The appearance of the sudden sword intent had shocked everyone. Lin Yun was surprised when he saw the grave expression on Luo Feng’s face. He then fell into deep thought. He entered a unique state last night, and the sword intent he emitted under that state had far exceeded his estimations.
But seeing that no one had any intention about asking him, Lin Yun also didn’t say a word. When they came to the island, they saw that it was filled with people and that the manor’s servants were awfully busy. When the butler they saw yesterday noticed their arrival, he smiled and cupped his hands together, “Elder Luo.”
“Butler Hong, this is the Sword FIrmament Pavilion’s gift for the princess,” smiled Luo Feng. Xin Jue tapped his interspatial pouch and retrieved a box.
When the butler saw what was in the box, his face immediately changed. He passed the box to someone else and smiled, “I’m surprised. That’s the Five Hundred Years Aquacloud Fruit. That’s not a casual gift. Please, come this way.”
He led the group to another entrance to avoid the crowd. The entrance was at the lake's bridge. The bridge was curved, leading towards the island’s heart. After the butler left, Luo Feng stood on the wooden bridge and sighed, “It has been a long time since I came to Jadestand Island.”
A brief moment later, the Jadestand Island that Luo Feng spoke of appeared in everyone’s sight. The island had a white plaza that was filled with elegance and nobility. This was where the princess’ birthday banquet would be held.
Everyone arrived and went to their respective seats. The seats weren’t casually placed, but they were arranged based on hierarchy. The outer section was reserved for ordinary forces, while the inner section was for top-tiered sects. Last, but not least, the core section was for the four prestigious sects and the royal clan.
The Sword Firmament Pavilion was naturally arranged to be in the core section. They were placed towards the left side, with the Heavenly Qin Institute being the first on the left. The Demonic Moon Villa was opposite them, the Heavenly Profound Sect and Primal Origin Sect were on their right.
“Let’s take our seat.” Luo Feng sat at the center of the long table as everyone else sat beside him. When they sat down, Wen Yanbo threw a provocative glance at Luo Feng with disdain in his eyes.
“This must be Xin Jue, right? I heard that he’s comparable to the eight titles and that he would definitely be among the eight if he didn’t miss the Dragon Gate Competition back then,” said Yu Wenbo, one of the experts among the third sequence who was on the same level as Xin Yan. He could sense the unfathomable aura coming from Xin Jue.
“Those are just rumors. He’s just a stray dog.” The one who spoke was a youth dressed in blue. His clothes were stretched to the limit by his robust muscles. He probably had a high attainment in the Dracophant Battle Physique. He was the Primal Origin Sect’s core disciple, Zhou Qin. He was also in the second sequence like Xin Jue, having the potential to become one of the top eight in the Dragon Gate Competition.
There was no question that he would compete with Xin Jue in the Dragon Gate Competition at the end of this year. So he naturally had enmity with Xin Jue.
Wen Yanbo smiled, “Zhou Qin, you go deal with Xin Jue after the banquet. Yuwen Bo, you deal with that lass Xin Yan. Zuo Yun will face that so-called genius of the Sword Firmament Pavilion. We’ll crush the Sword Firmament Pavilion this time!”
“Elder Wen, I’m more than enough to deal with Xin Yan. There’s no need for Senior Brother Yuwen to do it,” said a youth from the Primal Origin Sect who was at the eighth stage of the Profound Martial Realm.
Xin Yan was his target in this banquet. He wanted to challenge her position and build his fame. His words were filled with arrogance and disdain for the Sword Firmament Pavilion. However, Zuo Yun stayed silent.
Their words made Luo Feng furious. He was furious by how arrogant the Primal Origin Sect was. The other party wasn’t loud, but all of them here were at least in the Profound Martial Realm, so they could naturally hear their conversation very clearly. When the other sects heard those words, they all wore a playful expression on their faces. They knew that Wen Yanbo was doing this on purpose.
At the same time, Luo Feng looked concerned. He was worried that the Sword Firmament Pavilion might lose and be embarrassed. He wouldn’t be able to explain the loss to Guardian Pum and Bai Ting would surely love that. So, the Sword Firmament Pavilion could lose to anyone except for the Primal Origin Sect.
Time slowly passed and everyone raised their cups while chatting with one another. But all of a sudden, an aura of bloodlust and murder surged from a group of people as they stepped into the core section with their armor.
