Chapter 468 477: Military Cultivation Institute

"Alright! I'll do you this favor, but these people..."

Ye Tian glanced coldly at the dozen or so guards from the Ouyang Clan. He suddenly raised his right hand, and ghostly blue flames leaped from his five fingertips.

SWISH!

A sound of something tearing through the air rang out as five streams of ghostly blue fire shot forward. Without a single trace of cultivation aura erupting from Ye Tian, the five clusters of ghostly blue flames flew directly toward the Ouyang Family's guards.

"Ahh... It hurts!"

Then, miserable screams rose one after another. These guards, all at the Four Vein Realm, had no idea what had happened. They only felt their souls being grievously injured the moment the ghostly blue flames touched them. Their cultivation vanished in an instant, turning them into complete cripples!

"Instructor Luo Chen is here today, so I'll spare your worthless lives. I'm crippling your cultivation as a warning. My name is Ye Tian. If you want revenge, come find me at the Imperial City Academy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Tian didn't spare them another glance. He took Zhang Xinlan's hand and walked through the gates of the Imperial City Academy.

HISS...

Watching Ye Tian make his move, Luo Chen and Lu Lingfeng couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. 'What terrifying methods!' they thought.

With just a casual move, he had directly crippled more than a dozen guards at the Four Vein Realm. It seemed their souls had been severely damaged. Even if they managed to survive, they would have less than half their lifespan remaining!

Luo Chen and Lu Lingfeng glanced at each other, both seeing the deep apprehension in the other's eyes. 'This guy, Ye Tian, is just too frightening!'

Even now, they had no idea what Ye Tian's true cultivation was. Initially, when Princess Yaqi had told them Ye Tian was very strong, they hadn't thought much of it. But now, it was clear that "very strong" was an understatement. The guy was a monster!

In their minds, even if Ye Tian's talent was extraordinary, since he was coming to the Imperial City Academy, he was still just a student. At most, he should have the strength of the Four Vein Realm.

But now, Luo Chen and Lu Lingfeng would never think that way again. After all, the woman Long Yaqi had described as even more terrifying than Ye Tian hadn't even made a move yet!

Luo Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said to the Ouyang Family guards, "Shouldn't you hurry up and take your young master back to be treated? Count yourselves lucky. Otherwise..."

Luo Chen left the second half of his sentence unsaid. He and Lu Lingfeng quickly walked into the academy to show Ye Tian the way.

"Ye Tian! You damned bastard! The Ouyang Family will remember you! Let's go!"

The Ouyang Family's guards committed Ye Tian's and Zhang Xinlan's faces to memory before wretchedly carrying Ouyang Hongxiang away from the Imperial City Academy.

In truth, Ye Tian himself was secretly astounded by his first time using a Soul Fire attack.

He hadn't intended to go that far, only wanting to leave some scars on the Ouyang Family guards to teach them a lesson. He never expected the Soul Fire to be so tyrannical as to damage their souls and even cripple their cultivation!

But Ye Tian didn't regret it. They had brought all of this upon themselves.

As the saying goes: if others don't provoke me, I won't provoke them. But if they do, they must pay a heavy price!

At this moment, however, Ye Tian also realized that he had to be more careful when using his Soul Fire and Soul Skill attacks in the future. Using them casually could lead to unnecessary trouble. 'After all, aren't the two instructors, Luo Chen and Lu Lingfeng, looking at me like I'm some kind of monster right now?'

"Sorry to trouble you, Instructors. I had no choice but to use some of my life-saving techniques just now."

Ye Tian said apologetically.

Hearing Ye Tian say this, Luo Chen breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Ye Tian was actually easy to get along with. 'And here I thought this guy was some kind of Evil God.'

"It's nothing. Princess Yaqi instructed us. You can just consider this favor owed to the Commandery Princess. Besides, as instructors of the academy, it's our duty to look after talented disciples."

Luo Chen broke into a smile, reaching a silent understanding with Ye Tian. The minor incident just now was completely behind them.

