Han Xuanji was watching the situation on the Ying Household's side when he didn't expect that the first thing Ying Yuan did after returning to the high platform was to walk straight towards him.
What's going on?
Han Xuanji was completely bewildered, not knowing what the other party wanted to do.
Ying Yuan walked up to Han Xuanji, stopped, and, under countless gazes around them, respectfully bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.
Thank you, Brother Han.
"?"
Han Xuanji was taken aback.
He believed he had no interaction with Ying Yuan other than that selection battle. Ying Yuan had defeated the second seed from the Hongmeng Dao Palace, so he should thank his own ancestors for their blessing, not him.
He looked Ying Yuan up and down, and a strange thought suddenly arose in his mind.
This person probably has some strange fetish, right?
He beat me up, and I still have to thank him.
Han Xuanji was puzzled, but remained outwardly calm, and said indifferently:
"Brother Ying, what do you mean by this? There seems to be nothing between us to thank you for."
Ying Yuan straightened up, his expression serious, as if he were not joking.
He paused for a moment, realizing he had been somewhat abrupt, so he carefully considered his words before slowly speaking:
"If I hadn't lost to Brother Han, I wouldn't have truly seen myself clearly."
I thought I had stood at the highest point for three thousand years, and was already invincible among my peers.
But after losing to Brother Han, I realized that the so-called invincibility was just a matter of not having encountered a truly strong opponent.
He paused, glancing at the direction of the Hongmeng Dao Palace in the distance:
"I just fought against Qingwei Dao Child of the Hongmeng Dao Palace. I won, but it was a hard-won victory."
If it weren't for Brother Han's battle back then, which woke me up and made me realize that there are always people more powerful than me, I'm afraid I would be the one who lost today.
Upon hearing this, Han Xuanji's strange thought dissipated, replaced by a subtle and complex feeling.
Ying Yuan's words sounded as if he had developed feelings after being beaten.
He had intended to say a few polite words to brush it off, but Ying Yuan's serious expression made him feel that being perfunctory would only make him seem petty.
He pondered for a moment, then said seriously:
"Brother Ying, you've come this far thanks to your own abilities. It's true I won the selection battle, but the reason you've made it through is because of your own willpower."
"If it weren't for your diligent practice these past few days, you wouldn't have achieved this victory today."
Ying Yuan shook his head, his eyes filled with a composure that Han Xuanji had never seen before.
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear:
"Brother Han, there's no need to be so modest. I owe you a favor."
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Han Xuanji to say anything more, he turned around and left decisively, his back straight as a sword.
This is a sincere thank you.
Ying Yuan is now very grateful to Han Xuanji for defeating him.
If it weren't for Han Xuanji, he might still be basking in his own glory as the Sacred Court's number one prodigy and the Young Emperor of the Ying Household Family.
So what if I represent the Sacred Court as the number one seed?
To lose at this Dragon Terrace Sacred Banquet would truly be a disgrace to the Lineage's reputation, and would also bring shame upon the Sacred Court.
He could hardly imagine what it would be like if he carried the hopes of the Ying Household and everyone in the Sacred Court, only to be eliminated in the round of 16.
Ying Yuan was both grateful to Han Xuanji Han Xuanji taking on this responsibility for him and for making him realize that there are always people more capable than oneself.
Han Xuanji watched his retreating figure, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
Leng Qianshuang, standing to the side, was already dumbfounded, and a rare look of confusion appeared on her face:
"Junior brother, when did this Young Emperor of the Ying Household become like this? Rumor has it that he is arrogant and disdainful of everyone, and doesn't even give face to the elders of the Ying Lineage. Why is he being so humble towards you today?"
Han Xuanji sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness:
"Senior sister, don't ask me, I actually don't understand either."
He glanced at Mo Chenxiao subconsciously, only to see that his master, unusually, wasn't grinning. Instead, he was gazing at the Ying Household with a distant look in his eyes, muttering something under his breath:
"Who can argue with that? Outsiders only see the advantages of being born into a wealthy family, but they don't know how much one has to bear in such a family."
Han Xuanji's heart stirred.
He recalled that Mo Chenxiao came from the Saint Emperor's Lineage and had represented the Sacred Court in the Dragon Terrace Sacred Banquet, but his final result did not seem to be ideal.
Furthermore, Mo Chenxiao rarely mentions matters concerning the Mo Household, suggesting that his relationship with the clan may not be very good.
Seeing Ying Yuan's predicament now, he must have been moved by the scene before him.
After Ying Yuan returned to the Ying Household, the atmosphere in the arena immediately became subtle.
The elders, who had been gloating over Ying Yuan's advancement to the quarterfinals, now looked grim.
Someone muttered something on the spot:
"How dare you bow your head to Han Xuanji! You've completely disgraced the Ying Household!"
These words were spoken quite loudly, and many people around heard them.
Ying Yuan, however, was not annoyed. He merely smiled faintly, his tone as calm as if he were discussing someone else's affairs.
"I am no longer the Ying Household Young Emperor; the title has been removed."
From this day forward, I will live only for myself.
After he finished speaking, the Ying Household' area fell silent.
The elders' faces turned pale, then red; one of them, with a volatile temper, stood up abruptly and pointed at Ying Yuan, angrily rebuking him:
"What nonsense are you spouting! How many resources have I, the Ying Household, invested in nurturing you? Do you think you can just dump me like that!"
"Didn't the elders think I wasn't worthy?"
Ying Yuan showed no sign of backing down, coldly saying:
"You were the ones who said I wasn't good enough, so why do you think I am now?"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Ying Jiutian quickly stood up to smooth things over, pressing Ying Yuan back into his seat and bowing to the elders to apologize, managing to calm the situation down.
But it's clear to anyone with eyes to see that the Ying Household will likely face turmoil in the future, and it's uncertain when this ancient and powerful family will be able to truly revive.
Han Xuanji watched this scene from afar, secretly shaking his head inwardly.
It's true that the Ying Household are an ancient and powerful family with a deep-rooted heritage, but it is precisely because of this profound heritage that the various rules and expectations placed upon them can be suffocating.
In contrast, things were quite peaceful at the Hongmeng Dao Palace.
While some people showed regret at Qingwei Dao Child's defeat, most simply shook their heads and let it go.
Han Xuanji noticed that the real focus on the high platform of the Hongmeng Dao Palace was not on the defeated Qingwei, but on the woman in a plain white dress sitting next to the Saint King Xiaoyao.
She sat there quietly, never once glancing at Qingwei, as if the former Dao Child had nothing to do with her.
The elders of the Hongmeng Dao Palace occasionally looked at her with a firm yet restrained expectation.
Li Linglong.
The personal disciple of the Saint King Xiaoyao, the true Dao Seed of the Hongmeng Dao Palace.
The next match will be Li Linglong's battle against the number one seed of the Eternal Chamber of Commerce, the Young Shang Jun of the Eternal Chamber of Commerce.
Similar to Young Emperor Ying Household the Ying Yuan family, Young Shang Jun is a descendant of Myriad Treasures Heavenly Saint, with impeccable lineage, and there is considerable outside support for him to win the championship.
Unexpectedly, the two trending topics coincided.