Chapter 28: The Imperial Academy

The Imperial Academy sat atop Spirit Crane Mountain like a fortress carved from clouds.

White marble walls stretched high above ancient pine trees. Grand staircases wound up the mountainside. Each step was engraved with cultivation runes that hummed faintly with spiritual energy. At the peak, pagoda towers pierced the morning sky, their golden rooftops blazing in the sunlight.

Lan Yue’s jaw dropped.

This place makes the Zhao Residence look like a storage shed.

Hundreds of young cultivators gathered at the base of the mountain, accompanied by their families and servants. Carriages lined the road, each one finer than the last. Noble crests decorated everything, banners, parasols, even the horses’ saddles.

And in the middle of it all, arriving in the simplest carriage on the road, was Zhao Lingxi.

She stepped out wearing clean but plain gray robes. No jewelry. No family crest. No entourage of servants. Just Lan Yue at her side.

Whispers started immediately.

“Is that the Zhao family’s First Miss?”

“The one who caused the scandal at the Empress Dowager’s banquet?”

“I heard she was caught with a servant girl. How shameless.”

“What’s she doing here? Her cultivation is trash, three shattered spirit roots!”

Lan Yue’s fists clenched. She wanted to march over and punch every last one of them. But Zhao Lingxi walked forward as if she heard nothing. Her back was straight, her chin high.

That’s my mistress, Lan Yue thought with fierce pride. Let them talk. They’ll choke on their words soon enough.

—

The examination grounds were located in a massive open courtyard halfway up the mountain.

A raised platform at the center held five judges, senior elders of the Academy. Each one radiated cultivation pressure that made the air feel heavy. The oldest among them, a white-haired woman with sharp eyes, stood and addressed the crowd.

“Welcome, applicants. I am Elder Su, head examiner. Today you will be tested in three areas, written knowledge, cultivation base, and combat ability. Only the top thirty applicants will be admitted.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping across the hundreds of nervous faces.

“There are two hundred and twelve of you. Do the math.”

A ripple of tension passed through the crowd.

“The written examination begins now. Proceed to the Eastern Hall.”

—

The Eastern Hall was enormous, filled with rows of low desks and cushions. Each applicant was given a sealed scroll containing the exam.

Lan Yue wasn’t allowed inside. Servants waited in a courtyard nearby, clustered in groups based on which family they served.

She found a quiet corner and sat down, her knee bouncing with anxiety.

She’ll be fine. Written knowledge is her strongest area. She said so herself.

But the waiting was agony.

An hour passed. Then two. Applicants began emerging from the hall, their expressions ranging from confident to devastated.

A group of noble boys swaggered out, laughing loudly.

“That was easy. The questions about meridian theory were basic.”

“Did you see that farm girl in the third row? She couldn’t even hold the brush properly!”

One of them noticed Lan Yue sitting alone and sneered. “Hey, aren’t you that servant? The one from the scandal?”

Lan Yue ignored him.

“I’m talking to you, servant.” He stepped closer. “Your mistress must be desperate, coming here with her broken spirit roots. Does she really think—”

“I think,” a calm voice interrupted, “that you should worry about your own examination instead of gossiping about others.”

The boy spun around.

Mo Tian stood behind him, arms folded, his expression utterly bored.

The noble boy went white as paper. “Y-Your Highness! I didn’t. I was just…”

“Leaving,” Mo Tian said.

The boy and his friends scrambled away like startled rabbits.

Mo Tian glanced at Lan Yue. “Still getting into trouble?”

“I wasn’t the one causing trouble, Your Highness.”

“No. You never are.” His eyes held something unreadable. “How is your mistress?”

“She’ll pass,” Lan Yue said with more confidence than she felt.

Mo Tian’s lips curved slightly. “We’ll see.”

He walked away without another word, his dark robes billowing behind him.

What’s his game? Lan Yue wondered. Why does he keep showing up?

—

Zhao Lingxi emerged from the written examination with the same calm expression she always wore.

“How was it?” Lan Yue asked immediately.

“Simple.”

That was all she said. But there was a quiet gleam in her eyes that told Lan Yue everything she needed to know.

She crushed it.

The second test came after a short break.

“Cultivation base assessment,” Elder Su announced. “Each applicant will place their hand on the Spirit Measuring Stone. The stone will display your current cultivation level and the quality of your spiritual energy.”

