Chapter 183: Wei Nation’s Sky, The Disgust Towards Bootlickers

　　In the Great Xia Dynasty Palace, the Crown Prince was sitting in the middle of the grand hall.

　　He was assessing some official documents.

　　As the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, he had the responsibility of supervising the state, and some of the documents and articles of the civil and military officials would have to be sent to him for approval.

　　The approval of official documents was a very tedious process but he did not have any complaints, and in fact, he even enjoyed the feeling of it.

　　It wasn’t only because he had the feeling of being in charge of everyone’s fate, but more importantly, he felt that the responsibility of supervising the state and deciding whether or not the official documents should be approved would allow him to expand his power.

　　For example, if there was a mystic realm with treasures, he would be able to send his subordinates to deal with it. By relying on the information, he would be able to earn a large number of Spirit Stones.

　　Besides, those Spirit Stones were what he used to win the support of others.

　　Despite being the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, he needed Spirit Stones more than others. Spirit Stones were akin to money in the mortal world. No one would complain about having too much money, and no cultivator would dislike Spirit Stones.

　　In order to win the support of others, he would have to bribe them with lots of money. Otherwise, even with his identity, it would be difficult to poach them without offering them any interests or benefits.

　　However, at this moment, a figure appeared in the hall.

　　“Your Highness, we have thoroughly investigated clearly and found out that the Seven Ancient Kings mystic realm has indeed appeared in the southern mountains of the Chen Nation.”

　　The figure appeared and knelt before the Crown Prince respectfully.

　　“Indeed.”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty put down the brush that was dipped in red ink and slowly sighed.

　　“The Seven Ancient Kings are the seven peerless powerhouses of the ancient times who have left behind legacies that are extremely helpful to me. Yan Jiu, you must keep a close eye on this matter. I have to get my hands on the Seven Ancient Kings mystic realm. Do you understand?”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty said with a firm expression.

　　“Rest assured, Your Highness.”

　　“However, Your Highness, you will need the Seven Kings’ ancient tokens in order to open the Seven Ancient Kings mystic realm. It’s very difficult for me to find them, so please forgive me.”

　　Yan Jiu lowered his head and said.

　　However, the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty shook his head and looked extremely composed.

　　“You don’t need to search for the Seven Kings’ ancient tokens. I already have three and there are two in the Great Ze Dynasty. The Xuantian Sect and Grand Pure One Sect have one token each. We’ll go to the Seven Kings’ ancient ruins together some day.”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty said with great confidence.

　　“Your Highness, you’re really blessed. However, if we get the Great Ze Dynasty, Xuantian Sect, and Grand Pure One Sect involved, will there be a great battle involved?”

　　Yan Jiu asked worriedly.

　　However, the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty smiled even more confidently.

　　“Battle? The crown prince of the Great Ze Dynasty has already handed over the ancient token to me. They won’t fight with us. After all, the two dynasties will soon be united by a marriage alliance, and the Great Ze Dynasty will still do us this favor.”

　　“As for the Xuantian Sect and the Grand Pure One Sect? Well, even if they come and confront me, what can they do? I’ve already agreed with them that we will each go about our own affairs. I read in the ancient books that the first round to clear in the Seven Ancient Kings mystic realm is the Close Shave With Death Cave.”

　　“I will invite a powerhouse from the Heavenly Secret Sect to escort me there. They would never think of this, and even if they go there, they will only return without success.”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty said confidently.

　　“Your Highness, you’re really wise and intelligent. I truly admire you.”

　　Yan Jiu immediately bowed and curried favor with the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty.

　　The smile on the latter’s face also gradually faded as he continued, “The Ten Nations Grand Tournament is about to begin. Go keep an eye on it. If you see any new geniuses, try to rope them in. And if you meet some that are untamed, remember to put their names in the black book.”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty said coldly.

　　“Yes.”

　　Yan Jiu nodded. He knew what the black book meant. The so-called black book was an item that was uniquely owned by the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty and on it were the names of his enemies. Once the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the people whose names were listed on the black book would probably be in trouble.

　　“Okay, go and handle what you have to.”

　　The crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty said slowly.

　　Yan Jiu immediately disappeared in the same place.

　　Once Yan Jiu was gone, the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty looked outside his palace.

　　“The Seven Ancient Kings mystic realm!”

　　He muttered to himself with great desire in his eyes.

　　The Seven Ancient Kings were truly peerless powerhouses. In the ancient times, the seven of them were known as the kings of humans who dominated everything and were incredibly powerful. In the end, they all went through Immortal Ascension and became immortals.

