114: aroma

The Prefect clapped his hands and laughed, his voice echoing through the building, suddenly shattering the shock and dead silence that filled the hall.

"Splendid! Truly magnificent! The youth are to be feared; the youth are to be feared indeed!"

He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the two people facing off in the arena. His eyes were full of admiration, and his voice was gentle yet carried an unquestionable authority.

"Chen Linsheng, with your cultivation in the Flesh Refining Realm, the solidity of your Foundation and your adaptability in battle are truly rare in my lifetime! Yan Chen is also brave and progressive, his Blazing Sun True Energy is overbearingly peerless, fully displaying the style of the younger generation of our Jiuqu Prefecture!"

He paused and said loudly,

"In this battle, both sides have displayed peerless strength, making it difficult to determine a winner. In this official's view, let us call it a draw! Both of you are future pillars of our Jiuqu Prefecture; there is no need to sour our relationship over a temporary victory or defeat."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall erupted in an uproar, which quickly turned into various complex whispers.

This move by the Prefect was extremely clever.

It gave the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall a way out—after all, Yan Chen was a recognized Jiaojin Realm Genius; if he were truly judged to have lost to someone in the Flesh Refining Realm, the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall would lose all face.

It also highly affirmed Chen Linsheng's strength—to be able to fight to a draw with Yan Chen, his value and potential were already self-evident.

More importantly, it defused a conflict that could have escalated, temporarily characterizing a clash that might have led to a blood feud as a 'friendly exchange of skills.'

The Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall Master, that red-faced, red-bearded old man, still had a dark expression, but his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

He slowly rose and cupped his fists toward the Prefect. "The Prefect is wise."

This was an acceptance of the 'draw' outcome.

Yan Chen stood in the arena, his chest heaving violently. The spot under his right ribs where the Palm Blade had struck still throbbed with pain, but even more painful was the humiliation of being 'repelled' in public.

He stared fixedly at Chen Linsheng. In those pupils burning with flames, the killing intent did not dissipate because of the Prefect's decision; instead, it was like fire being doused with oil, burning even brighter and deeper.

"Chen Linsheng..." He squeezed these three words through his teeth, his voice low and raspy. "I will remember today's gift. The Hidden Dragon Banquet isn't over yet."

He said no more, turned abruptly, strode back to the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall's seats, sat down heavily, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing. However, the still-turbulent and restless blood throughout his body, along with the occasional leak of a fierce aura, all showed the heaven-shaking rage and unwillingness in his heart.

Chen Linsheng's expression was calm as he bowed toward the Prefect. "Thank you, Lord Prefect." He then nodded slightly toward the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall before turning and walking back to his seat with steady steps.

The left shoulder of his dark-green martial attire was charred and damaged. The exposed skin shimmered with a faint gold, but there was no blood, only a patch of scorched red.

The light from the ice heart spirit-calming pendant on his neck gradually faded, but that cool sensation still protected his mind.

Countless gazes followed his figure.

Those looks were already completely different from when he had first stepped into the Lanyue Tower.

Curiosity, scrutiny, contempt... all had faded away, replaced by deep wariness, solemnity, and even a hint of awe.

To be able to use the Flesh Refining Realm cultivation to head-on clash with Yan Chen of the Jiaojin Realm in a direct confrontation, even seizing a flaw to successfully counterattack and forcing the Prefect to personally step in and declare a 'draw'... such a record was enough to make the name Chen Linsheng join the ranks of the very top of the younger generation in Jiuqu Prefecture!

By the west window, Mu Qingxue's cold, ice-like gaze lingered on Chen Linsheng for the first time, of her own accord and for a long duration.

She tilted her head slightly, as if in thought.

In the battle just now, Chen Linsheng had displayed not only an unimaginable Physical Body Foundation, but also the eyesight to accurately capture flaws and the decisiveness to launch a fierce counterattack.

Especially that final Palm Blade strike, which fused multiple types of energy and was fast, precise, and ruthless... it was definitely not something an ordinary Martial Skill could possess.