A massive crystal pillar stood at the center of the courtyard, smooth and translucent. One by one, the applicants stepped forward and placed their palms against it.

The stone glowed different colors depending on strength. Pale blue for early Qi Condensation. Bright blue for mid levels. Deep blue for late stages. And for those who had reached Foundation Establishment, a brilliant white.

Most applicants produced bright blue. A few managed deep blue. Two prodigies from powerful families triggered white, earning gasps and applause from the crowd.

Then it was Zhao Lingxi’s turn.

The whispers returned instantly.

“Three shattered spirit roots.”

“She’ll be lucky to get pale blue.”

“Why is she even trying?”

Zhao Lingxi walked to the stone without hesitation. She placed her palm flat against the cool surface and closed her eyes.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the stone pulsed.

Blue light filled the crystal, not pale, not bright, but deep. Fourth level of Qi Condensation. The crowd murmured in surprise.

But the light didn’t stop.

It flickered. Shifted. Deep blue bled into something else, threads of gold spiraling through the crystal like veins of molten fire.

Elder Su’s eyes widened.

The other judges rose from their seats.

“What is that?” someone whispered.

The golden threads multiplied, swirling faster and faster inside the stone. The light grew blinding. Several applicants shielded their eyes.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the light faded. The stone went dark.

Zhao Lingxi removed her hand and stepped back calmly, as if nothing remarkable had happened.

The courtyard was dead silent.

Elder Su stared at her for a long, heavy moment. Then she turned to the other judges and spoke in a low voice. Lan Yue couldn’t hear the words, but she could see their shocked expressions.

What just happened?

Even Zhao Lingxi seemed uncertain. She returned to Lan Yue’s side, her brow furrowed slightly.

“What was that golden light?” Lan Yue whispered.

“I don’t know.” Zhao Lingxi’s voice was quiet. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Her shattered spirit roots, Lan Yue thought. I knew they were special. That wasn’t weakness the stone detected. It was something else entirely.

—

The final test was combat.

Applicants were paired randomly and placed in a circular arena reinforced with protective barriers. The rules were simple. Force your opponent out of the ring, make them surrender, or render them unable to fight. No killing. No forbidden techniques.

Zhao Lingxi’s first opponent was a broad-shouldered boy from a military family. Fifth level of Qi Condensation. He cracked his knuckles and grinned.

“Nothing personal, Miss Zhao. But this’ll be quick.”

“I agree,” Zhao Lingxi said.

He charged.

It was quick.

Zhao Lingxi sidestepped his rush, struck two pressure points on his arm. His sword clattered to the ground. Then she swept his legs and drove her palm into his chest. He flew backward and crashed out of the ring, skidding across the stone floor.

The crowd went silent. Then erupted.

“Did you see that?! She barely moved!”

“That technique, where did she learn that?”

Her second opponent was more cautious, a girl wielding twin daggers who kept her distance and probed with quick strikes. But Zhao Lingxi read every move like an open book. She deflected, redirected, and waited until the girl overextended before striking a single devastating blow to her shoulder.

Surrender.

Her third opponent forfeited before stepping into the ring.

By the fourth match, the entire courtyard was watching. Even the applicants who weren’t fighting had stopped to stare.

And in the shadows of the upper balcony, Lan Yue spotted two familiar faces watching from above.

Zhao Ruoqing. And beside her, Qin Wen.

Neither of them was smiling.

—

When the results were posted that evening, Zhao Lingxi’s name sat near the top of the list.

Seventh place out of two hundred and twelve applicants.

Seventh, despite having the lowest cultivation base of anyone admitted.

Liu Ruyan wept. Chen Mei squealed and hugged everyone in reach. Even Zhao Han, who had snuck out of the estate to wait at the mountain’s base, leapt into his sister’s arms with a shout of pure joy.

Zhao Lingxi held her brother, her face still calm.

But her eyes were bright.

“Congratulations, Young Miss,” Lan Yue said, grinning.

Zhao Lingxi looked at her. For a moment, the ice melted.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Five words. Spoken quietly, meant only for Lan Yue.

They were worth more than any gold or treasure.

But as Lan Yue turned away to wipe her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Elder Su watching them from the Academy steps.

The old woman’s gaze was fixed on Zhao Lingxi with an expression Lan Yue couldn’t quite read.

Curiosity? Concern?

Fear?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep