Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates
Chapter 179 - 177 Still Looking for Trouble

Chapter 179: Chapter 177 Still Looking for Trouble

The sky gradually darkened, and the majestic Imperial City, under the veil of nightfall, resembled a peerless ferocious beast raising its head to roar, exuding an overwhelming and vast aura.

In front of the Third Prince Mansion, Zhao Qian in a white robe with a longsword strapped on his back stood shoulder to shoulder with Liu Yiyi. The man was tall and valiant, while the woman was stunningly beautiful, like a perfectly matched pair.

The guards at the entrance of the Third Prince’s residence had an arrogant look on their faces, showing no intention of letting the two in. In a place like the Imperial City, they had seen too many young talents.

Zhao Qian, already the Young Master of Chongyang Sect, boasted an illustrious identity. Yet, waiting outside the Third Prince Mansion, he showed not a hint of impatience.

"Brother Zhao Qian, there’s still much time before the banquet set by the Third Prince begins. Why are we waiting here so early?" Liu Yiyi frowned and raised the question.

As a direct disciple of the Chongyang Sect and sharing a close relationship with Zhao Qian, when had she ever waited outside someone else’s door?

"Yimei, although our Chongyang Sect is one of the four great forces of Black Dragon Country, with our Sect Leader away and having not returned from his travels, our sect is internally weak despite external strength. Many forces are restless and eager to replace us; only relying on my father to hold on stubbornly."

"If I can establish a relationship with the Third Prince before all the heavenly prides, our sect can rest easy. Therefore, this banquet is an opportunity, and we must come early to show our respect for the Third Prince. That’s also the task my father entrusted to me," said Zhao Qian with a wry smile.

Even with his pride, facing a person like the Third Prince, he still had to bow his head.

There was no choice. The Royal Family was the most powerful force in Black Dragon Country, and many people wanted to latch onto that powerful leg.

Hearing his words, Liu Yiyi nodded slightly without further comment, waiting patiently.

Soon, one after another, the young talents floated over and arrived at the gate of the Third Prince Mansion. The sharpness emanating from their bodies made it impossible for others to gaze directly at them, each of them extremely powerful.

At that moment, the crowd suddenly parted to create a path. A young man with a tall stature and silver hair approached, his awe-inspiring eyes radiant, possessing an invincible demeanor.

Jiang Yunfan, ranked fifth on the Hidden Dragon List, had arrived!

Boom!

Suddenly, a boiling war intent surged into the heavens, shattering the sky, with a brilliant light like the sun, illuminating the night sky.

The many young talents felt a chill in their hearts, looking up towards the heavenly dome.

They saw a young man with both hands behind his back, walking on the air. His robes fluttered and hair danced wildly; the boiling war intent was emanating from him, breathtaking.

Only a martial artist at the Innate Limit would be able to tread the void for a short time. Clearly, the newcomer had reached Perfect Innate True Qi, with inscrutable strength.

"It’s the mad genius Xue Zhan, ranked fourth on the Hidden Dragon List!" Seeing this young man, a hint of fear appeared in the eyes of many young talents.

Xue Zhan, as his name suggests, was very belligerent. In his sect, he had defeated all the invincible hands of the younger generation, possessing Second-class Innate Limit strength, ranking even above Jiang Yunfan.

"Jiang Yunfan, I hope you won’t disappoint me in this Heavenly Pride Battle. Allow me to engage in a hearty and unrestrained fight with you!" Xue Zhan landed on the ground, his robe fluttering without wind, as the war intent on his body ignited.

Jiang Yunfan calmly met his gaze, his eyes deep and piercing.

Even among the many heavenly prides, these two shone like bright pearls, extremely dazzling.

"The Third Prince hasn’t appeared for so long, this is a bit troublesome now." Zhao Qian glanced at Jiang Yunfan and Xue Zhan, feeling a great pressure in his heart.

Although he had reached Perfect Innate True Qi and could be ranked in the top ten of the Hidden Dragon List, crowning him the best among Chongyang Sect’s younger generation, he wasn’t particularly outstanding amidst so many heavenly prides. His plan to build a relationship with the Third Prince on his own fell through.

Moreover, in a place like the Imperial City, the identity of the Young Master of the Chongyang Sect didn’t give him much to be proud of.

In the midst of these young talents, which one did not have a distinguished identity? How could Zhao Qian make the Third Prince treat him differently?

"They are all so strong," Liu Yiyi said as she watched Jiang Yunfan and the others, her eyes trembling.

Seeing so many young talents broadened her horizons.

Then, Liu Yiyi searched through the crowd and, after not finding a familiar figure, she inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

"He wouldn’t come to take part in the Heavenly Pride Battle, right?"

The young man who she once looked down upon completely overturned her perception with the aura he emitted when he overpowered the heroes in the Direct Disciples’ competition.

"But even if he comes, what does it matter? Without the support of the sect’s resources, I reckon he wouldn’t even make the top ten," thought Liu Yiyi to herself.

Cultivating alone to Perfect Innate True Qi is immensely difficult. For example, Zhao Qian also broke through only because the Vice Sect Leader found a large number of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures for him.

"Honored heavenly prides, this prince has been late to welcome you all, I hope you’ll forgive my tardiness," said a gentle voice emanating from the mansion.

The Third Prince had arrived!

The many young talents were struck with emotion, their faces promptly showing smiles.

"Long Yu!"

"It’s you, Third Prince!"

Seeing Long Yu’s face, both Jiang Yunfan and Xue Zhan showed faces full of shock, the same reaction as Xiao Ye had before.

Young talents who had seen Long Yu before were also stunned.

"Indeed, I am the Third Prince. I hope everyone will forgive me for the late welcome," Long Yu said with a slight smile, greeting everyone with a bow.

