Douluo: Things You Live Long Enough to See

Xue Ye: "…"

Cheng Ying's question made him a bit embarrassed it was just too direct, lacking even the slightest bit of aristocratic subtlety. Fortunately, Xue Ye was well-mannered enough not to show it on his face.

"There should be a fief included," Xue Ye replied, not intending to keep anything hidden. "But it may not be quite what you're expecting." Typically, noble titles came with land, but whether one could truly secure it depended on one's own abilities.

"Let's hear it. Having a legal piece of land always gives a sense of security," said Cheng Ying, unfazed even if the land was remote or barren he had all kinds of ways to develop it into prosperity.

"Well, here's the situation. Brother Cheng, your accomplishments are considerable and you've saved countless lives. That said, a hereditary title isn't so easily granted. If you're lucky, you'll be awarded a viscountcy.

But unless it's a dukedom, the empire doesn't hand out chunks of its core territory as fiefs. Your viscountcy will most likely be on contested land between the empire and the border kingdoms."

Cheng Ying blinked at that, then nodded in realization. The true purpose of the feudal system was to govern territories that couldn't be directly administered. To divide up imperial lands would go against that core principle.

Back when the Zhou emperor enfeoffed vassals, the idea was never to hand over conquered land, but to circle a region on the map and say: "When this land is conquered, it will be yours."

"So basically, I'll have to fight to secure the land myself, huh?" Cheng Ying mused. The empire would probably offer some support—otherwise, why bother rewarding him with a fief at all?

"Exactly. That's why most nobles never actually obtain their fiefs. They can request troops from the empire to help seize the land, but the empire almost never lends out soul master legions. A bunch of regular soldiers won't win you any territory.

Brother Cheng, if you need them, I could lend you a hundred subordinates. They're not highly cultivated, but better than nothing," Xue Ye offered kindly.

"Are we going to war?" Bingdi suddenly jumped in, eyes shining with the expression of someone finally getting their chance to shine. But before she could say more, Cheng Ying scooped her up and squeezed her cheeks, silencing her with a muffled "wulu wulu~"

Sure, Bingdi could absolutely crush any rival territory—wiping out those jumping-bean kingdoms wouldn't be difficult. But strong heroes alone couldn't awaken a social class. They had to understand and believe in their own power first.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I already have a complete plan for this. It's best you keep your guards by your side and protect yourself," Cheng Ying replied. He knew well that Xue Ye wasn't the crown prince. And if he eventually did become emperor, it surely involved some dramatic "slay your brother, seize the throne" level of palace intrigue.

Their partnership had always been productive—it would be a real loss to accidentally swat this butterfly of a prince out of existence and ruin a valuable ally.

"If Brother Cheng already has a plan, then success is guaranteed. The ennoblement ceremony is held annually on the night of the fullest moon after the harvest. You'll have to wait until next year—and this time, no more excuses! I will take you around the imperial city in person."

"Deal!" Cheng Ying said, clapping palms with Xue Ye.

Later, on the carriage ride outside the city…

Chaotianxiang gazed at the towering silhouette fading in the distance, feelings swirling in her chest. She had once thought herself quite outstanding among soul masters, but next to Cheng Ying, she truly still felt like a child.

"Your teacher should know that you're not allowed to live in the city, right? Then why did he still go back in?" the slightly deflated girl asked, a bit listless from the blow to her pride.

"Oh, Teacher explained this!" Meng Shu perked up, recalling one of Cheng Ying's lessons. "Teacher said male lions regularly patrol their territory and mark it with urine. So this must be a territory patrol—it's a natural instinct of male creatures!"

He looked up proudly—only to find both Dugu Bo and Tang Chen staring at him like he was an idiot. In the rearview mirror, Cheng Ying's squinted eyes were locked on him, casting serious doubt on whether he was actually watching the road.

"Student Meng Shu really knows how to apply what he's learned! Since you're so clever, I'll have to tailor my teaching accordingly. Here—this is a copy of Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Practice. I want it finished by tomorrow morning, whether you understand it or not."

Smack!

A small blue booklet slapped right onto Meng Shu's face. The shimmering gold embossed title on the cover read:

Five Years Gaokao, Three Years Practice

Tang Chen looked at him with a "rest in peace" expression. This particular workbook was said to be the most difficult of all their teacher's assignments. According to Cheng Ying, it was nearly as hard as the actual college entrance exam. No one really knew what kind of divine beings that exam was meant for—perhaps it really was a test for gods.

Dugu Bo simply gave him a condescending look—the kind only a straight-A student could muster. Most of the high school-level knowledge, he had already mastered. He even thought it might be possible to finish the entire book in one night.

As for Meng Shu, he was thoroughly bewildered. He had yet to experience the true terror of being dominated by homework—but his instincts told him to fear it deeply.

Back at the countryside manor outside Heaven Dou City, Cheng Ying settled the new students and then took Bingdi's little hand, heading toward the riverbank. With the land grant coming next autumn, it was time to start executing his "Edge of the World" project. The conventional tech tree needed a serious spark to ignite a roaring flame on the continent of Douluo.

"What's with all the mystery? Is it something fun again?" Bingdi let Cheng Ying lead her along, just like a true little girl tagging after her guardian.

"This time it's not a toy," Cheng Ying replied with a mysterious tone. "Little Bing, do you want to know what the edge of the world looks like?"

"The edge of the world?" Bingdi blinked her big eyes.

"That's right. What do you think the world's edge looks like?" Cheng Ying asked, deliberately vague. After all, he hadn't explained much geography. Earth's maps were useless here, and there wasn't much he could say.

As for telling them the Earth was round—he didn't dare. This was a fantasy world. Without proof of circumnavigation, he really couldn't be sure. Who knew? Maybe they were on a flat continent on a massive cosmic slab.

Bingdi thought seriously, her eyes lighting up. "I think the edge of the world is a sea of fire. The sun rises from the magma and spirals upward into the sky, repeating every day!"

"Eh? Why do you think that?" Cheng Ying was stunned. He couldn't figure out how she had reached that conclusion.

"Because back in the Extreme North, no matter which direction I fly from my territory, it always gets hotter. That means my domain must be the center of the world.

If that's true, then the closer to the edge you go, the hotter it must get. And I've seen the sun spiral slowly downward as it sets from my homeland—so I think it falls into the world's edge, turning it into a sea of lava! What do you think? Pretty smart, right?" Bingdi beamed with a "praise me!" expression.

Cheng Ying couldn't help but laugh. Given that Bingdi had lived at the polar point for countless years, it made perfect sense that she'd draw this slightly absurd conclusion. At the very least, it showed she was thinking and that already placed her ahead of 99% of the continent.

"Maybe you're right," Cheng Ying chuckled, rubbing her little head affectionately. "But rather than guess why don't we go see it for ourselves?"

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix