The Whole World Knows That the Crown Prince Loves Her

There were many people present, and many voices, so the young woman’s words didn’t carry far. However, the elder sitting nearby heard it, frowned slightly, and said displeased, “Qian Rou, if you don’t know how to speak properly, then don’t speak at all.”

The young woman named Qian Rou lowered her voice and said, “Grandfather, I understand my mistake.”

The elder didn’t say anything more. He glanced at Huang Quan and her companions, his gaze lingering briefly on Feng Jiu Yuan before quickly moving away.

Among those present, the teacher, Feng Jiu Yuan, and Jing Chen knew the most people. Huang Quan, on the other hand, barely knew anyone.

There was an advantage to this—no need for small talk.

After the teacher led the three of them to the seating area for the Tianqi Empire Academy, he frequently had to stand up, as people kept coming over to greet him.

Compared to the teacher’s situation, Jing Chen and Feng Jiu Yuan had it much easier. Since they were here as students of the Empire Academy, although some people still came to greet them out of respect for their status, it wasn’t as overwhelming.

“Feng Jiu Yuan,” Huang Quan leaned her head on one hand and called to him.

Feng Jiu Yuan turned to look at her and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“That person over there keeps staring at you,” Huang Quan said. “Their expression is quite… resentful.”

Jing Chen and Feng Jiu Yuan both looked over.

When they saw who was sitting across from them, Feng Jiu Yuan smiled and said, “That’s a teacher from the Holy Spirit Academy of the Western Wu Empire.”

Jiuyuan City is outside of the Four Great Empires, but it’s closest to the Western Wu Empire. When Feng Jiu Yuan previously participated in the Academy Joint Competition, he used the Western Wu Empire Academy’s spot.

By all rights, if Feng Jiu Yuan were to attend an academy, it should have been the Western Wu Empire Academy.

But instead, he didn’t go to the Western Wu Empire and ended up at the Tianqi Empire.

Because of that, the teacher from the Western Wu Empire Academy was looking at him with such resentment.

Although Feng Jiu Yuan had a reputation for being troublesome, and most teachers wouldn’t dare provoke him, there was no denying he was one of the strongest of the younger generation. And with Jiuyuan City backing him, his presence in the Western Wu Empire Academy would have been more of a benefit than a problem.

But he didn’t go.

As their gazes met, the smile on Feng Jiu Yuan’s face grew even wider.

The teacher resisted as much as he could, but in the end, he looked away, unwilling to see that smirk any longer.

“Sigh…”

Feng Jiu Yuan sighed, “It’s tough being so exceptional. Every academy wants me, but unfortunately, there’s only one of me. I can’t possibly satisfy them all at once.”

Jing Chen and Huang Quan were left speechless.

Though they both knew Feng Jiu Yuan was always quite self-absorbed, this was a bit too much.

As everyone was conversing, the Vice Principal of the Southern Abyss Empire Academy arrived, accompanied by four elder protectors of the academy.

The Vice Principal addressed the crowd, “Everyone, thank you for traveling such great distances to be here.”

“The Principal is currently in seclusion and unable to personally oversee this competition, so we ask for your understanding,” the Vice Principal continued. “As for the rewards for this competition, I’m sure you’re all aware.”

“A dark element technique.”

“Of course, besides the reward for first place, there will also be rewards for second and third place,” the Vice Principal said as he looked at everyone. “For this competition, anyone who has reached the level of a Saint Spirit Master is eligible to participate.”

He smiled at the crowd and added, “The competition will last for seven days, and during this time, you are welcome to stay within the academy.”

“Vice Principal, I have two questions,” a young man from the Xuanling Empire’s delegation spoke up.

The Vice Principal turned to him and asked, “What are your questions?”

“First, why does the competition need to last seven days?”

“And second, what is the real purpose behind the Southern Abyss Empire suddenly organizing such a competition?”

421

The young man looked at the Vice Principal and said, “It can’t be that you’re just holding a competition for the sake of it—letting us fight and then handing the winner that technique, right? What does the Southern Abyss Empire gain from this?”

This point made sense. Everyone had been wondering the same thing.

Even if this young man hadn’t asked, someone else would have.

The Vice Principal, after listening to the question, replied, “As for the first question, the reason the competition lasts seven days is because all participants are Saint Spirit Masters. Matches between Saint Spirit Masters aren’t easily decided. Moreover, when two people fight, one might win, but it’s unlikely the winner will come out completely unscathed. They’ll need time to recover. If the competition continues the next day, it would be unfair to the person who won but hasn’t fully healed. So, we’ve allocated three days for recovery. That means, out of the seven days, actual fighting, including the final round, only takes place over three days.”

“As for the second question…”

The Vice Principal had answered the first question well, but when it came to the second question, his expression showed a trace of helplessness. “This matter was initiated by the Principal.”

“As for the exact reason, I’m not entirely sure,” the Vice Principal continued. “The Principal assigned this task to me and then went into seclusion.”

“When I found out about this competition, I asked the Principal why, but he didn’t explain. He simply told me to proceed with it,” the Vice Principal said. “Though I don’t know why the Principal is doing this, the rewards we’ve offered are very real.”

“If you all need me to give a reason, I really can’t. Whether you choose to participate is up to you,” the Vice Principal added. “If you want to participate, you can sign up by writing your name down. Once you’ve signed up, I’ll immediately arrange today’s match. If you don’t want to, feel free to just observe. It’s completely your choice.”

After the Vice Principal finished speaking, the crowd remained silent.

It was clear they were suspicious of his explanation.

In this situation, they wouldn’t rush to participate, as they didn’t know the Southern Abyss Empire’s true intentions behind holding the competition.

“Quan Quan,” Feng Jiu Yuan said, “do you think the Vice Principal was telling the truth or lying?”

With a blank expression, Huang Quan responded, “Call me Huang Quan.”

Feng Jiuyuan smiled and said, “It’s just a name. If you feel slighted, you can call me Jiuyuan.”

“Or even Yuanyuan if you like.”

Huang Quan: “…” She felt the urge to punch him.

“Quan Quan, names aren’t important. Let’s talk business.”

Huang Quan shot him a glance, then looked away to focus on the Vice Principal. After observing him for a moment, Huang Quan said, “Personally, I’m inclined to believe the Vice Principal is telling the truth.”

In the Imperial Academy, there were two main leaders: the Principal and the Vice Principal. However, the power gap between them was significant. If the Principal hadn’t authorized it, the Vice Principal wouldn’t have been able to organize such a competition on his own.

As for the claim that the Principal was in seclusion…

Even if the Principal is in seclusion now, he can’t stay secluded forever, right?

If the Vice Principal were secretly running this event without the Principal’s permission, the truth would come out once the Principal emerges from seclusion. So it’s unlikely the Vice Principal is acting on his own.

Rather than the Vice Principal, Huang Quan was more interested in the Principal.

Having the Vice Principal arrange this competition before going into seclusion seems suspicious. There’s no way nothing is going on here, and Huang Quan was the first to doubt it.

But she couldn’t figure out the Principal’s motive behind this.

After hearing Huang Quan’s response, Feng Jiuyuan smiled. “I feel the same.”

“More than the Vice Principal, I’m now curious to meet the Principal.”

“You can’t,” Jing Chen interjected. “The Principal is in seclusion.”