The Legend of Futian

Things were harmonious at the banquet. Despite the holy lands being rivals with each other, they were still at the banquet thrown by the King of County, so they saw fit to reel their usual animosity in.

With the imperial advisor giving the order and sending people to pick worthy candidates to train, those from the County of Yan saw it necessary to stand together. They needed to send as many geniuses to train at the Upper Worlds as possible, as the glory of the County of Yan was on the line, and it was not the time for them to fight each other.

The banquet did not continue for long, as it was just courtesy of the County King of Yan as the host. The banquet served little purpose but to gather cultivators from holy lands and get ready to depart for Liwang City. As for Ye Futian’s appearance, he was little more than a footnote to them, especially to the saints. Having yet another extraordinary swordsman emerging from the Sword Clan of the Gale was hardly anything worth mentioning.

“Let’s go,” the County King of Yan said after the banquet was finished. The mighty ones nodded and took to the air in an instant. Their sword will blazing in the sky. The County King of Yan was at the very front with his people from the County King’s Residence. The mighty ones from the five holy lands followed behind them. All had their respective saint in the lead, summoning huge swords to serve as steeds.

“Go.” Sword will burst throughout the sky as soon as the County King of Yan was done. The sound of sword aura bursting throughout the County King’s Residence was heard from inside out. Many looked up in the sky at the impressive scene and were thoroughly shaken. Over a thousand swordsmen flew while riding on their swords. Over a dozen saints took the lead right in front of them, creating a very, very shocking scene. The swordsmen of Dali went outside the County of Yan, and everyone was hoping that the trip to Liwang City would have allowed the swordsmen of the County of Yan to shine at their best.

The swords flew high up in the sky. Ye Futian was traveling with the ones from the Sword Clan of the Gale. The Sword Saint of Fierce Wind invoked a huge sword of the storm and streaked the air. Huanxue, who was beside Ye Futian before, deliberately took several steps away to distance herself from him. That b*stard’s arrogance knew no bounds, and he didn’t even bother to reel his ego in before the significant figures of the County of Yan. It was as if he was the only one in the entire County of Yan who knew how to wield a sword. That was an insult like no other. Regardless of how great his talents with swords were, Huanxue had no intention of getting involved with him any further.

Ye Futian stood on the huge sword, his hair billowing in the wind. He naturally noticed what Huanxue was doing. However, he behaved calmly and did not mind at all. No one liked someone who was abrasive, unbridled, and had an ego, especially those who thought themselves to be above others. But then again, he was never there at Dali Dynasty to make friends.

If one had extraordinarily stunning looks, traits like stubbornness and contentiousness could be considered affectionate and charming instead. If one possessed unparalleled talents, one’s arrogance and boisterousness would be accepted by the people around them, thinking such traits to be typical among supreme beings. Those traits would have even been regarded as unique personalities.

After the trip to Liwang City, the people would have naturally accepted his arrogance, and those from the Upper Worlds had extended their invitations for him to train in the Upper Worlds. These were his true intentions for the trip. He did not head straight to the Upper Worlds but had instead taken a detour by first setting up shop at the Lower Worlds of Emperor Li’s Realm.

“The princesses—Yan Qingyi and Yan Ziyi—complement each other with their way of the sword, and they are versed at Sword Arts of Twin Shadows, extremely formidable when they fight alongside each other. There is hardly anyone below the Saint Plane in the County of Yan who is capable of beating the two princesses when they join hands. The only people who could threaten the princesses are Li Hanxing of the Ziwei Sword Clan and Kai Huang of Juque Sword Clan.” The Sword Saint of Fierce Wind added quietly, “Other than that, Chi Xia and Chi Yao from the Crimson Phoenix Sword Clan, and Lin Ya from the Sword Clan of the Storm are mighty as well.”

Despite looking straight ahead, Ye Futian was able to tell that the Sword Saint of Fierce Wind was speaking to him. “What do you mean by telling me all this?” Ye Futian asked.

