Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 146 - 66: The Third Prince

Chapter 146: Chapter 66: The Third Prince

The old man stared intently at Ning Ruyue, the melody from the guqin having ceased for quite some time, yet he remained helplessly immersed in the lingering aftertaste of Sword Intent.

He had devoted his entire life’s energy to research, prided himself as a craftsman, carved the future of the Imperial Court with all his might, and regarded each student as a work of art. However, the Elder Princess, once considered a flawed piece by him, was now bearing fruit.

It was a brilliant fruit, the likes of which he had never seen.

"Hahaha, that’s right, you are not wrong!"

After what seemed an eternity, the old man suddenly snapped out of his trance, "I didn’t realize that my research had been misguided from the start, indeed it’s crap, you’re absolutely right!"

In truth, he realized he was the one who had been limited in his perspective, his vision only encompassing the Prime Monarch and the history authored by the Prime Monarch; he couldn’t tolerate a speck of sand in his eyes. Thus, he mimicked without understanding, believing that there should only be one form of Sword Control Technique in the world.

He didn’t deserve the title of craftsman; what he did was but waste block after block of jade, only knowing how to carve them into the same shape.

He no longer deserved to stay here.

The onlookers could hardly believe their ears.

They exchanged glances, wondering how the old man, who was so respected at the Imperial Court and known as the living encyclopedia of the Sword Control Technique, could belittle his long-cherished research achievements in public to the point of being worthless.

They also saw the old man, as if possessed, leave the classroom and his students behind, laughing heartily as he vanished at the end of the corridor.

"Professor Mingyuan, he... is he alright?"

Ning Ruyue stopped playing the guqin, her feelings complicated. After all, she had a teacher-student relationship with the old man. He was getting on in years, and she didn’t want to see him fall and end his days in despondency.

Even the joy of initially comprehending the Barrier had been somewhat diluted.

"He’s fine."

Duan Mingyuan was resolute in his attitude.

Indeed, the old man had gone astray, but his passion for research was genuine. As the proverb goes, "To learn the Dao in the morning, die content in the evening," this phrase should have more interpretations besides "know the way to your house in the morning, and you won’t live past the night."

Just as Duan Mingyuan had initially stated, this was an objective and fair academic discussion. Realizing the mistake also meant that the old man’s research was about to embark on a new beginning.

"Truly, the mark of an academy teacher, impressively memorable."

Ying Tian, his nose almost crooked from the fall, dusted off his clothes and came over. What unfolded later was completely beyond his expectations. He never imagined that someone could argue the old man into speechlessness on the subject of Sword Control Technique, leaving him no choice but to depart in shame.

"Let’s get acquainted. I am Ying Tian, the Third Prince of the Imperial Court."

"Duan Mingyuan."

A brief handshake, and all the onlookers committed the name to memory.

Duan Mingyuan, a teacher of the Yunhai Academy, possessed an extraordinary understanding of Sword Control, far beyond ordinary people. When these two seemingly unrelated pieces of information were put together, those with discerning eyes could foresee that the impending struggle for the throne would likely become significantly more complicated.

Undoubtedly, he was the mysterious person who aided the Elder Princess in repelling the Second Prince from behind the scenes.

"I’m curious about something. Just now, Professor Mingyuan mentioned that all of us possess equal talent, but due to different personalities, there will be differences in the path of swordsmanship. What do you think the path should be for someone like me?"

Without a doubt, it was a thorny question, so tricky that even Ying Tian himself didn’t know the answer.

Because he had never been interested in Swordsmanship Class, to him, it was merely an antiquated failure. Thus, whenever someone boasted about the Sword Control Technique, he felt genuinely disgruntled from the depths of his heart.

If Sword Control Technique were as miraculous as it was touted to be, then the people of the past would not have lost that war, the Imperial Court would not exist, and they would not have become pawns of the Universe Company.

But having heard Duan Mingyuan expound on swordsmanship earlier, he felt that perhaps this man before him could really answer his doubts.

"You’re suited for the flagship’s course."

"Chess sword? You mean playing chess?"

Ying Tian was dumbfounded for quite a while before he muttered.

He didn’t know how to play chess and wasn’t interested in it either; it was an activity that could put someone to sleep.

"No, I meant flagship, the ones that fly in the sky."

Duan Mingyuan pointed upwards, and Ying Tian followed the direction of his finger, saw the ceiling, and after thinking for a good while, he finally realized that Duan Mingyuan was talking about a flagship, almost a symbol of Universe Company, and also the object from the heavens mentioned in the history books.

So, the question arose.

What kind of sword path is a flagship?

"If you don’t like practicing swordsmanship, there’s no need to force yourself,"

Duan Mingyuan said.

Having witnessed Ying Tian’s attitude during class, he had gained a new understanding of the Third Prince from the Imperial Court.

What Ying Tian disliked was probably not just the Sword Control Technique, but all things outdated and decaying. That’s why in these years he had gradually transformed the Imperial Court to its current state. Although he couldn’t completely eradicate everything old, he had opened up a path to the future within the Imperial Court.

If one were to think deeper.

Was the Third Prince only repulsed by old things?

"Haha, Teacher Mingyuan really has a sense of humor,"

Ying Tian laughed somewhat awkwardly; he thought the pun was rather cold.

"I’m serious,"

Duan Mingyuan had not intended to tell a cold joke or to play on words. When the Third Prince asked sincerely, he, as an elder, naturally answered seriously, "If you don’t like swordsmanship, even if you force yourself, the sword in your hand will never reach the heavens."

"Oh, I see,"

Ying Tian’s laugh grew more awkward, his little trick seemed to have been seen through, which also proved that Duan Mingyuan was indeed no ordinary person.

That’s why he hated "Swordsmanship Class."

The more people extolled the Prime Monarch and praised his great achievements, the more it made them feel hopeless.

Even such a strong and ambitious person still lost to "the heavens," and to use the old man’s words, their Sword Control Technique couldn’t even see the taillights of the Prime Monarch in his youth.

At best, it could be used to deal with some petty thugs encountered on the streets.

"But to reach the heavens, you don’t necessarily need a sword. If you can buy a flagship, you can engage in an ace aerial battle with them. Compared to forcing yourself to do something you don’t like, this might be the path that suits you better."

In fact, this was what the Third Prince had always been doing.

The entertainment empire he built was full of imported goods; only after the Extraterrestrials’ flagships descended on this planet, which he learned to master and utilize well, did today’s situation come about.

The battlefield doesn’t have to be only between swords; competing with the Extraterrestrials for the market also requires bravery and tactics.

"You’re right, Teacher Mingyuan; I will buy a flagship sooner or later,"

Ying Tian declared. As for whether it was a joke or his true intention, only he himself knew.

Immediately after, he said, "Since it’s your first time in the Imperial Court, and I don’t have class this afternoon, let me take you around for a tour."