Chapter 306: The Birthday Banquet Begins
As people gathered in Tai Ah Divine City, Yi Yun was in the sword tomb trying to gain some understanding of the sword truths without knowing the time of the day.
Originally, Yi Yun thought that having experienced the saber tomb, which came from the same origins as the sword tomb, it would be extremely easy for him to understand the sword truths with his entry into the sword tomb.
However, it was only when Yi Yun entered the sword tomb did he realize that it was completely different from the saber tomb.
In the saber tomb, there were saber scar marks and the Saber Truth’s 32 Words. Each word contained a saber truth.
But, the sword tomb did not have those things. In there, there was a fascinating stone wall. Closing one’s eyes and meditating in front the stone wall would envelope someone in illusions.
In these illusions, there were rushing rivers, cascading waterfalls, the virtual images of mountains of corpses and a sea of blood, and there were also flying sword beams.
It seemed like the person who left behind the sword tomb had cast all the scenes he had seen in his life into the stone wall. As such, people of the future would sense these scenes while meditating in front of the stone wall.
“These are the things that the sword tomb owner saw when comprehending the way of the sword!”
Yi Yun opened the Purple Crystal’s energy vision and a light flashed across his mind.
The sword tomb owner had seen all these images that allowed him to comprehend his Sword Intent, hence, he had left his own Sword Intent within those scenes, allowing people of the future to ponder over them.
Yi Yun had spent 10 months in the Pure Yang Sword Palace and he failed to understand the Pure Yang Sword Palace’s owner’s Sword Intent. However, it still allowed Yi Yun to have a deep understanding of the sword truths.
After trying out the hardest sword truths that were closest to its origins, and then trying to gain insight on a relatively easier sword truth, this was much easier.
If it was said that the Sword Intent left behind in the Pure Yang Sword Palace was a tall mountain that was very difficult to scale, then the sword truths left behind in the sword tomb were like stone steps used to scale that tall mountain.
Yi Yun went up a step at a time…
Time passed. Yi Yun did not know how long had passed as he meditated in the sword tomb. He had entered a completely ethereal state, being one with nature in a spiritual sense.
The shocking sword scars from the Pure Yang Sword Palace kept resonating in Yi Yun’s mind.
It was as if those huge sword scars were carved in Yi Yun’s mind, slowly overlapping with the images from within the sword tomb…
It was unknown when a rusty broken sword appeared in Yi Yun’s hands. The broken sword emitted a cold frosty feeling, making Yi Yun’s mind even clearer…
He gently waved the sword slowly, as if he was slashing at invisible spider webs.
Slash after slash seemed to be completely random, but in the illusionary world, Yi Yun seemed to have slashed apart a waterfall, splitting a river, and the fantasy-like saber beam and sword shadows seemed to interweave with each other.
While Yi Yun was in a trance like state of trying to comprehend the sword, the Tai Ah Divine City was already bustling with activity.
In the central divine tower, there was a place for welcoming guests, named Splendid Room. The Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord’s birthday banquet was to be held here.
Although the Splendid Room was in the central divine tower’s hall, one would see flowers and bamboo upon entering. These plants were treasures, and between the plants, there was emerald-green water that quietly flowed around, as if it was a jade belt.
If any guest wanted to drink in this green bamboo forest, they could simply put wine glasses into the flowing water and drink from it, and it could be described as “drinking water from a winding canal”.
Beyond the bamboo forest, there were exquisite little tables. The tables were about one foot tall and they only allowed people to sit kneeling on the ground. There were all sort of exquisite spiritual foods placed on the tables. They were all treasures amongst treasures and extremely expensive. The foods contained rich amounts of Yuan Qi, allowing one’s cultivation level to benefit from eating it.
People who were qualified to sit at those tiny tables for the Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord’s birthday banquet were all important figures from various large factions.
And for VIPs like the Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord and the Seven Star Pagoda Owner, they were seated near the flowing water at the center of the entire hall.
Around the table, there were pavilions.
Each pavilion had one large table and all the young elites from each country would sit here.
Except for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom, who was the host, all the other factions were only allocated one pavilion.
Those who could sit in the pavilions were the strongest youths from each faction.
And for the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s pavilion, the relatively outstanding Tai Ah Divine City cultivators were selected. For example, the top 30 geniuses from the Heaven, Earth, Man rolls of honor, and the leaders of other age groups.
For example, the third-year cultivators’ Li Hong, the second-year cultivators’ Chu Xiaoran and Qiuniu and the top three rookies of this year’s batch, Lu Jie, Wen Yu and a short fat youth.
