Zhu Xingran's fists tightened, and a mix of emotions flooded her mind. She had never expected her parents to come to the Heavenly World.
Acknowledge them? If she were to do that, she would return to the same life she had at the Temple Academy. People would look down on her and discriminate against her.
Deny them? Her conscience wouldn't allow it.
Zhu Xingran felt torn.
The young woman stood at the door, waiting for her answer.
After a long silence, Zhu Xingran took a deep breath, stood up, and walked outside.
Soon, she arrived at the Academy's gates and saw Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang in the distance.
The moment they saw Zhu Xingran, tears streamed down their faces. They never thought that they would see her again. When they sent Zhu Xingran away back then, they were mentally prepared to never see her again.
They were convinced that leaving their homeland was nearly impossible.
Zhu Xingran approached them, and her heart ached—they looked drastically older since the last time she saw her.
Just then, some students gathered around, curiously observing the scene.
Seeing the murmuring crowd, Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang became uneasy. After hesitating, Zhu Tao said, "Xingran, we just wanted to see if you're doing well… And does the Academy demand tuition from you?"
Zhu Xingran gently shook her head and replied, "No."
Zhu Tao looked surprised. "No?"
Zhu Xingran nodded and explained, "The Academy waives tuition fees for students facing financial difficulties. Plus, if your grades are good, you will be eligible for scholarships. My scholarship covers all the remaining fees."
"That's good to hear." Zhu Tao grinned as he added, "This Academy is wonderful… truly wonderful."
"Ha!" someone scoffed.
Everyone turned and saw a young man walking toward the crowd.
He was none other than Li Feng. He had on a smirk as he said, "There were rumors that Zhu Xingran was from the Abandoned Continent and was born a refugee. Now, it seems those rumors were true!"
Everyone turned to look at Zhu Xingran, whose face instantly turned pale.
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Just as Li Feng was about to speak again, a voice echoed. "So what if she's a refugee?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man and a lady walking toward them. They were Ye Guan and Zhou Fan!
Zhu Xingran froze when she saw Ye Guan.
Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang were also stunned.
They never expected to meet Ye Guan here.
With Zhou Fan by his side, Ye Guan approached the group.
He smiled at Zhu Tao and politely said, "Brother Tao, we meet again."
Zhu Tao, overjoyed, asked, "Brother Ye, how… how come you're here?"
Ye Guan smiled warmly and replied, "I'm here to find you two."
Zhu Tao looked puzzled.
Ye Guan turned to Li Feng and said, "Lady Xingran's background is lacking, but it only proves just how excellent she is. I see nothing worth mocking about her. Remember, even Sword Master Qingshan once started as a servant disciple."
Li Feng glared at Ye Guan and said, "Those admitted to the Guanxuan Academy are all elites from prestigious families and clans. I believe people from refugee camps like her don't deserve to study in the same Academy as us."
"Since when did the Guanxuan Academy start admitting students based on family background?" asked Ye Guan with a frown.
Li Feng sneered, "Why don't you ask everyone here? Would they be willing to study alongside a refugee?"
"No way!" someone shouted, stepping forward. Soon, more and more people stood behind Li Feng, openly supporting his statement.
They had no choice. Li Feng's grandfather was an elder in the Inner Academy and was responsible for student admissions. Offending Li Feng would crush their chances of ever entering the Inner Academy.
Seeing the growing support, Li Feng smiled triumphantly and said, "See? Nobody wants to study with someone from a refugee camp."
Ye Guan glanced at him and those behind him. Then, he nodded slightly and remarked, "That's easy; we'll just expel all of you then."
"Hahaha!" Li Feng burst into laughter. "Expel us? What a ridiculous joke! Do you even know what you're saying? Let me tell you, my grandfather is Li Gang, one of the most revered figures in the Guanxuan Academy!"
Ye Guan sighed inwardly, realizing that those who had obtained power from scratch often became the most arrogant and abusive people among the flock.
Zhou Fan could not help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.
Just then, Zhu Xingran pulled Ye Guan aside. She sounded angry as she asked, "Do you even know what you're doing?"
Ye Guan looked at her calmly.
"I know you have some skills, but do you realize where you are? This is the Guanxuan Academy. Any elder here can crush you with a snap of their fingers!" Zhu Xingran added.
Ye Guan replied earnestly, "Don't worry. He has a grandfather, but so do I."
Zhu Xingran was utterly speechless.
"Your grandfather?" Li Feng scoffed. "Dare you bring your grandfather out to challenge mine one-on-one?"
Zhou Fan laughed so hard that her shoulders trembled.
Ye Guan replied, "My grandfather probably wouldn't come out to do that."
Li Feng sneered, "Even if you gave him all the guts in the world, he wouldn't dare to do that."
Ye Guan turned to look at Zhou Fan, who was laughing uncontrollably. He glared at her in an attempt to make her stop, but his actions only made her laugh even harder.
"The Academy Chief is here!" someone shouted.
Everyone turned and saw a middle-aged man walking toward them. He was slightly overweight, and his flabs jiggled with each step.
He was Zhao Heng, the newly appointed Academy Chief of the Heavenly World's Guanxuan Academy. A few elders of the Guanxuan Academy followed closely behind him.
