Imperial Academy

The Imperial Academy opens once a month for all the young nobles of the Imperial Capital for a single day. In the morning, they study poetry and etiquette, and in the afternoon, the martial arts classics within the academy are opened to everyone free of charge.

In the past, every time the Imperial Academy opened, it basically had nothing to do with Long Chen, because if he went, he would only become an object of ridicule for everyone.

But it is different now. After consuming that Fengfu Pill, Long Chen has already condensed the embryonic form of the Fengfu Star.

Although it is only an embryonic form and cannot store much Spiritual Qi yet, it is still much larger than the storage capacity of the body's meridians. Meridians are like rivers, while the Dantian is the sea that accommodates a hundred rivers, and it is usually called the Qi Sea.

Although there seem to be many rivers, their capacity is limited. Without the support of the Dantian, they would quickly dry up. However, all these problems were completely solved with the condensation of the Fengfu Star.

Most importantly, since the Fengfu Star has formed an embryonic form, as long as there is enough energy in the future, it will eventually form a complete Fengfu Star.

At that time, Long Chen will possess his first "Dantian" that belongs to him. The Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, this is its most monstrous aspect.

When all nine stars are fully opened, it is equivalent to having nine Dantians operating. Even with your heels, you can imagine how powerful such a vigorous source of spiritual power would be.

Furthermore, although Long Chen possesses the entire operational method of the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, he still knows very little about this Heaven-Defying Cultivation Technique and needs to constantly explore it.

Once he has completely condensed the Fengfu Star, he will be able to store a large amount of Spiritual Qi, and he can attempt to refine his Bloodline to enter the Blood Condensation realm, becoming a true Martial Artist in one fell swoop.

The Qi Gathering realm is merely the first step into martial arts. Only by stepping into the Blood Condensation realm, with surging Qi and blood throughout the body and skyrocketing combat power, can one be considered a true Martial Artist.

Long Chen does not know what level of the Qi Gathering realm his current state is, but with the formation of the Fengfu Star's embryonic form, his body has been greatly strengthened, which surprises and delights him.

Now, when he throws a simple punch, the whistling wind can shatter a vase five feet away, and his whole body is filled with power.

This time, he came to the Imperial Academy specifically for the martial arts classics. With the Fengfu Star about to condense and the Spiritual Qi in his body gradually becoming abundant, he is now able to practice martial arts battle skills.

So-called martial arts battle skills are combat techniques summarized by some powerful Seniors based on their own Spiritual Qi and the flow of their meridians.

Battle skills are very terrifying. They can allow a Martial Artist to unleash powerful strength, several times their usual combat power, making them unstoppable.

Therefore, battle skills are very important to every Martial Artist. Now that Long Chen has the Spiritual Qi to practice battle skills, he is impatient to do so.

The Imperial Academy is located on the north side of the Imperial Capital, covering an area of dozens of miles, and is the most magnificent building besides the Imperial Palace.

After verifying his waist token, Long Chen entered the Imperial Academy and headed straight for the Literature Hall. This is the place for "cultivation" in the morning, where one listens to scholars talk about the past and present, poetry and etiquette, literary allusions, and other antiquated theories.

Just after entering the Literature Hall, because he arrived early, there were only a few dozen young nobles in the huge Literature Hall.

"Haha, Brother Long, you're here."

As soon as Long Chen arrived, several youths immediately greeted him enthusiastically.

These youths were the same as Long Chen; for various reasons, they were also unable to cultivate. Although they could not be considered close friends, they could be considered companions in misfortune.

In the Fengming Empire, where martial culture is flourishing, although they were not bullied as miserably as Long Chen, they were also often ridiculed, despised, and subjected to cold glares.

Therefore, these few people could chat quite well with Long Chen. Especially since they hadn't seen Long Chen here for a long time, they were exceptionally happy to see him today.

"Haha, you guys arrived quite early." Long Chen also smiled and greeted them. Now that the Fengfu Star had successfully condensed, he was in a great mood, a complete change from his usual dejection.

"I heard that a few days ago, Brother Long displayed great Divine Might and defeated Li Hao. We truly admire you. Could it be that Brother Long can already cultivate?" a lean man said with great envy.

They were originally at the same level as Long Chen. Now, hearing that Long Chen actually defeated Li Hao, who was at the third level of the Qi Gathering realm, they were shocked and also carried a hint of envy.

"Hehe, just luck. However, I recently learned a new divine skill," Long Chen said mysteriously, not wanting to continue this topic.

"Divine skill? What is that?" Sure enough, everyone was immediately attracted and instantly changed the subject.

"Hehe, I recently obtained a Secret Manual on physiognomy, studied it hard, and have gained quite a bit of insight," Long Chen said somewhat proudly.

"Physiognomy? Isn't that what street fortune tellers use to scam people?"

"That is incorrect. I have recently been studying physiognomy and have gained some insights. That day, I saw that Li Hao's forehead was dark and his temples contained misfortune; it was clearly a sign of impending bad luck, so I agreed to duel with him. And the result? Hehe," Long Chen smiled without saying anything more.

Everyone was half-believing. Suddenly, one person said with an enlightened expression: "It seems to be true. I heard that Li Hao was like he was possessed that day; he couldn't unleash any of his combat power at all and was defeated by Brother Long."

Everyone had heard about the duel between Long Chen and Li Hao, but most people felt Li Hao's failure was inexplicable. Now, after Long Chen mentioned it, everyone immediately connected the dots, and they couldn't help but believe Long Chen's words a bit more.

"Hehe, Brother Long, since you are proficient in physiognomy, can you help me take a look? Why does my fiancée always hide from me and refuse to see me? What exactly is going on?" one person said in distress.

"No problem. Come, come, let's find a place to sit down first; it's not appropriate to stand here."

They found a table in the corner and sat down. There were some snacks on the table for the young nobles to enjoy.

Long Chen pointed to the pastries on the table and smiled at the man: "Have a piece."

"Alright." The man did not stand on ceremony, picked up a piece of pastry, and ate it. Everyone looked at Long Chen with some confusion.

"How does it taste?"

"It's very good."

"Do you want another piece?"

"Sure."

The man picked up another piece of pastry and ate it. However, after only one bite, he suddenly looked enlightened and said respectfully to Long Chen: "Thank you for your guidance, Brother Long. I have realized it. It is actually because I am too greedy. Brother Long is reminding me: people need to be content, right?"

Everyone looked at Long Chen with admiration. They didn't expect Long Chen's cultivation of the Dao to be so profound that even a small piece of pastry could be thought-provoking.

However, Long Chen shook his head and sighed: "You are wrong. What I wanted to remind you of is: you are so fat, yet you are still eating so desperately that you can barely fit through the door.

Your fiancée is just hiding from you, not breaking off the engagement; that is already a huge concession. You should be content.

With that figure of yours, any woman sleeping beside you would be too scared to sleep, fearing that if you rolled over, you would crush them into a picture."

The man's face flushed red. After being reminded by Long Chen, he looked at his figure, which was over five feet tall and over four and a half feet wide, and felt that he did seem to be a little bit fat.

"Fatty Yu, don't waste Brother Long's precious time. Hurry back and lose some weight. Brother Long, hehe, could you take a look at my physiognomy?" another lean man said with a respectful smile.

"You," Long Chen looked at him seriously, and after a while, said: "Your physiognomy determines that you will be destitute before the age of thirty, but fortunately, after thirty…"

The man was overjoyed: "Does that mean after thirty, I will be able to rise to prominence?"

"No, after thirty, you will slowly get used to it," Long Chen said.

The man: "…"

Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter. Just as they were laughing, suddenly, a pair of resentful eyes looked over, causing everyone's laughter to come to an abrupt halt.

Long Chen had sensed it long ago. He turned his head and saw Li Hao's eyes staring fiercely at him like two sharp blades.

"Young Noble Li, are your injuries healed? That is truly a cause for celebration. However, the injuries on top are healed, but how are the injuries down below?" Long Chen asked with concern.

Li Hao's face twitched. When he was carried back to his residence, his entire face had almost been flattened by Long Chen's knee.

The Li family hurriedly begged a pharmacist from the Alchemist Guild and spent a large amount of gold coins to restore Li Hao.

It must be said that having money is good. In such a short time, Li Hao was no different from a normal person.

However, today, after being mentioned by Long Chen, Li Hao immediately felt a sharp pain in his crotch as if by reflex, as if he recalled that kick from Long Chen back then.

That kick from Long Chen back then was too ruthless; it almost crippled him. What made him grind his teeth with hatred the most was that when he was carried back to the residence for treatment, it was discovered that he was missing one testicle.

By the time the people from the residence hurriedly arrived at the arena, they found that the arena had already been cleared. It was said that that testicle had been carried away by a stray dog.

When Li Hao woke up and heard this news, he almost fainted from anger, but it was already irreversible. No matter how awesome a pharmacist is, they cannot reshape a testicle for him.

Although he didn't walk off-balance, the sudden loss of one of the things that were originally symmetrical made him extremely uncomfortable.

Now, being mentioned by Long Chen, his face looked extremely ugly. He stared fixedly at Long Chen, gritting his teeth and saying: "Long Chen, you bastard, I want to have a life-and-death duel with you. Do you dare to accept?"

Long Chen's originally smiling face suddenly tightened. This term was extremely insulting, especially insulting to his mother.

It is truly a case of "if you don't seek death, you won't die." Since you want to be free from the troubles of the mortal world, I will fulfill your wish.

"Same as before, I want to increase the stakes."

Long Chen looked at Li Hao. Since you want to die, you must die with value. After all, they are from the same country; he couldn't bear to see Li Hao die a death lighter than a feather.

"Fine, no matter how much you bet, I, Li Hao, will accept it." However, a sneer rose in his heart; no matter how much the stake is, you won't have the life to spend it. Last time, due to carelessness, Li Hao was caught in an opening by Long Chen, which is why he suffered such a miserable defeat. He would absolutely not let himself make the same mistake again.

This time is different from last time. He is talking about a life-and-death duel. In the previous duel, although killing the opponent would not incur responsibility, as long as the opponent admitted defeat, one could not kill the opponent.

But a life-and-death duel is different. When the two step onto the stage, it is equivalent to handing over their lives. Even if they admit defeat, it is useless. The winning side can freely dominate the life and death of the other party.

"Fine, tomorrow at noon, we will meet on the life-and-death stage." Li Hao sneered, looking at Long Chen as if looking at a dead man.

Long Chen sneered in his heart. Now it is time to kill the chicken to warn the monkey. Seeing Li Hao about to leave, Long Chen smiled sinisterly and said: "Pay attention to your balance when walking, don't trip."

Hearing Long Chen's words, Li Hao, who had already turned to leave, suddenly stiffened, his face almost distorted and deformed. He understood the meaning of Long Chen's words.

He took a deep breath, acting as if he hadn't heard Long Chen's words, and slowly walked in the other direction of the Literature Hall.

But Long Chen's words were like steel needles, piercing his sensitive area, and he felt that every time he lifted his leg, it would trigger heart-piercing and bone-chilling memories.

He wanted to pretend to walk away as if nothing had happened, but the more he thought like this, the more unnatural his walk became, making everyone look at him strangely.

Watching Li Hao walk away like a duck, a person beside Long Chen cautiously reminded him: "Brother Long, why did you agree to him? That is a life-and-death duel; people will die."

"It does not matter. Today, I observed his physiognomy, and his brows were dark and entangled with Death Qi. It is the appearance of a ghost locking onto his life; he will not live past the day after tomorrow. Right, I have a matter I would like to ask you all for help with." After Long Chen finished speaking, he whispered something to them.

Everyone looked at each other. Finally, the one called Fatty Yu gritted his teeth and said: "Brother Long, since you have asked, you can take all my savings."

After saying this, he handed Long Chen a crystal card. Long Chen did not expect that this Fatty Yu would be so loyal; there were actually as many as eighty thousand gold coins on the card.

Although they were all sons of princes and nobles, they were basically from collateral branches and were not valued. These gold coins were a huge sum of money for Fatty Yu.

"Damn it, I have sixty thousand here too, take it."

"I have less here, only thirty thousand. Brother Long, this is all the capability I have."

"I have here…"

Long Chen originally thought that being able to borrow ten or eight thousand from them was already quite a lot, but he did not expect them to help with all their might.

"Everyone, if I die, your money will go down the drain," Long Chen looked at the crystal cards in his hand and couldn't help but remind them.

"Brother Long, are you looking down on us? We are all unable to cultivate, and we have often suffered their bullying. Since you, Long Chen, dare to fight them to the death, although we do not have that courage, we must still bolster your momentum."

Seeing Long Chen agree to Li Hao's life-and-death duel, the few of them couldn't help but be stirred by a sense of shared hatred for the enemy. Seeing Long Chen ask for help, their heads got hot, and they didn't care about anything else.

Long Chen nodded; he kept this favor in his heart. With over two hundred thousand gold coins in his hand, it was enough for him to do something.

Just at this moment, suddenly, a sound of footsteps rang out. A group of people walked into the Literature Hall, and the originally somewhat noisy Literature Hall immediately became silent.