It turns out, they were the main characters.

Mu Zhian walked along the corridor of the sleeping quarters with a touch of emotion when he suddenly heard two maids whispering to each other not far away.

"What are you talking about? What happened at Zunyun Academy?"

Mu Zhian overheard a part of their conversation and couldn't help but greet them.

"Ah...it's Young Master Mu! I'm so sorry, we were rude just now." The two maids hurriedly apologized as soon as they saw the person who came into view.

"It's nothing. What were you talking about just now? I remember Zunyun Academy is the most sacred place in Yuzhou, isn't it? Did something happen?" Mu Zhian asked.

Seeing that Mu Zhian seemed to be genuinely asking the question, and noticing his gentle smile, the two maids exchanged a glance before chattering away, each offering their own explanation.

After listening to their explanations, Mu Zhian understood.

With the arrival of the Sabbath a few days ago, some foreign apostles followed the old custom of collecting a portion of the Qi (energy) from various continents as food to supply 'Heaven'.

Whether a state is strong or not is related to its fortune, and this seemingly intangible thing is actually related to the prosperity of a state.

As long as there is no war, the common people in the mortal world and the cultivators in the immortal realm do not suffer from internal strife. Even if some of their fortune is lost, it can be made up for after a period of time.

Therefore, if the apostles of the Sabbath act discreetly, the powerful figures of Kyushu will turn a blind eye.

After all, that bit of luck meant nothing to them.

However, even though most apostles acted discreetly, the security situation inevitably deteriorated due to the various matters that arose during the collection of fortune.

Firstly, some foreign apostles will inevitably have some friction and conflict with the local cultivators. Secondly, cultivators from enemy states will also take this opportunity to secretly stir up trouble.

The Zunyun Academy is a case in point.

Fortunately, Luo Tan had come up with a solution beforehand.

She ordered the construction of a massive and indestructible white jade platform in each of the four cardinal directions of the outer island of Zunyun Academy, naming them 'Tianbang Platform'.

The original purpose of setting up the Heavenly Ranking Platform was for those cultivators who liked to cause trouble during the Sabbath to compete. It was equipped with an array so that it would not affect the students in Zunyun Academy.

If you don't like someone, stop complaining and just stand on the stage and say: "XXX, if you've got the guts, come up here and have a solo match. It's a father-son game, and the loser has to call me daddy."

When the other party hears the troublemaker provoking them in front of so many young and beautiful girls from Zunyun Academy, most of them can't stand it and some even come to Zunyun Academy to fight back that very day.

In this way, if there is any grudge between the two sides, or if there is any conflict between the foreign apostles and the cultivators of Yuzhou, they can openly fight on the stage. This provides a platform for both sides to resolve their conflicts, and also allows the students of Zunyun Academy to see what it is like for cultivators outside to spar.

"As expected of Luo Tan, this method is truly excellent..."

Mu Zhian smiled and said, "So there was another conflict at Zunyun Academy today, and it was a conflict between the foreign apostles and the academy elders, which is why she rushed to the academy just now?"

Both maids nodded: "Yes, today we learned that the elders of Zunyun Academy had gotten into trouble with the foreign envoys. His Majesty went to Zunyun Academy after finishing reviewing the memorials."

Mu Zhian became somewhat interested and asked, "Can outsiders enter Zunyun Academy now?"

The maid nodded slightly: "The outer courtyard is fine, but as for the inner courtyard, only disciples of Zunyun Academy are allowed to enter."

Mu Zhian first hummed in response, and then he began to realize that something was wrong.

"Wait... what did you just say? Her Majesty went to Zunyun Academy after reviewing the memorials? Then she didn't come to the palace?"

One of the maids nodded slightly: "I saw His Majesty leave the palace with my own eyes."

Mu Zhian was stunned.

Luo Tan did not come to the bedroom, but went directly to Zunyun Academy.

...Who was the woman inside the room just now?

"If you want to go to Zunyun Academy, you wouldn't mind having someone accompany you, would you?"

Just as Mu Zhian was still in shock, a woman's gentle and soothing voice came from not far outside the hall.

Mu Zhian turned his head to look, and the slender and charming princess had appeared at the palace gate at some point, her face veiled, her gentle eyes gazing at him quietly.

For some reason, there seemed to be a hint of resentment in those gentle eyes.

Mu Zhian hesitated for a moment.

"What's wrong? Does Young Master Mu dislike me?" The princess tilted her head, her voice still gentle, but there was a hint of unfriendly tone in it.

Mu Zhian snapped out of her reverie, smiled and nodded: "Very well... then I'll trouble Your Highness."

……

……

[Just realized it's already the end of the month again! Please give me some swords and monthly tickets! The monthly ticket and sword count resets on the 1st.]

Chapter 497 Your Highness, you don't want His Majesty to find out about our affair, do you?

Mu Zhian arrived at the gate of Zunyun Academy in a carriage after half an hour.

After getting off the carriage, he went to the other side, lifted the curtain, and reached out his hand to the lady of the house inside.

The princess stepped down from the carriage, glanced at Mu Zhi'an, but did not reach out to let him lead her; instead, she jumped down from the carriage herself.

Unlike her attire when I saw her today, she was wearing a long, shimmering white dress that revealed her fair neck and alluring collarbones. Not much skin was exposed, and the dress hugged her delicate body, highlighting her large, firm breasts.

Her clothing style was quite casual, and because she was wearing a veil, Mu Zhian couldn't see her makeup. But just by looking at her bright and beautiful eyes, he could feel the mature and charming allure that only a married woman could possess.

However, tonight she seemed much colder towards Mu Zhi'an, a fact that even Mu Zhi'an could clearly sense.

It seems the person in the bedchamber just now was indeed the princess...

Mu Zhian gave the princess a strange look.

He sensed something was off when he entered the hall and spoke with the other person, which is why he tried to make some intimate gestures...

But no matter what, he couldn't have immediately guessed that the woman in the palace was actually the princess.

The arrival of the two immediately attracted the attention of many students from nearby academies. No matter the era, people with good looks are always more likely to attract attention.

Just then, a clear and gentle voice suddenly came from not far away: "Young Master Mu...?"

The girl tentatively called out with a somewhat uncertain tone. Mu Zhian turned his head and saw a woman wearing a pink and white robe. Her appearance attracted the attention of many students in the academy.

"Why is Senior Sister Narcissus in the outer courtyard...? Isn't she already a disciple of the Grand Elder of the inner courtyard?"

"Today, the Third Elder of the Outer Court clashed with the Sabbath Apostle, and many students from the Inner Court came to join in the fun. I suppose she came to see what was going on too."

"Who is that cultivator who was talking to Senior Sister Narcissus? I've never seen him before. Could he be from another academy?"

Some students from the academy were whispering among themselves, their eyes intentionally or unintentionally falling on Mu Zhian.

After Xiao Shuixian accompanied the Medicine Emperor to the Liangyi Sect, for some reason, His Majesty valued her highly. Even after returning to Yuzhou, he kept Xiao Shuixian by his side for a period of time to guide her, which led to a qualitative change in Xiao Shuixian's alchemy skills.

In Zunyun Academy, Xiao Shuixian's strength is currently ranked second, while among her peers, her alchemy skills are already number one.

In addition to her impressive family background and beauty, she has always been among the top three most popular students in the academy, so it's no wonder that her greeting attracted the attention of so many students.

Mu Zhian noticed the gaze of the pretty young woman not far away and couldn't help but reveal a gentle smile: "Miss Xiao, it's been a long time."

Wasn't he always in Dongzhou? Why would he know someone at Zunyun Academy...?

The princess observed the young girl discreetly.

Xiao Shuixian's gaze lingered on the princess for a moment, a strange sense of vigilance rising in her heart.