　　Rumor had it that before they ascended, all their treasures were hidden in a mystic realm.

　　If he obtained those treasures, he would gain the power of half a dynasty.

　　That was also the reason that the crown prince of the Great Xia Dynasty was so excited and coveted them greatly.

　　Although he was the Crown Prince, there were several princes below him who were going to compete with him for the throne. Until he ascended to the throne, he would not be able to enjoy peace.

　　However, he believed that he would surely ascend to the throne if he could obtain the treasures of the Seven Ancient Kings.

　　At the same time, in the capital of Wei Nation.

　　This year, the Wei Nation was chosen to be the venue of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.

　　The king of the Wei Nation had spent a bomb on revamping the entire Wei Nation in order to prepare for the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.

　　Initially, there were only ten main passages in the Wei Nation, but for the sake of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, eight main roads were added, each being 30 meters wide and long and connecting all the locations in the southeast and northwest.

　　Six of the eight additional main passages could lead to the site of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament.

　　The remaining two main roads connected to the two major markets in the east and west.

　　This time, countless cultivators were attracted to the Wei Nation because of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. All the nobles and ordinary cultivators of the Ten Nations were keen on watching the Ten Nations Grand Tournament with their own eyes.

　　That also resulted in the capital of Wei Nation being extremely crowded.

　　Fortunately, the higher-ups of the Wei Nation immediately limited the flow to ease crowds.

　　That was proof of how grand the Ten Nations Grand Tournament was.

　　Tomorrow would be the day of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament assessment.

　　The mystic realm assessment was to be conducted in the northwest.

　　Many cultivators were already rushing there to snap up some seats in advance, for fear that they might miss the chance to.

　　At this moment, outside the capital.

　　There were snakelike queues and countless cultivators waiting for the event. Many who were late were denied entry even though they had traveled a long distance to get there.

　　The good thing was that participants were allowed to use a special passage, similar to that of the Qingzhou Sword Dao Meet. Regardless of whether or not many people were in line, the participants would not be affected.

　　“Exalted Immortals, go all the way forward along this passage, the king has already designated the One-Line Sky as a residence. You will be able to see it after traveling for about an hour. If you have any needs, you can ask them directly.”

　　After checking Ye Ping’s ancient token again, the commander outside the city immediately looked respectful.

　　“Thank you very much, Your Excellency.”

　　Ye Ping took the ancient token and then headed to the passage together with Li Yu.

　　At this moment, the cultivators lined up around them could not help but cast looks of envy on them.

　　It was the special passage for the Ten Nations Grand Tournament that was exclusive only to the participants of the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. Otherwise, even the prince of the Wei Nation could not overstep the rule.

　　Li Yu was not a participating student, but he was the crown prince of Jin Nation who was considered a VIP. Besides, the participants were allowed to bring one person along, so Li Yu was considered to have gained some benefits thanks to Ye Ping.

　　The Ten Nations Grand Tournament was extremely grand and the venue was facing the cultivators of the Ten Nations. The Wei Nation did not dare to relax as the Ten Nations would be insulted if there was any negligence.

　　In the main passage.

　　Ye Ping was dressed simply in a plain white robe.

　　However, his aura and appearance were not ordinary at all.

　　He was handsome and refined, exuding a Confucian aura that was rather eye-catching.

　　On the other hand, as the Crown Prince of Jin Nation, Li Yu was naturally good-looking but he seemed ordinary compared to Ye Ping.

　　The two of them walked on the main road.

　　There were generals of Wei Nation standing on both sides but also many pedestrians who couldn’t help but look over.

　　They were continuously sizing the both of them up.

　　In particular, the women were all exclaiming in amazement.

　　“Guys look, this man is so handsome.”

　　“Quick, look, there’s a hunk.”

　　“How is this gentleman so good looking?”

　　“Which nation did this student come from? He looks so handsome, I really want to give birth to his child.”

　　Ye Ping’s looks were indeed extraordinary, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he was a hunk.

　　His unique aura had instantly attracted the attention of many women.

　　Feeling the crowd’s gaze, Ye Ping looked calm.

　　On the contrary, Li Yu couldn’t hide his joy.

　　The two of them walked rather quickly, and in less than an hour, they saw the “One-Line Sky”.

　　“Master, the One-Line Sky is the most famous restaurant in the capital of Wei Nation. I didn’t expect the king of Wei Nation to be so generous as to arrange for the participating students to come to this place. My father definitely won’t bear to.”

