Xiahou Feng’s expression grew increasingly calm. He looked at the stands, at Little Princess Zhao Qianqian, whose face was already streaked with tears, and said, "I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you."

After speaking, he turned his head to Qin Li. "I will never set foot in the Cyan Dragon Kingdom again in this lifetime. But, Qin Li, I will remember this humiliation. I believe we will meet again someday! Also, where I’m from, I’m really... not considered a top-tier genius. So, I will work hard to become a true genius, and I have you to thank for all of this!" As he spoke, a thick resentment could finally be heard in his voice, his words practically ground out between clenched teeth.

"Don’t thank me. Educating self-righteous geniuses is my favorite pastime." A simple, good-natured smile reappeared on Qin Li’s face.

But the words he spoke made Xiahou Feng feel like he wanted to vomit blood. This was especially true for the guards behind Xiahou Feng; every one of them stared at Qin Li with eyes full of rage and killing intent!

The saying goes: when the master is humiliated, the servant dies. No matter how high their status was within their family, at Xiahou Feng’s side, they were nothing but a group of guards!

Their duty was to protect their Young Master and prevent even the slightest mishap. But now, not only had he been severely injured, he was also being forced to... lower his head and admit fault in such a humiliating fashion!

How could this group of Celestial Level experts, all under thirty years of age, possibly endure such a thing!

If not for the strict rules of the Xiahou Family, which forbade any unauthorized action, these Celestial Level guards would have truly swarmed forward and annihilated this kid to settle the matter.

Xiahou Feng stared deeply at Qin Li, the humiliation and hatred in his eyes so thick they couldn’t be dispersed. He nodded forcefully, then turned and left!

Only after the group’s silhouettes had vanished from the martial arts arena did Chen Yihan look at Qin Li with great satisfaction and a smile. "Marquis Qin, you are young and promising, so much stronger than us old geezers! We should be going as well. When you have time, come visit me more often!"

At this moment, several more elders approached. They all looked to be over a hundred years old, yet every one of them was full of vigor. A ruddy-faced elder among them let out a hearty laugh and said, "Young man, well done! You’ve brought honor to us gutless old fogeys! If you have the chance, come be a guest at Prince Pingnan’s Mansion!"

"Prince Pingnan, you old coot, you beat me to it! Uh... young man, you’re the most outstanding youth I’ve ever seen. When you have a chance, come visit me at my, Prince Pingxi’s, mansion. I have fine wine that’s over a hundred years old!"

"Prince Pingxi, you old coot, didn’t you say you ran out?" Prince Pingnan looked furious, acting like a child.

"Hmph, I ran out for *you*. For this little brother, I have some. What about it, you want to fight?"

"A fight it is! When have I ever been afraid of you!"

"Let’s go, then! It just so happens I haven’t stretched my Tendons and Bones in several decades!"

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Two figures instantly vanished from everyone’s sight.

Qin Li watched, dumbfounded. At his side, Chen Yihan explained with a wry smile, "Marquis Qin, don’t underestimate those two old geezers. They both possess the strength of a seventh-stage Celestial Level expert. Over a hundred years ago, they were both renowned generals. For their outstanding military achievements, they were enfeoffed as Alien Marquises. Our Cyan Dragon Kingdom currently only has seven Alien Marquises in total! You have great face; two Princes are fighting to befriend you at once. Hehe, your path will be much smoother from now on!"

Chen Yihan’s words were also full of deeper meaning. The enmity between Qin Li and the Crown Prince was growing deeper and deeper, with almost no chance of reconciliation. Even if the two of them wanted to reconcile, the powers behind the Crown Prince would never agree. Because of one Qin Li, the losses suffered by the Crown Prince Faction were simply too great! On the side of the Daqing Gang alone, many families had lost over one million taels of silver in annual income.

One million taels of silver was by no means a small sum. It was enough to make it impossible for anyone to remain calm.

Therefore, there was simply no possibility of reconciliation between them. As long as Qin Li remained in the Imperial Capital for a single day, the conflicts and struggles would not cease for a single day. No matter how strong Qin Li’s martial power was, he couldn’t just draw his sword and kill everyone, could he? And the influence of those family clans was enormous. Even if they couldn’t kill you, tripping you up and causing trouble was no problem at all.

But no one could have expected that a sudden, unforeseen event would end up being Qin Li’s salvation!

Now, in the eyes of the genius students of the Imperial Advanced Academy, Qin Li was practically a god!

An Earth Level expert, crushing a Celestial Level one!

What kind of concept was that? Just how much strength did one need to possess to do that?

Moreover, with his own power, Qin Li had stood against the experts from the Mysterious Land, shouldering all the pressure himself, yet winning immense face for the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom!

A super-genius Martial Artist from the Mysterious Land had lowered his proud head and apologized for his words. Such a thing was unprecedented. One couldn’t say it would never happen again, but it was absolutely the first time!

Just by looking at the soaring morale in the stands, one could feel the gratitude those genius students held for Qin Li.

Several more Celestial Level Martial Artists from Cyan Dragon City came over one by one to exchange pleasantries with Qin Li, leaving their names and inviting him to visit their residences when he had time.

