Chapter 326: Challenging Zen
As the third prince of the Burning Sky Palace, Ray held a grand banquet today to entertain guests, and everyone who showed up was known for their fame and prestige.
As soon as Zen stepped into the grand hall, he immediately sensed several people with powerful life vitality, who, as far as he could tell, were masters of the Illuminating Soul Realm.
“Offer Zen a seat!” the third prince immediately commanded after he and Zen entered the hall.
Instantly, six or seven maids showed up, walking briskly with small steps. And then a square table with fresh fruits and a variety of meats and a chair were placed in front of Zen.
Since Ray promised to bring Aura to his banquet, Zen sat down and waited patiently. As for the prince, if he was truly determined to win Zen's support, the warrior decided he would handle the matter carefully.
He didn't quite expect Ray to act so quickly. As soon as he sat down, Ray walked back to his seat and raised his jade cup with a smile and said aloud, “Zen, you won first place in the Cloud Sect's All Peaks Competition, and I've always wanted to see you since then. But you were not in Cloud Sect during the past few days. Thus, I never got the chance to meet you. Today, you have come to my humble palace, and I am deeply honored. So, I'd like to propose a toast for you. I will drink first to show my respect for you!”
The majority of Ray's banquet guests heard the prince's respectful words, but many could not hide their skepticism. These people were not from the Cloud Sect. Instead, a number of them came from the top noble clans and were strong enough. Also, some were even at the level of Illuminating Soul Realm. However, the prince had never honored anyone in public like that before.
Although the championship of the All Peaks Competition held by Cloud Sect was a prestigious title, these guests from the top noble clans had limited appreciation for it. Since they were never a part of Cloud Sect, these people would never have a clear perception of the strength of the disciples from this group. In their view, Zen was simply an insignificant guy at the third grade of the nature level.
'The third prince is only being polite to you, showing his considerate and kind character. I didn't expect you to be so arrogant about it!
Who do you think you are?' one of them thought furiously after noticing Zen's hesitation.
At that moment, all the rest of the guests shared the same thought.
As Zen watched Ray raise his head and drink every drop of wine in his jade cup in one gulp, he hesitated, which the other guests interpreted as a sign of arrogance. But the young warrior knew he could not embarrass Ray in front of so many people. As a show of appreciation and respect, Zen also raised his cup and drank the wine in the same way Ray did. However, he felt the need to clarify some things with the prince. “Your Highness, I wish to apologize. But this time, I really came to visit Sky Princess, and not you.”
As he uttered the words, the faces of many of Ray's banquet guests grew even darker.
"Who do you think you are?
Why do you think you have been offered a seat at the Feathery Star Hall, huh? It is only because the prince thinks very highly of you and respects you!" one of them spat out with disdain.
"I have never seen anyone so arrogant and act in such a manner. Do you know where you are right now?
The Royal Palace!
You don't know it clearly, do you, hick?" another guest burst out angrily.
"There is nothing special about being a disciple of the Cloud Sect. He doesn't even know the basic rules of the Palace. How can you be so arrogant?
A champion is supposed to act this way? I think Cloud Sect's reputation at this point has been unearned!" a third guest huffed.
Even Zen was taken aback by the reaction and felt as if his words stirred a hornet's nest. One after the other, guests admonished him. To begin with, they had not been pleased with Zen's presence at the banquet. But what drew their ire was that he said his purpose was not to visit the prince but to see the princess after Ray proposed a toast in his honor and drank all the wine as a sign of respect. Did this kind of embarrassment not deserve being reprimanded in public?
Ray smiled lightly after hearing his guests' indignant remarks. But, he was quite shrewd and well-bred. In his view, powerful and talented men were naturally proud, and Zen's behavior just now was not something unexpected.
“It doesn't matter,” Ray said. “Anyone who comes to my Feathery Star Hall is my guest.”
“But Your Highness, while he may be your guest, he does not have the right to be rude!” one of them argued.
“Yes, I agree with you! If indeed he is that strong, we'll say nothing and let this go. But I'm afraid that while outwardly he may be strong, inside, he is weak and is merely pretending to be a powerful man,” another guest added.
The nearly violent rebuke continued until a man in white stood up from the table and said to Ray with his fists cupped to show respect, “Your Highness, since everyone is in high spirits, I would like to compete against Zen to bring some entertainment for the guests, as well as learn from him!”
“That would be nice! After listening to the opera and watching beautiful ladies dancing, we feel quite bored to have drinks only. A martial arts competition would add a lot of fun to drinking!”
The guest who spoke was thrilled at the prospect of the competition to stir things up in the banquet.
Nodding, Ray said, “Since everyone is so excited and looking forward to having fun, I don't want to be the bad guy who spoils everyone's expectations. So Zen, what do you think of the proposal for a competition?”
A slight frown formed in Zen's face, and he didn't immediately reply. Truthfully, he was feeling somewhat helpless.
How could he not see through Ray's tricks?
It was apparent that supporting a proposal for a competition was meant to test Zen's real strength. But he wasn't even there to attend the third Prince's banquet. He came to see Aura. Suddenly, for no reason, he was being asked to fight with someone. And the disciple was in no mood for something as dull as a competition.
