The Legend of Futian - 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. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"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.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 134: Can’t Live for Long

Yu Sheng walked out from the Cangye Kingdom group. Everyone instantly looked away from Ye Futian. Yan Zhan from the Yan Kingdom was very burly and filled with explosive strength but when Yu Sheng walked out, Yan Zhan seemed to shrink instantly. His presence was overshadowed. Many people were shocked. Were these two blokes going to fight?

"Emperor Ye is a nice person with a nice eye to match," Yu Sheng said, looking at Yan Zhan.

Yan Zhan looked at this guy and smirked. There was a crack. He'd made a sound when clenching his fist so it was obvious how strong he was.

There was a low roar. A terrifying demon ox appeared on Yan Zhan. It was enormous, and his life spirit appeared behind him. It was a huge Black Ox. Yan Zhan was confident but he wouldn't underestimate his opponent.

"Where's your life spirit?" he asked.

"For you?" Yu Sheng scanned Yan Zhan. He hadn't released his life spirit for anyone yet, let alone Yan Zhan who was on the same plane.

Feeling the disdain in the word "you," Yan Zhan stepped forward. The entire eyot seemed to tremble. Everyone felt something like a herd of demon oxen stampeding.

Pound, pound, pound… The earth shook. Everyone's wine glasses trembled violently. The powerful aura shocked everyone. This level of strength made one think that even if there was a mountain before him, he could still smash through it.

Yu Sheng stood there without moving. Then a gust of wild aura erupted from his body. He saw Yan Zhan advance and punch; it felt like a herd of demon oxen crashing into his body.

Yu Sheng stepped forward. There was a loud boom and then he punched forward too. There was nothing frivolous. Their strengths collided directly because they could feel that they were the same type of person.

Boom! With the crash, there was no more suspense. Yu Sheng's fist smashed into Yan Zhan and crushed in his chest. The next instant, everyone saw Yan Zhan's burly body fly back, crashing into the crowd of people from the Yan Kingdom. Yu Sheng took a step. He crossed the space and grabbed Yan Zhan back. Hooking onto his chest, he raised Yan Zhan up with one hand.

"This…" Everyone who saw this was shocked. His power was on another level.

"Don't overestimate yourself. You're all nothing." Yu Sheng scanned the Yan Kingdom's group and then hurled Yan Zhan into them. Yan Zhan flew and crashed into the banquet table. Some powerful cultivators tried to catch him and they all toppled over together. They were a bit dumbfounded. They were familiar with Yan Zhan's power but he'd been defeated so badly now. It was humiliating. They could sense the Seven-star Glory Plane aura from Yu Sheng. This was a battle of the same plane.

"Too weak," Yu Sheng said, a bit disappointed. Then he returned to his spot. The strong cultivators of the Yan Kingdom had dark expressions. It was the first time someone mocked Yan Zhan for being weak but they couldn't say anything back.

The people of the Cangye Kingdom didn't find anything strange. They'd witnessed Yu Sheng's strength at the Fenghua Banquet. Even people of the Dharma rank had to avoid him, let alone someone in the same plane. He could shake the Dharma but couldn't fly, and this was all done without releasing his life spirit. They didn't believe that someone as crazy as Yu Sheng wouldn't have a life spirit. He was just hiding his true abilities.

As for Ye Futian, he didn't look back once he left. No matter if it was the Yan Kingdom or the Yunchu Nation, no one on the same plane could beat Yu Sheng. It was impossible!

On another eyot, Ye Futian walked toward the table in the front. The people there were chatting happily. The atmosphere was much merrier than the strong cultivators of the four nations. After all, this group was different. Everyone was here to appeal to Minister Hua. However, once Ye Futian approached, the atmosphere froze and silence came. Their gazes fell on Ye Futian; they all knew who he was.

They were Minister Hua, some people from Donghai Academy's School of the Emperor Star, and the Nandou clan. Not only did they know Ye Futian, but they were enemies. If possible, they would definitely want to wipe Ye Futian out of existence. However, he'd come with the emperor of the Cangye Kingdom. If he could be killed, Emperor Luo would've done so long ago. It wasn't up to them. Furthermore, the strong cultivators of the Cangye Kingdom were watching them.

"We haven't seen each other in one month. Seniors, you all look great," Ye Futian suddenly said, seeing everyone looking at him. The people all froze. He really had a high tolerance.

"No, because you're not dead," Minister Hua said straightforwardly without holding back. When Ye Futian escaped, he'd been terrified to report to the emperor. He was given a hard time, despite being the minister of the nation.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ye Futian said, smiling. Then he looked toward the Nandou clan and Yan Shao's group.

"Where is Jieyu?" a Nandou clan member suddenly asked.

"Didn't Minister Hua tell you all?" Ye Futian asked curiously. Other people might not know but Minister Hua should know. He was always by the emperor's side and interacted with the crown prince often. He was an insider.

The Nandou clan looked to Minister Hua, who looked back coldly. "What, you still care about that genius descendant of yours?"

"Minister Hua, of course not. We wish she could be arrested immediately," the Nandou clan member quickly said.

"Arrested? Hua Jieyu is in the Cangye Kingdom's palace now, given the title of princess by Emperor Ye," Minister Hua said. The Nandou clan's expressions changed fascinatingly. Hua Jieyu had become a princess of the Cangye Kingdom?

One month ago, the emperor had sent the decree to the Nandou clan, and they wished Hua Jieyu would enter the palace as the crown princess. However, Hua Jieyu was in love with Ye Futian and escaped with him. To the Nandou clan, Hua Jieyu was obsessed with an immature relationship. But one short month later, Hua Jieyu had become the princess of Cangye instead of the crown princess of Nandou. The Nandou clan's position in the Nandou Nation had become even more awkward. They were still jittery and timid to this day. How they felt went without saying. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"You're not here to chat, right?" Minister Hua asked coldly.

Ye Futian obviously wasn't here to chat. He studied Minister Hua and asked, "Where is my grandmaster buried?"

Minister Hua looked at Ye Futian in shock. He didn't expect Ye Futian to come to ask him about a dead man.

"I guess my senior didn't waste his life in exchange for yours," Minister Hua said indifferently. He glanced at Yan Shao; this task had been given to him.

"There's no need for you to know," Yan Shao answered coldly.

Ye Futian looked at him and then said, "Grandmaster liked the School of the Emperor Star. He said that that's his home even after death. He should be buried there."

"Blasphemy," Yan Shao said coldly. The School of the Emperor Star wasn't a cemetery.

"It's okay even if you didn't do it. I'll settle the score for Grandmaster later and let him return to the School of the Emperor Star. If I can't find him, I'll just have to let the School of the Emperor Star accompany him," Ye Futian said. With that, he turned and left.

Yan Shao stared at his back, extreme murderous intent in his eyes. He just wanted to kill Ye Futian then and there. Ye Futian knew this because the feeling was mutual. However, they couldn't kill each other now.

"Wait," a voice suddenly said. Ye Futian stopped and turned to see someone looking at him. It was Yun Tianhao.

"I want to see your true abilities," Yun Tianhao said coolly. Yan Shao didn't say anything. Ever since Yun Tianhao entered the Donghai Academy, he knew that the youth would become the most talented one of the academy. He was a talent blessed by the gods. He would definitely snatch the spotlight during this Tingfeng Banquet. Ye Futian looked toward Yan Shao and the School of the Emperor Star. They seemed to anticipate their battle.

"Ye Futian, Tianhao's talent is at your level," Yan Shao said, somewhat proudly.

His eyes smiling slightly, Ye Futian looked at Yan Shao and said, "Oh? Ask him how much of my true abilities he saw when he lost to me back then." Back then, he'd only revealed his talent as an Inscriber. He didn't even reveal his Mandate Sorcerer talent.

Yan Shao gazed blankly at Yun Tianhao. He didn't know about this because the youth hadn't told him.

"That was before. The present is different." Yun Tianhao's eyes were cold.

