by Tinalynge
"This youngster managed to cause one of the children to collapse from a glance alone! Tell me, could you even make a mortal collapse from a glance alone?"
The man known as Old Wu was silent. He simply could not respond as he knew that he did not have the strength to make anyone collapse without touching them.
"Don't you think it was exaggerated?" someone else asked hesitatingly. "I cannot imagine that even an Earth Warrior can make someone collapse from a single glance – only at the Sky Warrior realm might one be able to compress their Qi to pull off such a feat."
"They say he has a special physique! I heard that it was something about him having the strength of a thousand men at the same level!" someone exclaimed. As soon as the words had left his mouth, Xue Wei almost choked on the drink he had ordered.
It was not only him, everyone from Tiankong City had strange and rather amused expressions on their faces, but no one spoke up to talk about him.
"I saw the young man; he was a true dragon amongst men! Even his clothes, although travel-worn, had the aura of being worn by someone outstanding!"
Xue Wei was completely stunned with every additional thing that was being said by these experts. He had suddenly been placed up there as a real genius, one that the kingdom had never before seen, and this made him stunned but also uncomfortable.
"If people honestly believe that I am that strong, then I will be killed fast. No one wants to allow for such a perverse genius to be born; even the royal family will be against my rise as I will be able to threaten them later on."
Xue Wei wanted to correct them, but he knew that even if he corrected the ones within the restaurant, it was worthless. The rumors had long since spread through the entire Inner City, and they were just getting more and more colorful the further they went.
"Oh well, although the commoners might believe in this." Xue Wei sighed as he leaned back in the chair. "I know that those that truly matter will not believe it so easily. They will make tests and examinations and ask that young master about what truly happened. When they hear how simple it was, they will leave me be... I hope."
"If all goes wrong, they have to reconsider since my uncle is Xiao Lei. Would they want to cause problems for the best Primordial Beast Hunter of the kingdom, who is revered and respected by the public as their number one figure?"
Thinking like this, Xue Wei felt a bit better, but he was still rather uncomfortable with the conversations he heard within the restaurant. The stories were getting out of control, and some of them even claimed that this young hero who had emerged was a direct descendant of one of the heavenly War Gods of the dark era.
It was common knowledge that the War Gods were all the ancestors of the Wayfarers; and if he were a descendant from one of these War Gods, then he would be a wayfarer, but wayfarers never participated in the war, so why would he be there?
Xue Wei shook his head as he gave up thinking about all the strange rumors that were beginning to spread.
Instead, a slight smile rose on his face as the first set of dishes were brought to their table by an attractive woman. This woman glanced at Xue Wei clearly with curiosity, but she dared not say anything. As a result, she just hurried to place the plates in the middle of the table, curtseyed to them, and scurried away with a face as red as the fire in the fireplace.
Xue Wei chuckled but said nothing as he looked at the dishes. He had not had real food for so long, and he was salivating as he looked at the dishes in front of him.
He had expected plain dishes considering the food was included in the room's rental fee, but the dishes in front of him were anything but simple.
There was a stew made from Fierce Beast meat and vegetables; there was roasted Fierce Beast meat. On another plate were roasted greens with garlic and butter.
There was a total of ten dishes on the table, and all of them had a scent so heavenly that Xue Wei could almost not hold back. He picked up the chopsticks and his plate and took some of the food onto his own plate before quickly starting to eat.
Seeing that Xue Wei dug into the food, neither Luo Zhirou nor Shen Mu held back and began eating too. Those two had also lived on dry rations and bland, roasted meat for the last month and a half and were now so excited to have some real food with great taste.
Xue Wei glanced at the other tables and saw that everyone from his group had been given the same food, food that was much better than what they could demand with their rental fee.
The other tables belonging to people who were not from his entourage had food placed upon them too, but these were more humble dishes.
The wine that Xue Wei and his friends were given was also a very delicious fruit wine.
This fruit wine was fresh and delicious as it entered their throats, cleansing their palate after eating a bite. Xue Wei, Shen Mu, and Luo Zhirou spent a good hour in the restaurant eating the dishes, enjoying every last bite and chatting happily with one another about what they could expect from their time in the army.
"We already know that we will be entering the same camp as the other ninth layered Ordinary Warriors." Shen Mu sighed with a bit of sadness but also a bit of pride. Although he could not make it to the Genius Camp, he could make it to the next best.
"Do you think you can make it to the Genius Camp?" Luo Zhirou asked Xue Wei with a bit of hesitation. Xue Wei was only a ninth layered Ordinary Warrior like the others, but he had a fighting strength that did not match that of his cultivation base.
Xue Wei shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "It quite depends on what exactly the test is. If there is a way to display my fighting strength, then I should be fine, but if it is about cultivation base alone, then I am not an Earth Warrior yet and thus not allowed to join."
