69: Chapter 69 The Shackles of Fate

Crown Prince Xia Hong met his gaze without the slightest evasion. That gaze was open, honest, and frank, like an open door, allowing the other party to peer inside. He nodded, a glimmer of undisguised appreciation flashing in the depths of his eyes—

"Fellow Daoist Ming Yuefeng truly has eyes like torches, living up to the Starry Sky Sect's reputation of 'Knowing Heavenly Secrets.'"

He paused, his voice dropping, heavy as a boulder falling into a deep pool—

"Correct. What this Crown Prince wants has never been the 'passable' of mediocre talents, nor the 'best effort' of those merely going through the motions."

His gaze was like a torch as he swept it over everyone present—

"But rather, actual results that will allow Great Xia to hold its head high in the Southern Region and strike fear into all directions!"

"Top fifty!" He held up one finger. "This is the bottom line, the threshold that must be held. At the very least, we must secure the top forty!"

His voice paused slightly. Then, he suddenly raised his tone! The moment his voice rose, it was as if war drums were beating in everyone's hearts, carrying a sense of desperate resolve. Each word rang out clearly, like metal striking the ground—

"If you all can perform a Heaven-Defying feat and carve Great Xia's name into the top thirty—"

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping over every astonished face—

"The Cultivate resources, royal secret treasures, and Dynasty Luck I promised earlier will all be granted in double!"

Top forty! Top thirty! These two numbers exploded in the magnificent palace like two thunderclaps! The sound of that thunder smashed heavily into the hearts of everyone present, stirring up a turbulent upheaval and massive waves!

The Hundred Dynasties War—it gathers the top Prodigies from hundreds of Dynasties and thousands of Sects across the entire Southern Region! Among them are "old monsters" who have lived for hundreds of years and are stuck at a Realm Bottleneck; their cultivation is unfathomable, and they possess endless means! Among them are "Children of Heaven" who carry the Bloodline of ancient Divine Beasts and are born with Divine Ability, standing at heights that ordinary people cannot reach in a lifetime from the moment they are born! Among them are even "hidden successors" who have mastered lost secret arts and kill with a single strike, able to invoke the power of heaven and earth with a mere gesture!

In such a battlefield of Dragon-like battles and Tiger-like struggles, the cruelty of the competition far exceeds what ordinary people can imagine. It is a true mountain of corpses and sea of blood; it is a true Asura purgatory!

And the Great Xia Dynasty—for the past thousand years, its best result in the Hundred Dynasties War has been a mere ninety-ninth place! Ninety-ninth place! Barely stepping over the threshold of being "ranked," barely maintaining the qualification to avoid being removed from the list; it didn't even have the qualification to be taken seriously by other forces!

Now—Crown Prince Xia Hong speaks of the top forty! He even aims for the top thirty! Is this a goal? This is simply a miracle that requires tearing apart the shackles of fate and performing a Heaven-Defying feat to achieve!

Zhang Xuan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His voice remained calm, as calm as an ancient well without ripples, as calm as stagnant water without waves. But beneath that calm lay a scalpel quenched in ice, precisely dissecting layers of appearance to reach the core essence—

"The greater the Opportunity, the deeper the calamity." He paused, his eyes, deep as an ancient well, staring straight at Crown Prince Xia Hong. "Your Highness promises a royal title, but what we are required to pay is likely not as simple as merely competing in the arena."

His tone was calm, yet every word struck the heart. "This journey is dangerous, likely far exceeding imagination. It might even…" He paused, the pause so short it was almost imperceptible, yet it made everyone's heart jump to their throats. "A one-way trip." "We might not even be able to bring our corpses back to the Sect."

As soon as he said this—the atmosphere in the hall instantly solidified! Even the flickering of the candle flames seemed to slow down, slow enough to almost stop! Even the sound of breathing seemed to be choked by an invisible hand, thin as a thread, barely audible!

The Prodigies of The Three Sects saw the excitement on their faces fade by more than half. Replacing it was a deep fear of the unknown risks—those who can stand out in a Sect are never reckless men who only look at benefits! They know better than anyone—behind the four words "granting land and titles," there might be a path paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood; it is a distinction piled up with countless lives! It is glory watered with blood!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Xuan is absolutely right." Crown Prince Xia Hong did not deny it. Instead, he admitted it frankly. That frankness was unexpected to everyone. He scanned the crowd, with a trace of honesty, a trace of undisguised honesty—

"Opportunity and risk are always two sides of the same coin; there has never been glory without effort." He paused, his voice dropping— "The Hundred Dynasties War is a battlefield where life and death are left to fate. It contains not only open and honest fighting, but also many unpredictable conspiracies, tricks, and secret assassinations. It may even involve secret grievances between Dynasties and Sects; one slight carelessness, and one will be doomed beyond redemption."

