NOVPUBSuo Wenhong quickly realized that the person who had come was not Wang Qi. Although there were a great many people, they were primarily Qi Cultivators, and there wasn't a single real Modern Cultivator among them.
Suo Wenhong furrowed his brow. He truly didn't understand why a large group of "Divine Capital Ancient Method Practitioners" appeared here. His gaze shifted to Ran Yingwei. Ran Yingwei, although a True Disciple of Mysterious Palace, was born in the Divine Capital, and his ancestors had been ennobled. He was undeniably of noble lineage, and today's venue was also arranged by him.
Ran Yingwei's complexion wasn't great either. These fellow Wanfa Sect disciples had rented the training ground at the Dragon Camp through his own contacts, and now a bunch of unrelated individuals had shown up; it was a blatant challenge to him.
Was someone from my family targeting me specifically? Because I am a Modern Cultivator, do they not consider me family?
Though his face remained composed, the silver butterflies circling around him fluttered their wings rapidly a few times, revealing the turmoil within him. He took out the family crest hanging at his waist and yelled out loud, "This place is currently in use by the renowned Ran family of the Earth Star, out of bounds for outsiders!"
In this area, akin to a no man's land where the elderly retreated, citing one's family name, even more than mentioning Mysterious Palace, held sway — despite the fact that outside the Divine Capital, even commoners didn't care much about nobility.
The crowd became restless. "The Ran family? Is there such a person?" "I'm sure I know all the Rans..." "Could it be some house slave trying to throw their weight around..."
The people's discussions were somewhat disrespectful, and the silver butterflies behind Ran Yingwei began to gather. This indicated he was contemplating whether to give these fellows a beating.
"After leaving home for so many years, these 'old hometown folk' are still as irritating..."
Just then, the crowd stirred, and a handsome man walked out. He was graceful and majestic, clearly coming from a distinguished background. He hesitantly asked, "You are... Third Ran?"
"Third Ran" was a name used by those close to him. Feeling the powerful aura emanating from this man and recognizing it as the Royal Family's mental method, the Dragon Elephant Embryo Heart Secret, Ran Yingwei recalled the man's identity based on his own memories: "Seventh Prince?"
"Ah, Third Ran, Third Ran, I heard you went to Mysterious Palace in search of the Dao, and after several years, you've returned and didn't even come to see old friends," the Seventh Prince Wen Huang said heartily as he took Ran Yingwei's hand. "You haven't become prosperous and forgotten your old friends, have you?"
Ran Yingwei felt somewhat awkward. Having experienced the immense vastness of the Great Dao in the Immortal Institute, he realized how insignificant he was and how his interests had greatly diverged from his friends back in the Divine Capital; he had almost truly forgotten about the man. However, since they had met, there was naturally a sense of familiarity. He said, somewhat embarrassed, "I came here with a few fellow Wanfa Sect practitioners..."
Wen Huang's eyes lit up: "Are you gentlemen going to demonstrate magic?"
"No, one of the Wanfa Sect disciples spoke arrogantly, and these individuals wanted to give him a lesson..."
Wen Huang immediately greeted them warmly: "You must be the esteemed disciples of the Wanfa Sect? Forgive me for not having welcomed you from afar!"
Suo Wenhong returned the gesture symbolically. He didn't particularly like this guy, especially since his first words identified Ran Yingwei's status, seemingly to constrain the people behind him, fearing they might conflict with him. This made Suo Wenhong feel the man was somewhat insincere.
After clarifying the situation, Wen Huang generously said, "Since you all need this place, I won't dispute it. However, you wouldn't object to me staying to watch the fight, would you?"
Ran Yingwei sighed on the side. He was very aware that if the Seventh Prince hadn't understood the subordinate relationship between the Divine Capital and the Immortal Alliance, the matter might not have been so easily resolved.
The Seventh Prince was keen to stay and watch the fight, but the noble sons following him didn't share the same enthusiasm. A few from families with greater influence made excuses and left. The Seventh Prince, on the other hand, was persistent about waiting. Eventually, more than half of the people left, leaving only the Seventh Prince and a few of his guards. From an angle unnoticed by others, the prince discreetly signaled a defensive stance to his guards.
Suo Wenhong whispered to his junior brother, "Don't let these fellows affect you. Stay calm and get ready."
But as the sun rose high, they still hadn't seen anyone.
The Seventh Prince wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Could that guy be scared?"
Suo Wenhong scoffed, "It's most likely a ploy of 'strike while the iron is hot, then it weakens, and with a third attempt, it's spent.' He probably thinks by doing this he can grind down our morale and increase his chances of winning, how laughable?"
By noon, the sun had just started to descend from its zenith. Eunuchs brought the Seventh Prince his lunch, while other servants held umbrellas for him and set up tables and chairs. The disciples of the Wanfa Sect had not expected Wang Qi to be so shameless, and they were sorely disappointed.
What they didn't realize was that this was just the beginning.
As the Great Sun dipped to the west, it stained the sky crimson.
The people from Wanfa Sect could no longer concern themselves with any pretense of separation. Various ones, those with better Qi Cultivation Skills, either did math problems or read; the less skilled simply sprawled across the tables.
Suo Wenhong was about to burst a lung from anger. He exclaimed, "Why hasn't that kid shown up?"
The Seventh Prince also looked sour. He had wasted a whole day's time for meditation. Unlike standard Modern Cultivators, who worry about mana growing too quickly, he still needed lengthy meditations. When Ran Yingwei saw Wen Huang's expression, he immediately felt that they had lost face in front of these people from the Great Sects, and sneered, "Birds of a feather flock together... He really is also a petty person."
A disciple from the Wanfa Sect couldn't stand it anymore, stood up, and said, "Senior Brother, I'll go check if that kid has arrived." Without waiting for Suo Wenhong's approval, the disciple immediately deployed his movement technique.
But he had only run for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when everyone heard his angry shout, "You bastard! How can you..."
Suo Wenhong and Ran Yingwei knew that Wang Qi had at least two Foundation Establishment Stage True Disciples by his side and, fearing their junior brother would suffer a disadvantage, quickly followed. However, what they saw made them furious. Wang Qi and Chen Youjia were walking one behind the other, each holding a stick of candied hawthorn. Chen Feng was following behind them, nagging, "I'm telling you..."
Suo Wenhong couldn't hold it back anymore and cursed loudly, "Wang Qi, you're so despicable!"
Wang Qi, scolded for reasons unknown to him, was puzzled. He bit off the last hawthorn and after swallowing, asked, "What are you talking about?"
"How dare you delay for a full day just to wear down your opponent's heart intent... You've really got some nerve!"
Wang Qi scratched his face, "I thought you meant this exact time."
"What?"
"When you sent the challenge, you only said 'seven days later.' You didn't specify an exact time, and nobody contacted me about it, so I thought it was up to me to decide." Wang Qi spoke earnestly and even took out the challenge letter for proof, "Here, 'Seven days from now, at Divine Capital's Eastern Suburb, a battle to honor our respective paths.' I decided to finish today's matters before coming."
Chen Youjia, biting on his candied hawthorn, added, "That's why you shouldn't use archaic language for a business document."
