Eastern Wastelands, Eastern Region.
Though the Nangong Clan was not an ancient aristocratic family in the Eastern Wastelands, it still boasted a clan elder who had reached the level of a Saint. In this era, the clan had produced Nangong Xian'er, a prodigy comparable to the Holy Sons of the sacred lands. With her emergence, the Nangong Clan now had hopes of rising to prominence.
The suppression of the Great Dao left by Amitabha the Great was dissipating, and the Age of Strife was about to begin. Both the Nangong Clan and the major sacred lands were well aware of this fact. One after another, prodigies would emerge, seeking to rise above their peers in this era of fierce competition, all vying for the opportunity to attain emperorship.
As the key to the Nangong Clan's future, Nangong Xian'er had also stepped into the world, tempering herself in pursuit of her own Dao.
Eastern Domain, East Heaven City, Inside a Teahouse.
"Have you heard? Nangong Xian'er will be attending the Immortal Banquet at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in three days. Many Holy Sons from the sacred lands and princes of imperial dynasties will also be present!"
"I've known for a while. The Drunken Immortal Pavilion's Centennial Immortal Banquet was announced long ago."
"No wonder so many big figures have gathered in the city recently. So, the banquet is about to begin again."
Inside the teahouse, a group of cultivators at the Dao Palace Realm were in deep discussion. The Centennial Immortal Banquet of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion was an event held once every hundred years and had been hosted dozens of times, spanning several millennia.
Even the masters of sacred lands would sometimes attend if they had the opportunity.
"By the way, have you heard? A silver-haired prodigy has appeared in the Eastern Wastelands, challenging the genius disciples of various great families. It's said that he recently fought a fierce battle against the Saintess of the Xuanyu Sacred Land and defeated her, forcing her to retreat!"
"Is that true? That's the Saintess of Xuanyu Sacred Land! How could she be defeated just like that?"
"Of course it's true! Afterward, the Xuanyu Sacred Land was furious and sent people to confront him, but he escaped from the hands of a supreme being. He vanished without a trace—no one, not even a supreme being, could stop him."
"Escaping from a supreme being? That's terrifying."
"That's not all. Afterward, this silver-haired man went to the Ouyang Clan and once again defeated Ouyang Qian, their most promising genius."
"Wait, Ouyang Qian? You mean the Ouyang Clan's little princess, their treasured jewel?"
"Who else? How many Ouyang Clans do you think exist in the Eastern Wastelands?"
"Tsk tsk, another ruthless figure. Even the Ouyang Clan's little princess wasn't spared. He must have nerves of steel!"
"Exactly. When Ouyang Qian returned to her clan after being defeated, the Old Monster of the Ouyang Clan was enraged. He immediately stormed out of the clan in pursuit of the youth. But that youth was cunning—he had already fled. The Old Monster was so furious that he put out a bounty of ten thousand jin of source stones on him!"
As the group discussed, a silver-haired young man sitting nearby was quietly listening. Upon hearing about the ten thousand jin bounty, he suddenly spewed out the tea he had been drinking.
"Pfft."
Wiping the tea from the corner of his mouth, the young man looked slightly embarrassed. When he noticed that the people discussing the matter were starting to glance in his direction, he hurriedly left some money on the table and swiftly walked out of the teahouse.
One of the men, who had been enthusiastically recounting the events, froze as he watched the silver-haired youth leave. The flowing silver hair made him think of something.
"Brother Zhao, what are you looking at? What's wrong?"
His companion nudged him. Snapping out of his daze, the man looked again, but the silver-haired youth was already gone. Shaking his head with a wry smile, he dismissed his absurd suspicions.
"Nothing, just a mistake. Come on, let's keep talking."
"Yes, yes, let's continue."
As conversation resumed inside the teahouse, outside, the silver-haired youth let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the bustling streets, he took a few quick steps forward and soon blended into the crowd.
"I didn't expect my reputation to spread so quickly!"
The silver-haired youth chuckled to himself. He was none other than Chen Xiaoming.
Having traveled from the northern regions of the Eastern Wastelands to the east, Chen Xiaoming had spent his journey admiring the scenery while challenging Saintesses and noble daughters of major clans along the way.
He had gained much from his journey—fighting, advancing, and deepening his comprehension of cultivation. His strength had grown significantly. He had now reached the peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm, just one step away from entering the Immortal Platform Realm.
However, there was bad news—his experience points required for the next level had skyrocketed to an astronomical one trillion.
Even for someone as exceptional as him, it would take eight to nine months to advance just one level. That was way too slow!
Of course, if others knew of his 'struggles,' they would definitely gang up and beat him to death.
Advancing a level in the Immortal Platform Realm within a year, and he still thought it was slow? How were others supposed to survive?
"Huh? Brother Chen, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here."
As Chen Xiaoming strolled along, a voice called out to him. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a man dressed in a black python robe walking over, exuding an imposing and dignified aura.
"Oh, it's Brother Wang! What brings you here?"
Recognizing the man, Chen Xiaoming immediately recalled his identity—Wang De of the Northern Plains Wang Clan. They had met when Chen Xiaoming had challenged the Xuanyu Saintess. Wang De had been accompanying her at the time.
As Chen Xiaoming glanced around, seemingly searching for someone, Wang De smirked and whispered, "Don't worry, she's not here."
"Phew, that's good."
Chen Xiaoming let out a deep sigh. The Xuanyu Saintess had been a real headache. She had lost to him once—was there really a need to be so petty? Why did she hate him so much?
"Brother Chen, it's been a while. You're still as dazzling as ever!"
Suddenly, Wang De leaned in and whispered into Chen Xiaoming's ear.
"Tell me, how was Ouyang Clan's little princess?"
"A rich lady, flat as a board—not marriage material!"
Wang De had asked casually, but upon hearing the response, he was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what it meant, looking at Chen Xiaoming with puzzled eyes.
Chen Xiaoming simply waved his hand dismissively, saying no more. The past was best left untouched. Was it really such a crime that he lacked a bit of tenderness? Was it so unforgivable that he was just a little heavy-handed?
So what if, by sheer accident, his fist landed in a rather awkward place? Did that really justify everyone going after him like lunatics, refusing to let it go?
He patted Wang De on the shoulder and glanced at the boy's still-bewildered expression. Some things… he was simply too young to understand.
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