"Well, if you have nothing to talk about, I shall take my leave." Shen Haoran stood up, preparing to leave.
"Ah, young master, please wait." The King raised his hand, "We actually prepared a banquet for you and we hope you can attend."
"Banquet?" Shen Haoran frowned.
He actually has no interest on such things. It wasn't because he feels like this level of banquet is beneath him, but simply because he finds banquet in general a complete and utter waste of time.
Why would you spend precious time mingling on fake people for fake relationship?
However, thinking that he might some protagonist, a villain, or even a heroine, he decided to accept.
"Very well. Lead the way."
The king immediately brightened as he motioned Shen Haoran to follow him.
On the way, Haoran called out to Qinq'er, who he had sent to investigate the city, through telepathy.
It's pretty much an ability for anyone at Qi Gathering and above, where they would send out their thoughts infused with Qi to certain individuals.
The area is limited to the amount of Qi they possessed, and those who are incredibly powerful can also pick up these telepathic messages, so it isn't really that useful.
Of course, with Qing'er, who was a Saint, preventing anyone from picking up these messages is easy.
'Qing'er, status.'
At this moment, flying above the clouds directly above the Ogre Academy, Qinq'er was observing the so-called Ogre Seven train by carrying boulders and running.
She couldn't help but wonder how that would help them. Although it is useful for Body Refining Stage, but that's it.
Is this Grandmaster Yu truly the most knowledgeable man in Eastern Region? Are people from Eastern Region this dumb?
She didn't think much of it as she answered, '...I don't know what to say about the kid, Tang Shan, young master, he seems to be hiding something. But I can feel a Spirit Ascension Realm expert observing and seems to be protecting Tang Shan.'
'Oh?' Surprising, but not that much.
If this Tang Shan was really a protagonist, he wondered what his cheats are? Could he be from some 'powerful' family sent in this backwater place to protect him?
Or maybe he has a childhood sweetheart who was from a powerful family and fell in love with him? Sending an expert to protect him.
'And also...' Qing'er added, interrupting Haoran's thoughts, 'There seems to be a reincarnated Demon Beasts accompanying them, and seems to be very close to Tang Shan.'
'... Reincarnated Demon Beast?'
As the name implies, they are reincarnations of demonic beasts who are on the verge of dying, chosing to abandon their beast blood and reincarnate as a human to once again cultivate.
Demon Beasts who have done this are hated by other Demon Beasts and are to be hunted down, at the same time, Humans would also hunt them because their bloods and bones can be used to refine pills and artifacts.
'Interesting...'
"We have arrived, young master." The king motioned Shen Haoran towards the open double doors.
Shen Haoran stepped inside, and the golden chandeliers of the royal banquet hall flickered, casting a warm, amber glow over a scene of desperate opulence.
King Cao Meng had spared no expense, probably draining the royal treasury to provide a spread of spiritual fruits, roasted demon-beast meats, and vintage wines that had been aging since the previous dynasty.
Dancers moved like fluid silk to the melody of flutes, their veils fluttering in the air, yet the atmosphere remained thick with an underlying tension.
Shen Haoran sat at the head of the crescent-shaped table, his posture relaxed and his gaze distant.
To the nobles of Cao Yin, he was a god in human form, a figure so far above them that even his silence felt like a heavy weight.
King Cao Meng stood nearby, his face flushed from both wine and nerves. He raised a crystalline goblet, his voice booming to command the attention of the crowded hall.
"My lords, ladies, and esteemed cultivators of Cao Yin! Today, our humble kingdom is graced by a star from the Heavens. Let us drink to the health and prosperity of Young Master Shen Haoran, a genius of the Central Region, who has come to witness our modest martial displays! To the Young Master!"
"To the Young Master!" the crowd roared in unison, a chorus of forced jubilation.
Haoran took a shallow sip of his wine, the red liquid staining the glass. He didn't stand, nor did he acknowledge the toast with more than a faint, rhythmic drum of his fingers against the table.
"Young Master," King Cao whispered, leaning in with a hopeful smile. "How do you find the vintage? It is a 'Phoenix-Blood' grape, grown in the spirit-rich soil of our southern valleys."
Haoran swirled the wine, watching the legs of the liquid cling to the glass.
"Adequate," he murmured.
It was the highest praise he was willing to give to a drink that, back in the Central Region, he would have used to wash the hooves of his spirit-steed.
The King's smile faltered, but he nodded frantically. "Adequate! Yes, of course. I am glad it meets your... minimal standards."
Beside the King sat Ning Xiao, the Patriarch of the Ning Family. He was a man of sharp features and calculating eyes, but even he felt like a child in the presence of Haoran's aura.
He attempted to pivot the conversation toward a subject he took pride in. "Young Master, having seen the preparations for our Regional Tournament, what is your initial assessment of our local talents? How do our best youths compare to those you've seen in the Central Region?"
Haoran tilted his head back, his golden hair cascading over the back of the chair as he let out a soft, dry laugh.
"Trash."
The word was a needle popping a balloon.
The music seemed to skip a beat. The dancers faltered, and the smiles of the surrounding nobles froze into masks of horrified disbelief.
The silence that followed was so heavy it felt as if the ceiling were slowly descending.