"I don't have time to play. If you want to fight, then are you ready to die?" Ye Futian asked coldly. Yun Tianhao's eyes sharpened. The strong cultivators of the School of the Emperor Star glared at Ye Futian as well. He was way too arrogant.

"Seems like you're not as confident as you thought." Ye Futian smirked and turned to leave.

Countless eyes watched his receding figure, their eyes frigid. Yun Tianhao clenched his fists tightly. He'd lost to Ye Futian once at the Qingzhou Academy. Then, he thought that he could surpass the other. When he came to Donghai City, he realized that Ye Futian's name was known throughout the city. He had twin life spirits and was full-elemental. Though Yun Tianhao was proud, he wasn't completely confident.

"Don't mind him. He won't live for long," Minister Hua said, raising his wine. Yan Shao and the others looked at him and nodded lightly. However, they knew that if an emperor wanted to protect Ye Futian, it would be difficult to kill him. Even if he was outside like today, there were many powerful figures protecting him. A sneak attack was difficult.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 133: Do What You See Fit

Many students from Donghai Academy were participating in the Tingfeng Banquet. After seeing Yun Tianhao, Ye Futian also saw Zhuo Qing and Zhou Mu arrive at the platform to defeat their opponents. Zhuo Qing and Zhou Mu were in the same plane and can both be considered geniuses. Zhou Mu was the disciple of the Art Saint and Zhuo Qing was known as best of everyone below the Dharma Plane. However, during the battle at the School of the Emperor Star, while Ye Futian and Yu Sheng shined above the rest, many of the school's "best" lost their confidence. There was even less to be said after the battle at the Nandou Clan palace on the last day of Divine Calendar Year 10000. After that day, no one in Donghai City dared to claim to have unparalleled gifts.

Time passed little by little. The Tingfeng Banquet continued battle after battle. So many things happened at once, it was impossible for the audience to take in everything. The four emperors chatted about nothing in particular, but each word from their mouths carried hidden meanings. It was their own secret battle. Ye Futian was looking at the battle platforms, but he was not watching. His heart was elsewhere.

Emperor Ye had already sent people to look from Yi Xiang but since he had defied the emperor's order for Ye Futian, it was not safe for him to easily reveal himself. How was Ye Futian going to let Yi Xiang know that he was now following under the emperor of the Cangye Kingdom?

A burst of cheers would come from the audience every once in a while. As the Tingfeng Banquet proceeded, many cultivators began to stand out from the rest. But Ye Futian did not seem to be interested.

Slowly, the first day was coming to an end, but the audience did not seem to have gotten enough. They were still just as enthusiastic as before. At dawn, the sky was turning red. The emcees of the banquet exchanged a look, nodded, and waited for the current round of battles to end before announcing that the first day of the Tingfeng Banquet was officially over and battles would continue the following day.

Many audience members had not gotten enough, but they knew that this was only the beginning to the multi-day event only held once every ten years. It was only going to get more interesting. The thought of this had them anticipating the events to come.

Many people looked towards where the emperors were seated. Four emperors had gathered here today. To everyone, it was hard enough to catch a glimpse of one emperor on a normal day. It was only possible during special events, like the Tingfeng Banquet. Now that they were able to see four emperors at once, many people were going to be bragging about it for a long time.

Where the emperors sat, Emperor Yan spoke up, "Is the Tingfeng Banquet the only reason you have invited us to the Nandou Nation, Emperor Luo?"

Emperor Chu and Emperor Ye's eyes fell on Emperor Luo. They saw him smile before saying, "Brother Yan, are you getting impatient already? What's so bad about watching the battles between younger generation cultivators in our free time? Besides, it's rare for all of us to be gathered like this. Later, we can talk about cultivation and check up on each other to see what we can improve on. It'll be better than cultivating on our own, right?"

"Well, he isn't wrong," chuckled Emperor Chu.

"Then let's go," said Emperor Luo.

"What about them?" Emperor Ye asked, looking at the people behind him.

"Crown Prince Luo Junlin will show them around. Just let the youngsters wander freely. They won't be comfortable with us around," Emperor Luo said. Emperor Ye did not say anything else. The four of them walked away alone, not bringing anyone with them. After all, they were the strongest, most powerful cultivators across four countries. There was no need for them to bring bodyguards.

After the four emperors left, Crown Prince Luo Junlin smiled at the others. He said, "Everyone has come a long way. I have set up a dinner at the Qixing Lake to welcome you all. We'll be able to walk around the city and I can show you the beautiful sites of the Nandou Nation's imperial city. This way please." He led the young people from the three countries forward. Ye Futian followed along as well. Yu Sheng stared coldly at Luo Junlin's back. It was after his visit to Donghai Academy that the imperial order was given. On the other hand, nothing seemed to have affected Ye Futian. It was almost as if he didn't know Luo Junlin. Ye Futian walked quietly.

Behind the two, many powerful cultivators followed. There were some from each country. Among the people walking up in the front, were not only the top talents of the different countries but princes and princesses as well. More powerful cultivators, such as Jing Yu from the Cangye Kingdom, followed behind the group. They stayed far away as to not disturb the group.

The Qixing Lake was not far from the imperial palace. It was located at the center of the imperial city. Night had come, and the waters of the lake looked extra beautiful in the moonlight. The moonlight reflecting off the surface of the lake made it look like there were many lights floating on the water, providing an indescribable mood.

Presently, there were quite a few people visiting the lake. In the Qixing Lake, were seven eyots. These islands weren't big and there wasn't much to see. The seven eyots lined up like the Big Dipper. And it was on this strip of small islands that the famous Qixing Restaurant was located. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

On the island at the very center, a feast had already been set up. Many beautiful servants were waiting there. This dinner was obviously prepared far in advance. The venue was set up along four sides. The people of the four countries sat in their own sections. The Nandou Nation's crown prince, Luo Junlin walked over to the main section and said, "Please sit everyone."

Ye Futian's group walked over to one of the sides and took their seats. Everyone else in the venue did the same. In the center of the room was an empty space. It seemed to be a stage. A young woman with a veiled face played the guqin. The beautiful, moving sound of the music started and provided an incredible atmosphere under the moonlight. Then, a line of dancers entered, dancing around the young lady playing her instrument.

In Qixing Lake, people traveling past the restaurant by boat looked in on this scene. Knowing who these people were, many boats came this way, but no one dared to get too close. They all just watched from afar. It was the first night of the Tingfeng Banquet. Crown Prince Luo Junlin had set up a feast to welcome the cultivators of the three neighboring countries. The onlookers were secretly anticipating for something to happen.

"Everyone has traveled from far away. Please forgive me if something is not to your liking. I do apologize for not being a good host," said Luo Junlin.

"Beautiful people, beautiful view, and this moving music. There is nothing not to our liking," said the extravagantly dressed young man from the Yunchu Nation. And he wasn't saying so brown nose the Crown Prince. This setting was truly perfect.

"Whether it be music or beauties, there are better among our guests from the Cangye Kingdom," chuckled Luo Junlin. Many people turned their attention over to look at the three beauties from the Cangye Kingdom: Lin Yueyao, Hua Zhixin, and Ye Lingxi. There were all beautiful, especially Lin Yueyao. Her looks were too outstanding. Many people had taken notice of her very early on. There were also females amongst the cultivators from the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom, but their appearance could not hold a candle to the three Cangye beauties.

"In the past, the one piece you played for me at Donghai Academy is still fresh in my mind. 'The World'," Luo Junlin smiled and then turned to look in Ye Futian's direction.

Ye Futian put down the wine glass in his hand and lifted his head to look at the crown prince. Luo Junlin was still as he used to be. A face of arrogance. Even today, he still gave Ye Futian looks of superiority. He still thought Ye Futian was inferior and a joke.

"I take back what I said in the past. The piece is not suitable for you." Ye Futian smiled.

