101: Chapter 101 Imperial Nobles

This technique appears casual, but in reality, it requires an ultimate understanding of the Laws of Heaven and Earth and meticulous control over one's power to execute.

Given Qian Wanguan's cultivation level in the Golden Core Realm, even if it were broken down and explained in exhaustive detail, he might not be able to catch even a glimpse of its profound mysteries.

Seeing that Chu Changsheng had no intention of saying more, Qian Wanguan dared not ask another half-sentence.

He only clenched his hand hanging by his side, gripping the hem of his robe—his knuckles turned white, and his palms were slick with sweat.

At this moment, his awe for this mysterious Great Master had long been deeply etched into his bones and fused into his Bloodline.

Only one incredibly clear and firm thought remained in his heart: No matter the cost, no matter how much profit he had to sacrifice, he must firmly establish a good relationship with Chu Changsheng and his disciples!

What kind of Opportunity was this? This was clearly a towering tree that could determine his future destiny and even allow him to glimpse a higher world!

On the other side.

Three streaks of light cut through the night sky like meteors, landing steadily in the quiet courtyard where the Great Xia Dynasty was staying.

As soon as Xuanyuan Zhanxian, Jian Tanghuang, and Chu Zhanxiao landed, they saw Princess Xia Zhiqing, dressed in a goose-yellow dress, standing on tiptoes with her neck stretched out, looking expectantly in the direction they had left.

The delicate silver bells tied in her hair swayed gently with her subtle movements, emitting crisp "ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling" sounds, like clear mountain springs dripping onto jade, exceptionally pleasant in the quiet night.

Seeing the three of them return safely, she immediately lifted her skirt and trotted up to greet them.

Her bright and charming face was full of undisguised concern, and her voice even rose slightly due to her urgency: "Senior Brother Xuanyuan! Senior Sister Jian! Senior Brother Chu! You finally returned! You aren't hurt, are you? Just now in the courtyard, I could hear the rumbling sounds of spiritual power colliding from the distant competition arena!"

Jian Tanghuang was in a good mood, so she reached out and rubbed Princess Xia Zhiqing's soft hair bun, her fingertips brushing against the cool silver bells, and teased with doting laughter in her eyes: "Hehe, what? Is the little girl hoping that something happened to your Senior Sister? Don't worry, those losers today couldn't even hurt a single hair on your Senior Sister."

Princess Xia Zhiqing was teased until two blushes instantly flew onto her cheeks, like ripe peaches. She hurriedly waved her small hands, her voice both urgent and soft, carrying the unique cuteness of a young girl: "That's not true! I was just worried about you! Senior Sister Jian is the worst, always bullying me!"

As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something important, turned to look at Xuanyuan Zhanxian who had been standing quietly to the side, her eyes instantly lighting up like two stars quenched in moonlight, and her tone became solemn: "Right, Senior Brother Xuanyuan! Just now... people from Second Prince Wu Yuanchen and Third Prince Wu Huang each delivered gold-stamped invitations. They said it was to invite our Great Xia... or to be precise, it was specifically to invite you, to attend the Prodigy gathering held at the 'Star-Plucking Tower' tomorrow night."

Hearing the names "Second Prince Wu Yuanchen" and "Third Prince Wu Huang", Xuanyuan Zhanxian's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

Seeing him silent, Jian Tanghuang scoffed first, hands on her slender waist, her tone full of undisguised disdain: "Oh? Those two guys with their eyes above their heads and nostrils pointing to the sky, who probably wouldn't even deign to look at our Great Xia before, have now learned to send invitations? I think this is clearly a weasel paying respects to a chicken—with no good intentions! They are probably just using the gathering as a pretext to probe our true strength and background!"

As she spoke, she snatched the two elaborately crafted gold-stamped invitations from Princess Xia Zhiqing's hands and casually glanced at the dancing, gold-dusted handwriting on them. But the next instant, her beautiful phoenix eyes suddenly lit up, as if two flickering flames had been ignited.

She turned to look at Xuanyuan Zhanxian, her tone carrying some undisguised excitement and anticipation: "But having said that... Prodigies like Nangong Tianlong and Li Chengsi, who had already risen to fame in the previous session, I really haven't seen in person."

"Senior Brother, let's go and see! We can just take a look to see if they actually have three heads and six arms, and if they are really as amazing as the rumors claim!"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian looked at Jian Tanghuang's appearance of fearing the world wouldn't be chaotic enough and wanting to give it a try, shook his head helplessly, but deep in his eyes hid some indulgence and warmth. His tone carried compromise: "Fine, then let's go and see. It just so happens that I can take a look at how much decent 'ability' the Great Wu imperial family has raised over these years."

Jian Tanghuang cheered instantly, clapping her hands and spinning lightly in place. Laughter as crisp as silver bells rippled through the quiet courtyard, startling a few sparrows resting on the old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard: "I knew Senior Brother was the best! Tomorrow night we must 'show off' properly, and let those Great Wu Prodigies with eyes on top of their heads open their eyes wide and see clearly—people from our Great Xia are not soft persimmons that anyone can pinch!"

Princess Xia Zhiqing also pursed her lips and smiled, her eyes curving into two cute crescents, hands clasped together, her tone full of longing: "Great! I've long wanted to see those legendary top Prodigies of the Great Wu Dynasty with my own eyes! I heard that each of them has heaven-reaching and earth-shattering abilities!"

