Chapter 1296: Shen Yunge
In the reception hall of Abyssal City.
The reception hall was filled with banquet tables as nicely dressed maids attended to the distinguished guests. The atmosphere was lively.
Qin Lian sat in the main seat. Qin Jiujie appeared for a moment when they welcomed the guests but disappeared shortly after. He had handed most of the matters over to her. At this moment, she was smiling and chatting with the Elders from the Imperial Beast Hall. Meanwhile, Qin Yi sat down elegantly behind a table in the hall. Her pretty face was paired with a refreshing smile. Her appearance and temperament had made some of the young geniuses of Imperial Beast Hall steal glances at her quietly. Due to her age, her strength was nothing worth mentioning in this large hall. However, her talent would not pale in comparison to the others. Coupled with her mesmerizing looks, she had definitely caught the attention of many young geniuses even if she was not hosting them inside the hall.
Qin Yi did not mind this at all. After all, she was already used to such attention. From time to time, her eyes would meet with that of others. She would give them a polite nod and the other party would raise their glasses back respectfully. However, she would quickly turn her eyes away, causing these young geniuses from the Imperial Beast Hall, who was looking for an opportunity to come over and have a chat with her, to sit back awkwardly.
Although Qin Yi had not reached the Duke stage, the way she carried herself was enough to make many of the opposite gender embarrassed.
However, not everyone would shy away from her brilliance. Qin Yi could sense that an invasive gaze had been watching her from time to time.
Her face remained calm as she took a glance from the corner of her eyes to check out where this gaze was coming from.
There was a handsome skinny man in green robes. He appeared a little feminine with narrow eyes and untidy hair.
Qin Yi had taken note of this guy during the self introduction earlier.
His name was Shen Yunge. Despite his young age, he was already the deputy leader of the Snake Division of Imperial Beast Hall. This was comparable to the position of the Guardian General in their Blackwater Guardians. Amongst the young talents from the Imperial Beast Hall, Shen Yunge could be regarded as their leader.
As she thought about these, a few figures had suddenly walked towards her. One of them was Shen Yunge.
She sighed helplessly in her heart. It seemed like she wouldn't be able to avoid it after all.
She looked up with her bright eyes. The leader of the group was a muscular and heroic looking individual. This was Qin Zhenlin, the Guardian General of the Nine Tribulations Guardians.
On his side, there was Shen Yunge and another girl. This girl had short hair and looked a little similar to Shen Yunge, with an air of arrogance in her eyes.
This girl was Shen Bixi, sister of Shen Yunge. "Haha, Little Yi. Let me introduce our friends from the Imperial Beast Hall to you." Qin Zhenlin said with a laugh.
Qin Yi grinned back. "There is no need for introductions, Guardian General. I've heard of the well known leader Shen Yunge."
Hearing this, Shen Yunge smiled back at her and extended his hands towards Qin Yi. "I've heard of the Fairy of Water for a long time too. It's my pleasure to meet you today."
Qin Yi took a glance at the hand he had extended. Her eyes paused at his wrist, which had a dark gold bracelet that gave off an extremely dangerous air.
Shen Yunge laughed when he noticed Qin Yi hesitated to shake his hands. He thought she was afraid of the bracelet on his wrist as he replied, "Sorry for giving you a scare, Miss Qin Yi."
He lightly flicked the dark gold bracelet on his wrist and the bracelet wriggled. An icy eye that resembled one of a snake opened up. This bracelet was actually a small golden snake with its head and tail connected in a loop. The snake was covered in gilded scales, exuding a murderous and vicious aura.
It slowly slithered up the sleeves of Shen Yunge and vanished from sight.
"This must be Brother Shen's spirit beast, the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python? I've long heard of the mythical prowess of the Imperial Beast Hall. It's said that you have fused the beast with your resonances. With the two combined, it's like having an army on your side. The geniuses of Imperial Beast Hall are well known to have the ability to win opponents of higher levels." Qin Zhenlin said as he watched the little golden snake disappear from sight warily. Qin Yi also looked at it curiously.
It's said that Shen Yunge possessed the quasi ninth-grade Gilded Scale Heavenly Python resonance and quasi ninth-grade Shadow Snake Resonance. Both of these were of snake attributes. He also had the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python as his spirit beast. This made him extremely compatible with the Gilded Scale Heavenly Python. When faced with strong opponents, they could easily fuse to get even stronger.
