"Why didn't you say something in advance?" Duke Rong blamed Bai Sicheng. He then walked up to Jin Lingyun and smiled, "We didn't know the First Prince would be visiting our Great Ning, so we failed to give you a proper welcome. My apologies."
Jin Lingyun smiled with perfect decorum, "Duke Rong, you are too kind. I am here today as Brother Sicheng's friend, not as the Prince of the Golden Sparrow Kingdom. I hope Duke Rong will not mind."
"Of course, we don't mind! It's more than we could ask for to have young people like you visiting our estate," Duke Rong said again. "Your training must have been tiring. Shall I arrange for someone to take you to rest for a while?"
"Your Grace, there's no hurry. Why haven't we seen Bai Shengyi?" Jiang Ruomei asked impatiently. Bai Shengyi's absence had allowed Jin Lingyun to take advantage of her frequently, seeming to regain his interest in her, which made her feel a little afraid.
Duke Rong glanced at Jin Lingyun and the others, who also seemed to be wondering, and suddenly understood. These people were here for Bai Shengyi!
When had Bai Shengyi become connected with this group?
He suppressed his doubts and explained with a smile, "It's unfortunate, but Shengyi went with her sister to participate in the assessment for Shenqi Academy. Perhaps you will become fellow disciples in the future."
Upon hearing that Bai Shengyi was not present, Jin Lingyun lost interest in engaging with Duke Rong. His expression cooled, and he announced he was going to rest.
When he decided to leave, the others felt it inappropriate to stay longer and followed suit.
Duke Rong hastily had someone show them to their accommodations, keeping Bai Sicheng behind.
"What's going on? Did the First Prince meet Shengyi?" Duke Rong frowned deeply. He thought for a long time, and besides the time Bai Shengyi ran off and was disciplined by the guards of the Grand Princess's mansion, going missing for a few days, he couldn't figure out how Bai Shengyi could have gotten acquainted with this group.
After all, although these children were young, their ability to join Shenqi Academy proved they either came from influential families or possessed significant strength.
Bai Sicheng said, "Grandfather, I wanted to ask you too, why did Shengyi go alone to the Eastern Peaks Jungle for training?"
He instinctively didn't want Duke Rong to know too much about Bai Shengyi and Jin Lingyun.
Recalling Shengyi's changes, he couldn't help but frown.
"What do you mean? Are you blaming Grandfather?" Duke Rong's face darkened, and he spoke sternly.
Although they were both adopted children, Duke Rong was not as kind and affectionate to Bai Sicheng as he was to Bai Murong. This was because Bai Sicheng's adoption by Bai Fu had never received his permission, and Duke Rong had disliked the child from the beginning, and his feelings hadn't changed much after so many years of interaction.
Furthermore, after Bai Sicheng began his apprenticeship, he often stayed at the academy and rarely returned to the Bai family.
Bai Sicheng was taken aback, then explained good-naturedly, "That's not what I meant, Grandfather. I was just a little curious."
"Hmph! Fine," Duke Rong replied, but he had no intention of clarifying things for Bai Sicheng. Instead, he pressed on with his original question, "Did the First Prince come specifically for Shengyi?"
"Of course not!" Bai Sicheng's brow furrowed instinctively, and he retorted softly, "Grandfather, the First Prince is just here to visit the capital and will return to the academy with me in a few days. Please don't say such things in the future, as it might harm Shengyi's reputation. Besides, Shengyi is still betrothed to Prince Gong."
"There is no betrothal anymore," Duke Rong stated calmly. "Shengyi is just a member of the Bai family now."
Bai Sicheng looked at Duke Rong in confusion, but Duke Rong offered no explanation. He simply instructed Bai Sicheng to look after his friends and then left.
Bai Sicheng felt that something was amiss. He intended to find the housekeeper to inquire about what had recently happened but learned that the housekeeper had accompanied Bai Shengyi and Bai Murong out.
After some thought, he went out to find Bai Yu.