"It doesn't matter to me. The world known as the Nandou Nation is too small for me," said Luo Junlin. It seemed that this was not where his heart was. His target was a world larger than just the Nandou Nation. "But let's talk about you. I offered you a great opportunity. If you had taken it and aided me, the things that followed would have never happened."

"Perhaps that's just your fate," Ye Futian replied calmly. They both spoke sharp words. Luo Junlin thought that Ye Futian should regret the things that happened but Ye Futian said perhaps that was Luo Junlin's fate, insinuating he should be the one who regrets what happened.

The people from the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom all looked extremely interested in the exchange between the two young men. Who would have thought things would get so interesting right from the beginning?

Luo Junlin stared at Ye Futian. He then smiled and asked, "How about you play another piece today?"

Ye Futian glanced at him once and picked up his wine glass for a drink. Ignored.

Just then, several figures approached. Luo Junlin looked over and saw Minister Hua, who greeted, "Your Highness."

"Minister Hua, is something wrong?" asked Luo Junlin.

"No. We saw Your Highness here so I came to greet you on their behalf," said Minister Hua as he pointed in the direction of the neighboring eyot. Luo Junlin looked over to see Yan Shao leading a group from Donghai Academy, as well as members of the Nandou Clan. They all stood there and bowed to him.

Yan Shao and Minister Hua were senior and junior brothers, so there was nothing to say about that. But the Nandou Clan was just trying to get on Minister Hua's good side.

"Alright, I understand. Minister Hua should go attend to your own business. No need to worry about what happens here," said Luo Junlin. Minister Hua excused himself and took a look at Ye Futian before leaving.

Ye Futian returned the gesture and his eyes followed Minister Hua all the way to the next eyot. There was something Ye Futian wanted to ask those people.

"So, you're the one Emperor Ye picked for first place at the Fenghua Banquet?" asked a young man from the Yan Kingdom.

Ye Futian looked at him and smiled casually.

"I'm very curious as to how a Seven-Starred Glory Plane cultivator got first place at the Fenghua Banquet," said a powerful cultivator from the Yan Kingdom.

"Guess I was lucky and looked pleasing to the emperor's eyes," said Ye Futian.

"Do you guys believe him?" the young man from the Yan Kingdom asked the Yunchu group.

The extravagantly dressed young man from the Yunchu Nation smiled. "Can't we just battle him to find out?"

"Yan Zhan, didn't you want to test out the abilities of first place on the Fenghua Rank?' asked the Yan cultivator.

Yan Zhan stood up. Luo Junlin waved his hands and the dancers stepped down.

"I am also a Seven-Starred Glory Plane cultivator," said Yan Zhan. He stood there, his large body exuding an invisible force, staring at Ye Futian.

"I have stuff to do, so count me out," Ye Futian said. He put down his wine glass and stood up. He stepped out, away from his table, but he did not walk towards Yan Zhan. Instead, he headed out of the dinner venue.

"What do you mean by this?" a person from the Yan Kingdom asked.

"Not interested." Ye Futian did not turn back to answer.

"Is this how bad Emperor Ye's judgment is?" Yan Zhan asked.

Ye Danchen and Ye Lingxi were enraged. How dare he question their father's judgment?

Ye Futian did not stop, he continued on his way out. It was as if nothing here, had anything to do with him.

Many people narrowed their eyes at his silhouette. Was he hiding from battle or did he feel he was too good to battle? He was first place on the Fenghua Ranks, so there should be no need for him to hide from battle. But to say he felt that he was too good to battle…wouldn't that make him really conceited?

"Yu Sheng!" from far away, Ye Futian called out. "Do what you see fit!"

"Okay!" Yu Sheng replied.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 132: Tit for Tat

After Emperor Luo spoke, people walked onto the nine battle platforms to organize the matters of the banquet. The Tingfeng Banquet was different from the Fenghua Banquet. The nine battle platforms would have fights at the same time. Because it was only held once per decade, the requirements of the Tingfeng Banquet were looser. Divided by plane, each of the eight planes from the five Glory planes and three Dharma ranks had a battle platform. They could only fight within the plane to find the strongest of each plane.

The center platform was for those of even higher planes. Those under 25 years of age and higher than the Third-level Dharma rank could go there to display their radiance. This way, the age range was ten years from 16 to 25. The Tingfeng Banquet was held once every ten years so all the talents created during that time could have this opportunity. The rules were simple and straightforward. It wasn't as efficient as the Fenghua Banquet but it was easier to see what level the talents were at.

Ye Futian sat quietly in the stands. He obviously wouldn't demand anything from Emperor Luo right outside the Nandou Palace. In fact, he hadn't even looked at Emperor Luo. The emperor and crown prince hadn't looked at him either. Both parties had forgotten about the Donghai City event in mutual agreement. No one would bring it up. Today was the Tingfeng Banquet and Ye Futian was a guest who had come with Emperor Ye.

Seeing the people walk to and fro, and the endless crowds before the nine battle platforms, Ye Futian realized that the Tingfeng Banquet was on a much larger scale than the Fenghua Banquet. It spanned ten years and he was sure there were many monstrously talented people born in those years. However, this didn't make him feel anything. Monstrous? So what?

Battles erupted on the platforms and the atmosphere rose instantly. Countless eyes stared at the nine platforms. The young talents' eyes all burned with competitiveness. They were ready to go up and perform at any time.

"Emperor Ye, how do you think our Tingfeng Banquet is compared to your Fenghua Banquet?" Emperor Luo gazed over at Emperor Ye and smiled while asking.

"It's much larger and there are more participants; however, the efficiency is too low. The final winner, the pride of the kingdom, might not be comparable to my Fenghua Banquet," Emperor Ye said, smiling.

"You are confident." Emperor Luo laughed. "Nandou nation's Tingfeng Banquet is held once per decade. You think that the talents from a decade can't be compared to the three years of your kingdom?"

"You must understand that the top talents can't be discussed with time as the basis. Regardless of Nandou or Cangye, how many years must pass before there is a Noble Plane cultivator?" Emperor Ye said calmly. The emperors of the four nations all nodded at that. Someone of the Noble Plane could become an emperor and was difficult to come by. Those who had a noble talent were too rare. In addition, it wasn't enough to only have the talent. Too many talents died before they matured. They also needed to have a noble fate.

This type of person had definitely appeared in the four nations' hundreds of years of history. It wasn't just one person either. However, the emperors might not be able to discover and use them.

"Emperor Luo, your fate isn't enough." Emperor Ye smiled while Emperor Luo's eyes flashed. There was a hidden meaning behind these words. Since Emperor Ye had adopted Hua Jieyu, this meant he would protect Ye Futian. Naturally, he knew many things.

There was someone with a noble talent had appeared in Nandou—more than one, in fact. Minister Zuo had personally tested his fate. Since he was fated to be emperor, he would definitely have the talent of a noble. It was undeniable that one must be a noble to become emperor. Unfortunately, this person with the aura of an emperor had fallen for Hua Jieyu, the descendant of the former Nandou royalty. Their fates were possibly emperor and empress. This way, even if they had the noble talent, Emperor Luo couldn't use them for himself or keep them. If Hua Jieyu had agreed to become crown princess, her fate could be used for Luo Junlin but it was just a pity now.

"Oh?" Emperor Luo smiled thinly. "The noble talent is rare but it appears occasionally. Most die during the process of strengthening though. How many can truly become a noble?" There was murderous intent in those words.

"Emperor Luo is right," Emperor Ye said. "I heard that your crown prince, Luo Junlin, is also believed to have the noble talent, right? I wonder if he'll have to chance to grow into someone of the Noble Plane." He smiled. Their conversation was tit-for-tat.

Emperor Luo had said that someone with the noble talent could also die, hinting that he wanted to kill Ye Futian. Emperor Ye had counterattacked. Luo Junlin also had the noble talent. Would he die as well? In actuality, he was warning Emperor Luo, try and harm my people.

Emperor Luo's lips curled into a sneer sharper than a blade.

