“Now that you have seen where the seven houses stand, you need to pay a closer look to your strongest opponents in the next Esoteric Debate!”
The fatty handed another yellow silk ribbon on a heavy tone, “These are the widely acclaimed geniuses of today from the seven houses. The Six dragons and One Phoenix!”
“Six Dragons and Phoenix?” Zhuo Fan perked an eyebrow. That thin silk caught his interest. He recalled having heard of this title in the Drifting Flowers Edifice, when he shelved that info for later. Only to now realize these were the candidates for top power holders in their houses for the next century!
Fatty continued, “The Six Dragons and One Phoenix goes back a thousand years. Along the course of history, these seven had always been the strongest talents at each debate. No matter how great the disciples of other sects and clans were, they still couldn’t compare. In fact, they fell dreadfully short. In other words, the future of the seven houses is in their hands, their power reaching higher than their predecessor, and slipping ever so slightly out of the imperial family’s control with every generation. This is why the Regent Estate is in a haste to unify the seven houses now. Any more delays would make this ambition too costly to achieve, if not impossible!”
Zhuo Fan nodded.
The seven houses’ growth wasn’t just a plague on the imperial family, but on Regent Estate as well. If this went on, Tianyu would find itself one day split in seven, with the imperial family still there only to keep up appearances. But among the houses, the statuses would change, one no longer being the head of the seven houses. With the empire divided, unification would hardly be achievable again.
Zhuo Fan watched the silk ribbon in earnest.
“The phoenix here is represented by Drifting Flowers Edifice’s Edifice Lord, Ascending Ice Phoenix, Chu Qingcheng!”The fatty’s finger rested on Drifting Flowers Edifice, “Some say Chu Qingcheng has the beauty to destroy nations and incredible talent as well. She was entrusted with the power of Edifice Lord since young. With her strong character, her aloof disposition gives the impression the men would only dirty her! Nevertheless, her power is very much real, surpassing many of the seven houses’ elders… “
“You saw her?” Zhuo Fan interrupted him with a smile.
The fatty sighed, “You can say that I have and haven’t. When she was 16, I once went to Drifting Flowers Edifice. That fine figure, the grace, the pose, are all otherworldly. Many years have passed since, but I still recall that view as if from a dream. Ah, such a pity her face was always covered. Despite staying for one short month, she only shot me a glance. She is truly deserving of being called an icy beauty!”
“Is that so? But I’ve seen her!” Zhuo Fan nodded.
Fatty nodded out of reflex, then froze and cried, “What, you did? You saw her, even… her face?”
“What else would I be seeing?” Zhuo Fan grinned.
The fatty threw him a look of envy as he rushed to ask, “How does she look? Do the rumors do her justice?”
“Ha-ha-ha, as if. Regardless if she’s a fairy, an immortal, or even goddess, no amount of words are enough to encompass her visage. Your imaginations could never fathom the extent of her beauty!” Zhuo Fan was once again putting on airs as if it was his second nature.
The fatty swallowed dryly and glared at Zhuo Fan. [Why is it that this punk always gets the good stuff? How many men ever saw Chu Qingcheng’s face? I didn’ get the chance to see it, yet this darn kid could?]
Luo Yunchang was sulking with puffed out cheeks, “Zhuo Fan, is she that pretty?”
“Absolutely. I have the three days spent with her as testament of how accurate my description is!” Zhuo Fan nodded.
But it only helped fuel Luo Yunchang’s anger while the fatty shouted out of envy, “What, you lived with her for three days? Doesn’t she loathes men?”
“Uh, that… depends on the man. I mean, everyone is different. You can’t go saying because she was cold to you when you met that she’s an icy beauty. Brother, this may possibly be a little harsh, but take it from me. If I were a woman, even I wouldn’t want to be seen with you!” Patting the fatty’s shoulder, Zhuo Fan sighed.
The fatty was sullen, his mouth twitching, [Goddammit, can you not cut me so deep then make a joke out of it…]
“Although,” Zhuo Fan’s eyes sharpened, “Chu Qingcheng’s talent truly is amazing, but it may not be as monstrous as you’d think. She couldn’t even beat Huangpu Qingyun. If these Six Dragons One Phoenix are the same, I can handle them easily.”
Zhuo Fan was pretty darn egotistical, yet the fatty didn’t jump to criticize him. Since Zhuo Fan kicked a storm in Drifting Flowers Edifice and escaped unharmed still, he was entitled to some bragging rights!
