Chapter 231: Chapter 131: Gift

After providing Yu Ziyu with the war preparation supplies, Master Han handed two Quasi-Fourth Tier Celestial Thunder Talismans to Ye Jingyu, as remuneration for the secret realm exploration.

Ye Jingyu had yet to recover from the shock of those war preparation supplies.

In his mind, all he could see was Li Jizhou’s always calm and composed expression.

“I am indeed no match for him!”

Compared to the seemingly bold moves he had made, Ye Jingyu felt that Li Jizhou’s silent strategies were the true masterminds!

Coming back to his senses, seeing the doubled reward, and moreover the Quasi-Fourth Tier Celestial Thunder Talismans, Ye Jingyu nodded heavily and muttered to himself, “I will not let you down!”

With the massive war preparation supplies brought by Master Han, thousands of Tier Two talismans, over a hundred Tier Three talismans, and numerous pills, including Qi Replenishing Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, and Blood Burst Pills… thousands of pills of various grades, Yu Ziyu and the few others leading this matter felt a surge in confidence!

At this moment, outside, Talisman Master Shen reported that the banquet before the martial arts competition was ready. The heroes had all taken their positions, more than half of the Hidden Dragon Ranking had arrived, and representatives of almost every sect and clan ranked in the top thirty of the Yan Kingdom in strength were present, just waiting for Yu Ziyu to arrive.

“Good!” Yu Ziyu nodded and walked out.

The five people in the chamber immediately activated the projection screen on the wall, showing the situation outside in the banquet hall.

Those qualified to enter the valley were all Core Formation masters, while those eligible to join the banquet and sit with Yu Ziyu were the young generation with reputable names in the Yan Kingdom.

When Yu Ziyu arrived at the banquet hall, all fifty individual seats were filled.

“Fairy Yu!” Someone stood up and cupped their hands in a very gentlemanly manner.

Someone looked Yu Ziyu in the eye and nodded slightly, seeming very reserved.

There were also those who, from the moment Yu Ziyu appeared, gazed affectionately as if they had forgotten to greet her.

But most remained seated, making a simple gesture of cupping hands.

Yu Ziyu walked to the center and bowed deeply to everyone present: “Thank you, fellow Taoists, for coming here, it is a great honor, many thanks!”

“Fairy Yu, there is no need to be polite. Being able to see Fairy Yu in person is indeed a great honor for me!” Master Kang, a direct disciple of Wuliang Mountain, smiled warmly, exuding humility.

“Indeed, most of us came here just to catch a glimpse of Fairy Yu’s graceful presence. Seeing the fairy’s visage now, this trip is already worthwhile!”

“Haha. Fu has never considered going on stage to embarrass myself in front of the talents of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but now, having seen the fairy’s true appearance, I must give it a try!”

…

Yu Ziyu’s words immediately spurred the crowd into a torrent of expressions.

And Zhou Cang, who stood behind Yu Ziyu, dressed as a manager, secretly pursed his lips, looking down on these young talents.

Each one is a turtle hiding in their shell when faced with the business alliance!

“I toast to all of you,” Yu Ziyu raised a cup of Spirit Wine and drank it all at once.

Seeing the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, as well as the direct disciples and legitimate heirs of major sects and family forces, Yu Ziyu’s confidence swelled within.

The only one she disliked was Situ Yan, sitting proudly in the front row.

He signaled Yu Ziyu several times, wanting her to come over and speak with him privately.

But she didn’t respond, only smiling faintly.

Many people from the business alliance had also come, but some did not reveal their identities, with only Situ Yan’s true body being allowed to enter the main hall.

“Master Lu, as the leader of the Hidden Dragon Ranking, have you encountered any challenges in recent years?” Yu Ziyu deliberately bypassed Situ Yan and smiled as she talked with Lu Zhanyuan.

Lu Zhanyuan, as the chief disciple of the Sword Pavilion, one of the top five forces in the Yan Kingdom—and the leader of the Hidden Dragon Ranking—had become famous nationwide before the age of ninety, considered a young prodigy in the cultivation world of the Yan Kingdom.

His pride was entirely unrestrained. Since entering the banquet hall, he had not spoken to anyone.

Even facing Yu Ziyu at this moment, he showed no special treatment and coldly replied, “It has been nearly ten years since I last had the chance to test my sword with someone, which is the purpose of coming here this time!”

Clearly stating, I’m not interested in you; I’m just here to find an opponent to test my sword!

Yu Ziyu didn’t mind; she wasn’t actually interested in anyone either.

“Hmph, Lu Zhanyuan, aren’t you being overly arrogant?” However, there are always those who stand up for beauties no matter where they are.

Immediately someone glared at Lu Zhanyuan with a cold snort.

“Please enlighten me!” Lu Zhanyuan did not even turn his head, just faintly pointing outside.

Hearing this, that person was immediately at a loss for words, scanning those present, and finding no one joined in support.

This made him quite embarrassed.

Being only the nineteenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he naturally lacked the courage to challenge the leader.

“Friend Ma, calm your anger, I appreciate your good intentions, and I toast to you.” Yu Ziyu smiled slightly and raised her cup remotely to Friend Ma.

Then she added, “Today’s banquet is to thank everyone for coming to my Qingyin Valley, tomorrow will be the real martial arts contest; please do not disrupt the harmony.”

“Fairy Yu, please!” Master Ma’s earlier embarrassment from being provoked by Lu Zhanyuan instantly dissipated upon receiving Yu Ziyu’s private toast.

After this episode, Yu Ziyu did not further entangle herself to avoid affecting the important matters of tomorrow.

She then redirected all topics toward herself during the banquet,

answering everyone’s questions on site.

When asked if there were other criteria besides martial arts prowess,

she answered that those who made it to the top ten would mainly be judged by character and mutual perception.

This instantly invigorated the top ten male cultivators on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, apart from the three female cultivators, including Yu Ziyu herself, the top thirteen all had hope.

They surely would rule out Lu Zhanyuan, the insensitive martial fanatic.

Subsequently, someone tough like Tuoba Sea should also be excluded.

Someone else asked how Qingyin Valley would be handled if they became a Dao Companion.

Yu Ziyu replied it would be passed to the younger generation and depend on the forces of the Dao Companion from then onward.

…

This round of question and answer saw Yu Ziyu responding fluently.

She answered almost entirely according to their expectations.

Since there was no possible outcome, she could say anything.

The banquet finally ended in laughter and joy, all carrying hopes for the morrow.

That evening, Yu Ziyu again gathered all the members of the Yu family for a final action confirmation, ensuring everything was ready.

The next day,

With the rising of the red sun, the sky full of morning glow,

Yu Ziyu and her group stood at Qingyin Valley’s highest point, cloaked in the colorful glow, gazing over the entire Yan Kingdom, their eyes sparkling with hopeful radiance.

“Gentlemen, let’s together ignite this prairie fire!”

Ye Jingyu, Zhou Cang, Master Han, and others all had solemn expressions and nodded heavily.

By noon, all seats surrounding the arena set up in the center of Qingyin Valley were filled.

Some protectors or servants even had no seats and could only stand at the back.

Outside Qingyin Valley, hundreds of water screen projections were set up, instantly relaying the arena’s happenings.

Awaiting in anticipation, Yu Ziyu, graceful as a celestial being, flew onto the platform.

“Before the competition, I have prepared a gift for all of you who have traveled from afar, hoping everyone would like it!”

Just as everyone eagerly awaited Yu Ziyu’s announcement regarding the martial arts competition, she was straightforward.

Then, before the crowd could react, each water screen projection presented unusual images…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep