Ye Futian was so incredibly shameless. Everyone from the Blazing Sun School and the Bright Moon School was frowning as well. What Ye Futian had said was completely unacceptable.
“Disrespect is disrespect. What a joke you are to try to cover up your lack of a gift with pretty words,” Si Yan, a Noble plane representative from the Blazing Sun School commented coldly. He was unhappy with what Ye Futian had just said.
“Who are you trying to fool?” spoke up another Noble plane representative from the Bright Moon School. He was fair, with a slightly feminine air to his demeanor that belied a powerful cold aura. The representative was cool and fair as jade, with a gentle voice. But he was incredibly strong.
“The disciples of the Starry School are indeed arrogant.”
“So much so that they don’t even bother with manners anymore.”
With two powerful schools having spoken out, the rest of the guests were also beginning to chatter as well. Their tone was cold, and it was evident that they were all upset by Ye Futian’s words.
Shi Yanfeng and Shi Qinglan, the pair of siblings who had come from the City Lord Office, mused that Ye Futian was just as he was when they met him yesterday—cold, arrogant and thinking himself above decorum and manners.
The chief of the Zhaixing House looked at Ye Futian. Ye Futian was a young man with an extraordinary aura. He was dressed extravagantly as if to highlight his status.
“Has Chen Yuan sent such a young disciple to represent him this time?” the chief asked calmly.
Chen Yuan was the name of college chief of the Starry School.
At the chief’s words, Master Yun, who was next to Ye Futian, got to his feet. Bowing to the chief, Master Yun explained, “Please let me explain, senior. This is the Son of the Starry School. The college chief has sent the Son as his representative in order to let you know that there’s now an heir to the Divine Path. The college chief seeks your blessings.”
Ye Futian was taken aback at Master Yun’s speech and threw him a questioning glance. It seemed that College Chief Chen had briefed Master Yun on matters that were kept secret from him. Master Yun’s speech about a new heir to the Divine Path, and that College Chief Chen sought the chief’s blessings sounded as if there was a deeper underlying message.
The chief’s gaze sharpened immediately. Staring at Ye Futian, he asked calmly, “I have not been keeping up with the news. When did the Starry School coronate a Son?”
“Not too long ago. It has only been about a month,” Master Yun replied.
“The Son is a hallowed disciple of the Divine Path. Is he fit for the role?” The chief’s eyes were piercing. With the Zhaixing House sharing the same origins as the Starry School, the chief understood what it meant to be a hallowed disciple of the Divine Path. And now that Chen Yuan had coronated a Son and sent him here to the Zhaixing House, it was clear to the chief just what Chen Yuan was planning.
“The college chief has high hopes for the Son and expects that his capabilities shall grow to be superior to that of Long Yitian’s. The Son will become a figure like no other in the eastern region of the Barren State, and surpass all competition,” Master Yun announced solemnly. In an instant, everyone at the banquet went silent and all eyes were on Ye Futian.
How arrogant Master Yun’s speech sounded. During his time, Long Yitian had been incomparably powerful and without equals in the eastern region of the Barren State. For an elder of the Starry School to announce that Ye Futian was to become even more powerful than Long Yitian and surpass all competition in the eastern region of the Barren State was just…
Even Ye Futian was shocked. Somehow, he felt as though he had been betrayed by the college chief. This was a birthday banquet for the chief of the Starry School after all. Was it appropriate to be saying such things here? Furthermore, the two heirs to the Zhaixing House were extraordinarily skilled as well. Master Yun’s speech had essentially offended everyone present, and he could see many people raring for a fight to test his capabilities out.
The chief of the Zhaixing House looked at Master Yun, his eyes brimming with cold mirth. What a statement Master Yun had made, that Ye Futian was unrivaled by anyone in the eastern region of the Barren state.
It seemed as if Chen Yuan was being rash here.
