Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu left the office, took the elevator, and returned to the first-floor lobby.
By now, the lobby was packed with guests.
Figures clad in opulent robes sat in their seats, each radiating an extraordinary aura.
The vast majority were high-realm powerhouses.
Of course, there were also many strong individuals around Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu's age, their powerful auras clearly marking them as top-tier geniuses.
As Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu entered the hall, all eyes turned toward them.
"Isn't that Chen Zilu, the Chen Clan's next heir?"
"Who's that with her?"
"That's Jiang Ye, the one who challenged Zhou Xingkong to a duel recently."
"What? Him? Chen Zilu actually brought him here?" A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd.
Jiang Ye might not be well-known among ordinary people, but within the transcendent aristocratic families, his name resonated like thunder.
"I heard..."
"The Zhou Family intends to marry into the Chen Clan. Why is Chen Zilu getting so close to Jiang Ye now?"
"Zhou Xingkong is still here! Isn't this a slap in the face?" Many strong cultivators turned their gazes toward the Zhou Family's reserved seating.
At the front of the hall, several figures in black robes sat in a row—the Zhou Family's elite cultivators.
"Jiang Ye," Zhou Xingkong murmured, his eyes flashing with coldness as he stared at the young man in the distance.
With his silver hair and handsome features, Zhou Xingkong, the Zhou Family's most outstanding transcendent talent of this generation, had come to the banquet with an air of inspection.
The Chen Clan, lacking Transcendent Aptitude, was destined to decline.
But Jiang Ye's presence instantly stirred a wave of antipathy within him.
"The Chen Clan is truly kind," Zhou Xingkong said dryly. "Inviting Jiang Ye here specifically—is this meant as a warning to me?"
"Xingkong, you've misunderstood," a long-haired man sitting nearby quickly interjected with a smile. "We didn't invite Jiang Ye here."
This man, Chen Fang, was a core member of the Chen Clan's leadership.
After speaking, he swiftly rose and approached Chen Zilu.
"Chen Zilu," Chen Fang said in a low voice, "why did you bring an outsider here?"
Chen Fang had a poor impression of Chen Zilu.
As the family's next heir, she showed no consideration for the clan's interests, repeatedly rejecting the Zhou Family's goodwill. Now, she had even brought an unrelated outsider to the longevity banquet.
Chen Zilu's actions filled him with displeasure.
"The ancestor invited him," Chen Zilu replied calmly.
"The ancestor?" Chen Fang froze in surprise.
"We just met with the ancestor," Chen Zilu said, looking at him. "Uncle, do you have any objections?"
"If the ancestor invited him, I naturally have no objections," Chen Fang said with a forced smile. "Please take your seats in the front row."
Chen Zilu said nothing more, pulling Jiang Ye toward the front row.
Chen Fang watched her retreating figure and snorted coldly.
The ancestor's time is running out. The Chen Clan must align itself with the Zhou Family, he thought. Chen Zilu, your days of acting on a whim are numbered.
As Jiang Ye and Chen Zilu walked toward the front row, the gazes of the Chen Clan's elders followed them.
"That girl is so immature."
"Getting so close to her lover, doesn't she realize the Zhou Family is watching?"
"At her age, she should be thinking about the clan's interests." Some elders' eyes held undisguised disapproval.
Like Chen Fang earlier, certain elders harbored resentment toward Chen Zilu.
This girl is too headstrong.
If she would only agree to marry Zhou Xingkong, the Chen Clan could secure its position for the next century.
Why can't she do such a simple thing?
Yet Chen Zilu, the next heir, remained stubbornly resistant, completely disregarding the Zhou Family's goodwill.
"The Chen Clan will inevitably fall because of her," one elder sneered.
"Senior sister, are you alright?" Jiang Ye asked telepathically.
He could hear the murmurs of disapproval.
"I'm fine," Chen Zilu replied, shaking her head slightly as they took their seats in the front row. "I'm used to it."
Jiang Ye sat beside her.
Suddenly, sensing something, Jiang Ye turned his head to look to the side.
Not far away, a silver-haired youth was staring at him with icy eyes.
"We meet again, Jiang Ye," a cold voice echoed in his mind.
It was Zhou Xingkong.
"We'll meet again in six months," Jiang Ye replied calmly.
Zhou Xingkong paused slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his narrow eyes.
Then, the corner of his lips curled into a mocking smile.
"So you haven't forgotten. Good."
"The Great Stellar War," Zhou Xingkong transmitted coldly. "I hope you'll deliver a performance that truly surprises me."
"Rest assured, I'll definitely 'surprise' you," Jiang Ye replied with a faint smile.
Zhou Xingkong snorted coldly and withdrew his gaze.
Surprise?
He was now in the late-stage of the fifth breakthrough, his strength several times greater than it had been six months ago.
In another half a year, his power would grow even further.
What could Jiang Ye possibly do to surprise him?
Does he think a trip to the Star Realm Sea will let him catch up to me? Zhou Xingkong suddenly smirked. How naive.
Not only was it impossible for Jiang Ye to catch up to him, but even if he did, Zhou Xingkong was absolutely confident he could suppress Jiang Ye, given the vast difference in their innate aptitudes.
