novelapdf Chapter 587 Zhao Yu! Ignore it!
Chapter 587 Zhao Yu! Ignore it!
A meaningful smile appeared on Zhao Yu's lips, and he suddenly raised his voice:
"Is this the candidate sent by Yu the Great this year? I heard about it in the capital. Yu the Great had a eunuch who caused quite a stir in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons. Tsk, seeing is believing indeed."
Upon hearing this, a burst of suppressed laughter erupted in the post station.
Yan Yunfei of the Great Yan laughed the loudest, while the cultivators from the Chu and Qi kingdoms, though silent, all wore expressions of anticipation.
Even among the pale-faced demonic cultivators in the Boundless Sea, a few had a slight twitch at the corner of their mouths.
Eunuch.
Everyone present knew what those two words meant in the cultivation world.
It should be understood that for a cultivator to enter the palace as a eunuch is tantamount to cutting off their own path to immortality, which is the most despised background in the cultivation world.
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhan's expression instantly darkened.
The two lieutenants behind him were even more furious, and if it weren't for Zhao Yu's status as a prince, they probably would have already lashed out on the spot.
Chen Fan stood behind Qin Zhan, his expression still calm and indifferent, as if Zhao Yu wasn't talking about him.
Seeing that Chen Fan had no reaction, Zhao Yu's eyes flashed with surprise, but that surprise was quickly replaced by a stronger displeasure.
He took two steps forward, his tone becoming even more flippant:
"What, didn't you hear me speaking to you? That's right, you're a eunuch, used to serving people in the palace, it's normal for you not to dare to raise your head when you see your master."
The laughter grew even louder.
Qin Zhan suddenly took a step forward.
With this step, although the pressure of the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator was not deliberately released, the killing aura unique to veterans of the battlefield caused the surrounding air to suddenly freeze.
Zhao Yu's smile froze slightly, and she involuntarily took half a step back. Realizing she had lost face, her expression immediately turned ugly.
"Fourth Prince," Qin Zhan spoke, his voice booming like a bell, his gaze sharp as a knife, "You just said that eunuchs are not worthy to speak to you. Then let me ask you, this eunuch you spoke of is the top scholar in my Great Yu Kingdom, the number one selected from millions of cultivators in Great Yu. He stands here today, representing the face of the Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom, and also the face of me. To insult him is to insult my Great Yu."
He glanced at the jeering cultivators around him, his voice deepening: "Being of humble origins is not a disgrace. True men are those who can bend and stretch. Throughout history, countless heroes and great men may not have come from noble births, yet their achievements are admired for generations. On the contrary, I have seen many arrogant and dissolute individuals who rely on their birth; in the end, none of them amount to anything and they become laughingstocks."
Upon hearing this, the post station fell completely silent.
Yan Yunfei's smile froze on his face, Chu Nanfeng stopped waving his folding fan, and even a barely perceptible strange light flashed in Song Tianren's indifferent black eyes.
Qin Zhan's words were neither humble nor arrogant, but forceful and resounding. They both vindicated Chen Fan and subtly mocked Zhao Yu's纨绔 (spoiled brat) behavior, without going too far as to break off relations. He struck the perfect balance.
Zhao Yu's face turned pale and then red.
He opened his mouth several times, wanting to lash out, but Qin Zhan was, after all, a prince at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. In terms of cultivation and status, he was not much lower than him, a prince at the Core Formation stage. Moreover, Qin Zhan had the entire Great Yu Cultivation Kingdom behind him.
If he were to turn hostile on the spot, he would be disgracing the Zhao state, and his father, the emperor, would be the first to punish him upon his return.
"Your Highness Qin, you flatter me," Zhao Yuqiang suppressed his anger and forced a smile. "I was just joking, why take it seriously?"
He spoke with great seriousness, but his gaze bypassed Qin Zhan and landed on Chen Fan.
The displeasure in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it became even more gloomy because he had nowhere to vent it.
Considering that he was the fourth prince of the Zhao Kingdom, he was always surrounded by people and respected by everyone wherever he went.
He couldn't swallow his anger after being ignored by a eunuch and then publicly rebuked by Qin Zhan.
However, with the competition just around the corner, he dared not cause any trouble at this critical juncture.
Zhao Yu took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing the anger in his heart, and took out a bright yellow scroll from his sleeve. He then unrolled it and read it aloud.
"By order of the Zhao State's Imperial Sacrificial Hall, the selection rules for this year's Imperial Sacrifices are as follows..."
The cultivators from the six factions all composed themselves and listened attentively.
"There are three types of selection. The first is the selection based on cultivation level. Participants will draw lots to determine the winners and losers will be eliminated in the arena. The top three will be determined by elimination. The highest cultivation level of the participants must not exceed the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, and the lowest must not be lower than the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm."
"Secondly, the selection of alchemists. Participants must use the provided medicinal materials in the alchemy room designated by the Hall of Offerings to refine pills of a specified grade within a specified time. The grade, quality, and quantity of pills produced are all evaluated by the fifth-grade alchemy masters of the Hall of Offerings, and the one with the highest overall score wins."
"Thirdly, the selection of formations. Participants must set up a designated formation on the formation platform in the Hall of Offerings, using uniformly provided formation flags and plates, within a specified time. The power, stability, and deployment speed of the formations will be judged by the fourth-level formation masters of the Hall of Offerings, and the one with the highest overall score will win."
After reading the scroll, Zhao Yu rolled it up again, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and that cynical smile reappeared on his lips:
"There are three selection processes, and each person must participate in at least one, and may participate in a maximum of three at the same time. If someone ranks in the top three in all three selections, the Hall of Offerings will exceptionally grant them a Gold Medal Offering Order, equivalent to a third-rank official in the Zhao Kingdom, and enjoy the same treatment as a Nascent Soul cultivator. However, in all the years that the selection process for offerings has been held in this dynasty, there have been people who have participated in all three selections at the same time, but those who have managed to win at least one are extremely rare, and to rank in the top three in all three... well, no one has ever done that before."
As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose in the post station.
The cultivators from various factions whispered amongst themselves, considering which selection method they should choose.
Those cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage naturally focused their attention on the selection of cultivators based on their cultivation level, while a few cultivators who were proficient in alchemy or formations showed thoughtful expressions.
Just then, a figure as black as ink emerged from the group from the Boundless Sea.
Song Tianren.
He stood with his hands behind his back in front of everyone, his indifferent black eyes slowly sweeping across the entire scene, finally settling on Chen Fan in Dayu's team.
With a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, revealing a half-smile that was hard to look directly at, he was someone whose eyes were not open to anyone!
"Chen Fan," Song Tianren spoke, his voice not loud but clear enough to reach the ears of everyone present.
"I have heard a little about your achievements in the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons of Yu the Great. You did have some skill in killing the Blood River Sect's Old Monster, who was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, with a top-grade magic weapon. However, someone like Old Monster Chi wouldn't even be worthy of carrying my shoes in the Boundless Sea."
He took a step forward, and his demonic aura, as if it were a tangible force, pressed down on Chen Fan. The terrifying pressure caused many Nascent Soul cultivators present to feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and trembling in their souls.