Within Xia Feng Academy, a shocking piece of news suddenly began to spread rapidly. In just one night, it had already spread throughout the four major colleges of the entire academy. Whether students, instructors, or elders, everyone knew about it, breaking the academy's usually tranquil and quiet cultivation atmosphere.
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves, creating an unprecedented uproar that drew the attention of all.
An uproar erupted!
"What? A super expert capable of rivaling His Highness the Thirteenth Prince actually appeared in the Yellow-tier Academy? That can't be true."
"What a joke. How could there be someone in the Yellow-tier Academy who can fight the Thirteenth Prince without losing? Is that even possible? Even the elite experts from the Earth-tier College couldn't do that."
"Forget just the Earth-tier College. Even looking across the entire Heaven-tier Academy, the Thirteenth Prince is definitely one of the few super experts, standing at the pinnacle of all students in the academy. Besides those few, who else could contend with him?"
"Needless to say, this must be baseless gossip spread by someone with an agenda. What kind of person from a small Yellow-tier Academy could reach such a level? It's simply wishful thinking."
"Exactly. If such a super expert appeared in the Yellow-tier Academy, how could they remain unknown? They would have long been recruited into the Heaven-tier Academy by the academy's higher-ups. They wouldn't simply stay in the Yellow-tier Academy."
Almost immediately upon hearing this news, everyone shook their heads in disbelief, because this piece of news was simply too shocking, to the point where no one believed this so-called rumor.
Who was the Thirteenth Prince? A peerless genius who achieved Xiantian at the age of twenty-six, with outstanding talent and brilliance, unmatched by many in the entire Xia Feng Kingdom.
Now at twenty, four years had passed. While others were progressing, how could such a genius regress? He had long since grown to an unknown level of strength. In recent years, it had been rare to see this Thirteenth Prince exert his full power, and his current strength had become a mystery.
It could be said that such a peerless genius, if not the number one in the entire Xia Feng Academy, was definitely ranked among the very top few.
The Yellow-tier Academy?
Ridiculous. Although it also gathered geniuses from all over the country to Xia Feng Academy, there were distinctions even among geniuses. The four major colleges—Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow—were the best classification.
The Yellow-tier Academy was merely at the lowest level within Xia Feng Academy. What kind of world-shaking figure could emerge from there to fight an elite from the Heaven-tier Academy, let alone the elite among elites, the Thirteenth Prince? All of this was nothing but baseless gossip.
If the Yellow-tier Academy truly produced such a super expert, then where would the Mystic-tier and Earth-tier Academies stand?
Upon hearing this news, many on the spot dismissed it, treating it as nothing more than a joke, unwilling to believe that a mere Yellow-tier Academy could produce such a peerless genius. At most, they wondered who was spreading such an utterly unreliable rumor.
They believed this rumor would soon be debunked.
However, very soon, this piece of news was confirmed. Because many people had witnessed it firsthand at the time, including not a few students from Xia Feng Academy. Young Master Wu and the other two noble young masters naturally dared not lie. In fact, because of this incident, they had already been discarded on the Thirteenth Prince's orders, no longer accepted as followers.
Initially accepting him as a follower was merely because they valued the power in his father's hands. Otherwise, with the Thirteenth Prince's noble status, a mere Yellow-tier Academy student truly wouldn't be worth his attention.
Now that he was on good terms with Ye Chen, he naturally didn't mind discarding this fellow to show his goodwill.
Some also sought verification from the gatekeepers, who confirmed this news. At that time, there indeed was a mysterious and unfamiliar young man who took action, engaging in a battle with the Thirteenth Prince at the main gate.
Although the Thirteenth Prince hadn't used his true strength at the time, merely exchanging a few casual moves, he displayed the formidable power of the Xiantian realm, with an imposing aura. The other party also clearly hadn't used their full strength, and both sides ended in a draw, neither overpowering the other.
However, even with confirmation, many still found it hard to believe, remaining half-convinced and half-doubting.
Finally, when someone went to ask the Thirteenth Prince himself, this Thirteenth Prince, who was at the center of the rumor storm, actually smiled gently at the questioner and answered the question very mildly. The answer he gave was also shocking. He stated that the person indeed came from the Yellow-tier Academy, and he held a very high opinion of this person, saying their true strength wasn't much worse than his own.
With a bang, an uproar erupted, a thousand waves surged, and countless teachers and students throughout Xia Feng Academy were utterly stunned.
If others said it, it would only be half-believed. But for the Thirteenth Prince, the person involved, to say so meant this rumor was not false gossip, but a real event. Because the Thirteenth Prince disdained lying, and it was rare for him to hold such a high opinion of someone.
Clearly, the Yellow-tier Academy had truly produced a super young expert capable of rivaling the Thirteenth Prince.
But when did such a super figure appear in the Yellow-tier Academy? Why had no one known about it before?
