Chapter 99: Heavenly One Academy
The carriage was pulled by three thousand-mile snow horses, swift and fast, galloping along the main road.
Inside the carriage, Duan Feng and Jing Yun sat on one side, while Lin Feng and Meng Qing sat across from them.
"Lin Feng, how did you and Meng Qing meet?"
Jing Yun’s gaze occasionally drifted toward Meng Qing, but Meng Qing’s eyes remained expressionless, without the slightest fluctuation. However, even that single expression was enough to make a woman like Jing Yun feel captivated.
Jing Yun did not ask how Lin Feng had survived, because she feared touching on his pain. With the sect annihilated and Lin Feng still alive and well, even Jing Yun couldn’t help but think the worst.
Of course, Jing Yun wouldn’t blame Lin Feng. On the contrary, she was very happy. As long as Lin Feng was alive, that was enough. How he had survived no longer mattered.
"We met in the mountains," Lin Feng said casually. Without Meng Qing’s permission, he didn’t want to say too much.
"Oh. Then why did you think of going to the Imperial City?" Jing Yun asked again.
The Imperial City was filled with countless experts. That was the true core of the Snow Moon Kingdom.
"Because many people are in the Imperial City," Lin Feng replied with a statement Jing Yun couldn’t quite understand.
"And you, Jing Yun? Why are you going to the Imperial City?" Lin Feng asked in return, glancing at Duan Feng beside Jing Yun. According to Jing Yun, Duan Feng had been summoned to the Imperial City. Clearly, someone there wanted him to come, and that person must have been extraordinary to make Duan Feng willingly travel such a long distance.
Jing Yun looked at Duan Feng beside her. Duan Feng smiled and said, "Brother Lin Feng, Sister Jing Yun is coming with me. One of my clan brothers asked me to go to the Imperial City to enter a school for training."
"School?" Lin Feng’s eyes showed a hint of strangeness. He asked, "Snow Moon Holy Academy?"
"No." Contrary to Lin Feng’s expectation, Duan Feng shook his head and said, "I’m going to Heavenly One Academy."
"Heavenly One Academy?" Lin Feng revealed a puzzled expression. He had never heard of Heavenly One Academy before.
"Yes, Heavenly One Academy." Duan Feng nodded. "Heavenly One Academy isn’t famous. In fact, very few people know about it. It never recruits disciples from outside, only through internal recommendations. My clan brother has a recommendation slot, and he recommended me to enter Heavenly One Academy."
"Only recommendations, no external recruitment?" Lin Feng found this a bit strange. Schools were actually a type of sect, though slightly different.
Sects, like Cloud Sea Sect, recruited countless disciples, dividing them into outer, inner, and core disciples, with outer and inner elders. The hierarchy was very strict. Disciples had to rely entirely on their own efforts to improve their cultivation and gradually rise, gaining the sect’s attention until they became elders and advanced smoothly.
Schools, on the other hand, only recruited promising and talented juniors, providing them with good resources and teachers, guiding them to become powerful experts.
In the past, the Snow Moon Kingdom had no schools. They were introduced from other countries, but even then, schools were very rare and not well-known, unable to compare with sects.
But this time, the Snow Moon Kingdom had issued a decree to recruit talented and promising youths from all over, establishing the Snow Moon Holy Academy. Clearly, they wanted to create a powerful school—one that would surpass the sects.
"Brother Lin Feng, you’re a disciple of Cloud Sea Sect, so your strength should be about the same as Sister Jing Yun’s. When the time comes, I’ll talk to my clan brother and see if he can recommend you to enter Heavenly One Academy too."
Duan Feng’s smile was sincere. Although he was young, he already had a mature demeanor, without the slightest arrogance. Unlike his guards, who were extremely overbearing.
"Yes, Lin Feng, why don’t you enter Heavenly One Academy too?"
Jing Yun’s eyes lit up. Since Cloud Sea Sect had been annihilated, joining Heavenly One Academy now shouldn’t count as betraying the sect. As for Lin Feng’s talent, Jing Yun didn’t even need to consider it.
During the first round of the sect competition, Jing Yun had personally witnessed how arrogant Lin Feng was—killing inner disciple Yu Hao with a single sword strike and stepping into the inner sect. His strength was formidable.
Lin Feng smiled casually without responding. Although the sect had been destroyed, he was now the Sect Leader of Cloud Sea Sect.
...
The carriage sped on, already far from the small town. The sunset’s glow illuminated the earth. Inside, Lin Feng, Jing Yun, and Duan Feng chatted idly, while Meng Qing had closed her eyes, as if asleep, very quiet.
Taking off his outer robe, Lin Feng draped it over Meng Qing’s shoulders. The weather was so cold, yet this woman was still dressed so thinly.
Seeing this, a strange look flickered in Jing Yun’s eyes.
Meng Qing, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened her eyes. Turning her head to see Lin Feng placing his robe on her shoulders, her gaze flickered. A very strange feeling arose in her heart—one she had never experienced before, which made it feel odd.
"Rumble..." Suddenly, the hoofbeats trembled, and the carriage shook slightly.
Outside, Uncle Wang pulled on the reins, and the carriage came to a stop. The vibration from the ground, however, grew stronger.
