The moment Zhan Yuheng left, Feng Jiu’er immediately slipped away from Qing Yun and disappeared into the crowd.

She drew her lot. Her opponent was called Luori — sounded like it could be a man.

But Jiu’er had not expected that when it came time for their match, who should emerge from the crowd but a young woman.

A tall, slender young woman — quite pretty in appearance, actually — yet in the depths of her eyes burned an imperious air that even men would yield before.

“The Seventh Princess!” someone in the crowd immediately exclaimed in astonishment.

The person she had drawn as her opponent turned out to be the reigning Emperor’s seventh daughter — the Seventh Princess, Zhan Luori.

The name on the lot had carried no surname, so Jiu’er had not once considered that her opponent might be of the imperial family.

Zhan Luori, the Seventh Princess… She could only wonder whether injuring her would be considered a crime.

Her luck seemed to have taken a rather bad turn.

Zhan Luori walked onto the training grounds and fixed her gaze on Feng Jiu’er standing among the crowd.

Beside them, a dozen or so pairs of new students had already begun their matches. Only the two of them had yet to move.

“Miss Jiu’er, please wait a moment — this subordinate will go notify His Highness at once.” If the opponent had been anyone else, Qing Yun could still have arranged for things to be handled in a way that allowed Feng Jiu’er to win.

But of all people, her first opponent turned out to be the palace’s renowned Iron Horse Princess!

The Seventh Princess had followed the Guardian General of the Nation in martial training since childhood. Unlike other princesses who were elegant and gentle, she was more like the imperial princes — skilled with sword and blade, bow and horse, accomplished in every regard.

For Feng Jiu’er to face the Seventh Princess would inevitably mean a great deal of hardship. Qing Yun could not openly disrespect the Seventh Princess directly — this matter would require His Highness to come handle it in person.

Qing Yun walked over to the examiner presiding over Feng Jiu’er and the Seventh Princess’s bout, whispered a few words in his ear, and then departed in haste.

Zhan Luori kept her gaze fixed on Feng Jiu’er, then suddenly pressed her lips together and said: “This Princess does not cross blades with women. Honying!”

“Yes!” The attendant Honying, who had been standing behind her, immediately stepped forward in long strides onto the training grounds and looked squarely at Feng Jiu’er: “I ask for your guidance.”

Feng Jiu’er walked unhurriedly onto the training grounds, yet her eyes were trained on Zhan Luori: “My opponent’s name is Luori.”

Zhan Luori, who had already begun to turn away, gave a slight frown and looked back to meet Feng Jiu’er’s gaze. Her expression was utterly impassive — clearly she was not someone given to jesting.

“This Princess has no wish to bully someone as delicate and fine-skinned as you. Rest assured — so long as you defeat Honying, this Princess will see to it personally that you are admitted into the Imperial Guard Academy.”

“But this young lady has no wish to bully Honying, who is just as fine-skinned and delicate. So please, Luori, do me the honor instead.”

“Impudence!” Honying’s expression darkened. She swung her red-tasseled spear and drove the butt of the shaft straight at Feng Jiu’er’s chest with a rapid thrust.

Feng Jiu’er had been waiting for precisely this moment. With a sharp whoosh, she seized the long spear from its rack nearby.

The butt of her spear moved like a fire dragon, driving straight for Honying’s vital center.

In truth, she understood — now that Zhan Luori had spoken as she had, she would not personally spar with her today.

What mattered most was this: Zhan Luori’s footsteps were steady and powerful, her breathing even and controlled with well-trained depth — she was undoubtedly a master with profound inner strength.

Feng Jiu’er’s internal cultivation was her greatest weakness. Facing Zhan Luori in combat, she had virtually no chance of winning.

Honying, however, was different. Though Honying was also a formidable fighter, her inner strength was far beneath Zhan Luori’s.

Her martial technique was surely excellent as well — no one who served at the side of such a skilled princess could be weak. Feng Jiu’er was uncertain just how great her own odds of victory against Honying truly were. But if Honying’s fury caused her to break her rhythm, then her own chances of winning would multiply considerably.

Exactly as they were doing right now!

Just when everyone assumed Feng Jiu’er had no will to fight, Feng Jiu’er struck with her swiftest and most lethal spear technique, driving straight for Honying’s vital center. The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless — clean and decisive. The long spear swept past Honying’s weapon, and in an instant, the butt of the shaft came to rest pressed against Honying’s throat!