The power of a Transcendent Aptitude was beyond the comprehension of someone with a Dao Bone Aptitude. Even an invincible dao bone could only contend with the weakest transcendent. Zhou Xingkong, however, was far from that level.
"Xingkong."
"What is it?" A black-robed man beside Zhou Xingkong asked telepathically. "Are you still bothered by that boy?"
The black-robed man had clearly noticed Zhou Xingkong's persistent attention on Jiang Ye.
"Uncle Mo, you misunderstand," Zhou Xingkong replied calmly. "A penniless nobody with no background is beneath my notice. I'm merely displeased that the Chen Clan would seat him in the same row as me."
"The Chen Clan truly lacks decorum," Uncle Mo nodded in agreement.
Zhou Xingkong possessed a Transcendent Aptitude.
Those seated in this row were either top-tier experts like Uncle Mo or individuals with Transcendent Aptitudes like Zhou Xingkong himself.
Jiang Ye was the sole exception.
In truth, from Uncle Mo's perspective...
If this weren't a banquet hosted by the Chen Clan, Chen Zilu wouldn't even be qualified to sit here.
This thought was perfectly reasonable.
To low-level civilizations, the value of an invincible dao bone paled in comparison to that of a transcendent aptitude.
Only second-tier civilizations and above possessed the techniques to upgrade innate aptitudes, which is why civilizations below the first tier often placed less emphasis on invincible dao bones.
Transcendent aptitudes always reigned supreme above all other innate aptitudes!
At that moment, Zhou Xingkong suddenly asked, "Uncle Mo, isn't the Zhou Family Patriarch attending today?"
He was referring to the Zhou Family Patriarch.
Logically, as a transcendent family, even if the Chen Clan lacked a transcendent member in this generation, the Zhou Family Patriarch should have personally attended the Chen Family Patriarch's 500th birthday celebration to offer his congratulations.
"Of course the Patriarch will attend," Uncle Mo replied with a smile. "However, he won't be joining us here. I imagine he's already met with the Chen Family Patriarch."
The Zhou Family Patriarch was a Demigod-level powerhouse, fundamentally different from the other strong individuals in the hall.
In the first row of the banquet hall, besides the Zhou Family, sat the geniuses of several other transcendent families.
"Who's that?"
"Chu Jingye," Jiang Ye suddenly recognized a familiar figure.
A handsome young man in a black robe sat nearby, his eyes gleaming with a faint golden light, exuding an extraordinary aura.
Chu Jingye, the current transcendent of the Chu Clan.
Not far from Chu Jingye sat a young woman in purple robes. Her chest was full, her skin as white as snow, and her beauty was breathtaking, like a celestial maiden descended to earth.
"That's Li Zihuang of the Li Clan," Chen Zilu said casually. "The Li Clan's current transcendent."
"The Li Clan?" Jiang Ye's heart stirred slightly.
He couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
As if sensing his gaze, the purple-robed girl turned to look at him as well.
However, she merely gave him a fleeting glance before looking away.
"The Chen Clan is certainly interesting," Li Zihuang thought with a faint smile. "Seating a Primitive aptitude next to the Zhou Family? Is this their way of showing the Zhou Family disrespect?"
She didn't care much.
A Primitive aptitude was nothing to worry about.
Moreover, the Li Clan and Chen Clan had no rivalry or conflict. The Chen Clan's affairs were irrelevant to her.
"Still," she mused, "Chen Zilu will inevitably align with the Zhou Family in the end." Li Zihuang cast a pitying glance at Jiang Ye. "This guy's fate probably won't be a pleasant one."
In her view, Chen Zilu's personal desires stood no chance against the will of the transcendent families.
The Chen Clan tolerated her whims only because the Chen Family Patriarch still lived.
Once the Patriarch passed away, Chen Zilu's current strength would be far from sufficient to control the clan.
At that point, her fate would ultimately be decided by the clan elders.
As for Jiang Ye? He was merely a pawn in the internal power struggles of the transcendent families.
Time flowed, and the various factions and aristocratic families gradually arrived.
Even the federal headquarters sent representatives to congratulate the Patriarch.
Half an hour later, the longevity banquet officially began.
Whoosh! A white-robed, white-haired figure suddenly appeared on the high platform, radiating an imposing aura.
In an instant, the entire banquet hall fell silent.
"Thank you all for attending this grand celebration of my five hundredth birthday," the figure announced.
"I, Chen Jiuxuan, express my deepest gratitude." Chen Jiuxuan raised a wine cup that materialized in his hand and drained it in one gulp.
Swish, swish, swish!
The guests rose in unison to return the toast.
Once everyone had settled back into their seats, Chen Jiuxuan declared, "Excellent!"
"Today, let us revel to our hearts' content!" Chen Jiuxuan declared in a resonant voice. "I have a momentous announcement to make!"
At these words, the entire assembly perked up.
A momentous announcement? What could it be?
Chen Jiuxuan's gaze settled on a particular spot in the front row of the banquet.
"Jiang Ye, step forward!"
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [593] Chapters behind.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [989] now, only on 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
💸 Read up to Chapter [520] for 100% FREE!
📚 Read upto [13,000+] Chapters on Site with [10,400+] Free Chapters!
🚫 Also get FREE lifetime ad-free and join the giveaway by joining our Discord!
---------------------------