Chapter 136: Underestimated and Friends

Words : 1288 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

Chapter 136 - 136: Underestimated and FriendsXue Qinghe shot Shen An a coy glare, though years of cultivated restraint kept her from revealing her true strength and beating him up on the spot. To be honest, being given such a look by a man made Shen An's skin crawl. He much preferred soft, fragrant girls. So, without any outward change in expression, he quietly removed his hand from Xue Qinghe's waist. Damn, it was surprisingly smooth—wait, no! What the hell am I thinking? Remember, Shen An, you're a straight man with normal preferences! Shivering slightly, Shen An mentally scolded himself and subtly put some distance between them. "That must be the venue for the exchange up ahead," Shen An said, pointing at a grand building in the distance in an obvious attempt to change the subject. The structure was massive, its entrance adorned with an imposing gate bearing the words: Heaven Dou Empire's Top Academy Exchange. A few students in various uniforms were coming and going. Shen An chuckled. "The red uniforms must be Blazing Fire Academy, the blue ones are probably Skywater Academy, and the purple ones are surely Thunderclap Academy. It's almost too obvious." Xue Qinghe smiled as well. "Naturally. The Five Elemental Academies have specific enrollment requirements. For example, Blazing Fire only accepts fire-attribute soul masters, so their uniforms reflect their element." "Interesting. I wonder how strong they are, though." "Simple. I'll take you inside, and you'll see for yourself." As Xue Qinghe led Shen An toward the entrance, two students in deep purple uniforms blocked their path. "Halt. No outsiders allowed. This is a gathering for elites only," one of them said coldly. Xue Qinghe's brow furrowed briefly before smoothing over. Most people wouldn't recognize him, after all. "My surname is Xue. There isn't a place in Heaven Dou I can't enter," he replied evenly. The two students burst into laughter. "Xue? And mine's Rain. Get lost, or we won't be polite." A flicker of anger passed through Xue Qinghe's eyes. Shen An, meanwhile, watched quietly from the side—this wasn't his fight to take over. "Hey, sister, isn't that Jerry? What's he doing here?" Shui Yue'er, standing some distance away, noticed the commotion at the gate. Shui Bing'er also looked over in surprise. This was an event for the six major academies—why was an outsider trying to enter? "Let's go help him out. He looks even handsome now," Yue'er said dreamily. Bing'er sighed, rubbing her forehead. Her sister was wonderful in every way—except for her hopeless boy-crazed tendencies. That's why she always stuck close, afraid Yue'er might get taken advantage of by some unscrupulous man. "Fine. Bringing in one extra person shouldn't be a problem. But the person next to him... he looks familiar. Have I seen him somewhere before?" After a brief hesitation, Bing'er agreed to step in. "Thunderclap Academy, let them in. They're my friends," Yue'er declared, hands on her hips. Hearing the voice, Shen An turned curiously to see who was helping him. "Hey, Jerry! Long time no see!" Yue'er grinned when she caught his gaze. Before Shen An could respond, a small brown mouse suddenly darted out from Tom's arms, blinking at Yue'er in confusion. Who's calling me? The sisters rubbed their eyes. Am I seeing things? A mouse just popped out of a cat's embrace—how does that even make sense? Yue'er gasped. "Why is it looking at me like that?" Shen An coughed awkwardly. His cover was blown right in front of them. "Ahem. Actually, he's Jerry. My real name is Shen An. Sorry for lying before." Before Yue'er could react, Jerry squinted at Shen An, stomping his tiny feet on his shoulder as if scolding him. You shameless jerk! Using my name to swindle people! Yue'er clutched her chest dramatically. "You lied to me? I'm heartbroken! Unless you take me out to dinner tonight, I'll never forgive you!" Shen An: "..." Bing'er's eye twitched. This sister of mine is hopeless. The Thunderclap students scowled. "Are you ignoring us? No outsiders are allowed—no exceptions!" Yue'er stepped forward. "I don't want to fight, but if you keep this up, I'll have to teach you a lesson." The two clearly recognized her. During yesterday's inter-academy sparring, Yue'er had defeated several students with ease. "Don't push it! Just because I can't beat you doesn't mean Boss Yu can't!" one retorted, though his bravado was thin. Just as Yue'er was about to reply, Xue Qinghe spoke first. "My name is Xue Qinghe. If you insist on blocking me, then call Yu Tianxin here to say it to my face." His voice was icy. The two hesitated, but then a deep voice cut in. "You dare stop the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou? Wait till I deal with you two later." A tall, broad-shouldered man strode forward, meeting Xue Qinghe's gaze. Though Yu Tianxin was ostensibly reprimanding his juniors, his words were clearly protective—a thinly veiled warning: I've said my piece, so don't push it. Xue Qinghe remained impassive. "Since Yu Tianxin of Thunderclap Academy has spoken, let's consider this matter closed." Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "This is Shen An, my friend and a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I brought him today to observe the top academies in the empire. I trust there's no objection?" Yu Tianxin glanced at Shen An dismissively. Aside from his good looks, the boy seemed utterly unremarkable—holding a cat with a mouse perched on his shoulder, looking more like a tourist than a soul master. Another spoiled noble brat. Heaven Dou Royal Academy is practically a breeding ground for useless aristocrats. He couldn't fathom why his cousin, Yu Tianheng, had enrolled there. "Hah! If he's the Crown Prince's friend, of course he's welcome. If he sees anything interesting, he's free to try a spar," Yu Tianxin said with a laugh before walking off, his lackeys trailing behind. Meanwhile, two students in cyan uniforms approached from another direction. "Shen An, I'll catch up with you later. There's something I need to handle." A poised black-haired girl in a Skywater uniform whispered something to Bing'er, whose expression shifted before she hastily pulled Yue'er away. Watching Yu Tianxin's retreating figure, Shen An remarked, "He doesn't seem to respect you much. And I could see the disdain in his eyes." Xue Qinghe smiled wryly. "The imperial family is weak. Sons of great clans like him have every reason to look down on us. That Yu Tianxin is from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, after all." Shen An fell silent. You're the Crown Prince, and you're telling me the royal family is weak? Really? He stepped forward and clapped Xue Qinghe on the shoulder with his free hand. "Don't worry. I'll teach him a lesson later." "Why?" "Isn't it obvious? Because we've hit it off—we're friends." Friends... The word felt strangely foreign to Xue Qinghe. This time, he didn't mind Shen An's hand on his shoulder. Instead, he turned the term over in his mind. The heir of Spirit Hall, the prince of Heaven Dou... can someone like me really have friends? A faint, genuine smile curved his lips. ...It wasn't a bad feeling. In fact, he rather liked it.

Chapter 136: Underestimated and Friends

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