“No, he won’t!” The waiter shook his head.
“The empress will only show up at the welcome banquet after the enrollment is over. In the past few days, the enrollment process has been presided over by the dukes.”
“Which duke?” Harleen asked with a glint in her eyes.
“Both dukes will be there!” The waiter responded. “In addition, many ministers from the imperial palace will also be present.”
“What are the enrollment procedures for the institute?” Harleen asked.
“It’s not very complicated,” the waiter said again.
“First, the eldest duke will welcome the talents on behalf of the imperial family to participate in the selection competition, then the dean of the institute will announce the corresponding rules, and finally the selection competition will officially begin.”
“It will probably last for about three days, and then the empress will host the welcome banquet.”
“When will it start today?” Ivy asked.
“Because many talents have to come from other cities, according to the previous custom, it usually starts around noon,” the waiter replied.
“Thank you!” Billy took out a high-grade spirit stone from his body and handed it to the waiter before leading Harleen and others towards the door.
“Dear guests, you haven’t eaten anything yet!” The waiter was puzzled.
“We’ve already eaten!” Bob replied.
The waiter was left speechless.
A few minutes later, Billy and his group arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.
“Honey, last night Cason Galloway said that Deon Richards will make a move in three days. He probably intends to challenge the empress at the welcome banquet three days later, right?” Harleen spoke up.
“Most likely!” Billy nodded slightly.
It was indeed the best time to make a move!
“He knows we’re not dead now, and may speculate that we may know his plan. I wonder if he will act ahead of time,” Bob added.
“Very likely!” Ivy replied.
“Boss, where do we go next? Should we go to Ice Cloud Institute to take a look?” Bob suggested again.
“Let’s go back to the hotel first, and wait for Opal and Casey to come back before we decide,” Billy responded.
“Okay!” Harleen and the others nodded.
Before ten thirty in the morning, Opal and Casey returned to the hotel one after another.
“Boss, there is a new student selection competition at Ice Cloud Institute today, and many ministers from the imperial palace are on site,” Azure Dragon said after everyone was seated.
“Azure Dragon, we already heard about that at the Royal Restaurant,” Bob smiled.
“Oh?” Azure Dragon seemed to remember something after a slight pause. “By the way, I heard that the princess of Ice Cloud Empire will also be there today.”
“Are you sure?” Billy narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Definitely!” Azure Dragon nodded. “I heard many people talking about it on the way back to the hotel, all eager to witness the princess’s extraordinary elegance.”
“It seems that this princess is very popular in the imperial city!” Ivy commented.
“Indeed!” Amber agreed.
“According to the information Opal and I heard before, their princess is a rare talent in Ice Cloud Empire in hundreds, if not thousands, of years.”
“Not only is she highly talented in martial arts, but also excels in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, with few peers of the same age.”
“Furthermore, it is said that she has some knowledge in array and astrology.”
“If nothing goes wrong, she is the most suitable candidate for the next empress of Ice Cloud Empire!”
“So amazing?” Ivy couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Yeah!” Amber nodded. “She is indeed outstanding!”
“Amber, do you know what level of cultivation she is at now?” Harleen asked.
“I didn’t inquire about that!” Amber shook her head.
“She usually stays deep in the palace courtyard and rarely comes out, so it’s hard for outsiders to know her specific cultivation level.”
“Her cultivation level should not be low, even if she can’t catch up with Billy Boy, she probably won’t be too far behind!” Opal added.
“Is that true?” Including Casey, everyone was surprised.
They were all very clear that Boss had reached such a high level today after countless life-and-death struggles.
Can a sheltered imperial princess compare to a boss?
Everyone became quite curious about Ice Cloud Empire’s princess.
“Yes!” Opal nodded slightly and then looked towards Billy.
“Billy Boy, if Deon Richards wants to make a move earlier, today would be the best time.”
“That princess is the prime candidate for the next sovereign. If she is controlled, Deon Richards’ plan could be at least half successful.”
“Yes!” Billy also nodded.
After a slight pause, he asked, “Opal, have you and Amber discovered anything?”
“Nothing, everything is normal!” Opal shook her head and added, “However…”
“What?” Billy pressed.
“Earlier when Amber and I were scouting the north gate of the imperial city, I could faintly sense the fluctuations of a formation line in a valley outside,” Opal responded.
“Most likely, someone has set up an array there.”
She had studied arrays for a while at Ether Mountain, so she was able to detect the formation line fluctuations.
“An array?” Billy was slightly startled.
“Yes!” Opal nodded, “If I am not mistaken, it should be a large defensive array.”
“Boss, there’s a large array set up around the imperial city, this situation seems a bit odd.” Casey looked at Billy and spoke.
“Let’s check it out!” After thinking briefly, Billy stood up and headed to the door, with others following.
In about twenty minutes, the group exited through the north gate of the imperial city.
Looking ahead, there were two broad roads for horses with large grasslands on either side; about two to three kilometers to the left of the grassland was a range of rolling hills.
“The valley I mentioned is over there!” After finishing, Opal led the group flying towards the left direction.
As other people were also flying through the air in the suburbs, their flight did not seem too conspicuous.
Soon, the group landed at the mouth of a valley about twenty kilometers from the city gate.
Then, Billy began to use his spiritual power to survey the area.
“Boss, any findings?” A few minutes later, seeing Billy open his eyes, Black Tortoise asked.
“It’s indeed a high-level defensive array!” Billy nodded slightly.
“Boss, can it be unraveled?” White Tiger asked.
“Sure!” Billy answered. “However, we don’t know what is hidden inside. Acting rashly might not be wise.”
“Boss, could it be that people from Crimson Flame Empire are hiding here?” White Tiger continued.
“While I don’t dismiss that possibility, it’s not very likely.” Opal answered for Billy.
“Since Crimson Flame Empire is aiding Deon Richards in seizing the throne, they would certainly not send mediocre people.”
“And those of a certain cultivation level, as long as they conceal their aura, could walk down the streets without being detected, so there’s no need for them to hide here.”
“That makes sense!” White Tiger nodded.
“If there really are people hidden here, one type of person is the most likely.” Opal continued.
“Ghost Soldiers?” Harleen and Ivy spoke simultaneously.