Everyone bowed respectfully toward them, saying, "Greetings, Academy Chief!"
Zhu Xingran also bowed with respect and greeted, "Greetings, Academy Chief."
A surge of excitement engulfed her heart. She was in the presence of the Academy Chief!
For someone like her, the Academy Chief was a god-like figure. Upon her admission, Zhu Xingran began learning a lot about the Guanxuan Academy, and she learned that the Guanxuan Academy was an incredibly powerful academy with many star fields under its control.
The Academy Chief of a world's Guanxuan Academy branch could be considered to be the ruler of that world. In other words, the Academy Chief could change her fate with just a single word.
When Zhao Heng saw Zhou Fan and Ye Guan, his expression immediately changed. He quickened his pace and walked straight toward them. In front of the shocked onlookers, he bowed deeply to them, saying, "Your Majesty, and Academy—"
Zhao Heng stopped and glanced at Ye Guan.
Ye Guan nodded slightly.
Zhao Heng immediately bowed again. This time, he bowed even deeper as he said, "Greetings, Academy Master!"
Academy Master?
Everyone was bewildered.
Your Majesty? Academy Master?
They all turned to look at Ye Guan and Zhou Fan.
Ye Guan smiled. "No need for such formalities."
Zhao Heng looked at Ye Guan and smiled. "I'm sure you don't know me, so let me introduce myself first, Academy Master. My name is Zhao Heng, and I was sent here by Committee Head Li.
"I never expected to see you here. What a pleasant surprise."
Ye Guan noticed his respectful yet confident demeanor and was impressed. He smiled back and cordially replied, "This place is still in disarray and needs some rebuilding. I'll be counting on you moving forward."
Zhao Heng said, "I won't let both you and the Committee down."
"Academy Master?" an elder stammered. "H-He's the Academy Master?"
Zhao Heng nodded. "Yes, he is."
Everyone present was stunned.
They all knew the terrifying strength of the Academy Master. However, they never gave it much thought, as the Academy Master seemed to be an impossible distance away from their lives.
Today, however, the Academy Master was standing right in front of them!
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Zhu Xingran's eyes widened as she stared at Ye Guan in a daze.
Zhao Heng asked, "May I know what brings you and Her Majesty here?"
Ye Guan glanced at Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang, who still seemed unsure of what was happening. "Due to some circumstances, I ended up on the Abandoned Continent down below. At the time, I only survived because Brother Tao and Aunt Jiang had decided to help me.
"My wife and I have decided to come here for them."
Zhou Fan smiled gently and explained, "We would like to invite you both to the Immortal Treasures Pavilion for a meal. Can you please grant us the honor?"
Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang were at a loss for words, feeling extremely nervous in the face of Zhou Fan's graceful demeanor.
Ye Guan chuckled. "Brother Tao, my wife will personally cook for us tonight. She's a great cook! Come with us! Let's drink together tonight."
With that, he grabbed Zhu Tao's arm and led him away, leaving behind the stunned crowd.
The Academy Master and the Empress of the Great Zhou actually invited them for dinner? And the Empress herself is going to cook for them?
It felt like a fever dream.
Zhao Heng was also surprised, but he soon smiled. The Academy Master truly lived up to his reputation of being completely unpretentious and kind. This boded well for the beings of this universe.
Just then, Zhu Tao turned back toward Zhu Xingran, hesitation flashing in his eyes. He wasn't exactly aware of what the words "Academy Master" meant. In fact, he knew nothing about the bigger world outside.
Just like that, they were taken away by Ye Guan and Zhou Fan.
As soon as they left, the students swarmed Zhu Xingran, showering her with flattery and eager friendliness. Watching their exaggerated attempts to please her, Zhu Xingran felt lost.
She had always wanted to change her fate, escape her old life, and distance herself from her family. In the past, she envied the students with influential backgrounds, surrounded by admiration and attention.
At this moment, however, she realized that the target of her envy had always been hollow and superficial.
When Zhu Xingran saw her parents, whom she had always considered a source of shame, being treated with such respect by the most powerful man in the entire Guanxuan Universe, she finally realized how immature she had been.
It turned out that man had decided to help her, not because of her looks nor for any other superficial reasons. It was purely because of her father.
***
Soon, Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang arrived at the Immortal Treasures Pavilion with Ye Guan and Zhou Fan.
Zhou Fan immediately got busy cooking for them.
Aunt Jiang pulled Zhu Tao aside and whispered, "That Young Master Ye seems to be some kind of Academy Master. Do you know what rank that is?"
Zhu Tao thought for a moment, then asked, "You know Chen Yu, the manager at our mine?"
Aunt Jiang glared at him. "Of course I know him."
"Chen Yu is the manager," Zhu Tao explained, "I think Young Master Ye is probably something similar to him, just on a much bigger scale."
Aunt Jiang slapped his shoulder and retorted, "Do you think I'm stupid or what? Did you not see how respectful Xingran's Academy Chief was toward him?
"How could he be compared to a manager? If you're going to ask me, then I'll say he's at least the equivalent of five foremen!"