Chapter 2284 Raw 2391 : Moving According to Plan

Su Ye led Xiao Chen to meet the Heavenly Book Scholar in the Misty Rain Pavilion. The Heavenly Book Scholar was alone; the Ninth Prince was not with him.

“Xiao Chen, I have waited for you for seven whole days,” the Heavenly Book Scholar said softly with a smile. He sized up Xiao Chen with his eyes, trying to estimate Xiao Chen’s strength.

Xiao Chen said calmly, “It looks like there is something urgent. Otherwise, you would not wait for so long. Speak, then.”

The Heavenly Book Scholar nodded and said, “There is still one month before all the princes have to head to the place and fight for slots to bring their guests into the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb.”

The number of slots determined how many guests a prince could bring in. This affected the results of the succession race.

“How is the slot allocation for the princes decided?” Xiao Chen asked.

The Heavenly Book Scholar explained, “This is how it works. Every prince starts with seven slots. Then, based on the support they have in the Yanwu Dynasty—counting the feudal lords, the Noble Clans, and sects—they receive more.

“Thanks to you wrecking the First Prince’s wedding, the support he received from the feudal lords and Noble Clans decreased sharply. However, the First Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince still hold the most slots. The First Prince now has eighteen, while the Eighth Prince and Fifteenth Prince each hold sixteen. The other princes have varying numbers, but none have more than ten. The Ninth Prince has only eight slots.”

Xiao Chen thought about this. This First Prince’s faction is really horrifying. Had I not wrecked that wedding, he might have been able to bring in more than twenty guests. Even now, he still has eighteen slots.

The Ninth Prince holds pitifully few slots. To think that he only has one more on top of the initial number!

“So, what is going on with the competition for slots taking place one month later?”

The Heavenly Book Scholar said, “That competition is the final chance for all the princes. The various princes will draw lots to decide on an opponent. Then, their guests will battle. The victor will get one extra slot, and the loser…will lose a slot.”

Xiao Chen noticed something off when hearing this. He murmured, “What a cruel competition mechanism! This will probably allow the top three princes to get a larger advantage.”

The Heavenly Book Scholar nodded, agreeing with Xiao Chen’s viewpoint. Then, he added some of his thoughts.

“That’s right. This mechanism is not fair. However, that is what the Royal Clan wants. They want the strong to get stronger and the weak to get weaker. Those princes just there to make up the numbers do not need to occupy too many slots.”

“The Ninth Prince would like you to accompany him to the palace and fight during this final competition for slots. This matter is very important, but I did not know when you would return. So, I just kept waiting here,” the Heavenly Book Scholar explained. Then, he looked at Xiao Chen, waiting for a reply.

Xiao Chen thought for a while before saying, “That’s not a problem. However, if I win, I would like to keep this slot for myself.”

The Heavenly Book Scholar frowned slightly. “You want to bring a friend into the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb?”

The Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb was a land of fortuitous encounters with many inheritances. As long as one was not unlucky, one would definitely gain something there. This held great attraction for Sovereign Emperors, hence all the Sovereign Emperors in the Martial Epoch coming to Yan City at this time.

This slot was not just a slot; it represented so much more.

The Heavenly Book Scholar said, “I can promise you this on the Ninth Prince’s behalf. As long as the Ninth Prince does not lose his slots, the slot you win will go to you.”

“Great. It’s a deal.”

“Then, I will take my leave first. If you have time, I ask that Brother Xiao head for the prince’s residence early.”

After sending off the Heavenly Book Scholar, Xiao Chen looked contemplative. After a while, he got Su Ye to gather Wu Meng, Mo Chen, and the others.

Once Wu Meng, Yun Fei, Mo Yu, Mo Chen, and the others had all arrived at the Misty Rain Pavilion’s top floor, Xiao Chen informed them of his participation in the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb.

“What do you all think of the succession race?” Xiao Chen asked.

Wu Meng immediately said, “As of now, the hot contenders are the First Prince, the Eighth Prince, and the Thirteenth Prince. Although the First Prince suffered a huge setback in prestige, he still has his foundation and cannot be underestimated. In fact, the Ninth Prince does not have much of a chance of obtaining the crown prince position.”

Mo Chen asked softly, “Big Brother Xiao, do the Heavenly Alliance’s headquarters know that you are supporting the Ninth Prince?”

