Lu Mingfei starts from Douluo.

Having not left the school for two months, he was actually feeling a bit restless and kept looking out the window.

Soon the carriage entered Tiandou City, and Xue Beng opened his eyes upon hearing the sound.

"Stay close to me after we enter the palace, and don't wander off," Xue Beng said.

“Of course.” Lu Mingfei nodded. This was the imperial palace. He hadn’t even had a chance to visit the Forbidden City before he was going to visit the imperial palace of another world.

The main road of Tiandou City is extremely wide, and it is more than enough to accommodate ten eight-wheeled carriages traveling side by side. After another half hour, the outline of the Tiandou Imperial Palace was already in sight.

Just as they were about to reach the palace gate, the carriage suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?" Avalanche asked, pulling back the curtain.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's carriage has stopped ahead," the captain of the guards announced.

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School? Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. This was currently the number one sect on the continent, and it had close ties with the royal family of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The person who came today must be the Crown Prince's teacher, Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the number one support soul master on the continent.

No wonder even the Royal Guard had to give way to the other carriage.

Upon hearing that they were from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Xue Beng quickly dismounted from the carriage, and Lu Mingfei followed suit.

However, as soon as Lu Mingfei got off the carriage, he saw a familiar, thin, bamboo-like figure.

"Wow." Lu Mingfei was shocked. This coincidence was a bit too much, wasn't it?

Three figures alighted from the carriage of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

"Sect Master Ning, Sword Douluo, and you, Sister Rongrong, are all well." Xue Beng bowed to the three of them with a smile on his face.

"Prince Avalanche, it's been a long time." Ning Fengzhi smiled warmly.

Sword Douluo nodded slightly, while Ning Rongrong lifted her skirt and gave Xue Beng a ladylike curtsy: "Greetings, Your Highness Xue Beng."

“Rongrong, there’s no need for that.” Xue Beng quickly said, “My second brother has already become Sect Master Ning’s disciple. We are all family. Rongrong, you are my sister.”

"Prince Xue Beng, judging from your appearance, you just came from the academy." Ning Fengzhi spoke up, interrupting Xue Beng's attempt to claim kinship, and then looked meaningfully at Lu Mingfei's figure behind Xue Beng.

Xue Beng's smile tightened, but he immediately introduced Ning Fengzhi: "By the way, let me introduce you. This is Lu, a classmate from the same academy as me, who recently joined our academy."

"So you're the legendary Lu Mingfei, who supposedly possesses innate full soul power. We met once at the Great Soul Arena last time. What a coincidence!" Ning Fengzhi said with a kind smile.

"What a load of rubbish!" Lu Mingfei thought to himself.

"Sect Master Ning... Sect Master Ning, Sword Douluo, and Miss Ning Rongrong, hello." Lu Mingfei stammered. He never imagined that the family of three he had unexpectedly encountered in the Great Soul Arena was actually the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.

"So it was you." Ning Rongrong clearly still remembered Lu Mingfei.

Sword Douluo also turned his gaze to Lu Mingfei at this moment.

Being stared at by a titled Douluo who claims to be the best attacker in the world is not a pleasant experience for Lu Mingfei.

Xue Beng's expression was a little off; clearly, he, the fourth prince of the Heavenly Dou Empire, had become a mere foil here.

Ning Fengzhi smiled and said, "Alright, let's not block the palace gate anymore, let's go into the palace first?"

Ning Fengzhi noticed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Sect Leader Ning is right." Xue Beng nodded, and the group walked towards the palace.

Lu Mingfei breathed a slight sigh of relief. He was walking at the back of the group, but the little girl named Ning Rongrong would always turn around and look at him from time to time, which made him feel a little confused.

The interior layout of the Tiandou Imperial Palace is extremely complex, with three consecutive layers of barbicans and city walls nearly thirty meters high, making the entire palace resemble a military stronghold.

