Libationer Barrett walked out of the Scholars' Quarters and headed next door to the Royal Courtyard.
Inside the Royal Courtyard, princes, princesses, county princesses, and heir apparents were everywhere—some gifted, some mediocre, but all tangled in a web of factions.
Princes and princesses were the emperor’s children, while county princesses and heir apparents belonged to the kings. Beyond the struggle for thrones among the heirs, there was constant power jockeying among the imperial children—a headache for anyone involved.
This was exactly what Barrett hated most, but he couldn’t avoid it; to ignore the royal and noble houses would be to invite trouble.
“Maybe I should ask the Second Prince for advice.”
With that, he made up his mind and went to consult the Second Prince. Prince Luther Ling was both startled and delighted: Barrett was the Imperial Academy’s Libationer, second only to the Grand Rector, his strength unfathomable—equal to any top minister or sect leader, one of the true greats of the age.
To be taught by him would be a rare blessing indeed!
“The Second Prince seems to be getting ahead of himself.”
Seeing the look of joy on his face, Barrett immediately realized he’d misunderstood, and laughed, “I only teach scholars below the Six Directions Realm. Since I don’t know much about the Royal Courtyard, I’d like you to recommend two candidates.”
Prince Luther’s face fell.
The Crown Prince received far more resources than the other princes. Someone like Luther, simply by not being the heir, had been given a fraction of the nurturing the Crown Prince enjoyed since birth.
While princes and princesses could enter the Imperial Academy without exams, the Crown Prince had at least six master‑level teachers, the emperor’s personal guidance, and even the Imperial Preceptor’s instruction.
Not only did the Crown Prince learn the very highest arts, he also studied imperial dao, the arts of governing officials and generals, and even built his own miniature court.
Other princes and princesses, even if they aspired to the throne, simply couldn’t compete.
Barrett’s skills were on par with a sect master; his guidance might not match the Crown Prince’s privileges, but it was still a rare opportunity.
But since Barrett only taught scholars at the Spirit Embryo and Five Luminaries Realms, Luther was out of luck.
Suppressing his disappointment, Luther smiled, “My seventh sister is exceptionally gifted. Even the Imperial Preceptor has praised her talent, saying she surpasses me. She’s just a bit unruly. Barrett’s strictness could help temper her nature.”
Barrett was surprised. “The Seventh Princess? She is a bit too playful—her cultivation’s lagging as a result. The Imperial Supervisors don’t dare push her because of her status, but under me, she’ll finally get a taste of hardship.”
Luther’s eyes flickered. He thought, "Seventh Sister, you’ve gotten too close to that abandoned one, Quinn Shepherd. If you keep it up, you’ll disgrace the royal family. This trip will get you away from him—once you meet more talented youths, you’ll forget all about that outcast… I’m doing this for your own good, so you don’t go astray."
“Second Prince, is there anyone else you’d recommend?” Barrett asked.
Ling Yushu thought for a moment and said, "Ling Minyue, the Heir of Minyue."
"Ling Minyue, son of King Taishan?"
Libationer Barrett chuckled, "He's a promising candidate. I've heard you're not on good terms with the Heir of Minyue—why recommend him?"
Ling Yushu smiled, "Minyue and I only clash because King Taishan supports my elder brother. But I have to admit, Minyue's talent and insight are the best among the royal youth."
Barrett nodded, "You're a fair Second Prince. In that case, I'll have you deliver the news—tell them to meet me in the Scholars' Quarters."
Ling Yushu was delighted—he knew this was his chance to win over the Heir of Minyue—and hurried off at once.
Lynn Ling and the Heir of Minyue arrived at the Scholars' Quarters, where several other top scholars were already present: Ethan Qin, Wayne Shen, Elias Yun, Wes Young, and others.
Barrett said, "After discussing with the Grand Rector, we've decided to pilot the Academy Fellow role above ordinary scholars. You are all reserve candidates. From now on, you'll only attend select halls—Painting Sage Pavilion, Azure Sun Hall, Military Strategy Hall, Formation Hall, and Heavenly Sound Pavilion—to study painting, mental cultivation, military tactics, formations, and music. All other training will be taught directly by me, tailored to each of you. After several years, whether you truly become Academy Fellows will depend on your own ability. Oh, and..."
He looked around the room, smiling, "There's already a senior in this program—or rather, an uncle-master. He's the Imperial Academy's first true Academy Fellow. I've already discussed it with the Grand Rector and reported to the emperor; the imperial appointment will be here soon."
The whole group stared at each other in shock. The first Academy Fellow? Who could it be?
Claire Yue and Elias Yun quickly glanced at Wayne Shen, who looked conflicted and uncertain.
