"Looks like there really isn't..."
Azure Luan thought it over and shook her head, astonished beyond words.
At first, she hadn't taken Xiao Yang seriously at all. She'd assumed the King Zhenbei's Mansion had put forward its least promising heir to deal with His Majesty's arranged marriage.
Yet Xiao Yang had first humiliated the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince, then made a name for himself at the Lanting Poetry Gathering, and most recently crippled Third Prince Xiao Li...
Once or twice could be put down to luck, but if he could keep defeating stronger opponents, that was proof of his ability.
"General, do you mean Xiao Yang has been biding his time all along, and is actually capable of winning this contest?" Azure Luan couldn't help asking.
"How much he's been hiding, I don't know either! Let's do this... Azure Luan, ride Night Shining Jade Lion and compete in my place!" Ning Hongye ordered.
"Yes, General! I swear I won't fail you!"
Azure Luan was confident in her abilities.
She'd grown up on horseback and had spent years fighting on the battlefield. Even against the heirs of the prince's household, she was confident she could take first place.
If she won, at least the Tiger Tally Gold Seal in Xiao Yang's hands wouldn't be lost.
"The first round begins!"
A moment later, King Zhenbei's voice rang across the grounds.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
At once, the heirs set off at a gallop with their men, urging their horses onward.
But one figure shot ahead of everyone else, leaving them in the dust.
It was Xiao Junlin!
"Huh? Doesn't the Eldest Prince's horse look like the King's Yellow Claw Flying Lightning?"
"That's the magnificent steed the royal family bestowed on the King all those years ago. I can't believe he gave it to the Eldest Prince!"
"Then doesn't that mean he's guaranteed to win this contest?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Everyone else had already ridden into West Mountain, while Xiao Yang ambled over to Big Black Horse.
"Ninth Brother, do you know you're bound to lose, so you're giving up before the contest even starts?" Second Prince Xiao Ziwen sneered.
He followed the Confucian path, so he wasn't competing this time.
"Second Brother, what's the rush? Laughing first doesn't mean anything. The winner is the one who laughs last!" Xiao Yang shot back.
"Hmph! Eldest Brother's already several miles ahead, and you haven't even set off. I'd love to see how you turn this around!" Second Prince Xiao Ziwen said disdainfully.
At last, Xiao Yang reached Big Black Horse and lowered his voice.
"Big Brother Black, I've treated you pretty well, haven't I? Do me a favor today!"
"Put in some effort, and I'll find you a few more mares later. I promise you'll be in seventh heaven every day!"
Hearing this, Big Black Horse finally perked up, his spirits instantly renewed.
"Hyah!"
Xiao Yang took the opportunity to swing onto the horse's back and urged Big Black Horse toward West Mountain.
Still, no one present thought much of him.
After all, the black horse he rode didn't look like any famous steed. Aside from its habit of mounting anything in sight, there was nothing unusual about it.
But once they rounded a bend and entered the woods...
"Neighhh..."
Big Black Horse suddenly let out a roar, and then underwent a complete transformation.
A layer of black jade scales appeared across his body. His frame swelled, his muscles sleek and powerful.
His eyes turned a pale gold, noble and imposing.
Purple lightning coiled around his hooves wherever they struck, and waves of clouds rolled beneath him.
"Rumble!"
He charged forward, sweeping up a gale and leaving a streaking afterimage in the air. He moved so fast that the eye couldn't follow him.
This was the true form of Cloud-Treading Black Dragon Colt!
"Damn, is this some kind of transforming robot?"
"Big Brother Black, I underestimated you before!"
"Go, go, go! Leave everyone up ahead in the dust!"
Seated on Big Black Horse's back, Xiao Yang felt his blood surge. In the blink of an eye, they covered a hundred miles.
Meanwhile...
The heirs who had set out first were racing against one another.
But the two at the very front were Eldest Prince Xiao Junlin and Azure Luan.
Both were giving it everything they had, and neither could gain the upper hand.
"Damn it!"
"Xiao Yang ran his mouth, so why can't I even see him?"
"I have to take first place. Otherwise, the Vermilion Bird Army's Tiger Tally Gold Seal will fall into Xiao Junlin's hands!"
Azure Luan made up her mind and urged Night Shining Jade Lion on harder and harder.
Suddenly, a terrifying presence surged from behind, carrying a pressure that seemed to pierce the soul.
In an instant, birds fell from the sky and trees toppled.
"Bad news! Some terrifying beast has appeared!"
"Everyone, stay together! Don't get separated!"
"Forget the contest for now. Staying alive is what matters..."
The heirs behind them and their men immediately went on guard.
But the next moment!
"Thump! Thump! Thump..."
The horses beneath them all dropped to their knees, trembling and unable to move.
Even Xiao Junlin's Yellow Claw Flying Lightning and Azure Luan's Night Shining Jade Lion were no exception.
From behind them, it seemed a supreme king had descended!
The horses were bowing before their "king."
"What in the world is going on?"
Xiao Junlin was shocked. He hadn't expected today's Autumn Hunt at West Mountain to erupt into such chaos.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, an exotic beast came hurtling toward them like a black bolt of lightning splitting heaven and earth. Flames filled the sky in its wake.
Its incredible speed surpassed everyone's imagination.
So fast!
Xiao Junlin instinctively looked up. The black beast had already raced a thousand meters ahead, but there seemed to be someone riding on its back...
That person looked a little like Ninth Brother!
"Impossible! I must be seeing things!"
Xiao Junlin shook his head, driving the wild thought from his mind.
Before long, Xiao Yang rode Big Black Horse to the summit of West Mountain.
"Flap! Flap!"
A large banner bearing the character "Xiao" billowed in the wind.
This had to be the token banner King Zhenbei had mentioned. Bringing it back meant winning first place!
Xiao Yang immediately took the banner and urged Big Black Horse back down the mountain.
At the foot of West Mountain.
"He's back!"
From far away, everyone could see a banner fluttering in the air. It stood out clearly.
"It must be Eldest Brother! He's beaten the Autumn Hunt record by the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Looks like his cultivation has improved again!"
Second Prince Xiao Ziwen exclaimed in admiration.
"The Eldest Prince is the Xiao Family True Dragon. The last time he broke through, he even triggered the Nine Types of Heaven and Earth Phenomena!"
"No one can beat him in a test of speed!"
"Xiao Yang was ridiculous, thinking he could win. He's thrown away a Tiger Tally Gold Seal for nothing!"
The others chimed in.
But in the next instant, when the rider carrying the banner came into view, everyone's eyes widened.
The victor wasn't the Eldest Prince. It was Xiao Yang!
He had a handsome face and a tall, slender build, like a young general.
"Father King, I'm back!"
Xiao Yang dismounted in a smooth, carefree motion and planted the Xiao banner in the ground, his movements crisp and fluid.
"Ninth Brother, how can it be you?!"
Xiao Ziwen looked as if he'd seen a ghost.
Before you continue