Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day Lihuo City had been boiling with excitement for arrived.
On this day, the vast city was extraordinarily lively. The City Lord was taking a wife—and his principal wife, at that. That was unquestionably a momentous occasion. Everywhere one looked, lanterns and colored banners were hung high, while gongs and drums rang in unison.
"The Yanhuang Academy Selection will be held at the City Lord's Mansion today. After the City Lord completes the wedding rites, he and the guests can watch the young people perform to add to the festivities."
"It is said that after Young Master Li Zifeng obtains the Yanhuang Order, the City Lord will formally confer upon him the status of heir apparent and announce it to the entire city."
"For our Lihuo City, this is truly double happiness arriving at the door."
Early that morning, Li Tianming pushed Wei Jing into the courtyard so she could enjoy the warm rays of the morning sun.
His mother knew today was a special day.
"Mother, I should go." Once he obtained the Yanhuang Order, he would take her away from this place of sorrow.
"Go on." Wei Jing narrowed her eyes beneath the sunlight. Her long hair had already turned gray-white, and only under the sun did it retain a faint gleam.
"Aren't you going to say something moving? Give me a little chicken blood or something?" Li Tianming asked with a smile.
"What chicken blood? Where is the chicken blood?" Little Yellow Chick tumbled down from Li Tianming's head and asked fiercely.
Its nervous appearance successfully made both mother and son laugh.
Amid their laughter, there was not the slightest tension of someone about to enter battle.
"Go on. I'll take a nap, and when I wake up, you'll be back," Wei Jing said gently.
This battle was important, yet she did not nag Li Tianming and burden him with pressure. Perhaps she was the person in the world who had the most confidence in Li Tianming.
"Alright." Li Tianming helped her comb and arrange her white hair, his movements practiced and skillful.
After he finished, he gently patted Wei Jing's shoulder. Then, without looking back, he set off upon his journey.
Under the sunlight, a tear slid from Wei Jing's narrowed eyes, while the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile.
It seemed that this tear did not represent sorrow or worry, but rebirth.
Everyone knew how much dignity she had lost in Lihuo City. Even her youth and dreams had been buried in this place.
But today, she also yearned for her most beloved child to reclaim everything that belonged to mother and son!
Today, Lihuo City's City Lord's Mansion was like a heavily made-up beauty. From afar, its lights blazed brightly and its voices surged like a roaring cauldron.
It was said that not only had all the prominent figures of Lihuo City arrived today, but guests from many other cities had come as well. There were even experts from Flame Capital, the capital city of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.
In this regard, Li Yanfeng, one of the foremost experts in the southern frontier of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, possessed immense prestige and influence. Especially in recent years, his momentum had continued to rise.
Rumor had it that after establishing ties with Thunder Lord Manor, Li Yanfeng's future would no longer be confined to Lihuo City. He had even greater room to climb higher.
In the southern frontier of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, Li Yanfeng was absolutely the man in the strongest limelight.
Li Tianming did not wish to watch him perform the wedding rites. He estimated that he would only enter the City Lord's Mansion after the ceremony ended and the Yanhuang Academy Selection was about to begin.
"Li Tianming, you cannot enter." When Li Tianming once again stepped up to the gates of the City Lord's Mansion, Ma Chaoyuan, the deputy commander of the city guards, wore a cold expression as he blocked his path.
"Why?"
"You have no invitation, and you are no longer a member of the City Lord's Mansion. If you go in and make a fool of yourself, my head will have to roll," Ma Chaoyuan said in a deep voice. He was not a bad man, but he had to handle matters impartially.
"Let him in." Just as Li Tianming was about to force his way inside, a woman's voice came from within. Li Xuejiao happened to be passing by.
With her word, Ma Chaoyuan no longer stopped him. In any case, it was no longer his responsibility.
"Don't cause trouble after you enter. Times have changed. Don't walk in upright and come out sideways," Ma Chaoyuan reminded him, glaring at Li Tianming.
"I'll borrow your auspicious words." Li Tianming passed him and walked straight through the gates of the City Lord's Mansion.
"You actually dared to come. I thought you had already fled Lihuo City like a stray dog," Li Xuejiao said, folding her arms as she watched him with icy eyes.
"At Wind-Listening Tower?" Li Tianming ignored her, looking ahead as he went straight to the point.
"Yes."
He knew why Li Xuejiao had allowed him inside. She merely wanted to see him suffer a setback and make him pay for beating her last time.
Li Tianming went with her directly to Wind-Listening Tower, where today's grand event was being held.
Wind-Listening Tower was enormous, with a vast square before it named Wind-Listening Platform. Li Tianming had practically cultivated and grown up on this Wind-Listening Platform for sixteen years.
The area before Wind-Listening Tower was now packed with people. Numerous young men and women had been waiting for a long time, all brimming with excitement.
Just now, the City Lord had completed the wedding rites under the witness of many upper-class figures. This meant that the Yanhuang Academy Selection, the entertainment prepared for the celebration, was about to begin!
