Ye Nantian

The fat man cursed without stopping, but Dai Yao sat as still as an old monk in meditation, utterly unmoved, as if the abuse did not affect him at all.

The crowd grew increasingly contemptuous of Dai Yao.

"How embarrassing. A prince being cursed by name, yet he doesn't even dare talk back!" someone said disdainfully of Dai Yao's silence.

"We're fellow nobles, yet he's disgraced us all. He doesn't deserve to be a noble!" a Noble Soul Master said indignantly.

"He's only a One-Ring Soul Master, after all. A Soul Grandmaster is provoking him, so of course he doesn't dare accept the challenge. Avoiding the edge and preserving himself is the wise choice," some people said approvingly of Dai Yao's behavior.

Amid the endless discussions, Dai Yao continued sitting silently beneath the waterfall.

The fat man could no longer hold back. "You coward! Chicken! Wretch! Turtle! Motherless bastard! ..."

He racked his brains and used every insult he had ever learned. He could hardly believe that his cursing could be so literary, so varied, without repeating a single phrase! His insults rose and fell in rhythm, full of twists and turns, as though he were performing a song.

At that moment, he was the God of Literature incarnate!

Hearing the endless stream of new words spilling from the fat man's mouth, the crowd no longer looked down on Dai Yao. Instead, they began to pity him. Just listening was already unbearable for them, let alone for the person being cursed.

It was as though they had discovered a new continent. They watched the fat man curiously, hoping to hear more new vocabulary from him and enrich their meager lexicons.

Yet Dai Yao still sat there like a stone statue.

The fat man was on the verge of a mental breakdown. His verbal attacks seemed to have absolutely no effect on Dai Yao! His mouth kept firing without pause, his neck gradually thickened, his face reddened, and he was nearly out of spit, yet Dai Yao remained completely motionless.

Blood rushed to his head, making the fat man feel dizzy. He staggered a few times. After all, he had been going at it for over ten minutes! That level of combat power was absolutely worthy of the Canyon Pianist! No matter how filthy his insults became, Dai Yao simply ignored him.

He had tried every method he could think of, but none of them worked.

He truly could not take it anymore. Dropping onto the ground, he said in a mental collapse, "Fourth Prince, Fourth Highness, I'm begging you! Please respond to me, okay? My mouth is dry from talking!"

Just then, Dai Yao's Soul Power was finally exhausted. The barrier protecting his body flickered several times before vanishing. The powerful torrent crashed down and swept Dai Yao into the water.

Dai Yao poked his head out of the water and shouted something at the fat man.

"You responded to me! You responded to me! You finally couldn't take it anymore, right? You're going to accept the duel, right?" Hearing Dai Yao call to him, he was overjoyed. He scrambled to the water's edge as if a parched traveler had finally found water.

"No, I meant that if you're thirsty, I can give you some water to drink!" Dai Yao replied with a smile.

"Pfft—"

Hearing those words, the fat man saw stars. His mind turned to mush, and he could no longer think. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

The crowd burst into laughter.

The fat man struggled to his feet and gave Dai Yao one final warning. "Don't think that just because you refuse to duel, the Second Prince has no way to deal with you. Just wait—you'll regret this."

A Commoner Soul Master was not permitted to insult a noble, much less a prince.

But Dai Yao was not an ordinary prince.

Any prince who could contend for the throne would inevitably have the support of his Maternal Clan. Yet Dai Yao's mother was merely an ordinary person with no powerful backing, leaving Dai Yao isolated and alone.

The struggle for the throne was not merely a contest of the princes' personal strength, but also a contest between the forces behind them. A prince with no backing whatsoever could never sit firmly on the throne of the Star Luo Emperor.

This was one of the reasons why so many factions did not think highly of Dai Yao.

During the contest for the throne, if one prince was too weak and was looked down upon, insulted, and suppressed by another prince's subordinates, it did not violate any rules.

Even if the Council of Elders wanted to intervene, they would have no grounds to do so. Moreover, the side applying the pressure would certainly act to obstruct the Council of Elders' intervention.

If Dai Yao was bullied by the Second Prince, not only would the Second Prince obstruct any intervention, but the First Prince would also interfere. At that point, the Council of Elders would have no way to step in at all.

As everyone gradually left, the soaking-wet Dai Yao returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to restore his Soul Power.

He remembered every insult the fat man had thrown at him.

He had no ability to strike back. If he had traded insults with the fat man, he would only have played into the Second Prince's hands.

The best form of retaliation was to keep his mouth shut and refuse to answer.

He focused on his cultivation and refused to be affected by the fat man's verbal assault.

That way, he ruined the Second Prince's objective.

Dai Yao had remained silent and allowed the fat man to humiliate him. He had pretended to be unfazed, but his heart was far from calm.

He did not care if the fat man insulted him. But when the fat man insulted his mother, an uncontrollable rage surged in his heart. Fortunately, they were far apart, so the fat man did not see the savage expression on his face.

To Dai Yao, the Star Luo Emperor—his father—was nothing more than a stranger. Over the years, Dai Yao had always treated him as though he were dead.

His mother, however, despite her low status and the contempt of those nobles, was incomparably noble in Dai Yao's heart. He would not allow anyone to tarnish her name.

But his current strength was no match for the fat man's. Throwing an egg against a rock was unwise, especially when the fat man had the Second Prince behind him.

Moreover, he was no longer alone as he had been in the past. Zhu Zhuqing was with him now. He could not drag Zhu Zhuqing into danger because of his own affairs.

He carried not only his own fate, but Zhu Zhuqing's as well.

"Just wait, Fatty. I'll make you pay for what you did today."

Dai Yao said viciously to himself.

For some time afterward, the fat man's reputation soared.

He earned the title of the Academy Pianist, and everyone who heard of him turned pale with fear. Even the Second Prince was somewhat astonished.

With this nuclear weapon at his disposal, whenever the Second Prince encountered a hostile force, he would not need to act personally. Merely invoking the name of the Fatty Academy Performer would leave the other side orphaned before the battle even began.

For a time, the Second Prince's faction was unmatched in prominence.

In contrast to Fatty, Dai Yao's reputation was far worse.

He had become the laughingstock of Star Luo Royal Academy.

Dai Yao's name as a coward and weakling spread throughout the academy. The Second Prince actively circulated Dai Yao's bad reputation, and when the First Prince learned of it, he was delighted and joined in spreading the rumors as well.

With the two princes fanning the flames, Dai Yao became someone despised by everyone at Star Luo Royal Academy. From time to time, a few people would visit Dai Yao's Cultivation Ground just to see this legendary celebrity for themselves.

"So this is the famous good-for-nothing Dai Yao. He's a prince, for goodness' sake—how could he be this pathetic?" A new Junior looked at Dai Yao, who was in the midst of cultivation, and covered her mouth as she giggled.

"The First Prince and Second Prince may not want you, but you might have a chance with this Fourth Prince. Your dream of becoming an Imperial Concubine could still come true!" another woman teased.

"Get lost, get lost, get lost." The Junior looked somewhat annoyed. "I wouldn't want a pathetic man like that."

"Hahaha, men like this do have their advantages. Tell him to go east, and he'd never dare go west." The woman continued listing Dai Yao's supposed virtues as she teased the Junior.

Suddenly, a burst of flame swept toward them, driving the two women away.

"You think the Fourth Prince would even fancy you? Why don't you piss in a puddle and take a look at yourselves? Every last one of you is ugly as sin—who would ever want you?" A fiery red figure appeared before them. Not only was her tone aggressive, but the yellow Spirit Ring around her radiated immense pressure.

"You..." The two women were both unconvinced.

"You what? Get lost already! Do you want me to make a move?" Feng Wutong shouted sternly, hands on her hips and looking every bit the heroic warrior.

The two women shot Feng Wutong venomous looks, but when they saw the yellow Spirit Ring gleaming, their expressions changed drastically and they hurried away.

"Hmph, two brainless, big-breasted women. Is mocking others for fun really that amusing?" Feng Wutong thought indignantly.

Things like this happened every day. Even she, a mere bystander, could hardly stand it, much less Dai Yao, who stood at the center of all the gossip. Thinking of this, she could not help feeling sympathy for him.

"No, he's suffering too much on his own right now. I have to help him." Feng Wutong made up her mind.

...Several days later.

Sensing something unusual in his surroundings, Dai Yao opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

Before him stood a tall, imposing man draped in a Red Cape. He stood motionless like a spear, exuding boundless dominance, like a mighty lion upon the grasslands.

"Who are you?"

Dai Yao asked.

"Ye Nantian!" the man answered. Those three simple words seemed to carry infinite power, making even the air fall silent.

Dai Yao's gaze sharpened. Naturally, he had heard of Ye Nantian's reputation. As the Third Untouchable of the Academy and the spiritual leader of countless Commoner Soul Masters, every movement he made drew the attention of innumerable people throughout the academy.

I'm afraid he hasn't come with good intentions, Dai Yao thought to himself before saying, "An honored guest has arrived. May I ask what brings you here?"

Ye Nantian glanced around and saw Dai Yao sitting beneath the waterfall, struggling to withstand the endless torrent. He nodded inwardly. So Wutong wasn't lying to me. This kid really is someone.

He said, "You seized Feng Wutong's Cultivation Ground without cause. She lost to you because her skills were inferior, but she is one of us Commoner Soul Masters. That does not mean there is no one capable among the Commoner Soul Masters. Today, I will teach you a lesson."

Though that was what he said, it was not what he truly thought.

When he learned that Feng Wutong's Simulated Environment had been taken by Dai Yao, he had originally intended to teach Dai Yao a lesson.

But the Second Prince's humiliation of Dai Yao in the dining hall had caused far too great a stir, so he learned of Dai Yao's circumstances. Along with Feng Wutong explaining the whole matter to him, he had decided to pretend the incident had never happened.

However, Feng Wutong kept begging him to give Dai Yao some pointers. He truly could not take it anymore, so he came to Dai Yao's Cultivation Ground today, intending to meet this kid.

If I'm to guide you, I'll first have to see whether you're qualified, Ye Nantian thought silently.

I tried a more comedic style in the first paragraph. Let me know in the comments whether it works.

If it doesn't, I'll revise it when I get back.