Thinking of this, Su Fu suddenly felt guilty.
“Dean Zhang, Kunlun Academy… won’t get mad about this, right?”
But then she thought she was overthinking it.
Taking a master wouldn’t affect her going to Kunlun Academy.
Besides, cough, it’s not like you can only take one master.
Look at her in the Chang’an exam—she had a supervisor for a master too.
Dean Zhang smiled without answering.
He was very curious how the Kunlun Dean would react if she heard her student wanted to jump ship to someone else.
Heh, just thinking about it was amusing.
***
Kunlun Academy.
At the core of the Taiji Diagram’s yang fish eye, in a room perfectly symmetrical with the yin fish eye layout.
Suddenly, space trembled, the air violently distorted—
A massive spatial rift tore open savagely, and a giant dragon tail covered in jet-black jade scales burst through, ripping space apart.
Wherever the dragon tail passed, space was torn like paper.
The next moment, a figure stepped out of the rift.
Dean of Kunlun, Yinglong Taixuanzi.
Blood still smeared her face, her dragon eyes cold as ice, her brows full of killing intent.
Her black robe was stained with blood, her waist-length black hair drifting slightly, still carrying the aura of battle.
“Dean, you’re back!” Zhuge Yan hurried over, but frowned deeply when he saw the blood.
“You fought so hard this time? Even got blood on yourself.”
He deftly wiped the blood from Taixuanzi’s face.
Taixuanzi didn’t move, expressionless.
“This anomaly was infuriating, so I fought a bit harder.”
That one sentence explained it all.
Zhuge Yan now noticed the wound on her arm, frowning even more.
“Did you brute force it again?”
The position and depth of the wound made it clear—she’d taken the enemy’s attack head-on, clashing with the anomaly!
Zhuge sighed.
Taixuanzi didn’t even hear his nagging, her gaze fixed on the projection in the air.
At the center of the projection was Su Fu and Dean Zhang, with Zhuge Yan’s compiled exam report on the side, recording all the exam details.
“Huh?” She was a bit surprised.
“Su Fu performed well this time.”
When she saw the Four Sea Dragon Kings appear, Taixuanzi’s eyes lit up.
“The Four Sea Dragon Kings!”
“Not bad. I bet one of those authorities was snatched from Poseidon.”
Thinking of the proud sea god Poseidon being robbed by the Four Sea Dragon Kings, she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Not bad, well stolen!”
The more she watched, the more satisfied she became.
“The Four Sea Dragon Kings really took care of this girl.”
“Looks like Su Fu getting into Kunlun is a sure thing.”
Thinking about soon having such an interesting student, Taixuanzi’s smile grew even brighter.
“When she arrives, she’ll be Kunlun’s.”
“I’ll make sure to teach her well…”
She hadn’t finished when a voice came from the projection.
“Um, Dean Zhang, does our minister still accept disciples?”
Taixuanzi’s smile froze instantly.
“What?!”
“Wants to take Kong Ying as master?!”
Her agitation made Zhuge Yan’s hand slip while treating her wound.
“Don’t move!” Zhuge Yan quickly pressed her down.
“The wound’s not done yet.”
“What wound! Didn’t you hear that?” Taixuanzi waved her uninjured hand angrily.
“Su Fu wants to take Kong Ying as master! How can that be!”
Zhuge Yan remained calm, hands steady.
“Weren’t you the one who said she needed to be tested?”
He soothed gently, “If she doesn’t get into Kunlun, it’s reasonable to find another path.”
Taixuanzi’s eyes went wide. “???”
“I… I just…”
She was momentarily speechless, her dragon tail lashing anxiously.
“No! I’m going over!”
“Don’t rush.” Zhuge Yan pressed her shoulder firmly.
“Let me finish treating the wound.”
“Besides, look at yourself—what, you want to snatch a student all covered in blood?”
He said softly, “You have to mind your image. Change into new clothes.”
“When you go over, you’ll look imposing and dignified as the Dean of Kunlun. When Su Fu sees you—” Zhuge Yan paused.
