The young man with an imposing aura wasn’t old, but he had an air of importance. In a place like the Vermilion Bird Platform, for someone to have such a presence meant that he was no fool and must certainly have a solid background. Of course, a fool would not have been allowed in to begin with.
Ye Feng didn’t know the man very well, but he recognized him. This fellow was none other than Sky-piercing, the grandson of one of the late Xuanyuan Nation’s Four Pillars, the Heaven Guard National Pillar, and also the current Great General’s foster son.
Either of those statuses was extraordinary, which explained why Sky-piercing was so arrogant now, behaving as if he didn’t take his peers seriously.
Great General Duan Tian followed behind him. Although his position had so far prevented him from completely falling out with Ye Feng, everyone in the capital’s upper echelons was aware that their conflict was intensifying, and had even reached a point where swords were drawn and bows bent.
Great General Duan Tian, now in his forties, was in the prime of life and driven by ambition, naturally aspiring to join the Utility Pavilion soon. However, he had been constrained in the capital over the years and thereby lacked the opportunity to display his martial prowess to its fullest.
In contrast, Northern King Ye Feng had risen to prominence in recent years, repeatedly achieving notable feats. He not only stole Duan Tian’s limelight from previous years but also seemed to surpass him. It was just that Great General Duan Tian was rather proud and, being a generation older, couldn’t compete directly with Ye Feng without degrading his own status.
Therefore, Duan Tian naturally pushed forward his foster son to deal with Ye Feng, which appeared quite reasonable. The spectators would not see him as petty, and if Sky-piercing won, all the better; even if he lost, it wouldn’t be a great disgrace.
Duan Tian, walking with the commanding presence of a dragon and the ferocity of a tiger, approached with a smile, "It’s been a while, Your Highness the Northern King. You still look as elegant as ever, and your aura seems even more vast and stable. It appears your power has greatly increased during this time."
Of course, this was merely small talk. Ye Feng responded cordially with a bow and a chuckle, "Same to you, Great General. Your presence is as imposing as a dragon’s, just as befits a general of the nation. I truly admire and envy that!"
As for the provoking Sky-piercing beside him, Ye Feng chose to ignore him outright, for he was the esteemed Northern Border King, on equal footing with Great General Duan Tian. And Sky-piercing, though he was a descendant of the Heaven Guard National Pillar, was currently nothing but a commoner, without any title or official position.
In other words, in Ye Feng’s eyes, Sky-piercing didn’t even qualify to converse with him. Sky-piercing, of course, sensed this contempt, and his teeth clenched in anger. He was about to lash out, but his foster father gave him a look that stopped him.
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Sky-piercing barely managed to contain his impatience and snorted coldly, "Your Highness the Northern King does put on quite a show. I may just be a commoner now, but don’t forget that I am also a descendant of a military family. In the upcoming Martial Dao meeting, I will surely make you realize that upstarts like you, no matter how much you struggle, can never wedged into our upper class!"
With that, Sky-piercing flung his arm and strode past Ye Feng and the others, moving forward.
Great General Duan Tian could only give a wry smile and said, "I apologize for making you witness such a scene, Your Highness. Sky-piercing’s grandfather was the Heaven Guard National Pillar, a descendant of a distinguished military lineage, and it’s inevitable that he has developed a bit of arrogance, so I hope Your Highness will not take offense."
Ye Feng simply laughed and replied, "I certainly won’t stoop to his level. However, let me be frank: if I didn’t react just now, it’s solely because he has a respectable grandfather, the departed hero of Xuanyuan Nation. Out of respect for the old hero, I can forgive him this one time!"
As he spoke, Ye Feng’s voice suddenly rose, "But if there is a next time, he should not blame me for my lack of courtesy. Anyone who dares to challenge the authority of a king will face death without mercy!"
Sky-piercing, who had already walked more than ten meters ahead, was suddenly shocked by these words and abruptly halted his steps. Nevertheless, he ultimately didn’t have the courage to turn around and face them. Seeing this, Duan Tian had no choice but to quicken his pace and hurry Sky-piercing away.