　　Li Yu couldn’t help but praise when he saw the One-Line Sky restaurant.

　　Ye Ping did not answer and instead looked at the so-called One-Line Sky.

　　At a glance, it looked more like a small palace than a restaurant. There were jade pavilions, ridged eaves, and colorful glazed tiles that were luxurious but not tacky.

　　In the restaurant, there were faint sounds of the zither that soothed the senses.

　　“Greetings, Exalted Immortals.”

　　At this moment, two beautiful women slowly walked out and saluted to Ye Ping and Li Yu.

　　Ye Ping and Li Yu smiled too.

　　“Exalted Immortals, you must be tired after a long journey. Fairy Zi Shuang is now playing the zither, would you like to go over to take a look and get some rest?”

　　A maid spoke calmly, but she would glance at Ye Ping from time to time.

　　“Is Fairy Zi Shuang inside?”

　　Li Yu was instantly a little surprised to hear Fairy Zi Shuang’s name.

　　For a moment, Ye Ping couldn’t help but look at Li Yu with some curiosity in his eyes.

　　Sensing Ye Ping’s gaze, Li Yu hurriedly spoke up.

　　“Master, Fairy Zi Shuang belongs to the Ancient Zither Sect of Wei Nation and is famous for her musical talent. She’s not only skilled in playing the zither, but she’s also a ravishing beauty who is known as one of the most gorgeous Four Fairies of Wei Nation.”

　　Li Yu said with great excitement.

　　Ye Ping nodded. He had somewhat figured it out.

　　“Yes, yes, please lead the way.”

　　Without waiting for Ye Ping to speak, Li Yu hurriedly agreed and asked the two maids to lead the way.

　　The latter didn’t say much and simply smiled calmly before bringing Ye Ping and Li Yu into the One-Line Sky restaurant.

　　The atmosphere in One-Line Sky was extremely lively, with a unique fragrance that filled the air. There were also many doorways, and after making several turns, Ye Ping and Li Yu finally arrived at a courtyard.

　　In the courtyard, there was a pavilion on a lake, on which a woman dressed in purple was playing the zither.

　　There were two maids on each of her sides.

　　The sound of the zither was beautiful and relaxing, and at the banks of the lake, there were several ancient wooden tea tables. There were hundreds of people among the audience who were enjoying the performance.

　　Everyone was concentrating on the performance and they were all extraordinary. As soon as Ye Ping appeared, he could sense a great aura.

　　However, at this moment, a voice sounded and broke the tranquility.

　　“Senior Brother Ye! What brings you here?”

　　It was Huangfu Tianlong.

　　Among the crowd, Huangfu Tianlong sensed Ye Ping’s presence as soon as he appeared.

　　He was a physical cultivator so he could naturally detect Ye Ping’s presence. However, Huangfu Tianlong did not expect Ye Ping to actually come.

　　He got up and called out to greet Ye Ping loudly, ignoring the emotions of everyone else.

　　Dong.

　　At this moment, Fairy Zi Shuang suddenly stopped playing the zither.

　　The sound of the zither came to an abrupt halt.

　　Everyone could not help but open their eyes and wake up from the trance that they were in while listening to the beautiful sound of the zither.

　　Everyone couldn’t help but look at Huangfu Tianlong.

　　However, Huangfu Tianlong was a bit ignorant as he ignored the gazes of the crowd and simply walked straight towards Ye Ping smilingly.

　　“Senior Brother Ye, I thought you would definitely come, and I guessed it.”

　　Huangfu Tianlong said with a wide grin.

　　Having let go of the grudge within him, his smile was particularly sincere.

　　However, he was being a little insensitive to the time and place.

　　Looking at Huangfu Tianlong who came over, as well as the gazes of everyone, Li Yu somehow felt awkward.

　　Even Ye Ping also felt somewhat embarrassed.

　　After all, everyone was listening to the zither performance, and yet he suddenly interrupted it and even greeted someone else nonchalantly.

　　They thought that he was being inconsiderate.

　　“Senior Brother Ye, come, come, come, take a seat. Fairy Zi Shuang is playing the zither, let’s listen to the performance and chat too.”

　　Huangfu Tianlong said enthusiastically.

　　He was very young and a little insensible when it came to manners. Besides, he was fixated on the reverence for the Dao of martial arts. To put it bluntly, he would respect those who were strong and ignore those who were weak.

　　He seemed rather insensitive as he continued to pull Ye Ping and Li Yu down for a chat over some wine, completely ignoring the gazes of the crowd.

