The Whole World Knows That the Crown Prince Loves Her

“Precisely because he’s in seclusion, I want to meet him even more,” Feng Jiuyuan said with a smile. “Jing Chen, don’t you find it odd?”

Jing Chen looked at him but said nothing.

Feng Jiuyuan continued, “He instructs the Vice Principal to carry out this event, but doesn’t explain the reason, and not even ten days after the news spreads, we’re here. What kind of seclusion can’t wait for even ten days?”

“Rather than it being a retreat for cultivation, I think he’s using the excuse of seclusion to avoid us.”

Jing Chen frowned. “Why would he do that?”

“That’s what I’m curious about,” Feng Jiuyuan smiled. “Maybe we’ll know the reason once we meet him.”

“If what you’re saying is true, and he’s in seclusion to avoid us, then there’s no way he’d let us meet him easily,” Huang Quan said. “Besides, this competition is bound to get very interesting.”

Feng Jiuyuan glanced at Huang Quan, and the two exchanged a look, both understanding the knowing smile in each other’s eyes.

Since they didn’t know the Principal’s true motives, they might just have to investigate under the cover of night.

After all, as they say, a dark and windy night is the perfect time for… unfortunate accidents.

Jing Chen understood what they meant and remained silent.

The teacher, who had been listening quietly the whole time, finally spoke up after Huang Quan and Feng Jiuyuan stopped talking. “No matter what, if you want that technique, you’ll need to participate in the competition.”

“Girl, the situation is unclear. Do you still plan to compete?”

“Yes,” Huang Quan replied. “I want that technique.”

The teacher nodded. “Then be sure to write your name down later.”

“Mm,” Huang Quan agreed.

The vice principal gave everyone time to consider, and once the time was up, he had someone bring out a paper and then began going around collecting names from the crowd.

Some chose to participate, while others did not. Soon, the vice principal gathered all the names of those who wished to join the competition.

The dark-element technique attracted many participants, and given the competition’s criteria, many Holy Spirit Masters were present—top-tier experts from various empires and sects.

As a result, there were quite a few competitors.

The vice principal announced, “There are a total of ten participants.”

“Today, we will hold fifteen matches,” he continued. “Those who win will move on to the next day’s competition, while those who lose will remain in the academy to recover from their injuries. Once the competition is over, everyone can leave.”

“Wait a minute,” someone asked. “Can’t we leave if we lose?”

The vice principal gave an apologetic look to the crowd. “No.”

Without waiting for further questions, he explained, “This is the academy. As everyone knows, not everyone here is trustworthy. For the safety of the students, once everyone entered this area, a barrier was activated. With this barrier in place, students won’t come near, and you won’t be able to leave either. It’s beneficial for both parties.”

Upon hearing this, the teacher remarked, “I thought the academy had no protective measures, but it seems they do.”

Feng Jiuyuan said, “For the students, it’s protection, but for us, whether it’s protection or a cage remains to be seen.”

The teacher frowned at this comment, but since it came from his student, he chose not to say anything.

The vice principal’s explanation was generally accepted without suspicion, and everyone seemed to understand.

After all, the participants were quite varied, and not all of them were trustworthy. Take, for example, the members of the Heavenly Evil Sect, who were originally here to cause trouble but were forced to leave due to Huang Quan’s presence—those people were definitely not good company.

So, the academy activating a barrier to separate them from the students seemed perfectly reasonable.

Huang Quan, however, wasn’t concerned with this. She was focused on something else entirely.

423

The vice principal had already tallied the participants for the competition, indicating that no one else would be joining.

Huang Quan originally thought that Qin Qin might arrive a bit late, but now it seemed that Qin Qin hadn’t come at all!

However, before leaving, she had contacted Qin Qin, and Qin Qin had said she would come. Now that she was missing, could it be that something unexpected had happened that prevented her from coming?

With this thought in mind, Huang Quan decided to ask about it after the competition.

…

There were ten participants in the competition, and according to the vice principal’s arrangements, there would be a total of fifteen matches today.

Battles between Holy Spirit Masters wouldn’t conclude as quickly as those between Spirit Masters, so having fifteen matches in one day wouldn’t be enough. Therefore, the matches would occur simultaneously.

This meant that matches would be held at the same time, allowing enough time to complete everything.

Following the vice principal’s arrangement, participants with the same number would be paired against each other, and the matches would proceed in order.

Huang Quan drew a number that placed her in the second round.

Once the draws were completed, the vice principal stepped away from his original position, and a series of combat platforms appeared. Each platform was equipped with a defensive barrier to prevent the power of the combatants from affecting the audience.

The four elders accompanying the vice principal were responsible for overseeing the matches, while everyone else would be spectators.

As the platforms emerged, six participants went up, with two people on each stage, and the matches began.

The battles between Holy Spirit Masters were particularly intense, capturing everyone’s attention.

Half an hour later, the results of the matches were announced.

The six participants who had just competed stepped down, and another six took their places.

When Huang Quan stepped onto the platform, her complete lack of spiritual energy fluctuations drew everyone’s intense scrutiny.

They found it hard to believe that a fifteen-year-old girl had already reached the realm of an Immortal Martial Artist!

Huang Quan’s opponent was a student from the Xuanling Empire—the young man who had asked the vice principal questions earlier.

“I concede,” the young man said as soon as he stepped onto the platform.

The others, who had wanted to see a match between the two, were left speechless: “What? It can be like this? Why is he conceding?”

Not only were the people below surprised, but Huang Quan was also astonished. She looked at the young man and asked, “You entered the competition to get that technique, right?”

“If you want it, why concede?”

The young man chuckled lightly, “I don’t really want it that much.”

“Alright, I’m getting down now.”

“Wait!”

Seeing that he was really about to leave the platform, the vice principal said, “Prince Xuan Yong, are you really going to give up?”

Xuan Yong turned to the vice principal and asked, “Is there a rule against conceding in this competition?”

“Not at all…”

“Then what’s the problem with me conceding?”

The vice principal replied, “There isn’t.”

“Since there isn’t, then please announce the result for our group,” Xuan Yong said before stepping down from the platform.

Huang Quan was confused, but since he had left, she couldn’t stay on the platform any longer and followed him down.

The vice principal had no choice but to announce the result of their group.

After Huang Quan stepped off the platform, she returned directly to her seat.

Once Huang Quan sat down, the teacher asked curiously, “Girl, do you know Prince Xuan Yong?”

Huang Quan shook her head, “No, I don’t.”

Before today, she had never seen him, and there was no record of him in her past memories either.

Jing Chen said, “He’s a bit strange.”

Huang Quan looked at Jing Chen, “How so?”

“Xuan Yong doesn’t like participating in these things,” Jing Chen explained. “Most of the time, he’s in the academy, focusing on closed-door cultivation, so he didn’t participate in the previous joint competitions. It’s a bit odd that he came this time.”