Chapter 101: Chapter 99: A Gathering of Geniuses
Along the Qingcheng Ancient Road, a stone path leading to Cyan Moon City and the Moonlight Forest, walked a youth with a saber on his back and another in green robes.
Half a meter behind the youth in green robes, a teetering Little Skeleton followed along. The enormous Treasure Pearl Necklace around its neck was truly a striking sight!
Traveling with a skeleton wasn’t considered particularly strange in the Cultivation World. After all, there were all kinds of Cultivators, and quite a few people even used Bone Beasts as mounts.
’But a fine specimen like this Little Skeleton... it has to be incredibly weak, right?’
That was what Ding Xiaodao had thought at first. But then he watched the Little Skeleton teeter along, keeping pace with Jiang Jichen without falling a single step behind. Meanwhile, he had to exert all his strength just to barely keep up. After that, he couldn’t bring himself to think that way again.
"What kind of Step Technique is that?"
Ding Xiaodao asked the moment he managed to pull alongside Jiang Jichen.
He could see Jiang Jichen taking seemingly casual steps, yet each one contained a profound spatial Dao rhythm. ’If he went all out, just how terrifying would his speed be?!’
Jiang Jichen glanced at the saber-wielding youth who refused to be left behind. He knew that it was because Ding Xiaodao had covered their retreat in the Ice Dragon Valley that Qingya was able to get him out of the valley’s Barrier so easily. For that, he owed Ding Xiaodao a great debt.
"What you should be asking about is the Celestial Blade Intent," Jiang Jichen said, not answering his question directly.
Ding Xiaodao said nothing, merely nodding.
Jiang Jichen continued, "Blood Saber Cuts Green Threads; Wordlessly Questioning the Heavens. Drifting Dust Touches No Fate; True Emptiness, Beyond the Mysterious Realm!"
Upon hearing Jiang Jichen’s words, Ding Xiaodao was stunned and exclaimed in shock, "That’s the complete Celestial Blade Dao-Slaying Form! Even the highest legacy of the Ancient Saber Family only contains the first two stances, ’Blood Saber Cuts Green Threads’ and ’Wordlessly Questioning the Heavens’! And they’re a closely guarded secret. You..."
Jiang Jichen cut him off. "You don’t need to ask anything. I can only tell you that I’m not from the Ancient Saber Family. However, I will teach you the Celestial Blade Dao-Slaying Form. Consider it repayment for the debt I owe you!"
"But... what I did isn’t even worth half a stance of the Celestial Blade Dao-Slaying Form!"
For once, Ding Xiaodao’s face flushed as he spoke with some embarrassment.
Jiang Jichen replied calmly, "The Saber Technique is mine to give. If I say it’s worth it, it’s worth it. More importantly, I believe that in your hands, the Celestial Blade Dao-Slaying Form will one day unleash its true power!"
Then, Jiang Jichen directly used his Divine Thought to transmit a passage of the Saber Technique to Ding Xiaodao.
After doing all this, Jiang Jichen’s figure blurred. He accelerated abruptly and vanished into the distance in an instant. The Little Skeleton teetered along, keeping its place half a meter behind him without missing a beat.
The complete incantation for the Celestial Blade Dao-Slaying Form now resided in Ding Xiaodao’s mind, but he just stood there, stunned, in the middle of the Qingcheng Ancient Road. Watching the teetering Little Skeleton vanish from sight in a flash, he could only marvel to himself, ’What a freakishly fast Little Skeleton!’
But then, he was struck by another realization. His voice filled with shock as he stammered, "Jiang Jichen... he’s reached the Innate Third Realm Perfect Realm! How..."
Ding Xiaodao stood frozen to the spot, at a loss for what to feel other than pure, unadulterated shock.
’When we met in the Ice Dragon Valley, he was only at the Innate First Realm Perfect Realm. It’s only been a little over a month, and he’s already broken through two entire realms to reach the Innate Third Realm Perfect Realm! How many people in the entire Southern Continent can cultivate at such a speed?’
