the long summer has left me thirsting for the sight of you, as a poor man thirsts for water within the scorching desert. The only thing that has kept me going was my hope of seeing your beautiful face which grants me the energy to keep living my lowly life as a slave of your heart.”
Hui Yue was staring at the newcomer with open mouth. The words that had been said were so outrageous that Hui Yue was incapable of believing anyone could take this man seriously. The most amazing thing was how solemn this youngster had looked while declaring his never ending love to Rong Xing.
Coupled with Hui Yue’s shock was Lan Feng’s laughter. The phoenix was laughing uncontrollably as even he had never seen such a dramatic person before.
‘This is great,’ he cried while looking at the youngster in front, ‘we need to stay here, the people are amazing.’ Hui Yue was about to say that they were not here for entertainment but for the sake of increasing their cultivation, but he quickly shut up as he noticed this newcomer turn towards him with glistening eyes.
“My name is Deng Wu,” he said with a slight bow, “why don’t you call me big brother? You should spend some time with me.” He continued while winking at Hui Yue. Rong Xing reacted quickly to the wink and her arms defensively drew Hui Yue into a protective embrace while glaring at the flirting Deng Wu.
“Didn’t you just say that he’s a boy? You actually swing that way, too?” Gao Yan asked puzzled while looking at Deng Wu as if he was uncertain about his own feelings towards the handsome youngster’s sudden change in interests.
“My heart belongs to Rong Xing and only Rong Xing,” Deng Wu said with great pride, “but who would I be if I did not appreciate beauty and wish to conquer it?”
Rong Xing opened her mouth and was about to retort, but her expression quickly changed from indignation to happiness as yet another young man was walking towards them all, waving a hand lazily.
Hui Yue was not dumb, and he quickly reasoned that the youngster was Ma Kong. His hair was fairly short compared to the others, and it was a fiery red. His eyes were hazel brown and calm, reminding Hui Yue of a sturdy tree that would stand strong through any storm.
“What a cute kid,” Ma Kong said while arriving at the group and patted Hui Yue’s head as if he was some sort of a pet before he greeted everyone else present.
Hui Yue looked at everyone present. He already trusted Rong Xing and Rong Ming. Both had proved that they genuinely cared about him throughout the past few years and it seemed that their friends were quite reliable as well.
The three additions to the group were incredibly different, but at the same time complimented each other. Ma Kong was the calm anchor of the group, most likely the one who could think of practical points together with Rong Xing. Gao Yan was the energetic and talented person who would instantly act without considering the consequences. He was in a way much like Rong Ming. Then there was Deng Wu, the overly dramatic and playful one. However, Hui Yue could feel that within those laughing obsidian eyes was an intelligence that should not be underestimated.
“I think it is time for an introduction of our new beauty,” Deng Wu said after everyone had grouped up, and looked at Hui Yue once again. Rong Ming could not help but smile slightly while shaking his head.
“His name is Hui Yue. He is a friend of our family, and we have known him for five years now. He only came to this academy because of us, so we will be looking after him in the future,” he introduced calmly, without explaining anything specific. Both Deng Wu and Ma Kong noticed that some details were ignored, but neither of them asked any questions, and Gao Yan didn’t seem to really care about a person’s background.
“Well, then younger brother Hui Yue,” Deng Wu said with his drawling voice. “My courtyard is number 3007, if you ever need help you are more than welcome to visit me. Especially during the night time,” he finished off with a grin. Rong Xing once again shot a fierce glare towards the black clothed youth and hissed at him.
“If you touch Yue then I will never forgive you and will personally ensure that you can never touch another person again,” she said with a frozen glare while cuddling the younger boy tightly in her arms. The look caused the boys to raise an eyebrow as the usually quiet Rong Xing was expressing herself so clearly.
“I see,” Deng Wu said with a theatrical voice and shook his head with distress, “my dear beautiful little Yue, I will not be able to let our forbidden romance flourish. The wife has forbidden me to do so, and who am I to upset my wife?” Hui Yue couldn’t help but grin slightly, and the others joined him at the predictable display of love from Deng Wu towards Rong Xing.
“Oh my,” an arrogant voice suddenly sounded out behind them, “look who we have here. You have still not realized that nobility is not allowed to lower themselves to play with commoners?”
Hui Yue narrowed his eyes while looking at the speaker. The man was pretty, but not overly beautiful. He seemed to be above average when it came to his
cultivation, but his mouth was curled into an arrogant smirk, and his eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Gao Yan and Ma Kong. It was obvious that he did not accept new nobility or commoners. Behind him was a group of ten youngsters of different ages. Some of them seemed to be closer to twenty than the fifteen years of age that Rong Ming and his group had.
After he looked at the two with disdain, his eyes swept across Rong Xing and the young Hui Yue who was currently being held by the hand of the older girl. A lewd light suddenly shone within his eyes.
“Young miss,” he said with a gentler voice while walking towards Hui Yue, “do not spend your time together with these people. They will only corrupt your beauty. Instead, come with me. I am Wang Jingshen from one of the Great Hundred Names. I can ensure that you will get a comfortable stay here at the academy.” The young man who called himself Wang Jingshen licked his lips hungrily while reaching out his hand, trying to grab Hui Yue by the arm.
“Hahahaha,” Gao Yan started laughing, and even the four others were grinning slightly, causing Wang Jingshen to furrow his brows and growl at the laughing boy. “What are you laughing at, you trash?” His eyes narrowed, and a sneer appeared on his face as he felt disgraced by the mocking laughter.
