In the evening, after Su Ziyan and Su Yuanfeng returned to the village, the villagers surrounded them to congratulate them and presented gifts. Su Ziyan received many precious presents.
Su Yuanfeng took out a golden token and handed it to Su Ziyan. "Yan'er, take this with you. If you encounter any difficulties at the Imperial Academy in the future, you can show it."
Su Ziyan nodded and carefully tucked the token into her embrace.
Afterward, the two entered their rooms to rest, while Su Yuanfeng continued to teach Su Ziyan medical skills.
The next day, Nangong Che and Su Ziyan still woke up early to practice their cultivation. Their cultivation had stagnated at the early stage of Two-star Warrior and Martial Ancestor, but the further they progressed, the more diligent training was required. Otherwise, no matter how high their cultivation, they would not be a match for opponents of the same level.
In the following two days, Su Ziyan and Nangong Che's cultivation increased significantly, which greatly pleased Su Yuanfeng. He believed that with their efforts, Su Ziyan and Nangong Che would soon break through to Martial King.
"Hoo~" Su Ziyan exhaled heavily, her face covered in sweat. She had consumed too much vital energy during her cultivation in the past few days.
Nangong Che wiped the sweat from his forehead, a faint smile on his lips. He said gently, "You must be exhausted."
"Mmm, a little. I'll rest for a while. You go make some food. We'll go to the Imperial Academy to register after breakfast," Su Ziyan said, stretching.
Nangong Che frowned slightly. "Yan'er, there's no rush to register today. I'll accompany you to buy some clothes and jewelry today, and then we can go play in town."
"No, let's hurry to the Imperial Academy to register, and then go see Grandpa," Su Ziyan shook her head. Her biggest concern now was Grandpa's condition.
"That's fine too."
...
After lunch, Nangong Che drove the horse-drawn carriage, taking Su Ziyan towards the direction of the Imperial Capital.
Su Ziyan leaned against the window, looking at the bustling and prosperous Imperial Capital. A hint of envy appeared in her eyes.
She also wanted to see it, and to have a home of her own, but she would never have the chance in this life.
"What are you thinking about?" Nangong Che's gentle and pleasant voice interrupted Su Ziyan's thoughts.
"I was thinking that when we earn enough money, we must buy a mansion," Su Ziyan looked up at Nangong Che, a radiant smile on her face.
Nangong Che was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected her to think about housing.
"Then what are your thoughts?" Nangong Che raised an eyebrow. He wasn't very interested in buying a house. He liked to wander around, unconstrained. Otherwise, his current cultivation would not just be Martial Ancestor, but Martial Emperor!
"Of course, a big mansion," Su Ziyan said matter-of-factly, blinking her bright eyes.
"Mmm." Nangong Che nodded gently. Since she liked it, they would work hard to earn money and buy a big mansion to live in.
The two soon arrived at the Imperial Capital. Just as they were about to enter the city gate, they were stopped by the guards.
"Halt! No entry allowed unless you possess an invitation letter," the guard said with a cold expression. They were on patrol and were ordered not to let any unauthorized personnel in, as it was the Emperor's rule.
"Are you sure?" Su Ziyan raised an eyebrow, looking at the guard with sharp eyes.
"Certain," the guard nodded, his expression serious.
"Do you know who we are? How dare you stop our carriage?" Su Ziyan's delicate eyebrows knitted together, and a cold aura emanated from her. She had never been treated like this before!
"It doesn't matter who you are. If you can't enter, you can't enter," the guard was unyielding.
Su Ziyan was about to get angry when Nangong Che tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stay calm.
Su Ziyan pursed her lips, suppressing her anger, and then followed Nangong Che to climb over the wall into the Imperial Capital.
The prosperity of the Imperial Capital far exceeded Su Ziyan's imagination. The shops on both sides of the streets were dazzling, with countless varieties of goods. A simple glance was enough to overwhelm and amaze.
"The Imperial Capital is indeed much more prosperous than Azure Dragon City. It is truly worthy of being the wealthiest and most powerful city in the center of the continent," Su Ziyan took a deep breath and exclaimed.
"This is the best location, so naturally, it's better than other places," Nangong Che said with a faint smile. The Imperial Academy's enrollment assessment was a nationwide examination held only once every five years, so the competition was extremely fierce. Those who passed the assessment were undoubtedly geniuses among millions, as only the cream of the crop from various factions could enter the Imperial Academy.
"Let's go," Su Ziyan took Nangong Che's hand and ran towards the Imperial Academy's registration point.
The two soon arrived at the registration area, where a long queue had formed.
When they were registering, their attire immediately attracted curious gazes from everyone.
"Wow, that man is so handsome, and that woman is also very beautiful."
"Yes, they look like a young master and a young lady from some noble family."
"Look, they have spirit stones. How extravagant! Ordinary noble disciples can't afford spirit stones. It seems they have an extraordinary background."
Listening to the whispers of the crowd, Su Ziyan and Nangong Che couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She hadn't expected them to become the center of attention. She remembered that the people in the Imperial Capital seemed to be very respectful towards them, so she hadn't expected to be talked about by others.
"Are you here to register for the Imperial Academy's enrollment assessment?" At this moment, a tall and slender man in blue robes approached. His fair and delicate face had a pure and clean smile, giving him a sunny and kind impression. His name was Qin Muchen, from the Qin family in the Western Regions.
"Yes," Nangong Che nodded.
"Then you need to pay five thousand gold coins and fill out the information," Qin Muchen reminded them with a serious expression.
Su Ziyan was slightly stunned. She had originally thought it would only cost a hundred gold coins.
"Five thousand gold coins? That's so much. Can it be reduced?" Su Ziyan swallowed. If she paid five thousand gold coins at once, her mother would surely scold her to death.
"I'm sorry, I'm only responsible for collecting fees and cannot offer any reductions," Qin Muchen spread his hands and smiled helplessly.
"..." Su Ziyan's face immediately fell.
"What if we don't pay?" Su Ziyan turned to Nangong Che and asked. Although she had two gold coins on her, this was five thousand gold coins. Where would she get so much money?
Nangong Che's handsome brows furrowed. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, "I have three thousand gold coins. You can cover the rest for now."
"Mmm," Su Ziyan nodded heavily. She could only try to gather five thousand gold coins for now, hoping her parents wouldn't find out.
Qin Muchen looked at Su Ziyan curiously. The girl's expression seemed to be quite troubled.
"Miss, do you have an invitation letter?" Qin Muchen kindly asked.
"Yes!"
"Then please show your invitation letter for registration."
"..." Su Ziyan was immediately embarrassed. She had forgotten that the invitation letter was still in her spatial ring, and she couldn't take it out right now.
"I'm sorry, my invitation letter was left at home. I'll go get it now," Su Ziyan said apologetically and hurried towards the inn.
"I'll go get it for you," Nangong Che stepped forward and quickly caught up with Su Ziyan.
"Okay," Su Ziyan didn't refuse. She was glad Nangong Che could help.
Soon, Su Ziyan returned to the Imperial Academy registration point in the Imperial Capital.
"We're here to get the qualification for the entrance assessment. This is my invitation letter," Su Ziyan handed the invitation letter that Nangong Che gave her to the guard at the entrance of the Imperial Academy.
The guard looked at the invitation letter in Nangong Che's hand, and his expression softened slightly. "Please wait a moment. I'll go in and verify it."
"Thank you," Nangong Che said politely.