From Death To Dominion

"You seem rather pleased with yourself."

she noted, glancing at him.

Ye Xian grinned shamelessly.

"Why wouldn't I be? Xuan Lingshuang is known as the Moonlight Fairy—one of the most talented and beautiful women of our generation. Being engaged to her is quite an honor, don't you think?"

Ye Qianying scoffed. "Honor? You sound as if you won some grand prize."

"Isn't it?"

Ye Xian said, deliberately fanning the flames.

"Besides, with her icy temperament, she's not the easiest person to deal with. I imagine most men wouldn't even dare to approach her. But me? I have the privilege of calling her my fiancee."

He sighed dramatically, as if feeling the weight of his good fortune.

Ye Qianying rolled her eyes. "You're enjoying this too much."

"I see," she said softly. "I suppose that's just like you—taking everything as it comes."

Ye Xian stretched his arms lazily.

"Why stress over something out of my control? Besides, it's not like I'm the one suffering here."

Ye Qianying arched a brow.

"Oh? And who is suffering?"

Ye Xian smirked.

"Obviously, the men who dream of Xuan Lingshuang. Can you imagine how devastated they must be? Their goddess, taken by me!"

Ye Qianying exhaled sharply, shaking her head.

"You really are insufferable."

Ye Xian grinned.

"I know."

She let out an exasperated sigh before turning her gaze toward the academy gates, which were now coming into view.

As they stepped through, Ye Xian suddenly leaned a little closer, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"By the way, do you think I should tell people you blushed earlier?"

Ye Qianying's footsteps halted.

Ye Xian barely had a moment to react before a sharp flick landed on his forehead.

"Ow!" He winced, rubbing the spot.

"Say one more word about that, and I'll personally end you,"

Ye Qianying warned, her cheeks once again tinged with color.

Ye Xian, ever the troublemaker, merely laughed.

As they continued toward the academy, the lighthearted moment lingered between them, a warmth that neither of them acknowledged aloud but both silently cherished.

When they finally arrived at Azure Sky Academy, they parted ways.

Ye Qianying, being a genius with A-grade talent, was placed in the elite Sky Class, where only the most privileged and powerful students studied. Due to her status and talent, the academy had turned a blind eye to her attendance, granting her special privileges.

Ye Xian, on the other hand, was assigned to the Earth Class, the middle-ranked section of the academy.

As Ye Xian entered the classroom, Riener greeted him with a nod.

Soon, the lecture began.

"Finally, you're here! I thought you were going to ditch class."

"Would I do that?" Ye Xian smirked.

Soon, the lecture began.

The instructor, Jordan, stepped forward, his piercing gaze sweeping over the students.

"Today's lesson is on sword techniques," he announced.

A wave of disappointment spread through the classroom.

"Elementary sword techniques?" one student muttered.

"We already know these!" another complained.

They had expected something more advanced. After all, they were already students of the Earth Class, even if it was a rank below the Sky Class. They had only been permitted two classes due to their limited talent, and they had hoped to learn something more profound.

Jordan's sharp eyes narrowed. "I see many of you are disappointed. Let me make this clear—every swordmaster, no matter how powerful, always returns to the basics. If you truly master elementary sword techniques, they will serve as the foundation for everything else."

As he spoke, he demonstrated a series of fundamental sword movements.

The students watched, some with reluctance, while others paid close attention.

Ye Xian, however, merely observed in silence.

From the memories and experiences he had inherited from Adler, these techniques were already deeply ingrained in his mind.

After the lecture, the students exited the classroom, discussing the lesson among themselves.

As Ye Xian exited the classroom with Riener, a strikingly beautiful woman stood waiting nearby. Her presence did not go unnoticed—many passing students stole glances at her, admiring her beauty. It was Ye Qianying. The moment her eyes landed on Ye Xian, she gracefully approached him.

Judging from her expression, Ye Xian could tell that she already knew about his confrontation with Steve.

"How about we grab a meal at the canteen?" Ye Xian suggested with a smile, observing the slight surprise in her expression.

Ye Qianying blinked before nodding. "Sure. Let's go."