Li Tianming had chosen to arrive at this time because he simply did not care whom Li Yanfeng was marrying. He had already been driven out of the City Lord's Mansion. Everything here had nothing to do with him anymore.
"The new mistress of Lihuo City is beautiful and seductive, an absolute beauty who brings disaster. No wonder she has Father so bewitched," Li Xuejiao said as she gazed in the direction of the Wind-Listening banquet. She had already seen Li Yanfeng's new bride.
But Li Tianming had no interest in beautiful women. Today, he had only one goal: Li Zifeng, or rather, the Yanhuang Order.
To put it more complicatedly, he wanted everyone in Lihuo City to see that Li Tianming had returned. Then, he would leave this place openly and honorably!
He had already spotted Li Zifeng. He was waiting before Wind-Listening Tower, the focus of everyone's attention. Today, Li Zifeng was dressed in an exceptionally solemn and appropriate manner, but even that could not conceal his frivolous nature.
A group of fair-weather friends had gathered around him, discussing nothing more than the figures of some female beastmasters and the skills of Jadeite Tower's top courtesan.
There were quite a few talented young men and women from every direction participating in the Yanhuang Academy Selection, and many of them were strikingly attractive. Yet even among them, Li Zifeng was a dazzling presence.
No wonder people had always said that Li Yanfeng was extremely pleased with his growth and performance over the years.
"I heard Father has already found a teacher at Yanhuang Academy for Second Brother. Someone specifically assigned to protect him. You never received such treatment, did you?" Li Xuejiao sneered.
She stood beside Li Tianming solely so she could watch him make a fool of himself from up close.
Just as she finished speaking, a group of people appeared atop Wind-Listening Tower. They took their seats on the high platform, where they could easily see the entirety of Wind-Listening Platform.
As the protagonist of today's event, Li Yanfeng naturally sat in the very center.
The man sat upright, with slightly graying temples. After taking his seat, he placed both hands upon the armrests. Those hands were vigorous and powerful at a glance, as though they contained boundless strength.
Simply sitting there, he radiated a majestic authority that shook people's hearts. The previously clamorous Wind-Listening Platform instantly fell into dead silence. Beneath his imposing aura, none of the young people dared raise their heads.
Born from humble origins, Li Yanfeng had been a peerless prodigy in his youth. Starting with nothing, he had carved a bloody path through the world with his own hands, eventually rising to the lofty position of City Lord of Lihuo City. Even now, many legends of him still circulated among the people.
At Li Yanfeng's side, a woman in red gracefully took her seat. Though she lacked Li Yanfeng's imposing aura, she was also the center of attention at this moment.
Li Xuejiao had called this woman a peerless seductress, and seeing her today proved that she had not exaggerated.
She wore a long scarlet silk dress with a deeply plunging neckline. Her seductive figure was absolutely not something a teenage girl could compare to. Beneath the sunlight, her face resembled a hibiscus blossom, her brows were like willow leaves, and her skin was white as snow. Her eyes, more alluring than peach blossoms, could hook a person's very soul. Her black hair was gathered into a tall, elegant coiffure, while the pearls adorning her head shone with dazzling brilliance beneath the sun. Her crimson lips curved faintly upward, as if the entire City Lord's Mansion were already under her control.
She was Li Yanfeng's newlywed wife, Liu Qing, a woman from Thunder Lord Manor.
Even though many guests were experts on Li Yanfeng's level, and Li Yanfeng's other six wives and concubines were all present, none could compare to these two beneath the splendor of today's event.
That peerless seductress in particular left many young men dry-mouthed, though they did not dare stare for too long.
Even Li Tianming glanced at her. He indeed admitted that this woman possessed extraordinary charm, her softness and allure enough to make one lose one's heart and soul. But she was from Thunder Lord Manor, and toward such an identity, Li Tianming felt only disgust.
Their appearance to observe the battles meant that the Yanhuang Academy Selection was about to begin.
"Brother Feng, I can see it too. Within Lihuo City, Zi Feng truly has no opponents," Liu Qing said from Wind-Listening Tower, her voice tender and sweet to the ear.
"For Zi Feng to have grown to this extent in Lihuo City is already quite good," Li Yanfeng said.
"I heard you have another son, one who once went to Yanhuang Academy and even offended our Thunder Lord Manor's 'Little Monster'?" Liu Qing asked.
"He is already crippled. There is no need to mention him again," Li Yanfeng said with a profound gaze.
"Oh, I understand." Liu Qing smiled with narrowed eyes, her face as lovely as a peach blossom.
Amid the attention of the entire crowd, Li Yanfeng waved a hand. Someone immediately stepped forward and announced, "The Yanhuang Academy Selection officially begins."
At that moment, Wind-Listening Platform erupted!
"I'll fight!" As expected, with Li Zifeng's flamboyant and arrogant nature, he had no patience at all.
The moment the selection began, he was the first to step onto Wind-Listening Platform. Then, he summoned his companion beast, the Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird, from his Companion Space.
The Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird, wreathed in violet flames, stood shoulder to shoulder with the spirited Li Zifeng. A scorching, unyielding aura swept outward. The Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird, with its double pupils, brimmed with killing intent. As it swept its gaze around, many people could not help but tremble inwardly.
"Who dares come up and fight? I'm not afraid of facing challengers one after another!" Li Zifeng swept his gaze across the crowd. Young and hot-blooded, he was indeed full of passion and fighting spirit.
From Wind-Listening Tower, Li Yanfeng heard no shortage of praise.
"City Lord Li, your son is truly a hero. He has tremendous courage, daring to be the first to step onto the platform and accept challenges."
"It is clear that his Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird has absolutely inherited the City Lord's true teachings."
Li Yanfeng smiled faintly. "Zi Feng has improved considerably lately. He surpasses those his age in Lihuo City by a good stretch, so naturally he has nothing to fear."
"That is true. He is far stronger than that previous one," an old man remarked with a sigh.
"Li Tianming? What a pity," another person sighed.
Li Yanfeng did not particularly like hearing them discuss Li Tianming. After all, there were quite a few people from Thunder Lord Manor present. Yet there were always one or two people who lacked brains.
"Do not mention those who are not here," Li Yanfeng said, his voice sinking.
Those who understood hurriedly shut their mouths. After all, they had heard that before the marriage, Li Yanfeng had divorced his wife and abandoned his son, driving that mother and son entirely out of Lihuo City. From then on, Lihuo City would no longer have that laughingstock.
While they spoke, someone had already stepped onto the platform to challenge Li Zifeng.
A beastmaster and companion beast faced another beastmaster and companion beast in combat!
The challenger was named Du Yong, and his companion beast was a Greenwind Wolf. When that great wolf covered in green fur appeared before the Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird, no one needed to watch the fight to know it was mere cannon fodder.
Sure enough, Li Zifeng did not even need to act. His companion beast directly drove both man and wolf off the platform, burning them black.
"Too weak. Are you all trash? Keep coming!" Li Zifeng was exceedingly arrogant, and his attacks were particularly brutal.
He did not want to fight too many battles. Within the rules of the competition, he severely wounded his opponents to frighten off the others, allowing him to obtain the Yanhuang Order more quickly!
Another challenger went up, but Li Zifeng still did not act. His Fifth-Order Companion Beast handled the opponent on its own!
A Fifth-Order Companion Beast had an extremely high potential limit for future growth! Anyone possessing a Fifth-Order Companion Beast would basically become a genius of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom in the future.
"Anyone else?" Li Zifeng slaughtered in every direction, eliminating more than ten people in succession. He defeated nearly all of them ruthlessly, and cries of suffering rose everywhere beneath Wind-Listening Platform.
The challengers who went up afterward posed slightly more threat, but they were still no match for him.
"Li Zifeng has broken through to the Seventh Layer of Beast Pulse Realm, hasn't he?"
"With how overwhelming he is, he probably has. Four years ago, when Li Tianming obtained the Yanhuang Order, he was only at the Sixth Layer of Beast Pulse Realm."
"I never expected Li Zifeng to be even more talented. No wonder the City Lord favors this second son more."
"At the Seventh Layer of Beast Pulse Realm, admission to Yanhuang Academy is guaranteed."
"Do you see? The City Lord is already smiling."
After all, seeing Li Zifeng dominate so powerfully and defeat more than thirty people in succession without a single opponent who could barely put up a fight, he truly shone brilliantly and brought Li Yanfeng great honor.
About half an hour later, Li Zifeng had fought through everyone. No one else dared step forward to show themselves.
"Heaven-bestowed talent, an unparalleled genius! The heir of our Lihuo City should be a young hero who stirs the winds and clouds like this!" Many people praised.
"Li Zifeng may be a little arrogant in temperament, but there is no denying that he has truly inherited the City Lord's teachings!"
For a time, praise resounded everywhere.
As they praised him, they naturally thought of the person who had once swept aside all challengers here four years ago. Though they felt regret, given Li Yanfeng's attitude and the scandal three years earlier, they could only sigh: pitiful people must have something hateful about them.
Lihuo City's new future rested upon Li Zifeng. There was no longer any doubt about that.
"Father, no one is challenging me. I won." Li Zifeng was greatly satisfied. He raised his head and looked excitedly toward Wind-Listening Tower. When he saw Li Yanfeng's smile, he knew everything was secure.
Above Wind-Listening Tower, Li Yanfeng suddenly rose to his feet. With a light tap of his toes, he flew down before Li Zifeng. Though he appeared as light as a feather, the pressure he brought upon the young people was like a colossal beast striking the ground. Even the Purple-eyed Double Pupil Bird was now prostrate on the ground beneath his authority.
Perhaps the Yanhuang Order from Yanhuang was already in his hand!
Something big has happened on the website. Apparently, only handsome people can add this book to their bookshelf. Madman just tried and somehow failed. I wonder whether any readers can succeed. Everyone, go back to the book page and give it a try.
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