Chapter 117: Entanglement

"Lord Linghu, please, speak your mind," Shen Duo said, her clear eyes opening calmly. There was not a trace of sleepiness in her voice; clearly, she had awakened the moment Linghu Yu arrived with his men.

Feng Jun helped her sit up and lean against the headboard. Shen Duo met Linghu Yu’s smiling gaze.

"I have always admired people as straightforward as you!" With those words, he glanced smilingly at Lou Jingbai, then continued, "My people have sent word that the Shen family has made a move. I suspect they will reach Normans City within an hour or two. We are willing to offer you our protection."

"And the conditions?" Shen Duo asked evenly, as if they were old friends catching up rather than negotiating. She was not naive; Linghu Yu had not come all this way to share news and offer protection without expecting a return on his investment.

Sure enough, Linghu Yu’s smile broadened. The old man had certainly not misjudged her. "I love your directness. Should you ever encounter trouble in the future, you are welcome to come to me. We have no excessive demands; we simply wish for you to join Jocelyn Academy and become a member of our institution."

*Join Jocelyn Academy again.* Zhou Anlan had previously tried to recruit her, but his motive was to use her as cannon fodder for the Zhou family. But what about Linghu Yu?

She never liked making a losing deal. Looking directly into his eyes, she asked, "Why do you want me to join Jocelyn Academy? What is your objective?"

Linghu Yu was taken aback by her bluntness, but he quickly recovered. "You must be aware that our academy houses the best swordsmanship division on the continent. As for why I’ve extended this olive branch, the primary reason is your talent as a swordsman; the secondary reason concerns the academy itself. There are many internal matters you are not yet aware of. Today’s Jocelyn Academy is no longer the pure sanctuary for cultivators it once was."

As he spoke, a hint of nostalgia and sorrow crept into his voice.

"Is it because of the Zhou family?"

Linghu Yu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I met Zhou Anlan at Aisi Port, and he gave me an invitation to Jocelyn Academy," Shen Duo stated frankly. It seemed the academy was far from the peaceful place it appeared to be from the outside. Wei Dong had hinted at this before, though his description had been vague.

Seeing that Shen Duo mentioned the Zhou family, Linghu Yu’s expression darkened. "Did you accept his offer?"

"If I had, I wouldn't be discussing this with you now."

"Hmph! It is fortunate you refused. He only uses such invitations to recruit pawns for the quadrennial martial arts tournament between the four great families. If you had accepted that invitation, you would likely have paid with your life!" Linghu Yu’s voice was icy.

He watched her face as he spoke, expecting shock, but found that the young girl was not surprised in the slightest—as if she had known all along. Linghu Yu couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect.

Shen Duo pondered for two minutes before looking up at Linghu Yu. She said apologetically, "I am truly sorry. While I would like to accept your help, I have already promised a friend that I would enter Jocelyn Academy through him."

"Oh? Shen Duo, can you tell me the name of this friend?" Linghu Yu was caught between laughter and frustration. He and the old man had been tracking her for so long, only to find she was already spoken for. He was curious to see who had beaten them to this talent.

Shen Duo thought for a moment before giving him Wei Dong's name.

Linghu Yu’s eyes widened, and he burst into laughter. "Wei Dong? Isn't that lad a disciple of Fubin? So, you intended to join the Ziyuan Division all along, not the Zhouxing Division. It seems my intervention was unnecessary."

It was a classic case of the floodwaters rushing into the Dragon King’s temple; family members failing to recognize their own. Linghu Yu had not expected this genius girl to have such a predestined connection to them.

Shen Duo looked at him, bewildered.

Linghu Yu explained patiently, "Since you haven't entered the academy yet, you wouldn't know what has been happening inside. Jocelyn Academy is split into two divisions: the Ziyuan Division I just mentioned, and the Zhouxing Division. A century ago, a direct descendant of the Zhou family named Zhou Kaigang was elected Dean of the Zhouxing Division, and it gradually fell under the family's control. Every dean since has been a member of the Zhou family. Their influence has been dormant yet deep-rooted for a hundred years. Even if our Dean reported it to the Continental Education Union, they could not fully purge the Zhou family’s influence. After a century of development, the Zhouxing Division has effectively become the private academy for the Zhou family and their collateral descendants! It is a massive headache for our Dean."