Ye Futian naturally overheard their conversation. There were hidden meanings behind their words. He understood that Emperor Ye would protect him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been brought here.

"Are you two speaking in riddles?" the emperor of the Yunchu Nation said. They seemed to be fighting with their words but he didn't understand.

The nations all paid attention to the important events of their neighbors, such as the Tingfeng Banquet and Fenghua Banquet. They would also know who the most brilliant figures of the Fenghua Banquet were. However, Donghai City was just a small city of Nandou Nation. They wouldn't pay much attention to it. Especially for emperors, they didn't have the time to care about that. It was already a feat if they glanced at the names of the talents at the Fenghua Banquet.

In the world of the cultivators, the most important thing for an emperor was just cultivating and becoming stronger. Therefore, the emperor of the Yunchu Nation only slightly understood their conversation. He guessed that it had something to do with the Fenghua Banquet participant who called himself the talent of the Nandou Nation.

"The Yunchu Nation also brought some younger talents this time. There were some very talented people earlier from Cangye Kingdom's Fenghua Banquet. If there's a chance, you all can mingle," Emperor Luo said with a smile.

The Yunchu Nation emperor also smiled. He glanced at the talents of his nation and asked, "Did you hear that?"

They smiled and looked over at Ye Futian and Ye Wuchen's group. One of them, dressed in glamorous clothing, asked, "I heard some news from the Fenghua Banquet. Apparently, the winner is from the Seven-star Glory Plane. It's quite interesting."

"A Seven-star Glory Plane genius who defeated the Dharma rank might really have a superpower," someone joked.

"Then what kind of Dharma cultivator can be defeated?"

"Apparently he entered the Fenghua Rank too."

As the Yunchu Nation talents chatted, Yu Jiang and Bai Qiu's faces darkened. They obviously understood the jabs in those words.

"Naturally, it's a Dharma cultivator who can defeat you," a voice said indifferently. Unlike the Yunchu youths who had hidden meanings, he responded straightforwardly. The speaker was Ye Wuchen. He acted just as he fought—he didn't often make actions but they always hit their mark.

"Really? I hope I'll have to chance to experience it," the Yunchu youth said with a smile. He wasn't angered. As the pride of their kingdoms, they were rivals. Some remarks couldn't affect his mood.

"I'll take you all around the Imperial City after today's event. Now, let us watch quietly," Crown Prince Luo Junlin said. Many looked over at him. He was popular. He was known as the future emperor of the Nandou Nation at such a young age and no one could move him. One must enter the Noble Plane to become the emperor. Therefore, Luo Junlin was a future Noble cultivator.

"I'm sure today's Tingfeng Banquet will be boring," a youth from the Yan Kingdom said. He wasn't very excited. The Tingfeng Banquet had such a large scale and all the talents would come to battle. Many were just here for fun and to test their skills; they were easily defeated. Occasionally, someone would be eye-catching but it wasn't enough. Unless the genius talents were chosen today, the current battles were uninteresting to them.

"Really? What do you think about that one?" Luo Junlin smiled and pointed at a battle platform. It was where the Seven-star Glory Plane cultivators were. At the moment, there was a battle. A very young talent stood there, having won many rounds continuously. He was skilled in matrices. He could create one per step and use these arrays to fight without using up any time. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

He'd been fighting and continuously defeated strong cultivators from everywhere. No one was his match. In fact, they were defeated instantly. The matrices he carved could collect Spiritual Qi from every element and transform into an impossibly strong spell. The power was horrible.

"I'm afraid no one in the Glory Plane can defeat him," Minister Hua said. This must be Yun Tianhao, the talent that Yan Shao had told him to keep note of. Yan Shao had said that his life spirit was the matrix. He could use full-elemental Spiritual Qi to carve matrices and had limitless potential. If he had a good teacher, he could wow the world.

Ye Futian also gazed at the battle platform. He was shocked when he saw the youth because he knew him. It was the one Ye Futian had fought with when the Heiyan Academy came to challenge the Qingzhou Academy. He'd used tactics of the Inscriber to defeat others.

Compared to then, Yun Tianhao was much more mature now. He won many more rounds before stopping. His gaze moved to the emperor's stand. Ye Futian realized that Yun Tianhao was looking at him. It seemed that Yun Tianhao still hadn't moved on from that fight.

Ye Futian smiled and watched Yun Tianhao walk toward somewhere in the crowd. Following his direction, Ye Futian saw Yan Shao and the strong cultivators of Donghai Academy. He even saw Lin Xiyue, looking at him with her pretty eyes.

The Donghai Academy! Ye Futian's eyes scanned Yan Shao and they flashed coldly. The place he had once cultivated at was very memorable.

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 131: The Tingfeng Banquet Begins

Ye Futian's group headed closer to the battle platforms. Just then, a harsh voice shouted, "Ye Futian!" The surrounding area was crowded and in disarray. Because of this, Ye Futian did not notice the members of the Nandou Clan. It was not until he heard the shout that he turned his attention over and saw them. Nandou Ku was among the group. The look in his eyes was ice cold, ready for blood.

WHOOSH! The members of the Nandou Clan did not waste any words and released all types of spells at Ye Futian.

A figure stepped out from beside Ye Futian. With a slight step forward—just one step—the wood sorcery targeted at Ye Futian was destroyed. At the same time, a fearsome force of sword intent filled the air. The temperature dropped and every member of the Nandou Clan was encapsulated by the force. They could not help but shiver at the drop in temperature.

The small area in which they occupied seemed to have been frozen. The members of the clan stared at the figure that appeared in front of Ye Futian. Shock filled their eyes. They could not believe there was such a powerful individual by Ye Futian's side, protecting him. Did the disappearance of their fellow clan members in Donghai City have something to do with this person?

When Ye Futian had appeared in front of their very eyes just a moment ago, they had no other thoughts but to capture him. But seeing this powerful individual, the clan members seemed to have broken out of their daze. Why had Ye Futian shown up at the Tingfeng Banquet?

"There's no need for you guys to be in such a rush. I will pay a visit to the Nandou Clan in Donghai City sooner or later." Ye Futian quickly glanced at the clan members and continued on his way. He did not want to get pulled into this situation with them right now and obviously, Jing Yu could not start a massacre at the Tingfeng Banquet.

Jing Yu and the others moved forward together leaving the members of the Nandou Clan to stand in place, watching Ye Futian as he walked away. No one chased after him. They were all intimidated by the powerful feel Jing Yu gave off.

What on earth was going on? It was true, everyone thought it was odd that Ye Futian had the guts to show up at the Tingfeng Banquet, an imperial event held by the emperor. Jing Yu was strong, but no matter how strong he was, he could not go up against the emperor of the Nandou Nation. Emperor Luo was a cultivator in the Noble Plane. He was the only one in all of the Nandou Nation. The Nandou Clan could not even take care of themselves as of late, so of course, they did not know what had happened in the Cangye Kingdom. To be honest, only the royal Luo family would care about what happened in the neighboring countries. Thus, never in a million years, would the Nandou Clan members guess that Ye Futian came with the emperor of another country.

Many imperial bodyguards appeared to maintain order. They stood around the nine battle platforms. Up ahead, a crowd of powerful cultivators had arrived. Some of the guards cleared the road for them while royals, nobles, and clans stood on the sides to welcome them. From the imperial palace, a group of figures headed their way. The four people at the front of the group seemed to be chatting happily, as if they were the best of friends. The four of them had a certain aura around them. In the blink of an eye, the noisy area quieted down and everyone paid undivided attention to the group approaching. They knew that Emperor Luo was in the group but who were the other three?

The four figures arrived at the platforms and sat down in their own respective seats. Their status seemed to higher than people expected.

"Today is the beginning of the Nandou Nation's Tingfeng Banquet. I have specially invited the emperors of the Cangye Kingdom, the Yunchu Nation, and the Yan Kingdom to come watch the competitions. We shall enjoy the performances put on by the youths of the Nandou Nation. They are our future and I hope that our younger generation cultivators will not disappoint our three guests from afar," smiled Emperor Luo as he introduced his fellow emperors.

