Chapter 352: Gathering of the Strong
Xiao Chen was no stranger to this feeling. In the past, when his Dragon and Tiger Body Sculpting Art advanced, his strength increased as well. After that, his body needed some time to adjust.
However, a ten percent increase in speed was not significant. After five minutes, Xiao Chen got used to his new speed. He slowly pushed open the door and walked out.
Liu Ruyue looked at Xiao Chen, dressed in white robes, and her eyes lit up. She smiled gently and said, “I did not expect white clothes to suit you so well. I feel that you should keep wearing white in the future.
Xiao Bai, who had just emerged from her room, stretched her body. When she saw Xiao Chen dressed in the white robes, she ran over, smiling. She said, “Elder Brother Ye Chen, you look really handsome today.”
Xiao Chen smiled faintly, “Very well, I will listen to you two. I will wear white in the future.”
After the three washed up and had breakfast, Lui Suifeng rushed over to Xiao Chen’s courtyard with Xiao Meng and Shao Yang.
When Liu Suifeng saw Xiao Chen, he stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. However, when he recalled his previous bitter experience, he quickly pulled back. He smiled, “Ye Chen, you look good today. You will definitely be victorious with a single move, making a name for yourself. Who knows; they might nickname you the ‘White Robed Bladesman.’”
Liu Ruyue stood at the side and said, “Don’t just talk about Ye Chen. You have to put on a good performance today. Don’t embarra.s.s out Qingyun Peak.”
When Liu Suifeng heard this, he quickly changed the topic. He smiled embarra.s.sedly and said, “Let’s stop speaking. We should quickly get to the Heaven Viewing Platform.”
Liu Suifeng led the way while Xiao Chen and the others followed closely behind. After they descended the Peak, they immediately headed for the Heaven Viewing Platform.
The group met a stream of people along the way; they were all disciples making their way to the Heaven Viewing Platform. This time, almost all of the disciples, including those in isolated cultivation and experiential training, returned to the Heavenly Saber Pavilion. There were many more people than there were at the core disciple exam.
The crowds bustled along the way. The sounds of discussions never stopped.
Countless Spirit Beasts flew through the sky, all heading for the Heaven Viewing Platform; they almost completely covered the sky.
Aside from the disciples of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, many of these Spirit Beasts belonged to the small powers who were invited. The larger powers would possess their own wars.h.i.+ps. They would not ride flying Spirit Beasts. Even if they did, they would ride Rank 6 Spirit Beasts, complementing their statuses.
Occasionally, a few strong auras flew by above. The normally hard-to-see Martial Kings actually appeared in great numbers today.
With one quick glance, one could see several peak Martial Kings.
“Hu!”
Suddenly, a very strong aura flew by above. It was an old man dressed in black robes, carrying a youth and flas.h.i.+ng by in the air.
When Xiao Chen felt this aura, he could not help but take another glance. The feeling this person gave him was like a sword tearing through the air. Its radiance shone everywhere; it was unstoppable.
Even though it was unintentional, when that person released his aura, Xiao Chen felt a horrifying pressure.
“The one who just pa.s.sed seems to be Feng Xuanyi. I did not expect him to come personally. The youth he carries is probably his grandson. Rumor has it that he has an astonis.h.i.+ng talent. He is probably coming to try his luck.”
“The allure of the Holy Land is great. I remember, in the past, the Sect Master of the Misty Sword Sect wanted to take his grandson in as his final disciple. However, this old man rejected the offer.”
“That goes without saying; how can the Misty Sword Sect compare to a Holy Land? It is not even worth mentioning.”
The people beside Liu Suifeng discussed as the old man pa.s.sed them.
When Xiao Chen heard them, he felt curious. He asked Liu Suifeng, “Who is this Feng Xuanyi? He seems quite famous.”
Liu Suifeng explained, “That person is a famous swordsman in the Great Qin Nation. He is already a Martial Monarch, despite being only seventy. According to rumor, there is a possibility he will become a Sword Sage soon. However, he is independent and is not under the control of any power.”
No wonder that person could cause Xiao Chen to feel so much pressure. So, he was a Martial Monarch of the sword. The Holy Land had a great reputation, indeed. Even a cultivator who could become a Sword Sage could not resist the temptation.
As they continued, they saw other peak experts like Feng Xuanyi.
There were even more half step Martial Monarchs. Xiao Chen saw several dozens. As Liu Suifeng had said, all the experts of the Great Qin Nation were present.
At the foot of Heaven Viewing Platform, it was impossible to find flying Spirit Beasts for transport. There was simply too many people.
The moment the disciples with flying Spirit Beasts landed, a large crowd immediately surrounded them.
When Liu Suifeng saw all this, he sighed and said, “It looks like we can only walk up. With our speed, if we rush, we could arrive in four hours.”
Liu Ruyue commented, “There is no need to go to that trouble. Xiao Chen and I can carry two people each. Although it would be slower than flying at full speed, it is much faster than traveling on foot.”
That was a good idea; Xiao Chen could carry Liu Suifeng and Shao Yang, and Liu Ruyue could carry Xiao Meng and Xiao Bai. They could fly up together.
After an hour, the six slowly landed on the Heaven Viewing Platform. There were even more people than at the foot of the Heaven Viewing Platform. The crowd almost separated the six.
