The black curtains hanging from the imperial carriage stirred without a breeze. Within, a graceful silhouette sat in quiet repose. Even the faint outline made the souls of the many Holy Lords present tremble!
"The Human Emperor issues his decree—"
An old eunuch in purple robes stepped out atop a dragon's head, and a Crimson Gold Edict slid from his sleeve.
The instant the decree unfurled, the phantom of Mountains and Rivers appeared across the floor of the entire Star Meteor Pavilion, as if the vast lands of Central Province had been compressed into this one place.
"Bestow upon Young Master Qin...the Eighty-six Prefectures of the Western Territory!"
The entire hall fell Deathly Stillness.
Stamped unmistakably upon the edict was the Central Province Dynasty's Territory-Ceding Seal. The seal's imprint had truly copied every land deed and spirit vein in the dynasty's Eighty-six Prefectures of the Western Territory!
"Insane... They're ceding territory just to curry favor with that young master?!" an elder of an Ancient Sect murmured, unable to believe his eyes.
The Central Province Dynasty ruled over a Vast Territory stretching for millions upon millions of miles. Eighty-six prefectures might not sound like many, but this gift wasn't for the Qin Clan. It was for Ninth Young Master Qin alone.
It meant that countless Secret Realms, Spirit Mines, and even ancient ruins would belong to him!
The old eunuch in purple robes added solemnly, "The Human Emperor said that when Young Master Qin comes of age, he may present this deed and enter Central Province—"
A pale hand suddenly lifted one corner of the curtain, revealing half of an otherworldly beautiful face.
"If you find ruling the realm dull..."
The woman's cool voice rang like jade struck by an icy spring. "This princess would be happy to accompany you."
—Hua!
The entire hall erupted!
"It's the Central Province Dynasty's Eldest Princess—Jiang Xuanli!"
That cry rang out like thunder, and the entire banquet hall instantly erupted into a frenzy.
She stepped gracefully down from the imperial carriage, the hem of her Mysterious Gold Phoenix Robe trailing along the ground. The Nine-Phoenix Pearl-Holding Step-Shaker in her hair swayed gently, each bead seeming to contain a Small World, its hazy immortal radiance flowing around her.
"She came in person?!" a Holy Land Holy Son cried out, snapping the Folding Fan in his hand with a sharp crack.
Jiang Xuanli was the most dazzling princess the Central Province Dynasty had produced in ten thousand years. Born with the Taixu Divine Pupils, she could gaze upon the River of Fate.
She had once cleaved apart a Quasi-Emperor's Dharma Manifestation across the Upper Thousand Provinces with a single sword strike, and driven back a million-strong demon army with a single word.
"First the man, then the gifts—and the Eldest Princess actually favors him this much?!"
"She's the future Empress, perched high above the heavens! Countless prodigies have begged for a single glance from her, yet now she's willing to lower her eyes and bend her back for Ninth Young Master Qin..." Many male cultivators clenched their fists in secret, hearts aching with envy.
An ordinary Imperial Dynasty couldn't compare to the Ten Great Imperial Clans. The Central Province Dynasty, however, was the sole exception, its foundations strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Imperial Clans.
"The Heavenly Sword Li Clan has arrived!"
Before everyone had time to digest the dynasty's unbelievable gift, a clear sword chime cut through the sky.
Several Giant Swords pierced the clouds, their blades wrapped in ancient blood-red runes. Each line seemed to breathe, swallowing and exhaling a Killing Intent that made the heart quake.
The Li Clan elder at the head of the procession stepped upon Sword Light and swept his sleeve—
"Clang!"
A Three-Foot Qingfeng plunged into the ground. Its blade was as clear as crystal, yet within it was sealed a Blood Bead, brilliant as a star.
With every beat of that Blood Bead, the swords carried by every Sword Cultivator present trembled uncontrollably.
"This is a drop of our Li Clan's founding ancestor's Essence Blood," the Li Clan elder said in a clear voice. "And our Old Ancestor has personally invited Ninth Young Master Qin to enter the Sword Tomb and seek enlightenment."
The entire hall erupted!
What was the Sword Tomb? It was the forbidden ground where generations of Sword Emperors of the Li Clan lay buried. Even the Li Clan's direct descendants had only one chance to enter in their entire lives!
If the previous gifts had been the factions emptying their reserves, the Li Clan had practically turned out its pockets and underwear.
"Isn't this gift far too outrageous?" Someone stared fixedly at that drop of Emperor Blood, his throat bobbing. "That's the Essence Blood of an Ancient Great Power, containing the insights of his entire life... The Li Clan is actually willing to give it away?"
