Ling Fan relayed the intelligence he had gathered to Xue Yi, and also gave her detailed explanations of the taboos and key matters to pay attention to in the Martial King battlefield.
Seeing Ling Fan's meticulous and repeated emphasis, Xue Yi smiled charmingly and said, "Alright, I know. When did you become so naggy? It's not like you."
Ling Fan put on a stern face and said, "Be serious! Although the Martial King battlefield is not particularly difficult for you, there are still many potential dangers. Moreover, the greatest danger may not come from other Martial King powerhouses, but from the battlefield itself. Never underestimate it; bloodline cannot determine everything."
"Mm."
Xue Yi nodded upon seeing Ling Fan's seriousness.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
Xue Yi wanted to drag Ling Fan to stroll through the capital city of Tianyun Kingdom.
However, Princess Xi Yue appeared early in the morning to visit them.
"Sister Xi Yue, is something the matter?" Xue Yi asked.
"Sister Xue Yi, I've come to invite you to accompany me to the Kings' Banquet," Xi Yue said with a smile.
"Kings' Banquet?"
"Yes, it's the Kings' Banquet. You might not know, but before each Martial King battlefield opens, Tianyun Kingdom organizes a grand banquet for all the Giant Spirit realm kings participating in the Martial King battlefield."
"The purpose of this Kings' Banquet is to bid farewell, to boost morale, and also to allow all the young Martial Kings of Tianyun Kingdom to get to know each other, so that they can help each other and unite against outsiders once they enter the Martial King battlefield, thereby reducing internal friction."
"Xue Yi, the Martial King battlefield can be fraught with peril. One cannot reach the end solely through individual strength. Therefore, when necessary, alliances must be formed. The best allies would naturally be our own people from Tianyun Kingdom, not those from the other three six-star martial arts kingdoms." Princess Xi Yue stated.
Xue Yi nodded slightly, agreeing with Princess Xi Yue's words. She glanced at Ling Fan and, seeing no objection from him, said, "Thank you, Sister Xi Yue, for coming to inform me. When does the Kings' Banquet begin?"
"This evening!" Xi Yue replied.
"Ling Fan, you should come along too. After all, if I take your wife away like this, I fear you might not be at ease. Your sister Xue Yi is so beautiful that she'll be the center of attention wherever she goes, and there will surely be admirers flocking to her. It would be better for you to be her protector. What do you think?" Princess Xi Yue looked at Ling Fan and said.
Ling Fan replied, "Alright."
The venue for the Kings' Banquet was the Lingyin Courtyard on Linghui Mountain, southeast of Tianyun Royal City. The Lingyin Courtyard belonged to a prince of the Tianyun royal family. This Kings' Banquet was initiated and organized by this prince, and in many ways, it represented the will of the Tianyun royal family.
That evening.
Ling Fan and Xue Yi, accompanied by Princess Xi Yue, arrived at the Lingyin Courtyard. The other Giant Spirit realm geniuses from Yaoyue Kingdom, as well as the arrogant Kou Wei, were also present. Kou Wei, who had been walking with his head held high and a proud demeanor, immediately looked uneasy upon seeing Ling Fan. When he saw the toad following behind Ling Fan, his expression became even more unnatural, as if he were a frost-bitten eggplant, wilting instantly.
"Yo, it's you, kid. Last time you sent Elder Mo a Skywing Mountain Eagle, what good stuff are you preparing to send Elder Mo this time?" Mo Dazui looked at Kou Wei askance.
Kou Wei quickly lowered his head and said obsequiously, "Esteemed Demon Venerable, please don't joke with this humble one. With my meager possessions, how could I possibly catch your eye?"
"That's true. With your kind of caliber, I wouldn't even want you as my human pet; you're too stupid and clumsy," the toad said.
"Yes, yes!" Kou Wei dared not retort, lowering his head even further, a flicker of jealousy and hatred flashing in his eyes.
As soon as they entered the Lingyin Courtyard, Kou Wei found an excuse and left alone. When Princess Xi Yue asked him the reason, he vaguely brushed it off. Princess Xi Yue assumed he was afraid of the toad behind Ling Fan and didn't think much of it.
The banquet was held on an island in the middle of a lake. A long corridor bridge, reflected on the rippling lake surface, led to this elegant and secluded island. One by one, Giant Spirit realm geniuses and their protectors passed through the corridor bridge, arrived at the island, and took their seats.
Ling Fan and Xue Yi sat at a table with Princess Xi Yue. They ate snacks while waiting for the banquet to begin.
Soon.
After all the Giant Spirit realm geniuses participating in the Martial King battlefield had arrived, a young man wearing a jade crown and a python robe, surrounded by a group of powerful figures, appeared at the banquet.
"Kou Wei!" Princess Xi Yue exclaimed softly. Among the many surrounding figures, she saw Kou Wei.