It was now that the ever silent Fang Qiubai coughed, “Kid, if you really think so, you’d have the shock of your life five years later in the Esoteric Debate!”
“Oh, what makes you say that?” Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, his eyes snapped on the Divine Dragon.
Fang Qiubai squinted, “Having been to Drifting Flowers Edifice in person, you must know by now their situation. I’ve met that girl as well. Her talent is outstanding, but the chaos around her had stalled her cultivation, making her fall behind other houses’ disciples. You said that she couldn’t match Huangpu Qingyun, but let me tell you this. When Chu Qingcheng was twenty and fought Huangpu Qingyun, I happened to be the judge. How do you think it ended?”
Zhuo Fan frowned.
“Ha-ha-ha, Huangpu Qingyun suffered a total defeat in one move!” Fang Qiubai laughed, “I could see then that this girl’s talent surpassed a Divine Dragon’s. And the other houses’ disciples are no different.”
Zhuo Fan nodded, not daring to slight them again.
“Furthermore, with Drifting Flowers Edifice having regained Chu Bijun’s support, that girl can now focus on cultivating. I am eager to see how far she can reach in five years time. But the other houses’ disciples will most likely go even higher. I look forward to see this time’s Esoteric Debate, ha-ha-ha…” Fang Qiubai laughed at the sky.
Zhuo Fan gasped, his gaze unprecedentedly hard.
[If there’s any truth in Fang Qiubai’s words, then these Six Dragons and One Phoenix will probably exceed my clan’s elders by then.] He was going to face the same level of freak as him.
Fatty nodded seeing Zhuo Fan’s dead serious face, “Among the six dragons, Merry Woods has the Forest Fleeting Dragon, Lin Xuanfeng. Merry Woods has the most uncanny speed among the houses. And Lin Rufeng’s is even more so. He fleets about the trees like the wind, gone before you even know it…”
“From Sword Marquise Abode hiels Golden Armored Sword Dragon, Xie Tianshang. Sword Marquise Abode is an item refining house, also specialized in sword arts. Xie Tianshang is many times stronger than his younger brother, Xie Tianyang – a true sword genius. Sword Marquise Abode’s sole profound ranked martial art, Flowing Space’s Nine Forms is so intricate that many elders can’t even grasp it fully their entire lives. Then they say that this kid had done it at nine, unconceivable…”
Zhuo Fan listened engrossed as the fatty got him acquainted with every dragon. When fatty reached Regent Estate, his hands trembled, his gaze hard.
“Brother, none of them can ever amount to the one I’m about to tell you next. Regent Estate’s eldest young master, Heaven-shaking Dragon Lord, Huangpu Qingtian!”
Taking a deep breath to compose himself, fatty resumed, “His younger brother, Huangpu Qingyun, you’ve met. But if you compare the two, the younger brother looks totally average and the same goes for the five dragons. This is the true genius among geniuses, a freak among freaks.”
“And it is this man we know the least about. But one thing is certain, the five dragons and one phoenix are not his match!”
Zhuo Fan’s eyes widened, his heart jumped!
[Just now you said the five dragons and one phoenix are incredible, making me cautious, but then you go and tell me none of them can hold a candle to the sixth dragon. Just what kind of horror is that guy?]
The fatty patted Zhuo Fan’s shoulder and sighed, “Now do you get it? Brother, it’s not that easy to interfere with Regent Estate as you may think. Next to these freaks, the so-called demon Zhuo Fan everyone talks about falls short…”
Squinting, Zhuo Fan took a deep breath, “No worries. At the next Esoteric Debate five years later, you will see a brand new Zhuo Fan and Luo clan. But first, there are some things that require my immediate attention. I hope the imperial family can keep the Luo clan safe in the meantime!”
Eyes shining, fatty and Fang Qiubai shared a look and smiled a nod.
“Rest assured, brother. Train in peace and prepare for the Esoteric Debate. Leave the Luo clan’s safety to us. Also, if you stand out enough in the Esoteric Debate, imperial father will use this chance to hail you to the rank of Noble House. Then, Regent Estate will find it much harder to touch you when it has to go through the imperial family first!” The fatty just promised any other clan’s most cherished dream, but also entrusting him with a near suicidal mission no clan would ever want.
Zhuo Fan nodded and sighed.
[Fortune has always favored the bold. In the thick of danger, opportunity avails itself. And this Esoteric Debate is Luo clan’s best chance to shoot straight for the moon…]