Chapter 6: The Powerful Hun Tian
“Damn it!” Qin Bei thought to himself, sensing trouble brewing.
From Emperor Xia’s words, it was clear he was referring to him, but he hadn’t said anything of the sort. Obviously, the old man was just spewing nonsense.
“Well, now that Emperor Xia has said this, I’m intrigued.”
Just moments ago, she had received a telepathic message from the empress, stating that she only needed to choose a prince with high enough talent for cultivation; it didn’t have to be Qin Chen.
“But talent isn’t something you can gauge just by looking, so I’d like to test the princes. I wonder if Emperor Xia approves of that,” Mu Zhaoxue said respectfully.
“Of course, that’s acceptable,” Emperor Xia readily agreed.
At that moment, Hun Tian, who had been standing to the side, knew his opportunity had arrived.
“Emperor Xia, it’s truly inappropriate for the Saintess to fight in public. Hun Tian is willing to engage in a friendly exchange with the princes on behalf of the Saintess.”
“Is the Saintess willing?” Emperor Xia turned to Mu Zhaoxue.
“Yes.”
“Good! My sons, those interested in marriage, please step forward.” Emperor Xia looked over the princes, his gaze lingering on Qin Bei for a moment.
He clearly expected Qin Bei to be the first to jump out, but Qin Bei stood there as if he were an old man meditating, not moving an inch.
…
“Hun Tian, twenty years old, seventh level of foundation building, please enlighten me.”
Hun Tian stepped into a spacious area and challenged the princes.
“Tsk~ I thought the Holy Demon Dynasty would send someone powerful to stir up trouble, but it’s just a foundation-level kid? And he’s twenty! No wonder no one has heard of him.”
“Suddenly lost interest, how boring. You guys can go.”
After hearing Hun Tian’s challenge, a few princes with decent talent suddenly lost interest.
This level of cultivation simply could not capture their attention.
Among the princes of Great Xia, reaching the foundation-building level at twenty was merely average; not to mention keeping up with a genius like Qin Chen, they couldn’t even hold a candle to the top contenders.
Not to mention Mu Zhaoxue—despite being only eighteen; she was already a formidable expert in the Golden Core realm.
“Hun Tian knows his cultivation level is low, but he believes he’s hard to beat among those in the same realm.”
“Since it’s about talent, the battle will naturally take place at the same level. Who’s up for a duel first?” Emperor Xia’s doubts began to surface.
Even if the Demon Emperor was crazy, he wouldn’t send a little wimp to embarrass himself.
“Father, I’m willing to fight.” A prince standing behind Qin Bei stepped forward.
“Great!”
As the prince approached Hun Tian, an invisible barrier of light rose around the two, ensuring their fight wouldn’t affect anything, not even the ground.
After all, this was the Golden Luan Hall. Even if the Immortal Dynasty allowed some fighting, no destruction was permitted.
“Qin Ling, thirteen years old, seventh level of foundation building, please enlighten me!”
Their cultivation levels matched perfectly, but their ages clearly indicated who was stronger.
“Please!” Hun Tian smiled, standing with his hands behind his back.
The battle between the two was about to commence.
“Saintess, how does my prince measure up?” Emperor Xia asked, grinning.
“Though young, he is already at the seventh level of foundation building and possesses remarkable talent,” Mu Zhaoxue replied.
However, just as their conversation finished, the duel before them came to an end.
“Thank you for your grace.”
Seeing Hun Tian standing with his hands behind his back, Qin Ling’s eyes were filled with unwillingness.
In their recent duel, he hadn’t even managed to use his full strength before being defeated.
“What just happened?”
“I didn’t see it clearly; I didn’t really pay attention to the fight.”
The other princes looked puzzled, unsure of what had transpired.
Only Qin Bei had been observant enough to catch the entire exchange.
Hun Tian didn’t use any powerful magic or even agile movements; he struck Qin Ling while he was still gathering his strength.
That hit was quick, precise, and fierce, directly knocking Qin Ling out.
Many others had also seen it clearly.
The defeat stemmed entirely from Qin Ling’s lack of battle experience, showcasing a gap in skill.
This was inevitable for royalty—while their cultivation levels were high, their combat experience was lacking.
Emperor Xia’s face darkened; he hadn’t expected to lose in the first duel, especially so embarrassingly. How would the delegates from the Wu nation perceive this?
“Emperor Xia, I forgot to mention, although my cultivation is only at the seventh level of foundation building, I entered the Holy Demon Forest at the age of eight and only emerged at twenty.” Hun Tian said, bowing slightly, without a hint of concern.
Once more, he surveyed the gathered princes, his eyes radiating disdain—just like the looks they previously shot at him.
Hiss~ As his words sank in, gasps rippled through the crowd.
“Coming out of the Holy Demon Forest? No wonder he’s so strong!”
“Royal brother, what is the Holy Demon Forest? You all seem really invested.” Qin Bei asked the people nearby, perplexed.
“You lack talent if you don’t know about it. The Holy Demon Forest is a secret realm of the Holy Demon Dynasty, accessible only to those below the foundation-building realm. The spiritual energy there is thin, and it’s teeming with monsters. Beasts beyond the foundation-building realm are a common sight; not to mention entering at eight years old, you’d be lucky to come out alive even at twenty.”
“Every year, the Demon Emperor tosses in some young princes. The longer they stay, the more rewards they receive. Naturally, many princes have perished; so far, about eight hundred have been lost.”
“If you manage to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm in there, you’ll come out as a candidate for the crown prince. So far, only five have succeeded, and the last to emerge is at the same level as Qin Chen.”
Now, Qin Bei understood; this guy was a classic wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The Wu nation’s delegation, watching from the sidelines, was equally astonished. They hadn’t expected Hun Tian to have such a background.
After hearing the news, many princes lost their once dominant air.
Achieving foundation establishment in such a spiritual wasteland, and then emerging as a seventh-level cultivator—that kind of talent ranked at the very top among them.
“This will be a challenge. No one in the same age group can defeat him at his level,” remarked Qin Zhen, standing beside Qin Bei, his brow furrowed.
“Brother, why not you take a turn?”
“This…” Qin Zhen shook his head.
He was much older, naturally richer in experience and understanding. When it came to battles at the same level, he was indeed a top contender among the princes.
However, being a Tribulation Realm cultivator now, even if he suppressed his level to win, it wouldn’t be a glorious victory.
“What’s the matter? After learning this news, is everyone afraid to step up? The Great Xia Dynasty really is like this; we should just call for Qin Chen, he’s the only one who can match me.”
At that moment, Hun Tian’s true brilliance sparkled through.
As a prince of the Holy Demon Dynasty, he was not afraid to provoke these princes. Hun Tian knew that as long as he didn’t act foolishly towards Emperor Xia, he would be entirely safe within the Great Xia Kingdom.
“Hmph! I’ll fight!”
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