Standing to the side, Prince Adrian Cao of Yan also showed a look of shock and awe. He knew Neil Ning’s strength well—although his fists weren’t quite as strong as his swordsmanship, he was still a mid-stage Grandmaster. Yet he’d actually been pushed back by a teenage Grandmaster?
Suddenly, a thought struck Prince Adrian Cao of Yan: Neil probably hadn’t used his full strength and had underestimated his opponent, which was why he suffered this minor setback. Even so, his opinion of Ian Song rose even higher.
"You’re good. You’re worth my using swordsmanship!"
Neil Ning took a deep breath and said to Ian, "Where’s your sword? Show it!"
Ian just smiled and shook his head. "Not yet."
"...You...!"
Feeling slighted again, Neil Ning was a bit embarrassed and angry.
"Shiiiing!"
His longsword flashed out of its sheath, turning into a streak of snowy white lightning aimed straight at Ian’s chest.
Neil’s sword was icy cold, radiating bone-chilling frost. Within three feet of the blade, the air nearly froze solid. His sword was incredibly fast—within a blink, he stabbed over eighty times around Ian, surrounding him with ice crystals and snowflakes.
"A cold-attribute sword art. The speed’s not bad, but it’s way too flashy!"
Standing in the middle of the sword technique, Ian looked perfectly calm—he even had the leisure to critique Neil’s swordsmanship.
"Kid, watch out!"
Neil Ning shouted coldly. Frost surged from his sword, and suddenly a sword beam three feet long burst forth.
"Slash!"
He slashed at Ian three times in a row. Each strike could freeze the world, each one carrying an overwhelming aura.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
Just then, Ian raised his hand and flicked his fingers three times. Three bursts of qi shot out, striking Neil’s sword in succession. To Prince Adrian Cao of Yan’s astonishment, Neil’s sword flew out of his hand!
"How is that possible?" he exclaimed, utterly shocked.
Neil Ning’s expression was also stunned.
"Step aside for now!"
Suddenly, Ian said this to Neil Ning. Then, with a flick of his hand, the sword that had been knocked away flew back and landed in his grip.
He stood still, focused for a moment, then suddenly struck with the sword.
His sword was even faster and sharper, but simple and direct. As he swung, ice crystals and snowflakes swirled around him, and the ground crackled as thick layers of ice formed. Even from a distance, both men could feel the bone-chilling cold.
"Aaaang!"
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed from Ian’s sword. A ten-foot-long ice dragon burst out from the blade and smashed into the ground with force.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, an oval-shaped ice pit appeared in the courtyard, five or six meters deep and over three meters across.
"What...?"
Staring at the ice pit, Neil Ning was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he made a decision—he strode up to Ian and knelt down with a thud: "Please, master, accept me as your disciple!"
The sword technique Ian just performed was Neil’s own, but its power was five or six times greater.
Especially the final move—it could instantly kill a peer-level Grandmaster.
At that moment—
The commotion here had alerted the mansion’s guards, and a large group rushed over at top speed.
Prince Adrian Cao of Yan quickly shouted, "All of you, withdraw at once!"
"Get up. I can teach you this sword art, but there’s no need for formal apprenticeship. After all, I only improved it based on your own technique!" Ian said with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, teacher!"
Neil Ning rose at Ian’s command, his eyes full of respect and admiration.
Prince Adrian Cao’s gaze toward Ian changed as well. He thought to himself, "If I can win him over, what great cause could I not accomplish?"
"Junior Brother!"
At that moment, Chloe Cao’s figure appeared outside the courtyard.
"Senior Sister!"
Ian responded with a smile.
Next, the group returned to the study, now joined by Chloe Cao.
"Your Highness, I came to visit today with one more request," Ian said, rising to his feet.
"Oh? Please speak," Prince Adrian said gently.
"I’d like to ask Your Highness to marry Senior Sister to me as my wife," Ian said directly.
"Ah!"
Hearing this, Chloe Cao was mortified. She couldn’t stay in the room any longer and ran out, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Prince Adrian frowned at Ian’s words. "Nephew, this is a difficult matter!"
"What’s so difficult about it? Senior Sister and I already pledged ourselves to each other. If Your Highness hadn’t brought her back to the residence, we’d already be married!" Ian said seriously.
Prince Adrian hurried to explain, "Nephew, don’t misunderstand. You’re talented in both literature and martial arts—if Chloe marries you, it’s a blessing for her. But court law forbids imperial officials from marrying into princely houses. With your talent, passing the imperial exam should be easy, and as Zachary Cai’s disciple, your future in the bureaucracy is bright. If you marry Chloe, you’ll ruin your promising career!"
"That doesn’t matter. Fame and fortune are fleeting—I have no interest in officialdom, so whether I become an official or not is irrelevant!" Ian laughed.
Prince Adrian was stunned. He hadn’t expected Ian to have such resolve—to give up high office for his daughter.
The next moment, Prince Adrian continued, "Nephew, there’s another problem. I didn’t know you and Chloe had already pledged yourselves to each other, so I planned to marry her into the Linnan Su Clan!"
"The Linnan Su Clan?" Ian had heard of them—the richest house in Linnan, said to be worth tens of millions and as wealthy as a kingdom. Was Prince Adrian planning to use their money to fund a rebellion?
Thinking this, he asked with a smile, "Your Highness, do you harbor rebellious ambitions—are you aiming for the dragon throne?"
At those words, Prince Adrian’s face changed dramatically. Although he did have rebellious intentions, if word got out, it would only bring harm. He wasn’t ready yet, and if the court found out, he’d have no way to resist the imperial army.
He forced a laugh and said, "Nephew, you must be joking. Why would I have rebellious ambitions?"
"So Your Highness doesn’t have such intentions? Then I must have overthought it. I was even thinking of lending you a helping hand!" Ian said with a smile.
Prince Adrian was stunned, frowning at Ian as his mind raced. Did this kid have rebellious ambitions too?
Or was he sent by the court to test me?
"No need to overthink it, Your Highness. I may be Zachary Cai’s disciple, but I’m still just a scholar—no official post yet!" As he spoke, Ian produced a glass dragon and handed it to Prince Adrian.
"How much do you think this glass dragon is worth, Your Highness?"
Ian asked with a smile.
"At least ten thousand taels!"
"You’re supporting twenty thousand private troops. Just feeding them must be a huge burden. If I could supply you with lots of glassware—" Ian said, producing several more glass artworks.
A glass wolf, a glass tiger, a glass fox.
"With these, if Your Highness sells them, you’ll never have to worry about military expenses again!"
"How many can you supply?"
"How about one hundred and twenty pieces a year?"
Ian said.
Hearing this, Prince Adrian was deeply tempted. One hundred and twenty pieces meant one hundred and twenty thousand taels—enough to expand his private army from twenty thousand to one hundred thousand.