Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 282 - 102. The banquet begins

Chapter 282: 102. The banquet begins

Many people found themselves restless throughout the night, but Li Aozi slept soundly, energizing himself and making all the necessary preparations.

He had firmly decided that should the plan fail, he would immediately flip the table. After all, he held leverage over Sky Ring, and being a Red Arrow Citizen, he wasn’t afraid of a direct confrontation.

The response from Narrow Space Mirror was more surprising; this straightforward and highly aggressive terrorist hadn’t shown any signs of attack up to now. He was cautiously lying low, which spared Li Aozi a lot of trouble.

"Now, let’s enjoy this carnival."

The Nine Dragons Gathering kicked off, and the population of Qiong’anjing doubled in density. Having been invited, Li Aozi avoided the peak period and took a private car to the main venue of the banquet—Nine Dragons Temple.

Passing through a Torii gate and a mountain path where countless white lanterns had been released, Li Aozi was guided by two monks into the square. In this era, it was unusual to see such an ancient and charming temple. The high-ranking leaders of Sky Ring and the temple’s presiding monk were delivering speeches on stage. They would soon proceed with the ceremonial rites under the guidance of Shrine Maidens and the Grand Yin Yang Master.

The entire process was quite dull, and Li Aozi wasn’t interested. He symbolically listened to the speeches for a while but was actually scanning the crowd. He distinctly spotted several Frost Plated People’s faces.

Their expressions were serious and rigid, and all were male, basically ruling out any officials or tycoons from Frost Plated—it must be the Third Rule’s agents.

Li Aozi, possessing the "Eye of Truth," took a moment to scan their faces, and sure enough, these Frost Plated People were all "Third Rule Outside Agents."

"It looks like the Frost Plated are up to something."

Li Aozi noticed these individuals frequently grouping with some of Sky Ring’s powerhouses to converse about something while intermittently glancing his way. He couldn’t help but sneer: To go this far and still think about killing through indirect means?

Frost Plated was not doing well in the frontline battles at Grante, and after being repeatedly humiliated by Li Aozi, they surely couldn’t keep calm and wanted to eliminate him—though trying to incite powerhouses to deal with him seemed quite desperate.

Li Aozi, uninterested in dealing with them, suddenly thought that these people might still be of use.

"Perhaps, I could do this..."

He turned and stepped directly into the exhibition venue, admiring the weapons and blades crafted by Sky Ring’s skilled artisans throughout the year.

This was indeed a way for the Nine Dragons Gathering to increase foreign exchange earnings—Sky Ring’s weapons were globally renowned, especially the cold steel swords and blades, which were preferred both for their collectible value and their use by individual warriors.

At such an international celebration, it wasn’t merely about placing orders for weapons, but also a great opportunity for craftsmen to showcase their skills. Many unknown bladesmiths could become famous overnight if their work caught someone’s eye, achieving a social leap. Others were simply showing off their exquisite craftsmanship, intentionally creating lavish yet valueless weapons.

Of course, such an occasion wouldn’t allow anyone to casually handle the weapons; all were secured with complex genetic passcodes, and if someone was interested, they must consult with the craftsman to unlock and try them.

Li Aozi casually toured some booths, with Frost Plated agents stealthily trailing him. He didn’t mind, occasionally picking up weapons to try and starting conversations with some artisans.

However, it didn’t take long for the disparaging comments of the Frost Plated People behind him to become apparent.

Li Aozi set down a tantō and shook his head, saying to the craftsman,

"This weapon doesn’t suit my combat style; it’s also quite short. But the craftsmanship is indeed exquisite; I wish you luck finding the right buyer."

There was nothing wrong with what he said, but before he finished speaking, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind:

"Yo, Red Arrow People do have taste—a tantō is inherently a short-bladed weapon and yet you find it short."

Li Aozi glanced back and saw a burly man striding over with his arms crossed, not concealing his Beta Rank aura. He wore a wide samurai robe and clearly belonged to the Dragon Faction, marked by a tattoo of a hissing snake around his neck.

He sauntered over, snatched the tantō from the craftsman, weighed it in his hand, swiped it through the air producing a crisp whoosh, and nodded:

"What’s this? It’s pretty good, right? Sharp enough to slice hair effortlessly."

As he spoke, he held the tantō, eyeing Li Aozi with a teasing look, his tone suddenly shifting:

"Eh, but it can’t be helped—Sky Ring is a small country after all, inevitably lacking resources and worldly experience, how could we compare with the Empire’s lords?"

Some passersby who recognized the samurai began whispering,

"Hey, isn’t that Houjo Clan’s retainer—Liu Weimen’s new assistant?"

"Red Arrow People are unlucky. How did he offend this mad dog?"

"Liu Weimen’s master was defeated by a Red Arrow Sword Master and, unable to bear the humiliation, committed seppuku. Now this guy is obsessed with opposing Red Arrow."

The whispering of the surrounding guests and their eager anticipation surprised Li Aozi—he hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation.

[How lucky must the Third Rule be to provoke specifically this person?]

But on second thought, it was quite normal; the Third Rule was professional at inciting strife, and they probably had made contact with many similar individuals.