บท 92: Chapter 92: Establishing Authority
[You were born in the Star Luo Empire, officially the son of the Fire Leopard family, a prominent noble family in the empire. However, it was widely known among the top circles that you were actually the illegitimate child of the Emperor. Nonetheless, being born with the bloodline of the Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul, there was potential for you to be nurtured into power, so you were entrusted to the care of the Fire Leopard sect.]
[As a member of the imperial bloodline, albeit illegitimate, your birth wasn't a fatal issue, especially in a place like the Star Luo Empire where strength mattered most. Apart from lacking the qualification to vie for the throne, you still had access to basic growth resources. However, your fate depended on proving your potential and qualification when your martial soul awakened at the age of six.]
[Despite your special status, you were treated well by the family due to your inherent charisma. While not receiving special treatment, you were not mistreated either, being regarded as an ordinary member of the family.]
[Yet, you knew your situation was not secure. Your unique identity made you a target, whether your talents were exceptional or lacking. Thus, the awakening ceremony at the age of six would determine your destiny.]
[Discontent with the cold-blooded system of the Star Luo Empire that valued strength over everything, you harbored resentment, especially towards the Emperor. However, your birth and power compelled you to bide your time, vowing to make the royal family pay one day.]
[Concerned for your safety, you began studying your martial soul from a young age. Sensing its stirrings even before awakening it, you delved deeper into martial soul knowledge. Surprisingly, you discovered a potential innate soul power level of over rank eight. To downplay this, given your weak maternal bloodline, you deliberately maintained a lower nutritional standard.]
[At six years old, you attended the awakening ceremony with the nominal father, Count Su Bo. Having kept your martial soul intensity below rank eight, you weren't overly nervous, though the exact awakening level remained unclear.]
[The results of the ceremony met your expectations; there were no bloodline mutations, and your innate soul power level was only rank seven. Nevertheless, you were satisfied, as this talent, though modest by Dai family standards, surpassed most other noble bloodlines.]
[As a noble child, you qualified for the primary Royal Academy, where noble offspring studied basic soul master knowledge, given your innate soul power level.]
[The main quest begins.]
Feeling a surge of spirit, Su Cheng sensed his six-year-old body.
Accompanied by a Su family elder, also a Soul King-level practitioner, they were on their way to the Star Royal Primary Academy.
"Young master, the Royal Academy is ahead. There are many noble children there, so be mindful of your interactions. However, the family head has instructed not to be overly cautious when necessary. While the Fire Leopard sect doesn't provoke trouble, we aren't afraid of it either."
The accompanying elder's words were a simple reminder.
There wasn't much complexity to it. The young master before him was exceptionally talented and amiable, making interactions comfortable. Offering a few reminders was just a matter of course.
As for the young master's hidden identity, it had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to get involved.
Su Cheng nodded in acknowledgment and replied gently, "Alright. Thank you, Elder Li, for accompanying me. I can go in by myself; you can return to the Count's mansion."
After the elder departed, Su Cheng looked at the academy gates and walked in without hesitation.
Royal Academy does not have a registration process. Each slot is predetermined, decided upon after the martial soul awakening ceremony.
Su Cheng didn't head straight to the dormitories. He had nothing to store, as the noble academy emphasized comprehensive service, with everything prepared in advance. He went directly to the academy square, surveying the bustling crowd of young students.
Currently, the academy had a relatively small number of students, with most occupying the square, numbering around twenty or so. They were mostly offspring of nobles from various sizes of families in the Star Empire.
Despite their recent awakenings, Su Cheng found that he could roughly sense their martial soul strengths under the fluctuating auras.
"So, this is the talent of a 'Martial Soul Scholar.' Quite impressive…"
Though these children were weak, not having achieved soul mastership due to lacking additional soul rings, and Su Cheng couldn't accurately sense their innate soul power levels, he could estimate.
However, he hadn't fully developed this talent yet, making his current progress already remarkable.
Su Cheng observed and found that, with his innate soul power level of seven, he was already outstanding here. There were only a few others at his level, and none with a level of eight or higher.
In this world, those with an innate soul power level above seven were quite rare, even among the excellent bloodlines of the Star Empire.
This discrepancy was normal among different age groups.
Thinking it over, he targeted one of them and walked straight towards the son of a marquis with a similar martial soul intensity to his own.
As they passed each other, their shoulders brushed, nearly knocking the other to the ground.
"Don't you have eyes?!" Zhang Sansan exclaimed, glaring at Su Cheng.
