Chapter 358 - The Maple Kingdom
“My opinion remains the same—being convinced or not is your problem, and it is none of my business.” Qin Nan said with an expressionless face, “We are all disciples of the Qinglong Sacred Area, hence it doesn’t matter who’s stronger or who the leader is. Most importantly, are you guys only aiming to get the spot in the trial in order to rank up to the Martial Ancestor Realm and obtain the rewards?”
The four disciples were slightly startled.
Even Liang Kai, who had just had a taste of defeat, could not help but wear a blank expression.
Wasn’t the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial all about acquiring the fortunate encounters and leveling up to the Martial Ancestor Realm, while earning a great reputation?
“This quest is cla.s.sified as an honorable quest. Not only are we competing for the benefits, we are also aiming for the glory!” Qin Nan said in a dull tone, “We are all brothers and sisters from the same sect. It doesn’t matter if you are stronger or if we are; if I’m able to lend a hand, I’ll try my best to do it, so that we will come first in the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial!”
First!
The old blue-haired man and the five disciples could feel their hearts shuddering violently.
Were they only aiming for the benefits from the trial?
No!
They are aiming for the glory too!
The glory that belonged to the Qinglong Sacred Area!
“I…” Liang Kai was about to say something.
“Don’t worry about it.” Qin Nan let out a smile and withdrew his suppression, “What happened just then, just treat it as a friendly duel. Custodian, can we move out now?”
“Uh… Sure thing.”
The old blue-haired man blurted out after recovering from the shock. His eyes were filled with a pleased look.
As expected of Qin Nan, on top of his outstanding talents, he also had a better grasp of the big picture. It was definitely worth it for the Sacred Leader to personally interfere when the two Sacred Areas were fighting each other to recruit him.
Liang Kai wore a complicated expression, while the looks in the eyes of the four disciples were different too.
They had to admit that they were indeed jealous of Qin Nan, but for now, they were not competing with one another; they were representing the Qinglong Sacred Area by partic.i.p.ating in the trial.
Therefore, there was no doubt that they should leave their personal thoughts aside and focus on the trial before them—either they would go home with all the fame, or die trying.
Under the old blue-haired man’s lead, the six swiftly left the Qinglong Sacred Area. Before that, Qin Nan managed to contact Princess Miao Miao through his Sound-Conducting Badge, and was told that the Longhu Ancestor Beast was already in the midst of having a breakthrough, with three Peak Leaders guarding him.
On the other hand, Sima Kong—whose whereabouts always remained a mystery—had vanished from the sect. No one knew what he was up to.
As for Princess Miao Miao, she was currently busy learning Pill Alchemy, and from her prideful tone, it seemed like her talent in Pill Alchemy was quite impressive too.
“The path of cultivation has just begun. There is more interesting stuff waiting for me in the lower district!”
Qin Nan stared into the sky as his heart was engulfed in flames.
……
……
...The Feiyang Sacred Area...
A palace stood halfway up on a mountain, which was covered in a mystical glow surrounded by forbidding auras. Inside the palace stood a white-s.h.i.+rted lady, who was none other than Jiang Bilan.
“Saintess, Xiao Tianhe invites you to a feast, what’s your…” In front of Jiang Bilan, a Martial Ancestor Realm expert spoke.
“I’m not attending!” Jiang Bilan said with a cold expression, “Any news regarding Qin Nan’s whereabouts?”
Since she had been defeated at the Qinglong Sacred Area, Jiang Bilan never left her residence after joining the Feiyang Sacred Area, all because she could not calm her thoughts as long as Qin Nan was not eliminated!
She would surely pay Qin Nan back a hundred times for the previous humiliation!
“News regarding Qin Nan?” The Martial Ancestor Realm expert was startled. At the same time, the Sound-Conducting Badge on his waist shuddered violently. He immediately took a look to check the message, and his breathing intensified after doing so, “This is it! Saintess, there is some news! Qin Nan is taking part in the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial, and he’s on his way there!”
“The Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial?”
Jiang Bilan’s eyes flickered as a grin appeared on her face.
Oh Qin Nan, you’re finally willing to come out of the Qinglong Sacred Area.
“This Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial; it’s fortunate that I’m able to take part in it too.” Jiang Bilan’s face was filled with a blossoming smile as she spoke, “Although he was able to surprise the two Sacred Areas previously at the Qinglong Sacred Area, it doesn’t mean he is able to outmatch everyone in terms of strength.”
The expert nodded his head.
How many geniuses in the entire lower district could match the strength of the Saintess?