There were countless ma.s.sive arenas built on the largest drill ground. All of the arenas were built using the resilient Heavenly Mountain Stones and coated with a layer of Frost Iron.
This was an extravagant expenditure, using Frost Iron to coat the arenas. Only a large sect like the Heavenly Saber Pavilion could, most likely, afford such a thing.
Spectator stands of varying heights towered around the arenas. Currently, cultivators already filled the spectator stands. Aside from the Heavenly Saber Pavilion Disciples, there were cultivators from various places. It was completely packed with people.
They had extended the platform at the frontmost part of the drill ground. It was now triple its previous size.
There was a row of tables and chairs at the back of the platform. The members of the Elders’ a.s.sembly had taken their seats quite a while ago.
If one looked carefully, they would discover that the First Elder Jiang Chi, who normally occupied the middle seat, did not sit in his usual place. Instead, he sat at the side.
Simple, but stylish, tea tables rested on either side of the platform. There would be no problems seating a thousand people there.
The people of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion sat on the left side. Tianyue Peak was the closest to the platform, following them was Gangyu Peak, Jade Maiden Peak, and Qianduan Peak. The seven Peaks were arranged in order, from the strongest to the weakest.
Aside from Qingyun Peak, the people from the other six Peaks had already arrived. The Peak Masters of these Peaks had their own wars.h.i.+ps. It was not strange that they had arrived faster.
There were more tea tables on the right side. There were several dozens of them. Seated there were the big clans of the Great Qin Nation. Even the weakest had at least the same level of power as the White Water City’s Jiang Clan.
The tea tables closest to the platform were currently empty. These were reserved for the n.o.ble clans with inherited Martial Spirits and great sects. Without having great backing or strength, one could forget about getting close.
“Old Pal Jiang, when will the Holy Land’s people arrive?”
The person who spoke was the Sword Monarch, Feng Xuanyi. He sat on the right side and was currently the closest to the platform. Only a person of similar status would dare address the First Elder as Old Pal Jiang.
Jiang Chi was not angry at being addressed in such a way. This person"s strength was greater than his; so, logically, he was considered a senior to him.
Jiang Chi smiled and said, “Brother Feng, don’t be anxious. The Holy Land’s people arrived yesterday. They are currently checking up on our Young Pavilion Master.
Feng Xuanyi lifted the teacup from the table and took a sip. He said, “I shall congratulate Old Pal Jiang in advance then. An absolute genius has appeared in the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, reaching peak Inferior Grade Martial King at the age of seventeen. Your past glory will return soon.”
“Indeed! Congratulations, Elder Jiang Chi,” all of the Clan Heads and independent experts seated at the right side spoke together.
Jiang Chi smiled faintly and acknowledged this with a few words. He was clearly in a good mood.
At this moment, a completely black wars.h.i.+p suddenly appeared in the sky. A black banner fluttered at the bow. The ‘Ji’ (姬) character decorated it in bold cursive calligraphy.
“The Nanling Province’s Ji Clan has arrived. The one standing on the bow seems to be the genius of the Ji Clan, Ji Changkong.” The spectators in the drill grounds exclaimed.
After a while, another wars.h.i.+p appeared and slowly made its way to the platform. It was the Dongming Province’s Hua Clan.
Not long after, a huge ice bird with an ice palace on its back flew over the crowd’s heads.
“It"s the Duanmu Clan’s Profound Ice Palace. Duanmu Qing has arrived as well.”
“The Royal Court’s Guiyi Marquis, Ying Xiao has arrived. The Guiyi Marquis is a genius wielding a Holy Weapon. I wonder what his performance will be like today.”
“The Night Spirit Palace’s wars.h.i.+p has arrived too. This means the two great geniuses of the Nanling Province, Mu Chengxue and Ji Changkong, have arrived.”
“What the h.e.l.l; the Misty Sword Sect’s King Grade wars.h.i.+p is here. Did their Sect Master come as well? The three great sects are all here. This is a first in the history of the Great Qin Nation.”
The crowd’s excitement grew. These strong clans and sects, the tyrants of their regions, were all present. Most importantly, the geniuses of these sects were here too.
More than a hundred geniuses had gathered in one place. The people below all felt extremely excited.
Soon, the tea tables on the right side filled with people. To no one’s surprise, the tea table closest to the platform was occupied by the Misty Sword Sect, followed by the Night Spirit Palace.
The Sect Master of the Misty Sword Sect was not here; instead, their first elder, Ling Chen, had come. He was a half step Martial Monarch and was second to the Sect Master regarding authority; In terms of status, he was Jiang Chi’s equal.
Ling Chen glanced at the nearby Feng Xuanyi. He smiled and said, “Senior Feng, our Sect master once personally came to you, wanting your grandson as his final disciple. Senior did not agree then. Yet, when the Holy Land comes, you came without invitation. This is not very appropriate, right?”
Feng Xuanyi’s aged face was radiant; he did not look elderly at all. When he heard Ling Chen’s words, he said indifferently. “This old me admires the Misty Sword Sect’s Sect Master’s achievements with swords. However, I do not revere them.
“My grandson’s talent is greater than mine. He will certainly become a Sword Monarch. Without a.s.surance of his becoming a Sword Sage, I will not let him join any sects. Teaching him myself would suffice.”