Chapter 239: Chapter 238: Strike Up the Music and Dance
A flicker of amazement crossed the golden pupils of the Merfolk Prince, Bo Wen. He had always considered himself a peerless talent for breaking through to the Extraordinary Realm before the age of thirty. He never expected that a young man he’d met by chance would possess even more terrifying talent than his own—an Extraordinary before the age of twenty, and a human at that.
The corners of Bo Wen’s mouth curled up slightly, and the light blue scales on his right cheek shimmered, adding a touch of exotic charm to his handsome face. "When I first met Brother Qin, you were only at the Celestial Essence Realm. Now, you’re already an Extraordinary Martial Artist. It really is as the Human Race says: after three days apart, one should be looked at with new eyes. Heh."
"Oh, you two know each other?" the Ancient King asked, somewhat surprised.
"We’ve met once," Qin Ya said with a faint smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Bo Wen, Second Prince of the Merfolk Royal Family."
Bo Wen smiled slightly, placed his right hand on his chest, and bowed to Qin Ya. This was a Merfolk Race gesture of friendship and respect. Generally, only those with extremely prominent status or formidable cultivation were worthy of receiving it.
But Qin Ya was an exception. His talent had earned him that right.
"I am Qin Ya. Greetings, Your Highness."
Qin Ya smiled faintly, returning the gesture.
Just then, Li Fei walked up. After a hesitant glance at Qin Ya, he grit his teeth, approached the Ancient King, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Qin Ya saw this but merely smiled faintly, making no move to stop him.
Not far away, the expressions of Elder Purple Robe, the Blood Saber Youth, the Blond Giant, and the many other young Martial Artists who had witnessed the battle between Qin Ya and Li Fei all shifted slightly. They turned to look at Qin Ya, their eyes filled with complex emotions.
Luo Bi gloated, "Heh, Li Fei must have told the Ancient King about his conflict with Qin Ya. Now I’d like to see how he gets out of this one."
"Get out of it? The Ancient King should just kill him with a single palm strike," one of the young Martial Artists, jealous of Qin Ya, said viciously.
"Sigh, what a waste. To think such a peerless prodigy could be so arrogant. The Ancient King is a formidable figure. Few can withstand his wrath," someone else lamented, shaking their head with a sigh, their expression full of regret.
"Friend, what exactly happened?"
Some who were unaware of the situation asked around curiously. When they learned the full story, they were shocked by Qin Ya’s insane actions. They also thought him incredibly arrogant for daring to demand a million catties of Primordial Stones from a King.
"A tree that stands taller than the forest will be destroyed by the wind!"
"A person’s greatest virtue is self-awareness. This kid has clearly let his early success go to his head, otherwise he wouldn’t do something so foolish. What a shame."
"’A shame’? What’s there to feel sorry about? The world is full of geniuses. If they all acted like him, the world would descend into chaos."
...
After listening to Li Fei, the Ancient King activated his Divine Thought to inspect the man’s internal condition. His thick brows furrowed when he saw the conduit connecting Li Fei’s heart to his True Essence Qi Sea. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He waved a hand dismissively. "Li Fei, you are dismissed. Go find Master Yur and have him take a look."
Upon hearing this, Li Fei shot Qin Ya a deep, meaningful look before withdrawing.
Meanwhile, Qin Ya had found a seat next to Bo Wen. He picked up his wine cup and drank calmly, looking completely at ease. Seeing this, a look of surprise flashed across the Ancient King’s face. ’This kid... is he truly not afraid of death, or is he confident he has an ace up his sleeve?’
It had to be said, everyone has their specialty. Though the Ancient King was a Martial Arts King, he wasn’t omnipotent. He truly couldn’t cure the Pill Poison Qin Ya had used.
But that didn’t mean he would let Qin Ya act so outrageously.
"My men tell me they had a small conflict with Little Brother Qin."
The Ancient King took a sip of wine and suddenly spoke, his voice cold and indifferent. It was a night-and-day difference from his earlier warmth toward Qin Ya.
As soon as he spoke, an unsettling tension fell over the banquet.
Extraordinary Martial Artists possessed incredibly sharp senses. How could the conversations of those young Martial Artists, even from hundreds of feet away, possibly escape their notice? They were all aware of what Qin Ya had done. ’So what did the Ancient King’s words signify?’
’Does he intend to punish this arrogant, ignorant, peerless genius?’
’And yet, the boy’s reaction is so composed. Is he a fool? Is it arrogant stupidity? Or does he have some other move prepared? What kind of backup plan could possibly give him the confidence to face a Martial Arts King without fear?’
’But the boy claimed to be a Loose Cultivator. How credible was that? Was there truly no great power backing him? If there was, just how powerful would an organization that could produce such a genius have to be? Could it stand against a King?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through the minds of the crowd.
Meanwhile, Cangshu downed a cup of strong liquor. The spirit spread a pleasant warmth through his body as it went down. A sinister smile twisted his lips. "Heh. Ignorant, foolish, arrogant brat. Angering a Martial Arts King is the most idiotic move possible. I was going to settle my score with you after the banquet, but it seems there’s no need for that anymore."
"’Conflict?’" Qin Ya chuckled, setting down his cup. "It was hardly a *small* conflict. It was a battle to the death. One wrong move, and lives would have been lost."
The crowd was stunned. They never expected the young man to be so blunt.
Unabashed, unapologetic, unconcerned.
"The first time we met, Brother Qin, I heard you were coming to the Celestial Dragon Sea Region looking for a thrill. It seems you weren’t joking," Bo Wen remarked with a faint, wry smile.
’A thrill, indeed. This was certainly thrilling enough.’
’Provoking one of the overlords of the Celestial Dragon Sea Region right off the bat—what could be more thrilling than that?’
"Indeed," Qin Ya replied. "But the rewards have been substantial as well."
Bo Wen gave Qin Ya a profound look, a slow smile spreading across his face. "For Brother Qin to have advanced his cultivation so quickly, I imagine that ’thrill’ must have helped a great deal."
"Your Highness has a discerning eye."
’It was true. The reason he’d broken through to the Extraordinary Realm so fast was because he had fought countless pirates in the Celestial Dragon Sea Region. He’d even battled and killed Yann Xing—an Extraordinary Martial Artist—while he was still in the Celestial Essence Realm. All those fights had caused his strength to improve by leaps and bounds, allowing him to ascend to the Extraordinary Realm in such a short period!’
"Little Brother Qin, do you have any idea how many years it’s been since someone in these waters dared to offend me as you have?" The Ancient King suddenly let out a loud laugh. "Ever since I became a Martial Arts King twenty years ago, aside from a handful of people, no one has dared to oppose me—least of all a young prodigy like you."
"How interesting."
"However..." The Ancient King’s tone abruptly changed as he spoke coldly, "that does not mean I will go easy on you. The dignity of a King is not something to be trifled with."
"This is my banquet," the Ancient King said, slowly rising to his feet and lifting his cup to the crowd. "We can discuss the grievances between you and my subordinate later. For now... let us all eat and drink our fill! Everyone... drink!"
With that, the Ancient King drained his cup in one go.
"Excellent!"
"Such spirit from the Ancient King! We must follow suit!"
The crowd raised their cups in unison. Qin Ya let out a soft chuckle and raised his own cup in toast as well.
"Haha, strike up the music! Let the dancing begin!"
The Ancient King laughed heartily. At his command, celestial music filled the air. A troupe of Dancing Girls—all with exquisite figures, gorgeous faces, and draped in golden gauze—ascended the high platform and began to dance with graceful, flowing movements.
