The words that Ye Futian said to Yan Qingwu shook the entire Holy Zhi Palace to its core in no time. Him being granted entrance to the Sage Hall and his status as the number one in the Law Rank contributed to the hype surrounding him. Even though those ranked high in the Law Rank gave their opinions on the matter, no one had expected Ye Futian"s long-awaited comment to be so overbearing and imposing. He likened him to the lord of the skies, and he made it clear that he did not bother proving anything to the ones who doubted him. All that meant that the very reason he did not bother replying was simply because he had never bothered himself with the opinions of those who doubted him, right from the very beginning. The Roc did not, after all, bothered itself with what eagles thought about it.His comment was seen as an insult to countless mighty ones in the Holy Zhi Palace, as everyone who had doubted him was looked down on, including those who ranked high on the Law Rank.
It was as if Ye Futian was saying, "I"ll never consider you worthy of fighting me."
There were also quite a lot who defended Ye Futian. Many students of the same batch as he even began to look up to him. Such was the bearing of the one ranked first on the Law Rank. Ye Futian, after all, dared to provoke all of his seniors back in the sparring sessions about three years ago.
More than two years had pa.s.sed since and he had gone on a trip to Alchemy City, bringing with him a group of students and practically went mopping the place with the best Alchemy City had to offer. He became the champion of Law Rank as soon as he returned.
Legends were usually made in such ways. Ye Futian had always had such potential and many wondered how many great achievements awaited him in the future.
Many made their way to the Battle Sage Palace and were able to tell, thanks to what Ye Futian had said that day, there would definitely be people who were eager to fight him. Many of those who ranked high on the Law Rank were students who entered the Holy Zhi Palace six or even nine years ago. Those people were equally as prideful and they were not going to tolerate a latecomer stealing their thunder with such insolent words.
In a nutsh.e.l.l, there would definitely be someone who was eager to see for themselves what the number one on the Law Rank was made of.
As many expected, the ma.s.ses beneath the Battle Sage Palace grew as more and more people gathered there. The majority, however, simply watched what was about to happen silently from below. Ye Futian took note of the fact that more people showed up at his door. As such, he simply stayed where he was and made no attempt to leave. He did not bother with the growing numbers outside and went on to keep chatting with Hua Jieyu and Phoenix. Even Long Ling"er came to the Battle Sage Palace after catching wind of what happened. Yuan Zhan, Yi Xiaoshi, Xu Que, Ye Wuchen, Zui Qianchou, and many others gathered around as well.
"Seems to me that something interesting is about to happen." Xu Que lied on the ground at the edge of the Battle Sage Palace and said, "Qianchou, do you have any wine with you?"
"No," Zui Qianchou answered casually.
"Qianchou, be generous, will you? How can there be no wine at a time and place like this?" Xu Que added with a smile. Zui Qianchou would not have had a drunkard"s name if he was ever seen to not have wine with him.
"There is a price to pay for such a show, you know." Ye Futian glanced at Xu Que. That guy sure knows how to have a good time.
"Don"t look at me this time. You were all the rage back in that battle in Alchemy City, while we were simply coolies tagging along. Just look whose name is the first place on the Law Rank eh? I"m not doing any work for anyone right now," Xu Que said lethargically. He felt himself being taken advantage of back in Alchemy City, and he felt he needed some form of compensation for that.
"You"re not really thinking that I need to get someone with your abilities, are you?" Ye Futian asked with a sarcastic smirk.
"..." Xu Que was startled and speechless. He felt like beating someone up, looking at Ye Futian being all smug and pompous.
"You think I"m just going to fall for that, eh?" Xu Que turned around and smirked, then continued to lay on the ground.
"Some who are ranked high on the Law Rank have come." Many scanned the crowd beneath the Battle Sage Palace and found several said mighty ones.
"There is Zhou Hao." Many turned their eyes to a corner somewhere. Zhou Hao, who was ranked tenth on the Law Rank, ranked ninth before all the ruckus. As Ye Futian went on to rank first on Law Rank all of a sudden, his place had to be pushed one rank. That was the first one of the top ten on the Law Rank to appear other than Ye Futian.
"Someone from Daozang Palace is coming." The crowd turned to the other direction. Many from Daozang Palace showed up one after another, among them being personal students of Sage Daozang: Xiang Zhiqin and Yun Feng. The one in the middle of the group was one who ranked fifth on Law Rank, Lian Yuqing. Many were surprised to see Lian Yuqing showing up, as no one had expected it.
Ye Futian had provoked Lian Yuqing in the sparring sessions two years ago. He went on a battle of skills in the art of guqin with Lian Yuqing and won. His playing resonated with the Guqin Valley and he acquired the lineage of Liu Kuangsheng, the Nine-fingered Guqin Devil. It was said that Lian Yuqing disputed Ye Futian"s rank on the Law Rank openly, demanding to know since when had the Law Rank become such a mess. However, Ye Futian"s overbearing reply that day meant Lian Yuqing too became one of those he looked down on.
There was another person who ranked high on Law Rank from Daozang Palace: Yun Shuisheng. However, she was rather close with Ye Futian, and there were some who recalled Ye Futian flirting with Yun Shuisheng when he first entered the Holy Zhi Palace, so much so that he ended up being marked for death by her. No one knew why she ended up forgiving Ye Futian eventually, and some went on to speculate if it was due to Ye Futian being handsome.
"Bai Ze, Zhuge Xing." Many looked in another direction. The students of Holy Sage Pavilion arrived as well. They seemed to be searching for someone, but Ximen Hanjiang was nowhere to be seen. It was surprising for many that the former number one who had had his prestigious place taken did not show up.