In the guest courtyard of the Bai residence, the courtyard that should have been occupied solely by Jin Lingyun now had two more people entering – Jiang Ye and Jiang Ruomei.
"Your Highness, do you have any instructions?" Jiang Ye glanced at Jiang Ruomei meaningfully before sitting down opposite Jin Lingyun.
Jiang Ruomei felt extremely annoyed. She sat next to Jin Lingyun with a demure air, obediently picking up a plate of grapes and peeling them one by one, feeding them to him.
"Junior Sister Ruomei is becoming more sensible," Jin Lingyun chuckled, lightly grasping Jiang Ruomei's finger as he ate the grape.
Jiang Ruomei lowered her head, blushing with embarrassment, "Your Highness just likes to tease me."
Jin Lingyun stroked her face, then looked up at Jiang Ye, his voice slightly muffled, "Did you ask where the location for this year's newcomer assessment is?"
"I just asked Master via a communication jade. It's outside Qianlian City, at the border of the three kingdoms."
Jin Lingyun was surprised, "Qianlian City? The academy is playing a big game this year!"
It was known that across the vast Shenqi Continent, there were always some uncharted dangerous places and secret realms. Some became commonly accepted training grounds for cultivators, such as the Eastern Peaks Jungle near the Great Ning Dynasty, the Boundless Cloud Sea near the Golden Sparrow Kingdom, and the Desert Spirit Concealment in the Qi Zhou Kingdom.
Beyond these, more had become man-eating desolate lands.
Take Qianlian City for instance. Mentioning Qianlian City would likely bring to mind the nearby Netherworld Valley and the Path of Desolation. Both were notorious in the cultivation circles, and those without Golden Core cultivation dared not enter these places.
"However, the academy wouldn't go to such dangerous places," Jin Lingyun mused.
Jiang Ruomei, suppressing a wave of nausea, fed him another grape and said softly, "Senior Brother, are you looking for Shengyi?"
"Yes, are you happy?" Jin Lingyun smiled and pinched Jiang Ruomei's cheek.
His smile seemed simple, but for some reason, a chill ran down Jiang Ruomei's spine. She nodded stiffly, trying to appear sincere, "Of course, I'm happy. I quite like Shengyi too. It would be even better if Shengyi could accompany me."
"Is that so?" Jin Lingyun chuckled, then stood up and said to Jiang Ye, "Tell the teacher I want to be a trial supervisor during the assessment."
Jiang Ye replied, "I'll go right away."
With that, he walked out without paying attention to Jiang Ruomei's pleading gaze.
Jin Lingyun smiled at Jiang Ruomei, "Junior Sister Ruomei, how do you wish to serve Senior Brother today?"
---
At this time, beside the Battle Stage at Xiangsi Cliff, on the outskirts of the capital, groups of cultivators had already gathered.
"So many people?" Bai Shengyi asked in confusion.
The old housekeeper had escorted them to the foot of the mountain and left. Bai Murong had just encountered an acquaintance and had gone over to them. She didn't expect anyone to answer; she was just a bit surprised.
Because in the past, whether she saw them herself or from the original owner's memories, most people were ordinary. Except for the spiritual root test last time, this was the first time she had seen so many cultivators.
Moreover, these cultivators generally had a strength of Qi Refining level four or higher.
Bai Shengyi immediately felt a sense of crisis and honestly played the role of a weakling, suppressing her strength to level six.
"This is your first assessment, isn't it?" a young cultivator, who looked to be in his early twenties, struck up a conversation.
Bai Shengyi smiled amiably and nodded, "Yes."
The cultivator sat down on the ground casually, took a swig of wine, and smacked his lips, "No wonder you don't know. Those who participate in the assessment twice every year, besides newcomers who purely missed the opportunity at fifteen, include many who failed the Shenqi Academy assessment in previous years. Counting all of them, just in our Great Ning Dynasty, there are at least twenty to thirty thousand people annually!"