The grand golden halls of the Aurelian Spear Kingdom were opened the following day to host a royal banquet. The tournant to decide the fate of Princess Jinling would officially start the day after and the royal palace was entirely packed with thousands of guests who had co to watch the fights and engage in the festivities.
Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceilings and cast a warm glow over the endless rows of banquet tables. The tables themselves were loaded with premium spiritual fruits, roasted beasts and delicate pastries that radiated nourishing Qi. The expansive courtyards and open pavilions provided a great chance for people to mingle with one another. Young cultivators used the opportunity to establish relationships and of course show off their wealth and power to anyone who would pay attention.
There were exactly one hundred and twenty eight people actually entered into the marriage tournant. Every single suitor was male but there were a lot of girls around as well that have co to watch. Female disciples from various sects and noble daughters from distant empires wandered through the golden halls in stunning silk dresses or their own battle armor depending on their own preference.
They mingled together and got to know one another while evaluating the vast talent pool gathered in one single place. They ford small cliques and whispered behind silk fans as they judged the competitors like prized spiritual beasts at an auction. Everyone debated pedigrees, cultivation bases and physical appearances with ruthless efficiency.
Li Yu walked through the crowded banquet hall with Zhan Chen by his side. He wore a simple but elegant dark robe that contrasted heavily with the bright gold of the kingdom. Li Yu simply held a cup of spirit wine and observed the chaotic energy of the room and missed the smaller taverns and inns he would visit on his travels before. A group of musicians played a soft and uplifting lody in the corner but the sound was almost drowned out by the overlapping conversations.
"There is an incredible amount of talent here." Li Yu comnted as he took a sip of wine. "I have never seen so many King realm cultivators in one room before."
"There really is." Zhan Chen agreed while scanning the crowd. "The royal family put out the call and the Myriad Realms answered. I have been reading the preliminary lists and gathering intelligence on the frontrunners. We need to know exactly who our juniors are facing." As always Zhan Chen took his duty as heir very seriously. Even going so far to help them and act as a match maker almost.
Zhan Chen pointed toward a large young man standing near a table piled high with roasted at. The youth had thick arms and wore heavy iron gauntlets that humd with dense Qi. This was Zhan Feng. He was the best chance the Zhan Clan had in this tournant. He was brash and direct but incredibly skilled in close combat. Zhan Feng laughed loudly and slamd his gauntlets together to emphasize a point he was making to a group of admirers. The impact sent a visible shockwave through the air and rattled the nearby wine glasses.
"Feng is strong." Zhan Chen noted with a proud smile. "He lacks subtlety but his physical foundation is great. He will undoubtedly crush his early opponents."
Li Yu nodded in agreent. The Zhan Clan body refiner was a walking battering ram. He represented the brute force of their lineage. A sudden gust of fragrant wind swept through the center of the hall and drew a large crowd of female admirers.
A young man with flowing hair and immaculate green silk robes stepped into the pavilion. He held an intricate folding fan that radiated wind Qi. This was Young Master Su Chen. He was the heir of the Verdant Gale Sect. His faction wielded power that was roughly on the sa level as the kingdom itself and he was incredibly showy. He cared deeply about his face and public perception.
"Su Chen is dangerous." Zhan Chen warned as he watched the heir flirt with the gathering crowd. "His wind arts are fast and his sect spares no expense in providing him with defensive treasures."
Li Yu watched Su Chen casually flick his fan to create a beautiful miniature tornado that danced across the polished marble floor. It picked up fallen flower petals and spun them in a vibrant display. It was a simple act to show off but the girls around him cheered in delight while Li Yu shook his head and looked away.
His eyes landed on a stark contrast standing near a cold stone pillar. The man was completely silent and wore plain grey robes that had seen years of travel. His hands were heavily calloused and his aura felt like an iron block. This was Iron Fist ng. He was a wandering rogue cultivator who had no background at all.
He had built his foundation and clawed his way to the King realm entirely on his own and of course the friends he made along the way. He survived by hunting dangerous bounties across the lawless territories and venturing into deadly ruins. ng did not mingle or show off. He remained stoic and reserved while keeping his eyes locked on the exits. He treated the banquet hall exactly like a hostile battlefield.