“It may be true that the disciples of the Top Three Schools are extraordinarily skilled, but your speech seems rather unrealistic, and if you ask me, overly confident,” someone from the School of Heavenly Arts replied. While they were reluctant to offend anyone from the Top Three Schools, they could not take Master Yun’s words lying down. His speech was far too bold, and there were skilled students within the School of Heavenly Arts after all.
“That’s right, we’re talking about Long Yitian here. Even if the Son is extraordinarily talented, that doesn’t mean that he’ll be able to surpass Long Yitian,” a guest from the Qinglei Court sneered. “Besides, there’s still Mu Zhifan and Mu Zhiqiu from the Zhaixing House. The young master has already entered the Holy Zhi Palace, the divine grounds of the Barren State, to train. Everyone here knows how illustrious it is to be able to train there. Furthermore, the young miss is also equally talented. Given their presence, how can anyone dare to say that they’ll be unrivaled in the eastern region of the Barren State?”
Mu Zhiqiu, who was standing next to the chief, cast her pretty eyes upon Ye Futian. Her expression was incredibly calm, as though nothing could ever disturb it.
Ye Futian looked at those who had stepped out of the crowd to speak, and replied coldly, “It’s not your place to speak in a conversation between the Starry School and the Zhaixing House.”
“You…” The guest from the Qinglei Court pointed at Ye Futian, his expression frozen in shock.
Everyone else’s faces were dark as well. It seemed as though it wasn’t just those from the Starry School who were arrogant. This young Son seemed to be the same, with no respect for the people around him. While the guests at the banquet were not top-tier powers, but they still had some measure of influence within the eastern region of the Barren State. For them to be reprimanded like this at a birthday banquet for the chief was insulting.
Shi Yanfeng and Shi Qinglan’s eyes glittered, and they turned to look at Ye Futian. As expected, he wore the same expression as yesterday when they first met him. He appeared to not have any regard for anyone else in the room.
Ye Futian had said all this to play along with whatever Master Yun was up to. He had no idea what Master Yun had in mind, but he assumed that this had something to do with their mission.
“I am a disciple from the School of Heavenly Arts. I have long heard of the Starry School, and now that we’re meeting in person, I would like to see just how good the students of the school are. It would serve as good entertainment for the chief’s banquet, and we’ll all be able to see just how great the “unrivaled talent of the eastern region of the Barren State” really is,” a young man spoke up, glaring at Ye Futian sharply.
“I would like to challenge the Son as well,” another young man from the Qinglei Court declared as well.
Many people looked towards Ye Futian, eager to see him prove all the wild claims made about his ability.
“You would like to challenge me?” Ye Futian glanced coldly at them. He didn’t deign to speak to them any further, but his expression communicated his disdain. Everyone felt their rage grow. Ye Futian really didn’t seem to be taking anyone seriously at this birthday banquet.
“I would like to see your abilities, though.” The chief of the Zhaixing House chuckled coolly, looking at the representatives from the Starry School. He spoke again, “Tell me what Chen Yuan wants from us.”
“The Starry School and the Zhaixing House made a promise in the past. Now that the Son has been coronated, we are here to fulfill the promise,” Master Yun replied.
The chief of the Zhaixing House retorted coldly, “What a joke. You think you’ll create an heir to the Divine Path just by coronating a Son and making all these wild claims? My grandson has already entered the Holy Zhi Palace, and Zhiqiu is definitely a cut above the rest in her generation too. I could also make a claim on the Divine Path too. Should I go and find Chen Yuan at the Starry School then?”
“The martial arts battlefield in Divine Sky City collapsed because of the Son. He has inherited the fate left behind by the seniors who battled in that place,” Master Yun continued.
“The Zhaixing House has never recognized that place as legitimate,” the chief responded calmly, “the divine teachings lie at the peak of the Zhaixing House.”
“Then let the Son advance,” Master Yun said.
The chief stared at Master Yun. So, the Starry School intended to take away the divine teachings of the Zhaixing House.