Immediately, many wanted to know who this Yellow-tier Academy youth who could rival the Thirteenth Prince in battle actually was. Unfortunately, the answers they received were disappointing, because no one knew who that youth was. He was very unfamiliar, and few had seen him.
Some had seen this person walking shoulder to shoulder with the Thirteenth Prince, and many felt he looked somewhat familiar, as if they had seen him before, but they just couldn't recall who this youth was.
This was quite regrettable. Now, many people began investigating the true identity of this mysterious expert from the Yellow-tier Academy, as well as his current whereabouts.
At the mountain peak in the academy's rear mountains, mist and clouds swirled, like a fairyland.
It was still that secluded spring and jade-green pool, still that rock, still that young woman, still dressed in a green long skirt. Yang Yi's black hair cascaded down, her makeup exquisite, as she sat with eyes closed in cultivation.
This place seemed to have become her primary cultivation site. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't leave this place even half a step.
Cultivating here greatly benefited her practice. She could feel her cultivation improving almost every moment. Although the progress wasn't astonishingly obvious, it was perceptible.
This was the privilege of the Heaven-tier Academy—having access to the most abundant cultivation resources in the entire Xia Feng Academy, something the other three colleges couldn't compare to.
Her personal maid still waited by her side, silent, waiting for Yang Yi to finish her cultivation.
Two hours later, Yang Yi finally completed her deep cultivation. She opened her bright, beautiful eyes, their gaze flowing gracefully before settling on the maid. Her voice was calm and gentle as she said, "Speak. What matters are there today?"
"Reporting to Miss, there is an important matter to report today. A super expert has appeared in the Yellow-tier Academy, suspected to be at the Xiantian realm, capable of fighting the Thirteenth Prince without being at a disadvantage," the maid respectfully reported.
Although Yang Yi was constantly engaged in cultivation, she still paid close attention to various important matters within the academy, so as not to become disconnected. Hearing about this incident now, she couldn't help but raise her delicate eyebrows slightly. "Bring me the compiled information to look at."
The maid handed the compiled information to the young lady. It wasn't much, only a few pages, but the information was quite concise, outlining all the key points clearly at a glance.
After reading through this information, a look of surprise slowly appeared on Yang Yi's exquisite little face. "When did such a powerful expert appear in the Yellow-tier Academy? Someone who can be mentioned in the same breath as an expert like the Thirteenth Prince... Such a person shouldn't have been buried."
Such a figure would be highly valued by the entire Xia Feng Academy. That they came from the Yellow-tier Academy was something even she found somewhat hard to believe.
The maid shook her head. "This servant does not know."
After a moment of silence, Yang Yi spoke softly, her words cool and clear. "I give you a task. Investigate this person's identity and background thoroughly. Make sure there are no mistakes. Understood?"
"This servant understands," the maid hurriedly bowed in response.
"Alright, you may withdraw for now," Yang Yi waved her hand, dismissing the maid first.
"This servant will withdraw now," the maid respectfully retreated, her figure gradually disappearing into the mist and rain.
Yang Yi looked at the information in her hand. For some reason, a faint sense of unease kept surfacing in her heart. She couldn't help but recall those unforgettable scenes at the Ye family six months ago.
The figure of that youth kept surfacing in her heart, making her increasingly uneasy. Frowning her delicate eyebrows, she whispered to herself, "Could it be Ye Chen?"
Then she shook her head, rejecting this notion. Because it was impossible. Even if that waste Ye Chen's talent was outstanding and he recovered to his state from two years ago, it was absolutely impossible for him to reach a level comparable to the Thirteenth Prince in just six short months.
Growing from the third level of Houtian to a super Xiantian realm expert comparable to the Thirteenth Prince in just six short months?
Was that possible?
Impossible. Even reaching the eighth level of Houtian in nine months would be difficult, let alone reaching the Xiantian realm level.
In the royal palace, majestic and enormous palace halls stretched out in continuous groups, grand and imposing, filled with royal aura and auspiciousness, like an ancient giant beast lying dormant here. Viewed from afar, it inspired awe and fear.
In one of the central palace halls, powerful auras flickered faintly, hidden in various places, safeguarding the security of this location.
A massive plaque in the palace hall was inscribed with ancient script reading "Crown Prince's Palace," clearly indicating it was the palace of the nation's Crown Prince.
Inside the Crown Prince's Palace, a handsome young man wearing a yellow robe embroidered with dragon claws stood with his hands behind his back, proud and upright. An extremely powerful aura slowly emanated from his body, permeating the entire palace hall. The very air seemed to grow heavy. All maids and servants trembled and prostrated on the ground, filled with fear.
He remained silent, gazing in the direction of Xia Feng Academy. His eyes blazed intensely, almost becoming tangible. Faintly, it seemed one could hear a voice echoing—
"A super expert from the Yellow-tier Academy? Somewhat intriguing. I hope he doesn't disappoint this Crown Prince too much."