After all, no matter what, Sky-piercing was currently a commoner, while Ye Feng was none other than the esteemed Northern Border King.
In such a setting, if Sky-piercing were to repeatedly provoke the authority of the king, then, according to the laws of Xuanyuan Nation, indeed, the punishment would be death without mercy. By then, even the intervention of a Great General like him might be to no avail.
Therefore, the immediate plan was to temporarily avoid confrontation and wait until everything was settled with Sky-piercing winning on the stage.
Once Sky-piercing defeated Ye Feng on the stage, his prestige would undoubtedly soar massively. Then, with his recommendation, coupled with the identity of being the grandson of the Heaven Guard National Pillar, Sky-piercing could directly enter the General’s Mansion and might even become the leading figure among Xuanyuan Nation’s younger generation.
This was virtually a meteoric rise to the heavens.
As time passed, more and more people started to gather at the Vermilion Bird Platform. It wasn’t long before Ye Feng spotted the individuals from the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts. However, these Sect people didn’t enter from this entrance.
Since the two parties were quite distant, they only exchanged glances before shifting their gaze away, then proceeded to find their respective seats as had been previously arranged.
According to the Shadow Army’s intelligence, representing the Utility Pavilion in the grand Martial Dao conference were a total of four individuals. Ye Feng was one of them, then there was Sky-piercing whom he had just seen, as well as Zhang Wenyuan, and the last person’s identity had yet to be publicly disclosed even to this day.
Ye Feng had even utilized the power of the Shadow Army but was unable to uncover it.
Thus, Ye Feng was naturally curious about this fourth contender representing the Utility Pavilion. However, the individual had yet to appear, and even Zhang Wenyuan was nowhere to be seen, which made it seem like Zhang Wenyuan had truly taken the risk to go through the Fifth Turn.
Ye Feng silently scrutinized his surroundings, especially the area where the Nine Great Sects were situated while making his way to his designated area. In the process, several important figures from the Three Offices of Xuanyuan Nation approached him to greet, to which he simply responded with a smile, without engaging in much conversation.
However, when Cao Yi, the Boss of the Punishment Heaven Department, showed up soon after, Ye Feng had to abandon such casualness. After all, they were friends, and this Boss Cao had helped him quite a bit over the years. Even if Boss Cao’s assistance was mostly of an investor nature, regardless, Ye Feng owed him a favor.
"How confident are you?" Boss Cao approached and immediately asked. It was hard to imagine that such a person, who wielded enormous power over one of the Three Offices, would show up in such a public event dressed in nothing but a tank top and shorts. What’s more, the shorts were colorfully patterned, topped with a pair of large sunglasses, presenting a carefree and irreverent appearance.
Before Ye Feng could respond, Hong Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh and say, "Uncle Cao, if you go out dressed like this, aren’t you afraid your subordinates will laugh at you?"
Boss Cao replied seriously, "Dare they? If they dare to laugh at me, I’ll dock their salary for half a year, and punish them by making them run ten kilometers on the street without clothes!"
Hong Qingyan fell silent, for she had nothing else to say.
Ye Feng didn’t answer Boss Cao’s question but instead asked directly, "The members from the Nine Great Sects of Ancient Martial Arts should be almost all here, right?"
Boss Cao glanced over at the area where the Sect members were gathered and said, "Almost, I guess. You know me, the Ancient Martial Arts realms are beyond my scope of influence, so I don’t have additional intelligence. I’m purely here to enjoy the spectacle."
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Ye Feng nodded and said no more. According to intelligence from Shadow, among the contestants sent by the Nine Great Sects, only those from the Flora Sect, Mount Shu, and the Buddhist Sect were somewhat of concern to him.
Of course, the Nine Great Sects have always been shrouded in mystery, and even the information uncovered by Shadow might not be entirely true. Therefore, in this grand Martial Dao conference, no matter who the opponent, Ye Feng would take nothing lightly—naturally, he would show no mercy!