As Riener greeted her, she responded with a polite nod. The gesture nearly made Riener explode with happiness—after all, Ye Qianying was the academy's beloved goddess, and she had acknowledged him.

As they walked, Ye Qianying turned to Ye Xian. "So, I heard there was a fight between you and Steve. And you defeated him… in a rather peculiar way."

Ye Xian shrugged. "Yes, though I made sure he could learn something from it. It was for his own good—his future prospects will benefit from the experience."

Riener nearly burst into laughter but managed to suppress it in front of his goddess. He couldn't afford to show such an unsightly side of himself now.

Ye Qianying's gaze grew serious. "You should be careful. I don't know what method you used to defeat him, but Steve is from the Sky Class—and that's not even the most important part. He's also from the Rojoar family's branch line."

The Rojoar family was one of the three most prominent families in the Xiao Empire's capital. They had strong ties to the royal family and maintained their own personal army, making them an incredibly powerful force. Forming a bad relationship with them was far from ideal.

Ye Qianying, having traveled to the capital for business, was well aware of their influence.

"You should be glad he's only from a branch family," she continued. "They don't have particularly strong connections to the main household or the capital's other branches. Still… how badly did you humiliate him?"

Ye Xian exhaled lightly. "What can I say? It already happened, so let's just move on."

"You really love causing trouble." Ye Qianying sighed.

As the trio made their way toward the canteen, three students suddenly stepped in their path.

Ye Xian recognized them instantly.

One was a chubby student he had beaten in a previous altercation. Another was Steve, who had been publicly humiliated and lost 1,000 ki stones to Ye Xian in a duel. The third was someone far more notable—Lu Wen, the young master of the Lu Clan.

Judging from their dynamic, it was clear that Lu Wen was behind this encounter.

Lu Wen was a senior student from the Sky Class, and he had already reached the Initiate Stage of the Element Disciple Realm.

Ye Xian smirked. "Well, well, look who's waiting to welcome us."

"What do you want?" Ye Qianying asked, her voice calm as she eyed the trio.

Lu Wen's expression stiffened. He had come here to teach Ye Xian a lesson—not just for Steve and the other student, but for his own reputation. If he failed to take revenge, his followers might lose confidence in him.

At first, he had considered casting Steve aside for his humiliating defeat, but due to Steve's family connections, he had endured. Now, he was determined to handle this matter himself.

But what he hadn't expected was that Ye Qianying—Azure Sky Academy's famous genius—would be with Ye Xian.

Lu Wen forced a smile. "Miss Ye Qianying, we'd like to have a private conversation with Ye Xian."

Ye Qianying raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead. You can speak here."

Lu Wen's face twitched in frustration. Ye Xian and Riener chuckled.

"Miss Ye Qianying, this is a private matter. It would be inappropriate to discuss it in front of a woman."

Ye Qianying scoffed. "Oh? My cousin is about to get married. Perhaps you should reconsider talking to him about such inappropriate matters, or his reputation might suffer."

A trace of disdain flickered in her eyes as she spoke.

The Ye Clan and the Lu Clan had long been at odds, primarily due to business rivalries. Their enmity had worsened when Ye Qianying's brother was crippled by Lu Wen's older brother, Lu Yin.

Lu Wen's face turned red with anger. "Miss Ye Qianying, you're speaking out of line."

By now, a crowd had gathered, eager to witness the drama unfold.

Ye Qianying's tone grew cold. "Am I out of line? Or are you simply incapable of understanding my words?"

Ye Xian yawned lazily. "Why bother talking to a pig? You're only lowering your standards. A goddess like you shouldn't even look at them—it'll only taint your beauty."

Ye Qianying blushed slightly at his words.

Lu Wen's face twisted with rage. "Ye Xian, I'm going to teach you a lesson! Do you only know how to spout nonsense?!"

His anger was not just due to humiliation—he had always admired Ye Qianying but had never dared to confess, especially after what his brother had done to her family. And now, the woman he secretly liked was defending Ye Xian, mocking him in front of the crowd.