Damn it.
Ye Nantian had intended to use this opportunity to eliminate Ling Chen, but he hadn't expected such strong resistance. These individuals, one after another, were preventing him from making a move on Ling Chen, and now he no longer had the chance to kill him.
Despite his unwillingness, Ye Nantian was forced to compromise. "Today, for the sake of Mr. Qin and Prince Tai, I will spare your life for now, you little beast. However, if I find concrete evidence that you are colluding with the Demonic Sect and practicing their Secret Art, then not even a Da Luo Immortal will be able to save you." With that said, he picked up the unconscious and wounded Yun Tianhe and swept away from the training ground.
Yun Tianhe was severely injured. Ling Chen's sword stroke had nearly been fatal. If not treated promptly, his life could very well be in danger.
After Ye Nantian left, Ling Chen turned to express his gratitude to Zi Yun True Immortal and the other two, "Thank you, Seniors, for stepping in to save me."
"You should thank Mr. Qin and Prince Tai," Zi Yun True Immortal commented. "Otherwise, Ye Nantian would not have backed down so easily."
"That's not necessary. I merely said a few words. If Ye Nantian truly intended to make a move, it wouldn't have been appropriate for me to engage him here." Qin Shan shook his head. "This is, after all, the Divine Intent Sect's territory. As a guest, if I were to clash with Ye Nantian, it would undoubtedly affect the relationship between the Divine Intent Sect and the Black Market. If it truly came to that, I most likely wouldn't have fought Ye Nantian for Ling Chen's sake."
"Regardless, I owe my rescue today to the protection of you three Seniors. Ling Chen will engrave this favor in his heart."
Ling Chen knew that even a few words signified their stance. Without those words, Ye Nantian would not have given up so easily.
"I didn't expect Prince Tai to speak up for Ling Chen. I remember you're Ye Nantian's good friend," Qin Shan said, looking at Prince Tai with some confusion, surprised by the latter's change in attitude.
"That's not how it should be put. Even if we are friends, this King cannot stand by and watch him wrong a good person. For him, a Vice-Head of the Sect, to attack a junior member of the Sect—that goes against the principles of Jianghu." Prince Tai paused, then continued, "Moreover, I wouldn't want to see the number one genius in the Martial World fall like this. That would be too regrettable. By doing this, I am also preserving talent for my Wind Country." He looked thoroughly righteous and noble.
"Prince Tai truly distinguishes between public and private matters. A wise and virtuous monarch indeed."
Ling Chen found Prince Tai's words a bit pretentious, but since the man had saved him, he couldn't very well refute him at that moment.
"It is merely my duty," Prince Tai said, an air of responsibility about him. Then, his expression firmed slightly. "Actually, Ling Chen, there is one other matter I wished to ask of you."
"Please, go ahead," Ling Chen said, his expression turning serious.
"At the end of this year, our royal family will invite young talents from all over the Wind Country for a grand Autumn Hunt. I hope that you will do me the honor of participating and representing this King in the event."
"The Royal Autumn Hunt?" Ling Chen was stunned, not expecting Prince Tai to suddenly extend such an invitation.
"The Royal Autumn Hunt? That's a fine tradition of the royal family. In the past, it seems only members of the Imperial Clan and the disciples of nobles were allowed to participate. Has it now been extended to all the young elites of the Wind Country?" Qin Shan was somewhat surprised; he clearly had some knowledge of the Wind Country's Royal Autumn Hunt.
"The previous Autumn Hunts were mostly a formality. This time, by inviting talents from all over the nation, it will not only serve as training for members of the Imperial Clan and the disciples of nobles but also strengthen the interaction among talents in our Wind Country," Prince Tai said with a smile.
"The top three young talents in the Autumn Hunt will receive very generous rewards. And the one who takes first place will be personally awarded the King's Token by His Majesty the Emperor, and be honored as the King of our Wind Country's younger generation."
"If that's the case, it does seem like a good training opportunity for the younger generation." Qin Shan's and Zi Yun True Immortal's eyes lit up. This would indeed make the Autumn Hunt interesting.
"Ling Chen, this Autumn Hunt will determine the King among the younger generation of the Wind Country. If you don't participate, your title as the number one genius in the Martial World will be in jeopardy," Qin Shan said with a smile.
"The title of 'number one genius' is merely a hollow reputation. The Five Kingdoms are vast, and talents are innumerable. Without truly competing, I dare not accept the title of 'number one.'" Ling Chen shook his head. His title as the number one talent was largely due to the reputation of his father, Supreme Sky Feather. Talent is about innate ability, which is rather abstract. Who can definitively determine the strength of one's talent? They are all geniuses; who would be willing to admit defeat?
Number one genius did not equate to the King of the younger generation. A King is respected for strength; a genius is distinguished by talent.
"However, since Prince Tai has invited me, it would be disrespectful to decline." Ling Chen had initially wanted to consider it, but he now owed Prince Tai a favor. This was an invitation he couldn't refuse.
"Excellent! With Young Hero Ling Chen representing this King, this King will surely come out on top in this Autumn Hunt. Then, this King will await your esteemed arrival at my residence." Prince Tai's face broke into a radiant smile, and then he too took his leave.