Immediately, the area was filled with discussion. Besides the one side of the country that was bordered by the sea, the other three sides were joined with bordering countries. Today, the emperors of those three countries had come to attend the Tingfeng Banquet. This year's Tingfeng Banquet was graced with the presence of four emperors, the four strongest cultivators in the Noble Plane.

Below where the four emperors sat, everyone began to sit down. Beside Emperor Luo, Crown Prince Luo Junlin as well as other princes and princesses had arrived but only Luo Junlin could sit next to the emperor. This was the obvious difference in status among the children of the emperor.

Below the throne were the left and right ministers. Minister Zuo no longer had the same energy in his eyes as he once did. It seemed like he was no longer interested in anything. On the other hand, Minister Hua looked fresh and energetic. Even though things in Donghai City were not a success as planned, to see Minister Zuo fail, was the best thing for him.

Jing Yu, Ye Futian, and the others headed to where Emperor Ye was. As citizens of the Cangye Kingdom, it was only natural that they stayed by the emperor's side.

The Nandou Clan members kept eyes on Ye Futian. When they saw that not only was Ye Futian not avoiding being seen by Emperor Luo and was even headed in his direction, some of them had already made predictions. They shivered at the thought.

"Isn't that Ye Futian and Yu Sheng?" Among the large audience, there were some people who came from Donghai City. They froze at the sight of Ye Futian.

Naturally, the people of Donghai Academy also took notice. Yan Shao frowned. What's going on? His gaze shifted to Emperor Luo and Minister Hua. They did not seem to care at all, as if they already knew Ye Futian would be here.

Zhuo Qing and other students of Donghai Academy were all confused at the sight of Ye Futian. Lin Xiyue had obviously seen him as well. Her beautiful eyes froze on him. She never imagined she would see Ye Futian at the Tingfeng Banquet.

One step at a time, Ye Futian's group arrived at the very front of the area, right below where Emperor Ye was seated. The members of the Nandou Clan felt their hearts skip a beat. It seemed they finally understood. The reason why Ye Futian dared to show up in the Nandou Nation was because he had royalty backing him. The emperor of the Cangye Kingdom. Those from Donghai Academy looked very interested. Their mouths hung open as they watched Ye Futian take his seat slowly.

Ye Futian went to the Cangye Kingdom?

In a little over a month, Ye Futian had escaped from the Nandou Nation to its rival country, the Cangye Kingdom. Furthermore, he had been recognized for his talents by Emperor Ye. Now, he had returned on the day the Tingfeng Banquet began. However, he was not a participant of the banquet but one of the audience.

Zhuo Qing felt disheartened immediately after seeing Ye Futian. Zhuo Qing was here to participate in the banquet and did not even know if he would even be able to impress with his performance but then, there was Ye Futian. He was already seated by the emperor, though not Emperor Luo.

Yan Shao glanced at Zhuo Qing who was beside him. Then, he turned to another person and said, "Tianhao, that's the person you've always wanted to meet. Full Attribute genius with twin spirits, Ye Futian. Do you think you can defeat him?"

Yun Tianhao stared at Ye Futian. In reality, he had taken notice of Ye Futian very early on. It was because they knew each other, but that was when they were younger. They battled once at Qingzhou Academy. As a top student of Heiyan Academy, Yun Tianhao lost to Ye Futian. After that, Yun Tianhao left Qingzhou City in pursuit of experience and better education. So, at the beginning of this year, he was admitted into Donghai Academy. His arrival shook up the whole school.

Then, he heard of another person who left a deep impression on the students of Donghai Academy. Ye Futian—a name that he kept engraved in his brain.

"I will defeat him," said Yun Tianhao. Full Attribute and twin spirits? So, this was his true gift.

Seated below Emperor Luo, Minister Zuo first stared at Ye Futian and then at Emperor Ye. He felt disappointed.

After their trip to Qingzhou City together, Minister Zuo showed great interest in Ye Futian. It was not only for himself but for the royal Luo family as well. However, it was impossible to know what the emperor was thinking. The royal family actually got the idea that Minister Zuo wanted to revolt against them. They believed that Ye Futian was fated to become emperor of the country and was a threat to their family. Thus, an imperial order was sent to Donghai City. None of these events could be undone. As for Minister Zuo himself, the emperor lost trust in him because he insisted on rushing to help Ye Futian in Donghai City. If Minister Zuo was Emperor Luo, he would do anything to kill Ye Futian right now. Even if Emperor Ye would get mad and kill a lot of people, it would still be better than the downfall of the royal family. But Emperor Luo would never do that. Although Emperor Luo believed in fate and Minister Zuo's prophecies, he would not trust them fully. Emperor Luo was very headstrong and believed that as an emperor and a powerful cultivator in the Noble Plane, he could easily change fate.

Obviously, Minister Zuo was not going to attempt to persuade Emperor Luo. He wouldn't do it even if he could. He was not going to come up with anymore plans for Emperor Luo. Despite this, Minister Zuo knew, he would never be able to leave. Even if the emperor was not going to give him anything to do anymore, he would also never let him go. The reason the emperor has not yet killed Minister Zuo was because he did not have a crime to accuse him of. The minister had recruited and bred many talented officers for Emperor Luo. If he killed Minister Zuo without reason, it would be poorly received by the emperor's subordinates.

"I heard that the Cangye Kingdom's Fenghua Banquet ended not too long ago. These should be the ones from the Fenghua Rank, correct?" Emperor Chu of the Yunchu Nation asked with a smile as he looked at Ye Futian and the group.

"They are the top ten. My goddaughter had other business and could not join us," answered Emperor Ye. He returned a smile.

"In my Yan Kingdom, all those with outstanding gifts and high cultivation have the chance of being recognized by me. Some are even made lords or ministers. It has been like that for generations now. This is a policy that everyone agrees on. My people have the utmost trust in our royal family. To this day, as long as there is a brilliant person, they would make themselves known to me. There is no need for us to hold some boring banquet. I've always been curious. Your countries hold these events once every couple of years. Does it actually help to pick out brilliant individuals?" said the emperor of the Yan Kingdom. He looked at the group of people seated below Emperor Ye.

His words also included Emperor Luo who was holding the Tingfeng Banquet, but it did not seem like Emperor Luo minded. He smiled lightly and replied, "Every country has their own way of doing things. What matters is that we all do it for the same reason. I invited you all here today, so we'll just have to wait and see if some outstanding young cultivators will appear today. And, all of you have brought some younger generation cultivators along. If interested, you can tell them to give it a try as well. I don't mind," Emperor Luo continued.

The people that the emperors of the Yunchu Nation and the Yan Kingdom brought along were indeed younger generation cultivators. They were all people their country had high hopes in. They had been brought to attend the Tingfeng Banquet to check out the genius cultivators of other countries. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

As of now, the Tingfeng Banquet had not begun. Nobody knew what kinds of outstanding individuals would appear. But Ye Futian and the others had already piqued the interest of the cultivators from the two other foreign countries. From time to time, they would turn their gazes over to the group from the Cangye Kingdom.

Just then, Emperor Luo stood up. To everyone in the large area, he said, "Today is the start of the Tingfeng Banquet. Four emperors have gathered to observe the event. Starting from now the stage is yours. I look forward to all your performances!"

The Legend of Futian - Chapter 130: Take Ye Futian Down

As the dragon came closer to the palace of the Nandou Nation, a line of figures flew over. The dragon roared ferociously.

"Stop!" Emperor Ye said. Then the dragon halted.

Those comers bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"

"What's the matter?" the emperor asked.

"We were ordered by our emperor to welcome you. The accommodation has been arranged for you," the man said.

"Lead the way," Emperor Ye said lightly. The other nodded and walked in front, leading the way. Soon, they arrived at a giant palace near the imperial palace. Though the two nations were rivals, courtesy was necessary since the emperor was invited here. Everything in the palace for the stay had been arranged well for them. Since Emperor Ye was the emperor of the Cangye Kingdom, only people from the Cangye Kingdom could share the palace with him.

"Ye Futian, come with me. Emperor Luo won't hurt you but don't leave the palace for safety reasons. If you really have to go out for some reason, let Jing Yu go with you," Emperor Ye warned Ye Futian. Jing Yu was the emperor's bodyguard. The emperor had assigned Jing Yu many things in his daily life.

"I'll be careful." Ye Futian nodded. Although Emperor Luo wouldn't hurt him in public, there was still the possibility for him to arrange an assassination or kill him by another's hand without any evidence left. Emperor Ye couldn't blame it on him then.

The group settled down in the palace while the outside world was stirred up. The Tingfeng Banquet was to be held the next day. The decennial banquet was more magnificent than the Fenghua Banquet of the Cangye Kingdom. The whole nation paid great attention to it and all the heroes would attend. A sensation was inevitable. Everyone was looking forward to the opening of the Tingfeng Banquet the next day.

One hour later outside the palace, a row of figures strode over and went directly into the palace. The leader was a beautiful woman. She seemed like an unordinary person. Following behind her were her strong bodyguards.

Jing Yu stood before her and said, "This is the Emperor Ye's palace. Any intruders will be killed without pardon."

"I'm looking for Ye Futian." The woman looked up to Jing Yu and Jing Yu suddenly grew hesitant. "Since this is Emperor Ye's palace, what do you think we can do?" the woman continued.

Jing Yu thought for a while then said, "Follow me." He led the way and the woman's people followed behind. They came to a place in the palace where Ye Futian's group lived.

Seeing many people coming over, Lin Yueyao and the others went to Ye Futian's room out of curiosity. Ye Futian sat in the courtyard. When he saw the newcomer, he was stunned.

"Ye Futian, why did you join the Cangye Kingdom?" the woman asked angrily. She seemed to come here for an explanation.

Ye Futian looked up to this beautiful but capricious woman and said indifferently, "Are you talking to me?"

This woman turned out to be the princess of the Nandou Nation, the daughter of Emperor Luo and the sister of the crown prince.

"My teacher gave you the minister's decree and my brother let you be minister but you rejected him," Luo Mengyan said. "My father even conferred you with the study attendant of the crown prince. What did we do to you? Is it just because of Hua Jieyu? Is Hua Jieyu the reason why you joined the Cangye Kingdom?"

"Get out." Ye Futian looked at her coldly. Was this girl stupid? What did they do to him?

You…" Luo Menyan pointed at Ye Futian and shouted, "You are a jerk. I'll kill you!" She pounced forward. Ye Futian stood up and stepped forward too. As if remembering something bad, Luo Mengyan froze in place.

"I'm here to accompany His Majesty, not for recalling past days. Princess, please leave," Ye Futian responded nonchalantly. Only then did people know that this woman was the princess of the Nandou Nation.

Many people looked at Ye Futian curiously. What did this guy do to the princess?

"It's your own choice to betray Nandou Nation, but you shouldn't trouble my teacher. Because of you, my teacher doesn't pay attention to the outside world anymore and even neglects me. It's all because of you!" Luo Mengyan's eyes grew red. Ye Futian was surprised. He didn't mean to trouble Minister Zuo. It could be said that this whole thing was triggered by Minister Zuo but he knew that Minister Zuo was thinking for his good. The emperor's decree should have nothing to do with Minister Zuo. Did the astrologist minister not care about anything anymore?

Ye Futian took out the Decree of the Minister and threw it to Luo Mengyan. "Return it to Minister Zuo and tell him that I won't blame him."

"You won't blame him?" Luo Mengyan took the token and asked indignantly in return.

"You can leave now." Ye Futian was kicking them out.

Luo Mengyan looked at Ye Futian coldly and turned away.

People around the court moved aside but Luo Mengyan stopped and turned around. She asked, "You said that your girlfriend is more beautiful than me? How beautiful is she that you could betray the Nandou Nation for her?"

"You don't deserve to be compared with her," Ye Futian answered indifferently. Luo Mengyan is so naïve. Does she really think that Emperor Luo and the crown prince were thinking for his good? Or maybe it's just hard for her to think of her father and brother as bad people.

Luo Mengyan looked coldly at Ye Futian and left.

After she left, Lin Yueyao asked Ye Futian in confusion, "What have you done to the princess of the Nandou Nation?"

Ye Futian looked at Lin Yueyao and smiled slightly. "Do you want to try?"

Seeing Ye Futian's mean smirk, Lin Yueyao said, "No, thank you."

With that, she left. Bai Qiu and Yu Jiang watched the whole thing silently. As the top beauty of the Cangye Kingdom, Lin Yueyao was always very aloof but she had struck up a conversation with Ye Futian several times. However, Ye Futian just directly ignored this beauty, which annoyed the onlookers very much. The difference between them… But Ye Futian's girlfriend was indeed more beautiful than Lin Yueyao.

"Let's go out for a walk," Zuo Qianfan suggested. All the strong cultivators gathered here in the Nandou Nation. They could go take a look. Since the emperor of the Nandou Nation invited them, he wouldn't stoop so low as to play tricks on them.

"Good idea." Yu Jiang nodded and went out.

Ye Futian didn't go with them but continued his cultivation.

The next morning, people from the Nandou Nation came to the palace and visited Emperor Ye. He went to greet them and Ye Futian's group also showed up. The people from Nandou Nation bowed and said, "My majesty ordered me to invite Your Highness to the imperial palace so that all their majesties can attend the Tingfeng Banquet together."

"What about them?" Emperor Ye asked, looking to Ye Futian's and others.

"Only the emperors have been invited. The rest shall go separately. They can meet Your Majesty in the imperial palace," the man answered and smiled.

Emperor Ye didn't respond but turned to Jing Yu. "You take them there."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Jing Yu nodded. Emperor Ye followed the people and left.

"Let's go," Jing Yu said. Other than him, there were many other strong cultivators of the Cangye Kingdom. The group of people went out and walked directly toward the imperial palace.

Outside the palace, there were people from other kingdoms also moving toward the imperial palace. The Tingfeng Banquet was held outside the north gate of the imperial palace where there was already a sea of people. The number of the attendees of the Tingfeng Banquet was bigger than that of the Fenghua Banquet.

When Ye Futian's people arrived, they were almost submerged by the sea of people. Outside the north gate, there were nine tall platforms erected in a row which was surrounded by a vast open space. The throne and the stands were set opposite the platforms. Ordinary people would not be allowed to enter that area. People from all over the Nandou Nation were gathered here, naturally including the people from the East Sea Prefecture.

The Nandou clan stood in the crowd and watched the throne and the stands in front of platforms where the royal families sat. The Nandou clan could sit there before but at this time, they could only stand in the crowd.

"One month ago, if that thing did not happen, Jieyu would be the crown princess now," a Nandou youth said. "Then we could also sit over there." All of this was destroyed by Ye Futian. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

"Don't think about it anymore and don't mention Hua Jieyu again," an elder reprimanded. Hua Jieyu was a sinner of the Nandou Nation. They had to cut all ties with Her.

"Okay." That youth nodded and looked at the crowd. The youth would participate in this banquet so every strong cultivator here might be his opponent. He continued to observe and stopped when somewhere. He frowned, looked backward, and found a line of figures.

"Ye Futian?" the youth called. People from the Nandou clan all turned to him.

An elder said, "Nonsense!" How could Ye Futian appear at the Tingfeng Banquet?

"He is there." The youth pointed somewhere with great shock in his eyes. He didn't believe it either but he definitely had seen Ye Futian.

The Nandou clan all looked toward the direction he pointed in and their eyes fell on a handsome figure. Every cultivator of the Nandou clan was stunned and their eyes flashed. Ye Futian dared to attend the Tingfeng Banquet? Did he want to die?