“It is a given that I hope the swordsmen of the County of Yan can become the leading figures of the Nine Counties on this trip to Liwang City. But then again, as every cultivator in the County of Yan was a swordsman, it became even easier to compare them with each other. If you wish to find someone more powerful to hone your way of the sword with, then you need to stand out among the most exceptional ones among the swordsmen of Yan. Those people might not be a match to your powers, but there is no doubt that they will be compared to you,” the Sword Saint of Fierce Wind answered.

“I see,” Ye Futian said.

“You’ve got nothing else to say?” The Sword Saint of Fierce Wind turned his eyes to the side to look at Ye Futian. That’s all with that kid? he thought.

“I’m looking forward to seeing who will be worth having me draw my sword. If there are any such capable ones around, then I will fight,” Ye Futian said.

The Sword Saint of Fierce Wind was dumbfounded but quickly laughed it off. It seemed that he had gotten used to Ye Futian’s insolence. He thought if the kid had been too steeped in his training with the sword for the past decades to know how to deal with people. He was thinking if it was all due to him not knowing where his way of the sword stood at, having little idea of how capable the cultivators of Emperor Li’s Realm were.

So the kid wants to get to know the cultivators of Dali better then, The Sword Saint of Fierce Wind thought. He found such possibilities to be very plausible.

Huanxue distanced herself even further from the Sword Saint of Fierce Wind’s side, finding the conversation intolerable. Nie Yun was speechless as well. This guy, damn… But then he recalled the attack he took and his annoyance dissipated.

…

Liwang City was the capital of the Lower Worlds of Dali Dynasty and the number one city in all of Dali Dynasty. It was situated in the central region of Dali Dynasty. Liwang City was so huge that it was comparable to hundreds of cities throughout the Nine Counties. The Nine Counties of Dali Dynasty were divided with Liwang City serving as a divider at the center after all. One could only imagine how magnificent Liwang City had been.

Liwang City was directly connected to the Upper Worlds, and King Li, the master of the city himself, was a member of the royalty from Dali Dynasty in the Upper Worlds, being tasked to manage the entire Lower Worlds. It was rumored that King Li’s Palace had received orders from the Upper Worlds at the start of the year, intending to select genius cultivators and have them train in the Upper Worlds. The selection processes were to be carried out at Sage Plane, and it was not even limited to just pinnacle levels of Sage Plane.

King Li’s Palace began to spread the news to the Nine Counties as soon as the news was received. The County Kings of the Nine Counties proceeded to notify the holy lands, and after that, what took place at the County of Yan happened.

The County of Yan was not the only county rising to the occasion. Liwang City and all of the other counties of Dali Dynasty were in an uproar. The most capable of cultivators were gathering at that largest imperial city of Dali Dynasty, making the event unbelievably grand.

There were many voices heard throughout Liwang City at the moment. It was said that the cultivators of the Nine Counties had all arrived before Liwang City. Many people from Liwang City were able to see cultivators from holy lands across the Nine Counties walking outside.

There was news that there would be cultivators of top-notch forces coming down from the Upper Worlds of Dali Dynasty. Those people had all arrived at King Li’s Palace at the Lower Worlds. Countless people in Liwang City were asking about which top-notch forces had come from the Upper Worlds. According to rumors, some people came personally from the royal palace of Dali Dynasty. The imperial advisor of Dali Dynasty sent his students personally to the Lower Worlds to select geniuses.

At that moment, a huge banquet was thrown in the grand, magnificent King Li’s Palace. A regal figure in a golden threaded robe of the snake was seen sitting at the throne atop the jade steps. The middle-aged man exuded an upper class, supreme bearing. He was none other than King Li, who was in charge of managing the Lower Worlds of Dali Dynasty.

A young man was sitting on the ground quite a distance away below where King Li sat. Despite wearing only a simple robe, the young man’s extraordinary bearing was unmistakable, and he looked surreal. King Li even went to toast the young man personally.

King Li was important not just because he was in charge of more than just the Lower Worlds, but he was also of true royal blood of Dali Dynasty. A figure like him toasting to a young man spoke volumes of that young man’s prestige.

