Chapter 258

Chapter 258: Talents from All Sects

Li Hui prepared to truly take Su Qing’er into the Mysterious Water Pearl, but suddenly a booming voice called out, “The Noble Concubine has arrived! Disciples from all sects, go to pay your respects!”

“Quickly, the Noble Concubine is here! This esteemed person has won the Emperor’s favor; we must not be negligent.” The practitioners trembled in fear, looking extremely anxious. Among them, a boy of about fifteen in a dragon robe showed clear panic, rushing to leave under the protection of eunuchs, but someone caught the sleeve of his robe.

“You…”

“What do you mean ‘you’?” Li Hui glared, pushing him away with a shove. The young prince of the Grand Xuan Dynasty felt weak and powerless, and several eunuchs around him were guiding him, unable to intervene despite their decent cultivation level.

“Bang…” Su Qing’er kicked him, sending the prince into the formation, and they vaguely heard a scream like a slaughtered pig. Instantly, a golden light burst forth around him, and several eunuchs screamed as they rushed to rescue him.

“Junior Sister, why did you kick him? I was just about to use the Five Ghosts Transportation Talisman to search him.”

“Hmph, you little brat dared to touch my hand; were you enjoying it? And who do you think you are, this green-capped prince? Are you implying I have something going on with you?”

“Hahaha, you’re still young.” Li Hui chuckled while holding Su Qing’er, landing on the ground, noticing ornate beams and pillars with shimmering light, and pairs of sect disciples had already arrived.

Ahead, a jade throne hovered high, with auspicious light surrounding it, and a luxurious figure sat there. Before long, someone helped the dragon-robed prince to sit beside the throne.

Su Qing’er whispered, “Today is the birthday of this toad prince? Could he be the child of Noble Concubine Wan? The Grand Xuan Dynasty once had a hundred sons competing for the throne; how could such a foolish one come about?”

“Whether he’s foolish or not is hard to say; those in the court have unfathomable schemes.” Li Hui didn’t care if this guy was genuinely stupid or not; he wasn’t planning to offer birthday gifts anyway. It was better to enjoy himself instead.

“Disciples from the Shenghua Sect, Han Qingluo and Ma Weiyang, come forward to pay their respects.” A voice like a duck quacked out, and two sharp-looking youth stepped forward.

“How troublesome; they even expect individual salutations.” While Su Qing’er muttered, Li Hui felt a chill run down his spine, sensing a vague and ethereal gaze directed at the two from Shenghua Sect, causing his Fortune Ascending Talisman to quiver lightly.

“Hiss, a measure of their foundation, prying into their fates. Guang Jin is right; they want to carry out a blood sacrifice for the golden boy and jade girl in the Xuantian Road. If they succeed, even if the various sects find out later, they can’t intervene—truly a clever scheme. Daring to act this way just after ascending the throne; it seems the Grand Xuan Dynasty has gained an ambitious figure at the helm.”

“Disciples from Yuan Kui Sect, Luo Benchu and Li Jiner, come forward to pay their respects.” The duck-like voice called out, revealing a tiger-headed, stout boy with blue eyebrows, stumbling out from the crowd, feeling bashful as he turned back, saying, “Senior Sister, hurry! It’s our turn!”

A graceful girl stepped out slowly from behind the crowd, and gasps filled the air: “It’s Li Jiner! She actually came! It’s said she unlocked the Vermilion Bird mark and reached Great Perfection of the Concentrating Spirit stage at twelve, aspiring to develop spiritual sense by the Initial Condense Essence Stage—hence her delay in advancement.”

The crowd murmured, “The Vermilion Bird mark among the Upper Tier Spirit Motion Marks? No wonder her fire-type Dao arts create such a stir; she once defeated several Initial Condense Essence Stage cultivators in the Boundless Sea.”

“What remarkable achievements! Dao arts aren’t something ordinary cultivators can wield; we haven’t even integrated the Five Elements arts yet.”