"The Third Prince is too kind." Everyone hurriedly returned the gesture of courtesy, and then their gazes shifted to Xiao Ye, who was walking shoulder to shoulder with Long Yu.

"It’s Wang Lin, the Independent Practitioner Genius!"

The young talents present were all of extraordinary intelligence. The significance of walking beside Long Yu needed no explanation.

Liu Yiyi’s beautiful eyes trembled. When she heard about Wang Lin’s deeds, she had a great deal of admiration in her heart.

To be able to suppress Xie Fei and rank sixth on the Hidden Dragon List without the support of a sect’s resources, and to resolve the crisis of Fierce Beast City – this talent was far beyond her own and Zhao Qian’s.

"This is a true Heavenly Pride." Liu Yiyi thought to herself with emotion. This was the second peer she admired.

As for the first, of course, it was Xiao Ye. Although she was reluctant to admit it, the fact remained as such.

Xiao Ye, standing beside the Third Prince, felt a sensation and looked towards Liu Yiyi in the crowd. After locking eyes for a moment, he withdrew his gaze calmly.

With his current strength and worldview, he naturally would not cling to the emotions of the past.

Liu Yiyi’s delicate body shook. The look Xiao Ye had just given her felt so familiar, and a vision of a young man emerged in her mind.

"Impossible. I must be hallucinating," Liu Yiyi bit her red lips, finding her thoughts ludicrous.

How could her qualifications compare to Wang Lin, the Independent Practitioner Genius?

"Has Sister not come to the banquet this time?" After searching through the crowd, Xiao Ye felt somewhat disappointed.

Soon after, Long Yu invited everyone into the mansion and into a magnificent great hall.

The young talents seated themselves in order of their strength.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is my good brother Wang Lin. I believe you are not strangers to him, right?" Long Yu said in front of everyone, pulling Xiao Ye to sit next to him.

Xiao Ye felt touched in his heart.

With Long Yu’s words, even if he exposed his identity in the Heavenly Pride Battle, he believed that the Sun and Moon Sect would not dare to act against him openly.

The many Heavenly Prides realized the implication. It seemed that the Royal Family was interested in Xiao Ye’s potential and intended to woo him.

For a moment, Xiao Ye’s status in their hearts soared.

Although the top three from the Hidden Dragon List had not arrived, the atmosphere at the banquet was still very lively. The banquet had just begun, and everyone took turns toasting to Long Yu, who returned the gestures politely.

"Third Prince, I am Zhao Qian, Young Master of Chongyang Sect. I toast to you," Zhao Qian said respectfully and with lowered posture when his turn came.

"Chongyang Sect?" Long Yu raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xiao Ye next to him, remembering Xiao Ye’s reaction when the Chongyang Sect was mentioned.

"It seems that Wang Lin has some grievances with Chongyang Sect," Long Yu thought to himself, squinting his eyes and drinking the wine in his cup without even glancing at Zhao Qian.

In his view, what did the Young Master of Chongyang Sect have to do with him? Securing Xiao Ye was far more important.

Zhao Qian was left hanging, feeling cold inside. He couldn’t comprehend when he had offended the Third Prince. Now, climbing the relationship with the Third Prince had become even more difficult.

Zhao Qian returned to his seat, his expression darkening to the extreme.

Xiao Ye smiled at this. He could well guess that Long Yu treated Zhao Qian as such because of him.

"Wang Lin, it’s been a year since we parted in Fierce Beast City. Has your Innate True Qi reached perfection?" Jiang Yunfan, a silver-haired young talent, spoke with sparkling eyes, revealing war intent swirling around him.

He had great expectations for Xiao Ye in Fierce Beast City, believing that once Xiao Ye’s cultivation broke through to the Innate Limit, he could become his worthy opponent.

"No, my cultivation is still in the Late Stage of Innate Realm Ninth Layer," Xiao Ye replied.

As soon as these words were uttered, many of the young talents shook their heads in secrecy.

It was known that at least ten of those participating in the Heavenly Pride Battle had already achieved Perfect Innate True Qi. With the cultivation at the Late Stage of Innate Realm Ninth Layer, it was almost impossible to become one of the Five Young Supremes.

"A Loose Cultivator will always be a Loose Cultivator, without the help of sect resources, one’s cultivation improves too slow."

"It seems that in this year, Wang Lin has fallen behind. He’s probably dropped out of the top ten. The title of an Independent Practitioner Genius is undeserved," someone said with sarcasm, secretly gleeful.

"Jiang Yunfan, is this the Independent Practitioner Genius you spoke of? He’s a bit too weak, isn’t he? And here I was looking forward to battling him," Xue Zhan chuckled from his seat.

Jiang Yunfan let out a cold snort and sat back down with a disappointed face, no longer paying attention to Xiao Ye.

Long Yu also looked surprised; he had not expected Xiao Ye’s cultivation to still be at the Late Stage of Innate Realm Ninth Layer.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Xiao Ye chuckled.

Even if his Innate True Qi was not yet perfect, he could already contend with a Second Class Innate Limit martial artist in terms of cultivation.

"Hmph, Wang Lin, I challenge you. Do you dare to fight me?" At this moment, a black-haired young man with a face full of murderous intent stood up, his gaze filled with resentment.

His body surged with powerful energy fluctuations, clearly indicating his Innate True Qi had reached perfection.

Xiao Ye looked at his opponent and was taken aback. Wasn’t this Xie Fei, who he had beaten up at the Fierce Beast City Hero Banquet?

"Knowing my cultivation level, you see me as a soft persimmon and plan to pick a fight to save face?" Xiao Ye snickered in his heart. It seemed Xie Fei was still looking for a thrashing.