76: Chapter 76 A Review of Prodigies

Following the directions of the three elderly guards in the small courtyard, Lin Qing and his group headed towards the most bustling commercial street in the Royal Capital of Da Qi.

As they walked toward the center, the crowd on the street grew denser, and the pavilions on both sides of the street became taller and more magnificent, everywhere exuding the prosperous atmosphere of a Dynasty capital.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a wide bluestone plaza appeared before them.

This was the most famous plaza for Cultivator gatherings in the Royal Capital, and also the entrance to the entire commercial street. The plaza was bustling with people, and both sides of the road were filled with street stalls of all sizes.

The people running the stalls included plainly dressed Loose Cultivators, travel-worn adventurers, and mysterious individuals of unknown origin, with a dazzling and wide variety of items on display.

There were tattered animal skin scrolls recording incomplete Cultivation Techniques, rusty ancient broken weapons, strange flowers and Spiritual Plants emitting exotic fragrances, and even people selling low-level Yao Beast cubs directly.

Many Cultivators squatted in front of the stalls, lowering their heads to rummage through items and haggle with the stall owners. The sounds of arguments and hawking intertwined, making it incredibly lively.

The group rarely saw such a lively scene in Luoxia Valley, so they couldn't help but stop frequently, squatting in front of stalls from time to time to curiously examine the novel little objects, occasionally picking up a piece of spirit jade or a Spiritual Plant to study closely.

Passing through the dense street stalls on the plaza, the group finally stepped into the core commercial main street of the Royal Capital.

Unlike the chaotic liveliness of the plaza, this main street was orderly and imposing. The street was wide and smooth, with magnificently decorated shops on both sides. Every shop dealt in businesses related to Cultivators, with a complete range of goods, having everything one could wish for.

Rows of Medicinal Pill pavilions had their vermilion doors wide open, and the rich, mellow fragrance of pills drifted along the breeze across the entire street, refreshing the heart and lungs. On the counters were bottles of Medicinal Pills with flowing brilliance, attracting countless Cultivators to stop and watch.

Weapon shops also had their doors wide open, with various weapons neatly arranged on the shelves, their cold light piercing and their edges sharp. From the depths of the shops, the constant sound of "ding-dang" hammering could be heard.

Walking to the center of the street, an antique-style teahouse stood in the middle. People came and went in an endless stream, and the building was filled with the clamor of voices.

In the Royal Capital where Cultivators gathered, a teahouse was not just a place to rest and drink tea, but also the best place to exchange information and inquire about secrets. With the Heavenly Pride Competition imminent, the movements of various factions and the details of Prodigy Disciples could almost all be heard here.

The group had been walking for a while and were slightly tired, so they immediately discussed entering the teahouse to rest.

Just as they reached the entrance, the noisy clamor of voices rushed toward them.

The first-floor hall was extremely spacious. In the very center, a high platform had been erected. On the platform, there was a wooden table and a rattan chair. An old gentleman dressed in a grey cloth robe was sitting there, sipping tea slowly, his demeanor leisurely.

The seats around the hall were filled with Cultivators from all walks of life, their gazes occasionally turning toward the high platform.

The second floor consisted of elegant corridor seats surrounding the hall, equipped with carved railings and offering a wide view. Sitting there were some Sect Disciples in uniform robes, or Young Masters from noble families in brocade and luxurious clothing.

Lin Qing and his group were wearing the Sect robes of Luoxia Valley, so it was naturally inappropriate for them to sit in the noisy first-floor hall, lest they lose face for Luoxia Valley.

The group slowly walked up the wooden stairs to the second floor and chose an empty spot with a wide view to sit down. Immediately, a waiter hurried forward, respectfully served tea and snacks, and then bowed and retreated.

Just as they sat down, malicious muttering came from a table of noble Young Masters nearby.

"Brother Wu, look quickly, those two young ladies over there are truly beautiful. Their features are delicate, and their temperament is pure—truly rare."

The speaker was a young man in a brocade robe with a frivolous expression. His gaze fell unscrupulously on Yun Nian and Xing Mian, looking them up and down. Although his voice was deliberately lowered, it still clearly reached the ears of Lin Qing and his group.

