Chapter 135 - Indifferent
Ye Futian returned to the venue. The people from the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom were all looking at him. They had wanted to test out the abilities of the Fenghua Rank’s first place. However, Ye Futian did not want to. It was Yu Sheng who stepped out and threw a punch. This made it clear to them: Ye Futian was not hiding from battle—he thought he was too good for a battle.
Yu Sheng and Ye Futian were on the same plane, but in first place was Ye Futian, not Yu Sheng. If Yan Zhan was defeated by Yu Sheng, what level was Ye Futian on? It was safe to say that it would be difficult for anyone in the Seven-Starred Glory Plane to win against him.
“At today’s event, the emperor of the Yan Kingdom said boring events like the Fenghua Banquet could not help pick out truly brilliant people. But that doesn’t seem to be true. What just happened is a perfect example. Do the others from the Yan Kingdom want to give it a try?” the extravagantly dressed young man from the Yunchu Nation opened his mouth again.
“Well, of course. Not only that, we also want to know how strong Chu Kuangren of the Yunchu Nation is,” said a young man from the Yan Kingdom, looking at the person who had just spoken. The young man was Yan Qi, and the extravagantly dressed young man he was speaking to was Chu Kuangren.
“Even back in the Yunchu Nation, I have heard of Yan Qi’s knives. In the second level Dharma Plane, Yan Qi’s knives were able to execute a person in the fourth level Dharma Plane. He even became the godson of Emperor Yan, and was given the family name, ‘Yan’,” said Chu Kuangren with a smile. The two young men were attacking each other with their words.
Chu Kuangren and Yan Qi were both the leaders of the young cultivators from their respective countries. One was an actual prince and one was bestowed the title of prince. Just as Emperor Yan had said, the Yan Kingdom was in need of talent, so anyone with extraordinary gifts had a chance at high status positions. It was even possible to become a prince.
Chu Kuangren and Yan Qi met eyes. Both of their gazes were sharp like knives. An invisible force spread throughout the venue. Just then, Chu Kuangren laughed and the force disappeared immediately.
“The Tingfeng Banquet has only just begun. Brother Yan, there is no need to rush. The time will come,” said Chu Kuangren. “It is such a shame that the cultivation of the Fenghua Rank’s first place is so low. That’s no fun at all. If he were in the Dharma Plane, then things would be so much more interesting.” Even though they had all heard that Ye Futian defeated Dharma Plane cultivators during the Fenghua Banquet, they would not accept this as proof of Ye Futian’s powers. Realization of Dharma that could be defeated by a mere Seven-Starred Glory Plane cultivator was definitely looked down upon. Chu Kuangren and Yan Qi’s gifts were able to overpower every one of the younger generation cultivators in their respective countries, so there was no need to question just how strong and powerful their gifts were.
“But it’s a relief that Ye Wuchen is also on the Fenghua Rank,” said Chu Kuangren. A moment later, he looked at the figure seated quietly across from him and said, “Ye Wuchen, you were the most powerful participant of the Fenghua Banquet and is second place on the Fenghua Rank. If Ye Futian did not defeat people levels above him, you would have been in first place.”
“You know quite a lot,” said Ye Wuchen. He put down his wine glass and finally looked up a Chu Kuangren, breaking his silence.
“It’s not hard to find out about these things. After all, the Cangye Kingdom’s Fenghua Banquet isn’t exactly a small event,” answered Chu Kuangren. News circulated in the imperial palace and as a prince, it was not difficult for him to find out about every battle that went on during the banquet. Even though Chu Kuangren was not present at the event, two people made an impression on him purely based of the reports he received. One was Ye Futian who battled across planes, and the other was the invincible Ye Wuchen. Between these two people, Ye Futian’s level of cultivation was much too low to peak his interest. Chu Kuangren was very obviously more interested in Ye Wuchen.
“But I don’t know anything about you,” Ye Wuchen said nonchalantly. An awkward smile was frozen on Chu Kuangren’s face.
Ye Futian chuckled. Ye Wuchen was indeed an interesting person.
“Chu Kuangren, it seems you’re not as popular as you had thought,” laughed Yan Qi.
“You’re just the same,” Ye Wuchen opened his mouth once again. Yan Qi gave him a strange look. Yan Qi knew that Chu Kuangren was extremely insolent, but he would never have imagined that he would meet someone even more arrogant today.
Ye Wuchen was not being arrogant. In his opinion, cultivation was not an easy task. Swordsmanship required a lot of time for exploration and refinement. Where would he find the time to inquire about cultivators of the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom? To Ye Wuchen, if he wanted to find out about someone’s abilities, one duel was all it took. Why complicate something that could be taken care of so easily?
“That’s okay. You’ll get to know us eventually.” Chu Kuangren smiled at Ye Wuchen. Then, to the people seated beside him, he said, “Didn’t you guys want to see what kind of realization of Dharma the Dharma Plane cultivators defeated by a Glory Plane cultivator possessed? This is your time.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a person from the Yunchu Nation walked out, looking toward the group from the Cangye Kingdom. He said, “Would you guys mind enlightening me with your skills through a battle?”
Bai Qiu and Yu Jiang’s expression darkened. They knew when they lost to Ye Futian that the news would spread all over the Cangye Kingdom and become history that could never be erased, but they never thought the news would travel so far that even neighboring countries would know about their defeat. Now, they were even being taunted about it.
Bai Qiu walked out. Although he was defeated by Ye Futian, he was still the number one student of the Qin Clan. His abilities were definitely not weak, or else he would not have made it on the Fenghua Rank at all. After his defeat by Ye Futian, Bai Qiu defeated many other opponents and was picked by the emperor to enter the rank.
