Chapter 361 - Chapter 361: Chapter 298: Is the Empress of Heavenly Rank?

Chapter 361: Chapter 298: Is the Empress of Heavenly Rank?

Translator: 549690339

Just as Pei Xuanjing was listening to the Crown Prince introduce various factions, he paused abruptly, his gaze shifting towards the distance.

The Crown Prince quickly followed his gaze, only to see the Emperor and Empress arriving.

But Pei Xuanjing’s attention wasn’t on the Emperor and Empress, but on the slender, Taoist-robed elder behind them.

“Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, Ye Daoyuan!”

Although this was their first meeting, Pei Xuanjing had already confirmed the man’s identity.

This was the so-called number one strongman of the Empire, Ye Daoyuan, who had one foot in the Celestial Human Realm.

Indeed powerful!

Pei Xuanjing’s eyebrows raised slightly. Despite the Superintendent appearing ordinary, he could sense the other party’s incredible strength, a Dao intent that seemed to merge with Heaven and Earth and was on the brink of ascension.

A desire to challenge such a strong person stirred in his heart, and he wondered exactly how strong the other was.

As if sensing Pei Xuanjing’s desire to fight, Ye Daoyuan’s gaze also fell on Pei Xuanjing, causing their eyes to meet.

Many people noticed this scene.

One was a long-famed, established supreme powerhouse.

The other was a newly rising star, but with an impressive reputation and fighting record.

If these two were to clash, everyone was extremely curious about the outcome.

However, somewhat regretfully, the two merely nodded lightly at each other, their eyes met and then moved along, restoring calm, causing many to feel disappointed.

Moving his attention away from Ye Daoyuan, Pei Xuanjing focused on the Emperor, his Yin Spirit keenly sensing something about the Emperor’s state, which made a hint of inexplicable expression appear on his face.

“Although the Emperor deliberately and inadvertently revealed the aura of a Heavenly Rank powerhouse, it can only deceive ordinary people. As expected, this Emperor is heavily injured, just like the rumors.” His evaluation of the Emperor’s injuries matched the information Pei Xuanjing had received, but he discovered something unusual about the Empress.

He spoke in a low voice to the Crown Prince next to him. “Has Her Majesty, the Empress, also ascended to the Heavenly Rank?”

Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing’s words, the Crown Prince frowned and replied in confusion, “Sir, what do you mean by that? My mother suffered some injuries in the past and, as a result, has not been able to break through to the Heavenly Rank.”

“Ah, I see,” Pei Xuanjing nodded, falling silent.

He thought to himself, “This Empress, she keeps her cards quite close to her chest.”

According to the information circulating outside, although the Empress practiced Martial Arts, due to some past incidents that damaged her fundamentals, she was stuck at the Martial Arts third tier, the Gang Qi Realm, and was unable to breakthrough to the Heavenly Rank.

“Who would have thought that the Empress, who was rumored to only be in the Gang Qi Realm, would turn out to be a Heavenly Rank powerhouse, and furthermore a formidable figure amongst the Heavenly Rank.” Pei Xuanjing frowned.

“Does sir have anything to say?” asked the Crown Prince, a glint appearing in his eyes, as he asked quietly.

Pei Xuanjing decided to give the Crown Prince a hint, as he had been quite kind to him recently.

He shook his head, “Perhaps I have seen wrong. I thought Her Majesty, the Empress, was a Heavenly Rank powerhouse just like me?”

“Huh?” The Crown Prince’s face remained unchanged. However, in his mind, an enormous wave was set off by Pei Xuanjing’s last sentence.

His mother was actually a Heavenly Rank powerhouse!

And one not inferior to Pei Min, another Heavenly Rank powerhouse.

Although Pei Min stated earlier that he was mistaken, the Crown Prince, being highly intelligent, reacted quickly, realizing that Pei Min was implicitly hinting at him.

Knowing Pei Min’s strength, he couldn’t have possibly made a mistake about something like this.

Even if he realized he was mistaken, he could have used any excuse to gloss over it. Why did he have to say it out loud?

There could only be one answer, and that was that Pei Min was indirectly informing him that, in his opinion, her mother was indeed a Heavenly Rank powerhouse.

His mother, who everyone thought was stuck at the third tier Gang Qi Realm due to an injury, turned out to be a Heavenly Rank powerhouse, and furthermore, one that could rival Pei Min.

This revelation sent a shiver down the Crown Prince’s spine and he was left utterly astonished.

“Why would mother hide her powers? And, does father know about this or not?”

This was an instinctive question that emerged in his mind.

The Crown Prince suppressed his shock and quietly said to Pei Xuanjing, “Perhaps sir really did see wrong. Everyone knows about mother’s injury, she couldn’t possibly be a Heavenly Rank powerhouse.”

Pei Xuanjing nodded, “Yes, I must have seen wrong.”

The two of them smoothly shifted the topic with the Crown Prince saying, “You might not be acquainted with the Superintendent. Perhaps, I could arrange a meeting for the two of you in the coming days.”

Pei Xuanjing replied with a smile, “That sounds great!”

Next, it was time for the talent showdown between the geniuses from various sects across the states. Everyone watched with great excitement as these prodigies showcased their skills.

Pei Xuanjing also sat quietly on the high platform, watching the competition between these individuals.

What he didn’t know was the mix of emotions that arose in the hearts of these talented competitors whenever their gaze fell on him.

If it weren’t for Pei Xuanjing’s presence, they would have been the most dazzling stars in this competition, becoming the focus of everyone’s attention.

Unfortunately for them though, Pei Xuanjing’s emergence had overshadowed them and eclipsed their brilliance.

It could be said that the talents of this same era were in a bit of a predicament. With Pei Xuanjing’s presence, there would always be an insurmountable monument ahead of them, casting them into the shadows.

Yet, many of these people considered themselves lucky. With Pei Xuanjing’s existence, they had perhaps the rare opportunity to witness the rise of a Celestial Human.

The first two days of the competition passed uneventfully. Many talents were also discovered. Given adequate nurturing, they had a great chance of ascending to the Heavenly Rank in the future and becoming formidable figures in their own right.

Whether they were the descendants of noble families from various states, or inheritors of martial arts sects and wandering martial artists, they all displayed exceptional talent.

Moreover, certain successors from the capital’s prominent families and younger members of the royal family managed to reach the third tier of the Gang Qi Realm which was rather astonishing.

However, whenever someone looked at Pei Xuanjing, who sat on the high platform dressed in a simple gown with a long sword hanging from his waist, the comparison would make the others seem quite ordinary and uninteresting.

By the third day, the final day of the competition, the event had reached its climax.

This day, not only would the thirty-six geniuses selected from the previous two days compete for the top position, but the talented individuals from different countries’ delegations were also scheduled to compete.