Fang Han had just settled into the detached courtyard when he heard footsteps outside the gate.
He looked up and saw Luo Yuntian leading five people through the bluestone path in front of the courtyard gate.
All five of them were acquaintances.
One of them was Liu Bai, the eldest disciple of the Lingyun Sword Sect.
He wore a moon-white robe, exuding an elegant and otherworldly air, with a long sword inlaid with seven gems at his waist.
One of them was Tyrant Blade Sect, the eldest disciple of the Overlord Mad Blade Sect.
He was tall and strong, wearing a sleeveless short jacket that revealed his muscular, bronze skin.
He still carried that broadsword, as thick as a door panel, on his shoulder. His face was rugged, and his eyes held a hint of curiosity as he looked around.
One of them was Wuxiang, the chief disciple of the Vajra Temple.
He was thin and wore a gray monk's robe. His face was calm and his steps were steady. He was completely different from the burly and strong image of ordinary Horizontal Training. Instead, he exuded a restrained composure.
One of them was Xu Qing, the eldest disciple of Rain Listening Tower.
He has an ordinary face and an ordinary demeanor; he would probably go unnoticed in a crowd. But to underestimate him would be a grave mistake.
To rank fifth on the Qingyang Prefecture Prodigy Ranking, and even above Luo Yuntian on the Prodigy Ranking, is no simple feat.
The last person was Hua Jieyu, the eldest disciple of Hundred Flower Valley.
Her eyes were smiling, and she walked with the lightness of a butterfly, her gaze sweeping across the courtyard with a hint of curiosity.
Fang Han stood up and quickly walked towards the courtyard gate.
"Junior Brother Luo, everyone, please come in."
Luo Yuntian nodded slightly and led the five people into the courtyard.
Upon entering the hospital, Mad Blade couldn't help but look around.
The courtyard wasn't very large, but its layout was quite ingenious.
Directly opposite the courtyard gate is a spacious main hall, with side rooms on both sides, and a separate Cultivation Ground on one side of the courtyard.
The ground was paved with blue bricks, and several unidentified flowering plants were planted around it. A faint, fresh scent permeated the air.
"Tsk tsk."
Mad Blade took the giant sword from his shoulder, propped it on the ground, glanced at the Cultivation Ground, and couldn't help but click his tongue.
"A private courtyard with Cultivation Ground —Brother Fang's treatment is far better than ours."
Liu Bai stood with his hands behind his back and spoke upon hearing this.
" Mad Blade, if you can defeat Brother Fang and take first place on the Prodigy Ranking, the Royal Annex will naturally arrange such a courtyard for you."
Fang Han glanced at the two. The Lingyun Sword Sect and the Tyrant Blade Sect had a bad relationship, but judging from their interaction, their relationship was not as bad as rumored.
"Please come inside, everyone."
The six people entered the hall and took their seats. Fang Han summoned Maid from the Royal Annex and ordered her to make tea.
The Maid acknowledged and withdrew, and soon returned with six celadon teacups. The tea was clear and had a faint fragrance.
Fang Han picked up his teacup, took a small sip, put it down, and glanced at the six people.
When did you arrive in the Imperial Capital?
"I've been here for a few days now. I ran into Brother Luo at my lodgings, and when I heard you were here too, I came to see where you, the number one on the Qingyang Prefecture Prodigy Ranking, reside."
Hua Jieyu said with a charming smile.
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the hall, a hint of admiration in her eyes:
"A private courtyard, with Cultivation Ground and Maid —this is indeed much better than our suite."
Fang Han asked.
"Have you gentlemen seen or heard anything in the Imperial Capital these past few days?"
Liu Bai spoke first, his voice tinged with emotion:
"I attended an auction the other day, and the number of treasures there far surpassed that of Qingyang Prefecture."
He paused, then said.
"Five rare and precious plants have appeared, one of which has even reached the Medium Grade."
" Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure?"
Luo Yuntian raised an eyebrow slightly, his voice tinged with surprise.
"It's already rare to see Low-Grade Heavenly Treasure at the Qingyang Prefecture auction, but I never expected that even Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure would appear at the Imperial Capital auction."
"To think that Mid-Grade Heavenly Treasure could appear at an auction, truly befitting the Imperial Capital."
Fang Han was also deeply shocked.
Mad Blade picked up his teacup, took a big gulp, wiped his mouth, and continued:
"Speaking of interesting things to do, I also encountered something amusing a couple of days ago."
He put down his teacup, his voice tinged with interest.
"That day I was eating at an inconspicuous little shop in the city. The shop looked ordinary. Just as I was about to go in, I saw several disciples of a certain county's elite causing trouble in the shop."
He paused, a strange look flashing across his rugged face:
"And guess what happened?"
Luo Yuntian raised an eyebrow:
"What's wrong?"
Mad Blade grinned, his voice filled with emotion:
"The owner of that shop is actually a grandmaster!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was taken aback.
"Grandmaster?"
Wuxiang clasped his hands together, his voice tinged with surprise.
"A grandmaster would actually be the owner of such an inconspicuous little shop?"
"It's astonishing, but he is indeed a master."
Mad Blade's voice carried a hint of wistfulness.
"As expected of the Imperial Capital, it's truly a place where hidden talents abound. The owner of such an inconspicuous little shop is actually a grandmaster. I've certainly broadened my horizons."
Xu Qing gently put down his teacup and said.