"Hunyuan True Body... Crane-style Footwork... and that spiraling, penetrating energy..." she murmured in her heart, a very faint light called 'interest' flashing in her cold eyes.

At the honored guest seats on the north side, Young Master Yu snapped his folding fan open and shook it twice. The warm smile on his face deepened as he whispered to the elder carrying a sword behind him,

"Uncle Fu, it seems this trip of ours was truly not in vain."

The elder carrying a sword, Uncle Fu, who had been closing his eyes to rest, actually slowly opened them now.

Those eyes, as calm as an ancient well and as deep as the darkest night, fell upon Chen Linsheng and stayed there for about a breath's time.

Then, he nodded almost imperceptibly, his withered lips moving slightly as his raspy voice reached only Young Master Yu's ears:

"He is calm in the face of danger, his counterattacks are decisive, and his control over energy has already reached the threshold. What is even rarer is his calm Heart-Nature, not arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat. This boy is indeed a piece of uncut jade."

After saying that, he closed his eyes again, as if nothing had ever happened.

But this subtle movement did not escape Envoy Ling Feng, who had been secretly paying attention to them, nor a few other experts with keen perceptions.

A look of realization flashed in Ling Feng's eyes, and his guess about Young Master Yu's identity became a few points more certain.

Lei Hao had long been unable to contain himself. As soon as Chen Linsheng sat down, he slapped his shoulder hard and growled excitedly, "Brother Chen! That was amazing! You didn't see that brat Yan Chen's face just now, haha, it was like he'd swallowed a dead fly! A draw? Anyone with eyes knows who had the upper hand!"

Chen Linsheng shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Brother Lei, be careful with your words. Yan Chen's strength is indeed above mine. If he hadn't underestimated me and rushed in, and if I hadn't luckily caught a point of stagnation in his True Energy flow, the outcome would have been uncertain. A Jiaojin Realm's True Energy is vast and long-lasting; I would surely lose in a battle of attrition."

His words were not purely out of humility, but a cold assessment.

In the battle just now, he had seemed impressive, but in reality, he had almost used his full strength. [Golden Bell Shield Perfection] to hard-resist the palm force, [Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps] to dodge and maneuver, [Hunyuan True Body] to support his Foundation, and the Fusion of energies from [Layered Waves], [Python Dragon Strength], and [White Crane Wind and Cloud Song] in the final blow had been especially mentally and physically taxing.

As for Yan Chen, besides his Blazing Sun True Energy, he certainly had stronger killing moves that he hadn't used yet. If it were truly a life-and-death struggle, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Seeing his serious expression, Lei Hao also restrained his smile and nodded. "You're right. But after this battle, no one in this prefecture city will dare to treat you like a soft persimmon that can be squeezed at will!"

Chen Linsheng smiled, but his gaze quietly swept across the entire hall.

The Prefect's decision and the changes in the attitudes of the various parties were all within expectations.

Fame is a double-edged sword. After today, he had completely established himself in Jiuqu Prefecture, but he would also inevitably be pushed to the forefront, attracting more attention, recruitment, and even... enmity, both openly and secretly.

He was already mentally prepared for these things.

At this moment, he was more concerned about the two words Envoy Ling Feng had reminded him of yesterday—'Strange Fragrance'.

On the arena, while in the heat of the fierce battle with Yan Chen, his entire mind had been concentrated, leaving no room for other thoughts. Now that he had calmed down, his [Tracking Perfection] perception was quietly activated to its limit, like invisible ripples of water, delicately sweeping through every inch of air and every corner of the Lanyue Tower's main hall.

The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, the sounds of discussion, the sounds of toasting, the light footsteps of the maids... all kinds of sounds and scents were mixed together.

The fragrance of wine, the aroma of food, the scent of sandalwood, the smell of cosmetics, the smell of sweat and medicine on the Martial Artists... in this incredibly complex torrent of scents, Chen Linsheng's mind was like the most precise sieve, rapidly filtering through them.

Nothing... nothing... just as he was about to think that Ling Feng was only speaking in general terms, an extremely faint, almost imperceptible sweet fragrance, like a cunning fish, suddenly brushed past the edge of his perception!