Chu Zhanxiao stood to the side, watching the three of them instantly become excited, and shook his head helplessly. His tone carried his usual calmness and reminder: "You all, just focused on being happy. Aren't you afraid... that it is a 'Hongmen Banquet' set specifically for us?"

"What's there to fear?" Jian Tanghuang raised her eyebrows and smiled, her tone full of fearless confidence. She reached out and patted Xuanyuan Zhanxian's sturdy arm hard: "With Senior Brother here, even if it's a dragon's pool or tiger's den, a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, we can break through it! If it really is a Hongmen Banquet, we will just flip the table and walk out grandly! Whoever dares to stop us—"

She narrowed her eyes, and a cold light flashed: "We will let him have a good taste of the power of our Senior Brother's spear!"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian reached out and took the two heavy gold-stamped invitations. His fingertips paused gently on the two gold-stamped names "Wu Yuanchen" and "Wu Huang". His finger pads slowly brushed over the raised, gilded-textured handwriting, and a cold, icy edge flashed in his eyes. His voice was flat, but carried a sharpness that could cut through the air: "Fine, I'll listen to you. If they really provoke us—"

He paused, raised his eyes, his gaze like lightning: "We will flip that table."

He gripped the invitations tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. "It just so happens, let them all know—" His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like ice beads falling on a jade plate, carrying an unquestionable weight: "Since I, Xuanyuan Zhanxian, dare to return to Great Wu, I fear none of them, and I despise the underhanded little tricks they play."

He looked towards the faint outline of the palace in the distance, his tone as cold as the frost wind in the twelfth lunar month: "What they owed Great Xia back then... it is also time to slowly pay it back."

The night wind in the courtyard had quietly stopped at some unknown time. The flower branches that had been swaying gently in the wind suddenly froze in mid-air, the bronze wind chimes hanging from the eaves forgot to sway, and even the low chirping of autumn insects in the grass at the corner of the wall ceased... abruptly at this moment.

A heavy, almost tangible tension condensed in the air. It was as if invisible lead clouds were pressing down heavily, making people's breathing involuntarily lighten and slow, only feeling that even their fingertips were permeated with a cool, murderous chill.

Princess Xia Zhiqing suddenly widened her clear apricot eyes, her long eyelashes trembling like the wings of a frightened butterfly. The Senior Brother Xuanyuan before her seemed to have shed a layer of gentle and peaceful shell in an instant. The sharpness that was usually hidden deep behind his brows and eyes and inadvertently revealed, was now fully unsheathed, with no more concealment.

His spine was as straight as a spear, and faint golden, sharp, sword-like light flowed endlessly around his body. Even his eyes were terrifyingly bright, like the coldest stars in the cold night.

Her small hands unconsciously gripped her goose-yellow skirt tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. The admiration and shock surging in her eyes were almost overflowing, and even her fair cheeks were stained with a charming thin red due to excitement, as if she had applied high-quality rouge.

Jian Tanghuang's eyes instantly burst with scorching sparks, three parts brighter than the lanterns hanging in the corner of the courtyard. She strode forward and slapped Xuanyuan Zhanxian's shoulder heavily with one palm, the force so great that the other person's shoulder sank slightly. Her voice was full of irrepressible, almost boiling excitement: "This is more like it! Whatever imperial princes or royal descendants, or Imperial Scions they are, if they dare to put on airs or play tricks in front of us, if they provoke us, we will pin them one by one to the ground and beat them up! Let's see if they still dare to look down on us Cultivators from Great Xia!"

Chu Zhanxiao looked at the Senior Brother and Senior Sister who had reached a "table-flipping consensus" in the blink of an eye, and helplessly curved his lips. But in those deep eyes, there was no real blame—instead, a trace of indulgent, equally sharp cold light flashed quietly. Like a famous sword hidden in its sheath, although not unsheathed, its sharpness was already revealed.

His fingertips unconsciously and gently tapped the cold silver sword tassel of the long sword at his waist. The tassel shook out fine, biting light, and his voice was as steady as ten-thousand-year black iron buried deep underground: "Since that's the case, tomorrow... we will go and meet them. Let's see how much... real ability these so-called 'nobles' raised in the greenhouses of the deep palace, piled up with countless resources, actually have."

"Hehe, Junior Brother, Senior Sister loves to hear you say that!" Jian Tanghuang smiled with her eyebrows curved like crescent moons. She leaned over to Chu Zhanxiao's side, her voice lowered, but it was even brighter due to excitement, like a child who had secretly hidden honey: "Tomorrow, the three of us Senior Brothers and Sisters will go together, and we will definitely make those guys with eyes above their heads dumbfounded, and let them know properly—how hard the bones of the Cultivators from our Great Xia are, and how sharp our swords... are!"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian did not speak again. He just looked at Chu Zhanxiao, his gaze quietly softened a bit, and deep in his eyes, there was a trace of imperceptible warmth, like melting ice and snow.

How could he not know? His Junior Brother had always been as steady as a mountain, and his mind was as meticulous as hair. But once he determined someone was his own, that protectiveness would be as fiery as the earth's core magma—even if there was monstrous power or a bottomless abyss ahead, he would stand by his side without hesitation, and together with him... fight side by side.

Princess Xia Zhiqing looked at the three Senior Brothers and Sisters in front of her, whose auras were connected and whose sharpness was exposed, and only felt a hot current surging up from the deepest part of her heart, instantly rushing through her limbs and bones. The hidden worry and anxiety about tomorrow's meeting had long been scattered and dissipated by this sky-high sharpness of comradeship and unstoppable force. Replacing it was a full, almost overflowing... sense of honor.