He deliberately drew out his words.
“Wow! The Kunlun Dean is so strong and amazing! So dignified!”
“She’ll definitely be won over, maybe even beg to join Kunlun and take you as master.”
That clearly hit Taixuanzi’s sweet spot—her dragon tail calmed down.
“Really?”
She caught herself, quickly clearing her throat.
“Ahem, that’s not what I meant.”
She racked her brain for a “perfect” reason.
She raised her head and said, “Hmph, I’m not going over for the sake of taking a disciple.”
“She should be the first on the Chinese Audience Stairway, right? I’m going for the Audience!”
She didn’t forget to add, “So, help me prepare. Find the most formal outfit—the black jade dragon robe.”
Her dragon tail swayed as she spoke faster and faster.
“And my hair needs to be combed, ugh, after that fight it’s all messy…”
“Oh, and the dragon horns must be polished with Xuanling Grass Essential Oil—that scent is the best…”
She suddenly remembered, “And my pair of Jade Dragon Scale Hairpins? Where did I put them last time?”
Listening to her ramble, Zhuge Yan smiled gently.
“Alright, Dean. Everything you want.”
But as he looked down to treat the wound, his gaze darkened.
This injury was even harder to deal with than the last.
Those Council of Dawn people… were making Taixuanzi’s missions harder and harder.
Taixuanzi kept chattering, “Right, I need a new belt too—the last one doesn’t match my status anymore…”
“And! I need to prepare a meeting gift!”
***
C-304 Office.
Su Fu saw Dean Zhang’s expression and felt a little uneasy.
But logically speaking… there shouldn’t be a problem.
More paths were always better than fewer.
But why this inexplicable anxiety?
She suddenly wanted to find Lin Mingxi to cast a divination—no, to prophesy what was going on.
Just then, the office door was knocked.
“Knock knock knock.”
When Su Fu saw who entered, she instantly sat up straight.
It was a middle-aged man with an extraordinary bearing, dressed in luxurious robes—the family crest… was the Zongzheng Family.
Behind him, He Lian Yue also entered.
But Su Fu keenly noticed the obvious distance between them—it seemed they hadn’t come together?
Dean Zhang narrowed his eyes and asked, “Patriarch Zongzheng, you must be bored to come here?”
“Dean Zhang, you jest.” Zongzheng Mingde smiled, not caring about the barbs.
His gaze quickly fell on Su Fu, with a hint of admiration.
“As expected of this generation’s number one—the bearing and poise are truly extraordinary.”
‘What’s going on?!’
Su Fu was on high alert.
Zongzheng Family?
Praising her?
What was this old fox up to?
They weren’t exactly on friendly terms, were they?
Zongzheng Mingde acted as if there was no tension, smiling gently as he apologized first.
“It was my family’s child who was rude before—there were some offenses.”
He said “offenses” lightly, as if Zongzheng Wujiao’s targeting of Su Fu was just childish squabbling.
“But,” he changed the subject, “Ye’er happened to share the same exam venue with you, and Wujiao got his due punishment.”
Su Fu felt uneasy.
Something was off, very off.
The patriarch of Northern Polaris’s top family, apologizing to a commoner?
And talking about “fate”?
Same exam venue equals fate?
Then she had way too many fates—what a flimsy excuse.
What was this old guy after?
After the setup, Zongzheng Mingde finally got to the point, his voice gentle.
“Would you be willing to join our Zongzheng Family?”
Su Fu: ‘What?’
“Rest assured, you won’t be treated unfairly. The same as Ye’er, we’ve even chosen your name—Zongzheng Fu. All the Zongzheng Family’s resources will be at your disposal. How about it?”
Su Fu: “???”
What did this old guy mean?
Want to be her dad?!
Damn!
Shameless!
She was about to curse when Dean Zhang’s face turned black as coal.
“You shameless old thing!” Dean Zhang slammed the table, pointing at Zongzheng Mingde.
