CHAPTER 471: 471 CROWN PRINCE HOSTS BANQUET

With Yun Xiao’s understanding of the Mixed Element One Qi Body, bolstered by the support of the Mixed Element Grass, there were no surprises in Ling Wan’s breakthrough. In the span of a day and a night, he had broken through to the early-stage level of the Meridian Union Realm.

Moreover, with Yun Xiao’s methods, Ling Wan, upon reaching the early stage of the Meridian Union Realm, had acquired some new methods of attack. It was believed that he would certainly astonish people at the time of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference.

After aiding Ling Wan in his breakthrough, Yun Xiao did not rest but immediately went to find Mo Qing. When he had returned the day before, he had already noticed something about Mo Qing.

The cultivation of the Pure Yang Immortal Body had clearly hit a bottleneck, leading to no breakthroughs in Mo Qing’s cultivation over the past six months.

However, Yun Xiao had already dug out some things from the Golden Snake Worm and, with the help of the Ancestral Vein Fire of the Blood Moon Jade, Mo Qing also made a breakthrough to the late stage of the Meridian Union Realm two days later.

And with the strength of Mo Qing’s Pure Yang Immortal Body, if he were to face Li Yue from Qingshan Sect again, he probably would not fall short as before; even the Golden Snake Worm was astounded by such a physique meant for immortals.

The successive breakthroughs of Ling Wan and Mo Qing brought not only surprise and joy to Yu Shu and the Great Elder of the Jade Pot Sect, but also intense envy among the younger Inner Sect Disciples.

The disciples all knew that the two, who hadn’t had breakthroughs for half a year, managed to break through as soon as Yun Xiao returned. It wasn’t hard to guess whose merit it was.

Some disciples even beat their chests and stamped their feet in regret for not having cemented relations with Yun Xiao earlier; otherwise, they might have had the same fortune as Mo Qing and Ling Wan.

Unfortunately, this was not something that could be earned by mere envy; indeed, as the Inner Sect Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect had guessed, Yun Xiao had a good relationship with these two, and thus spared no effort to help them through their breakthroughs. As for others, he did not have that much energy to spare.

With only two more days until the start of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, the visitors to Baiyue City became even more numerous, and the Xuanyue Imperial City was teeming with a mixture of all sorts. The Xuanyue Army, tasked with maintaining public order, was hard-pressed indeed.

Tens of thousands of young geniuses from the major empires of the Hidden Dragon Continent arrived, along with their accompanying Sect Elders. If Baiyue City wasn’t built to accommodate such a large number of people, it would have been packed to the brim.

These geniuses and elders from the various empires often held grudges against each other. Even with the Xuanyue Army maintaining order, many conflicts erupted at the slightest provocation.

Although the Xuanyue Army would not intervene unless there was a risk of fatality, the frequency of bloodshed continued to escalate. The imperial prisons of the Xuanyue Empire were likely to overflow before long.

Two days prior to the start of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, in the early morning hours, Yun Xiao received an invitation. When he saw the signature at the bottom of the invitation, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding? Inviting me to a gathering?"

Yun Xiao had a peculiar look on his face. He didn’t have much of a relationship with Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding of the Xuanyue Empire; moreover, because of the incident with the Dragon Taming Sword previously enclosed in the wooden box, there had been quite an unpleasant episode.

Yet now, Xuan Jiuding had sent him an invitation to attend some gathering, and Yun Xiao couldn’t help but find it odd.

This Crown Prince was not an easy character; even with Yun Xiao’s wisdom from his reincarnation, he had nearly fallen prey to the prince’s schemes in the past—a formidable individual indeed.

Nonetheless, Yun Xiao, now having broken through to the early stage of the Meridian Union Realm, did not fear the Crown Prince too much. Besides, since it was a gathering, it was unlikely that he would be attacked in plain view, right?

The saying goes, "The braver the artist, the greater the courage." In an instant, Yun Xiao decided to find out what trickery Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding was playing. As he stepped out the door, two recognizable figures were standing outside.

"Did you both also receive an invitation from the Crown Prince?"

Seeing Mo Qing and Ling Wan outside the door, and the familiar invitations they held, Yun Xiao immediately understood and asked with a smile.

"Mhm!"

Mo Qing nodded slightly and said with implication: "It’s said that the Crown Prince has invited all the geniuses from the Xuanyue Empire participating in the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference. The location is at the Heavenly Moon Pavilion, in the Heavenly Number One building!"

"Heavenly Moon Pavilion’s Number One building?"

Hearing this somewhat familiar name, Yun Xiao remembered the event that he and Sect Master Yu Shu had attended, the birthday feast for Xuan Haoran; wasn’t it held in that very building?

"Let’s go, let us see just what medicine the Crown Prince is selling in his gourd," said Yun Xiao with a light laugh, walking towards the exit of the Jade Pot Courtyard. The two behind him, unaware of his past dealings with Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding, promptly followed him quickly.

The city of Baiyue remained bustling with excitement, and the three of them, knowing their way around, soon found Heavenly Moon Pavilion. Now, the pavilion was packed to the brim with influential figures from the major empires.