Lu Mingfei thought this was probably because the Heaven Dou royal family was extremely insecure. Unlike the White Tiger Martial Soul inherited by the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire's inherited Martial Soul was just the Swan Martial Soul, which had little combat power and was of average quality. Members of the royal family generally found it difficult to even break through to the Soul Emperor level.

In a world where individual superhuman strength reigns supreme, the Heavenly Dou Royal Family, with its meager combat power of only five, should rightfully be destined to be overthrown.

It can only be said that the Heaven Dou royal family has survived to this day thanks to the Spirit Hall's dominance over the continent, which deterred various forces from making any rash moves.

"I estimate that once the main storyline progresses, the Heavenly Dou Royal Family will definitely become a plot point. However, Xue Qinghe seems to have the victory in his grasp. Could it be that Xue Beng will be able to make a comeback later?" Lu Mingfei silently deduced in his mind.

He always picks on the weakest link. If he were the villain causing trouble, he would definitely target the Heavenly Dou royal family first. He wouldn't feel right if he didn't exploit such a big weakness.

"Rongrong, you two go to the Crown Prince's bedchamber with Prince Xue Beng first. Uncle Jian and I will go to pay our respects to His Majesty first, and then we'll come find you later." Ning Fengzhi said. The Great Court Hall was currently where the nobles of Tian Dou were gathering, and he was worried that the children might get restless and cause trouble. "Prince Xue Beng, thank you for your trouble."

“No trouble at all. I was going to deliver a congratulatory gift to my second brother’s palace anyway,” Xue Beng said.

“Okay, Daddy.” Ning Rongrong nodded obediently.

Although Lu Mingfei was curious about what the Heavenly Emperor looked like, he could only follow the two of them for the time being.

As soon as Ning Fengzhi left, Xue Beng immediately became as energetic as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and immediately began to try to please Ning Rongrong.

Lu Mingfei, walking behind, was utterly dumbfounded. Although he knew that people of this social class often maintained relationships through arranged marriages, Ning Rongrong was only six years old, and Xue Beng dared to have such thoughts? Wasn't he afraid that Sword Douluo would cut him into eight pieces?

"Your name is Lu Mingfei, right?" Ning Rongrong completely ignored Xue Beng's solicitousness and turned to Lu Mingfei's side.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing coming closer?" Lu Mingfei thought to himself. He looked at Ning Rongrong's seemingly innocent smiling face and felt a headache coming on. He wasn't a lolicon like Xue Beng.

“I saw your match at the Soul Arena before. Your swordsmanship is quite impressive. Grandpa Sword was even thinking of taking you as his apprentice,” Ning Rongrong said playfully.

"???"

Lu Mingfei's heart skipped a beat. The main plot was still unclear, and he hadn't decided which side to take.

"Miss Ning Rongrong, please don't make such jokes." Lu Mingfei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“However, Grandpa Jian later said that you didn’t have a sword heart, so he gave up,” Ning Rongrong continued.

"Big sister, don't speak so slowly!" Lu Mingfei breathed a sigh of relief, then mentally complained.

"It seems I still don't meet Sword Douluo's standards," Lu Mingfei said, feigning regret.

Although Xue Beng didn't speak, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The significance of becoming a disciple of Sword Douluo was too extraordinary, almost equivalent to the future core of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Then he really had no chance at all.

"We've arrived." Ning Rongrong called out softly. In the time it took for them to talk, they had already reached the Crown Prince's palace.

Ning Rongrong had been here several times and knew the way well. As for the guards at the gate, seeing the avalanche, they naturally let them in immediately.

"Brother Qinghe." Ning Rongrong called out softly as soon as she entered the palace gate.

Xue Qinghe also came out of the palace and smiled when he saw the people who came: "Fourth brother, Rongrong, and Brother Lu, you've all come together."

"Second Brother," Xue Beng greeted.

"Your Highness," Lu Mingfei bowed.

"Brother Qinghe, today is your birthday. This is my gift to you." Ning Rongrong obediently took out the gift she had prepared beforehand from her soul tool.

Seeing this, Lu Mingfei and Xue Beng each took a gift box.