"That rogue cultivator has killed more n than most of the nobles in this room combined." Zhan Chen said quietly. "He fights to survive and he never wastes a movent."
Li Yu respected that kind of silent lethality, it reminded him of the pragmatic nature of the Freeblade Alliance. ng was a man who understood how tough the world can be when you are on your own.
A sharp crack of thunder echoed from the eastern balcony. Li Yu turned and saw a highly aggressive young man covered in sparks. Heir Lei belonged to a prominent lightning aspect clan. He possessed a famously volatile temper and relied on overwhelming speed and explosive power. He was currently arguing with a server about the quality of the wine and the air around him crackled with dangerous electricity. Lei looked like he wanted to pick a fight before the tournant even began and the other guests gave him a wide berth to avoid his temper.
Standing directly opposite of Heir Lei was a young man who seed completely unbothered by the noise. Prince Xue of the Glacial Peak stood near a fountain with a glass of water in his hand. He was a foreign noble who radiated a cold and elegant deanor.
He possessed a flawless face that drew many stares but his aura was so freezing that no one dared to approach him casually. As Xue took a sip from his glass, the water inside instantly froze solid. He used ice arts and his ruthlessness in battle was well docunted across so realms.
"Xue will freeze his opponents solid before they even draw their weapons." Zhan Chen explained. "His heart is as cold as his cultivation technique."
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Li Yu continued to scan the room and noticed two n engaged in a quiet conversation near the royal armory display. One of them was Gao the Unbreakable. He was a prominent disciple from a major body refining sect. His entire cultivation path was dedicated to defense as he stood like an unmoving wall and completely ignored the festivities around him.
The man speaking to Gao was Lu Tian. He was the top disciple of a renowned array master. He fought defensively using complex formation disks and hidden traps. Lu Tian lacked raw physical power but his mind was incredibly sharp. He was currently observing the room and ntally calculating the weaknesses of every single competitor he saw while he tapped a jade disk in his hand and recorded his observations with ticulous detail.
"If Feng gets matched against Gao, it will be a battle of an unstoppable force against an immovable object." Zhan Chen chuckled. "And if anyone fights Lu Tian, they will have to navigate a maze of deadly arrays just to reach him. He turns the arena into his own personal fortress."
Li Yu agreed while rembering how he struggled with array masters in his early days as well. The clash of physical might and calculating strategy would be highly entertaining to watch.
A loud burst of applause erupted from the southern courtyard. A flamboyant noble from within the Aurelian Spear Kingdom was putting on a martial display. Jin Rong wore bright crimson and gold armor as he wielded twin spears that blurred into a spinning wheel of light. He was a massive ho favorite who loved to play to the audience. He twirled his spears and struck heroic poses while winking at the noble daughters watching him. They tossed silken handkerchiefs toward him in response.
"Jin Rong is a local hero." Zhan Chen noted. "He knows the arena and he knows how to manipulate the crowd to gain an advantage. Do not let his flashy behavior fool you. His spear intent is incredibly sharp and he strikes like a viper."
Li Yu noted the tight control Jin Rong had over his weapons despite the highly theatrical movents. The man was arrogant but he had the skills to back it up.
He looked past the cheering crowd and noticed a figure hiding entirely in the shadows of the balcony. It was a slender man who wore tight black leather and carried a pair of wicked curved daggers. This was Blade Dancer Kai. He was an assassin trained fighter from a hidden and illegal syndicate. The man was incredibly fast, completely lethal, spoke very little and completely ignored the surrounding festivities as he was rely waiting for his chance to kill in the arena.
"I am surprised the kingdom allowed a known assassin to enter." Li Yu comnted.
"The princess values strength and potential above all else." Zhan Chen replied. "She does not care about their dark backgrounds as long as they follow the strict rules of the arena. Kai is here for the treasury rewards rather than the marriage most likely."
Sitting at a quiet table near the back was a scholarly cultivator nad Scribe Wen. He wore clean white robes and held a long calligraphy brush. He used talisman calligraphy to summon beasts and cast complex techniques. The man was very quiet and highly observant. He barely touched his food and simply watched the interactions of the other key players while he seed perfectly content to remain unnoticed.
"That is ten of the most prominent nas." Zhan Chen concluded as he pointed out the last of the frontrunners. "They are the favored competitors that everyone is placing their bets on. The gambling houses are already going crazy over the potential matchups."
Li Yu nodded slowly, the talent pool was indeed incredibly deep. He had seen rogue cultivators, young masters, scholarly array masters and brutal body refiners. It was a rounded mix of the cultivation world.
However, as Li Yu swept his divine sense across the hall he noticed three distinct anomalies. They did not radiate the overwhelming auras of the key players but there was sothing fundantally dangerous about them. These three were the dark horses of the tournant and there was very little information available about them.
The first dark horse sat alone in a dark corner of the feasting hall. The young man wore rough beast hides that looked completely out of place among the silk robes and golden armor. This was Fang. He hailed from the deep southern jungles where survival was a daily struggle. He was currently eating a massive leg of roasted at with his bare hands while completely ignoring all royal decorum.
He tore into the flesh like a starving animal and his eyes darted around the room constantly. Grease stained his chin and his rough leather clothes. Li Yu could feel the physical instincts rolling off the wild youth. He fought like a beast with his bare hands and teeth rather than refined martial arts.
"That one looks like he was raised by wolves." Zhan Chen muttered as he followed Li Yu's gaze to the corner.
"He might have been." Li Yu said softly. "Do not underestimate him. He has the eyes of a predator. He will rip people apart if they get too close."
The second dark horse was actively avoided by everyone in the room. A wide circle of empty space surrounded a man wrapped entirely in dirty grey bandages. Only his dark eyes were visible through the gaps. This was Ghost Wu. His background was a total mystery and no one knew his true face or his origin.
He radiated a creepy and highly corrosive aura that made the nearby air sll like rotting leaves. People who stepped too close to him imdiately felt nauseous and backed away.
"I do not like the feeling of that one at all." Zhan Chen frowned as he stared at the bandaged man.
Li Yu completely agreed. Ghost Wu felt like a walking plague and his presence felt entirely wrong for a festive marriage tournant.
The final dark horse that caught Li Yu's attention seed completely unremarkable at first glance. He was a young man dressed in plain blue robes and he stood near the edge of the crowd while quietly drinking a cup of tea. He did not show off and he did not posture like the nobles. He possessed a seemingly ordinary background as a cultivator who had sohow scraped his way into the King realm without faction support. This was Mo Fan.
However, Li Yu noticed the intense and unyielding determination burning deep within Mo Fan's eyes. It was the look of a man who possessed an incredible Dao heart and had suffered greatly to reach this point. He also noticed how the young man absentmindedly rubbed an ancient and rusted ring on his finger. The ring looked like junk but Li Yu could sense a faint and deeply hidden power dormant within the tal.
He seed like a man with a hidden destiny who would undoubtedly shock the world when his true power was finally revealed. Mo Fan looked like the kind of person who always fought above his weight class and won through willpower.
"Who is the one in blue?" Li Yu asked as he gestured toward the quiet youth.
"I have absolutely no idea." Zhan Chen shrugged after taking a quick look. "He barely qualified during the preliminary testing. He is probably just here to say he participated and maybe score so free food."
Li Yu smiled slightly and took another sip of his wine. He knew better than to judge a book by its cover. The ten key players were certainly strong and famous but these three dark horses added a layer of unpredictability to the tournant.
The royal banquet continued late into the night as the golden halls echoed with loud laughter and the clinking of crystal glasses. The female guests continued to mingle and gossip about their favorite suitors and the males did the sa.
They debated the raw strength of Zhan Feng against the elegant beauty of Prince Xue. They argued over whether Su Chen's wealth was better than Jin Rong's local fa. The air was thick with political maneuvering and romantic tension.
Li Yu simply enjoyed the festive atmosphere as he chatted with a few of the Zhan Clan juniors and offered them so encouragent. They had heard of his nickna by now and to be given such a na by not only disciples but elders, truly ant this person was crazy and that carried respect within the Zhan Clan.
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