“It’s the Divine Guards!” Everyone quickly determined the origin of those youths. They represented the Divine Guards’ talented younger generation. The Divine Guards weren’t like sects because their talents were nurtured with blood and war.
Every single one of them had taken at least a thousand lives, which was how they nurtured their murderous aura. The one leading the party was a young man and lady. The man had defined features. Lin Yun didn’t know the man, but he recognised the lady. She was Liu Yue.
Lin Yun was surprised when he saw her. But then again, he soon figured it out since Liu Yue was the beloved daughter of the commander of the Divine Guards. It wasn’t surprising for her to come with them.
“The Divine Guards aren’t weak. Mountwall is one of the Divine Guards that is among the eight titles.”
“The one leading them must be Yue Qing. I heard that the Divine Guards is trying to nurture him into another Mountwall.”
“Yue Qing is young, so there’s a high chance of him becoming the second Mountwall in the Dragon Gate Competition three years from now.”
The Divine Guards’ party attracted many people’s attention. When they passed by the Sword Firmament Pavilion, Liu Yue made a brief stop and bowed to Luo Feng. Then, her gaze fell onto Lin Yun and she sneered, “A sword slave has the qualification to sit here? Are you not afraid of embarrassing the Sword Firmament Pavilion?”
She had a deep enmity with Lin Yun, not to mention that she failed numerous times trying to get back at Lin Yun. So the resentment she built up wasn’t small. Now that she had nothing to fear with the Divine Guards present, she naturally had to expose Lin Yun.
But she had clearly underestimated Lin Yun. Lin Yun wasn’t affected by those words. Throughout the entire episode, he didn’t even take a look at her. He was indeed a sword slave, but he would never feel inferior just because of that.
“So he’s really a sword slave. No wonder the mark on his forehead looks familiar to me. I previously thought that it was a unique mark for the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s disciples.”
“Interesting… The Sword Firmament Pavilion really dares to bring anyone here.”
“They actually brought a sword slave here on the princess’ birthday. Looks like the Sword Firmament Pavilion doesn’t have anyone else.”
Decorative marks were common in the cultivation world. So no one thought too much about it when they saw the purple mark on Lin Yun’s forehead. But it caused a commotion after Liu Yue revealed what it was. They were now looking at Lin Yun with an odd gaze.
“This brat is actually a sword slave.” Cao Jie of the Heavenly Qin Institute sneered. The institute was filled with noble descendants from the various clans. He was already feeling inferior to them because of his birth, but he never expected that there would be someone like Lin Yun.
It seems that he had already won before they even fought. Not only him, but many disciples among the Demonic Moon Villa, Heavenly Profound Sect, and Primal Origin Sect also wore an expression of disdain on their faces.
No matter how low their birth was, they were never slaves. After all, the mark of a slave would follow you for life.
Liu Yue was satisfied by the reaction she was getting. This was exactly what she wanted. But she was disappointed when she saw Lin Yun’s calm face. Very quickly, the disappointment changed into rage. Now, she just wanted to see Yue Qing trample on Lin Yun later.
The smile on Luo Feng’s face also disappeared. He snorted coldly, “You’re in no position to interfere in the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s affairs. I’ll suggest to Guardian Plum after this event to expel you from the Pellet Hall.”
Anyone could tell that Luo Feng was already furious by the Primal Origin Sect’s provocation earlier.
“So be it. Since the Sword Firmament Pavilion can’t protect you, the Divine Guards will stand out for you. Young lady, let us get going.” Yue Qing’s eyes were filled with killing intent when he looked at Lin Yun. He then led the party to their seats.
“Junior Brother, why did you stop me earlier? I wanted to tear her mouth apart.” Xin Yan had rage written in her eyes. She wanted to make a move earlier, but she was stopped by Lin Yun.
“You can’t possibly tear everyone’s mouth apart, right? Let her say what she wants. The sword in my hand won’t become dull just because of her words,” said Lin Yun. So what if everyone laughed at him? He knew that his sword wouldn’t let him down.
The door suddenly opened with a group of people walking in. Everyone knew that the main character was finally appearing. But the first person who came out wasn’t the princess, which caught everyone by surprise. But his arrival immediately caused a commotion in the hall.