Chapter 20: Journey to the Royal Academy

Two months later.

In the courtyard, Xue Sha could be seen practicing with his sword, sweating without a shirt. Despite his effort, it was noticeable that he was gradually losing strength. When he could no longer move the sword, he planted it in the ground and used it as support for his body, resting while breathing heavily.

"Haa... haa..." panted Xue Sha, feeling the air fill his lungs with difficulty.

The right-hand butler approached with a glass of salted water and offered it to Xue Sha. He took it and drank, feeling the liquid restore some of his energy. After a few minutes, the right-hand butler, seeing that he had regained his strength, spoke to him formally.

"Young Master, the Master has ordered that you must depart immediately."

Xue Sha nodded and replied, "Yes, yes, tell him I will be ready in an hour."

With those words, he headed inside the house and entered the bathroom to shower. The fresh water helped him relax and wash away the sweat from his body. After the shower, he combed his hair and brushed his teeth meticulously.

He left the bathroom and went to a room that was entirely a wardrobe. He carefully observed the garments and chose an outfit similar to the white one he usually wore, but this time he opted for an entirely black ensemble. The Muslim abaya he chose had two red lines that gave it a distinctive touch.

Dressed and ready, he left the room and headed to his butlers, saying with determination, "Let's go."

The butlers nodded and followed him as they made their way to the throne room, ready to carry out the Master's orders.

Upon entering, they found the Sect Master sitting on the throne, an imposing figure whose presence filled the room. Several people stood around him, all with serious and respectful expressions. The butlers following Xue Sha bowed deeply.

"We see the Sect Master," they said in unison, maintaining the bow for a few seconds before returning to a normal stance.

The Sect Master nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on Xue Sha. His eyes, full of wisdom and authority, seemed to scrutinize every detail of the young man.

"You will have to go to the Royal Silver Junior Academy," he said in a firm but calm voice. "Remember, it is an academy for nobles, so when you go, you must say you are a descendant of Duke Xue." He paused, pointing to the other people in the room. "They are your followers from now on; they will only obey your orders. All of them are above the Spiritual King."

The indicated people knelt in unison, bowing their heads in respect. "We see the Young Master," they said in firm but respectful voices.

Xue Sha, with a cold and calculating expression, nodded. "You may rise."

The followers returned to their original positions.

Duke Xue, who had been silently observing, added, "I almost forgot, remember to get close to the Crown Prince." Suddenly, he began to cough violently, and a trace of blood appeared on his lips. He took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped himself, trying to maintain composure. "Well, if you have more questions, you can ask them. Go down the mountain, and there is a carriage waiting to take you to the academy."

Xue Sha frowned, but his expression remained impassive. "Alright, let's go," he said with determination, turning to leave the room with his companions.

They descended the mountain steps, the fresh air filling their lungs as they went down. Below, a very long carriage with three wagons awaited them. The horses, imposing and well-trained, snorted and pawed the ground impatiently.

Xue Sha and the butlers, along with another person, boarded the middle wagon. The other followers distributed themselves in the other wagons. The horses made a loud sound and began to run, the carriage moving swiftly towards Silver City.

Xue Sha decided to meditate and assumed a posture. As they approached the city, a wave of soul power emanated from his body. After a few moments, he opened his eyes.

The butlers and the bodyguard said to him, "Congratulations, Young Master."

Xue Sha simply nodded coldly and resumed meditating.

They entered through the north gate of the city and headed to the west part. There was a wall and some gates. Upon entering, they found a fountain and numerous noble carriages entering. In front of a building, the carriages stopped, and the nobles and their followers disembarked. When it was Xue Sha's turn, they got off and entered the building.

Upon entering, he heard some nobles talking among themselves.

"What a shame His Majesty the Pope didn't kill Tang Hao. How dare he marry a soul beast?" said one, with a disdainful expression on his face.

"Yes, it's incredible. After all, soul beasts before ten thousand years don't have consciousness and almost certainly have had sexual relations with other beasts, even having offspring. I didn't know Tang Hao's taste was so strong," replied the other, with a mocking smile.

"The bad thing is that the Pope is very injured, he might even die. But his father, the previous Pope, came out of seclusion and with an army of soul masters surrounded the Clear Sky Clan and forced it to lock itself in the mountains," added the first, with a mix of concern and satisfaction in his voice.

Just as they were about to continue talking, one of them silenced the other and looked around. Seeing the emblem on the shoulders of Xue Sha's followers, they quickly stepped out of line in silence, with expressions of surprise and respect.

Xue Sha approached the counter, and the left-hand butler took out a token and said to the clerk, "In the name of Duke Xue, his descendant Xue Sha wishes to join the academy."

The clerk took out some papers and said, "Here you put your name, here your martial spirit, and here your current rank."

Xue Sha wrote his name and his current rank, level 13. When it came to writing the martial spirit, he hesitated, but the right-hand butler signaled by touching his back where the heart is. Then, Xue Sha wrote "Heart."

The clerk took the paper, signed it, and filed it. Then he handed him some keys.

Xue Sha took them and left. After he was gone, the other nobles returned to the line and resumed talking, whispering among themselves with curiosity and respect.