"It is wonderful to see Your Majesty in good health," Xichen smiled a polite smile, bowing respectfully toward the Emperor. Even though the Blue Wind Empire couldn't compare to the Divine Phoenix Empire, that didn't mean he should treat the emperor of another empire with disrespect.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness," Cang Wanhe smiled as he rose to welcome Xichen. "This old man thanks Your Highness for your kindness in saving my life, which has allowed me to host this humble banquet in your honor."
Although Cang Wanhe's words were humble and polite, the pride in his voice and smile was evident. He was extremely happy to see such respect from a prince of the strongest empire on the entire continent.
"Saving Your Majesty's life was merely a moral duty and does not deserve such gratitude," Xichen said in a calm tone, yet one that carried a weight that made even his modest words radiate an unforgettable majesty.
He added, looking around the hall with a faint evaluative gaze:
"Rather, receiving me with such warmth... amidst these royal atmospheres and noble faces, is what truly makes me grateful."
"Please, have a seat, Your Highness. I hope you do not mind sitting beside this old man today."
As Xichen sat down gracefully, embodying the confidence of kings without a hint of arrogance, the gazes of the attendees shifted toward him with a mixture of awe, envy, and hidden tension.
Especially the representatives of major powers like the Xiao Sect and the Burning Heaven Clan, who could not hide their feeling that, for the first time in decades, they were mere "second-class guests" at a royal banquet.
While Xichen settled onto the gilded seat beside the Emperor, the imperial hall divided into silent worlds, each lost in their own thoughts:
The kings in their calculations, the lords in their caution, the young men in their astonishment, and the women... their eyes fell upon the golden prince as if gazing upon a tangible dream.
But before silence could fully settle again, the Emperor took another step forward, a warm smile on his face, and turned to his right, saying in a confident voice:
"And since we are speaking of nobility and high status... I would like to introduce Your Highness to my most precious treasure in this world—my daughter, Princess Cang Yue."
A young girl stepped forward quietly from behind the silk curtain behind the throne, wearing a dark blue royal gown embroidered with white lotus flowers. Each of her steps exuded nobility and grace, her pure red eyes carrying a rare gleam of intelligence and calm.
Her deep black hair was styled in an elaborate updo, adorned with royal pearls, yet her features remained simple in their majesty—not overly adorned or pretentious, only a gentle presence and confidence that needed no words.
She bowed before Xichen with practiced royal etiquette:
"It is my pleasure to welcome you to our empire, Your Highness Prince Xichen. It is an honor for us to have you here."
Xichen raised his gaze to her. For a moment, his look resembled a soft ray of sunlight passing through a cold sky. It wasn't a long look, but it was enough to unsettle any girl's heart. Yet, Cang Yue maintained her royal composure, impressing some who observed the interaction.
"The honor is mine, Your Highness," Xichen replied with a polite smile, lightly raising his hand in a respectful gesture toward his chest. "I did not know the Blue Wind Empire possessed a princess of such dignity."
The Emperor let out a short laugh, satisfaction clear on his face:
"It seems Your Highness's taste is refined even in compliments."
Then he gestured for Cang Yue to sit on Xichen's left, as he was today's guest of honor and would sit between the Emperor and the Princess.
[Ding! A new Favored Son of Heaven has been detected.]
"..." Upon seeing the system notification, Xichen's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. He immediately began scanning all the attendees to identify the Favored Son of Heaven.
He soon found the person in question. Thanks to the system, he could see the fortune of others, and the one with the most prominent Fortune Value in the room was a handsome young man with black hair and a pair of eyes of the same color. He had pale skin and an extremely weak cultivation level—only at the 3rd Elementary Profound Realm.
However, given his ability to attend this banquet and his conspicuously luxurious attire, he was by no means an ordinary person.
From a single glance, he was clearly a lecherous scoundrel chasing after women. Despite his attempts to hide it, the fatigue and exhaustion under his eyes were evident, and from his posture, he clearly suffered from kidney problems.
'System, can you obtain information about this Favored Son of Heaven?' Xichen asked in his thoughts, his eyes fixed on the floating screen above the other party, which clearly displayed the number 200.
[Ding! To obtain information on a Favored Son of Heaven, the host must pay 1,000 Destiny Points.]
[Does the host agree to pay this amount?]
[Y/N]
'Stingy system,' Xichen cursed in his thoughts, but he didn't hesitate to press Y in his mind, causing the screen before him to change. A new screen resembling his own status screen appeared, but with different information.
✦[ Name: Jun Moxie ]
✦[ Identity: The Third Young Master, the useless one of the Jun Family. ]
✦[ Bloodline: None ]
✦[ Cultivation: 3rd Elementary Profound Realm ]
✦[ Mystical Abilities: ]
Art of Unlocking the Heaven's Fortune
✦[ Fortune Value: 200 ]
✦[ Items: None ]
'Is this the plot of transmigrating into the body of a useless young master with an overpowered cultivation technique?' Xichen thought, his golden eyes glinting slightly as he stared at Jun Moxie, who suddenly felt an inexplicable chill.
Beside Moxie was an old man with a fierce appearance, clearly a soldier, whose power was at the peak of the Sky Profound Realm. He seemed to have noticed Xichen's gaze, causing him to wonder why the prince of the strongest empire would show interest in his debauched grandson.
Moxie was nothing but a wastrel who never missed a brothel or gambling hall, making the Jun family a laughingstock. But this was no reason for a prince of the strongest empire to take an interest in his grandson.
...
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My computer was down, and that's why I haven't been able to upload anything for the past few days.