Seeing Zen's silence, the man in white sneered and said coldly, "Are you afraid of competing with me, Zen?
Afraid of being defeated and losing face?
Anyone who comes as a guest of the third Prince is one with real skills, and if you lose, then you will have to get out of here!"
“That's right! It's not easy to be a guest of Your Highness!” one of the guests roared.
“The third Prince never treats guests who are losers!” another one spoke up excitedly.
It was hard not to sigh once Zen saw the excited and indignant stares of the guests who all looked at him as a competitor.
By now, the third Prince should have gained the support of several powerful clans, the most important of which were a few top noble clans, including guests attending the banquet today.
But the resources offered by the third Prince were bound to be limited. If Zen was involved, they were afraid that he would scramble for part of Ray's resources. As a result, these people regarded him as their common enemy.
And the third Prince allowed these people to provoke and challenge him to test his real strength, as well as to determine if Zen was worthy of being recruited as a member of his pool of talents.
“If Zen really doesn't want to participate in the competition, then let's just drop it. Since everyone has come to my Feathery Star Hall, all of you are regarded as a friend. Please don't ruin the harmonious relationship among you guys over a small matter,” Ray declared. He simpered after speaking.
While his statement might have sounded as if he wanted to help Zen with his present predicament, there was a hidden agenda behind it. He wanted to goad Zen into agreeing to the challenge.
The man in white shook his head and huffed, “Since the prince has said so, then forget it! It's just so boring here!”
“So, the Cloud Sect's disciple is such a wimp,” another guest said.
The insults kept coming.
And as they were getting dirtier and harsher, Zen furrowed his brows tighter. Then an idea clicked in his brain, and with a smile, he said, “Since everyone is in high spirits, and I have nothing to do here, it won't be too much trouble for me if I accept the challenge and provide some entertainment for you guys!”
As soon as Zen finished talking, the man in white suddenly turned his head, and a trace of excitement flickered in his eyes. 'Good! I'm glad you choose not to bear the insults and accept my challenge. I was so afraid that you might swallow the humiliation and do nothing about it!' he thought.
As a guest of the third prince, the man in white couldn't be more aware of what Ray meant, and he would surely try his best to figure out Zen's real strength during the fight.
Clapping his hands, Ray declared with glee, "Good!
I sincerely appreciate your participation and the fun you would bring to us. To add more excitement to today's competition, I'd like to offer a thousand cubic crystals as a reward for anyone who could beat Zen." The Prince laughed as he made the offer.
As expected, his guests at the banquet, all of whom were warriors, immediately became excited.
A thousand cubic crystals were definitely a huge sum of money for those warriors who were not born from the top noble clans.
It was a rather sneaky trick by Ray, as he was now encouraging these warriors to take turns in fighting against Zen, hoping to tire him out and eventually defeat him.
In his mind, Zen sneered. 'What? So they will take turns to fight against me?' Zen was not afraid of having several opponents. His endurance was far beyond that of ordinary warriors as his body possessed the function of a spiritual weapon. Moreover, since Zen decided to participate in the competition, he would not only defeat his opponents but also terrify them with his tough moves. After a few rounds of competition, he was sure not many of the warriors would dare to challenge him.
After a while, they cleared the center of the Feathery Star Hall to make way for the competition.
Once there was ample space, the man in white began to float in the air. Although warriors could fly after entering the level of Illuminating Soul Realm, there were differences in their flying techniques. In the case of the man in white, his flying method was elegant and flexible as he moved naturally and swiftly like a swallow. After circling in the air, he gently landed on the carpet and stared at Zen with an unmistakable challenge in his eyes.
On the other hand, Zen only sauntered towards the carpet, his pace neither fast nor slow, but was very calm.
“Remember my name,” the man in white with his fists cupped, told Zen. “I'm Doug Zhuo! I hate people who pretend to be very important personalities in this world. So when I meet such people, I have to beat the heck out of them!” he said gruffly.
“Poof!”
It was hard not to laugh as soon as Zen heard Doug's words.
Dressed in white, Doug looked gentle and elegant and was good-looking and talented, but his words were so crude. The immense contrast elicited an unexpected burst of laughter from the Cloud Sect's disciple.
“Hmmm... I hope you can still laugh aloud later!” Doug said in anger.
Using his hands, he started to spread out a little dark red life vitality. The life vitality kept growing through his fingers, and he eventually condensed, then transformed it into ten long claws. At the same time, two wings, which were also produced by condensed life vitality, appeared in Doug's back.
Seeing the changes in Doug's appearance, Zen raised his eyebrows slightly and thought quickly, 'Since Doug is a guest of the third Prince, he probably has some special skills. He was likely contemplating a kind of flying bird and then transformed his life vitality into claws and wings. So it must be his speed that's exceptional.'
As Zen stood to reflect on this, Doug's wings flapped, and he began to charge towards the Cloud Sect's disciple so fast that the only thing the audience could see was a string of shadows moving swiftly.