“How many times have you used this trick? Lure them in, then suppress them, right?”
“Now you’re targeting my student?!”
Zongzheng Mingde seemed prepared for this, his smile unchanged.
“Dean Zhang, what’s the problem?”
He brushed his sleeve lightly.
“I’m just inviting Su Fu to join the Zongzheng Family—what crime is there in that?”
He feigned magnanimity.
“If she’s unwilling, I won’t force her.”
He turned to Su Fu, his face eerily calm.
“But…”
“If you refuse, you’ll have nothing to do with my Zongzheng Family. If we meet in the college entrance exam, my family’s children will be enemies, not friends.”
Behind the calm words was a naked threat.
The Zongzheng Family was the largest in the Northern Polar Star System, with countless children—he was planning to bury her in numbers!
A blatant, open plot.
But was it just the Zongzheng Family?
From the moment she took first place, she’d disrupted all the aristocratic families’ interests.
Zongzheng Mingde was just the representative who came forward.
If she refused, would she only be up against the Zongzheng children?
Unlikely.
The other lofty families would surely join forces.
Because this was no longer a personal grudge, but a clash of classes.
They would never let a commoner rise to the top.
They’d surely besiege her, block her path, never giving her the chance to come back and settle accounts.
Su Fu suddenly wanted to laugh, even felt a little itch in her hands.
If only she had enough strength, she wouldn’t have to listen to this crap—she’d just punch that fake face.
Beat up all those who dared put on airs before her!
But for now, she lifted her chin slightly and said, “I have a flaw,”
She said, word by word, “I really hate being threatened.”
Zongzheng Mingde’s smile faded.
“And, I don’t plan on changing my surname.”
She stood tall, looking Zongzheng Mingde in the eye.
“So what if the exam venue is full of Zongzheng children?”
“Just a rabble!”
She didn’t even take Zongzheng Ye seriously—why fear the others?
He Lian Yue, standing to the side, watched the scene with admiration in her eyes.
Almost there.
She was waiting for Su Fu’s clear refusal.
Only then could she step in openly.
Zongzheng Mingde seemed to forget—an ordinary first place couldn’t withstand the joint attack of the Zongzheng Family and the other families behind them.
But what if this first place was the Minister of Education’s disciple?
Forget one family—even if the three great families joined forces, so what?
In the face of absolute strength, all schemes were nothing.
Who could be a minister?
Everyone knew—Education Ministry personnel must have overwhelming strength in their jurisdiction.
‘Reform…’ she sighed softly in her heart.
Reform required power to face all resistance—otherwise, the consequences would be dire.
Just as He Lian was about to speak—
A suffocating pressure descended!
The entire space shook violently, visible to the naked eye.
He Lian Yue’s pupils shrank.
She was forced to bend, a metallic taste in her throat, and everything in sight lost its shape.
Bookshelves shattered, paper crumbled like snow, chairs splintered—everything collapsed.
Everyone felt a terrifying mountain pressing down, almost crushing them.
He Lian Yue fell to her knees, feeling she’d be ground to dust the next moment.
Just then—
“Crack!”
The void tore like paper, a dragon tail violently ripping open a huge rift!
The entire Tianqi office collapsed!
Amidst the smoke, a figure stepped from the rift.
Ink-black hair like a waterfall, jade-colored dragon horns, slit pupils full of killing intent.
She looked at one person as if seeing a corpse—
“Boom!!!”
A massive dragon tail swept out, tearing space, crushing everything in its path, smashing toward Zongzheng Mingde!
“Bang!!!”
The top defensive talismans around Zongzheng Mingde shattered into gold dust in less than half a second.
His body was sent flying, slamming into the steel wall a hundred meters away!
At the center of the storm, the black jade dragon robe billowed.
Taixuanzi lowered her eyes, her cold voice resounding:
“My Kunlun’s people—are you worthy of threatening them?”
Dragon might swept out, divine power surged.
Dean of Kunlun, Yinglong Taixuanzi.
Had arrived!