"Uncle Wang, what’s going on?" Duan Feng asked in a low voice.
"It’s horse bandits, Young Master. Stay inside and don’t come out. I’ll send someone to negotiate with them."
Uncle Wang instructed, then ordered a man to go and negotiate with the bandits.
"Ah..."
A moment later, a scream rang out, startling the people inside the carriage.
"Send someone who can talk." A rough voice came from outside, lazy and arrogant.
"Let’s go out and see."
Duan Feng frowned, then stepped down from the carriage. Lin Feng and Jing Yun followed behind, while Meng Qing did not come down, staying inside the carriage.
Not far ahead, dozens of horse bandits lined up, their gazes filled with hostility.
"I’ll go check."
A young guard spurred his horse forward, riding up to the bandit leader.
"Gentlemen, we..."
Before the young man could finish speaking, the bandit leader leaped from his horse, pouncing at the young man, his long blade slashing down.
The young man’s face showed great alarm. He raised his spear, thrusting it toward the blade.
But at the same time, the blade turned, its cold light flashing. With a tearing sound, the young man’s head flew straight up, blood spurting like a fountain—extremely gruesome.
Jing Yun’s body trembled. The bloody scene made her feel nauseous, reminding her of the scene she had seen in the canyon. Her face instantly turned pale.
"I said send someone who can talk. That woman over there looks pretty good."
The bandit leader pointed his long blade at Jing Yun. Immediately, all the bandits burst into unrestrained, wild laughter.
"Yeah, have that beauty come over and talk."
Someone chimed in, making Jing Yun’s face even paler. Hearing their filthy words, she trembled with anger.
"Jing Yun, get back in the carriage first." Lin Feng said to Jing Yun, then helped her into the carriage.
"Kid, you’re asking for death, hiding that girl away."
The bandits glared at Lin Feng with hostility.
"That’s right, we have to kill this bunch. That girl can stay for us to have some fun."
"Look what you’ve done."
Wan Qingshan shouted coldly at Lin Feng, glaring at him.
Lin Feng’s gaze hardened as he looked coldly at Wan Qingshan. What had he done? He had only asked Jing Yun to get back into the carriage.
"Waste, this is all your fault. Solve it yourself. Don’t think about dragging us down. We won’t bother with you."
Wan Qingshan’s face was expressionless as he scolded Lin Feng. A disciple of Cloud Sea Sect—he wanted to see what kind of disciple Cloud Sea Sect produced.
"You don’t need to worry about me."
Lin Feng said indifferently, stepping forward toward the bandits.
"I’ll talk with you."
Lin Feng stood not far from the bandit leader, his voice cold.
"You’re asking for death."
A bandit spurred his horse, charging at Lin Feng. His long blade swung through the air, carrying a howling, biting wind.
A flash of light, and a sword inexplicably appeared in Lin Feng’s hand—a flexible sword.
The sword struck, blood splattered, and the man fell.
Fast. Extremely fast. Lin Feng’s sword-drawing technique had now reached great mastery. Any drawing motion was a sword-drawing technique. When he used a sword, drawing it was not a weakness but a fatal strike.
How could a mere bandit possibly block such a fast and sharp sword?
"Send someone who can talk." Lin Feng’s tone was indifferent, echoing the bandit leader’s earlier words. Looking at this young figure, the bandits all fell silent.
With just one sword strike, Lin Feng had already stunned them.
Wan Qingshan frowned deeply. Instead of being pleased that Lin Feng had killed the bandits, he felt a chill in his heart. Lin Feng’s strength annoyed him.
Moreover, he couldn’t even tell how strong Lin Feng really was. He only knew that sword strike was very fast.
"Friend, this has nothing to do with you. Can you mind your own business?"
The bandit leader lowered his voice, speaking to Lin Feng, which caught Lin Feng off guard.
Lin Feng’s gaze flickered with suspicion, but he said, "Didn’t you just say I was asking for death? I’m right here waiting."
"Hmph, if that’s the case, don’t blame us for being rude."
The bandit leader’s face also darkened. He waved his hand and said, "Kill him."
As soon as the words fell, the bandits all charged at Lin Feng, surrounding him from three sides. Their speed was uniform, as if they had been trained for a long time.
"Kill."
Their long blades were raised high, and a bloody, murderous aura spread out, unusually intense. Lin Feng felt enveloped by a killing intent. This feeling was familiar—very oppressive, similar to when he had been surrounded by the Crimson Blood Iron Cavalry, though far less intense.
"Kill."
Another loud, unified shout rang out. The blades twisted slightly, reflecting a chilling, heart-stopping gleam.
Hoofbeats thundered as the bandits simultaneously attacked Lin Feng.
Lin Feng lightly tapped his toes, leaping into the air to match the height of the bandits on horseback.
"Sword of Life-Seizing."
A flash of sword light passed by, and a powerful sword aura burst forth. The charging bandits felt their bodies enveloped by a fierce sword intent, their hearts trembling.
Then, the life-seizing sword aura transformed into a brilliant arc, flashing and disappearing. The hoofbeats became chaotic, and the bandits’ bodies fell from their horses one by one.
One sword strike. All killed.