Barrett said, "This time, I'll be taking the Seventh Princess out for a few days of external training. The rest of you will have to wait until next time. Princess, go to the Heavenly Records Tower and pick out a few scripture manuals. The others stay here."
Everyone was surprised and delighted.
At the Heavenly Records Tower, the Director of the Archives checked Quinn's scholar token and said, "You may read inside, but don't damage any scrolls. If you do, you'll be jailed. Your token only allows access to the first floor—don't go to the second, or the archivists there will arrest you immediately."
Quinn replied, "I'm following Libationer Barrett for external training. I want to borrow a few scripture scrolls to take with me."
The Director was surprised. "I see. Libationer Barrett has special privileges—his disciples can borrow up to five scrolls. Go in and choose, then register your selections with me afterward."
Quinn entered the tower. Inside, he saw dozens of spacious rooms, each labeled with a prefecture name. Scripture scrolls were organized by region, with each room holding the arts of its local sects and clans.
Quinn stepped into the Fairview Prefecture room. There were over a dozen bookshelves, each labeled with a different sect or clan name. Scripture scrolls were neatly arranged on the shelves.
The room was quiet, with only a few scholars sitting on the floor reading. Quinn noticed several side doors—two were locked from the inside, and one stood open.
He peeked through the open door and paused—it led to a space about an acre wide, even larger than the reading room itself, but completely empty.
"Is this a place for scholars to practice arts and techniques?"
Quinn walked up to a bookshelf and pulled out a scripture scroll, glancing at it in surprise. "Fairview Prefecture has so many sects?"
The scroll was titled Danxia Skill, with several others nearby: Danxia Sword Art, Danxia Four-Gate Formation, Danxia Pill-Formula Essentials, and more.
Quinn skimmed through them. Danxia Sect's arts had their merits: after cultivation, one's qi turned into rosy clouds, filling the battlefield and hiding flying swords. The clouds blinded opponents, making it easy to catch them off guard.
"Danxia Skill is decent, but it isn't exactly miraculous."
He put down Danxia Skill and picked up Danxia Sword Art, but after a quick look, set it aside too. Danxia Sword Art was built on Danxia Skill; only those who mastered the skill could use the sword art. He checked the Danxia Four-Gate Formation next—it also required Danxia Skill and Sword Art before one could master the formation.
Quinn skimmed Danxia Pill-Formula Essentials as well. Some recipes were worth noting, but others had obvious flaws—the toxins weren't fully neutralized.
After returning Danxia Sect's scrolls to the shelf, he picked up another thick set of scripture manuals.
"Yuyuan Kingdom royal scriptures?"
Quinn was surprised, flipping through them several times. "Aren't these shelves supposed to hold Fairview Prefecture's sect scrolls? How did Yuyuan Kingdom end up here? Wait—does this have something to do with Claire Yu? Did Fairview used to be part of a country called Yuyuan?"
Quinn remembered that Claire Yu was Fairview's deputy prefect; her surname matched Yuyuan. She'd mentioned a brother, Evan Yu, who worked as an official in the capital. Could they be descendants of Yuyuan's former royal family?
Claire's position was quite high for her age—she must have an impressive background.
"Fairview lies in the south-central region of the Everpeace Empire. Clearly, Everpeace has annexed quite a few countries over time."
Quinn studied the Yuyuan royal manuals. They were incomplete, but far superior to Danxia Sect's system. The core art was called Chengdu Heaven-Bearing Profound Art, paired with a sword technique called Falling Sun Sword Art.
After a quick read, Quinn decided to select this set of scriptures.
So far, he'd only practiced Sword Diagram's first move—Sword Treading the Rivers and Mountains. That technique burned through his qi in one strike; in a regular fight, using it would leave him nearly drained, with nothing left for the next enemy.
He needed a high-grade sword art for sustained combat.
Yuyuan's Falling Sun Sword Art was just what he needed.
"The Director said I can pick five scrolls. I should look for a few more."
Quinn browsed other shelves but found nothing that caught his eye—most sect arts couldn't compare to the Chengdu Heaven-Bearing Profound Art.
He searched room after room, discovering plenty of advanced arts, which made him wonder—if the first floor held so many classics, how powerful must the second and third floors be?
"Wait, something's off. Some sects probably submitted edited versions of their scrolls—they didn't hand over their true secrets."
The more Quinn read, the more suspicious he became. Many scrolls seemed incomplete; some signature techniques were missing. After a quick browse, he could sense it clearly.
Take the Nine-Bend River Sword Art, for example—it had nine moves. When Quinn reached the ninth, his momentum and sword power peaked, but there was no tenth move to unleash that force.
Clearly, the Nine-Bend Sword Sect hadn't submitted the full sword art—they'd held something back.
This kind of thing happened often. Obviously, these sects weren't willing to hand over their true signature techniques to the empire—they'd all kept something in reserve.