Chapter 548 - The Talent-Gathering Hall

The eyes of the Third Prince and Qin Nan glistened as they both turned around.

In the garden area, Uncle Lin moved rapidly at the speed of lightning and grabbed the beam in his hand, which turned out to be a letter. He took a glimpse at it and said in a soft tone, “Third Prince, First Prince is holding a feast at the Talent-Gathering Hall today, and he is inviting all princes and princesses, along with the geniuses they have invited.”

“Got it.” The Third Prince wore a calm expression.

Seeing this, Qin Nan could not help but exclaim—it appeared that the Third Prince had a relatively low status in the eyes of his siblings. They were sending the letter to him by throwing it into his residence, with no sign of etiquette.

“Let’s continue to enjoy our drinks.” The Third Prince smilingly said to Qin Nan.

“Sure.”

Qin Nan nodded his head and they started drinking again.

In the time following, Qin Nan and the Third Prince discussed about the various significant events that had taken place in the Eastern Continent, including news regarding the ‘lower district’s Qin Nan’.

“Now that the Four Great Factions are hunting Qin Nan, anyone who is able to provide information regarding him or his companions’ whereabouts would be granted eight Sacred Weapons, and become Progenitor Wen Dao’s disciple. I’m keen to see how heroic this Qin Nan actually is, to be able to stir such a great chaos.” The Third Prince exclaimed.

Qin Nan remained calm and said with a smile, “I would like to meet him too.”

The two continued to chat. Even Qin Nan could not help but feel impressed. As expected of the Third Prince, his vision of the bigger picture and knowledge greatly surpassed himself.

The night soon arrived.

Each tile and brick of the palace was emitting a golden glow, allowing the huge palace to be brightly illuminated.

Qin Nan and the Third Prince headed to the Talent-Gathering Hall together.

The Talent-Gathering Hall was the place specifically built to warmly receive the geniuses from all places. Furthermore, there were also the Highness-Gathering Hall and the Sacred-Gathering Hall to receive cultivators of the Martial Highness Realm and the Martial Sacred Realm respectively.

After spending the whole afternoon talking to the Third Prince, Qin Nan had a clearer grasp of the Eastern Continent’s situation.

Martial Sacred Realm experts were considered the strongest presence, and there were only a few of them.

Martial Highness Realm experts were the top battle force in the Eastern Continent. Many from the Four Great Factions and a few rogue cultivators had reached this realm.

Martial Dominator Realm experts were considered average. Most young geniuses had reached this stage.

Furthermore, Qin Nan had a better understanding toward the young talents of the Four Great Factions. Among them, some of the seeded geniuses with eighth-grade Di ranked Martial Spirits had achieved the Martial Highness Realm.

However, in the Sky-Scorching Ancient Kingdom, there were not many eighth-grade Di ranked geniuses. Currently, there was only Di Fengyun.

“The Eastern Continent should not be underestimated. My current strength is only at the peak Martial Dominator Realm. I must acquire the Dragon Abyss Fruit from the Dragon Abyss Mystical Ground to improve my cultivation and reach the Martial Highness Realm as soon as possible. Only after becoming a Martial Highness will I have the chance to take part in the battles between the Four Great Factions…”

Qin Nan mumbled to himself as his goal became clearer.

Following this, the two arrived at the Talent-Gathering Hall.

It looked like the giant shell of a tortoise from afar, sitting firmly on the ground covering an area of a few hundred li, while its walls emitted a dull purple glow, resulting in a magical sight.

It was said that this Talent-Gathering Hall was built according to the silhouette of the Ocean Protector Black Tortoise.

After passing the guards at the entrance and stepping into the hall, a surging heat could be felt.

The hall did not have a leading seat. Fiery jade tables were placed at the sides, each surrounded by servants and chefs preparing and cooking the food.

Meanwhile, the princes, princesses, and geniuses from all places were seated at the tables.

As soon as the Third Prince and Qin Nan arrived, they immediately grabbed the attention of the crowd.

“Third Brother!”

“Third Brother, you’re here.”

“Come come, come sit beside me.”

