In the Great Yan Kingdom, princesses could also contend for the throne.
In fact, His Majesty was merely a figurehead, much like the head of a family.
True power rested in the hands of the Old Ancestor.
Legend had it that a hidden Old Ancestor, at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, resided within the royal family.
Precisely because women could seize power, the Fifth Princess sought to win over Qin Hanchu.
Royal children prioritized interests above all else.
If Qin Hanchu had demonstrated his strength, the Fifth Princess would have definitely married him.
However, Qin Hanchu had no intention of becoming a prince consort.
Although he didn't have this thought, Lin Ying's words made Qin Hanchu pause.
To the royal family, talent that could be controlled was the only kind of talent that mattered.
Talent that could not be used for their own purposes was highly likely to be eliminated.
Qin Hanchu, being in the late stage of Grandmaster, could afford not to fear the royal family.
But protecting those around him would be difficult.
As long as the royal family didn't target him, Qin Hanchu had no desire to be their enemy.
That evening, at the residence of the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord.
Bang!
Gong Changjun's father burst through the door, entering in a fury.
"What's wrong?" the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord asked, seeing her husband so angry.
The Gong family head sat down beside the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord and declared indignantly, "You don't know yet?"
"Know what?" the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord inquired.
"Your son was beaten at the Military Martial Academy!" the Gong family head exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord sat up straight, her voice laced with anger, "When did this happen? Who did it?"
For the first half of her life, the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord had been dedicated to the martial path.
It wasn't until she was nearly fifty that she had a son, Gong Changjun.
Both the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord and the Gong family head doted on their son.
He had been indulged in every way since childhood.
This, in turn, had cultivated Gong Changjun's arrogant and overbearing personality.
With his parents as his backing, no one in Jiangdong Prefecture dared to provoke Gong Changjun.
Fortunately, Lin Ying's father was a Dragon General in the War Department; otherwise, Gong Changjun would have already found other means to possess Lin Ying.
Over the years, many beautiful women had been forcibly taken by Gong Changjun.
"This afternoon, the one who beat him was Qin Hanchu."
"I checked, and this Qin Hanchu is an instructor at the Blood Battle Army in Island City, peak ninth rank at twenty-one years old."
"Furthermore, he is the disciple of the divine doctor Hu Qingshan and is betrothed to Lin Ying."
the Gong family head stated.
"Peak ninth rank at twenty-one?" the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord asked incredulously.
The Gong family head nodded. "Mhm."
"I didn't expect such a monstrous talent," the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord said, astonished.
"That's not important now; what's important is that he beat our son."
"Changjun had already revealed his identity, yet he still slapped Changjun."
"If he hadn't known Changjun's identity, it could be excused."
"But knowing Changjun is our son and still resorting to violence shows he doesn't respect us."
the Gong family head fumed.
The Jiangdong Prefecture Lord nodded, "You have a point, but he is, after all, a student in the special class at the Military Martial Academy. We can't exactly storm the academy to avenge our son, can we?"
"Regardless, our son was beaten, and we can't just let it slide," the Gong family head declared angrily. "He must apologize to our son, or I will teach him a lesson on behalf of my son."
"The Fifth Princess and the Fourth Prince are both at the Military Martial Academy. Do you think they would let such a prodigy go unchecked?" the Jiangdong Prefecture Lord said gravely. "Anyone in the special class is a target for princes and princesses to recruit. If Qin Hanchu has already pledged allegiance to one side, then by beating him to avenge your son, you would be offending the prince or princess."
Upon hearing this, the Gong family head fell silent.
A monstrous genius wasn't terrifying; what was terrifying was a genius with a powerful backer!
Princes and princesses were figures far beyond their reach.
"So, we just let it go?"
"If what you say is true, then it's either we don't seek revenge, or we crush him directly!"
"If we merely force him to apologize, we might sow the seeds of future trouble."
"Once his status surpasses yours, it will be our family's downfall!"
the Gong family head argued.
The Jiangdong Prefecture Lord nodded, "Therefore, it's best to use someone else's hand to teach him a lesson, so we don't get involved in the karma ourselves."
"Do you have any ideas?"
The Jiangdong Prefecture Lord pondered and then said, "The son of Prince Meng from the capital has also entered the Military Martial Academy. This son is extremely lecherous. As long as he sees Lin Ying, he'll likely clash with Qin Hanchu."
"Excellent idea. Prince Meng belongs to the faction of the First Prince. His son won't show respect to the Fifth Princess or the Fourth Prince," the Gong family head said with a smile.
The next day, the Military Martial Academy officially began its term.
Early in the morning, Qin Hanchu prepared breakfast using the ingredients provided by the academy.
As soon as the meal was ready, Xue Lingxian and Xin Xin walked in.
After eating, Qin Hanchu and the others left their villa for school.
As for Tang Siwei, she remained in the villa to cultivate her basic skills.
The three classes were located in different directions. Lin Ying and Xin Xin went to the advanced class, while Qin Hanchu and Xue Lingxian headed towards the special class.
Upon reaching the entrance of the special class, Qin Hanchu encountered Yan Jiangnan from the previous day.
Yan Jiangnan had lost all face after yesterday's battle.
Being students in the same special class, the martial arts gap between Yan Jiangnan and Qin Hanchu was immense.
Seeing Qin Hanchu, Yan Jiangnan let out a cold snort.
Observing Yan Jiangnan's behavior, Qin Hanchu coldly said, "Stop!"
Yan Jiangnan halted, coldly asking, "What is it?"
"Who are you snorting at?" Qin Hanchu demanded.
Yan Jiangnan snorted again, "Is it any of your business?"
"Be humble in front of me, or don't blame me for beating you!"
Although Yan Jiangnan was a minor figure, Qin Hanchu didn't want his mood affected by his expression.
Therefore, today, he had to make Yan Jiangnan understand fear!
From now on, when Yan Jiangnan saw Qin Hanchu, he wouldn't even have the courage to snort.
"Today is the official start of the term. Do you dare to beat me within the academy?"
"Haven't you seen the Military Martial Academy's rules?"
Yan Jiangnan said dismissively.
Qin Hanchu smiled, "Rules always have loopholes, such as sparring during martial arts classes!"
With that, Qin Hanchu was the first to enter the classroom.
"Be prepared, the second class today is martial arts class," Xue Lingxian said with a light smile to Yan Jiangnan.
Yan Jiangnan's expression froze!
Martial arts classes often involved combat, and with Qin Hanchu's strength, he could easily crush him!
Although Qin Hanchu couldn't seriously injure him, he could certainly make him suffer.
The three arrived early, and there were no other students in the classroom yet.
Qin Hanchu and Xue Lingxian chose adjacent seats, while Yan Jiangnan sat far away.
Before long, a chubby man wearing glasses walked in.
The胖子 had a beaming smile and said, "Hello, everyone, I am Pang Zhixing!"
Qin Hanchu and Xue Lingxian introduced themselves with smiles.
As for Yan Jiangnan, he stated his name with a grim expression.
Pang Zhixing sat down next to Qin Hanchu and smiled, "You must be Qin Hanchu, right? Your name is already ringing in my ears!"
"It's not that exaggerated, is it?" Qin Hanchu replied with a smile.
"Peak ninth rank at twenty-one years old, and that's not exaggerated?" Pang Zhixing exclaimed. "Your cultivation speed is even more terrifying than the former Asura King!"