Many ministers and officials from King Li’s Palace were seen sitting at the seats below. Emperor Li’s Realm had been the weakest among the three—Emperor Li’s Realm, Emperor Xia’s Realm, and Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm—in the Battle of Empty Realm ten years ago.

Yet, there was one person who turned the tables for Emperor Li’s Realm. That man reversed the trend by sacrificing a considerable number of Emperor Li’s Realm’s forces to numb their opponents, bagging the final victory to that Battle of Empty Realm. Mighty ones from Emperor Li’s Realm slaughtered their way into Emperor Xia’s City in that Battle of Empty Realm, killing countless enemies and cutting down the enemy’s imperial flag. Any who participated in the Battle of Empty Realm would never be able to forget one name.

Lu Chuan, a personal student of the imperial advisor of Dali and was someone whom the imperial advisor held in very high regard. Lu Chuan’s name was known throughout Emperor Li’s Realm after winning the last Battle of Empty Realm. He achieved great fame at the pinnacle of Sage Plane and was greatly valued by Emperor Li.

The young man who was sitting on the floor at the moment was none other than Lu Chuan, a genius who would probably succeed the imperial advisor’s position in the future. What Lu Chuan did in the Battle of Empty Realm ten years ago was equivalent to what Ye Futian of Emperor Xia’s Realm pulled ten years later. His story was told everywhere by mighty ones of Emperor Li’s Realm.

In actuality, there were also many mighty ones from top-notch forces of the Upper Worlds present other than Lu Chuan, student of the imperial advisor. All of them responded to the imperial advisor’s call and went to the Lower Worlds to select geniuses, seeing if they were any among them who would make decent students, which included sword saints from holy lands like the Sword Mountain.

Even so, Lu Chuan was still undoubtedly the main character of the day. His status, talents, and what he did at the Battle of Empty Realm enabled him to enjoy all of those privileges. Nobody objected to his privileged status.

Lu Chuan was, at the moment, already a saint. He definitely would be a crucial figure in Emperor Li’s Realm in the future. Everyone knew and did not doubt that.

“I have heard from father about your esteemed bearing, and I have long admired you, sir. Here’s a toast to you from me, Li You.” There was a stunning woman who looked incredibly regal and elegant in her long pretty dress, who was sitting not far away from Lu Chuan. Her voice was gentle, and she had extremely stunning looks. The surname of “Li” and where she sat at the moment spoke volumes of her status.

“You’re too kind, Princess. I only performed puny matters that are hardly worth mentioning. I hardly have the esteemed bearing that you speak of.” Lu Chuan raised his cup and drank, both hands holding the cup. He then raised his palm and the cup as a gesture of respect before putting it down. Princess Li You did the same after him.

King Li was in charge of the Nine Counties of the Lower Worlds, and he was the king of the Lower Worlds. Emperor Li allowed his children to be addressed as princes and princesses.

Many looked at the two of them with smiles on their faces. One of them was an extraordinary student of the imperial advisor and the other, daughter of King Li, who had stunning looks. They were both humble and polite and looked quite like a perfect match.

“You bagged victory for Emperor Li’s Realm at the Battle of Empty Realm single-handedly, besting the strong as one of the weak, and His Majesty rewarded you for it. You are too humble to deem such impressive feats not worth mentioning,” Li You smiled and said. She was regal and elegant, yet still had a gentle beauty to her.

“I did not intend to be humble. That battle happens once in ten years, and there are incredible people emerging in every single battle. In the Battle of Empty Realm last year, there had been a member of the younger generation of Emperor Xia’s Realm appearing out of the blue. What he pulled was far superior to what I did in my time. Other than the Battle of Empty Realm, there are still many other magnificent people. I dare not brag with that many being better than I am.”

Lu Chuan then said slowly, “My teacher has asked me to come to the Lower Worlds to recruit capable people and strengthen the Dali Dynasty. My mission is an important one, indeed.”