Geniuses of Wuzhou City
Before he knew it, more than ten days had flown by.
In Wuzhou City, it seemed as though something major was about to happen. Even the atmosphere had grown somewhat heavy.
Many residents had noticed quite a few young people of extraordinary bearing appearing on the streets. Some had returned from outside the city, while others emerged from inconspicuous commoners' homes that usually drew no attention.
Of course, the most conspicuous were the scions of prominent families, dressed in luxurious clothes and wearing proud expressions.
"Brother, did something happen? Why does it feel like there have been so many unfamiliar faces in the city these past few days? And they're all boys and girls under twenty?"
At an inn, many people were drinking and making merry. At that moment, a burly man who had clearly come from outside Wuzhou City looked at the young figures on the street, their faces solemn yet faintly revealing excitement and anticipation, and could not help asking the people at another table.
"Brother, is this your first time in Wuzhou City?"
Several people dressed as martial cultivators at the other table wore scornful smiles when they heard this, making the burly man somewhat displeased. Still, he nodded. "I hope you gentlemen can enlighten me."
"No wonder. You don't even know about Wuzhou City's annual family gathering. This is a grand feast for the entire city. It isn't just the Three Great Families—some of the weaker families will also call back their younger members around this time. Whether they remained in the main family or were sent away, they will all return. At the same time, it is a gathering for these families to see whether their younger generation has made progress over the past year, displaying the family's strength and the growth of its fresh blood."
The speaker was a refined and handsome young man who looked to be under twenty. Yet the trace of pride in his eyes immediately revealed that he was surely the descendant of some family as well—one of those core members who had remained in the main family rather than being sent away.
"So that's how it is. I was ignorant and poorly informed."
The burly man was straightforward. Though he disliked the contemptuous looks from the young men's table, he did not flare up. After all, he could tell that everyone at that table came from extraordinary backgrounds, beyond comparison to a Rogue Cultivator like himself.
The world of martial cultivators on the Cloud Soaring Continent was cruel. The strong were honored. Descendants of families generally drew the most attention, for the ancestors of those families had all once been formidable figures who stirred the winds and clouds. The bloodlines they left behind awakened Blood Souls far superior to those of ordinary people. Moreover, they possessed better cultivation resources and more advanced cultivation techniques, all of which widened the gap in strength between them and ordinary martial cultivators.
Take the present case. This burly man possessed the respectable strength of Spirit Martial Tier Four and looked to be around thirty, making him above average among Rogue Cultivators. Yet the luxuriously dressed youths at the other table were all under twenty. They looked very young, but even the weakest among them radiated the aura of Spirit Martial Tier Four. As for the strongest—the young man who had spoken—his realm could not even be discerned!
The gap! This was the gap!
Some of the people in the inn had also noticed those extraordinary young men at the table.
The annual family gathering was also a contest among the younger generation! It was an important event that determined their fate and standing within their families for the coming year!
These few days every year were the liveliest time in all of Wuzhou City! They were also the only chance for many family descendants who had been sent away due to poor talent to return to their families openly and honorably, or even fight for the opportunity to remain there!
"That's Yu Wen Tianhua of the Yu Family. I heard that when he had just turned sixteen three years ago, he was already in the Spirit Martial Tier Six Realm. Who knows what realm he has reached now!"
Many people in the inn were natives of Wuzhou City, and quite a few recognized the origins of those extraordinary youths. One of them quietly spoke to his companion, his eyes carrying a trace of envy.
The descendants of great families were fundamentally different from ordinary people. They possessed the superior bloodlines left behind by their ancestors, awakened stronger Blood Souls, and cultivated more easily.
"There's also Wu Wenhao of the Wu Family. I heard he's a genius of the Wu Family's new generation. Though not yet eighteen, he had already reached peak Spirit Martial Tier Five. That was a rumor from a year ago, so who knows whether he has now broken through to Spirit Martial Tier Six."
Others nearby began whispering as well. Clearly, every young man at that table had an extraordinary background.
"Yes, and that one over there seems to be one of the Li Family's monsters, Li Yue. I heard he is the youngest among the younger generation of the Three Great Families, yet also the strongest. Half a year ago, there were rumors that he defeated some arrogant martial cultivator from out of town. That man possessed the strength of peak Spirit Martial Tier Six! Perhaps Li Yue has already stepped into the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm!"
No one knew who said it softly, but it immediately stirred cries of surprise all around. Clearly, not many people knew this news, and it was enough to cause a sensation.
The higher martial cultivators on the Cloud Soaring Continent cultivated, the slower their progress became. Below Spirit Martial Tier Four, there were almost no bottlenecks to speak of. Descendants of great families could practically break through two or three times within a year. But after Spirit Martial Tier Four, it was no longer so easy. They might not break through even in one or two years.