Yun Nian and Xing Mian's expressions darkened immediately, a hint of anger flashing in their eyes, their fingers gripping their teacups tightening slightly.

However, before the frivolous man could say another word, a crisp sound of a slap suddenly rang out!

"Slap!"

The sound was clean and sharp. The brocade-robed man who had just spoken lewdly held his slapped cheek with his left hand, looking at the "Brother Wu" sitting beside him in disbelief, his eyes full of confusion.

This "Brother Wu" had an ashen face. He reached out and grabbed the frivolous man's collar, pulled him close, and scolded him in a low voice.

"Are you f***ing crazy?! What time is it now, and what place is this?"

Before the man could argue or talk back, Brother Wu gripped his collar tightly, his voice lowering even further, his tone filled with warning:

"This is the Royal Capital of Da Qi, and the Heavenly Pride Competition is imminent! The top factions of the entire Dynasty and Sect Prodigies are all gathered here."

"You dare to cause trouble at this critical juncture—are you tired of living? If you want to die, don't drag me into it!"

These words turned the frivolous man's face pale. He subconsciously looked at Lin Qing and his group. When he felt the gaze Lin Qing swept over, he trembled all over, quickly lowered his head, and shrank his body, not daring to speak again.

Just then, in the first-floor hall, a burly Cultivator stood up, raised his wine cup, and shouted loudly to the old gentleman on the high platform:

"Old Master Zhao! Stop resting! The Heavenly Pride Competition is about to start. You are knowledgeable and experienced, quickly give us a good tally—who are the real ruthless people who have appeared for this competition!"

Once these words were spoken, they instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire hall.

Countless people echoed in agreement, shouting loudly.

"That's right, that's right! Old Master Zhao, hurry and tell us about it!"

"We just want to hear the most accurate news. Give us a tally—who has the best hope of rushing into the top five!"

Hearing this, Old Master Zhao on the high platform slowly put down the teacup in his hand, reached out to stroke the beard hanging down to his chest, revealed a smiling expression on his face, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Very well, very well. Since everyone is so warmly inviting me, this old man will give you a good tally of the Geniuses in this competition."

He paused, his tone slightly sinking:

"This old man might as well say it here: this Heavenly Pride Competition can be called the most fiercely competitive and the one with the most experts in the Great Qi Dynasty in the last hundred years!"

"Everyone knows that the Heavenly Pride Competition will ultimately only select five winners. In the past, if a participating Disciple's Realm reached the Late Stage of the Fourth Order, as long as their luck wasn't too bad and they didn't run into experts of the same level early on, they could basically secure a spot in the top five."

"But in this session, there are already no fewer than seven participating Disciples who have clearly revealed a Late Stage Fourth Order Realm! Furthermore, according to convention, there are always some factions that like to hide Prodigies whose strength has not yet been revealed."

"So this old man dares to assert that in this competition, there are conservatively estimated to be more than ten experts who have reached the Late Stage of the Fourth Order!"

As his words fell, the teahouse was in an uproar. In the past, a Late Stage Fourth Order Cultivator could secure a top-five spot, but now there were over a dozen experts of the same level competing—it was simply unprecedented.

Immediately, someone else shouted loudly:

"Old Master! We don't care about those hidden trump cards. You first give us a tally—who are the Prodigies who have already shown their faces!"

Old Master Zhao chuckled, reached out and picked up the gavel on the table, and slapped it on the tabletop with a "slap" sound.

"Good! Then this old man will tell you one by one!"

"When talking about Prodigies, the first to mention are our Great Qi's royal family members."

"The first is the Third Prince, Duan Chengyu, twenty-eight years old, with a Peak Fourth Order Realm, who is the person with the highest Realm on the surface among all participating Disciples!"

"The second is the Sixth Princess, Duan Qingwan, twenty-four years old, with a Late Stage Fourth Order Realm!"

"Everyone knows that the royal family possesses more than one type of Heaven-Grade Martial Arts. As long as these two don't run into each other early, entering the top five is almost a certainty!"

The crowd nodded one after another, echoing loudly, expressing agreement with Old Master Zhao's words.