　　In fact, after discovering that Fairy Zi Shuang had stopped playing the zither, Huangfu Tianlong even looked at her curiously and asked, “Fairy Zi Shuang, why have you stopped playing the zither? Hurry up and continue. My Senior Brother is here, quickly play some tunes and boost the mood.”

　　Huangfu Tianlong said very directly.

　　Li Yu, who was at the side, lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling so awkward that he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.

　　‘This… is a little too embarrassing, isn’t it?’

　　She was Fairy Zi Shuang, the leader of the Four Fairies of Wei Nation.

　　She came here to play the zither just for leisure. She was not a musician of a brothel. What did he take her for?

　　‘Brother, can you not be so aggressive?’

　　Li Yu lowered his head while his face turned flushed.

　　Ye Ping was embarrassed too.

　　As a learned person, Ye Ping was naturally proficient in chess, calligraphy, music, and literature. Those were elegant arts.

　　It was all about quietness.

　　‘Not only did you interrupt the performance, you even asked me to continue playing the zither and boost the mood?’

　　‘It’s too awkward, isn’t it?’

　　“Senior Brother Ye, why don’t you say anything?”

　　Huangfu Tianlong was a bit curious.

　　He was indeed a bit excited. After all, he had always hoped that Ye Ping could participate in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament. As long as Ye Ping participated in the Ten Nations Grand Tournament, he would definitely be selected for the Ten Nations Academy.

　　When the time came, he could often have sparring sessions with Ye Ping.

　　Upon sight of Ye Ping now, Huangfu Tianlong was extremely excited.

　　That was also the reason why he had become too bubbly and insensitive to the feelings of others.

　　“Have you had enough?”

　　However, before Ye Ping could speak, a cold voice sounded.

　　In the courtyard, there were hundreds of people sitting in silence, and those who could enter the One-Line Sky were basically geniuses of the various academies of the Ten Nations.

　　Most of them were ordinary geniuses, and hence, they did not dare to voice their displeasure towards Huangfu Tianlong’s behavior.

　　However, that did not mean that there weren’t real geniuses.

　　A voice sounded.

　　All of a sudden, it was silent.

　　The person who spoke was wearing a long green robe and a jade crown on his head. He looked valiant and dignified.

　　“Chen Hongfei?”

　　Li Yu seemed to be very knowledgeable as he immediately knew who that person was.

　　He then suppressed his voice and said, “Master, this is Chen Hongfei, the son of a great Confucian of the Chen Nation, who is also an elite in the Chen Nation Academy. He has massive fame and strength.”

　　Li Yu introduced Chen Hongfei in a soft voice.

　　Ye Ping looked over, only to see that Chen Hongfei’s cultivation level was indeed not bad. He was already a Golden Core realm cultivator at the age of 25 or 26 years old, and although he was not a physical cultivator, he had excellent physique.

　　Huangfu Tianlong frowned and looked at Chen Hongfei before turning to glance at the crowd.

　　He immediately calmed down and knew that he had indeed lost his composure.

　　“Everyone, I’m really sorry. I got too excited when I saw my Senior Brother.”

　　Although Huangfu Tianlong was a little dense, he was not entirely clueless about the manners he ought to have.

　　Knowing that indeed he had lost his composure, he immediately apologized.

　　“Hmph, if you want to catch up with each other, go back and do so. You didn’t have to interrupt Fairy Zi Shuang’s performance. You’re such a killjoy. Not only have you ruined my mood, but you also ruined Fairy Zi Shuang’s mood when she was playing the zither. Do you think your mere explanation can solve the problem?”

　　Chen Hongfei picked up his glass of wine.

　　He took a sip indifferently, and his tone was rather overbearing.

　　“What do you want then?”

　　Huangfu Tianlong couldn’t help but be furious after hearing that.

　　Although it was true that he had spoiled their mood, he thought that it was no big deal because it was just a musical performance.

　　Huangfu Tianlong’s expression became somewhat cold and sullen.

　　However, Ye Ping immediately got up and appeared in front of Huangfu Tianlong before bowing to the crowd calmly.

　　“I’m really sorry, I haven’t seen Junior Brother Huangfu for some time, and we were a little excited so we lost our composure. I apologize to all of you on behalf of Junior Brother Huangfu.”

　　Ye Ping was refined and well-mannered.

　　Most of the scholars, too, almost nodded.

　　After all, it was only a trivial matter and Ye Ping had also taken the initiative to apologize, so the crowd had nothing to say.

　　However, Chen Hongfei couldn’t help but speak up.

　　“There’s no point in apologizing to us, apologize to Fairy Zi Shuang.”

　　“Do you know how hard it is to enjoy a performance by Fairy Zi Shuang? At Fairy Zi Shuang’s level, she would gain something whenever she plays. Yet, you guys suddenly disrupted her and ruined her mood. Do you know how great of a sin it is?”

　　Chen Hongfei continued to speak and had his back facing Ye Ping and Huangfu Tianlong while staring at Fairy Zi Shuang who was in the pavilion, his eyes full of adoration.

　　At this moment, Ye Ping frowned slightly, but he understood in an instant.

　　Chen Hongfei was not intentionally looking for trouble but was just trying to suck up to Fairy Zi Shuang.

　　Huangfu Tianlong wanted to say something but Ye Ping stopped him, and immediately afterwards, he looked at Fairy Zi Shuang who was in the pavilion.

　　Just as he was about to speak, a tender voice sounded.

　　“It’s just a trivial matter, no big deal, you guys don’t need to be so upset over it. Since you’re all guests, I’ll just play another song.”

　　Fairy Zi Shuang’s sweet and tender voice eased the tension and she hoped that they wouldn’t argue over it.

　　However, Chen Hongfei couldn’t help but speak up.

　　“How can that do? Fairy Zi Shuang, the sounds of the zither that you play are heavenly and rare in this world. It’s a huge sin to interrupt you, they must apologize.”

　　Chen Hongfei got up and said, flattering Fairy Zi Shuang and cozying up to her, so much that everyone got goosebumps.

　　What a bootlicker.

　　“Young Master Chen, it’s just a small matter, there’s no need to resort to this.”

　　Fairy Zi Shuang continued to speak. She felt that it was a trivial matter too. Although she did get a little upset at first, she was not a narrow-minded person.

　　However, at this moment, Ye Ping’s voice sounded again.

　　“Fairy Zi Shuang, my Junior Brother had indeed been rash and interrupted your mood, I hope you’ll understand and forgive him.”

　　Ye Ping did not want to dwell on that matter any longer.

　　Besides, no matter what, Huangfu Tianlong had indeed made a mistake.

　　There was nothing shameful about apologizing for one’s mistakes.

　　“It doesn’t matter. I truly admire your magnanimity and I hope you’ll enjoy my performance.”

　　Fairy Zi Shuang was indeed a little surprised. After all, such geniuses cared a lot about their pride and a gracious person like Ye Ping was rare. She could tell from that point alone that Ye Ping had a good character.

　　However, Chen Hongfei spoke again.

　　“You still want them to continue listening to your performance? People like them who don’t know how to appreciate your music are obviously boors. Why do you still want to invite them to continue listening? Fairy Zi Shuang, their presence is a huge insult to your performance and us scholars. We should ask them to leave.”

　　Chen Hongfei was unrelenting.

　　At this moment, Ye Ping’s gaze turned cold.

　　He didn’t mind Chen Hongfei being a bootlicker.

　　That was Chen Hongfei’s business.

　　However, he was going overboard by repeatedly trying to make things hard for him.

　　Although Huangfu Tianlong was a little reckless and interrupted the zither performance, it was still a trivial matter at the end of the day.

　　‘You think Fairy Zi Shuang is a goddess and the music she plays is as precious as a treasure but you can’t force others to agree with you.’

　　‘Besides, we’ve already apologized.’

　　‘You’re still so insistent and unrelenting, huh?’

　　‘Do you really think I don’t have a temper?’

　　Li Yu could sense Ye Ping’s gaze turning cold.

　　He immediately got up and stared at Chen Hongfei. Although he couldn’t beat him, he couldn’t lose to him in terms of dominance.

　　Huangfu Tianlong was even more straightforward.

　　He walked straight towards Chen Hongfei and stared at him with a sullen expression.

　　“Are you asking for a beating?”

　　Huangfu Tianlong’s gaze was icy cold. He was not an angst person but he was very straightforward.

　　If Chen Hongfei lectured him, Huangfu Tianlong wouldn’t be angry, and he would at most just leave and ignore him.

　　However, he could not tolerate the fact that Chen Hongfei wanted to chase Ye Ping away.

　　There were two people he admired the most in his life, one was his master and the other was Ye Ping.

　　So…

　　He could tolerate being humiliated!

　　However, he would not allow anyone to humiliate Ye Ping!

　　Huangfu Tianlong’s gaze was cold.

　　Ye Ping also seemed sullen and disgusted.

　　He was repulsed by bootlickers.