Chapter Four: The Farce of Enrollment (Part One)

Kuang Chi had been hearing this for months and was already tired of it, but there wasn’t much he could say to Zixia. Ever since he came back, everyone only told him to work harder in his cultivation, as if that was all he was good for, as if he had no other purpose or need for his own thoughts.

Though Kuang Chi was annoyed, he couldn’t directly say anything to Zixia, so he only managed a smile.

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. This month was uneventful; nothing happened, which even Zixia found strange. Even Miss Phoebe of the Karachi family, who had always been clamoring to challenge Kuang Chi, hadn’t come looking for trouble. When Kuang Chi went to pay respects to the Karachi family’s patriarch—his future father-in-law and mother-in-law—he hadn’t seen them either.

The Karachi family’s attitude toward Kuang Chi was also rather odd.

During this month, Zixia still had classes and couldn’t spend much time with Kuang Chi, so he often wandered around the academy with the four sisters of the You family.

Today was finally the day for the new students to enroll. The Imperial Academy, dedicated solely to admitting the hereditary nobility of the Caro Empire, was only open to the descendants of the empire’s noble families. There was no entrance exam; all students were admitted without testing. However, the tuition was so exorbitant that even ordinary nobles could not afford it. Only those whom each family deemed worthy of nurturing would be sent here.

Today, Zixia had specially taken a day off to accompany Kuang Chi for his registration.

For tens of thousands of years, the new student registration for the Imperial Academy had always taken place at the same location—right at the academy’s main gate. Over the centuries, this tradition had become a beautiful spectacle. On registration day, not only did many students come to watch, but many common folk also gathered to join in the excitement.

Zixia seemed to enjoy the lively atmosphere as well. Early in the morning, she brought Kuang Chi, the four sisters of the You family, and her two maids to secure a good spot near the academy gates.

The Imperial Academy’s gate was unique—a massive natural meteorite, nearly thirty meters high and a hundred meters long and wide, pure black and imposing. According to legend, the founder of the Caro Empire, His Majesty the First Emperor, had single-handedly brought it back from outer space. The meteorite served as both the academy’s gate and a symbol to inspire future students to strive harder in their cultivation.

This meteorite was the academy’s threshold. To enter, one had to have the ability to climb over it. In truth, it wasn’t particularly difficult; the meteorite’s surface was dotted with craters and grooves. Even an ordinary person with no cultivation or divine beast could, with enough time and a good spot, eventually clamber to the top. However, people like that rarely survived long at the academy.

According to Kuang Chi’s mother, students didn’t come here to learn knowledge, but to make connections and attend endless social gatherings. Only heirs like Kuang Chi, managers like Zixia, or noble beauties like Phoebe Karachi were worth the high tuition.

When Kuang Chi and his companions arrived, there weren’t many people yet. But soon, the area was packed. Yet it seemed Zixia commanded considerable respect; wherever she and her group stood, a clear space of four or five meters was left around them—no one dared to step into that area. Those around them eyed Zixia with a hint of fear.

But when they looked at Kuang Chi, their eyes were cold and hostile, as if they wanted to devour him alive. Kuang Chi was completely baffled—he couldn’t recall ever offending these people.

In front of the meteorite was a wide open area, where a large table had been set up. A group of elderly men, their hair and beards snowy white, were already seated. Their appearance piqued Kuang Chi’s curiosity—judging by their cultivation, they must be quite powerful, yet they looked incredibly old. He recalled that his own great-grandfather, well into his three hundreds, still looked like a man in his thirties or forties.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kuang Chi asked Zixia beside him, “Who are those old fellows? Their white hair and beards are quite impressive.”

Zixia glanced at the elders and, after making sure no one was listening, replied softly, “Be more respectful in the future. Those men are guest professors at the Imperial Academy and members of the royal family. They practice the Caro Imperial family’s Cangwolf Qi. Cangwolf Qi doesn’t preserve one’s youthful appearance, which is why their hair and beards are all white. But Cangwolf Qi is almost as destructive as your family’s Furious Dragon Technique.”