“Tell Jiao s.h.i.+yi that I’m partic.i.p.ating in the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial.” Jiang Bilan hesitated briefly before she said, “Also, tell Xiao Tianhe the news too.”
“Saintess, you are planning to…”
The expert’s eyes glistened.
Jiang Bilan calmly said, “That’s right, just in case, I’ll be borrowing a few more knives to stab Qin Nan!”
“That’s brilliant, my Saintess!”
……
……
Among the layers of clouds, a large s.h.i.+p was sailing through the air.
The old blue-haired man stood on the deck close to the bow, and behind him were Qin Nan, Liang Kai and the rest. The old blue-haired man pointed forward and said, “Three days left until the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground is accessible. During this period, we will be stopping in the Maple Kingdom. The royal family of the Maple Kingdom will be welcoming us with a feast.”
“Feast, hehe, not bad.” Zhang Fei said smilingly; his current face gave him the appearance of a simple and honest man.
“Brother Zhang, the Maple Kingdom is not to be underestimated. Their ruler is a Martial Dominator Realm expert who has thirteen princes in a total. Many of the princes possess great talents too!” The skinny Xiao San said.
“Humph, are they able to be compared to Senior Brother Qin Nan?”
“Hehe, you are speaking nonsense right now.”
“……”
After interacting with each other along the journey, the relations.h.i.+p between Qin Nan and the five disciples had greatly improved, especially Liang Kai, who was mindful of his att.i.tude after the previous duel.
“We’re here!”
The old blue-haired man uttered a roar, as he controlled the huge s.h.i.+p to descend and land in front of the Maple Kingdom’s palace.
As soon as they arrived, countless knights of the Maple Kingdom surrounded the s.h.i.+p and welcomed the arrival of Qin Nan and his crew as a grand occasion, before guiding them into the palace.
Before the sky had completely darkened, the enormous palace of the Maple Kingdom was lit up with a fascinating illumination. The interior of the palace was filled with pleasant music, as countless authorities of the Maple Kingdom arrived, resulting in a lively scene.
“Come, let’s go inside.”
The old blue-haired man led the way as the crew of six entered the palace.
The palace covered an area with a circ.u.mference of over thirty li, and was magnificiently built. The ceiling of the palace was carved with a giant golden dragon with five claws, which appeared to be quite true-to-life, resulting in a sense of pressure. The hall they were in was filled with numerous tables and was crowded with people.
“The Qinglong Sacred Area has arrived!”
One of the officers declared in a blasting tone.
The initially noisy palace immediately fell silent, as countless gazes locked onto the figures of Qin Nan and the rest with a hint of respect.
“Custodian, and fellow geniuses, welcome to the Maple Kingdom!”
The emperor of the Maple Kingdom rose from his seat. He was wearing a dragon robe, giving him an imperious aura. On the other hand, the smile on his face added a bit of friendliness to his appearance.
“Hehe, Maple Emperor, there’s no need for that. It’s been a long time since we last met each other…” The old blue-haired man yelled.
“HAHA, come, there’s definitely enough wine today.” The Maple Emperor burst out laughing.
So it appears that the Maple Emperor and the blue-haired custodian already knew each other.
As for Qin Nan and the other disciples, they were arranged to be seated in the VIPs section. Normally, Qin Nan’s ident.i.ty as a Prospective Saint would be further emphasized, but the Martial Ancestor Mystical Ground trial was different than the other trials, as the geniuses of the Maple Kingdom and the rogue cultivators of the lower district would partic.i.p.ate too. Therefore, the old blue-haired man and the Qinglong Sacred Area decided to hide the fact that Qin Nan was taking part in the trial as well.
That being said, Jiang Bilan was able to acquire the information due to the extraordinary influence of the Trading Alliance. Their shadows were experts in collecting information, thus they were able to keep track of Qin Nan’s whereabouts.
Qin Nan was not too interested in an event like this, thus he immediately found a remote spot and stayed there. To his surprise, the gentle-looking Lin Xiaoyu came to the same spot also, as she stared at him with a timid look.
“It’s fine, you’ll get used to this kind of atmosphere eventually.”
“Mm.” Lin Xiaoyu had not expected Qin Nan to take the initiative in talking to her, thus she immediately nodded her head in panic like a frightened rabbit, while her face thoroughly reddened.
Qin Nan let out a smile and sat down with his legs crossed to meditate.
However, after a period of less than ten breaths’ time after he started meditating, a furious roar could be heard all of a sudden.
“Go away!”