Ling Chen muttered to himself after the prince had left, "I was wondering why Prince Tai suddenly decided to help me. So this was his ulterior motive."
"Do you really think the prince helped you just so you could participate in the Autumn Hunt?" Qin Shan asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Otherwise?" Ling Chen queried, a hint of surprise on his face.
"Perhaps not," Qin Shan replied, his expression somewhat enigmatic. "If that were his sole purpose, wouldn't Yun Tianhe also have been an excellent candidate? There's no reason for him to offend Ye Nantian, with whom he has a good relationship, just for this."
"Then why did he do it?" Ling Chen frowned slightly.
"That, I'm not sure." Qin Shan shrugged. "I just feel that things aren't that simple. Or perhaps I'm overthinking it."
Currently, I don't seem to have any value worth exploiting. Even if Prince Tai does have some ulterior motive, it wouldn't be worth this much trouble, would it? Ling Chen wasn't overly suspicious. He currently had no backing and was just an ordinary disciple. There was no reason for Prince Tai to scheme against him.
"Then let's just say I was overthinking it." Without saying more, Qin Shan also bid Ling Chen farewell. "I still have matters to attend to. If anything important comes up in the future, you can come find me in Wucheng."
"Mr. Qin, I will surely repay this great kindness in the future," Ling Chen said gratefully, clasping his fists.
After bidding Ling Chen farewell, Qin Shan left the training ground with a few Deacons from the Black Market.
By this time, most of the disciples in the square had left or dispersed. In the vast training ground, apart from a few scattered disciples, only Ling Chen and Zi Yun True Immortal remained.
The two of them left the square and walked along the path leading to the Wuchen Courtyard.
"I just don't understand, why does Ye Nantian hate me so much? He is, after all, a Sword Dao Master of his generation; why would he reveal such a sinister face today?"
Ling Chen found it hard to comprehend. It was understandable if Yun Tianhe wanted to kill him out of jealousy. But for Ye Nantian, a Sword Dao Master of his generation, to make things difficult for a junior like him was simply unjustifiable.
"Ye Nantian doesn't hate you; he hates your father, Ling Tianyu," Zi Yun True Immortal replied, shaking his head. "Ye Nantian's Sword Dao Talent is astonishing; he is a top-tier swordsman in the Martial World. But when he was at the height of his career, he lost an important competition to your father, Ling Tianyu."
"He trained painstakingly, only to be met with repeated failures. It can be said that his entire life was suppressed by Ling Tianyu, with no chance to shine. Who knows how much resentment has accumulated within him?"
"Supreme Sky Feather has already fallen. Now, he can only direct his hatred towards you. Moreover, regarding the great upheaval three months ago, without an insider's coordination, it wouldn't have caused such destructive power, leading to the fall of more than half of our Divine Intent Sect's experts." A cold light flickered in Zi Yun True Immortal's eyes.
"So, you mean, apart from my mother, could Ye Nantian be a spy for the Saint Witch Religion?" Ling Chen asked, his pupils shrinking slightly. In the eyes of the public, Liu Xiling was still the one under the greatest suspicion. Ling Chen, therefore, had phrased his question to consider Ye Nantian as an additional possibility.
"It's hard to say. Such things cannot be said casually. Before there's evidence, nothing can be concluded definitively." Zi Yun True Immortal shook his head, then looked at Ling Chen. "However, you still need to be careful. Not just Ye Nantian; I think many of the current Elders in the Divine Intent Sect are problematic."
"I know. I'll be careful."
Ling Chen nodded. He had long known there was something fishy about the events three months ago. Most of the remaining Elders of the Divine Intent Sect likely had issues, and those Elders who had been inclined towards his father, Ling Tianyu's faction, had mostly perished in that great upheaval.
Those remaining were either old foxes or potential traitors. The current Divine Intent Sect was a mess of internal strife and chaos. Its reputation in the outside world had also plummeted. It was no longer the Martial World hegemon it once was. Many in the Martial World probably already considered the Divine Intent Sect a second-rate sect.
"This time, you nearly killed Yun Tianhe, so the conflict with Ye Nantian's faction has completely intensified. I'll keep an eye on Ye Nantian. He lost face today, so he probably won't personally make a move against you in the future. But there's no guarantee his disciples won't."
Zi Yun True Immortal looked at Ling Chen, his expression becoming grave. "Although Yun Tianhe is known as one of the Four Great Genius Disciples, he is merely Ye Nantian's youngest disciple. Above him, there are three older martial siblings, all stronger than Yun Tianhe."
"Especially Ye Nantian's Big Disciple, Longyang, who is ranked in the top ten of the Heavenly List. With your current strength, ten of you combined would be no match for him."
"Indeed."
Ling Chen nodded. The Heavenly List was an authoritative ranking of young talents throughout the Five Kingdoms, jointly released by the Black Market and the Myriad Dao Sect, and updated every quarter. Anyone under the age of thirty who had reached the Martial Teacher Level could be included in the Heavenly List, ranked according to their strength.
Two of Yun Tianhe's three older martial siblings were on the Heavenly List. Even the weakest of them was not an opponent he could currently handle.
Enemies, each stronger than the last... Defeating Yun Tianhe is just the beginning. To survive in such a harsh environment, I must constantly improve my own strength, without slacking for even a moment.