"As the capital of the Great Chu Dynasty, the Imperial Capital is a gathering place for powerful individuals. There are quite a few grandmaster-level experts residing here, so we must not be too ostentatious, lest we offend a grandmaster."
"That's right, we absolutely can't be too flashy here."
Hua Jieyu's tone suddenly became serious, and she said solemnly.
"By the way, have you heard of the three people who are currently considered the most likely to win the Martial Arts Tournament?"
Who are the three people widely considered the most likely to win the Martial Arts Tournament?
Fang Han asked curiously.
Hua Jieyu held up three fingers and counted them one by one:
"The first Prodigy Ranking belongs to Qin Yuan of the Dragon Abyss Pavilion, the Overlord-Level Faction of Dragon Prosperity Prefecture Dragon Prosperity Prefecture, one of the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures."
"The second place goes to Lin Qingyin, the top -Prodigy Ranking of Skybillow Prefecture, one of the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, and the Overlord-Level Faction of the Azure Heaven Sect in Skybillow Prefecture."
"The third is Chu Jinghong, the number one on the Prodigy Ranking of Cangwu Prefecture, Central Thirty-Six Prefectures, and the Overlord-Level Faction of Cangwu Prefecture, the Cangwu Sword Sect."
She withdrew her hand, her gaze sweeping over the group, her voice now tinged with seriousness.
"These three are currently recognized as the most likely to win the Martial Arts Tournament."
Luo Yuntian frowned slightly, his voice tinged with doubt:
"Logically speaking, the Martial Arts Tournament hasn't even started yet, and the prodigies from different prefectures haven't even fought each other. Why are these three specifically considered the most promising?"
Hua Jieyu raised her eyes, her voice calm yet carrying a hint of solemnity:
"Because these three people have all broken through to the First Grade in cultivation, and may even be at the Early First Grade."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Luo Yuntian's brows furrowed even more, his voice tinged with disbelief:
" First Grade? At less than thirty years old, he's already First Grade martial artist?"
He paused, a hint of emotion in his voice:
" In Qingyang Prefecture, with no Grandmasters appearing, even First Grade martial artist is considered a top-tier expert. These three are not even thirty years old and have already reached First Grade... Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?"
Fang Han sat in the main seat, his expression calm.
He wasn't too surprised that these three people could become First Grade martial artists before the age of thirty.
At his current rate of cultivation improvement, he should be able to break through to the First Grade within this year, at which point he will reach the First Grade at the age of twenty-one.
However, he felt a sense of unease regarding the strength of these individuals.
Those who can participate in the Martial Arts Tournament are all geniuses among geniuses from their respective counties, and it is common for them to fight across several minor realms.
Although his current combat strength is comparable to that of a martial artist who has broken through the second level, he would probably be no match for those three prodigies who have already broken through to the First Grade rank.
"There's no need to underestimate themselves. Those three were able to break through to the First Grade before the age of thirty, which certainly makes them geniuses among geniuses, but it's also inseparable from their own circumstances."
Liu Bai picked up the conversation and said.
"They not only come from the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures where the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy is more abundant, but they also come from Overlord-Level Faction. The resources they have obtained are incomparable to those of us from the Seven Sects."
"That's right."
Upon hearing this, Luo Yuntian's brows gradually relaxed, and he gently exhaled a breath of stale air.
"The fact that these three were able to break through to the First Grade before the age of thirty is indeed closely related to their environment."
Hua Jieyu said.
"In addition to the three, there are also some prodigies from the Central Thirty-Six Prefectures who are suspected of possessing First Grade cultivation. The number of experts in this Martial Arts Tournament is probably even greater than expected."
The six of them chatted for a while longer in the hall, discussing everything from the various prodigies to famous places in the Imperial Capital, and they had a very enjoyable conversation.
After three cups of tea had been served, Liu Bai was the first to stand up and cup his hands in greeting.
"Brother Fang, I've troubled you greatly today. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now."
"Yes, it's getting late, so we won't bother you any longer."
Mad Blade and the others also stood up and took their leave.
Fang Han got up and escorted the six people to the courtyard gate.
Watching the six figures disappear around the corner of the bluestone path, Fang Han turned around and returned to the courtyard.
The once bustling courtyard fell completely silent, with only the occasional birdsong coming from outside the window.
"There are quite a few experts."
Standing with his hands behind his back in the courtyard, Fang Han's gaze swept over the Cultivation Ground paved with blue bricks, Fang Han muttered to himself.
Although they had long realized that this Martial Arts Tournament had gathered the geniuses of 108 counties and that there would be many experts, they had not expected that there would be so many experts and that their cultivation levels would be so high.
The three people widely considered to be the most likely to win first place have not only reached the First Grade, but they are also far from being mere beginners.
Besides the three, there are many others suspected of possessing First Grade cultivation levels.
"Since we've chosen to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, we should strive to achieve a good ranking."
Now that he had come to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, Fang Han naturally wanted to achieve good results.
If you rank high enough, you'll have the chance to win multiple rare and precious treasures as rewards, and you can choose the type of treasure.
If one can obtain rare and precious materials that improve Body Movement Talent, the speed at which one cultivates Body Movement can catch up with that of Sword Technique.
If you acquire enough rare and precious materials, you can even improve your talents in Body Tempering Talent and Secret Art Talent.
"There's still some time before the Martial Arts Tournament starts, so I should try my best to improve my strength."
Fang Han analyzed his own situation and considered how to rapidly improve his strength in a short period of time.