Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sky Reaching City was a spirit-grade continent’s hub. It was many times more peaceful than heaven- and sanctity-grade continents’ cities. That peacefulness made it hard to forget that Jiang Chen murdered Ji Hai, a Wizard Clan warrior.
With the banquet approaching, citizens began discussing the matter once again. They all wondered whether Jiang Chen would attend. Additional questions swirled around the fact that Jiang Chen had fought against Ji Yuan from the Wizards Clan.
The news quickly spread from the Scarlet Blood Field stated that Jiang Chen had battled Ji Yuan’s incarnation, gained the victory, and snatched the Wizard Blade. Such news spread made it to all corners of the Heavenly Martial Arts Realm. The people found it unbelievable, but they quickly got an adequate explanation for it.
The two men had a battle to the death. That meant neither of them would hold anything back and they could use all techniques. Jiang Chen had already revealed his powerful external power possessed when he ran amok in the All Saints Sect. Since Ji Yuan couldn’t hand over his secret weapons into his incarnation, such an outcome wasn’t strange.
However, there were now more grudges between Jiang Chen and Wizard Clan. People suspected that a great battle would likely occur at the banquet if Jiang Chen attended.
“He will go.” Lin Shuangyue was quite sure of this matter.
Only people who interacted with Jiang Chen were aware of this. However, she didn’t continue discussing the matter. When the flying ship stopped, she looked at the surface. A strange look appeared on her face.
They were on one of Sky Reaching City’s most flourishing streets. It had on it a tall building that stood out here like a crane in a flock of chickens. Inside it was the city’s most famous restaurant, Stars Plucking Restaurant. It was rumored that one could eat dragon’s meat there. The people who could enter it were all wealthy and respectable. Ordinary people couldn’t get in.
“You should quieten after a while,” Lin Shuangyue said. “Even if you get angry, please bear it for me, OK?”
Lu Ping looked over at her and noticed that her pretty face was filled with worry. He couldn’t help but wonder what means Madame Lin possessed or how she managed to force Lin Shuangyue to be so docile and obedient.
“I will,” he replied.
After getting a positive reply, Lin Shuangyue’s mind was set at ease. She took him to the entrance of Star Plucking Building.
The servant standing in front of the entrance to welcome guests recognized her with just a glance. “Young Miss Lin, Madame Lin is waiting for you inside.”
Lin Shuangyue nodded and asked him to show them the way.
Lu Ping followed behind them without uttering a single word. After entering, he sized up the restaurant’s layout. A sign of appreciation could be seen in his eyes.
The restaurant was a place of charm and beauty. It didn’t seem like an ordinary restaurant with tables assembled together. It was more like a garden overflowing with vitality.
There were many private rooms here. They continued proceeding forward until they reached the depths of the restaurant. The servant showing them the way knocked on a door. Someone inside the room opened the door.
Lu Ping discovered that Madame Lin alone, who was sitting at the table, wasn’t alone. There were several other men and women in the room.
The additional people were out of Lin Shuangyue’s expectations. When she saw a woman the same age as her, displeasure appeared on her face.
The people sitting at the table were all sizing up Lu Ping, but they didn’t look directly at him. They just examined him out of the corners of their eyes.
The beautiful woman sitting at the center shouted out excitedly, “Shuangyue!”
“Mother!”
“Sit down here,” Madame Lin said. “Why don’t take a look at yourself? You have stayed outside for so long and have lost so much weight. You are getting too thin.”
Lin Shuangyue nodded and led Lu Ping to the table. She said, “Mother, this is Lu Ping, whom you asked for.”
She was dissatisfied with her family’s ice-cold attitude toward Lu Ping, but he strode forward and calmly greeted them. Such actions benefited his character.
“Sit down, I have heard that you managed to go from a primary-grade student to a special-grade student in one go. That has never occurred,” Madame Lin revealed a warm smile, but it could be discerned through her gaze that she was assessing him.
“Shuangyue, you have really grown up,” the younger woman at the table said with a smile. “It seems like you rejected the engagement we set for you because you already have someone in mind.”
Lin Shuangyue’s sound transmission rang near Jiang Chen’s ears. “She’s Lin Juan, a cousin who is older than me by just half a day. Don’t pay attention to her. She’s a loathsome woman.”
Lin Juan was also a great beauty and had a cordial character. Even though she was at the same age as Lin Shuangyue, she seemed sexier than the latter.
Lu Ping suddenly noticed a sharp gaze looking at him. It came from the handsome youth near Lin Juan. He was wearing a prideful look, but he restrained himself because his elders were next to him.
“Don’t just stand there, come sit down,” said a middle-aged man.
“He’s my second uncle.” Lin Shuangyue continued using a sound transmission to introduce them to Lu Ping.
She sized up her relatives with her eyes and said out of the blue, “Mother, how do you have time to come to Sky Reaching City?”
“Sky Reaching City isn’t far from us,” Madame Lin replied. “We just need to pass through a teleportation formation to reach it. It’s quite quick. I heard that you competed in a martial arts club. Is that true?”
When her words echoed, the ambiance in the room seemed to change.
“It isn’t possible, is it?” the young man at the table asked. “The martial arts club aren’t like other clubs. It has just one-Qi cultivators on it. It’s a place where people who aren’t willing to resign themselves to their fates risk their lives to prove themselves.”
“You have accurate information about it,” Lu Ping calmly replied.
“When Lu Ping joined the Sword Pavilion, he broke its record, which had never been broken, and got perfect results,” Lin Shuangyue quickly said.
“But, if he’s just a one-Qi cultivator, he won’t get good achievement regardless of how brilliant his sword techniques were, and he won’t manage to learn many amazing Doctrine Methods,” the young man said with a questioning tone.
Lin Shuangyue transmitted her voice once again to Jiang Chen. “This guy is really hypocritical. He’s a good match for Lin Juan.”
“Since we mentioned this matter, Lu Ping, why don’t you inform us how many Qi you are cultivating?” Madame Lin suddenly asked.
The conversation’s subject instantly became more serious. Lin Shuangyue looked at Lu Ping. She realized that she still didn’t know how many Qi he was cultivating. The reason was because they couldn’t use cultivation power in the Sword Pavilion, so they hadn’t really discussed it.
While facing many pairs of gazes, Lu Ping said, “Four Qi.”
The crowd’s expression drastically changed. They many eyes on him were filled with disbelief.
“What?” Madame Lin’s smile disappeared for a moment. She wondered whether she misheard him.
“I’m a four-Qi cultivator,” Lu Ping said slowly and earnestly.
“Hahaha!” The young man couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Brother Lu, you are really quite humorous.”
“Lu Ping, please don’t speak out of anger,” Lin Shuangyue anxiously said. She also didn’t take his words seriously.
That was also the case for Madame Lin. Her smile grew colder. Regardless of how she observed Lu Ping, he really conformed to the information she got about him. He was sensitive and had a big ego. He would always state impressive words without giving regard to the consequences. She couldn’t understand why her daughter took a liking to such a person.
Upon witnessing that no one believed him, Lu Ping shrugged his shoulders. His magical clone was also a four-Qi cultivator. This was the first time he had disclosed such information, yet no one believed him.
Madame Lin started looking for another topic of discussion. “Shuangyue, do you want to go to the Wizard Clan’s banquet?”
Lin Shuangyue’s sulky eyes suddenly lit up. “Mother, did you get an invitation?”