As for above Spirit Martial Tier Six, even in this tiny patch of Wuzhou City, they could be considered top-tier experts!
"So they are outstanding descendants of the Three Great Families. My respects, my respects!"
The burly outsider was also full of shock. Having traveled the world, he naturally understood that compared to ordinary people like himself, the advantages and talent of great family descendants were utterly incomparable.
"You're too courteous, too courteous!"
With a swish, Yu Wen Tianhua opened a paper fan and gently waved it, putting on an air of elegance. He did look somewhat like a dashing scholar. Combined with his fairly handsome face, he immediately drew repeated glances from many young ladies and married women in the inn.
At that moment, everyone's attention was focused on the outstanding descendants of the Three Great Families. No one noticed that in a corner of the inn, an ordinary-looking yet delicate young man was watching everything with cold indifference.
Most of his attention was fixed on the youngest of the three young men at that table.
It was none other than Li Yue, one of the Li Family's most highly favored genius descendants. He was also the grandson of the Grand Elder of the Li Family, and his standing within the Li Family was anything but low.
He was also the most aloof and cold of the three. Compared to Yu Wen Tianhua, who kept lightly waving his paper fan as if in a cold wind, and Wu Wenhao, whose frosty face resembled a block of ice, Li Yue radiated an arrogance that warned strangers to keep away. Whenever his gaze swept over the people around him, it carried thick disdain and a trace of self-admiration.
The young man seated in the corner was undoubtedly Li Ye. Less than two days remained before the Li Family's year-end gathering, and naturally, he would not miss such an important day.
After all, both emotionally and logically, he had to return at least once. Besides, he wanted to show what he could do and earn the chance to return to the family!
"Every year's family year-end gathering holds a competition among the younger generation. Only those who win recognition can remain in the family for the next year. Since your dream was to one day return to that place in glory, then I'll fulfill this wish for you."
No one could hear his muttered words. Having fused with those memories and that soul, Li Ye naturally understood what his former self had wanted most.
The family's recognition!
To be honest, encountering this in the inn was merely a coincidence. Although Li Yue belonged to the same family as him, he might not even know Li Ye. After all, one was a descendant abandoned by the family, while the other was a gifted junior who received endless attention. The gap between them was far too great.
Just as Li Ye was beginning to feel bored and was preparing to stop watching this nauseating performance, some conversation suddenly drifted over from that side, making him halt in his tracks.
"Brother Li, at your Li Family's competition this time, you will surely take first place without the slightest difficulty, won't you?"
Gently waving his paper fan, every movement Yu Wen Tianhua made was filled with refinement. Yet the occasional flash of cold light in his eyes made it clear that he was absolutely not as harmless as he appeared. He was a ruthless man.
"Yes. With Brother Li's strength, even within Wuzhou City, there probably aren't many among our generation who can compare with you, much less defeat you."
Wu Wenhao of the Wu Family gave a cold smile. It sounded like flattery, yet somehow carried the flavor of a sneer.
Even Yu Wen Tianhua's question seemed to conceal some ulterior meaning.
"Hmph! This little Wuzhou City is not worth my attention! One day, this tiny place will not be able to contain me!"
Arrogant!
Incomparably arrogant!
With those words, Li Yue of the Li Family expressed several meanings at once. First, he completely accepted Yu Wen Tianhua and Wu Wenhao's flattery, believing that without the older generation stepping forward, no one in Wuzhou City could contend with him. Second, his ambitions were not small. At such a young age, he had already cast his gaze beyond Wuzhou City, toward the broader skies outside!
"Hehe, Brother Li's talent truly is difficult for anyone to match." Yu Wen Tianhua chuckled, though a faintly sinister look flashed through his eyes. Then he abruptly changed the subject. "However, I heard that person from your Li Family will also be returning this time. I wonder whether Brother Li can surpass that person? Brother Wen Hao and I have heard that person's talent is no weaker than yours, Brother Li. That person has spent these past years training outside, and no one knows how far their strength has advanced now!"
Wu Wenhao let out a sinister chuckle at the side. The relationship between the three clearly was not as friendly as it appeared. However, the Three Great Families had always fought openly and schemed in secret. This was something everyone in Wuzhou City knew. As for their younger generation, they were naturally deceitful and calculating as well, each harboring hidden schemes.
Sure enough, Li Yue's expression changed the moment he heard this, and his tone turned hostile. "Yu Wen Tianhua, what do you mean by that? You think I am inferior to that woman Li Yating?!"
A powerful aura erupted directly from Li Yue's body.
The seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm! Sharp glints flashed repeatedly through Li Ye's eyes. Although Li Yue had only just entered this realm and had yet to stabilize it, there was already a difference as vast as heaven and earth between him and Spirit Martial Tier Six!