“I believe the chief wanted to see the abilities of the Son. If you think the Son is undeserving after seeing what he is capable of, he’ll be unable to get anything in return anyway,” Master Yun persuaded. Ye Futian stood to a side, listening quietly. It seemed like the college chief had this all planned out, and he wasn’t just throwing Ye Futian to the dogs.
It had seemed like suicide for Ye Futian to just come here and take someone else’s treasure. It turned out that the ancestors of the Starry School and the Zhaixing House had made some sort of promise in the past.
“This is a fine timing you’ve chosen.” The chief of the Zhaixing House glanced at them with a cold smile. “I’ll let you have your way then. Go ahead with the challenge, I’ll show you people from the Starry School just who the true followers of the Divine Path are.”
Everyone’s eyes gleamed upon hearing the chief’s words. What was the chief planning?
“Follow me.” The chief turned around and continued walking upwards. The guests got to their feet and followed him.
Along the way, many cold glances were thrown at Ye Futian, the audacious guy who had caused all this. Everyone followed the chief through building after building, and soon they reached the mountains at the back. It seemed as though they were to climb to the peak of the Zhaixing House.
Finally, the crowd began to sense frightening energy. Looking ahead, their eyes were met with a truly magnificent sight. Many people stopped in their tracks, their hearts beating wildly in their chests.
“Is this the legendary Sky Dome?”
The Sky Dome was a mysterious place within the Zhaixing House. A majestic view lay ahead. Before them was a vast starry dimension, with meteorites circling about in the skies endlessly. These meteorites emanated a sort of glow as if they were little stars in the skies.
This starry dimension seemed like a mess of windstorms. A closer look revealed that it was in the shape of a mountain, almost like an ancient mountain made out of the starry skies. At the peak of this mountain was a starry polearm, thousands of meters long. It was frighteningly dazzling as if the entire starry dimension was born of its existence.
“It’s the ritual implement, the Divine Destruction Polearm,” someone announced. Many were shocked at the information, and Ye Futian stared at the powerful ritual implement. So, this was the ritual implement that weighed over ninety thousand pounds.
“Did Chen Yuan coronate a Son and send him here for this?” The chief walked forward, before turning back to look at Ye Futian and company.
“Yes,” Master Yun replied, “the heir to the Divine Path has now appeared, and the ritual implement should thus be returned to him. Since you don’t think the Son is worthy, why don’t you test him?”
“Long Yitian tried once back in the day, and now your school has coronated another Son to come and try again. Why don’t you coronate a Son every year from now on then? I’ll cancel all my birthday banquets in the future and play along with you, how about that?” the chief scolded sternly.
“Did the chief think we would come here for any other purpose?” Master Yun looked at the chief. Since the chief had already brought them here, his intentions were clear to all.
“Since you all have wildly claimed that he’s unmatched within the eastern region of the Barren State, I’ll give him one chance.” The chief announced, “I won’t send anyone of the Noble plane to participate. Only those of the Arcana plane will enter the dimension with him. If he can take away the Divine Destruction Polearm, I’ll let him have it. If he fails, then the fate that he inherited at the martial arts battlefield will belong to the Zhaixing House from now on.” The chief was highly confident. He knew it wasn’t that easy to take away the Divine Destruction Polearm.
As of now, not only was Mu Zhiqiu preparing to break through to the Noble plane, but she was also about to enroll in the Holy Zhi Palace as well. Since Chen Yuan had sent a Son that had inherited the fate from the martial arts battlefield, he’d gladly take up the challenge as a huge present to his granddaughter.
“Well…” Master Yun hesitated. He knew how difficult it was to take away the Divine Destruction Polearm. Long Yitian had tried to get at it in his younger days, but he had failed. And once he had become number one in the eastern region of the Barren State, he could not just come by and take the ritual implement by force anymore, given his stature.
Everyone smiled coldly at Ye Futian. Hadn’t he claimed to be unmatched in ability? Now it seemed like he was going to back away in the face of a challenge and lose face. However, Ye Futian stepped forward. Eyes transfixed on the Sky Dome before him, he declared unhurriedly, “I accept the challenge!”