48: Chapter 48 Four Prodigies from One Family, Royal Academy

The afternoon sun was warm.

In the back garden.

Li Xuan lay lazily on a rocking chair made of thousand-year-old warm jade.

Not far away, a crisp "crack" sound rang out.

Three-year-old Li Changsheng was squatting by a large bluestone, hard at work.

With his hair tied in a small topknot and wearing a silk jacket, he had a serious look on his small face, looking quite professional.

He picked up a Northern Iron Walnut with his left hand and placed it on the stone slab.

With his right hand, he raised a palm-sized, dark purple pagoda and aimed it.

"Hi-yah!"

With a tender shout and a wave of his small hand, the pagoda descended.

"Crack!"

The Iron Walnut split open, revealing a plump kernel.

The bluestone slab beneath it didn't even have a single mark left on it.

That exquisite pagoda was none other than the ziyang divine tower, an Imperial Weapon renowned throughout the Eastern Wasteland.

Now, this incredibly precious weapon had become Li Changsheng's exclusive toy.

A hammer for cracking walnuts.

If the Saint of Ziyang were alive in spirit and saw this scene, he would likely die of anger on the spot.

This was hardly just cracking walnuts.

This was simply disrespectful to the Saint.

"Father! Eat!"

Li Changsheng cheered, picked up the fragrant walnut kernel, and trotted over to Li Xuan on his short little legs, holding his small hand up high.

"Good boy."

Li Xuan smiled and patted his head, took the walnut kernel, and tossed it into his mouth. The taste was alright, though it had a bit of the metallic flavor of an Imperial Weapon.

By the lotus pond.

Two-year-old Li Qingyue, wearing a pink dress, was squatting by the pond.

She extended her fair, tender little finger toward a red koi in the water.

She just watched it.

The koi swam desperately toward her, its tail wagging rapidly.

Li Qingyue blinked her large eyes and tapped the air toward the koi.

A beam of Lunar Power burrowed into the koi's body.

The next second.

The koi's body actually began to change.

The palm-sized koi shuddered violently, its red scales shimmering. Two small bumps bulged on its head, and two long, slender dragon whiskers sprouted from the corners of its mouth.

In an instant.

The ordinary koi began an evolution like the "carp leaping over the dragon gate," transforming toward a Dragon Carp.

Throughout the whole process, Li Qingyue just thought it was fun, like feeding a candy to a little pet.

The Third Prince, Li Yuanbao, was sleeping soundly in a crib made of ten-thousand-year-old Soul-Nurturing Wood.

The palace maid beside him looked at him with eyes full of both affection and a touch of awe.

This was not to be blamed on them.

This little prince was practically a walking God of Wealth.

If he didn't sleep comfortably and groaned twice, fragments of Spirit Stones would fall from the sky.

The grade wasn't high, but the quantity was large.

If he was in a good mood and grinned, then you had better be careful when you went out.

You might trip over a gold nugget while walking.

Now, the palace maids and eunuchs in the entire imperial palace were nearly fighting over the job of serving the Third Prince.

This wasn't just a job; it was clearly a massive stroke of good fortune.

In his sleep, Li Yuanbao pursed his little lips, about to cry.

"Oh my, my little ancestor."

The palace maid was quick; she pulled out a rattle-drum and shook it vigorously, making "giggle, giggle" sounds with her mouth.

Li Yuanbao stifled his cry and was amused instead.

The palace maid breathed a sigh of relief and turned to run.

After running just two steps, her foot slipped, and she stumbled.

Looking down, a High-Grade Spirit Stone the size of a pigeon egg was right beside her foot.

The palace maid hurriedly picked up the Spirit Stone, stuffed it into her bosom, stood up straight, and pretended nothing had happened.

Li Xuan watched all of this, feeling somewhat helpless.

Look at his three children.

The eldest, born with double pupils, a genius in the sword path, uses an Imperial Weapon to crack walnuts, with incredibly precise control of power.

The second, with a Lunar Body, uses Lunar Power as feed, enlightening all things, and is about to turn the back garden into a monster zoo.

The third, with a God of Wealth Destiny, between crying and laughing, the wealth of Great Xia is almost devalued because of him.

What kind of situation is this?

Li Xuan had a headache.

Three prodigies in one family, plus himself, a powerhouse in the Venerable Realm.

In terms of high-end combat power alone, the Great Xia Divine Dynasty could go toe-to-toe with an Immortal Holy Land.

But the problem was, none of these prodigies were acting properly.

One is three, one is two, and one is still nursing.

Go to the battlefield?

That scene was truly unimaginable.

Cultivate?

They get stronger just by eating and drinking; they don't need to Cultivate at all.

If they keep being left to their own devices like this, problems will arise sooner or later.

Having such talent and only using it for such trivial matters is a pure waste.

They must be educated.

Not just Cultivation, but worldview and values are even more important.

Otherwise, Li Changsheng might just end up cracking every walnut in the world.

Li Qingyue will turn all living things into monsters.

Li Yuanbao will ask people if they dropped a gold axe or a silver axe every time he opens his mouth.

No.

Must find something for them to do.

A plan came to his mind.

A categorized, progressive educational system.

The top priority for cultivating the next generation.

"Come here."

Li Xuan spoke.

A golden-armored guard immediately knelt down.

"What are your orders, Retired Emperor?"

"Pass on my decree: establish a Royal Academy in the Imperial Capital. All children of the Great Xia imperial clan aged six or older must enroll. The direct descendants of officials of the third rank or higher in the imperial court, or those who have made great contributions to the nation, may also enroll."

