Chapter 346: Freak!

Looking at the First Prince who was smiling gently, Xue Wei's instincts told him that he was looking at a vicious snake. One that would act docile when you looked at it, but attack him in the darkness as soon as you gave him a chance.

Although Xue Wei understood the behavior of the First Prince, he did not take it to heart. While this First Prince was immensely skilled at scheming and court intrigues, Xue Wei had complete faith in himself when it came to survivingliving in the Ascended's Realm.

He also felt that the Emperor would keep him alive before they entered the other realm, and after then, his experience would play a significant role.

Xue Wei said nothing and just observed the First Prince and the Emperor sit down on their seats, and the servants were ordered to serve the dishes.

As they ate, the princes and geniuses of the Vermilion Bird Clan all observed Xue Wei and his companions, but most of their attention was on Xue Wei while they just assumed that his friends were his sidekicks; unable to stand out.

After finishing eating, the Emperor made all of them enter the training fields, where he let the geniuses and princes of his clan spar against each other.

Xue Wei observed their battles, and he was suddenly enlightened. Although they all had similar innate abilities, each person comprehended the ability differently from the others.

While these experts were fighting, Xue Wei found multiple mistakes and faults in their battles.

It was as if they were not going for efficiency, power, or speed. Instead, it seemed as if they were aiming for flourishing looks.

When they fought, it was as if they were dancing. It looked elegant and refined, but they were using far too many moves that were completely useless and could be made much more efficient if they wanted to kill their opponents.

"You seem slightly disappointed," the Emperor said as he looked at Xue Wei by his side.

Although his voice was not high, a few close by heard it, and all of them perked their ears, trying to listen in on the subject that the Emperor and Xue Wei were discussing.

"I'm not disappointed," Xue Wei answered while shaking his head, "I feel that perhaps these princes and geniuses need some tempering. They are very obsessed with looking cool while fighting when that's actually not at all important. Killing your enemy as soon as possible is what matters, not how many flames you can control and how beautiful they are while battling."

Hearing this, many of those who were listening descended into deep thought. They had never thought about it like this before.

For them, battling was not something where you had your life on the line; it was a display of skills.

They had grown up in a world where there was no one who could threaten their power, so they had never had to actually to fight for their lives. Now that they thought about it; it seemed that Xue Wei was correct.

The words of Xue Wei quickly spread from one person to another, and soon everyone had heard it.

While the majority felt that there was some reason behind what he said, there were a few who felt insulted by how Xue Wei had said they focused on flair.

"You there! New guy, I wish to challenge you to a duel!"

Suddenly a loud voice reverberated through the entire training field. A Seventh layered Heavenly Knight looked at Xue Wei with eyes that shone with battle intent.

Xue Wei glanced at the person. Although this person seemed as if he truly wished to battle him, Xue Wei could not help but shake his head. "You are not my match," he said gently.

It was not that Xue Wei was looking down upon him, but he had seen him fight before. He was not enough to even threaten Xue Wei.

"I wish to exchange pointers with you," the genius did not back down. "I wish to see what this efficiency you talk about is."

Forbidden Rush!

Inner Might: Qi Sword Style!

Xue Wei moved like a lightning bolt and appeared behind the expert before he even realized anything. The Qi Sword was suddenly pressed against his neck, and a drop of blood fell.

"Did you see me move?" Xue Wei asked as he released the genius who was now deadly pale.

The genius shook his head and felt horrible. There was a decent distance between the two of them, but even so, he had moved so fast that he had seen nothing.

Although there was nothing outstanding about his movements, although there were no shining lights or beautiful displays, it was evident that if Xue Wei wanted to kill him, then he would have been dead already.

Everyone saw the actions. Many of those who were observing saw that Xue Wei shot forward like a bolt of lightning with a speed that in no way lost out to an Ordinary Saint, even an Earth Saint might not be as fast.

The weapon he used was also weird. It was made from energy, it was clearly not an innate ability, but Xue Wei could still use it?

Every one of the Vermilion Bird Clan knew that beasts could not learn human techniques, but for some reason, it seemed as if Xue Wei had just used human techniques.

No one thought of him being a mixed breed, as everyone knew that it was impossible to get a child between races.

But they could not help but marvel when they saw the simple attacks he was unleashing. What kind of beast could he possibly be?

Although they all knew that he was a Sovereign Beast and that there only were four races of this kind of beasts, they could not help but wonder what exactly he was. Was he a White Tiger? An Azure Dragon? A Black Turtle?

He was not a Vermilion Bird, they could sense that right away, and the skills he used were not skills they could handle, so that was obvious.