“Oh? Why isn’t Yi Yun here?”
The Tai Ah Divine Kingdom’s younger generation was split amongst 6 pavilions. Wen Yu, Lu Jie, Qiuniu and Chu Xiaoran were sitting together. Lu Jie scanned the surroundings and noticed that Yi Yun was not around.
This surprised Lu Jie. With Yi Yun’s stature, he was definitely qualified to sit here.
“I don’t know, maybe he’s in reclusive training…” Chu Xiaoran casually said and did not bother about it.
In fact, it was pretty pointless for her to join such a banquet. She was not a person who liked the noise and excitement. She was only here to gain an understanding of the young elites from the various factions.
“Oh? It’s the people from the Yun Long Divine Kingdom!”
At this moment, the most important figures from the various factions had not arrived. Only the younger generation of the various factions were in the hall.
Chu Xiaoran saw about a dozen youths walk over. Leading them was a fatty in yellow. His face had a friendly smile, but his eyes contained arrogance.
He scanned over the crowd and skipped over Chu Xiaoran without pausing and looked to the pavilion besides Chu Xiaoran’s.
In that pavilion sat two of Tai Ah Divine City’s most influential figures, Yao Dao and Yang Qian!
Back when Yi Yun first entered the Tai Ah Divine City, Yao Dao and Yang Qian were fifteen years old. Back then, they were ranked in the top 100 of the Earth roll.
Now, after a year, Yao Dao and Yang Qian had spent 4 years in the Tai Ah Divine City, and they were now fifth year cultivators. Their cultivation level had reached the mid-stages of the Yuan foundation realm about half a year ago.
With Qin Haotian and his batch completing their training, they had left the Tai Ah Divine City. Hence, Yao Dao and Yang Qian had entered the top 5 of the Earth roll.
Without Qin Haotian, Li Xiao and company, there were not many presentable sixth-year geniuses in the Tai Ah Divine City other than Luo Huo’er.
But Luo Huo’er never challenged the Heaven or Earth rolls. No one knew how strong she was in other aspects other than her Desolate Heaven technique.
Hence, the fifth year’s Yao Dao and Yang Qian were now considered the best. People believed that the two of them would replace Qin Haotian and company’s position, and they would soon dominate both Heaven and Earth rolls.
As for Yang Haoran, Yang Dingkun and company, although they were outstanding, they were a lot worse than Yao Dao and Yang Qian.
The batches below, the fourth and third year cultivators were even worse.
The third year cultivators only had Li Hong. And he had been defeated by Yi Yun, a person one year younger than him, in the last rookie ranking competition.
This was definitely an embarrassment for the third-year cultivators.
The Yun Long Divine Kingdom’s yellow-clothed fatty had a general idea of who were the outstanding ones amongst the Tai Ah Divine City’s cultivators before the birthday banquet began.
Hence, once he entered, he only paid attention to Yao Dao and Yang Qian.
Sensing the yellow-clothed fatty’s brazen gaze of sizing them up, Yang Qian’s frowned. “This fatty wants to fight!”
Yang Qian was a proud person and he had a bad temper. Feeling the yellow-clothed fatty’s animosity, he was enraged.
“This fatty is not simple. He is looking at your strength. His gaze is indeed irritating, as if it is the gaze of a businessman checking out his goods.”
Beside Yang Qian, Yao Dao said that calmly. His hand could not help but touch the short saber by the side of his body.
“Yang Qian, there might be some impromptu performances for the City Lord’s birthday banquet. It will be the moment for all the young elites from the various factions to compete against each other. Now with Senior Qin gone, those who can handle this scene are probably the two of us. Hence, this fatty is sizing you up!”
Yao Dao quickly guessed the fatty’s intentions.
Yang Qian grunted, “I see. That’s also good!”
Yang Qian was not afraid of a challenge. Battling against others amongst the younger generation was all he could wish for. He especially looked forward to sparring with young elites from outside of the Tai Ah Divine Kingdom!
At this moment, the Splendid Room’s door opened, and with some attendants guiding them, the important figures from the various factions arrived.
Amongst them were the two leaders, one of them was a stout man wearing a heavy fur cloak and bone-laced military boots. He was the Yun Long Divine Kingdom’s Seven Star Pagoda Owner.
And the other person was a middle-aged men in a green gown. He looked happy, but his sword-like eyebrows revealed an extremely sharp aura.
This person did not seem to give any sense of oppression. In fact, he looked like a scholar from the mortal world. He seemed to read the books of sages, but was thoroughly weak.
He was Tai Ah Divine City’s City Lord!