The two cultivators walked to the side. The area in the center of the venue was obviously not spacious enough. Very quickly, a guqin sounded. As a Musical Sorcerer prodigy of the Qin Clan, Bai Qiu’s musical sorcery was very powerful. The Qin Clan was the guqin orthodoxy of the Cangye Kingdom. They were definitely deserving of this reputation.
However, in the end, Bai Qiu was defeated.
Everyone present from the Yunchu Nation was also the best of the younger generation cultivators. The Yan Kingdom was humiliated a while ago when they were immediately defeated in battle with Yu Sheng. There was no way the Yunchu Nation would make the same mistake. So, the person who fought Bai Qiu was actually extremely powerful. Amongst the younger generation cultivators from their country, he was one of the most gifted. But Bai Qiu had no prior knowledge of this. All he knew was that he was insulted and then was defeated once again. The high-spirited prodigy of the Qin Clan had lost his élan.
Afterwards, the people of the Yan Kingdom joined in on the “fun” and challenged Yu Jiang. Just the same, Yu Jiang was also defeated. The Yan Kingdom’s victory made up for the humiliation they received after the previous battle. The defeat of Bai Qiu and Yu Jiang answered the Yunchu Nation’s question: What kind of realization of Dharma could be defeated by a Glory Plane cultivator?
“By the looks of it, it’s not as difficult as we thought to rank first on the Fenghua Rank,” Chu Kuangren laughed and looked at Ye Futian.
Prince Ye Danchen, Princess Ye Lingxi, and others looked to Ye Futian. They couldn’t just sit and swallow the insults. The Cangye Kingdom had already lost twice. Even Bai Qiu and Yu Jiang had turned their eyes to Ye Futian. If he made a move, then maybe they could prove themselves to the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom.
Ye Futian acted as if he did not hear anything Chu Kuangren had said. “Yu Sheng,” he called.
“…” No one said a thing. Was he going to make Yu Sheng fight again?
“Here,” answered Yu Sheng.
Ye Futian looked towards him and stood. Smiling, he said, “I’m full. Let’s go.”
“…”
Yu Sheng blinked and replied, “Okay.” Just like that, the two of them disregarded everyone at the venue and walked out.
The people of the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom watched them, dumbfounded. How can they be so arrogant and disrespectful?
Chu Kuangren was very arrogant, as was Yan Qi. Ye Wuchen did not lose to them in this department either, but there was no one like Ye Futian. He did not say anything insulting nor was he presumptuous or sarcastic—he simply ignored your existence.
Wine glass in hand, Luo Junlin stared at Ye Futian’s back. It was impossible to hide the intent to kill in his eyes.
Twin Spirits and gifts in all elements—Ye Futian was freakishly talented, but these talents still needed time to mature. Luo Junlin was not going to give him the chance to do so.
“I’m also full,” said Ye Wuchen and rose from his seat.
“If so, then we will take our leave now,” Ye Danchen said to Luo Junlin. The group from the Cangye Kingdom stood one by one and exited the venue. Everyone from the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom watched coldly as they departed.
“Powerful cultivators from our three countries have gathered for the Tingfeng Banquet. By the end of this event, we will know who’s the strongest,” Chu Kuangren said with a cold demeanor. Following that, he continued to drink. He had no intentions of leaving.
Luo Junlin heard what he had said and smiled meaningfully. He had other thoughts in mind.
As Ye Futian and the others walked further away from the venue, Lin Yueyao chased after him and arrived by his side.
“Do you really not care?” she asked as she stared at Ye Futian. She was getting more and more curious about this guy.
Ye Futian looked over at Lin Yueyao. She was indeed the Cangye Kingdom’s number one beauty. Even though she could not compare to Hua Jieyu, Lin Yueyao was still captivatingly beautiful up close.
“Why don’t you take a guess?” Ye Futian chuckled.
“I’m very curious as to what goes on in that head of yours.” Lin Yueyao gave him a beautiful smile. She continued, “Why don’t you just tell me?”
Seeing her enchanting smile, Ye Futian smiled. “Your beauty has no affect me. After all, your looks cannot compare to my Fox.”
“…” Lin Yueyao slowed down and looked dumbfounded as Ye Futian walked past her. She glared at him. Passing by, Bai Qiu and others saw the anger in her eyes. They felt a twinge of jealousy in their hearts.
Was this the same cold and indifferent girl? Between her and Ye Futian, who was more indifferent?
The group headed back to the palace and split up. Upon arriving at the palace, Ye Futian saw a familiar silhouette waiting outside. When she saw Ye Futian, she headed for him with sparkling eyes. “You’re back!” she said loudly. Ye Futian walked toward the smiling girl. The people behind Ye Futian gave strange looks when they saw the beautiful girl. They remembered when they had arrived at the palace yesterday, a beautiful had come by. What’s more, she was the princess of the Nandou Nation. Tonight was their second night, and yet another beautiful girl had come for Ye Futian. Had he really escaped to the Cangye Kingdom from the Nandou Nation as a fugitive?
Lin Yueyao looked at the two figures and was speechless. Isn’t his luck with women too ridiculously good?
Ye Danchen, on the other hand, looked at Ye Futian with worship in his eyes. “Impressive,” he muttered. Everyone returned to within the palace. Only Yu Sheng remained, waiting for Ye Futian on the side.
“Lin Xiyue, didn’t you come with the people from Donghai Academy? What are you doing here?” Ye Futian asked. In the day, he saw her amongst the Donghai Academy crowd. His guess was that Lin Xiyue was cultivating at Donghai Academy.