"The Academy makes no distinction between high and low status; everything will be based on performance. Courses in Literature, Martial Arts, Alchemy, Artifacts, Formations, and Talismans will all be offered. I am tired; hand over the specific matters to Li Ye to handle. Within three days, I want to see the Academy."

"As you command."

The golden-armored guard was excited and left to carry out the order.

Li Xuan's will was the highest decree of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty.

The Human Emperor, Li Ye, was both shocked and delighted upon receiving his Imperial Grandfather's decree.

Establishing an academy to Cultivate talent.

This was a great undertaking that would benefit the present and the future for generations to come.

Since ancient times, knowledge and Cultivation Techniques had been monopolized by Sects and Dynasties.

His Imperial Grandfather's move was opening the doors to the elites of the entire Divine Dynasty.

"Pass on my decree! Summon the Ministry of Works—no, mobilize all Cultivators in the entire Divine Dynasty who are skilled in construction. Within three days, I want to see an academy capable of accommodating ten thousand people completed!"

"Allocate the best Materials from the national treasury, and from my private treasury, take out that piece of Wenqu Star Stone to serve as the treasure of the Academy!"

Li Ye was invigorated and sent out order after order.

The entire bureaucratic system of the Great Xia Divine Dynasty began to operate at high speed.

One day later.

A complex of buildings covering thousands of acres, even more magnificent than the imperial palace, was rapidly built on the east side of the Imperial Capital.

Above the Academy, the aura of literature was flourishing.

Two days later, teaching facilities, desks, chairs, and lesson plans were all ready.

Li Xuan was quite satisfied with this efficiency.

He waved his hand.

Thousands of low-grade Cultivation Techniques, Martial Skills, Pill Formulas, and formation diagrams that he had no use for flew into the Academy's library.

In his eyes, these things were trash.

But any single one of them would be enough to make ordinary Sects scramble to fight over.

Three days later.

The Royal Academy officially opened.

The Imperial Capital was filled with joy.

Hundreds of children wearing new student uniforms, led by their parents, excitedly arrived at the entrance of the Academy.

They were members of the imperial clan, descendants of meritorious officials, and the children of the most top-tier power brokers in Great Xia.

Their parents, those usually arrogant princes and ministers, had put away their pride and were watching excitedly at this moment.

Their faces were full of gratitude.

The Dean of the Academy, a great scholar in the Marquis Realm, was standing at the entrance preparing to deliver a speech.

A commotion came from the back of the crowd.

Everyone turned around, and the crowd parted to the sides.

Li Xuan was carrying an infant, holding the hand of a two-year-old girl, and followed by a three-year-old toddler, as he walked over.

The scene suddenly went quiet.

This peculiar combination attracted everyone's attention.

Three-year-old Li Changsheng, wearing split-crotch pants and a small purple pagoda necklace around his neck, looked around curiously.

Two-year-old Li Qingyue, holding her father's hand, blinked her large eyes, looking lively and cute.

Li Yuanbao, in Li Xuan's arms, smacked his lips and blew a spit bubble.

Bringing children to observe the ceremony?

Before the crowd could react, the Marquis Realm Dean had already trotted over.

He bowed three steps away from Li Xuan and said in a trembling voice:

"Wel... Welcome, Retired Emperor! Welcome, Your Highnesses, the Eldest Prince, the Second Princess, and the Third Prince!"

Once these words were spoken, the students and parents present were stunned.

These three little ones are the three princes and princess whose births were accompanied by heavenly phenomena?

The Retired Emperor actually brought them to school himself?

Li Xuan pressed his hand down, signaling him not to be overly formal.

"The two of them will be students of the Academy from now on. Let them attend classes normally; there is no need for special treatment."

The Dean looked troubled.

Attend classes normally?

You call these normal students?

Using an Imperial Weapon as a toy, turning a koi into a dragon, and causing a rain of Spirit Stones when crying—how can they attend classes normally?

Li Xuan saw his dilemma and added another sentence.

"Of course, if they feel bored and want to tear down a few classrooms for fun, don't stop them."

The Dean was speechless for a moment.

All the teachers and students looked at each other.

These words were too direct.

Li Xuan ignored the crowd, handed Li Changsheng and Li Qingyue to a flustered female instructor, and carried Li Yuanbao off to find a spot to watch the excitement.

The opening ceremony ended hastily in a strange atmosphere.

The first class.

Introduction to Qi.

The teacher in the Cave-Heaven Realm was talking endlessly on the podium, explaining how to meditate and how to sense Spiritual Qi.

"Everyone, calm your minds, empty your thoughts, and go feel, go touch the colorful little specks of light in the air..."

Li Changsheng was a bit bored and yawned.

He picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and casually slashed it across the white paper.

"Swish!"

A strand of Sword Qi burst from the tip of the brush, splitting the hard wooden desk in front of him in two.

The cut was smooth.

The surrounding students looked at the broken desk in astonishment.

The teacher's words stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on the broken desk.

On the other side.

Li Qingyue looked at the hot tea on the teacher's desk, extended her little hand, and tapped the air toward the teacup.

"Crack!"

The scalding hot tea, along with the teacup, froze into a block of ice.

The classroom suddenly went silent.

The teacher looked at the block of ice on the podium, then at the broken desk on the other side, and then looked out the window.

Li Yuanbao sneezed, and fragments of Spirit Stones began to fall from the sky again.

He had a premonition.

This teacher of his might not last long.