Others around turned their attention, curious.
"Sorry, I didn't notice," Su Cheng apologized with a smile, offering a hand to help him up.
However, his eyes held no apology, but rather a hint of mockery.
But besides Zhang Sansan, no one else noticed this.
Seeing this, Zhang Sansan's anger surged.
His background was prominent even in the noble-filled Star Imperial Capital, and his innate soul power level of seven made him the hope of his family's revival.
Now being rudely bumped into, with the other showing disdain, was intolerable.
However, as he looked closer, Zhang Sansan recognized him.
"I wonder who it is, turns out to be the second young master of the Fire Leopard family, Su Cheng." His mocking tone resounded, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I heard you awakened the White Tiger Martial Soul. What's the deal? Are you really your old man's son, or a result of crossbreeding?"
"Huh? It seems there's such a rumor."
"I've heard my family mention this matter."
"A descendant of the Fire Leopard family awakening the White Tiger Martial Soul is indeed laughable."
"..."
Su Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing around.
Apart from a few who joined in and most who were merely bystanders, another child with innate soul power similar to theirs was watching thoughtfully from a distance.
In this setting, where everyone came from extraordinary backgrounds, their top-tier martial soul talents naturally led to complex thoughts.
Every action, from Su Cheng's initial move to Zhang Sansan's verbal attacks, even the spectators' intentions, likely involved family instructions, personal opinions, or even attempts to gain favor with the Crown Prince.
However, Su Cheng didn't mind because it aligned with his intentions.
With a swift movement—
"Smack!"
Before Zhang Sansan could react, Su Cheng landed a slap across his face.
With their strengths similar, Su Cheng's mastery of the Disruption Qi technique ensured his speed was his greatest advantage.
"You!"
"Smack!"
Su Cheng smiled as he delivered another slap, "Who do you think you are? Hasn't your family taught you manners?"
Subsequently, the other few who had joined in received the same treatment, all treated equally.
Silence fell over the scene, with no one able to retaliate.
Several people looked at Su Cheng with respect.
Su Cheng glanced around, maintaining a polite smile as he bowed to the others.
"I apologize for the disturbance. As you can see, they were the ones being rude. I'm not good with words, so I had to resort to physical retaliation. I don't mind being insulted, but insulting my family is unacceptable to me. I believe you wouldn't tolerate it in such a situation either."
His sincere tone and gentle demeanor resonated with the onlookers, who found themselves agreeing with his viewpoint.
They didn't know about Su Cheng's specific circumstances but admired his actions.
Star Luo Empire's nobles never lacked a sense of family honor and courage to fight.
Despite his swift actions, Su Cheng was polite and apologized after accidentally bumping into Zhang Sansan.
Even when retaliating, he stopped at a certain point, clearly not a bully.
With his powerful strength, there was no need for conflict.
Zhang Sansan's anger churned, but he knew he was no match for Su Cheng's strange speed and overwhelming strength.
With a snort, he left the scene.
Su Cheng chuckled inwardly.
Indeed, his natural charisma was highly effective, easily gaining others' favor and trust.
This affinity, when handled well, could give him an advantage in any situation.
However, he wasn't naive; he knew people wouldn't blindly follow him just because of his charm.
After the incident, many new students approached him, and Su Cheng welcomed them warmly, introducing himself and getting to know them.
Not everyone knew his specific situation.
Upon learning about his innate soul power level of seven and his White Tiger Martial Soul, their attitudes changed significantly.
Su Cheng easily befriended these children.
A few astute ones even thought about the Dai family's White Tiger Martial Soul.
But such thoughts remained internal; no one dared to openly discuss them.
Even if Su Cheng were indeed hiding his royal bloodline, it wouldn't be a big issue.
This identity might be inconvenient to disclose openly, but the bloody tradition of the Dai family proved they valued strength over lineage.
These nobles were used to handling matters discreetly, and Su Cheng's actions didn't raise any eyebrows.
For them, strength was paramount, while identity was secondary.
This was different from the situation in the Tian Dou Empire.
Even the reigning emperor there was only around level forty to fifty, with a relatively weak Swan Martial Soul.
Their noble system was bloated, and without the coordination of the Martial Soul Hall and the balance between the Seven Great Soul Masters' Clans, the continent would likely be dominated by the Star Luo Empire.
Su Cheng didn't do these things to play house with these kids.
He was preparing in advance for when Zhu Zhuqing, his same-age peer, would likely join the academy soon.
He needed to be ready beforehand.
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