"By the way, the situation in the Imperial City is volatile right now. You've probably heard about the matter with the Eldest Prince. So, don't go wandering around for a while. After all, the Ouyang Clan is very powerful. If you rashly stir up trouble, not even the Commandery Princess will be able to protect you."

Luo Chen's words were well-intentioned, but he never could have imagined that Zhang Xinlan, who had been silent all this time, would speak up disdainfully, "Heh, the Ouyang Family had better not provoke us. Otherwise, we wouldn't mind making the Ouyang Family disappear permanently!"

This shocked Luo Chen. For some reason, he found himself completely believing Zhang Xinlan's words. He didn't feel she was making an empty boast; on the contrary, he was certain she had the power to back it up.

"Ahem! In any case, try not to cause any more trouble. As students of the academy, your primary task should be your studies."

Luo Chen coughed a few times to cover his embarrassment.

"By the way, which department do you all plan to enroll in?"

Lu Lingchen was the most concerned about this matter. For newly enrolled students, this was also the first order of business.

"Enroll in a department?"

Ye Tian was completely baffled. This wasn't his first time attending an academy; he had previously cultivated at Linyuan Academy, but he had never heard of needing to enroll in a department.

Seeing Ye Tian's confusion, Luo Chen patiently explained, "It seems you didn't have time to learn about this beforehand. No matter, I can give you a brief overview."

After organizing his thoughts, Luo Chen continued, "Our Imperial City Academy is the Empire's most prestigious institution of learning. It's naturally different from ordinary academies. The difference isn't just in the cultivation level of the students, but also in the curriculum!"

"The Imperial City Academy is an academy that serves the Empire. Therefore, it has not only martial arts geniuses who cultivate, but also literary scholars, Alchemy Masters, Array Masters, and so on... Regardless of their talent, upon graduation, they will all enter the core of the Empire's administration—the military, the government, or other institutions. Those who can enter the Imperial City Academy are, without a doubt, the future pillars of the Empire!"

"In fact, once you're at the academy, there isn't much instruction regarding martial cultivation. Everyone is already at the Four Vein Realm or above, so their cultivation paths are more or less set. The academy has no shortage of cultivation techniques and combat skills; you can browse them as you please. Instead, the most popular fields are troop deployment, alchemy and medicine preparation, and the art of intrigue and strategy."

While Luo Chen was explaining this, Zhang Xinlan secretly sent a voice transmission to Ye Tian, saying, 'The standard of Martial Cultivators in the Celestial Dragon Empire naturally can't compare to the Holy Land, but you can't underestimate this Imperial City Academy. Their troop deployment strategies are well worth studying. Although the Holy Land has many masters, its battles are disorganized. In contrast, the military legions and political circles of these empires possess many conspiracies, stratagems, and military tactics that, at a critical moment, can be as powerful as many experts!'

Hearing this, Ye Tian completely understood. 'No wonder even people from the Holy Land would deign to study here. It seems I'll have to keep a lower profile from now on. If I can hide my strength to get in here, then other masters certainly can too!'

'A long time ago, the Celestial Dragon Empire was extremely powerful, its strength no less than that of a Holy Land! It only declined later due to certain incidents. However, its foundations remain. And within this Imperial City Academy, many secrets are hidden. Many people from the Holy Land want to uncover these secrets. They might find some heaven-defying treasures to increase their strength. This is another one of our objectives for coming here.'

Zhang Xinlan's transmission helped Ye Tian understand a great deal. After listening to more of Luo Chen's explanation, he finally said with certainty, "Since the academy has the two major departments of the Military Cultivation Institute and the Civilian Cultivation Institute, I'll enroll in the Military Cultivation Institute. As for the specializations, I'll choose siege warfare and cavalry! After all, I have no intention of becoming a court official. Haha, and looking at me, I don't seem like the material for a civil servant either."

Ye Tian said, half-joking and half-serious.

"I'll go with Ye Tian into the Military Cultivation Institute, but I want to study arrays. Please help us make the arrangements, Instructor."

Zhang Xinlan added immediately.

"Alright, I'll go arrange it right away!"

Lu Lingchen was the instructor in charge of this matter. After hearing what Ye Tian and Zhang Xinlan said, he immediately knew what to do.