Xue Wei knew their thoughts, but he said nothing. H he just smiled lightly and returned to the Emperor's side.

Everyone was looking at him warily. Some began discussing amongst each other, and while most saw him as being dangerous, a few felt as if they had been slapped on the face.

"He was cheating," someone muttered with a voice just loud enough for others to hear it.

"He used a sneak attack. It is not fair, and, naturally, we could not react."

"If we were on the stage, things would be different."

"Idiots." Xue Wei heard the many voices, but he just snorted that one word as he shook his head, his words shocking them all and making them look at him with hostility.

"Why are we idiots?" One of them asked, his eyes were flaming with anger.

Xue Wei glanced at them and snickered. "You are going to a place where it's a life and death battle every time you fight. It is a place where people will sneak attack all the time. Fair battle? There is no fair battle in the real world; all that matters is survival."

The many angered people suddenly felt as if someone had splashed a bucket full of cold water onto them.

They suddenly realized that things were different in the real world. They could not talk about fairness; they could be killed without even realizing it.

While a few were still ignorant, the majority were listening to Xue Wei and started pondering about what he had said. They began wondering how to increase their strength and their survivability.

Especially the First Prince was inwardly shocked when he saw Xue Wei's actions. Although he was the strongest of the princes and the geniuses, he had only just caught Xue Wei's movements, and avoiding it would be hard even for him.

If he truly battled against Xue Wei, would he then be capable enough to survive?

The realization dawned upon the faces of all present, and when they looked at Xue Wei, there were traces of fear in their expressions.

Xue Wei was calm and collected. His face was tranquil as if the person they were discussing had nothing to do with him. Even the Emperor by his side was looking at him approvingly.

"Let the sparring continue," the Emperor said gently, and then he looked at Xue Wei. "Could you perhaps give these younger generation geniuses of our Vermilion Bird Clan a few pointers?"

Hhaving already sensed the goodwill that the Emperor was showing him, and knowing that he was benefitting greatly from going to the Ascended's Realm, Xue Wei did not hesitate to accept the request.

"You should condense your flame. Although it looks stunning, the more area it has to cover the more itr will cause it to weaken in strength."

"The flaming sword is far too big! Shape it as a thin sword, the thinner, the better, as with the other guy, condense your flames!"

"Use the explosive fire to explode forward with a blast. Don't cover your feet with flames, step on them instead!"

Everyone who got pointers from Xue Wei could suddenly feel a boost in their strength. Although their rank was the same, their abilities proved much more lethal after listening to him, and their eyes shone with excitement.

"Sir Xue," one of the geniuses looked at Xue Wei with shining eyes, as though he was looking at his biggest idol. "Could you perhaps tell us which race your excellency belongs to?"

Xue Wei glanced at the youngster and answered casually, "I'm an Azure Dragon."

Although it seemed like a casual conversation between the two of them, everyone within the hall had been listening, and when they heard Xue Wei's answer, they were stumped for words.

"The Azure Dragon controls Wood, while the Vermilion Bird controls Fire," one of the geniuses said as he looked at Xue Wei with big eyes. "You are at a natural disadvantage against us, but you show no fear, why is that?"

"Although I control the wood element, it does not mean that all my attacks require this element to work," Xue Wei answered with a slight smile and a shake of his head.

"You havegot other elements?" One of them asked curiously, but Xue Wei shook his head, "Not elements," he answered the questions that he was asked honestly. "I have managed to learn techniques that humans command," he did not hide this fact. "I am afraid a mutation has caused this abnormality. I am also only nineteen years old this year, but I am already able to cultivate, and have even reached the Heavenly Knight rank."

The more he spoke, the more astounded everyone became.

How had he learned human techniques? This was impossible! But he had claimed that he could do it. Simply outrageous!

But the more he spoke, the more astonishing it became. Everyone knew that Primordial and Sovereign Beasts were unable to cultivate before the age of thirty.

Yet this boy had done so? How had he done it?!

A woosh was heard as the Emperor vanished on his spot and suddenly stood in front of Xue Wei. He had raised his hand and held Xue Wei's wrist between two fingers. If he wished to break his wrist, it would be as simple as a snap of his fingers.

But the Emperor was immensely careful as he touched the wrist and checked his bone structure.

"It is true!" he exclaimed, his heart beating rapidly and he was fearful of what was happening. "He is indeed only nineteen years old!"

An uproar exploded in the room as all of them looked at Xue Wei as if he was some kind of a monster. Although his strength was equal to many of them, he was not even half their age!

Were all Azure Dragons this outrageous, or had they come across the most bizarre creature in the entire world?