Old Master Zhao scanned the audience and continued:

"Next is the peerless Genius of the top noble Sun Family—Sun Shaoping."

Hearing this name, Lin Qing's fingers holding the teacup paused slightly, and a trace of imperceptible ripples flashed in his eyes.

Sun Shaoping!

Back then, Sun Shaoping broke into his small courtyard, not only gifting him a bottle of earth core milk and saving him a large amount of time in bitter cultivation, but also patiently explaining the situation outside the Hundred Thousand Mountains, opening the door to the outside world for him.

Sun Shaoping had said back then that if he walked out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the future, he could go to the Sun Family in the Qi Kingdom to find him. So it turned out to be the Sun Family, a top noble family of this Great Qi Dynasty.

Old Master Zhao on the high platform was still continuing to introduce Sun Shaoping's situation.

"Sun Shaoping, not yet twenty, also successfully achieved a Breakthrough to the Late Stage of the Fourth Order some time ago! A twenty-year-old Late Stage Fourth Order is arguably the number one person in Great Qi in the last hundred years!"

"Not only is his talent peerless among his generation, but his family's inherited Heaven Rank Movement Technique has also been Cultivated to the Major Achievement Realm. Within the same level, almost no one can catch up to his figure, and he is also a strong contender for the top five of this competition."

Bursts of exclamations erupted from the audience, praises rang out incessantly, and the emotional engagement was quite on point.

Old Master Zhao waited for the discussions to subside slightly before calling out several more names in succession.

"Li Muyao of the Li Family, Gu Yunjing of Qingsong Valley, Jiang Yewu of Yunxi Sect, and Yan Jinghong of the Qiushan Sect—these people are all experts of the Late Stage Fourth Order."

"The six top factions of Great Qi have all sent Late Stage Fourth Order Prodigies to participate this time. This Heavenly Pride Competition is truly a battle of Dragons and a gathering of clouds!"

Name after name was called out, each one making the crowd exclaim in admiration. Just when everyone thought the tally was over, Old Master Zhao raised his hand again, slapped the gavel, and spoke with a smile.

"Besides this, this old man must specifically mention one more person. This person comes from the mid-level faction of Qingzhou, Luoxia Valley, and is named Lin Qing."

Suddenly hearing his own name, Lin Qing's expression remained unchanged. He had indeed made a move in public, so it was only natural that he would be noticed.

Old Master Zhao's voice continued to come from the high platform, clearly spreading throughout the entire teahouse.

"This Lin Qing, his true age is unknown, and the Realm he has revealed to the outside world is only the Middle Stage of the Fourth Order. Yet, he once killed a Disciple of the same level in one move within his Sect. His actual combat ability is unfathomable; he must absolutely not be viewed as an ordinary Middle Stage Fourth Order!"

As his words fell, several gazes in the teahouse turned toward the second floor. Clearly, some people recognized that they were from Luoxia Valley. Gazes of curiosity, inquiry, and scrutiny fell upon Lin Qing.

Yun Nian, Yuan Chong, and the others immediately straightened their backs, looking at Lin Qing with burning eyes. Hearing outsiders mention their Luoxia Valley Disciple and give such high praise, they also felt a sense of honor.

Meeting everyone's gaze, Lin Qing nodded with a smile.

The blood energy he had revealed to the outside world was indeed the Middle Stage of the Fourth Order. Now that the competition was imminent, all the Prodigies were at the Late Stage of the Fourth Order or above. If he were to stand out with a Middle Stage Fourth Order Realm, it would still be too eye-catching.

It seems that in the next few days, he will need to pretend to have a Breakthrough.

The group rested in the teahouse for a while, then stood up again and continued walking forward along the main street.

Passing through the rows of shops, after about half the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the group walked to the end of this bustling street.

A magnificent, massive pavilion stood at the end of the street; this was the headquarters of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce.

And at this moment, with the Heavenly Pride Competition imminent, this chamber of commerce, which was the largest in scale on ordinary days, had turned into the largest and most authoritative casino in the entire Dynasty.

The Cultivators from the entire street were almost all gathering here, and the air was filled with a fanatical atmosphere.

The headquarters of the Heshun Chamber of Commerce had already opened the betting odds for the Heavenly Pride Competition.