Haoran didn't blink. He looked directly at Ning Xiao, his eyes devoid of cruelty, possessing only the cold, hard clarity of a diamond. "Are you dissatisfied? Please, do not take it to heart; I am merely stating a biological fact. In the Imperial Capital, and even in the border-cities of the Central Region, youths of twenty are expected to be at the Peak of Foundation Establishment at a minimum. To be nineteen and merely at the 1st Stage of Foundation Building is not 'genius.' It is barely acceptable for a servant."
Ning Xiao's face paled. He thought of his daughter and her prodigal friend, Tang Shan, along with the rest of the Ogre Seven.
He thought of the decades of resources they had poured into them, only to have that effort dismissed as 'servant-level' by a peer was a blow that shook the very foundations of his pride.
"Is... is that truly the case?" he managed to stammer. "The gap is... that wide?"
"As wide as the heaven and earth," Haoran said, leaning forward. "Something you probably couldn't imagine."
Ning Xiao gulped. Was this region really this far behind the Central Region? They couldn't really imagine it.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if no one dared to even breathe.
But at that moment, the doors of the hall opened, and Ning Xueli stepped inside, finally breaking the suffocating atmosphere.
Everyone watched as she moved through the crowd with the grace of a trained warrior, her eyes scanning the hall until they landed on her father.
She looked out of place in her training leathers amidst the silks of the banquet, but her presence was undeniable.
"Father," she said, ignoring the heavy air. "Why did you summon me? I was in the middle of a tactical formation with the others. The tournament is only days away."
Ning Xiao finally snapped out of his daze after seeing his daughter as he stood up, his voice hushed but urgent. "Daughter, forget the training for a moment. Come and pay your respects. This is Young Master Shen Haoran, from the Central Region."
Xueli's gaze shifted to the man sitting in the most center seat that normally would've been reserved for the king.
Her heart skipped a beat. No, it wasn't because she got hit by Cupid's Arrow and was smitten by his appearance, but because he looked so harmless!
She couldn't feel that arrogance and pride that a genius like her Brother Tang Shan have on him, it was as if he was simply an ordinary person...
And she finds that even more terrifying. Because it was as if he was telling her that they don't exist on the same dimension!
"...Central Region?" she whispered. "So it was your ship."
Haoran observed her. Beautiful, almost comparable to Huo Yue, with a figure that was also a match to his fiancée's.
He smiled, revealing a thin, elegant curve of the lips, and extended a hand. "Greetings, Miss Ning. Your father speaks highly of your talent."
He didn't, but he was just being polite.
Xueli blinked, stunned by his sudden politeness.
She had prepared herself for a sneering, arrogant noble, as if the world belongs to him, but Haoran's voice was as smooth as velvet.
She reached out and took his hand, her palm meeting his. His skin was cool, yet she felt a thrumming power beneath it that made her own Qi recoil in fear.
"Greetings, Young Master Shen," she replied, her voice steadying. "I am Ning Xueli."
Ning Xiao and the King exchanged a quick, knowing glance.
"Well," Ning Xiao said, clearing his throat. "I still have several logistical matters to discuss with His Majesty regarding the tournament seating. Xueli, why don't you keep the Young Master company? Explain our local customs to him."
The two elders beat a hasty retreat, leaving Xueli standing alone before the throne.
She felt a twitch in her cheek.
'Cowards,' she thought. 'they're using me as a diplomatic shield. You damn old man, once I take over the clan I'll kick you out and make you live on the streets!'
"Please, take a seat," Haoran said, gesturing to the chair Ning Xiao had just vacated.
He poured a fresh glass of wine and handed it to her with a grace that felt entirely natural.
Xueli hesitated, then sat. She took a sip of the wine, the sweetness doing little to calm her nerves.
"So, young master Shen, may I ask what have you come here in this humble kingdom?" she asked, trying to find her footing.
"Your King invited me to witness the tournament," Haoran replied. "Though your father seems concerned I will find it... lacking."
Xueli set the glass down. "We are confident. My academy, the Ogre Academy, has a unique bond. And Brother Shan and Boss Bai have already reached the Foundation Establishment realm. In our history, no team has ever entered the tournament with two such powerhouses."
"Oh? Impressive," Haoran said. His voice was flat, the word 'impressive' sounding like a hollow shell.
Xueli's eyes flashed. "You don't sound impressed at all. Brother Shan is barely Nineteen. Even in the Central Region, wouldn't someone who breaks into Foundation Building at that age be considered a genius?"
Haoran didn't answer immediately. He set his glass on the table and stood up, his towering frame casting a shadow over her.
He turned his gaze. He didn't look at the banquet, or the King, or the dancers. He looked toward the balcony, where the sun bathed the palace grounds.
"A genius?" Haoran murmured, turning his gaze back to her. "Miss Ning, words are cheap. Why don't you accompany me for a walk? I find the air in this hall to be... stagnant."
Xueli was confused, her mind spinning with a dozen questions, but she found herself standing up as if pulled by an invisible thread.
There was a magnetic pull to him, a gravity that she couldn't resist. "Where are we going?"
"To see if your 'Brother Shan' is truly a dragon," Haoran said, walking toward the balcony, "or just an ant that has learned to climb a slightly taller blade of grass."