"Thank you for your kind gesture." Xue Qinghe patted Ning Rongrong's head, and a palace maid put away the gifts and took them into the bedroom.

Lu Mingfei sat quietly to the side. One of these two people was Xue Qinghe's younger brother, and the other was her god-sister. As an outsider, it was better for him to stand aside.

However, Xue Qinghe was obviously very busy. Today was not only a birthday banquet but also a coming-of-age ceremony. As the protagonist, he obviously didn't have time to chat with the children. After having the palace maids serve tea and snacks, he went back to his palace to prepare.

Before long, Ning Fengzhi arrived with Sword Douluo. As Xue Qinghe's teacher and mentor, he was also the master of ceremonies for today's ceremony. Soon, he and Xue Qinghe began rehearsing the upcoming proceedings in the courtyard.

Sword Douluo stood to the side, pretending to be asleep with his eyes closed, but Lu Mingfei could feel a faint gaze. He had tried his best to minimize his presence, but he still had a feeling that the old man would cause trouble at any moment!

Chapter 36 PUA?

"Qinghe, it's really lively here."

Just as Lu Mingfei was feeling uneasy, a slightly shrill laugh came from the doorway, and Sword Douluo suddenly opened his eyes.

An elderly man dressed in fine clothes and slightly overweight walked in, accompanied by a disheveled old man with dark green hair and a gloomy face.

Hearing the sound, Xue Qinghe and the others stopped what they were doing and went to meet them.

"May Your Highness, Uncle Wang, and Your Majesty, the Poison Douluo, be well." Xue Qinghe immediately bowed slightly.

“Prince Xuexing, Poison Douluo, it’s been a long time.” Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly.

"So it's Sect Master Ning and Sword Douluo in person." Xue Xing and Dugu Bo greeted the group.

Poison Douluo? Prince Xue Xing? Lu Mingfei never expected to encounter another Title Douluo here. He had heard that Dugu Yan was the only granddaughter of this Poison Douluo. Dugu Yan's poison was terrifying enough, but this Title Douluo-level poison was probably comparable to a nuclear weapon. No wonder even Sword Douluo was on guard.

As for this Prince Xuexing, Lu Mingfei had also heard of him in the academy. He was the head of the royal family in charge of the Royal Academy, and his status was even higher than that of the three education committee members. He seemed to be an important force used by Emperor Xueye to check and balance Crown Prince Xue Qinghe in the court.

However, it seemed that these two really just happened to pass by and took a quick look. They left after exchanging only a few words, and Lu Mingfei breathed a slight sigh of relief. At least Sword Douluo was no longer watching him.

It seems they've temporarily given up on trying to take him on, since his body is only six years old, and it would be too early for him to become their disciple.

He was a Title Douluo, not someone as shameless as Grandmaster, so naturally he wouldn't lower himself to pester a mere kid like him.

After a while, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi finished their rehearsal and officially changed into the formal attire they would wear for today's ceremony before heading to the Grand Hall.

The Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony began at noon that day. Lu Mingfei, along with Xue Beng and Ning Rongrong, entered the banquet hall of the Tian Dou Imperial Palace ahead of time and took their seats.

As part of the Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony, almost all the heads of prominent families in the Heaven Dou Empire received invitations.

Lu Mingfei glanced around and recognized a few familiar faces: the three education commissioners, Yu Tianheng, and Dugu Yan were all seated at the front of the banquet.

As the midday sun shone directly into the palace's glazed roof, the royal band played the prelude to the ceremony.

Ning Fengzhi changed into a bright red robe representing his status as the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and led Xue Qinghe into the main hall, where they arrived before Emperor Xue Ye.

Xue Qinghe knelt on one knee, while Ning Fengzhi and Emperor Xue Ye, the two most honored people in the Heaven Dou Empire, placed a platinum crown on his head.

At the same time, he handed the golden scepter to Xue Qinghe, formally establishing that the crown prince would have the power to oversee the country after coming of age.

