“Brother Xiang is too polite. My little brother can be considered your fellow disciple. Consider this nine-petal glaze flower my gift for our first meeting,” said Huang Gaojin with a firm tone.
He then waved his hand and ordered to have the nine-petal glaze flower packaged.
Xiang Shaoyun hurriedly said, “Second prince, one shouldn’t be accepting undeserved rewards. Xiang Shaoyun can not accept this gift.”
He then took out 5,000 mid-grade saint crystals and offered them to the old man.
“Audacious! You dare reject a gift from the prince?” berated a Saint behind Huang Gaojin.
Huang Gaojin waved his hand and smiled as he said, “Looks like this prince was too direct. Since this is the case, why don’t we grab a drink together instead?”
Xiang Shaoyun did not refuse that. “Sure. But can that wait until I’m done with my visit to the Saintly Forest Courtyard?”
“Of course. Allow this prince to accompany you on your trip. After all, I can be considered half the host here,” said Huang Gaojin.
The three Saints behind Guang Gaojin looked astonished. They had not expected the second prince to attach so much importance to Xiang Shaoyun. A certain possibility surfaced in their minds, and their eyes were immediately filled with hostility toward Xiang Shaoyun.
In the Dusk Dynasty, everyone knew that the first and second princes were fighting over the throne. The first prince was the first son of the main line of descent and had obtained the imperial teacher’s support. He definitely had more popularity than the second prince. However, the second prince also had a lot of factions behind him.
Of course, these factions were still somewhat lacking when compared with the imperial teacher. Unwilling to stay mediocre, the second prince established the Hero Assembly Pavilion, an organization gathering the heroes of the world to help him ascend to the throne.
The Dusk Dynasty did not mind what the second prince was doing. After all, the first prince had also established his own faction. Only with such competition would the Dusk Dynasty grow more and more powerful.
At present, there were 88 heroes in the Hero Assembly Pavilion. Some were Saints with astonishing combat prowess, some were expert formation grandmasters, and some were expert strategists. Naturally, with so many capable individuals gathered together, competition would ensue. This gave rise to the Hero Assembly Ranking. Those ranked higher on the ranking would receive more of the second prince’s attention.
With how generous the second prince was toward Xiang Shaoyun, the three Saints could see that the second prince was attempting to recruit Xiang Shaoyun into the Hero Assembly Pavilion as well.
For now, Xiang Shaoyun had no idea what the second prince had in mind. But since the second prince had offered to be his tour guide, he did not reject the offer. He was also curious as to what the second prince was planning.
With the second prince as the guide, Xiang Shaoyun was able to witness how extraordinary the Saintly Forest Courtyard was. Not only was the courtyard a place to trade saint-grade herbs, but it was also a place where saint-grade techniques and weapons were traded. The trading areas were similarly designed with a unique aesthetic, completely unlike regular trading areas that would generally look inelegant. This trip had thoroughly broadened Xiang Shaoyun’s horizons.
During the visit, Xiang Shaoyun also bought a weapon called the Celestial Devil Saber. The Celestial Devil Saber looked unremarkable, but if one paid more attention to it, one would notice that there were markings of draconic scales on it. The edge of the blade was designed like a saw, looking like the teeth of an extremely destructive dragon.
The saber was a mid-tier saint-grade weapon of the dark element. It was worth 7,000 mid-grade saint crystals and could greatly enhance the combat prowess of its wielder. Xiang Shaoyun intended to replace his chakram with this saber and temporarily use it as his main weapon. This weapon would be able to perfectly display the prowess of his devilish energy.
“What an excellent Celestial Devil Saber. Brother Xiang, you definitely need a good battle technique to go with this saber as well,” said Huang Gaojin as he took out an ancient book. “I have the Primordial Devil Saber Technique here, a technique most suited for this saber. It is useless for me, so I might as well gift it to you, Brother Xiang. I hope you’ll accept this gift.”
The Primordial Devil Saber Technique was not a regular battle technique. Rather, it was a top-tier saint-grade technique. The second prince was truly generous.
Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, “Second prince, you’re so generous that I’m becoming nervous. What can I do to repay you for this?”
At this point, Xiang Shaoyun no longer wanted to keep beating around the bush. He decided to go straight to the point.
Huang Gaojin laughed heartily and said, “Haha, Brother Xiang is truly a straightforward person. Everyone knows of your legendary battle at the Heavenly Snow Mountain where you slaughtered numerous Great Saints. Not long ago, you had even killed over 40 Saints. You are simply a king among Saints. I doubt any of your peers can be your match. This prince simply wishes to be your friend. I hope you won’t reject this request.”
The second prince was extremely eloquent, aiming to imperceptibly flatter Xiang Shaoyun. Anyone would grow complacent in the face of such praises, but Xiang Shaoyun was no regular person. As of late, he was even in the process of tempering his willpower. He would naturally not fall for such empty praises.
Xiang Shaoyun said, “You overpraise me, second prince. I was merely forced to defend myself. When I first reached this city, I accidentally offended the imperial guards. If the second prince really wishes to befriend me, I hope you can perhaps say something for me. That way, I’ll be able to avoid unnecessary trouble.”
Huang Gaojin raised his brow. First, a troubled look covered his face, but the look quickly faded away. He slapped his chest and promised, “Sure. That’s nothing. This prince will handle it for you. I believe the imperial guards won’t dare to offend this prince’s friend.”
“I’ll have to trouble the second prince, then,” said Xiang Shaoyun as he cupped his fists. “As for this Primordial Devil Saber Technique, keep it away first. It won’t be too late for me to accept it after the imperial guards are dealt with.”
The people behind Huang Gaojin were losing their patience. One of them berated, “Xiang Shaoyun, you’re getting too full of yourself. The prince is showing you his kindness, yet you have rejected him again and again? Do you have any respect for the second prince?”
The person who had spoken was no weakling. He was a fourth-stage Heaven Battling Realm cultivator, and his body radiated a rather impressive aura.
Xiang Shaoyun glanced at him and said, “The second prince is an extraordinary individual. How will he care about a normal person like me? Of course, if you find me an eyesore, feel free to teach me a lesson.”
“Back off, Zhao Chen! Do not speak like that to Brother Xiang!” said the second prince.
“Second prince, allow me to test the strength of this so-called king among Saints. He needs to be taught a lesson,” said Zhao Chen.
“Second prince, it is normal for us cultivators to spar with each other. I believe Brother Xiang won’t bear any grudges toward the second prince just because of a spar,” said a different Saint.
The other Saint said, “That’s right. Second prince, you always treat others with sincerity, yet he rejected you repeatedly. He is clearly treating you with disrespect. We need to discipline him!”
