"Cangyue Empire?" Mo Qing frowned in thought for a moment. "I think I’ve seen this Empire described in my father’s study. Just like us, the Cangyue Empire is a subordinate empire of the Flame Dragon Dynasty."

"So that means the Cangyue Empire must be high-ranked, then?" Ye Shuangshuang asked.

Qing Lei shook his head. "No, the Cangyue Empire is just a Middle-class Empire. It’s just that our Xuanling Empire’s ranking is far too low, which is why they look down on us like that."

To be honest, if not for Mu Chen’s influence, Qing Lei, Little Tiger, and the others would have charged right at them after hearing such contemptuous and insulting words. But this was the Sacas Dynasty, the venue for the great Empire competition. A Dynasty as powerful as this naturally had its own rules. If they had made a move just now, everything would have been over. The Sacas Dynasty strictly forbade private brawls between academies. If discovered, the party that attacked first would be immediately disqualified and expelled from the Sacas Dynasty—an outcome they absolutely could not accept.

"Let’s go register first." As he spoke, Qing Lei stepped into the Dynasty Hotel. The people from the Four Directions Academy already had rooms reserved for them in this hotel, but of course, they had to register before they could check in.

After entering the hotel, everyone wore a solemn expression. In a place like this, teams from Low-class Empires weren’t exactly popular. Everyone judged others with prejudice, so all they could do was remain indifferent.

"Well now, which Empire is this? Black institute uniforms? They actually look pretty good. Could they be a team from a Middle and Upper Class Empire?"

The moment they stepped inside, Qing Lei and the others heard a piercing, mocking voice.

Qing Lei and the others glanced indifferently toward the speaker. They saw it was a man with a cruel-looking face, dressed in a sea-blue robe. Two ice-blue symbols were inscribed on his chest, looking rather peculiar. For a moment, Qing Lei couldn’t identify which Empire’s team he belonged to.

"Let’s go," Mu Bingling said coldly and walked directly toward the registration counter. Her steps were steady, her exquisitely perfect, graceful figure swaying lightly before countless pairs of eyes. At that moment, regardless of anyone’s Empire Level, their eyes all held the same expression: utter astonishment.

However, mixed in with this astonishment were feelings of appreciation and admiration, but even more so, greed—as seen in the cruel-faced man who had just spoken.

"If I’m not mistaken, that woman is a member of the Xuanling Empire’s team, isn’t she?" A lustful glint flashed in the cruel-faced man’s eyes as he brazenly sized up Mu Bingling from head to toe. ’Truly a peerless beauty. A woman like this... only I, this Young Master, am worthy of possessing her. Lu Hai, come on. Follow me to have a little chat with this woman.’

With that, the cruel-faced man put on a courteous facade and blocked Mu Bingling’s path. A faint smile played on his lips as he said gently, "My dear beautiful lady, I am Bing Shuanghan. Might I have the pleasure of getting to know you?"

"Bing Shuanghan? It’s him!"

As the cruel-faced man’s words fell, the entire Dynasty Hotel erupted in discussion.

"Is that the Bing Shuanghan from the Ice Emperor Dynasty? Tsk tsk, this is going to be bad. Bing Shuanghan is a renowned genius Martial Artist from the Ice Emperor Dynasty. For that woman to be targeted by him... how truly tragic."

"How can you call it tragic? With Bing Shuanghan’s decadent lifestyle, it’s beyond tragic, okay?"

"Haha, you’ve got a point. Let’s see how this woman handles the aggressive Young Master Shuang Han."

"Heh heh..."

Mu Bingling gave the man named Bing Shuanghan a cold glance. Hearing the surrounding chatter, she frowned and said, "I’m sorry, I’m busy right now. Please step aside."

Hearing this, Bing Shuanghan chuckled. He had encountered this situation countless times. In the end, didn’t all those women who pretended to be so pure and aloof end up lying obediently beneath him, letting him have his way with them?

The desire in Bing Shuanghan’s eyes swelled. Just now, seeing Mu Bingling from the side and back, he had thought her a celestial beauty. He’d thought she was just extremely pretty, but when he stood before her, he realized she wasn’t just pretty—she was devastatingly beautiful, enough to topple kingdoms. That perpetually frosty expression of hers was especially to his taste. He loved the alluring and charming posture of an ice queen like her when she finally submitted. "Miss, it’s just a simple introduction. It won’t take too much of your time, you see..."

But before Bing Shuanghan could finish his sentence, his vision blurred for an instant. The next moment, Mu Bingling had vanished from in front of him and reappeared at the registration counter.

Bing Shuanghan was stunned. To think that he, a dignified Fourth-Ring Martial Sect, had let a ’weak’ woman slip away right under his nose—and in front of so many people. It was undoubtedly a hard slap to his face.

Behind him, Qing Lei, Mo Qing, and the others smiled faintly. Only they knew how much Mu Bingling’s strength had grown over the past two years. ’Trying to hit on Mu Bingling? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?’ Besides, Bing Shuanghan’s reputation was indeed renowned, but it wasn’t a good one. As the saying goes, "good news never leaves the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles." Even though Bing Shuanghan was from the Ice Emperor Dynasty, his so-called ’lewd and wicked deeds’ had spread across the entire Extreme Martial Continent, truly boosting his ’fame’ in the worst way.

"Heh, that bitch has some nerve, ignoring me like that? Xiaohai, go to the registration counter and find out which Empire she’s from. If it’s a small Empire... you know what to do," Bing Shuanghan said with a vicious glint in his eyes and a wicked smile.

The youth named Lu Hai nodded. "Young Master, Xiaohai understands." With that, Lu Hai flashed forward and charged toward Mu Bingling. This action immediately caused the onlookers to gasp. This was the Sacas Dynasty Hotel; the consequences of starting a fight here were terrifying.

But just as Lu Hai was about to reach Mu Bingling, a jet-black figure appeared before him as silently as the night falling. A detached voice, like a summons from the Death God, echoed throughout the hall.

"Do you want to die?"

Just one sentence, yet it brought Lu Hai’s swift charge to a screeching halt. He stared in terror at the black nightfall that had suddenly appeared before him, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. It was for no other reason than that the person opposite him had appeared too abruptly—so abruptly that he hadn’t sensed their presence at all.

’Imagine if this person had appeared behind me instead of in front of me... it would have all been over.’

"Scram!"

A single, sharp word escaped the dark figure’s lips. The next moment, the black curtain vanished, replaced by a man in tight-fitting clothes with a cold expression, looking like a humanoid weapon.

Lu Hai hesitated. Bing Shuanghan was watching him from behind. If he retreated just like that, the consequences would be severe. But if he didn’t retreat, the man before him, who was like the Death God himself, certainly wouldn’t hold back a second time.

GULP... Lu Hai quickly swallowed as a drop of cold sweat trickled down his brow.

"What do you all think you’re doing?! Have you forgotten who you are? You, you, and all of you, what is this? You all want to be sent packing back to your Empires?"

Just then, an authoritative voice suddenly boomed through the hall. Qing Lei, Mo Qing, and the others turned to look at the source. The speaker was a burly, middle-aged man. He had long, curly hair that fell to the sides of his cheeks, and the beast-hide combat clothes he wore were stretched taut over his bulging muscles. His eyes, like those of a wrathful guardian deity, swept over the crowd.

"All of you, get the hell out of my sight! A bunch of little bastards trying to stir up trouble in here. I saw exactly what just happened. Cold Wind Empire, I’m warning you once! Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re the seed team for the Ice Emperor Dynasty! Now, get your asses back to your rooms immediately, or I’ll personally ’invite’ you out!"

This burly man had a fiery temper, cussing everyone out before anyone could even speak. Only Bing Shuanghan stood his ground, fearlessly glaring at the large man with wide eyes, not moving an inch.

"Oh-ho, this little bastard’s got guts!" As he spoke, the large man lightly tapped his toe. Without any other visible movement from him, everyone’s gaze strangely shifted to where Bing Shuanghan had been standing. The spot was empty. As for Bing Shuanghan...

"AHH!"

A cry of alarm came from outside the hotel entrance. The large man snorted coldly. "Still treating my words like hot air, are you? And you lot!"

With that, the large man suddenly pointed at Qing Lei and Mu Bingling and bellowed, "In the Sacas Dynasty, private brawls are strictly forbidden! You, kid, that killing intent you just unleashed—I could feel it from a mile away! Judging by your emblems, you must be from the Xuanling Empire. Hmph, why didn’t that old bastard Old Cang lead his own students? Letting you come all by yourselves! What an asshole!"

Qing Lei, Mo Qing, and the others exchanged glances. This reckless man had been talking nonstop since he appeared, not giving them a chance to get a word in. But when they heard "Old Cang," they suddenly froze. ’Old Cang... he couldn’t be talking about our Dean, could he?’

"Who’s barking like a dog?"

An elderly voice drifted in from the entrance. Though the words were crude, Qing Lei and the others heard a familiar warmth in them.

Hearing this, Mad Lion flew into a rage. "You’ve got a lot of nerve, Old Cang! How dare you call me a dog in front of all these people! Watch me pluck out all your damn feathers!"

Di Cang rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, that’s enough. Don’t forget your position. Someone might go report you to your superiors."

"Report me? Heh, I wish someone would! At least then I’d have a fight on my hands. It’s been two years, how about it? Want a round?" As he spoke, Mad Lion actually got into a charging stance, looking as if he might attack at any moment.

Di Cang quickly shook his head. "No, not today. I still have to arrange accommodations for my academy, and you need to get back to your post."

Mad Lion grinned sheepishly. "Right, can’t go too far." Just then, his eyes suddenly landed on Little Tiger, who was gnawing on a chicken leg. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. He pointed at Little Tiger and said to Di Cang, "This kid is..."

Before Mad Lion could finish, Di Cang flashed over and clamped a hand over his mouth, whispering, "Your guess is right. Don’t say it out loud."

After saying this, Di Cang released Mad Lion’s mouth, nodded to everyone, and said with a smile, "Heh heh, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. Go on and register."