Speaking to this point—he stood up abruptly! The movement was crisp and clean, like a drawn sword! His dragon robe fluttered, making a hunting sound! He raised the jade cup on the table with both hands! The Spiritual Qi liquid in the cup rippled, and misty water vapor rose. Under the reflection of the candle flames, it seemed to reflect the infinite possibilities of the future, and also the towering waves of the future!

His burning gaze scanned the entire room! This gaze carried the power to penetrate hearts, like war drums beating, like a horn blowing, striking directly at everyone's spirit, striking directly at everyone's soul—

"But this Crown Prince believes—" "With the ability of the Prodigies of The Three Sects, if you can cast aside previous grudges and join forces as one, you will surely be able to break through the waves, overcome obstacles, and create an unworldly achievement for my Great Xia!"

His voice rose sharply, like a thunderclap— "At that time, you will not only be able to receive the supreme honor of being granted land and titles, but you will also be able to leave your names in history, becoming legends revered by the entire Southern Region!" "Let your future descendants all be proud of you!"

He held the jade cup high, his gaze like lightning— "How about it?" "Are you willing to join this Crown Prince and the Great Xia Dynasty in this game, to fight for an eternal glory?" "To let the name of your Sect resound throughout the world?"

At this moment—the hall fell into a deathly silence. It was so quiet that even a needle falling to the ground could be heard clearly. It was so quiet that even the sound of breathing became exceptionally clear, exceptionally harsh.

The candle flames flickered. They illuminated everyone's faces in alternating light and shadow, flickering on and off. In some eyes, there was a burning desire for glory. That desire was like a flame burning in the depths of their eyes, almost ready to gush out! Some frowned, their fingertips unconsciously tapping on the table, making a "du, du" sound. That soft sound was calculating risks and benefits, weighing gains and losses, life and death! Others subconsciously clenched their fists, their knuckles turning white, veins bulging. Those clenched fists revealed the intense struggle and violent tearing in their hearts!

Is it to choose to wait and see cautiously, to stick to the status quo? To continue being a high and mighty Prodigy in the Sect, Cultivate securely, but be forever insulated from "royal titles" and "legends," letting the Sect remain trapped in the existing pattern, trapped in mediocrity? Or is it to bet everything on a big gamble? To use the price of potentially losing one's life and having one's cultivation completely destroyed to exchange for the earth-shattering reward that is enough to glorify the Sect and be passed down for ten thousand generations? To make oneself a hero who rewrites the fate of the Sect?

This multiple-choice question was so heavy that it made everyone breathless. The goals of "top forty" and "top thirty" were like two towering mountains, pressing on people's chests until they felt stuffy, almost suffocating, almost collapsing! But the temptation of "granting land and titles"—it was like the most deadly yet sweetest poison, exuding a heart-palpitating attraction. It made people, even knowing the danger, even knowing they might be doomed beyond redemption, still unable to help but want to approach, want to touch, want to possess!

After a long time—the extremely bright starlight on Ming Yuefeng's fingertips flickered slightly. Bright, then dark. It seemed to be rapidly calculating infinite possibilities and risks, going over all the pros and cons in his heart, deducing all the Karma countless times. He was the first to break the silence. His voice was cold and clear like ice springs striking stones, yet it carried an unquestionable weight, resounding in the silent hall—

"Your Highness has a grand hand." He paused, his gaze staring straight at Crown Prince Xia Hong— "Granting land and titles... The Starry Sky Sect has a Legacy of a thousand years, passing through dozens of generations. From the Founding Ancestral Master to the current Sect Master, no one has been able to receive such an honor." His voice was calm, yet every word was like a knife— "There are even very few who dare to hope for it."

The conversation took a sharp turn! He looked up and stared straight at Crown Prince Xia Hong, his gaze sharp as a knife, not giving this Crown Prince half a shred of face! That gaze seemed to want to pierce through all disguises and see the truth clearly! Every word was sonorous and rang out clearly—

"But empty words have no proof." "The Hundred Dynasties War has many variables, and the Heavenly Dao is fickle. Even if we try our best, risk our lives, and wade through blood, we might not be able to achieve Your Highness's wish." He stared straight at Crown Prince Xia Hong, word by word— "If we ultimately fail to achieve the top forty agreement, what then?" "Will Your Highness and the imperial court still be willing to honor even a fraction of today's promise?"