Then all the guests in the hall bowed to the Crown Prince, and the Emperor recited a prayer as the final rite of the ceremony.

After everyone had risen, the royal banquet was officially declared to have begun.

Lu Mingfei was assigned to the most secluded corner of the palace according to his status, which gave him a perfect view of the entire palace.

It must be said that although this ceremony looks simple, there are really things worth pondering about it.

The fact that the Spirit Hall bishop who came to observe the ceremony only gave a few pleasant looks from beginning to end shows that the relationship between the two sides has become so tense that they are too lazy to even bother with formalities.

In other words, a war between divine right and monarchical power is inevitable in the future.

Adding to the revenge storyline of Tang Hao and Tang San, and Ning Fengzhi's attitude of taking Xue Qinghe as his disciple and supporting the Heaven Dou Empire, he could basically conclude that the main storyline of this world in the future would most likely be the story of the eighteen warlords besieging the Spirit Hall.

"Damn, is it going to be this big?" Lu Mingfei felt a headache coming on just thinking about the possible future situation. The combat power on both sides was too high-end, starting with Title Douluo.

With a bunch of top-ranked titles and top sects on this side, and a twin-spirit pope on that side, along with a massive number of ordinary soul master geniuses, this battle will definitely be a grand, epic war.

He's currently just a lowly newbie in the first ring, and it's unknown how long it will take for him to grow to the point where he can join the battle.

"I still need to speed up my cultivation." Lu Mingfei sighed softly, and suddenly even the delicacies in front of him lost their flavor.

On the other side, Xue Qinghe was pouring wine for Ning Fengzhi and said respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance over the years. Without you, Qinghe would not be where he is today."

Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly: "This is also due to your own efforts. His Majesty and I both believe that you can shoulder this important responsibility in the future."

Ning Fengzhi was very satisfied with the student in front of him. Whether in terms of character, knowledge, or governance, this student was simply a model heir apparent and would surely become the political guarantee for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the Heaven Dou Empire in the future.

If it weren't for the large age gap between him and his daughter Ning Rongrong, he would have even considered bringing the two together to create a beautiful story.

Xue Qinghe said a few more words and then left his seat at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. The main purpose of today's coming-of-age ceremony was not to announce the Crown Prince's adulthood, but rather a kind of alternative demonstration.

To demonstrate to the various nobles and duchies within the Heavenly Dou Empire the stability of the Heavenly Dou Empire and the support of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three upper sects, for the Heavenly Dou royal family.

As the host of the banquet, Xue Qinghe was extremely busy. Everyone wanted to build a good relationship with the future emperor, or at least leave a good impression.

Xue Qinghe accepted all comers, keeping in mind those political enemies who had disrespected him, and also pondering the credibility of these nobles who were showing goodwill.

Just then, a small, thin figure in the corner caught his eye.

Lu Mingfei, one of only two young children at this lavish banquet, was eating with his head drooping and his face expressionless.

Although seating arrangements are based on social status, and Lu Mingfei, a commoner with no social standing, should indeed sit in the corner, seating is a matter of a single word.

He deliberately left Lu Mingfei there, and even his cold indifference when they met today was intentional.

An orphan, insecure, sensitive, and somewhat intelligent child will inevitably feel anxious and panicked when ignored and ostracized in a vast, empty place full of strangers.

If you then step forward as a caring older brother to apologize, show concern, and offer comfort, you will naturally leave a deep impression on him and make it easier to win his heart in the future.

"Isn't this going a bit too far?" Xue Qinghe had a moment of conscience when he was designing the plan, but compared to gaining the loyalty of a genius with innate full soul power, that conscience was immediately thrown to the back of his mind.

But looking at that figure that seemed so out of place with the surroundings, he felt a strange pang of sadness welling up inside him.

Chapter 37 Unexpected Disaster

The corner of the main hall was quiet.

In aristocratic circles, the hierarchy of contempt is an ironclad rule. As those on the fringes, everyone is well aware that they are just there to make up the numbers and shouldn't even have the thought of going up to offer a toast to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe.