Chapter 781 : Banquet (8)
Staring the at youths closing in on her, Jun Wu Xie's eyes narrowed and her spirit powers gradually gathered in her palm.
When that intensely green spirit power glow that enveloped Jun Wu Xie's entire palm began to coalesce, the smiles on the faces of all the youths who had tightly surrounded her suddenly turned to ice.....
Their eyes opened incredibly wide as they stared incredulously at the blinding green glow, suddenly thinking whether their eyes were seeing things!
The little brat looked every inch to be only fourteen or fifteen and they had thought he would at best be at the peak of a red spirit, and that was why they had so confidently come to pick a fight with him. However, when that unbelievable green spirit light appeared before their eyes, their minds suddenly shut down like they had just encountered a ghost.
[Green spirit!]
[Holy Heavens, it's a green spirit!]
All the youths who had come to stir up trouble with Jun Wu Xie suddenly found their jaws dropping onto the floor.
[A fourteen year old green spirit! !]
[Utterly impossible!]
Even for one of the top elite academies like the Dragon Slayers Academy, they had never ever seen a fourteen year old green spirit before. They were all about seventeen to eighteen themselves and the strongest one among them was only an orange spirit. Even the mightiest disciple in their entire academy was but a yellow spirit and his achievement was already considered to be one of a rare prodigy.
Alas.....
This little brat who barely reached their shoulders here, looking so incredibly frail and weak, was actually a green spirit! !
......
In a blink, the youths could not find it within themselves to laugh anymore. Their smiles remained frozen and stiff upon their faces, looking like they had been turned to stone, their eyes filled in paralysing shock!
Jun Wu Xie's cold gaze scanned the faces of the stiffened youths, her eyes narrowing chillingly.
"Tired of living?" Her red lips parted, the voice she spat out sending chills up the spines of the youths.
The heads of the youths sunk lower into their shoulders, as they fought to remain some semblance of composure. But in the face of the slowly spreading green spirit glow, they found that their legs were turning into jelly!
[Was this a dream?]
[Fourteen and a green spirit.....]
[It could only be a dream!]
The mouths of the youths developed a twitch as they slowly retreated step by step. They could already feel the oppression from the overwhelming power from the spreading green spirit glow. Although there were five of them, but their strongest was merely an orange spirit and green was two whole levels above them!
Their numbers did not make a difference. Even if they had two times that number, they would still be completely overwhelmed!
Jun Wu Xie's chilling gaze swept over the group of pale faced youths and she said in an icy tone: "If you seek to live, scram."
All the youths did not dare say another word. They howled in terror as they turned and ran desperately for their lives, running away from a terrifying demon that had crawled out from the fiery depths of Hell!
However gifted one was, to attain the green spirit, one was usually at least already in his thirties. And that kind of gift was already extremely rare to see. When Jun Wu Xie had revealed her green spirit with her fourteen year old face, that had not just been frightening. It had completely smashed their entire perception of the world!
Lei Yuan who had been hidden in the shadows anticipating a good show suddenly saw the Dragon Slayers Academy's disciples running out as if fearing for their lives. He found the situation extremely strange. Those youths had completely surrounded Jun Xie just moments ago and he had not been able to see Jun Xie's reaction. And just as he was thinking that the disciples from the Dragon Slayers Academy were about to strike, they had suddenly turned tail and fled!
[Just like that!?]
"What's going on? Why did they run away?" Lei Yuan stared after the terrified backs of the escaping disciples, the expression on his face all confused, while the attendant beside him suddenly began to tremble.
"Se..... Second Prince..... Second Prince, loo..... loo....."
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Chapter 782 : Banquet (9)
Lei Yuan admonished impatiently: "You can't talk? Stop the stammering!"
"Look..... Quick..... Look....." The attendant's voice trembled even more.
Lei Yuan clicked his tongue and turned, casting an impatient glance to look into the garden.
And just that one glance caused his jaw to drop, suddenly unable to shut his mouth!
Under the silvery rays of the moon, the small sized young youth stood alone in the garden, the figure covered in a bright green spirit glow. That intense shade of emerald green was undeniable proof that the green spirit was already at its peak, as the brilliant spirit glow slowly dispersed, in tandem with the careless nonchalance from Lei Yuan's heart.
"Green..... green spirit....." Lei Yuan's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared in incredulous disbelief at the frail and weak looking little youth. He rubbed at his eyes subconsciously to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.
"Fourteen year old..... green spirit..... and..... peaking....." Lei Yuan was dumbfounded. Not even in his dreams would he have expected to see, a disciple from an academy falling in decline, display such an astoundingly unbelievable amount of power.....
At such an age, with such a spirit power level..... It went far beyond any boundaries that no one had ever heard of before! !
[Is this kid even human?]
At that moment, Lei Yuan had a very strong reason to believe, that the youth was some powerful exponent in disguise!
If not, the kid's power was just too heaven defying!
Not just in the Zephyr Academy, even if you searched through the other two top academies or the other hundreds of academies, you would not be able to find another disciple that was like that!
......
With that, there was no longer a show for him to watch and he had even shocked himself terribly. Lei Yuan was suddenly glad that he had not shown good face earlier or the one embarrassed now would be him instead. "No wonder my Royal Brother showed the kid such special treatment. So he already knew!" Lei Yuan said through gritted teeth, cursing and swearing vehemently at Lei Chen in his mind. He had been wondering why Lei Chen would do something that gained him no good, and it had turned out that his Royal Brother had discovered the undeniable value in Jun Xie, hence, he had been using such an endearing form of address calling the kid "little brother Jun" in front of everyone else. He suddenly realised why Jun Xie had not shown much enthusiasm in responding to Lei Chen's show of favoritism. With the kid's abilities, he did not need to fawn and grovel before anybody. Based on the speed his spirit power cultivation was progressing at, the Purple Spirit would not be far off!
And Lei Yuan had initially rejoiced at the fact that Lei Chen had publicly humiliated the Dragon Slayers Academy, giving him the opportunity to get close to them. But based on the situation that he just saw, he had gotten the short end of the stick. No matter how elite the disciples of the Dragon Slayers Academy were, they could not hold a candle to a youth who held the potential to breakthrough to the Purple Spirit.
Lei Yuan's mind began to whirl. He could see that Jun Xie had not been completely receptive to Lei Chen's overtures. Would that come to mean that Jun Xie did not really like Lei Chen much? Would that also mean that he might stand a chance as well?
When that thought came into his mind, Lei Yuan's heart soared. Unwilling to give up just like that, he immediately tugged at his clothes to straighten them as much as he could, and carefully adjusted the expression on his face before walking out into the garden.
Jun Wu Xie had just managed to shoo off a bunch of unruly kids who didn't know their place and now, she was suddenly confronted by a "human ball" who was currently "rolling" towards her.
"Is our little brother here alright? I saw people from the Dragon Slayers Academy coming towards here earlier and was worried that they might have been disrespectful to you. They didn't do anything did they?" A complete change from the utter contempt he had shown Jun Wu Xie earlier at the banquet, Lei Yuan came near with a big wide smile on his face, coming to a stop before Jun Wu Xie. He was determined to put forth an image of politeness and grace, but with his pudgy and rotund body, his entire being jiggled when he gave out an uneasy laugh, becoming the complete opposite of what he was trying to portray.
Jun Wu Xie frowned slightly, as she looked at Lei Yuan who was really so obese he was almost practically a round ball.
If she remembered correctly, the ball before her at that moment, should be the Yan Country's Second Prince. Earlier at the banquet, he had shown nothing but contempt for the Zephyr Academy, so why had changed so abruptly now?
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Chapter 783 : Banquet (10)
"I'm fine." Jun Wu Xie couldn't even be bothered to guess at the reason for Lei Yuan's change in attitude and she threw him a response carelessly before immediately turning away to continue her appreciation of the beautiful garden bathed in the soft moonlight.
Soundly snubbed by Jun Wu Xie, Lei Yuan did not take the slightest offence but instead walked forward and continued to try to initiate a chat. "Good that you are fine. The Spirit Battle Tournament is hosted by us and if we allow the candidates to sustain any injuries before the tournament starts, it would be a failure on our part."
Jun Wu Xie threw a glance at Lei Yuan, as the suspicions in her heart grew.
Lei Chen's actions before had already puzzled her somewhat as she did not think that the Zephyr Academy in its decline had anything to offer him but Lei Chen had still insisted on sticking to them. That had already been detesting and she had avoided Lei Chen. And now, another Lei Yuan had come knocking. Were all the princes of the Yan Country like this? Were they all born with rocks in their heads?
Besides her family members and her companions, Jun Wu Xie didn't like to speak to others. Lei Yuan was jabbering non stop and Jun Wu Xie interrupted him by saying curtly: "Going back."
And she turned on her foot to return to the banquet without another word.
Lei Yuan's face was one of complete speechlessness as the moonlight shone on it. He had thought that Jun Xie had given Lei Chen the cold shoulder because Jun Xie did not like Lei Chen personally and now that he was treated in a manner not unlike Lei Chen, he began to think that it was just that the youth possessed a cold personality and it didn't make a difference who the person approaching her was.
"Second Prince?" The attendant at Lei Yuan's side asked softly in caution when he saw the Second Prince's chubby face frozen in mid sentence.
"Back to the banquet!" Lei Yuan spat out through his tightly clenched jaws. With the exception of Lei Chen, no one had dared to snub him so badly. He was about to burst out in rage but when he recalled the bright green spirit glow that had flared out from Jun Xie's body earlier, he held down his anger and did not dare to act rashly.
No matter how Jun Xie was going to respond to Lei Chen, Lei Yuan decided that it would not exactly be a smart move to go against a youth who possessed such heaven defying powers.
The banquet had just begun and Lei Chen was chatting jovially with Qu Ling Yue beside him when the corner of his eyes shifted away briefly to see that after Jun Xie had barely just left, several disciples of Dragon Slayers Academy had almost immediately followed behind. Although the intentions of the disciples from the Dragon Slayers Academy were clear to Lei Chen, he did not intend to do anything to stop them. In the two short times that he had interacted with Jun Xie, He had come to understand that the youth was not that approachable a person, and if he really wanted to win Jun Xie over to his side, he would need to employ some unorthodox methods.
And the Dragon Slayers Academy would lend him an unwitting "helping hand" in it.
......
Lei Chen was filled with anticipation to see what kind of "entertainment" the disciples of the Dragon Slayers Academy would be giving Jun Xie. Only when the cold and unapproachable little brat suffered a little, would he be able to make an appearance as the saviour, to quickly cement the relationship between him and Jun Xie.
But just as Lei Chen was picturing the different scenarios that he would be able to swoop in to Jun Xie's rescue, he suddenly saw the disciples from the Dragon Slayers Academy running back in, their faces completely white. They went back to their seats without a word, their complexion a deathly pallor, looking not a single bit like people who had just returned triumphant from exacting their sweet revenge.
Lei Chen's brows creased together. [Why are the reactions of the disciples from the Dragon Slayers Academy so different from what he had predicted?]
[Didn't they go confront Jun Xie? Why are all of them looking like they had just seen a ghost?]
Lei Chen was still grumbling incessantly in his heart when he suddenly saw a tiny figure stepping on the moonlit path coming in towards the banquet.
He could not find a single mark or scratch on Jun Xie and even his clothes were still spic and span, without a crease on it. The expression on that face was still as calm, looking exactly like when he had left.
[Could it be that the disciples from the Dragon Slayers Academy did not manage to find Jun Xie?]
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Chapter 784 : Banquet (11)
Lei Chen was feeling rather confused, not knowing exactly what had transpired as things were looking a trifle different than what he had thought.
Lei Yuan went back silently to his seat. This time, the gaze he threw at Jun Xie was no longer filled with the slightest tinge of contempt or disdain.
The banquet had already started and the dancers glided in under raucous cheers, swaying their slender hips in slow graceful and beautiful gyrations, their lips turned up in gentle smiles. The beautiful flowery scene completely mesmerized the youths with their yet to fully mature minds. They wined and dined on the grand feast provided, enchanted and intoxicated by the excessive luxuries and revelries of the Crown Prince's Residence, many of them lusting for more of such extravagance and mind numbing indulgence of the moment. The banquet that Lei Chen had thrown this time had enticed and seduced many of the disciples' hearts, filling them with greed and longing.
Having had a small taste of the riches of the Yan Country's Crown Prince, they could not help but compare it with their current lives which further reinforced their lust and yearning.
Qiao Chu and the others did not hold much interest for wine and the finger licking good food at the feast had not been able to incite their appetite which only made them crave for Ye Mei's skills in the kitchen.
Lei Chen was all smiles, satisfied with all the pairs of eyes he saw filled with longing and envy from the youths. That was the result he wanted to see. Irregardless whether those eyes were from people he wanted to win over, he wanted to exhibit to every single one of them what the Crown Prince had at his disposal. Lei Chen was well aware that youths at that age were weakest against the allure of such lavishness.
He subconsciously turned to look at Jun Xie but he did not see what he had anticipated on Jun Xie's face. He was merely sitting in his seat quietly, his eyes lowered, as if unconcerned with the revelry all around him. His eyes were clear and cold as ever, isolated from others, seemingly unable to fit into any part of the clamour that was the Crown Prince's Residence at that moment.
The disciples of the Dragon Slayers Academy, had not tried to stir up any trouble with the Zephyr Academy as Lei Chen had expected and that had deprived him of any chance to put up his act. The banquet that he had painstakingly planned had though won cheers from everyone, but disappointingly, everyone did not include Jun Xie, the one person he had been most keen to win over.
Gu Li Sheng's Spirit Healing Technique had rocked the world and Lei Chen had previously gotten people to approach Gu Li Sheng, to try to invite him to the Yan Country, to become a part of his faction. However, Gu Li Sheng had immediately rejected the proposal. Gu Li Sheng's Spirit Healing Technique had also become his weapon and even Lei Chen did not dare to force Gu Li Sheng to submit to him. Hence, he had set his sights on Jun Xie now.
But.....
Nothing seemed to interest the little kid. Although he had not embarrassed Lei Chen.... neither had he shown any positive reaction.
This was the first time that Lei Chen was feeling helpless and undecided on how he should move in pursuit of his target. Frustrated that he was still unable to win Jun Xie over, even the wine that passed over his tongue seemed to lose a bit of its flavour, turning a little bland and dull.
......
The banquet was getting rowdier and the Third and Fourth Princes who were supposed to be here had still not appeared. Even when the banquet ended, the two people had not turned up.
Throughout the entire duration of the banquet, Lei Chen had attempted to chat up Jun Xie but he had not been given the opportunity. Jun Xie's head had not lifted once and he did not utter a single word the entire time and Lei Chen had no choice but to give up, turning to have a rather merry chat with Qu Ling Yue instead.
The night deepened, and in the brightly lit Crown Prince's Residence, the banquet was approaching its end. Many of the youths still had not had their fill of fun as they departed from the place of merriment, walking with reluctant steps as they went out of the Crown Prince's Residence, their faces flushed from the intoxicating wine, many of them looking back in longing every few steps, at the magnificent mansion they were leaving from.
On the other hand, the youths from the Zephyr Academy left without once turning their heads. Under the chaotic mess of reluctantly leaving disciples, no one noticed that a little black cat had suddenly leapt into Jun Wu Xie's arms.
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Chapter 785 : Banquet (12)
As they stepped on moonshine to leave the Crown Prince's Residence, Qiao Chu gave his arms a good stretch as he turned his head to look at Jun Wu Xie.
"How is it? Did you manage to find anything?" To Qiao Chu, the entire banquet had been most boring to the extreme. Those gyrating sultry dancers really were not his type and when compared to the Jun Family's sibling pair's unparalleled and flawless beauty, no one of common attractiveness would be able to catch their eye anyway.
Jun Wu Xie raised her head and looked up at the full moon in the night sky. "Little Black had not detected any signs of people from the Twelve Palaces in the Crown Prince's Residence."
Although the Crown Prince's Residence was expansive, it wasn't a place that allowed people to roam freely everywhere. And to avoid startling the enemy, Jun Wu Xie had gotten the black cat to investigate the Crown Prince's Residence and the result the little black cat had slightly reassured them. Throughout the entire Crown Prince's Residence, it had not discovered anyone that it suspected was from the Twelve Palaces. That seemed to be telling them that although Lei Chen was in contact with one of the Twelve Palaces, their circumstances was similar to the situation back at the Qing Yun Clan, where they only linked up with Lei Chen occasionally and did not remain around Lei Chen.
This piece of news was a rather good start for Jun Wu Xie and her companions as without having the people from the Twelve Palaces being in the Yan Country's Capital city, it would have it easier for them to carry out the plans they had in mind.
"We are going to wait till the Spirit Battle Tournament ends before we make our move?" Fan Zhuo asked, looking at Jun Wu Xie. After being sure that Lei Chen did not have anyone from the Twelve Palaces around him, they could actually act anytime they wanted. The fact that Jun Wu Xie was still holding back must be because of the Zephyr Academy.....
Jun Wu Xie nodded. Although she had not spent that long a period in the Zephyr Academy where she had really learnt something, but the Spirit Healing Technique was genuinely highly useful to her. Irregardless whether it was for Gu Li Sheng or for the two Fan Brothers, she felt that she needed to at least provide the Zephyr Academy with another opportunity to rise up once again. If they acted before the Spirit Battle Tournament, they would end up being unable to remain in the Yan Country to take part in the competition and the Zephyr Academy would be deprived of this one chance to within a short period of time, return itself to its former glory.
She was doing this all because she wanted to return Gu Li Sheng his favour, and also to resolve one of Fan Zhuo's deepest worries.
"Would anything unexpected occur? If the people from the Twelve Palaces were to suddenly appear, wouldn't it make it hard for us to act then?" Hua Yao asked with a slight frown on his face. Although he understood Jun Wu Xie's concerns, but with the incident back at the Qing Yun Clan as a precedence, he was worried that even though that no one from the Twelve Palaces was at the Crown Prince's Residence at the moment, that did not guarantee that they would not subsequently suddenly appear. If they encountered those people another time, the results might be dire.
"We won't." Jun Wu Xie said suddenly.
"In regards to the circumstances at the Qing Yun Clan and the Zephyr Academy, the people from the Twelve Palaces would only make an appearance to urge when the other party did not take any action towards the Heaven's End Cliff. But we had met with team that Lei Chen had earlier sent there, and that proves that the Twelve Palaces has already linked up with him and they had already achieved their goals. Before they gain any news to give them a better understanding of the Dark Emperor's tomb, they will not appear." Jun Wu Xie had only dared to push back their plans because she had already analysed the situation.
She would never put the lives of this bunch of people at risk that easily.
......
"With Jun Wu Xie's words, Hua Yao did not have any other concerns and he was also of the same mind that if they could help the Zephyr Academy get back to its feet as well, it would be an excellent result for them as well.
The bunch of youths returned to the Immortals' Loft under the bright moonlight, and compared to this group of calm and collected youths here, the other youths who were returning from the Crown Prince's Residence were all highly fired up. The stronger ones were anticipating the day the Spirit Battle Tournament would begin, where they would be able to show off their skills which would ultimately gain them opportunities for endless fame and fortune!