Bai Ze and Zhuge Xing looked up at the edge of the Battle Sage Palace and saw Ye Futian sitting there enjoying himself, chatting with those around him, as if he did not notice the crowd gathering beneath.
Zhuge Xing felt a tinge of pain in his chest seeing Hua Jieyu at Ye Futian"s side. The very reason he clashed with Ye Futian back when he entered the Holy Zhi Palace was due to Hua Jieyu. He felt that Hua Jieyu, as someone who had awakened her talents as Divine Spiritual Sorcerer, should have belonged to him instead of a n.o.body. Three years had pa.s.sed since and Ye Futian was now ranked first on the Law Rank, well known all over the Holy Zhi Palace. Zhuge Xing himself, however, was still a n.o.body in the Holy Zhi Palace. Compared to those around him, his prowess was hardly worth mentioning.
Bai Ze had proposed the idea of having Hua Jieyu train in the Holy Sage Pavilion and had a thing for her. She was, after all, a beauty like none other. No one would have even objected if Hua Jieyu was said to be the most beautiful of all the ladies in the Holy Zhi Palace. However, Bai Ze"s attachment to Hua Jieyu was nothing compared to the resentment he felt towards Ye Futian. Before entering the Holy Zhi Palace, all attention was on him. As the second son of White Cloud City and the younger brother of Bai Luli, he was the very center of attention, and Ye Futian came to become his nightmare.
Ye Futian"s words that day provoked an untold number of people and they wanted to see for themselves what actually enabled the one who ranked first on Law Rank to say what he said.
"Be quick to state your business, if you do have any business with me. If nothing else, I"ll be leaving soon," a calm voice was heard from the Battle Sage Palace, and the words stunned everyone within earshot.
That fellow really thinks little of the mighty ones in the Holy Zhi Palace, eh. However, many kept their hopes up nonetheless. Having studied in the Holy Zhi Palace for about three years, Ye Futian had made quite a reputation for himself, and that was furthered by the fact that he took the most prestigious spot among the students for himself.
In actual fact, however, Ye Futian seemed to have never fought any truly spectacular battles within the walls of the Holy Zhi Palace, especially against the top-notch figures of the place. The fuss he kicked up in the sparring session back then was hardly considered battling. Lian Yuqing had, of course, been more powerful than Ye Futian back then, and the battle was simply a battle of skills in the art of guqin.
Is he, the one who made a stunning name for himself in the whole of Holy Zhi Palace, going to finally stand at the ultimate battlefield and face his toughest challenge? Who will be the first person to face him?
Ye Futian killed the one who ranked first on Alchemy Rank in an instant and defeated the number one figure in Alchemy City. It would have probably been very difficult to get Ye Futian to move. Even those with a place on Law Rank would have to have a very high rank before they were deemed capable of such a feat.
"Rumor has it that you likened yourself to the Roc just a while ago and took all who doubted you to be eagles," a voice was heard, and everyone turned their eyes. The one who spoke was none other than Zhou Hao, who ranked tenth on Law Rank. The one who spoke was also the very person who took Ye Futian"s former rank on the Law Rank.
"Yes, I did." Ye Futian remained sitting on the ground and glanced at Zhou Hao below. The slender young man exuded an air of sharpness about him, making it seem like he was about to shoot for the skies.
"Well then, it seems like I"ll be one of those eagles you speak of, and this eagle is very interested to see how high you, the Roc, are capable of flying," Zhou Hao said looking at Ye Futian.
"Your name?" Ye Futian said plainly. Many looked astonished at the two words uttered. Ye Futian did not even bother knowing someone ranked tenth on Law Rank.
Actually, Ye Futian knew very little people in the Holy Zhi Palace. He had been busy training in the past three years, and with the exception of that sparring session where he got to see many around him, he seldom interacted with any of the palace"s students. As such, the number of people he knew was very limited.
Zhou Hao looked just as astonished. He did not expect all that Ye Futian did not even know his name, a renowned figure ranked tenth on the Holy Zhi Palace"s Law Rank. It was a humiliation like no other, yet he simply smirked and said, "Zhou Hao."
Ye Futian recalled something, as it seemed that the one who ranked before him was someone named Zhou Hao.
"Are you satisfied now?" Zhou Hao leaped into the air, bursting in dazzling brilliance. Everyone who ranked in the top ten on the Law Rank, with the exception of Ye Futian, were all top-notch n.o.bles. Zhou Hao was no exception.
"Right." Ye Futian nodded lightly but did not move. Ye Futian instead turned his eyes sideways and shouted, "Yu Sheng."
Yu Sheng, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood and walked to the edge of Battle Sage Palace. Many froze in place as that scene unfolded before them, staring at the figures above them with startled looks.
It seemed that everything was in place for a battle to begin, and everyone waited for Ye Futian to make a move. However, the man called for Yu Sheng instead.
Is he trying to joke with us? Is Yu Sheng going to be the one to fight instead?
Zhou Hao"s face was ashen beyond belief. He did not mind that Ye Futian did not know his name, but at that very moment, he truly felt insulted. Zhou Hao was still one who ranked tenth on the Law Rank. Ye Futian might not have known him, but he could have at least given him the respect he deserved.
"You really want to do it like this?" Zhou Hao glanced at Yu Sheng and asked, before turning his eyes back on Ye Futian. His voice was cold.
"After this battle, you will be out of the top ten," Ye Futian said plainly after he spared a glance at Zhou Hao beneath him!