“……”

Among the more than thirty princes in the hall, only a few stood up and greeted Third Prince warmly.

The royal family emphasized the status of its members. Even though the Third Prince was ranked third in the family and should be seated at the third spot on the right, he was allocated to the eighth seat on the left.

“Fifteenth Prince, Nineteenth Prince, and Thirty-First Prince!”

Qin Nan cast his glance at the three young men as the Third Prince transmitted his voice to him. This time, he did not encounter the same mysterious golden aura that existed inside the Third Prince’s body. He could easily see through their cultivation, which were the first-layer Martial Dominator Realm, the half-Martial Dominator Realm, and the third-layer Martial Dominator Realm respectively.

Furthermore, the geniuses standing around them were all from the Black Tortoise Platoon or rogue cultivators, with cultivations of the fifth-layer Martial Dominator Realm.

Qin Nan exchanged glances with the Third Prince, before he slowly stepped backward and disappeared among the crowd.

They had discussed their plan prior to coming here. The Third Prince would focus on the social part while Qin Nan was in charge of observing their opponents.

“Mm?”

Qin Nan scanned the crowd and frowned.

He observed that some geniuses that had been invited by a few princes turned out to be at the third-layer Martial Highness Realm. He even saw a fifth-layer Martial Highness Realm cultivator among them. Were they planning to suppress their cultivation to enter the Dragon Abyss Mystical Ground?

Besides, Qin Nan had yet to see the First Prince, the Second Prince, and the Ninth Prince.

“First Prince has arrived!”

At that instant, a roar could be heard coming from outside.

The atmosphere of the place instantly intensified.

The princes and the geniuses switched their focus to the entrance, including Qin Nan himself.

They could only see a middle-aged man wearing an imperious look and a golden robe entering the hall with a magnificent aura. Each step he took served as a silent explosion in the hearts of the crowd.

Beside the middle-aged man stood a person wearing a black robe.

Qin Nan’s left eye flickered thunderously as he saw the black-robed person. A cold grin appeared on his face.

Death Emperor, it’s been a while!

“Eldest Brother!”

“Eldest Brother!”

“Eldest Brother, you’re here!”

Every prince rose from their seats and brought their fists together to greet the man.

This was the advantage of being the eldest prince, having the most respected status on the surface.

The First Prince waved his hand to silence the crowd in an elegant manner before he spoke, “There’s no need to be so official today, as it’s a gathering of my brothers and the geniuses that they’ve invited. Therefore, let’s enjoy the food and drinks. By the way, it appears that Ninth Brother and Second Brother have encountered some problems, and won’t be attending tonight…”

“Ninth Prince has arrived!”

At that moment, another roar could be heard from the entrance.

The entire hall fell into dead silence as the eyes of the princes slightly glistened.

The First Prince’s expression turned dark for a second.

“Eldest Brother, my apologies for being late,” The Ninth Prince came forward in a hurried manner as he spoke in an apologetic tone, “How could I miss such a grand gathering of the geniuses today? As such, I finished my task in advance and came here straight away…”

“Good to have you here.” The First Prince wore a blossoming smile and replied in a sincere tone. He then glanced at the young man standing beside the Ninth Prince and asked in a curious tone, “And this is…”

“Oh, I forgot do the introductions. Allow me to introduce to everyone; this is the ninety-ninth batch Platoon Leader of the Black Tortoise Platoon—Long Tian!”

Song Yu pointed at the young man with two buns on his forehead and said with a calm smile.

The eyes of the crowd glistened. This Ninth Prince had managed to recruit the Platoon Leader of the Black Tortoise Platoon to his side.

“HAHA, greetings fellow princes and geniuses.”

Longhu brought his fists together facing the crowd, except that he did not look at the crowd at all.

“Ninth Brother, enough with the chat. Let’s take our seats, shall we?” The First Prince waved his hand and proceeded to the first seat at the right. As soon as he sat at the table, he asked in a curious tone, as if a sudden thought had come to him, “Oh right? Where’s Third Brother?”

The entire hall fell silent after the words were spoken.

The eyes of the princes glistened. The great show had begun!