In reality, the crisis was far more severe than Linghu Yu’s brief summary suggested. Supported by the Zhou family, the Zhouxing Division looked down upon the students of the Ziyuan Division. The swordsmanship branch belonged to the Ziyuan Division; if not for the protection of Lord Wei Lan, the best swordsmanship school on the continent would have been disbanded under the pressure of the Zhouxing Division long ago.

Most of the students in the Zhouxing Division were collateral members of the Zhou family or small-to-medium-sized magical families dependent on them. It had been completely monopolized. Because of the Zhou family's dominance, the Ziyuan Division was frequently oppressed, and their resources were dwindling year by year. This long-term suppression severely damaged the academy's reputation. The Dean had filed numerous reports requesting to reclaim management of the Zhouxing Division, but due to the Zhou family's influence, these applications were buried on the desk of the Education Union’s director, never to be approved.

The Dean no longer relied on the Education Union, which was composed of the Imperial Alliance and the four great families. If all the academies on the continent were eroded by the four great families, common magic practitioners would be left in a permanent state of subjugation—a future that no educator wanted to see. The four great families were already powerful enough; if commoners were robbed of an equal place to learn, it wouldn't be long before the empires of the continent collapsed.

The complexity of these circumstances caused Shen Duo to frown.

"Are you not afraid of the trouble I might bring? You know my identity now," Shen Duo said, a faint smile finally touching her cold little face. After this conversation, she felt she could finally trust Linghu Yu.

"The four great families care most about the inheritance of powerful magic bloodlines. And now that an anomaly like you has emerged within that bloodline, I suspect your family head is not particularly pleased to see it," Linghu Yu said with a wink.

Although Shen Duo had a grudge against Shen Taixing and his group, he wasn't overly concerned about the Shen family’s investigation team. Once they reached Jocelyn Academy, he had plenty of ways to handle them. After all, despite Shen Duo's heaven-defying talent, it was in the field of swordsmanship; the Shen family wouldn't care about a sword prodigy wandering outside. As for Shen Taixing, he had his own family sanctions to worry about.

Linghu Yu’s plan was sound, but events would soon spiral far beyond his control.

That night, Linghu Yu took Shen Duo and her group and left Normans City. As darkness blanketed the city, a drizzling rain began to fall, shrouding the bustling port in mist. By the time the Shen family investigation team reached the medical clinic where Shen Duo had been staying, the building was already empty.

Shen Hui scanned the vacant room, his face filled with a sinister gloom. He coldly ordered his subordinates, "Search the entire city! I want results before daybreak!"

The investigators vanished into the rainy night like ghosts.

"Can’t this Shen Taixing be more reliable? We had to rush here in the middle of the night just because of one word from him!" the short, thin man behind Shen Hui complained.

Shen Hui’s hawk-like eyes narrowed as he looked at the thinning crowd on the street. "Do you remember what the Ninth Miss was like when she was at the Shen family’s main city?"

The short man spat in disdain. "The super-trash of the direct line for a thousand years, couldn't even absorb spirit magic energy. She was an embarrassment to our family! But boss, if she’s such a waste, why is Shen Taixing so obsessed with having us capture a little girl who isn't even as good as an ordinary person?"

Truth be told, ever since Shen Duo had been sent to Luo City, where the Shen family’s secondary businesses were located, the direct line had essentially abandoned this useless descendant. Aside from providing the bare necessities, they wouldn't have shed a tear even if she had dropped dead.

Shen Hui’s lips curled, and he glanced at his simple-minded subordinate. "Don't you know? That 'trash' Ninth Miss you keep talking about is now a Sword King!"

Shen Hui’s mocking words struck the man like a bomb, leaving him completely stunned.

"Boss, you're not pulling my leg, are you? That trash is already a Sword King?" Shen Hui’s expression was serious and vigilant, which convinced the man entirely. He gaped, his small eyes widening. "Boss, turns out swordsmanship is that easy to cultivate? She advanced so quickly?" *Damn it,* he, a one-star Sky Mage, had cultivated for a full forty years, and his talent was considered above average even among the direct line!

Shen Hui shot him an "you're an idiot" look. "Don't dream, moron. Swordsmanship is far harder to cultivate than magic. Do you think a Sword King is as common as a cabbage?"

The man shrank back, not daring to talk back, but his heart was filled with curiosity. This "trash" Ninth Miss had become a Sword King in less than a year! What kind of terrifying talent was that?

Shen Hui looked away. When he had been assigned this task in Normans City, a family elder had stopped him before he left, handing him a wax-sealed scroll with instructions that he must bring Shen Duo back to the main city at all costs.