"Go take him down." The strong cultivators from the Nandou clan immediately bolted in that direction. They had never forgotten what had taken place in Donghai City a while ago. Hua Jieyu was taken away and a group of strong cultivators of Nandou clan also disappeared. And Ye Futian was the reason.

"Don't let him go!" a youth shouted, worrying that Ye Futian would mingle within the crowd. This guy is really bold. How dare he come back to where the Tingfeng Banquet is held?

"Take him and give him to the emperor," someone said. He'd even planned how to execute Ye Futian. Ye Futian went against Emperor's order. He was a criminal and must be handed over to Emperor Luo!

Library of Heaven's Path - Chapter 290: A Draw?

With a gentle shake from Zhang Xuan, the ink on the xuan paper flowed down. The many footsteps left behind by the savage beast were linked together by a dark stroke, forming a painting of haughty and unyielding plum blossoms.

The portion where the ink flowed through formed a black dry tree bark, on which, plum blossoms bloomed sporadically. Looking rather desolate from afar, one could feel bone-chilling intent from the painting, as if the bitter winter had struck.

The location where the savage beast fell formed two glaring boulders, and the marks left behind by its fur formed ridges of differing depths on the surface of the boulder.

Plum blossoms grew from the crevices within the boulders, standing proudly in the frigid weather. Ji Mo gongzi made use of a field of flowers to accentuate the nobility of the peony. On the other hand, these plum blossoms didn't have any other flowers to compare to, but one couldn't help but sense its haughtiness, with nothing that dared to vie with it, that there was no one that did not fear to stand beside it.

Even without the intention to vie for supremacy, it was able to surpass the radiance of all other flowers.

Upon seeing this flower, one could almost see the painter standing lonelily by the edge of the world. So what if they disregard me? So what if they don't understand me? All I desire is to stand proud and remain true to my conscience!

"I... Why am I crying?"

"I feel as though I saw a man uncomprehended by the world, but even so, he continued to step forward bravely, without the slightest intention to retreat!"

"Is this... the third level of painting, Infused Intentions?"

"That must be it! Otherwise, it is impossible for our emotions to resonate with it with just a single glance..."

...

The surroundings fell silent.

In that moment, many people's emotions were influenced by the desolate mood in the painting, and their eyes reddened in agitation.

A painting with high artistic conception is able to influence the state of mind in its viewers. Clearly, this painting is one such masterpiece.

"A painting that was drawn by a savage beast... has reached the third level, Infused Intentions?"

Seeing the crowd being influenced by the desolate beauty of the winter plum blossoms, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng's mouth quivered, and his body trembled.

Since others were able to tell the level of the painting, naturally, he did so quickly. With just a shake of the painting, the other party was able to turn a nothing into a masterpiece. Not only was the spirit of the painting overwhelming, its artistic conception shone through in an instant.

Even they, as 2-star painters, would need a long period of preparation before they can create a painting of such level.

Yet, for a savage beast to create such a painting by walking a few steps, rolling about, followed by a mere shake...

Even though it happened right before their eyes, they nevertheless couldn't help but suspect that it was a dream.

It was inconceivable.

"The crux to the painting is that final shake!"

Vice Guild Leader Wu contemplated for a moment before saying, "How much ink is left on the xuan paper, how one should shake it, and how much force should one use, one has to take all of these into account to determine the flow of the ink to form the tree branch to finish the painting... One has to imprint and remember all of these details perfectly into mind before one can create this painting. Even the slightest error could spell failure!"

"Indeed. It may seem simple, but it is actually a profound movement. With different ink and paper, the effects would be different. To be able to reach such a state with a mere shake, his eye of discernment and mastery of painting... Even I would be unable to do it..."

Even though he was reluctant to admit it, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng nodded in agreement.

Previously, it was the savage beast who was in charge of painting; the youngster didn't do anything at all. However, the most important part of the painting was the final shake. It was just like adding the eyes to a painted dragon; with the slightest error, the result would be completely different. If not for Zhang Xuan's perfect control over the final shake, this painting of the third level would be nothing at all.

And for him to find the ideal strength and method to shake off the ink on the painting...

This meant that he had absolute control over the painting! He knew what the product would be, and what level it would reach...

This required a profound understanding of painting! For one to picture what the complete painting would be like down to the minor details... Even their guild leader, a 3-star painter, would be incapable of such a feat!

"This... impossible..."

Upon witnessing the stalk of plum blossoms appear with the shake, Ji Mo gongzi, who was gleefully waiting for Zhang Xuan to make a fool of himself, staggered backward in shock. His face paled and looked as if he were going insane.

The other party had just randomly dipped a savage beast into a pool of ink and threw it on a xuan paper, and it became a painting of the third level...

When did a painting of the third level become so easy to create?

He had worked so hard, to the point that he almost vomited blood, just so that he could refine his painting to reach this level. Yet, the other party easily...

It can’t be that my talents are inferior to a savage beast?

The green-robed attendant who had brought Zhang Xuan in was also yanking at his ears. If not for the inappropriate occasion, he would have gone on a rampage by now.

As an attendant of the Painter Guild, he earned a mere several thousand gold coins a month, and even at best, his wages would only reach ten thousand. Yet, the other party was able to create a painting which was worth several million just by throwing a savage beast on a paper....

The heck!

Why was he working so hard then! If he were to capture the savage beast to draw for him, wouldn't he have long become a millionaire?

The numerous apprentices who carried the tables before also felt tears welling up in their eyes.

Of them, there were those who had spent more than a decade on painting, but even so, their painting could only reach the level of Reality Depiction at best. Spiritual Canvas and Infused Intentions were way out of their reach, and they didn't dare to think about it.

Seeing a savage beast produce a better painting that they could, in that instant, they felt that all of their hard work in the past few years had been... completely useless.

It was already a miracle that they didn't break down on the spot.

"The two vice guild leaders, may I know whether it is my victory or my loss with this painting?" Seeing the painting take the shape as he had planned, Zhang Xuan turned to the two elders with a smile.

It was just as the two vice guild leaders thought, the crux to the painting was his final shake.

Even if he was able to control the savage beast perfectly, how could this create a painting of the third level?

In order to turn the ink-filled paper into a complete painting with his final shake, he had to make use of the ability of the Library of Heaven's Path to avoid all mistakes.

Since there were no mistakes in his movements, it had to be correct.

The timing, the strength, the shaking method, grasping the paper... All of these had to be paid attention to. A single error would cause the entire painting to fall apart.

It was fortunate that he succeeded.

"This..."

The two vice guild leaders glanced at one another.

"Your Winter Plum Blossoms Painting and Painter Ji's Peony Painting have both reached the third level. Even though the two paintings are of completely different style, they are both on the same level. Thus, I announce that..." Hesitating for a moment, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng declared, "... it is a draw!"

"Draw?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head, although he had expected such a situation.

In terms of quality, his painting was clearly of a much higher standard than Ji Mo gongzi's Peony Painting. However, as their competition had a wager at stake, and the latter would be a future elite of the Painter Guild if he were declared to be the loser, wouldn't that mean that he has to kneel down, apologize, and leave the guild for good?

If that really happened, they would have to lose a valuable talent.

Declaring that it was a draw could avoid offending any of the two parties. In a sense, it was the perfect conclusion.

Of course, this Ji Mo gongzi wouldn't appear as dashing as he was before. Even though it was a draw, it was with a savage beast. In other words, he was no different from a beast... No matter where he went, people would definitely be gossiping about him.

Even so, Zhang Xuan was indifferent to his plight. The other party had it coming.

"A draw? To think that it would be a draw!"

"This is for the best..."

"That's right, it's best not to sully the harmonious spirit among fellow painters..."

...

Hearing the verdict, the crowd broke into a commotion.

"That's good. The two of you are genius painters, so you both should try to get along..."

