Chapter 145: The Start of Term is Around the Corner

"Alright!" The old man received the medicinal pills with a smile and directly consumed one of them.

After a short moment, the old man's gaze shone. "What a miraculous medicinal pill... The medicinal strength has only just dissolved and I already feel much more comfortable. Brother Ling Tian, what medicinal pill is this?"

"The Spirit-Cleansing Pill." Duan Ling Tian lightly smiled before bidding his farewell to the old man and returning to the Divine Might Marquis Estate's audience hall with Nie Yuan and his son.

"Brother Ling Tian, no words can express my gratitude! In the future, if you ever have any requests, as long as it's within the power of my Divine Might Marquis Estate, I will take responsibility without question!" The Divine Might Marquis Nie Yuan glance at Duan Ling Tian with a serious expression as he pledged.

"Marquis, you're too kind." Duan Ling Tian lightly smiled. He came to the Divine Might Marquis Estate to help the Senior Marquis cure his poison exactly for this promise, as he deeply knew how important this promised was.

At a critical juncture, it would even be able to save his life!

Although he had only been at the Imperial City for a month, he had already made two formidable enemies: the Duan Clan's second master and the Imperial Family's Fifth Prince.

Although he had never thought of using the power of the Divine Might Marquis Estate to deal with them, he still had to leave a path for himself to retreat.... The relationship with the Divine Might Marquis Estate was something that he wouldn't make use of lightly and would keep as a last resort!

Nie Yuan ordered Nie Fen to personally send Duan Ling Tian out.

"Brother Ling Tian, in my entire life, I seldom admire others besides my grandfather and father. Needless to say, you're the third person that I truly admire from my heart, as you've not only become a Grade Nine Alchemist at the young age of 18, you're even able to refine the medicinal pill to cure the poison of a Dark Nether Mink." Nie Fen couldn't help but sigh. He himself was an extraordinary young man within the Imperial City, and at a young age his cultivation had stepped into the Origin Core Stage. Combined with his impressive family background, he was an existence that did as he pleased within the entire Imperial City, but even then he still couldn't help but admire Duan Ling Tian.

He was deeply aware that a genius alchemist like Duan Ling Tian would absolutely not be limited to the Crimson Sky Kingdom in the future and would sooner or later become a formidable existence he had to look up to.

"Junior Marquis, you're too kind. Your natural talent in the Martial Dao isn't any worse." Duan Ling Tian modestly smiled.

Before long, Nie Fen sent Duan Ling Tian out of the Divine Might Marquis Estate. When the four soldiers noticed that the Junior Marquis personally sent the youth out, they were so shocked that cold sweat flowed from their bodies. "Luckily, we didn't offend this youth earlier, or else we would've really made a grave mistake!"

"Brother Ling Tian, in the future, if you're faced with any troubles within the Imperial City, you can come see me at any time. I dare not spear about other places, but in the Imperial City, there aren't many things that I can't settle!" Before going their separate ways, Nie Fen smiled to Duan Ling Tian and made this promise.

"If it really comes to that, I will surely not hold back." Duan Ling Tian nodded with a smile and bid his farewells before turning and leaving.

Only after Duan Ling Tian's figure disappeared into the distance did Nie Fen turn around and return to the Divine Might Marquis Estate.

The four soldiers at the gate glanced at each other with gazes that emitted astonishment.

"I didn't hear wrong, right? The Junior Marquis actually gave that youth such an exaggerated promise earlier!"

"With the Junior Marquis's promise, he can nearly do as he pleases within the Imperial City."

"Does the Junior Marquis taking a stand in such a way show that the youth was really able to cure the Senior Marquis's poison?"

...

After leaving the Divine Might Marquis Estate, Duan Ling Tian took a few detours before returning to his house. When he arrived, he removed the makeup on his face and recovered his handsome, sword-shaped eyebrows and starry-eyed appearance.

"I never thought that I'd gain such results in only just half a day." It was currently noon, and the corners of Duan Ling Tian's mouth curled into a satisfied smile as he smelled the scent of food coming from the kitchen...

The 5,000,000 silver was great, but the promise from the Divine Might Marquis Estate was absolutely priceless.

After leaving the front courtyard, Duan Ling Tian passed the main building and walked into the rear courtyard. Compared to the front courtyard, the rear courtyard was much more spacious. Duan Ling Tian had only just walked in when he saw two figures that seemed like butterflies dancing in the wind, giving off a beautiful feast for the eyes...

Duan Ling Tian walked into the pergola and greeted the woman that sat within. "Mom."

"Tian, you're back?" Li Rou's eyes flashed with a trace of doting as she lightly smiled.

Her days went by in a very relaxed manner, no different from how it used to be when her husband was still present, and all of this was something that her son strived for. Unknowingly, her son who once made her worry her heart out had now grown to this extent.... Now she had no other requests.

"Yes." Duan Ling Tian nodded. He sat with his mother and started to gaze at the two beautiful girls that were currently cultivating their martial skills in the distance...

"Tian, no matter what, you can't let them down, or else Mom won't forgive you!" Li Rou abruptly said, with a tone filled with warning.

"Don't worry, Mom." Duan Ling Tian shook his head and laughed bitterly. He felt that his mother was really too oversensitive. The two girls had practically become a part of his life that was difficult to give up; how could he ever let them down?

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, nearly two months passed.

"Still slightly lacking." Duan Ling Tian sat cross-legged on his bed as he slowly opened his eyes, and sighed.

