Chapter 56: Royal Banquet
After his cultivation level was raised, Ling Chen was in a very good mood. Next, he should be able to breathe a sigh of relief temporarily.
Of course, this does not mean that Ling Chen can relax. After all, he is still in danger. No one knows who is the mastermind behind the scenes, whether it is the Divine Will Sect or the danger in the hunting ground. But what is certain is that the enemy must be very powerful, there is no doubt about it.
Just as Ling Chen was pondering, a servant walked in from outside.
"Lord Lingchen, the eldest prince invites you to the royal banquet tonight."
The attendant took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Ling Chen.
Now Ling Chen has been conferred the title of Earl, so he calls him "Sir".
Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron. The status of Earl is second only to that of Marquis. In the Kingdom of Wind, only those who have made great contributions can be granted the title of Marquis. It is very rare for Ling Chen to be granted the title of Earl at the age of fifteen.
"A royal banquet?"
Ling Chen took the letter, glanced at it, and put it down. He nodded and said, "Go and report to the eldest prince. I will be there on time for the banquet."
"yes."
The attendant withdrew.
After the attendant left, Ling Chen picked up the letter and read it carefully before putting it away. This royal banquet should be just a gathering of the nobles of the Kingdom of Wind. It doesn't matter whether you attend or not. However, the eldest prince may be the next emperor of the Kingdom of Wind in the future. If you directly reject the invitation from the other party, it would be a disrespect to the future emperor.
Although the power of the imperial court in Tianyuan Continent is limited and far from comparable to that of the sects, there are still many masters in the imperial court. The major martial arts families in the entire Wind Country still respect the royal family as the largest family and hold positions in the imperial court, so it is still a force that cannot be underestimated.
…
The venue of the banquet, named "Cui Yu Tower", is located in the southeast area of the royal capital. Its superior geographical location, prosperous location, and majestic architecture can be said to be second only to the imperial palace, and even in some aspects, it surpasses the imperial palace.
Because the owner behind Cui Yu Tower is none other than the eldest prince himself.
The entire royal capital was built in a magnificent manner, with walls made of huge stones that were five meters square, and arrow towers and formation towers installed on the walls.
The eldest prince's mansion is extremely lively today. All the dignitaries and princes will gather here today. Most of the young warriors who will participate in the hunting should have received invitations.
However, the most distinguished guest today is still the young master of Tianxu Palace, Xu Ruoyan.
"Ling Chen, have you already advanced to the first level of martial artist?"
Ling Chen and Xiao Muyu were riding in the same carriage. She could sense Ling Chen's surging aura, and it seemed that he had already reached the level of a first-level martial artist.
"After using a Void Spirit Pill, it's impossible to return to the original state."
Ling Chen smiled.
“That’s true. With your talent, you would have reached this point long ago if something unexpected hadn’t happened along the way.” Xiao Muyu nodded. Ling Chen’s title of the number one genius in the martial arts world was not an undeserved reputation. In terms of talent, the other three of the so-called four young geniuses of the Shenyi Sect still had a certain gap with Ling Chen.
This turned out to be true.
Ling Chen and Xiao Muyu were sitting in a carriage. Just as they arrived outside Cuiyu Tower, a young man in green clothes, about 27 or 28 years old, came up to them and started talking to Ling Chen.
"It's you, Brother Dai Chao."
Ling Chen recognized the young man in front of him, Dai Chao, who was also a disciple of the Shenyi Sect. However, he had left the sect a few years ago and came to the capital to serve as the person in charge of the Shenyi Sect in the capital.
When Dai Chao was in Shenyi Sect, Ling Chen's father Ling Tianyu was at the peak of his career in Shenyi Sect. So because of Ling Tianyu, Dai Chao and Ling Chen had a very close relationship.
However, because so many things had happened to Ling Chen recently, for a moment he had forgotten that there was such an old acquaintance in the royal capital.
"Junior Brother Ling Chen, Junior Sister Mu Yu, I haven't seen you for several years. You have grown so big. If I hadn't seen you once in the hunting ground, I'm afraid I wouldn't have recognized you."
Dai Chao had a chubby figure and a smile appeared on his face. It seemed that he had not practiced diligently during these years in the royal capital. After all, in such a prosperous and wealthy place, it was difficult to maintain a sincere heart for martial arts.
"Brother, you have changed a lot. After all, we are disciples of the sect. In such a prosperous place, we still need to keep a heart as clear as a mirror."
Ling Chen knew very well that Dai Chao was in such a difficult situation. He gave him a reminder out of kindness. If it were someone else, he would not have said anything unpleasant.
"Junior Brother Ling, you are absolutely right."
Dai Chao was stunned for a moment after hearing Ling Chen's words, and then he nodded solemnly. However, his expression was somewhat complicated, and he sighed, "But it is too difficult to maintain a pure heart of martial arts in such a troubled place."
The capital is such a place of right and wrong. It is the epicentre of power struggles, full of intrigue and deception, and silent murders. Once you have come to such a place, it is impossible to stay clean.
Dai Chao accepted this assignment because he was not doing well in his cultivation.
In response to this, Xiao Muyu nodded. This kind of place is indeed not suitable for cultivation.
“Everything depends on human effort.”
Ling Chen's expression remained calm, and he continued, "The ancients said that small hermits hide in the wild, and great hermits hide in the city. The more such places are, the more they can verify a person's martial arts will."
"You really sound like Sect Master Ling, you are indeed his son." Dai Chao's eyes showed a hint of admiration. "Actually, I went to look for you a few days ago, but I heard that you were practicing in seclusion, so I didn't bother you. I thought you would attend this banquet, so I waited for you here."
"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother."
Ling Chen and Xiao Muyu cupped their hands.
"Let's go in."
Dai Chao led the way and walked into the Cuiyu Building first, and Ling Chen followed.
"Three of you, the Great Prince has prepared a special seat for the two distinguished guests. Please follow me."
As soon as the three of them entered the attic, a maid appeared in front of them.
Following the maid deeper into the building, they came to an attic.
It was a three-story glazed pavilion, but because of its high base, it looked shrouded in mist from a distance, like a pavilion where immortals lived.
Faintly, the sound of stringed instruments and orchestral music could be heard coming from the Jintian Pavilion. It was very pleasant to the ears, like celestial music floating down from the sky.
“This place is truly luxurious.”
Ling Chen and Xiao Muyu could not help but be surprised when they saw the scene before them. This kind of place was a bit too luxurious.
Dai Chao seemed to be indifferent, apparently he had already gotten used to the atmosphere here. He simply found a seat by the window and sat down, then began to look around.
There were about twenty tables of warriors around, most of them were young people, some were dressed gorgeously, and some were wearing uniform martial arts robes. Everyone looked energetic, all of them were martial arts masters, and the lowest level of cultivation was above the seventh level.
In the center of the first floor, ten beautiful women in colorful clothes were dancing gracefully. Their faces were beautiful, just like fairies.
Dai Chao saw Ling Chen staring at the ten dancing beauties, so he leaned towards Ling Chen and laughed softly, "How is it? Could it be that Junior Brother is attracted to them? These beauties are all virgins, and were collected by the owner of Cui Yu Lou from all over the Wind Country and even the other four countries. Their mission is to appear at this large-scale royal banquet and add to the fun."
"This Cuiyu Tower is quite good."
Ling Chen just glanced at the ten beauties and then looked away. These beauties were indeed very good, but no matter how beautiful they were, they were nothing more than a skeleton in disguise.
