Replace me as the top scholar? Go talk to my Marshal Grandpa!

The round of 32 to 16 ended quickly.

Apart from Fu Zizhen and Sikong Xirong, all the remaining champion seeds have advanced to the round of 16.

Of the four major families in the capital, three of their direct descendants failed to even make it into the top sixteen.

This news was like a bombshell, causing an uproar throughout the capital.

Sikong family.

The patriarch, Sikong Lie, sat in his study, listening to his subordinates' reports, his face ashen.

"hope Rong...lost?"

The subordinates kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Yes, Patriarch, Miss Xirong lost to Wang Xian of the Wang family in the second round."

Sikong Lie remained silent.

Wang Xian.

It's the Wang family again.

He waved his hand, signaling his men to leave.

Then, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

After a long silence, he whispered:

"You managed to turn a good-for-nothing with no talent into a genius? The Wang family... just how terrifying is your foundation?!"

The Fu family.

Fu Yuan listened to the report without expression.

He didn't speak, but simply picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

Then, he put down his teacup and said calmly:

"understood."

After his men left, Fu Yuan remained seated, motionless.

His face showed no emotion.

The Long family mansion.

Long Xiaotian stood by the hospital bed, looking at his son who lay there with a blank stare and lifeless eyes.

Long Qingyu lay there, motionless.

His eyes were open, but there was no light in them.

It was as if the soul had left this body, leaving only an empty shell.

Long Xiaotian clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

His chest heaved violently as he suppressed his anger.

At that moment, the doctor walked in.

He held the medical report, glanced at Long Xiaotian's expression, and said cautiously:

"Master Long, your son's test results are in."

Long Xiaotian said in a deep voice, "Speak."

The doctor cleared his throat and rattled off a whole bunch of professional jargon from a psychological perspective.

What is "post-traumatic stress disorder," what is "self-denying personality collapse," what is "cognitive dissonance"...

Long Xiaotian grew increasingly irritated as he listened, and finally couldn't help but interrupt:

Speak like a human being!

The doctor swallowed hard and, forcing a smile, said:

"Simply put... it means his Dao heart collapsed."

He paused, then added:

"In this situation, medication is useless, and treatment is useless."

"Whether your son can recover depends on himself. If he can't get over it..."

He didn't continue.

But everyone understands what it means.

Long Xiaotian's face turned completely black.

He stared intently at his son on the bed, finally unable to suppress the anger in his heart!

"Wang Xian!!!"

He let out a low growl, his voice filled with murderous intent:

"This is outrageous! How could they be so ruthless, destroying my son's Dao heart!!"

He clenched his fists, veins bulging:

"You deserve to die!!"

He had clearly forgotten one thing: he had sent Long Qingyu to teach Wang Xian a lesson first.

The Long family made the first move.

Now that his son has been disciplined, he has instead started blaming the other party.

Just as Long Xiaotian was enraged, the butler hurriedly walked in.

He glanced at Long Xiaotian's expression and said cautiously, "Patriarch, the Grand Elder of the Heavenly Dragon Clan has arrived."

Long Xiaotian's expression changed.

He took a deep breath and quickly composed himself.

That angry expression vanished instantly, replaced by a calm and composed face.

He straightened his clothes and said to the butler:

"Let Zuntian come over too."

The butler nodded and hurriedly withdrew.

Long Xiaotian took one last look at Long Qingyu on the bed before turning and leaving.

……

Reception room.

An elderly man with dragon horns on his head was sitting in the guest seat, slowly sipping his tea.

He looked to be in his seventies or eighties, with an aged face, but sharp eyes and a calm demeanor.

The two dragon horns were as black as ink, curved like bows, and exuded a faint sense of power.

He is the Great Elder of the Celestial Dragon Clan, a pure-blooded dragon who has taken human form.

A young man was sitting next to him.

The young man also had dragon horns, but they were more refined than the old man's, resembling two curved swords.

He was handsome, with a hint of arrogance between his brows and a calm yet profound gaze.

He sat there upright, his back ramrod straight, exuding an innate noble air.

Footsteps sounded.

Long Xiaotian entered the reception room with a warm smile on his face:

"Elder, it's been a long time! Your presence truly honors our Long family!"

Grand Elder Ao Ding put down his teacup, stood up, and smiled as he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Master Long, you're too kind. We're all family, there's no need to be so formal."

After exchanging a few polite words, the two took their seats.

At this moment, Long Zuntian also walked in.

He bowed slightly to Ao Ding:

Grandpa.

Ao Ding looked at him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes:

"Zuntian, you're becoming more and more successful."

"I heard you're ranked sixth on the Seed Ranking of the Great Xia's premier academy? Not bad, not bad."

Long Zuntian replied calmly, "Grandpa, you flatter me."

Ao Ding looked at the dragon horns on his head again and said with a smile, "Your dragon horns are looking more and more like your mother's."

Long Zuntian remained silent.

Long Xiaotian picked up the conversation, smiling as he said:

"Elder, what brings you here today?"

Ao Ding's smile faded, and he said seriously:

"Patriarch Long, how is that matter progressing?"

Long Xiaotian understood what he meant by "that matter".

The dragons wish to coexist with humans and integrate into the Great Xia Dynasty.

The first condition for symbiosis is that humans and dragons are equal.

They hope that the Great Xia will pass the "Great Xia Human-Dragon Equal Rights Act," recognizing the legal status of the dragon race and granting them the same rights as Great Xia citizens.

Long Xiaotian thought for a moment, then carefully said:

"Our Long family has been trying our best to push this bill forward, but the resistance is enormous..."

He sighed and shook his head:

"As you know, there are many people on the human side who oppose this, especially those old fogies who say things like 'those who are not of our race are bound to have different hearts' and 'dragons cannot be trusted'."

"Although our Long family has some influence in the Great Xia, we are still somewhat powerless to resist the opposition from the entire Great Xia."

Ao Ding frowned: "So, the progress is very slow?"

Long Xiaotian nodded:

"Very slow, extremely slow."

He glanced at Ao Ding and tentatively said:

"If we could get some... extra help, we might be able to win over more neutral parties and speed things up."

Ao Ding remained silent for a few seconds.

He understood Long Xiaotian's implication—profit.

The Long family needs greater benefits to win over allies and to push forward the bill with greater force.

He thought for a moment and said:

"Patriarch Long, if the bill passes, our Heavenly Dragon Clan is willing to share the resources of the Dragon Realm with the Long Clan. Spirit mines, spirit herbs, and contract quotas for dragon beasts... all are negotiable."

Long Xiaotian's eyes lit up slightly, but his face remained expressionless:

"Elder, these were agreed upon beforehand."

Ao Ding looked at him and asked, "So, what does Patriarch Long mean?"

Long Xiaotian smiled and said:

"Elder, the Dragon Realm has its own resources, and so does the Human Race."

"After the bill is passed, dragons will need some... connections to live, cultivate, and do business on human territory, right?"

……