Xue Wei did not say anything about it, but in reality, he hoped that it was a test of combat power. He sincerely wished to join the Genius Camp. Not only for his own sake, but for the sake of his uncle and Wang Xiaoyun. If he wanted a chance to become stronger, then he needed the resources that he could get in the Genius Camp.
Xue Wei wanted many things. He wanted to become strong enough to make his uncle proud. He wanted to be accepted by Wang Xiaoyun's family. He wanted to regain his memories.
Having read about the vast world from a very young age when he had no memories, Xue Wei also wanted to be able to roam the rest of the continent. He wanted to experience all the wonders he had read about. He wanted to be the first person from the Heping Kingdom to transcend the Heavenly Warrior rank.
Xue Wei had many dreams. He was aware that to make these dreams come true, he had to do many things, but the first step on his road would be whether or not he could enter the Genius Camp.
The rest of the meal was eaten with comfortable conversation before they had finished it all. The sun was setting behind the city walls, but even so the Inner City still bustled with life.
Street lamps were lightening up the roads and streets, small torches and lamps lit up the shops, and noise drifted out from every single restaurant and entertaining space in the Inner City.
Carriages and palanquins were transporting citizens through the bustling streets, while others were on horseback and a few were moving on their feet.
Just as Xue Wei finished eating, he looked up and saw three figures entering the restaurant and going straight to the counter belonging to the manager.
Here, they spoke together with hushed voices, and soon after the three men were looking at Xue Wei with eyes that neither displayed open hostility nor any respect and positivity.
When Xue Wei tried to sense their strength, a frown appeared on his face. These three men had an aura similar to the one Manager Su had, meaning that they were all at the Heavenly Warrior rank. It was even possible that they were stronger than Manager Su.
"Trouble is brewing," Xue Wei muttered to himself, but he kept calm on the surface, and he did not lower his gaze when his eyes locked onto the eyes of the man walking in the middle of the other two.
The
two looked at one another, their wills clashed, and although Xue Wei was much weaker than this Heavenly Warrior, his determination was not to be belittled.
"Young hero, may I ask what your name is?" the guy in the middle asked while they were still a bit away, and the entire restaurant quieted down as they observed Xue Wei.
The inhabitants of the Inner City dared not utter a single sound, some of them were even afraid to breathe. It was clear that they knew who these three figures were, but since they did not speak about them, Xue Wei was clueless.
"This young one is named Xue Wei," Xue Wei answered honestly and calmly as he cupped his fists and made a fractional bow.
Chapter 5 - Golden Chambers
When Xue Wei only bowed fractionally to the man in the middle, one of the guys on the man’s side took a step forward and harrumphed. His voice was so loud that many people present in the restaurant started feeling uncomfortable.
Shen Mu and Luo Zhirou, who were right next to Xue Wei, both felt like an explosion had ensued in their minds; blood leaked from their ears, and they were dizzy. None of them dared to speak, but Xue Wei's eyes turned serious, and a deadly gleam appeared deep within.
These men had not even introduced themselves. They had been rude, and considering their rudeness Xue Wei had still responded politely.
They had even gone as far as to wound his comrades. As to why he was not injured, he did not know, but he felt a tremor in his soul when the expert harrumphed.
"Shao Qiang!" The middle man looked displeased as he glanced at the man who had acted, but although he seemed unhappy, he did nothing more. Following that, he once more turned to Xue Wei, his face filled with a smile.
"I am here on behalf of Crown Prince Dong Jie. He is holding a banquet tomorrow evening and would love for you and a few of your friends to participate."
"Crown Prince Dong Jie is a good friend of your uncle, and he wishes to extend this friendship to cover you as well. He also wishes to get to know the rising genius who has appeared out of nowhere. It is not every day one is fortunate enough to encounter a genius with a special physique."
Xue Wei was stumped when he heard that what these men were here for was to offer him an invitation to a banquet with the most prominent person in the entire Heping Kingdom.
Right now, the Crown Prince was rather steady in his position, and the only one who could threaten him even slightly was the Third Prince.
However, because of several factors, the Crown Prince had gained his position, and the King favored him heavily.
The Crown Prince was born from the Queen, whereas the Third Prince was born from a less popular concubine.
The Crown Prince was older than the Third Prince, and he had cultivated for a longer period of time. Hence his strength was superior.
Although the Third Prince had more talent than the Crown Prince, and even though he was much more ruthless, everyone flocked to the Crown Prince's banner, and only a few experts and politicians decided to support the Third Prince.
Even though Xue Wei was an upcoming genius, he was the nephew of Xiao Lei. Anyone who reeled him in had gained a significant backing.
Xue Wei was perfectly well aware of this. What they wanted was not him, and although his talent was extraordinary and making them interested in taking him in, they would never go as far as to hold a banquet for him.
"Seems like uncle has a great influence still," Xue Wei smiled to himself, but he quickly nodded his head in response to the invitation. "I would be happy to partake in the banquet," he said.
Although he was aware that they did not want him at the banquet but his uncle, he was also aware that life would become very troublesome if he insulted the future ruler of the kingdom.
"Your lordship mentioned that I could bring some friends," Xue Wei continued and looked at Luo Zhirou and Shen Mu by his sides and smiled. "I will be bringing two. They both know how to behave," Xue Wei promised, and both Luo Zhirou and Shen Mu felt warmth in their hearts knowing that they were the ones he wanted to bring along.
Although they were aware that this was a great opportunity for them, they could not help but feel slightly scared and nervous. They had always thought they came from a major city and that they were in the upper echelons of society, but now they understood that although they were nobles where they came from, they were nothing more than country bumpkins to these people in the capital.
"Well, we have delivered the message from His Highness in that case," the person in the middle said and gave a slight nod to Xue Wei before he turned around and left.
As soon as he left, the previously quiet restaurant exploded in an uproar. "To think that Duke Zhang made a personal visit to see this person! He is much more formidable than what I expected at first – perhaps all those rumors are true!" someone exclaimed, and Xue Wei was surprised when he heard that the person in question was a duke.
One has to know that reaching the rank of a duke was very difficult. For the nobility, only one rank was above the duke rank, apart from the Royal family, and that was the marquis.
Becoming a marquis was near impossible. They were considered royal highnesses and only the most heroic figures of a generation were given this rank. Not even Xiao Lei had been allowed to become a marquis.
Although becoming a marquis was possible, there were currently no one who had been bequeathed this rank in the entire Kingdom, but there were a full five dukes. Three of these dukes supported the Crown Prince, while the other two were neutral.
Duke Zhang was a duke that Xue Wei had read about before. He used to be a Primordial Beast Hunter as well, but he had only killed two Primordial Beasts when he was still active. Now he was an official at the royal court and held a high position as the Grand Chancellor, the highest-ranking executive official of the Heping Kingdom.
"I guess it makes sense that his guards thought I acted imperiously," Xue Wei sighed, "but how was I to know who he was when he did not introduce himself?"
"Not to mention that his actions were overbearing to the limit of what even I can accept. Although neither Luo Zhirou nor Shen Mu encountered great trouble or experienced any serious wounds, they were still bleeding, and it has made my first impression of them poor."
Xue Wei looked at Luo Zhirou and Shen Mu, expecting to see anger on their faces after having been treated the way they had. But instead, they were expressing excitement
"You will bring us to the banquet?" Luo Zhirou asked with a voice trembling with excitement. Her eyes were glistening and a smile that she could not control spread on her face.
"Of course." Xue Wei smiled and nodded his head. "I have to bring my friends, and you two are my friends," he said cheerfully, hiding the feelings of injustice he held within, but he had not forgotten it. He was very curious about how the Crown Prince would treat him and his friends.
"We have to go shopping!" Luo Zhirou exclaimed. "We need to get our hands on a present for our host tomorrow, and I need to purchase a dress. I did not pack any pretty dresses since we were heading for the army and I doubted that there would be any big banquets at the army camp."
Luo Zhirou blushed slightly, but both Shen Mu and Xue Wei laughed at her.
"This is the capital; the shops are open far into the night, so let us go and find something. But do we need to bring some sort of present to the Crown Prince? Will we be able to provide him anything he could be interested in?"
Hearing that, the two others became quiet for some time before they gave Xue Wei a wry smile. It was indeed impolite to show up at a banquet without a present, but at the same time, their gift would just embarrass them.
"We can always give him some beast cores," Shen Mu attempted to find something they had that they could give but Xue Wei shook his head. "We only have beast cores of Fierce Beast equivalent to Ordinary Warriors. Although it might be of use to us, the fact is that he is the Crown Prince. He has available to him the best resources our kingdom has to offer. He would not even pick up such a beast core if it was in front of him."
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Shen Mu hung his head, but Xue Wei just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, we can go to the Golden Chambers. It is an auction house that spans the entire continent, and it is also the only auction house in the entire city. It has two branches in the capital, one in the outer city and one in the Inner City."
"This auction house might have something valuable. They don't only do auctions, as you can also buy a lot of things in their stores, while it is all the rarer materials that are being auctioned off."
Xue Wei smiled as he spoke. "The Golden Chambers are never closed. They are open throughout the entire day – including the night – never missing business; and as the years have gone by, more and more of the shops in the Inner City have matched their style and are open nearly all hours of the day."
"The Inner City is mainly inhabited by cultivators. And as you know, although we are still considered mortals we do not need to sleep any longer. Cultivation can change our need for sleep, and thus we never know when we need to go out buying things."