As the two stepped forward to pay their respects, Li Hui sensed his Fortune Ascending Talisman quivering wildly, as if he saw two massive jade sculptures—the boy’s sculpture was several times more robust than the girl’s. He exclaimed inwardly: “Incredible! These two have extraordinary potential; if they don’t suffer an early demise, Yuan Kui Sect will have limitless prospects.”

He then noticed the person on the throne nodding slightly as Li Jiner and Luo Benchu stepped back. The duck-like voice began calling names again: “From the Heavenly Ghost Sect, Feng Du and the Ghost Blood Dress.”

The green-haired youth and the woman in red stepped forward to pay their respects. Li Hui couldn’t help but think he was seeing things; when the woman in red lifted her head, she seemed to exchange glances with the throne, curling her lips slightly.

Next, the voice called out: “From Aofeng Sect, Su Qing’er and Li Yingjun, come forward to pay your respects.”

Li Hui and Su Qing’er stepped forward; the practitioners naturally didn’t kneel but raised their arms slightly in greeting, when someone behind them commented, “Aofeng Sect is recruiting male disciples? Seems like the first time in fifty years.”

“Hey, who cares about the gender? But this guy looks too young, right? Is he just here to fill a spot? Nobody else at this age has achieved anything except for Li Jiner.”

Feng Du seized the opportunity to embellish, saying, “Who can say otherwise? Our Emperor just ascended, and he didn’t show respect; who doesn’t know that Aofeng Sect has been out of balance, lacking proper etiquette! Only with balance and dual cultivation can the sea area cultivation world flourish. Usually, the offspring of ordinary folks are also mediocre. Even if they can cultivate, they won’t reach greater heights.”

“Speaking of which, the two from Aofeng Sect aren’t lacking in appearance. This young lad will definitely attract attention when he grows up; with so many beauties in Aofeng Sect, isn’t it unfair for him?”

Li Hui puffed out his chest, thinking, “Finally, someone noticed my looks. Those who didn’t are all blind.”

“Boom…” The Fortune Ascending Talisman shook, and a distant gaze swept over, causing Su Qing’er’s aura to retract suddenly.

“Don’t pull back! I’m counting on you to cover for me!” Li Hui felt his heart rising to his throat, quickly lowering himself and blending in, appearing just like any ordinary cultivator. What fate? He had none! As for fortune, it was best left for others to possess! Even if he had some, he couldn’t reveal it, afraid it would scare a few people to death.

The person seated on the jade throne leaned in to listen, and after a moment, spoke, “It seems Aofeng Sect doesn’t take the Emperor’s decree seriously. The Xuantian Road grand ceremony is not a joke! It requires outstanding golden boys and jade girls. I’ve heard Aofeng Sect hasn’t recruited male disciples in over fifty years, so they are hastily meeting numbers, which surely displeases His Majesty.”

The Ghost Blood Dress suddenly stepped forward and knelt, saying, “Noble Concubine, please allow me to report. Aofeng Sect does not adhere to etiquette. They were previously rude to the prince, and since arriving in our Grand Xuan, they have acted without restraint. As the chief of the merits department, I request punishment for these two.”

Li Hui exhaled onto his seal ring, rubbing it against his sleeve, thinking, “I’ve gathered materials as best as I could on the way. It’s a shame that I still lack many; the Deputy Inspector General’s Official Robe is indeed hard to craft. I wonder what difficulties lie ahead if my official rank rises and I want to complete the robe.”

When the Ghost Blood Dress spoke, Li Hui clearly heard her, but he acted as if she didn’t exist, raising his sharp brows and bursting into laughter, “Hahaha, I say, Noble Concubine, the person behind you wants to pry into my and Junior Sister’s fortunes. Isn’t that treating our Aofeng Sect with disdain?”

The figure on the jade throne slightly trembled.

“Don’t shake! Let’s see how this goes in person.” Li Hui smiled slightly; he had just huffed at the seal ring and turned off the hidden function.

An unseen gaze swept over, and suddenly golden light shot up from the top of his head, with hidden dragons and tigers intertwining, a shower of brilliance cascading down, revealing arrays of chime stones, conch shells, and jade tripods, all dazzling and countless.

“This… how is this possible? Establishing a sect, a sect leader’s aura!” someone in the shadows gasped.