Of course, the strong and the geniuses from various empires were accommodated in the buildings marked with the character for "earth" or "human." As for the highest grade buildings marked with the character for "heaven," these were reserved for the Xuanyue Imperial Family, to entertain some distinguished guests.

Especially Building Heaven Number One, not only could it house esteemed guests, but it also served for singing, dancing, and banquets. For instance, today, it had already been decorated magnificently, a stark contrast to when Yun Xiao was here previously, demonstrating a completely different state.

By the time Yun Xiao and his companions arrived, it was almost noon, and inside the pavilion, the noise from the crowd was already booming. Apart from seeing a few familiar faces, they did not recognize anyone else.

The one seated in the most prominent position was none other than the current Crown Prince of the Xuanyue Empire, Xuan Jiuding. When he caught sight of the three people entering the room, a flash of imperceptible sharpness swept through his eyes, and he promptly stood up.

"Ha ha, Brother Yun Xiao, Miss Mo Qing, your Jade Pot Sect has arrived a bit late!"

This Crown Prince seemed to bear no grudge for past events, and instead let out a loud laugh, drawing the attention of everyone in the pavilion to the three newcomers immediately.

"Is that the Jade Pot Sect’s newly acclaimed top genius? How come he is only at the Early Stage of Meridian Union?"

That was the first thought everyone had upon seeing Yun Xiao, and following this revelation, most people’s gazes were filled with disdain, with their attention shifting to Mo Qing instead.

Mo Qing of the present was a genuine Late Stage Meridian Union Realm Cultivator. Although her realm was still somewhat unstable, she was very pleasant to look at, and more worthy of attention than the two Early Stage Meridian Union Realm cultivators beside her.

However, a number of gazes remained focused on Yun Xiao. One of them belonged to Li Yue, the number one genius of the Qingshan Sect. The look he gave Yun Xiao was filled with gritted teeth.

It’s worth mentioning that the other two geniuses of the Qingshan Sect were not present. Presumably, one was kicked into severe injuries by Yun Xiao, and the other had an arm severed. Even if it could be reattached, their cultivation would likely be greatly diminished.

As for the other hostile gazes, Yun Xiao found them somewhat inexplicable, as he was sure he had no dealings with those fellows. There must be some unknown factors at play here.

"Heh heh, Brother Yun Xiao, since you’ve arrived so late, you’ll have to put up with temporarily sitting near the door for now!"

Xuan Jiuding had a smile on his face, but his words made everyone ponder, with Mo Qing’s face showing anger.

"Crown Prince, our Jade Pot Sect is, after all, one of the empire’s three great sects. Is this where you arrange for us to sit?"

Mo Qing gestured with her hand toward a narrow space by the door, and what she said was true - having the talent of one of the top three sects sitting there was clearly an insult.

Although Mo Qing was unaware of the unpleasant past between Yun Xiao and Xuan Jiuding, she remembered vividly the incident where Xuan Zhi, in collusion with Sect Elder Yan Chun, snatched the sect treasure of the Jade Pot Sect.

So, instinctively, Mo Qing did not have much fondness for the Crown Prince. Inviting them grandly today, only to arrange such seating, was something she could not accept in the spur of the moment.

"Miss Mo Qing, it’s not that I, the Crown Prince, am unkind; it is truly because you arrived too late. Well, how about this..."

A sharp light once again flickered in Xuan Jiuding’s eyes. He pointed beside him and said, "This Brother Song Yi from the Song Family is close to me, I can give up a seat for you. As for Yun Xiao and that brother, I’m afraid they’ll have to make do!"

The man the Crown Prince pointed to was a young man with a soft and sinister demeanor. However, with those words, Mo Qing understood who he was; this person must be the number one genius of the Song Family from one of the three great families of the Imperial City: Song Yi!

The Song Family stood at the top of the three great families of the Imperial City, and like the Guan Family where the Guan brothers were from, they always acted in support of the Royal Family, or rather, they were confidantes of this Crown Prince.

These past years, Crown Prince Xuan Jiuding had not only seized control of the Empire’s Xuantie Army but also made every effort to court the powerful clans and forces in the Empire to lay the foundation for his future control.

To be honest, Xuan Jiuding harbored no ill will towards Mo Qing. The one he truly abhorred was Yun Xiao alone. This youngster from a minor family had spoiled his plans several times and almost capsized his ship in the gutter. Were it not for inopportune timing, he would have gladly killed Yun Xiao to relieve his anger.

The purpose of today’s banquet, apart from Xuan Jiuding’s personal considerations, was to oppress and humiliate Yun Xiao. The arrangement of seating was just a small appetizer.

"Please, Miss Mo Qing!"

Song Yi naturally had no objections to Xuan Jiuding’s instructions. Perhaps this had been prearranged between them. As the latter finished speaking, Song Yi elegantly stood up, his words extremely polite.

"You..."

Seeing this, Mo Qing was even more furious. With her temperament, how could she possibly sit at the high table alone, leaving Yun Xiao and Ling Wan in this remote corner? But at this moment, she was too agitated to know how to retort, her face flushing with urgency.

"Tsks tsk, it seems the Crown Prince is determined to split our Jade Pot Sect in two!"