In a way, this was like the Guardians in the Heavenly Emperor powers, except the Imperial Beast Hall replaced the Guardian members with a spirit beast. This made it a lot more convenient and was the signature trait of the Imperial Beast Hall.
"The secret arts of the Imperial Beast Hall are truly unrivaled." Qin Yi commented.
"Lady Qin Yi, this brother of mine has been looking at you all night. Tsk tsk, there are so many Martial Sisters who have fallen for him but he's never shown any interest. It turns out that he has set his standards so high." Shen Bixi, the girl standing on the side, said with a grin.
She had been observing Qin Yi for a while and her charm was truly exceptional. This made her feel a little jealous but her brother was clearly interested in her. As such, she had decided to help him out. Qin Yi smiled back in response. "With Leader Shen's talent, he is naturally a dragon amongst men."
She did not respond to Shen Bixi's words directly as she didn't want to suggest anything unwanted. Besides, she had no interest in him at all. "Lady Qin Yi is even more talented than me. If I had not broken into the Duke stage, I would have been a far cry when compared to you. In the future, you will definitely rise up to the top of your generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent." Shen Yunge replied with a gentle smile.
However, an image of a young and handsome man with long gray hair surfaced in her mind when she heard this. She sighed in her heart. If Li Luo wasn't around, she might have really become the top of their generation in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. She had progressed at a shocking pace over the last few months and finally entered the Greater Heavenly Resonance stage. However, Li Luo was already a few months ago ahead of her.
He should be in the late stages of the Greater Heavenly Resonance by now.
Nonetheless, Qin Yi did not voice out all these thoughts in her mind. Due to the grudges from the previous generation, the two of them weren't close to each other. Even back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, Li Luo had constantly kept his guard up against her. Yet, she did not plan to say anything in front of Shen Yunge in case it caused any misunderstanding.
Qin Yi knew of her own charm very well. Over the years, she had caused many men to turn into enemies just because of a casual comment from her.
"Little Yi's talent is indeed exceptional among her generation but it still pales in comparison to Li Luo from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li." A voice sounded out as laughter came from the side even though she wasn't planning to say anything about it. Qin Yi recognised the familiar voice instantly. She sighed in her heart as she looked over. "Mother." She greeted as she watched Qin Lian walk towards them.
Qin Lian took a glance at her before she turned towards Shen Yunge with a smile. "Brother Yun, it's your first visit to the World End's River Region. If there is anything you're unsure of, feel free to ask Little Yi. After all, you all will be staying here for a while."
"Thank you, Hall Master Qin Lian." Shen Yunge thanked her quickly.
Qin Yi was a little annoyed in her heart. Her mother often acted so forcefully that she often ignored her own feelings. "This Li Luo that Hall Master Qin Lian mentioned is one of the young geniuses from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li?" Shen Yunge asked suddenly. He was a smart one and could sense the animosity hidden in her words.
"He is indeed a youth with triple resonant palaces and six resonances. His talent is extraordinary. Two months ago, he even startled the whole World End's River Region by winning against the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's First Grand Commander of the Divine Tiger Guardians, who had reached the pinnacle of lower second-grade Duke, with just his Greater Heavenly Resonance strength and 2000 Guardian members." Qin Lian elaborated.
"Three resonant palaces and six resonances?" Shen Yunge revealed a face of surprise when he heard this. It was the first time he had heard of someone with such special resonances.
However, his surprise quickly faded away as he smiled and continued, "Such talent is indeed exceptional. If he cultivates for a few more years, even our generation will be left behind by him. If I have the chance in the future, I'll love to meet him in the World End's River Treasure Domain."
Shen Yunge could sense the unhidden animosity Qin Lian had towards Li Luo. As such, he naturally stood with Qin Lian to gain her favor. A smile could be faintly seen in the corners of Qin Lian's eyes. This young guy Shen Yunge had caught the meaning hidden in her words. They spoke for a while more before she turned and told Qin Yi, "Little Yi, if you have nothing to do, why don't you show Yunge and the rest around the World End's River Region. This will help them familiarize with the surroundings and prepare for the World End's River Treasure Domain later."
With that, she turned around and left the conversation to the younger generation. Qin Yi took another glance at Shen Yunge, who had an even brighter smile on his face now. Then, she looked down with slightly gloomy eyes.