At this moment, Kou Wei also noticed them and cast an extremely smug glance in their direction. Especially when his gaze swept over Ling Fan, a hint of malice appeared in his eyes. He bowed and said something to a young man in front of him, who bore a slight resemblance to him and wore a golden crow and red sun robe. The young man in the golden crow and red sun robe frowned slightly, and two sharp gazes fell upon Ling Fan. Sensing Ling Fan's cultivation fluctuation at the peak of the Heavenly Origin realm, disdain flashed in his eyes. Only when he saw the toad did surprise and apprehension appear in his eyes. He then withdrew his gaze and continued to walk behind the young man in the python robe who was at the very front.
"Is this the Sixth Prince of Tianyun Kingdom? What a powerful aura. He's not much older than us, but his cultivation has reached at least the late stage of the Giant Spirit realm!"
"The Sixth Prince truly has boundless prospects! I heard that the Sixth Prince's status within the Tianyun royal family is second only to the Crown Prince of Tianyun, and he is destined to be a peerless genius who will enter the Core Formation realm in the future."
"It seems the Sixth Prince will also participate in this Martial King battlefield. With his status, position, and strength, he is undoubtedly the leader of Tianyun Kingdom in this Martial King battlefield. We should try to curry favor with him later, hoping to receive some care from him once we enter the Martial King battlefield."
"Heh, we probably don't even have the qualifications to directly curry favor with the Sixth Prince himself, but perhaps we can curry favor with some of his direct followers behind him." The geniuses whispered amongst themselves.
At Ling Fan's table, a genius from Yaoyue Kingdom pointed to the man in the golden crow robe whom Kou Wei was following and said, "Isn't this the Crown Prince of Dongri Kingdom, Yamano Ichiro, whom Young Master Kou always talks about?"
"It should be!"
"That's great! This Yamano Ichiro seems to be a direct follower of the Sixth Prince. Young Master Kou is clinging to his cousin's leg, which is equivalent to indirectly clinging to the Sixth Prince's leg. This is a very strong connection!"
"Tsk tsk, I need to beg Young Master Kou to take care of me later!" the Yaoyue Kingdom geniuses discussed. One of them even deliberately glanced at Ling Fan. They knew about the feud between Ling Fan and Kou Wei and thought to themselves that now that Young Master Kou was so impressive, this kid would have a hard time later!
"Esteemed guests are all the proud talents of our Tianyun Kingdom, some from the Tianyun royal family, some from the Seven Great Martial Venerable families, as well as major Void Core families and affiliated five-star martial arts kingdoms. This humble prince hopes that once you enter the Martial King battlefield, you will all work together with one heart, unite against outsiders, strive for your own opportunities, and also bring glory to our Tianyun Kingdom!" After the Sixth Prince, dressed in a python robe, delivered a concise opening speech, the Kings' Banquet officially began.
Delicious dishes were served like a flowing stream.
Halfway through the wine, the Sixth Prince proposed a martial arts display to liven up the atmosphere. At the same time, it was also an opportunity to deepen the understanding between these geniuses through sparring, so that they could cooperate better once they entered the Martial King battlefield. This proposal was immediately met with enthusiastic responses from many geniuses. One after another, geniuses took the stage to spar, fully displaying their strength and talent to the Sixth Prince. Even Xue Yi was challenged several times. The outcome was predictable. With Xue Yi's talent and strength, there were basically few among the geniuses present who could match her. Even the Sixth Prince, with his late-stage Giant Spirit realm cultivation, might not be able to defeat Xue Yi. Such formidable strength, coupled with Xue Yi's exquisite beauty and transcendent demeanor, immediately attracted countless admiring glances.
After a series of spars, many powerful geniuses emerged. Besides the brilliantly shining Xue Yi, the Sixth Prince's followers, such as the Crown Prince of Dongri Kingdom, Yamano Ichiro, Xu Fangbo of the Xu family among the Seven Great Martial Venerable families, Xu Siyuan of the Xu family, and Lu Qinglong of the Lu family, also displayed their formidable strength.
The Sixth Prince looked at Xue Yi, his eyes filled with admiration. After a while, he reluctantly withdrew his gaze. He clapped his hands and said, "It is truly a blessing for Tianyun Kingdom to have such proud talents. I believe that in this Martial King battlefield, our Tianyun Kingdom will surely be able to suppress the other three six-star martial arts kingdoms and achieve unprecedented success!" With that, the Sixth Prince raised his cup. Many geniuses also raised their cups in return.
After drinking a cup of wine, the Crown Prince of Dongri Kingdom, Yamano Ichiro, suddenly bowed to the Sixth Prince and said, "Your Highness, everyone has enjoyed the Kings' Banquet very much, and the sparring has been exhilarating. However, I seem to have discovered an outsider who has infiltrated this banquet. It is this person who has left an indelible stain on this Kings' Banquet, which could have been recorded in history."
"Oh?" The Sixth Prince narrowed his eyes. Yamano Ichiro pointed at Ling Fan and said, "It is precisely this person!"
"Whoosh!" Following Yamano Ichiro's指, all eyes immediately fell upon Ling Fan.