Every one of these people was a figure of great renown! Even Chen Yihan was a little surprised, not expecting this one battle to have alerted so many old-timers.

In reality, it was all because of that one shout from Qin Li.

As it turned out, after watching the battle, every single one of these formidably strong old-timers believed this kid had limitless potential. They had seen Qin Li’s techniques clearly—they appeared plain and unremarkable, but in reality, they held profound depth!

It was as if they were the very essence left over after a thousand refinements!

And it was a combat technique that they had never seen, or even heard of, before!

A Martial Artist with only Earth Level strength had defeated a Celestial Level Martial Artist in what was practically an instant kill. It was simply inconceivable!

Yet this utterly inconceivable scene had happened, for real, right before their very eyes.

How could this group of shrewd old men let go of a frighteningly young kid like Qin Li? You’d have to be crazy not to befriend someone like him!

After these people had finished their greetings one by one and left, satisfied with Qin Li’s affirmative replies, Qin Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. But then he noticed a white-haired elder standing there, watching him with great interest. Instinctively, Qin Li felt that this old man looked very familiar.

"Young man, I am the principal of the Advanced Academy. When you have a moment, come find me. Hmm, you know Teacher Yi Ning, don’t you?"

Qin Li nodded. Teacher Yi Ning was that aloof and beautiful female teacher Wei Qiang had once pursued. Many people had guessed that she must have a significant background.

"She’s my daughter. When you have time, find her and have her bring you to me. I have something to say to you." Elder Yi winked at Qin Li, then turned and left.

Just as Qin Li was feeling puzzled, Elder Yi’s voice echoed in his mind: "Little fellow, although your disguise is flawless, I still saw through it. You’re that little guy from Yellow Sand City. Do you remember the old beggar who gave you the Secret Manual?"

Secret Transmission! A special privilege of Celestial Level Martial Artists.

On the surface, Qin Li remained perfectly calm, but in his heart, a monstrous wave had been stirred up!

’It was him!’

At that moment, Elder Yi’s voice once again sounded in Qin Li’s mind: "You don’t need to worry, I won’t tell anyone! Besides, I have no ill intentions! I believe you are also searching for the original version of the ’Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable’ combat technique, aren’t you? I have it here. If you want to see it, find Yi Ning and come see me."

Elder Yi’s back gradually receded into the distance. In the stands, almost none of the students had left. All of them were staring down at Qin Li with fanatical gazes.

At this time, Little Princess Zhao Qianqian leaped down from the stands, walked step by step to Qin Li, and, in front of all the teachers and students of the entire academy, threw herself into his arms.

The boisterous stands first fell silent for a moment, but immediately after, a thunderous applause erupted!

The envy and jealousy the students had originally felt for Qin Li had now completely transformed into deep adoration!

"Qin Li, thank you!"

The tide of applause made Zhao Qianqian’s face turn so red it looked as if it might drip blood, but she still gazed magnanimously at Qin Li, her eyes like rippling water, her smile like a blossoming flower.

...

Although several days had passed since the incident, not only had the fervor not died down, it was actually showing signs of growing even stronger!

It first spread throughout the Imperial Advanced Academy, then to all the other academies, then through the entire Cyan Dragon City, and now, it was beginning to spread throughout the entire Cyan Dragon Kingdom!

Almost everyone was talking about it, talking about the young Marquis Qin Li who had won glory for the nation. For young girls whose hearts were just beginning to flutter, the image of the prince charming in their dreams had finally become clear. The hardworking and ambitious boys also now had a clear goal.

And so, the various legendary stories about Qin Li gradually spread. After being embellished and polished by some, the name Qin Li had practically become the idol of the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s new generation!

The love story between Qin Li and the princess was also told and retold by countless people. The princess was infatuated, Qin Li was magnificent—they were simply the perfect couple.

Today, Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao both took a rare break from their desperate cultivation and gathered around Qin Li, demanding he tell them the truest version of the "hero saving the damsel" story.

This was because whenever the two of them walked down the street these past few days, they would hear things about Qin Li almost anytime, anywhere. This made both women feel both proud and helpless.

Recalling their time back in Yellow Sand City, both women were thinking about the same question: if Qin Li’s identity were to be revealed now, what kind of expressions would the people who admired him to the bone have?

Qin Li could only recount the course of events for the two curious women, explaining that his relationship with the princess was just that of good friends.

Bu Yunyan fluttered her watery, captivating eyes and asked with a look of astonishment, "Really... just good friends... and that’s it?"

Before Qin Li could even speak, a servant announced from outside, "Marquis, Her Highness the Princess has arrived..."

From a distance, Zhao Qianqian’s voice drifted over, "I told you not to announce me, I’m not a stranger..."

Qin Li, Bu Yunyan, and Leng Yao looked at each other in dismay. Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao then burst out laughing with a "PFFT."

"Your ’good friend’ has arrived, my Marquis!"

Qin Li suddenly felt that Bu Yunyan’s words were incredibly vicious. ’You’re the one with *that* "good friend"!’ he thought resentfully. ’Yours visits once a month! I... certainly don’t have one!’