Xiao Chen nodded. “After I decided to support the Ninth Prince, I secretly informed Lord Mu Zifeng. He had no objections. He only said that he would leave the Yanwu Dynasty’s matter to me and that I didn’t have to be overly cautious about it.”

“Given that, it means that the Heavenly Alliance does not care about the succession race. How strange!” Doubt and confusion flashed in Mo Chen’s eyes.

Su Ye said, “What headquarters said is pointless. Our priorities are what Lord Xiao wants to achieve and how we can help. The Heavenly Alliance’s headquarters definitely have their own thoughts on this. Since they did not inform us, they must have their reasons, so there is no need for us to care for now.”

Xiao Chen thought about it and agreed. The Heavenly Alliance would not miss out on this big play.

However, he did not know the Heavenly Alliance’s thoughts on this, making this hard to understand.

Xiao Chen said, “My first target is naturally the Wings of Time. The second target is to support the Ninth Prince to become the crown prince. The third target…I’ll keep that a secret for now.”

However, when Xiao Chen mentioned the third target, Su Ye noticed a faint murderous intent in his eyes. She nodded and said, “I understand. I will get the Misty Rain Pavilion to collect information on the Ethereal Immortal Palace keys in Yan City. All of the Heavenly Alliance’s subordinate merchant associations will fully support the Ninth Prince as well, helping him to recruit stronger guests.”

Xiao Chen nodded slightly. Those Sovereign Emperors that came to participate could not be considered true experts.

The various princes already personally went to meet the true experts to recruit them using big rewards.

The Ninth Prince spent a lot of his time outside, fighting the dynasty’s enemies. It was hard to say how good his network and resources within the imperial capital were.

With the Misty Rain Pavilion’s help, the Ninth Prince could get guests of better quality.

“We will do that first. Mo Chen, Bao`er, calculate how much resources we can use. It should mainly be resources that can attract Sovereign Emperors; ignore the other resources. As for Su Ye, come with me to the Ninth Prince’s residence tomorrow and meet the Ninth Prince.”

Xiao Chen paused here. Then, he looked at Wu Meng and the others and said, “You all should prepare as well. I will pick one of you to come with me to the Ancient Yan Emperor Tomb.”

“Haha! I think we don’t need to prepare. Among us, Big Brother Wu is the strongest. With his strength, he can hold his own against Great Perfection Sovereign Emperors. The rest of us probably cannot help Brother Xiao much.” Yun Fei spoke honestly, not taking it to heart.

Talent was important to cultivators. With the same amount of resources and effort, the cultivator with the best talent would advance faster.

Wu Meng’s talent stood at the peak among the Heavenly Alliance’s younger generation. When he came to Yan City, he did not suffer from the headquarter’s restrictions but could still get resources from the branch. His rapidly advancing strength was evident for all to see.

Now, Wu Meng’s cultivation was the same as Xiao Chen’s, 2-Vein Sovereign Emperor. Yun Fei and the others were still 1-Vein Sovereign Emperors. He had already put some distance between himself and the rest.

“Alright, Wu Meng will accompany me. It is settled, then.”

Xiao Chen did not like to drag his feet when he did things. Wu Meng was also his top choice in his heart.

When given such an opportunity, Wu Meng naturally had no reason to refuse. After conveying his thanks, he prepared to enter closed-door cultivation.

At dawn the next day, Xiao Chen and Su Ye headed quickly for the Ninth Prince’s residence.

The Ninth Prince Wang Yan’s residence lay in the city center, next to the imperial palace.

Most of the princes’ residences were located here.

When Xiao Chen approached the Ninth Prince’s residence, he sensed a vast and strong force guarding the surroundings. This force felt like it transcended the mortal realm.

Entering the area felt like entering another person’s small world. That mysterious force grasped his every move.

Xiao Chen understood that this force came from the imperial palace, the center of the entire dynasty. Such a mysterious force would definitely exist there.

Naturally, as the princes’ residences were next to the imperial palace, they also enjoyed the protection of this force.

“Xiao Chen?”

Just as Xiao Chen and Su Ye were about to enter the Ninth Prince’s residence, they heard a familiar voice, so they turned their heads to look back.

It was the Eighth Prince Wang Feng. There was also a gray-clad old man from the Divine Sword Pavilion by his side. Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes slightly upon seeing the old man.

The old man’s aura felt somewhat familiar. Back when Xiao Chen faced the three princes at the Smiling Daughter Pavilion, an older-generation expert from the Divine Sword Pavilion sneak-attacked Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen felt that the assassin should be this old man.