Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Arrival of the Sacred Land

As the eyes of the world watched, the day when the prodigies from the Sacred Lands would arrive drew ever closer. This event sent ripples far and wide; many families from other cities dispatched their own to observe, and even from the distant imperial capital, crowds journeyed here. Once an unremarkable mountain town with a population of merely a few hundred thousand, Shrouded Heaven City had, overnight, swelled with the arrival of nobles and merchants from the metropolis, its streets now teeming with a million souls, bustling with unprecedented liveliness.

Within the radiant and majestic Moon Pavilion, a cluster of elegant towers and pavilions surrounded the center stage, the Arena of Wild Battle, like stars encircling the moon. These lofty structures were reserved for the distinguished guests to watch the unfolding contest.

Dawn broke, sending the first blush of light across Shrouded Heaven City as a new day began—different from any before. The streets overflowed with a noticeable surge of youth. Talented scholars and beauties hurried towards the Arena of Wild Battle, afraid that arriving a moment late would leave them without a seat. As for the Moon Pavilion, it was simply beyond their station; entry was strictly reserved for those of high rank.

Even before the prodigies from the Sacred Lands arrived, a grand assembly had already begun. The third young lady of the Lan family from the imperial capital presided over the Gathering of Heroes at the Moon Pavilion, inviting all the promising youths who had come to Shrouded Heaven City—many of whom were the daughters of prominent families, making the event all the more dazzling. Everyone knew that the peerlessly beautiful Miss Lan was personally seeking to recruit talent for her family. As one of the superclans of the capital, the Lan family, though perhaps not equal to the imperial house, far outclassed the ordinary nobility. Thus, many young elites flocked eagerly to the gathering.

By early morning, the artificial lake was already a sea of people. Fortunately, the Arena of Wild Battle was vast enough to accommodate the crowds. Half the superclans of the imperial capital had converged in Shrouded Heaven City, and their scions would not miss such an opportunity. Save for a few who had not arrived in person, nearly all the young aristocrats in the city were present.

Xiao Chong and Ao Yun greeted other young nobles while scanning the crowd for Ye Feng, but as the hour grew late and the Gathering of Heroes was about to begin, they abandoned their search.

In the arena, spirited youths could no longer restrain themselves and sparred eagerly, seizing every chance to improve and hoping their prowess might catch the eye of Miss Lan. Yet, the young elites within the Moon Pavilion regarded such displays with utter disdain, not deigning to spare them a glance.

“Who would have thought the Xiao family would send their second young master? Do they not know why we are here?” Amidst clinking cups in one of the pavilions, a burly youth laughed boisterously at Xiao Chong.

He was flanked by several scions from other families, clearly at odds with Xiao Chong’s group.

“So, it’s you, that mongrel. Li Jue, you only entered the Innate Realm at seventeen, and even now you haven’t reached the threshold of the Spirit King level. What right have you to mock me?” Xiao Chong replied without the slightest annoyance.

“Haha... And as for you in the early Innate stage—when can we expect you to step into the Spirit King ranks?” retorted Li Jue, his sharp, hawk-like eyes exuding an aura of menace. With that, unwilling to bicker further, he laughed and strode away with his companions.

As Li Jue and his retinue disappeared into the crowd, one of Xiao Chong’s followers clenched his fists, visibly frustrated, while another, dejected, muttered, “Though Li Jue only reached the Innate Realm at seventeen, in just a year, he’s surged forward to the high Innate stage. Rumor has it he recently made another breakthrough and now has one foot in the Spirit King class.”

“Halfway to Spirit King? Has he already found his Dao?” wondered another.

Listening to their speculation, Xiao Chong’s face grew darker. He snorted coldly, “Hmph! Have you ever seen someone below the Innate Realm with a clear Dao?”

His words stirred little response; the others continued their conjecture. Only Ao Yun and Lie Kuang exchanged a meaningful glance, a subtle light flickering in their eyes.

“In the capital, Li Jue is considered a top young expert—few dare provoke him. The Li family sending him shows that this time, Shrouded Heaven City will truly see the finest prodigies from the Sacred Lands,” Xiao Chong said, his gaze grave as he looked toward the distant arena.

“Sigh! Let’s go. Today, we’ll most likely witness Li Jue and his ilk flaunting their power once again,” said one youth, glancing oddly at the baby-faced He Tao.

Ye Feng wandered leisurely among the pavilions, his bearing calm. Unlike the anxious or feverish youths around him, he felt more and more the unfathomable depth of the Sacred Lands’ influence. In just a short while, he had spotted more than ten outstanding youths from the capital—each one a prodigy spoken of by his second uncle. While their clans might not match the great houses like the Lan family, their combined power was formidable.

That a simple challenge from the Sacred Lands could draw such attention from so many families spoke volumes about their hidden strength. As the saying goes, those within the game are often oblivious to its full scope. Ye Feng did not realize that, had the Ye family not suddenly re-emerged, so many great houses would never have come. If the capital’s elite truly regarded the Sacred Lands’ prodigies with such seriousness, they would never have watched idly as they swept through all eighteen cities of the Tianwu Empire…

Nearing noon, Ye Feng finally caught sight of two familiar figures: Xiao Chong and Jialuo, sitting together with grim faces in a distant pavilion. Though far away, Ye Feng recognized them at once.

“Why are they together? Do they know each other?” Ye Feng wondered, puzzled.

As if sensing his gaze, both men looked toward Ye Feng in unison. At that moment, a commotion erupted from the arena below, and Ye Feng heard a furious voice.

“Do you take Shrouded Heaven City for a city of cowards?!”

Looking down, he saw two youths lying in the arena, blood at the corners of their mouths. Strangely, another stood tall and proud, sweeping his gaze arrogantly over the crowd.

Not only Ye Feng, but many of the capital’s prodigies rose from their seats, their expressions icy as they stared at the young man in the arena.

Xiao Chong and Jialuo exchanged glances, speaking softly, “They... have arrived.”

In the arena, a local youth, bloodied and trembling, pointed at the arrogant newcomer, “Why did you attack for no reason? Why injure our city’s best?”

Clearly, he had just been defeated and humiliated by this outsider.

A wild laugh echoed across the arena. “Ha! It’s simple. We heard tales of the prodigies of the Eastern Tianwu Empire, so we traveled ten thousand miles to see for ourselves. Before today, we had already challenged eighteen cities, but... I am disappointed. Seeing these two fooling around in the arena just now, I felt they disgraced the Arena of Wild Battle!”