’The Little Skeleton is monstrous enough, but I never expected its master to be so monstrous he defies all reason!’
...
The man and the skeleton—one striding, one teetering—moved like lightning. Soon, Cyan Moon City came into view, and only then did they slow their pace.
A few people standing atop the city wall saw the youth and the skeleton pass through the gate and head into Cyan Moon City.
’What a strange pair!’
This was the common thought, but then some felt the youth looked vaguely familiar. By the time they tried to get a second look, both the youth and the skeleton had long since vanished.
Meanwhile, the eighth floor of the Qingyun Liquor Tower was bustling with activity. Nearly all the young geniuses from the Great Families and major Sects of the Celestial Pearl Country were gathered here. The most dazzling sight, without a doubt, was the presence of the many famous beauties, who were rarely seen in public.
Vying for the spotlight, the chattering flock of beauties was a sight to behold, an absolute feast for the eyes.
But the most captivating of all were, without a doubt, the Four Beauties of Qingcheng and the Three Beauties of the Sects.
The Four Beauties were, of course, Luuo Xue, Mun Xia, Hex Yao, and Bai Yiyi. With the exception of Luuo Xue, the other three had only recently been released. It seemed the old Noble Families of Cyan Moon City and the two newly risen families, the Xiao and the Huang, had reached some sort of agreement. The three of them looked to have lost some weight, but this only made them appear all the more beautifully poignant.
The Three Beauties of the Sects were Ouyang Xue, Qingya, and Jiang Ling’er. However, Ouyang Xue had not been seen since entering the Ice Dragon Valley. News from the Five Spirits Sect claimed she was in life-or-death seclusion; once she emerged, her power would surely skyrocket. As such, she was naturally not present at the banquet.
Qingya stood among her fellow disciples from the Flower Rain Sect, as graceful as a willow, her beauty outshining even the most delicate flower. She was an utterly captivating sight.
However, a careful observer would have noticed the flicker of anxiety and worry in her eyes.
But it was Jiang Ling’er who was undoubtedly the true focus of everyone’s attention. Nearly everyone knew that the Feng Family’s Young Master, Feng Tianxing, had come to Cyan Moon City for her and her alone.
She captured every gaze the moment she appeared.
She wasn’t deliberately dressed up, but her peerless grace was enough to captivate all who saw her. Even the Four Beauties of Qingcheng and Qingya had to admit that Jiang Ling’er surpassed them by a wide margin in both looks and disposition.
As for the other women, they were completely overshadowed, paling in comparison.
’No wonder Young Master Feng Tianxing of the Feng Family has his eyes on her. With such peerless beauty, any man would be captivated, wanting to take her for his own!’
Many in the crowd sighed to themselves.
Just as Jiang Ling’er entered the eighth-floor hall, a fair-faced young man appeared. He was dressed in a purple and gold robe and wore a Golden Jade Crown, and he carried himself with an air of arrogant superiority.
A group of young geniuses from the Celestial Pearl Country crowded behind him, with Murong Qingshu, his brother, Shen Yuqing, and Lü Yinghao among them. However, the only one walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the fair-faced youth was a man in his thirties wearing a dragon robe. Everyone else could only trail behind the pair.
"Young Master Feng Tianxing of the Feng Family, and Prince Wuling, the foremost youth of the Celestial Pearl Country! They truly are dragons among men, their presence is astounding!"
Someone in the crowd, having recognized the two at a glance, exclaimed in awe.
For many, however, it was their first time seeing the pair, and they were inwardly stunned by the revelation.
One could say that on the eighth floor of the Qingyun Tower, Prince Wuling was the representative of the Celestial Pearl Country, while Young Master Feng Tianxing was the most honored guest. Who among the disciples of the Noble Families and Sects present wouldn’t want to curry favor with them?
"Ling’er, after five years apart, we finally meet again. I told myself back then that I would definitely marry you!"
The moment the fair-faced youth, Feng Tianxing, appeared, his gaze locked onto Jiang Ling’er. With a single declaration, he stunned the entire hall.