His question was sharp and direct. But it precisely hit everyone's concerns—this was not only the doubt of Wang Li and Zhang Xuan, but also the biggest worry in the hearts of all the Prodigies present! The stakes of this gamble were too high! Once they failed—what they lost might be their lives! It might be their cultivation! It might be the future of the Sect! It might even cause the Sect to be doomed beyond redemption for offending the Crown Prince! But what Crown Prince Xia Hong lost—was just an uncompleted goal, and he could turn around and find another way! At that time, would this Crown Prince still remember today's promise? Could they really afford this earth-shattering bet?

The hall fell into a deathly silence again. All eyes were focused on Crown Prince Xia Hong. Waiting for his answer. Waiting for his promise. Waiting for him to give this gamble a weight that would put people's hearts at ease.

Crown Prince Xia Hong seemed to have expected this question long ago. There was not the slightest anger or unhappiness on his face. Instead—he showed a trace of appreciative smile. That smile was sincere and frank, coming from the bottom of his heart. What he wanted was this kind of "smart person" who dared to question and dare to bargain! Not mediocre people who only know how to follow blindly! Only such sober people can break out a path of survival in a desperate situation! Only such calm people can find a glimmer of life in a must-die situation!

He slowly put down the jade cup. This movement was calm and unhurried, as if nothing in the world could disturb his composure. His gaze swept over the crowd, his voice steady and powerful, carrying an unquestionable sincerity, a sincerity like a mountain, capable of entrusting life and death—

"Fellow Daoist Ming Yuefeng is thoughtful and asks well." He paused, his tone becoming more solemn— "Since this Crown Prince has invited you all to plan a major event, naturally, I will not let you all take risks in vain." "I have already prepared full sincerity, which can resolve your worries, allowing everyone to go to the battlefield without any concerns."

As his voice fell—his fingertips tapped lightly on the table. "Du, du." Two crisp sounds exploded in the deathly silent hall! This sound was not high, not loud, but it seemed to carry an invisible pressure, like a heavy hammer, knocking heavily on everyone's heart! This pressure was the inherent majesty of the imperial family, the authority that could not be questioned!

The next instant—an ink-colored figure seemed to "flow" out of the shadows of the palace. Silent, breathless. As if it were inherently integrated with the darkness, as if it were inherently a part of this night. This was an old eunuch. His figure was hunched, but his spine was straight. Like a pine tree bent by the years but never broken. In the deep wrinkles on his face, there was the vicissitudes of having seen all the palace, and the clarity of having seen through the world. His eyes were slightly closed. In the only exposed eye slits, there was no emotion. In those eyes, it seemed there was nothing, yet it seemed to hide everything. His aura was restrained like a bottomless cold pool—terribly quiet. As if as long as he wanted, the next second he would dissipate in the air, leaving no trace. As if he existed, yet as if he did not exist.

He held a purple sandalwood tray in his hands. The carving of the wooden tray was extremely exquisite, with fine silver threads embedded in the patterns, flowing with a warm luster. Every pattern had been tempered a thousand times; every detail revealed ingenious craftsmanship. The tray was covered with a layer of bright yellow brocade. The satin surface was embroidered with complex flowing cloud patterns, the cloud patterns layered, curling and unfolding freely, as if there were really clouds slowly flowing on the satin surface. Under the reflection of the candle flames in the hall—that touch of bright yellow, like the rising morning sun, exuded an inherent nobility, making everyone in the hall subconsciously hold their breath.

Crown Prince Xia Hong raised his hand. His slender fingertips brushed over the edge of the brocade. He slowly uncovered it. In an instant—three dazzling streams of light burst forth from the wooden tray! Like three stars falling into the mortal world! Three Jade Slips lay quietly in the tray. The whole body was as lustrous as mutton-fat jade, warm and moist. The surface was covered with fine, star-like runes, the runes layered and dense, as if carrying the most profound secrets between heaven and earth. As the runes flowed—they were surrounded by a faint Spiritual Qi halo, flickering on and off, like breathing, like a heartbeat. It seemed that countless mysteries were floating within it. It seemed that infinite possibilities were gestating within it.