"And the Sword Tomb!" another person cried. "That Sword Tomb is the Li Clan's treasure. They say an Ancient God sleeps inside!"
An old man stroked his beard and mused, "These gifts far surpass ordinary courtesy. It seems every clan wants something in return. Could it be... connected to Ninth Young Master Qin's betrothal?"
"An engagement?!"
"No wonder..." The cultivator who had asked earlier suddenly understood. "An alliance between Imperial Clans, with a realm as the betrothal gift—now that's the real main event!"
"The Burning Heaven Yan Clan has arrived, bearing a Nine-Flame Golden Crow!"
As the emissary's announcement rang out, a dazzling sun appeared before the crowd.
On closer inspection, it wasn't the sun at all, but the Yan Clan's supreme treasure—the Nine-Flame Golden Crow!
"Has the Yan Clan gone mad?! They dare to give away their clan's supreme treasure?" A Ye Clan cultivator shot to his feet, the protective flames around him surging out of control. Then, after taking a closer look, he suddenly realized, "So it's only a fledgling..."
The Nine-Flame Golden Crow was a Primordial Fierce Bird capable of burning the sky and boiling the seas. Its combat strength was the real deal.
Naturally, the Yan Clan wouldn't dare give one away lightly.
But a fledgling was another matter.
Although it was precious, it would take tens of thousands of years just to grow up.
"The Taixu Ji Clan has arrived, bearing a cart of Void Profound Crystals, a hundred Dragon Blood Bodhi Fruits, and one copy of the Taixu Dao Derivation Technique!"
"The Netherworld Wang Clan has arrived, bearing ten bottles of Yellow Springs Weak Water and a thousand Netherworld Origins!"
The Qin Family Emissary's voice grew more and more impassioned. Every announcement rang like thunder, and each gift from the factions shook the heavens more than the last.
While everyone's attention was caught by the myriad rare treasures filling the sky, a Gray Shadow slipped quietly through the crowd—Han Han used an identity arranged in advance to blend in among the guests.
A hundred paces away, behind a Coiled Dragon Pillar, Ji Wuchen stood before the threshold and took a deep breath. Only then did he finally step resolutely into the Banquet Hall.
Side Hall of the Main Hall.
Ye Jianwei's fingertips gently traced the Hidden Patterns on Qin Wangchuan's lapel. Each line burned faintly beneath her fingers, like a brand searing into her skin.
She couldn't see, but she could feel them—the Dao Rhyme of Sun and Moon Radiance, the majesty of Dragon and Phoenix Coiled, and the splendor reserved for a true Prodigy.
Her fingers suddenly stopped.
"Young Master..." Ye Jianwei's voice was soft, as if afraid to disturb the flowing radiance filling the room. "Maybe I...shouldn't show my face after all."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Ye Jianwei was no longer as young and naïve as she once had been, and the young man was beginning to show the makings of a true Prodigy.
She was afraid—afraid that she, a blind girl, would embarrass her Young Master.
"Are you afraid of embarrassing me?" he suddenly asked, voicing exactly what was on her mind.
Ye Jianwei pressed her lips together, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.
"Without the Zither Music, I can't see a thing..." She gave a self-mocking smile. "When we go out in a moment, if I can't even walk steadily, won't that..."
She didn't get to finish.
Qin Wangchuan cut her off. The Bronze Mirror reflected a trace of vermilion at the corner of his eye. "You can't keep running away whenever something happens. If I'm in danger someday, are you going to run away then, too?"
"You'll have to face many occasions even grander than this in the future."
"I'd never abandon you and run away, Young Master! Not in this lifetime!"
As though stung by his words, Ye Jianwei abruptly raised her head and shouted in alarm.
Qin Wangchuan chuckled.
"But now you're the one about to leave me behind and run away." His tone was light, as if he were discussing something of no importance. "You're scared. I'm scared, too."
Ye Jianwei froze, then asked in a trembling voice, "The Young Master gets scared, too?"
"Of course. You're human, and so am I."
She couldn't see. Otherwise, she would have seen how composed Qin Wangchuan looked at that moment—with the faintest lift at the corner of his lips and a touch of amusement in his eyes. He didn't look the least bit afraid.
"Then...I'll protect you, Young Master!"
See? Future Heavenly Emperors were so easy to fool.
He led Ye Jianwei out by the hand. The other young masters had already been waiting outside for quite some time.
"Well now~" Qin Zhaoer leaned against a carved pillar, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing as her gaze swept between their overlapping sleeves. "Ninth Brother, you're holding her hand pretty tight, aren't you?"
Before you continue