Ever since he returned from the Divine Might Marquis Estate that day, he hadn't once stepped foot outside his home, and besides accompanying his mother and his two fiancees, he spent practically all his time cultivating. Although he progressed swiftly, up until now he was still a small step away from the fifth level of the Core Formation Stage.

"Never mind, I'll let nature take its course.... It's about time to report in at Paladin Academy." Duan Ling Tian's brows knitted as he got up from his bed.

Duan Ling Tian didn't bring the two girls along when he went to Paladin Academy; only Xiong Quan and Little Black followed him as he swiftly left the house. The house Duan Ling Tian bought was situated very close to Paladin Academy, and thus he arrived at Paladin Academy's main gate before long.

Presently, Paladin Academy's main gate was extremely bustling. Some of the youths and the people beside them seemed worn out from their travels, as they obviously had only just made it to the Imperial City. If they were late by just a few more days, they would miss the allocated timeframe to report in, and then even if they had the qualifications to become a student, it would still be extremely difficult for them to step past Paladin Academy's main gate.

"I wonder if Xiao Yu has reported in yet." Duan Ling Tian's brows knitted as he thought about Xiao Yu. He started following the stream of people to arrive before Paladin Academy's main gate and started to register himself.

The person in charge of registration was a middle-aged man. He glance at Duan Ling Tian before saying, in a flat tone, "Proof of qualification."

Duan Ling Tian withdrew his proof of qualification and passed it to the middle-aged man.

"From the Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp?" The middle-aged man glanced at the proof of qualification and was slightly surprised.

"Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp?" Upon hearing the middle-aged man's voice, the pupils of the few youths standing behind Duan Ling Tian constricted.

"I heard only seven people passed the training and obtained the qualifications to enter Paladin Academy in the end during this year's Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp."

"I once heard that the Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp is famous within the 18 counties for being abnormal. Since this youth has displayed his talent and emerged from there, it would seem like he isn't any ordinary person."

"Even though I'm from Swallow Mountain County, I didn't dare enter the Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp because I might not have been able to survive."

...

The discussions of the youths that entered his ears caused the corners of Duan Ling Tian's mouth to unconsciously twitch. "The Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp was so famous even in the other counties?"

"Duan Ling Tian? This name seems like someone of direct descent within the Duan Clan..." After comparing the proof of qualification with the information he had on hand, the middle-aged man thought this in his heart but didn't take further notice.

In his opinion, if the youth was really a Duan Clan disciple, since he had the ability to pass the Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp, the Duan Clan would have long ago directly given him one of the positions of their recommendation quota and wouldn't make him risk his life. Entering the devilish training of the Iron Blood Army's Genius Camp was no different than risking one's life.

Slap!

The middle-aged man stamped a seal onto the proof of qualification before saying to Duan Ling Tian, "If you need to put up within the academy, then go in now and look for the teacher that is in charge of this to make arrangements. If you don't, then go home and take a look at this student's handbook. The term starts five days from now. Remember to bring your proof of qualification along."

Duan Ling Tian nodded and put away the proof of qualification before leaving with Xiong Quan.

Put up in the academy? He didn't require it. Duan Ling Tian's courtyard house was situated south of Paladin Academy.

Presently, in a private courtyard house north of Paladin Academy, two young men sat together. One of them had a face full of unwillingness.

"Cousin Brother, it's been three months. The people uncle sent out actually still haven't found that little bastard!" Duan Rong had a face full of anger. As he recalled what happened three months ago, flames of fury couldn't help but be ignited within him.

That violet-clothed youth shattered his carpal bone with a single finger attack that day, and even though his injuries had been healed, it still left behind some lingering effects. Currently, when he executed a martial skill, it was at least 20% weaker than before...

"It can't be helped; you provided too little detail. Violet-clothed youth, middle-aged man that wore a mask.... In the Imperial City, where streams of people move about, similar people are everywhere." The other young man shook his head.

"Cousin Brother, aren't you acquainted with the Fifth Prince? That store that sold the courtyard house is a business under the Imperial Family that our Duan Clan is unable to intervene in, but if the Fifth Prince wanted to investigate, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?" Duan Rong seemed to have thought of something as his eyes shone.

The young man frowned before relaxing and saying, in a perfunctory manner, "Tell me again next time when I meet the Fifth Prince."

He and the Fifth Prince had only met a few times, so they couldn't be considered as familiar. Even though he was the only son of the Duan Clan's second master, he was nothing before the Fifth Prince.

There were more than ten Princes within the Crimson Sky Kingdom, and besides a pavilion within the Imperial Palace, they each had a vast estate within the Imperial City's inner city. Ordinarily, these princes usually stayed in their inner city estates.

Fifth Prince's Estate.

"Cousin Brother, it's been three months. Is there still not even a bit of news?" Tong Li, who was wearing a full body of red clothing, pouted. She was extremely unhappy.

"Li, the people I sent have investigated for the past three months and have still come up empty handed. You don't know his background, nor his name, so it's indeed difficult to investigate. Even to the extent that he might be someone who only came to the Imperial City to sightsee and might have already left the Imperial City." The Fifth Prince shook his head. His face always held a smile that made people feel like a spring breeze brushed by; it was an extremely comfortable feeling.

"Then what are we to do? Surely it doesn't mean that we'll just leave it as it is, right?" Tong Li had a face full of unwillingness.

"Of course not. However, we don't have a way to find him, right? How about this: in the future, as soon as we have a clue about their whereabouts, Cousin Brother will surely take revenge for you, OK?" The Fifth Prince then changed the subject. "Li, Paladin Academy's term starts five days from now. General or Mastermind, have you decided which you're going to choose?"