Chapter 126: 46: Times have changed, my foolish brother.

The Second Prince seemed to have heard a tremendous joke.

Although his memory of the Elder Princess was almost nonexistent, in the Imperial Court, there were many rumors.

It was said that the Elder Princess was the Prime Monarch’s legitimate daughter and his most beloved child—the best proof being the Flying Sword the Prime Monarch had given her.

The servants missed the days when the Elder Princess was in the Imperial Court; they said that she was very empathetic toward them, never speaking harshly to them, even to the lowliest among them.

But in the eyes of others, the Elder Princess was indecisive and incapable of great achievements.

In the end, those who supported the Elder Princess ascending to the throne were just lowly servants without any real influence.

More importantly, although the Prime Monarch valued the Elder Princess greatly and often personally mentored her in the Sword Control Technique from a young age, wishing to pass on all his skills, unfortunately, the Elder Princess’s talents were mediocre, and her Sword Control Technique stagnated, quickly being surpassed by her younger brothers and sisters.

So, when the Elder Princess said she would personally teach her younger brother a lesson, the Second Prince couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Back then, the Elder Princess hadn’t yet fled the Imperial Court, and he had already surpassed her in the Sword Control Technique; now, as time had passed, the gap in their skills could only grow wider.

Although his father didn’t like this second son and never mentored him in swordsmanship as he had done with the Elder Princess, his path to growth had been accompanied by a teacher.

To describe it as a blessing in disguise wouldn’t be an overstatement—in the Second Prince’s view, his teacher’s abilities were far superior to his father’s. One who seeks to do great things must not be swayed by emotions; he could do very well without that old man’s affection and admiration.

The Second Prince said sarcastically, "Our situations are similar, both relying on the Extraterrestrials’ technology. Haven’t you ever wondered why, despite being the legitimate daughter, you have such mediocre talents?"

When the teacher said he would spare the Elder Princess’s life for his use, the Second Prince finally understood the reason.

Seeing that Ning Ruyue gave no response, he continued, "That’s because from the very beginning, they never intended to let you inherit the throne. Personality, ability, talent—all can be predetermined."

Being kind-hearted and gentle with a bit of quirky charm, although not material for succession, she still had the unique allure of a princess.

As a lover, no, as a pet to be kept, it would be quite a different pleasure.

"You are still the Prime Monarch’s legitimate daughter, the Elder Princess of the Imperial Court. Having you by my side should satisfy many people’s desire to conquer—I know that many among the Extraterrestrials have a particular fascination with the status of ’princess’. If you come to your senses and return to the Imperial Court with me, you might avoid some physical suffering."

The Second Prince pointed his Flying Sword directly at Ning Ruyue, "Otherwise, swords are blind; if by accident your face were to be injured, your worth would likely greatly diminish."

"Are you done?"

Ning Ruyue simply asked calmly, not the slightest bit angered by the Second Prince.

She never believed in destiny, or rather, her fate changed the moment she left the Imperial Court and arrived at the Cloud Sea Academy, "Enough with the nonsense, take this!"

"Bang—!"

A few gunshots rang out.

The Second Prince’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Ning Ruyue.

In an instant, an intense numbness spread throughout his body.

Having lost control of his Life Energy, the Flying Sword fell to the ground, and his body went rigid and toppled forward, his handsome face coming to rest on the dust-covered ground.

Damn it, someone fired a hidden gun!

Under normal circumstances, this level of sneak attack would not have posed a problem, but at that moment, all his attention had been on Ning Ruyue.

The overly confident Elder Princess had actually requested the headmaster not to intervene, intending to face him in single combat.

The Second Prince’s mind conjured up all of the Elder Princess’s sword moves, and no matter how Ning Ruyue attacked, the only outcome would be her being defeated to the ground.

Although the teacher said to spare her life, he never stipulated that the Elder Princess’s face couldn’t be marred during the duel.

But he never expected that the Imperial Court’s rumors about the Elder Princess were utterly false; she was nothing but a despicable coward, waving the banner of a fair fight while firing shots from behind!

And more than one person fired those hidden shots; he had been hit by four bullets at the same time!

The Second Prince lay prostrated on the ground, unable to move a muscle due to paralysis.

All he could do was listen to the footsteps getting closer and watch with wide eyes as the white boots approached him.

"My foolish brother, surely you didn’t naively believe that I would engage in a fair fight with someone like you?"

The Second Prince exerted all his strength but could only barely lift his face.

Ning Ruyue’s face no longer bore its previous integrity; instead, it was replaced with a condescending look, as though she were looking down at trash.

"It’s you who I didn’t expect to be felled by such a simple trap."

"You... you despicable wretch!"

The Second Prince’s teeth were nearly shattered from anger.

It was usually him who stabbed others in the back. When had he ever suffered such indignity?

"Who allowed you to raise your head?"

Still in a cold voice, the white boot that was lifted stumped on the Second Prince’s head, forcing his barely raised head back to the ground, then she signaled Yang Ping, the "Marksman Captain" who was in charge of the overall command of the shooting, and he swiftly approached, handing Ning Ruyue something as per their agreed plan.

Under Yang Ping’s guidance, Ning Ruyue successfully activated the camera function on her device.

When the Second Prince realized the smartphone’s lens was aimed at him, a foreboding feeling surged in his heart.

"You wretch, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Show some respect to your elder sister!"

Ning Ruyue twisted her foot, forcing the Second Prince’s head to the side so that his face, distorted from being pressed by her boot, was fully exposed to the smartphone’s camera.

"Click."

A simple operation had permanently preserved the image in the smartphone’s gallery.

"Stop your futile struggle. The poison needles shot into your body are specially made by Rattle Poison Fang. Having been hit with four of them, don’t even think about moving until tomorrow’s dawn."

Ning Ruyue sneered, once again grateful that she had attended Mingyuan’s class.

Perhaps the Second Prince’s Sword Control Technique was far superior to hers, but in an unrestricted fight, he was clearly an utter novice, naive enough to believe in fair one-on-one combat on the battlefield.

"Listen carefully, I’ll explain only once. ’Unrestricted combat’ means no restriction on weapons, numbers, or methods; everything is in service of the single goal of taking down the opponent."

This battle had been much easier than she expected. The Cloud Sea Five Heroes had not even had the chance to execute the secret "Justice Five-on-One" technique that their master had taught them in a special session today before the Second Prince had collapsed.

"I will kill you!"

The Second Prince’s eyes blazed red as he roared helplessly.

"I remember the Extraterrestrials have set up a large screen in the Imperial Court’s plaza. You don’t want your image under my foot to be displayed there 24 hours a day, do you?"

Ning Ruyue clicked her tongue, "If people see your humiliating state, will they continue to support you?"

The Second Prince’s pupils contracted, and he fell silent once more.

Seeing this, Mo Song, the dean in the distance, had mixed feelings.

Was this the same pure and kind Elder Sister of the Qin Academy he knew?

Five people surrounded the Second Prince lying immobilized on the ground, and the more he watched, the more it reminded him of a gang of delinquents dragging a student into an alley to bully.

Unrestricted combat...

It truly was a terrifying course.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read