In the Xeton Imperial Palace's majestic throne hall, humble braziers encompassing each of the ten alabaster columns lit up the entire hall and bathed it in an orange glow.
The illustrations of a kingdom in the sky on the layered ceiling dance in the flickering light while stone effigies and memorials looked down upon the slate floor of this magnificent hall.
A cobalt rug split the entire room in half and was matched by the thinner ones on either side of the hall, while matching banners with emblazoned margins decorated the walls.
Between each banner hung a lantern; almost all of them have been lit and in turn illuminated the artistic depictions of legendary figures below them.
Narrow windows were hidden by curtains colored the same cobalt as the banners. The curtains were adorned with gilded linings and decorated tips.
A striking throne of dragonstone sat in front of a giant painting of the previous ruler and was adjoined by two large but far less ornate seats for the royal highness's family members.
The throne was covered in intricate illustrations, and fixed on each of the front legs was a crystal crown. The thin pillows were dark cobalt, and these too have been adorned with golden borders.
Those expecting an audience with their royal highness can do so on the countless long and rather bulky marble benches, all of which were diagonally facing the throne. Those of higher standing can instead take seats in the gorgeous balconies facing the throne.
And standing before such a grand throne was the emperor of the Xeton Empire, Ruthren Xeton.
He was walking to and fro, with his expression seeming as if he was in deep thought while at the same time expecting someone's arrival.
Soon enough, a gentle voice filled with respect traveled to Ruthren's ears, "Royal father, you asked for me?"
Ruthren slowly moved his eyes towards the large door and saw Arthur Xeton coming in with a smile and respectfully bowing before him.
Ruthren crinkled his eyes as he scrutinized him from top to bottom. Arthur still didn't lift his head and maintained a calm expression. Still, inwardly he was trembling, feeling his father's gaze penetrate right through his bones.
"Hmph, still at the first level of the Sky Ethereal Realm? What have you been up to during your long close-doors cultivation? Wasting your time by worrying about your useless mother who is just a step away from death's door?" Ruthren questioned as his gaze tightened.
Arthur's heart quivered from hearing his father's biting tone and didn't even feel as if he had enough strength to lift his head. His heart tightened, especially when Ruthren mentioned his mother.
However, he still replied in a tone as calm as possible with his head still down, "Forgive me, Royal Father...I—"
"Come here, you useless thing! Why are you hiding your face like a coward?" Ruthren roared, seeing Arthur still standing still with his head down.
The way he talked to Arthur was quite a contrast to how he usually talked with Reva, which was no less than that of a loving father.
The throne hall literally seemed to shake along with his roar and jolted Arthur's body sending a shiver down his spine.
The calm expression Arthur had before was already twisted into one of fear and apprehension. How could he keep up his calm expression in front of such a supreme existence that looked down upon every living being in the continent?
He listlessly lifted his head and walked towards Ruthren, each of his steps as feeble as a child's, making one wonder if this was how the strongest prince in the continent was.
Just as Arthur got near to Ruthren and stood before him, he saw Ruthren slowly walking towards him, each of his steps majestically echoing in the hall, but for Arthur, each of those steps seemed to be stepping on his heart.
His face was straight, but his eyes, even if he wanted to, were unable to meet Ruthren's cold gaze. All he could look at was Ruthren's feet while unable to calm his body down as tension wracked his nerves.
Ruthern said in a cold tone as he glared at Arthur's face, "Do you think just because you are my son and happened to be the strongest prince in the continent, your life is set? How foolish! Even some nobody from a backward empire is stronger than you despite having weaker cultivation than you. Do you now understand how useless you are now?"
Arthur moved his gaze down in humiliation and knew that Ruthren was talking about none other than Damien.
He, however, replied respectfully, "Royal father, I am trying my best, but there can always be gifted geniuses that are fated to surpass the world itself like my sister. How can I hope to keep up?"
*Slap!*
*THUD!*
A cold slap resounded in the hall, followed by the sound of flesh hitting the hard floor.
"Ughhh…" Arthur was suddenly slapped to the floor, making him groan in pain. Blood trickled down his lips while the right side of his cheek was completely red and swollen, distorting his handsome features.
His body was uncontrollably shaking as he tried to lift his body up. Taking a slap, no matter how weakened from the strongest entity in the continent, was not something a normal man can survive.
Arthur could even feel that some of his bones seemed to be fractured, making it even harder for him even to move his mouth to talk.
"How disgraceful," Arthur coldly uttered as he looked down at Arthur lying at his feet, "You cannot hope to keep up? Is that how my son, the crown prince of the strongest empire in this continent, should talk? Even a wild dog has a stronger spine than you. Reva is two years younger than you and has half the same blood as yours. But look at how different you are from her. Her cultivation is now touching the fifth level of the Sky Ethereal Realm while you couldn't even move your cultivation base forward by an inch after all these months of training."
His eyes showed no pity or guilt at all seeing Arthur lying down on the cold ground and continued as he lifted Arthur up by his robes, "If you cannot hope to keep up, then should I make Damien the next emperor of this empire I inherited from my ancestors and protected using my own blood and sweat just because he was gifted? You can't even match up to your own sister, then how do you expect to match up to some outsider with such a weak spine?"
Feeling wronged, Arthur even started to tear up from all the pain and sadness as he mumbled, "My sister is a goddess not meant to be compared with someone like me. I am only happy to have her surpass me," Arthur's tone contained a tinge of admiration despite being under the angry gaze of his father.
But his response only made Ruthren curl his lips as he said, "How convenient. A perfect excuse so that you can laze around as the crown prince enjoying the luxury and resources you are getting because of being my son. It seems like you lack the right motivation. Then let me give you one."
Arthur's face turned ashen as his features trembled in the apprehension of what Ruthren was about to say.
With a cold smile, Ruthren said, "If you do not breakthrough to the next level within a week, I will cut off your mother's support, and ultimately you would be the one that leads her to death. If you want to save your mother, you know what to do."
Arthur finally turned his gaze towards Ruthren in shock and indignation, but before he could say anything, Ruthren threw him towards the other end of the hall as if he was casually throwing a ball.
Arthur's eyes widened when he found himself shooting towards the hall's sturdy walls and braced himself for the impact.
*Bang!*
Arthur crashed onto the wall and collapsed on the floor, and there was not even a scratch on the hardened walls, but Arthur felt as if his spine was hammered.
"Now get out of my sight and don't show me your face till you fulfill the task I gave you. Go through the side door. I don't want you ruining the days of others with your pathetic face," Ruthren said in a cutting tone as he lifted Arthur off the ground using his ethereal aura and flung him towards a side exit.
Arthur felt like a knife was hanging just above his heart, and with slippery steps, he made his way out of the hall quietly, his face completely ashen though he kind of expected such a thing would have happened whenever he met his father.
As Arthur exited the hall, Ruthren looked towards the door Arthur had left and mumbled with a sigh, "How disappointing."
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