After the declaration, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng smiled in an attempt to mediate the conflict. However, Ji Mo gongzi took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Vice guild leaders, hold it for a moment!"

The crowd immediately turned to look at him.

"Everyone has seen the painting just now. The crux of the painting lies in his final shake. If not for that, it wouldn't even reach Reality Depiction, needless to say, Infused Intentions!"

Ji Mo gongzi turned to look at Zhang Xuan and sneered coldly, "That's to say, his drawing was completed with the effort of a human and a beast. It was only with a combined effort from them that they were able to match up to my standard, so how can he be worthy of becoming my equal?"

Everyone was taken aback.

It was obvious that having a savage beast in a painting process would only drag one down. To be capable of creating a painting of Infused Intentions under such circumstances bore testimony to the incredible painting mastery that the other party possessed.

This fact couldn't be any clearer on everyone's mind, yet he dared to spout such words. He has truly thrown away his dignity for this competition.

But even so, there was a sliver of truth to his words. It was indeed a collaboration between Zhang Xuan and the savage beast!

Since this was a competition between Zhang Xuan and Ji Mo, there should just be a single person painting. No one else should be allowed to touch the painting; even a single word of guidance cannot be accepted.

The plum blossoms by the savage beast's footsteps and the tree bark from Zhang Xuan's shake... These two were essential to forming this art piece, and without any of them, it would have been incomplete.

Given that this was a collaboration work against an individual, it was indeed... an infringement of fairness.

"Oh, so you mean that..."

Seeing how shameless the other party was, Zhang Xuan didn't get angry. Instead, he turned to gaze at the person squarely.

"Simple, I've won this competition. Since you have only managed to reach my standard through a collaboration, your skills can only be said to be inferior to mine!" Ji Mo gongzi smiled coldly.

"Painter Ji, a draw isn't a bad conclusion either..."

Not expecting the other party to be so lacking in sportsmanship, Vice Guild Leader Wu felt rather displeased.

Can a savage beast really know how to paint?

It is clearly that it was through the sole efforts of the painter that a painting of such quality could be created.

Even though it could be said to be a collaboration by a human and a beast, it was due to the incredible painting mastery of this youngster that this painting could reach such a level. We are already giving you leeway to back down by declaring a draw, yet you don't know how to be contented?

Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng was also incensed by the other party's actions. Just as he was about to speak up, Zhang Xuan shook his hands casually and looked over with a faint smile, "Ji gongzi's words make sense. Since you believe that this is a collaboration between me and the savage beast, we'll take it as that. However, since you don't consider this a draw, I would like to ask... under what kind of circumstances will you be willing to admit defeat?"

"Want me to admit defeat?"

Ji Mo gongzi sneered coldly, "I am a fair person, so I will not use your collaboration as a reason to proclaim my victory. If your painting had reached the fourth level of Breathtaking Verisimilitude, I would have admitted my defeat immediately. However, it's a pity... that it isn't! Given that your collaboration has barely reached my level, how can I consider this a draw?"

"Your words are logical, I can't find any words to refute them!" Zhang Xuan didn't seem to be vexed by the other party's words. Instead, he shook his head with a smile.

"Since you've nothing to say, just admit defeat..."

Ji Mo gongzi's eyes shone brightly. Just as he was about to continue speaking, the edges of the lips of the youngster before him curled up, and he looked at him pitifully, "Are you that certain that... this painting has only reached the third level?"

"What do you mean?"

Ji Mo gongzi glanced at the xuan paper on the table. As it was just a moment ago that the painting had been completed, the ink on it had yet to dry. The painting was outstanding, but it was clear that it had only reached the third level. Thus, he sneered coldly, "Stop putting on an act here. If you wish to admit defeat, hurry up. Even if you were to argue about it the entire day, it's impossible for the painting to reach the fourth level..."

"That might not necessarily be the case..."

Zhang Xuan calmly turned around and said, "Vice Guild Leader Wu, I've something which I need to trouble you with!"

"Feel free to speak!" Vice Guild Leader Wu nodded.

"May I know if there are any fire torches in the guild? May I borrow one?" Zhang Xuan asked.

The Painter Guild used Night Illumination Pearls as the source of light for its interiors. Its radiance was gentle as bright as the morning sky.

But despite the brightness, it didn't provide any warmth. Furthermore, it was in the middle of the autumn, and the room was slightly cold. As everyone present was a cultivator, they didn't pay the matter any heed.

"There is!"

Vice Guild Leader Wu glanced at the youngster doubtfully for a moment before waving his hands. An apprentice stepped out from the room, and soon, returned with a fire torch in his hands.

"Bring it to the painting to warm it!" Instead of receiving the fire torch, Zhang Xuan instructed the apprentice.

"Yes!"

The apprentice glanced at Vice Guild Leader Wu, and upon seeing him nod, walked to the Winter Plum Blossoms Painting.

Under the heat of the fire, the wet ink began to coagulate.

Hong long!

Under the warmth of the torch, a change occurred in the ink, inducing a vastly different sensation in the painting from before.

A slight trace of white appeared in the four corners of the inky black flower buds, as though the flower was beginning to bloom. For a moment, the crowd could smell the aroma of plum blossoms in the air. noveltranslationweb.blogspot.com

Wu wu wu!

A few butterflies flew into the room from nowhere and landed on the painting, as if they were attracted by the aroma of flowers, then lingering on the surface for an extremely long time.

"Is this... Breathtaking Verisimilitude?"

"How is this possible?"

...

Everyone's body shuddered. They felt that they were about to go insane.

Before the ink dried, it was clearly only at the level of Infused Intentions. Yet, the moment it dried, it became a fourth level painting. How did this situation happen?

However, if the painting hadn't reached the level of Breathtaking Verisimilitude, how could those butterflies be attracted to it? And how could they catch the faint aroma of plum blossoms in the air?

Deng deng deng deng!

Ji Mo gongzi staggered backward with a pale face.

He had just claimed that he would admit defeat if the other party's painting reached the fourth level, and never in his dreams did he expect that it would become one the moment it was dried with a burning torch...

Are you for real?

He has examined the painting multiple times to ascertain that it was only at Infused Intentions. How could the heat from a fire torch raise, so easily, the level of the painting?

"This can't be true... You must have cheated!"

Shaking his head vehemently, he was unable to believe the sight before him. He howled in a frenzy.

"Cheated?"

Zhang Xuan shook his head. His gaze swept through the surroundings and finally, fell on Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng. "Vice guild leader, are you able to tell the reason?"

"I can roughly see a thing or two, but I'm unsure whether my judgment is correct!"

With a grim face, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng spoke of his conjecture, "The savage beast which did the painting just now is known as the Verdant Alacrity Beast, and it likes to build its nest in the mud. On the other hand, our ink originates from the Black Inkstone and mud carries substances that neutralize the Black Inkstone. That's why, upon the heat of the fire torch, the color of the ink became lighter."

"The Verdant Alacrity Beast that was brought here is likely to have just been caught, so there are traces of mud still on its body. The mud is mixed into the ink ground from the Black Inkstone, and after some heating, the effects were displayed immediately, creating the sight of the flowers blooming, thus... inducing a rise in the level of the painting!"

"To be able to do this requires a profound understanding of beast taming, as well as the properties of the various materials. You..."

At this point, Vice Guild Leader Cheng Feng stared at Zhang Xuan with eyes filled with disbelief.

The sight before seemed magical; a painting of the third level was brought up by an entire level just using the heat from a torch. However, it was actually a fusion of numerous knowledge to create that exact outcome.

In fact, even without the heat of the torch, this painting would automatically rise to the level of Breathtaking Verisimilitude in a day's time.

And to do this, one has to have a deep understanding of beast taming, the properties of the substances involved... And numerous other matters. Everything must be fully within grasp, and this youngster who hasn't even reached twenty yet has managed to achieve this...

The heck!

Is it the world that’s mad, or have I gone mad?