For some reason, even though I hadn't seen the woman's face, just by looking at the princess's mature and sexy figure and the gentle temperament she exuded, it wasn't hard to imagine what kind of mesmerizing beauty lay beneath her veil.

"Why would Young Master Mu come to Zunyun Academy?" Xiao Shuixian quickly looked away and asked in a gentle tone.

However, there seemed to be a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Mu Zhian smiled and said, "I came to Yuzhou because of some things, but I didn't expect your academy to be so lively today, so I came to take a look."

Xiao Shuixian's eyes dimmed quickly, but she quickly hid the disappointment in them and smiled, "In that case, I'll take you there. Today, the Third Elder of the Outer Court is fighting against an apostle from another realm. It seems that it hasn't started yet."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "His Majesty was there today as well."

……

The white jade platform on the north side of Zunyun Academy in Yuzhou is located on an island called 'Flying Fish'. The platform is protected by an array all year round, and many cultivators come and go every day.

Compared to usual, the area around the Baiyu High Platform on the north side was much more lively today.

The reason for this is that the people fighting on the high platform today are not ordinary cultivators, but elders from the outer courtyard of Zunyun Academy.

At this moment, Luo Tan was sitting on the high platform with other elders of Zunyun Academy, waiting for the battle to begin.

A female elder beside him whispered, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Feng Xuan is a seventh-grade Void Returner, and because of his alchemy skills, his spiritual power far surpasses that of other cultivators at the same level. He cannot possibly lose this battle."

Luo Tan gave a soft "hmm".

She was indeed not worried.

Although the elders of Zunyun Academy rarely fight with others, their strength is in no way inferior to that of cultivators outside.

After all, some of the elders here had traveled around when they were young, and were eventually captivated by Luo Tan's charm after passing through Yuzhou, and willingly joined Zunyun Academy to teach disciples.

Before this, many of them were ruthless figures in Kyushu, but they would usually restrain their sharpness in front of the students of the academy.

Tonight, the alien apostles started the trouble first. They probably didn't even investigate the identities and backgrounds of these elders from the academy before rashly challenging them.

Luo Tan didn't care about the outcome of their fight. She came to Zunyun Academy today not to stop them from fighting, as that would be too petty.

Luo Tan's visit today is merely to put some pressure on the foreign apostles of the Sabbath.

Besides, sometimes doing things personally like this makes it easier to win people's hearts.

"With His Majesty here, the arrogance of those foreign apostles has been completely extinguished," the elder said with a smile.

"Yes, and the academy disciples seem quite excited. If we count the time, it seems that His Majesty last visited the academy about a year ago."

A beautiful woman beside Luo Tan smiled gently, glancing at the students below the stage, and said, "His Majesty's personal visit to the academy this time will surely motivate these children to cultivate even harder in the future."

In Yuzhou, a sacred land for alchemy, most cultivators grew up listening to the stories of Luo Tan. Back then, Yuzhou was not a monolithic place. Every few hundred years, creatures from the forbidden land would emerge from seclusion to absorb the essence of living beings.

Later, a powerful being at the Dao Integration Realm was born in Yuzhou. She used immortal metal to forge a cauldron that could transform all things into spiritual energy, suppressing the forbidden creatures of Yuzhou, ending the turmoil, and finally establishing this prosperous and immortal immortal dynasty.

Because of these stories, most cultivators in Yuzhou blindly worshipped Her Majesty the Empress.

The students of Zunyun Academy regard her as their role model, believing that being chosen by her to serve would bring honor to their entire family.

Therefore, when Luo Tan chose Xiao Shuixian to serve as a tutor and teach her alchemy, not only did Xiao Shuixian's name become famous in Zunyun Academy, but the Xiao family's status also rose steadily in Yuzhou.

The beautiful woman's gaze lingered on the empress in her magnificent white dress for a moment. She was admiring the empress's unparalleled beauty when she noticed that His Majesty Luo Tan seemed somewhat distracted.

"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?" the beautiful woman asked hesitantly.

Luo Tan snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head with a smile, "It's nothing."