Chapter 114: Returning to the academy

Although Lucien felt that the other noble families would fail woefully if they ever try to invade his territory, he knew they had something he is desperately lacking.

Experts!

No matter how powerful his defensive formations are they will all remain within his territory. But once he leaves, he has to depend on his strength alone. At his current level, Lucien acknowledged there are things he can't do alone and that's why he wishes to gain powerful allies. Although he would have loved to bring the spirit beast cultivators into the empire, Lucien was well aware of the fact that this will not be allowed. He is already viewed as a threat, bringing in hundreds of spirit-beasts cultivators who are far stronger than normal body cultivators is too absurd! The nobles will rise against him and even the emperor would feel uncomfortable with a powerful force loyal to only him.

"It's either I take over this empire and change the rules or I create an empire of my own" Lucien muttered in his heart as he put on he decided to put away his mask before heading out of his castle. For the past two months or more Lucien hasn't cultivated in any way. He simply focused on his forging and surprisingly, he could feel his body got stronger even though it doesn't show on the status bar.

Upon arriving at the town square, Lucien saw the youths gathered, all were of various ages, most younger than him and some older but all that didn't matter to him. As long as they are willing to become cultivators, he is determined to help them in any way. They are his future investments after all.

During these past two months, Rupture and the people of the town were now on speaking terms. Even though they only spoke to it when necessary, it should be enough and since the magic beast has a high level of intelligence, he didn't have to worry about things happening. If things got out of control, Rupture should be able to inform it through the soul contract link, as well as the system.

He urged the old chieftain of the town to inform Rupture when something goes beyond their control.

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Xiu!

Lucien appeared with a large group of people over fifty plus from Bradford town. The sudden appearance of so many people caught the attention of those standing at the main gate of the academy. There, Instructor Han stood in mid-air, gazing at Lucien and surprised that the youth wasn't wearing a mask today.

"The affinity test is about to start… There pass mark… there is no failure… No pressure" Lucien said calmly before they started walking towards the main crowd.

With each Lucien took he claimed higher until he was visibly standing above everyone else walking towards Instructor Han. In the past few months, Lucien has become a celebrity in the empire! The man who was supposed to be dead but turned the case around and got the empire to make him a noble! For someone his age, his achievements could be considered outstanding but what is more stunning is his strength and mysterious nature. Rumor has it that his territory has a king-tier magic beast defending it! How he got a mid-tier bloodline magic beast to help him is something no one can explain.

Even though his cultivation realm is low, his strength seemed to be on par with the instructors! People even asked why he was still in the academy!

Whoosh!

Lucien's speed was extraordinary, coupled with his tier three wind walk ability, he covered a large distance with a single step. Since he had no business with the freshers, he had no reason to speak to Instructor Han either. Blitzing past the spatial mage, Lucien appeared on the teleportation platform located right in front of the gate.

"Lucien…"

Instructor Han's voice echoed in his head, causing Lucien to turn and look at the instructor with a raised eyebrow.

"You are outstanding but there are people stronger than you… people stronger than we instructors… Don't go back to class thinking you are the strongest" Instructor Han said.

Hearing this Lucien gazed at the old man with a raised eyebrow and a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

Even with the system, he is not the strongest? Lucien pushed that thought aside and frowned. He preferred not to dwell in such thoughts so he activated the teleportation platforms and vanished.

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Xiu!

Lucien appeared in a familiar hallway and a small smile bloomed on his face. He could remember walking down this hall each time he had to go to class. Most times he ran down the hall as fast as he could just to make it to class on time.

"Good times…" Lucien muttered as he flicked his wrist and the mask appeared in his hands.

His appearance had already caught the attention of those present, seeing the stranger appear, they could tell he was different from them.

'Welcome Lord Rakuzen… I wish to inform the lord that your dorm has been moved… This dormitory belongs to the freshers… Shall I transport you to your own dormitory?'

A familiar voice reached his ears, causing Lucien to pause the moment he was about to wear the amount. It has been a while since he heard the Crux voice and once again he was reminded of how unpleasant it is. He also noticed that the Crux no longer called him Lucien but Lord Rakuzen! It was aware of his status and treated him accordingly.

Does that mean he would gain some sort of benefits?

"Yes…" Lucien gave a dry reply as he put on his mask, leaving only his cold gaze for people to see as his figure slowly turned into large particles of light and then vanishing!

Xiu!

Pa!

Lucien appeared at a similar castle but it looked a bit different. There he saw a few familiar faces but chose not to act as he knew them. He would have loved to keep a low profile but his outfit and mask already gave him away. Today he was wearing the same long-sleeved silver robe with the blue serpent dragon design which complimented his mask. His fluttering silver hair coupled with the attire gave him majestic yet dangerous vibes which made people interested but too fearful to approach.

"Lord Rakuzen… please follow my directions and I will take you to your room"

Lucien was still okay with the fact that people were yet to remember his identity but then the Crux spoke up and called him by the new name which was popular in the empire.

Rakuzen!

The moment everyone heard the name they all gazed at Lucien in awe and disbelief! He never expected Lucien to return to the academy after he became a Baron! While many noticed his cultivation realm was low, it still didn't stop them from taking into account that Lucien cultivates both body and soul now. He may look weak due to his cultivation realm but he was far stronger than them.

'Hehe! I guess I have left behind a year's worth of cultivation!' Lucien muttered as he noticed the weakest person in this hallway was at least at the fifth sky of the warrior realm. A year had passed and he made no progress in cultivation so this is to be expected.

He was stupid to believe that the others would remain stagnant and wait for him to meet up! They have gone through the beginner classes of all their courses, it's only natural they got this strong.

"Interesting" Lucien muttered calmly as he gazed at the crowd in front of him.

Gazing at the energy created by the Crux pointing in that direction, he knew that was the forward and he had no intentions to answer a dumb question so he took a step forward! With each step, he climbed higher, until he was walking above the students calmly and gracefully.

"It's the tier three original spell he used during the trial! Wind walker! It's the wind walker!" a feminine voice cried out and many female cheering voices could be heard but Lucien didn't feel any better, instead, he felt annoyed.

Images of his time with Miss Emma outside and inside the dungeon surfaced in his mind. After everything that happened, after all the emotions she showed to him even when Rakuzen took over his body. He couldn't help but wonder it was all a lie?

No! It wasn't!

Lucien isn't the type to be fooled easily, he knew instructor Emma liked him but in the end, she chose the empire over him. She could have saved him a lot of trouble if she didn't give out so many details but she ratted him out and told them everything. Including Alucard, Titan, and Lucy. He wondered if he would have avoided a lot of problems if he just killed them alongside the forces of the Libet empire. Maybe he would have been able to refine more soul-nourishing pills and use them to further increase his ability as a spirit beast cultivator.