An Interesting Boy

Chu Yuntian saw how perceptive his son was and said no more. He turned and went to greet a few acquaintances.

Chu Yan led Xu Xiaoyan and Xu Xiaoyu toward a few small round tables at the edge of the hall. They were near the buffet area along the long tables, making it easy to get food, and they weren't too conspicuous.

Xu Xiaoyan followed close behind him the whole way. Only after sitting down beside him did she whisper, "Brother Yan, that Vice Pagoda Master Leng just now was really beautiful."

"Mm." Chu Yan nodded.

"And she looks so young, not at all like..." Xu Xiaoyan lowered her voice as if afraid someone might overhear, then continued, "Not at all like someone who's lived for a very long time."

Her choice of words made Chu Yan's lips curl slightly. "It's true that advanced Soul Power cultivation can slow aging and preserve one's appearance. At Pagoda Master Leng's level, it wouldn't be strange for her to look any age she wanted."

"Will you be like that too when you grow up, Brother Yan?" Xu Xiaoyan tilted her head and asked.

"Probably." Chu Yan answered casually.

"Then I'll work hard at cultivating too!" Xu Xiaoyan clenched her little fist and said earnestly, "I don't want you to look twenty while I look sixty!"

Chu Yan: "..."

Beside them, Xu Xiaoyu had just lifted a glass of water for a sip. At her words, he nearly choked. He set down the glass, coughed hard twice, and shot his sister a fierce look. What was she even talking about? She was only six years old, yet she was already thinking that far ahead.

Chu Yan, however, didn't mind. He simply reached over and gently pressed down on Xu Xiaoyan's crown, smoothing a tuft of unruly hair back into place.

The banquet soon officially began.

The hall was filled with the aromas of food and wine. Guests gathered in small groups, talking in low voices as glasses clinked softly. Attendants weaved between the tables with trays, refilling drinks and replacing empty glasses.

Leng Yaozhu sat at the seat of honor with a thin white porcelain teacup in her hand, though she barely drank from it. She occasionally exchanged a few words with the senior members of the Spirit Pagoda beside her, but most of the time she simply sat quietly, her gaze sweeping indifferently over the crowd.

She had been to far too many gatherings like this.

The heads of great families brought along their younger generations, doing everything they could to get noticed by the powerful, hoping to catch their eye or have a name remembered, so their family could secure a little more support or protection.

Her gaze passed over one young face after another. Some sat rigidly, tense with nerves. Others tried to sit up straighter to look more mature. Still others kept glancing in her direction, only to hurriedly look away.

They were all children who hadn't yet learned to hide what they were thinking.

Leng Yaozhu lifted her teacup and took a sip. The warm flower tea slid down her throat, mild and faintly sweet, just the way she liked it.

She was about to look away when she suddenly paused.

At the edge of the hall, near a corner, stood a small round table.

Three children sat around it, two boys and a girl, all quite young. The little girl with pale blue twin tails was enthusiastically shoving a pastry into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster. The blue-haired boy seated opposite her watched with an exasperated look, seemingly saying something.

But that wasn't what had made her pause.

What drew her gaze was the boy sitting between the other two children.

He wore a moon-white brocade robe and sat in a relaxed posture, not deliberately straightening his back or looking around. He quietly ate a piece of roast meat from the plate in front of him, taking his time and chewing with unhurried composure.

The awkwardness, nervousness, and eagerness to show off that clung to the other children were nowhere to be found in him.

That sort of composure didn't match his age at all.

Leng Yaozhu had seen plenty of geniuses, and many children who had grown up beneath the spotlight. But those children were either too brash or so precociously sharp that they came off as mean.

The calm poise this boy gave off, however, seemed to come from a confidence deep in his bones. He didn't need to perform for anyone or prove anything to anyone.

Leng Yaozhu let her gaze linger on him for two more seconds, then curiously shifted it upward. Her eyes passed over the moon-white collar of his robe and the pale blue pendant at his throat, finally settling on the faint aura surrounding him.

She saw an extremely faint, slender silver thread.

The thread had condensed from the fluctuations of spiritual power radiating from the boy. Only someone with exceptionally high spiritual power cultivation could detect it at close range. At her level, of course, she could see it clearly.

But it was precisely because she saw it so clearly that her brow moved ever so slightly.

Spirit Connection Realm.

A child of around six had actually reached the Spirit Connection Realm in spiritual power.

And though the silver thread was slender, it was dense in texture, its edges smooth and free of stray wisps. That meant his spiritual power wasn't an inflated level temporarily boosted by external means. It was a solid Spirit Connection Realm foundation, built up step by step through his own efforts.

That was rare indeed. She just didn't know whether he had a spiritual-type Martial Soul.

Normally, only children with spiritual-type Martial Souls or exceptionally high-grade Mutated Martial Souls could reach this level at such a young age.

If she remembered correctly, not one of the genius Soul Masters on the Youth Genius Ranking, those called monsters, had reached this standard at his age.

She did know several who had reached the Spirit Connection Realm by the age of seven.

As for this boy, she had never seen his name on any key development list. That was understandable, though. From the looks of it, he had only awakened his Martial Soul recently.

Leng Yaozhu didn't dwell on the matter for long. She simply tucked the observation away in her mind, then lifted her teacup and resumed gazing indifferently across the hall.

There was no need to approach him before the right moment.

If someone of her status walked over and spoke to him first, it would only draw unnecessary attention to the child. Pushing a stranger onto the stage under the eyes of so many people might not be a good thing.

Chu Yan had no idea that the Limit Douluo had already watched him for three seconds longer than everyone else.

He was focused on the Century-Old Earth Dragon Meat roasted to perfection before him. The meat was firm and springy, dusted with fine salt and spices, and bursting with fragrance as soon as he took a bite.

Xu Xiaoyan had already polished off three small cakes beside him. She was now reaching with her chopsticks for a honey-glazed skewer farther away, while Xu Xiaoyu sat on the other side with an expression that plainly said, "Why did I have to end up with a little sister like this?"

"Brother Yan, try this!" Xu Xiaoyan struggled to reach a skewer and offered it to Chu Yan as if presenting a treasure.

Chu Yan took it and bit into it. It tasted good, the meat tender and juicy with a sweet hint of honey.

"Delicious," he judged fairly.

"I told you so!" Xu Xiaoyan beamed at his approval, then turned to grab another.

Halfway through the banquet, the atmosphere in the hall gradually relaxed.

The tension that had gripped everyone at first because of the Limit Douluo's presence was slowly diluted by conversation and laughter as dish after dish was served.

The heads of several familiar great families began circulating to exchange toasts. The younger generation was no longer as stiff as they had been upon entering, and the bolder ones were already weaving back and forth through the buffet area, hunting for their favorite desserts.

Xu Xiaoyu was also pulled away to talk by a few young men from familiar families. Before leaving, he reminded Chu Yan to "keep an eye on Xiaoyan and don't let her eat too many sweets," then was dragged off.

"Brother Yan, how much longer do you think Vice Pagoda Master Leng will stay?" Xu Xiaoyan asked through a mouthful of food.

"I'm not sure."

Chu Yan shook his head, then continued, "She'll probably leave when the banquet ends."

"Oh..." Xu Xiaoyan sounded a little disappointed. She tilted her head and thought for a moment before adding, "So she came all this way just to eat and leave? That's so boring."

"Important people don't come here for fun," Chu Yan explained casually, then continued:

"She probably has something else to take care of in Eastsea City. She just took this opportunity to make an appearance and lend the East Sea Spirit Pagoda some prestige."