"If you say so," Yuan calmly responded to Tian Yuexingâs words.
"Then Iâll see you during the Sword Emperor Qualifications," said Tian Yuexing before flying away and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"My god, I can believe you actually picked a fight with the Heavenly Son..." Kelan said with a dumbfounded look on his face.
Despite his status within the Celestial Overlords, even he didnât have the guts to offend someone like Tian Yuexing.
"You probably donât know how horrifying the Tian Family truly is... theyâre so bold that theyâre even willing to pick a fight with the Celestial Emperor," he added.
"Oh? Why did they fight with the Celestial Emperor?" Yuan asked, clearly intrigued by this information.
"I donât know all the details, but it happened just a few decades ago," Kelan said. "The two families have always been at odds since ancient times, but something recently pushed the Tian Family over the edge. Whatever it was, it enraged them so much that both their Patriarch and Matriarch stormed the Celestial Emperorâs family estate."
"If youâre that interested, ask Celestial Overlord Xu or Overlord Bai. They probably know."
Yuan nodded, "When I get the chance."
He reasoned that since he was already at odds with the Celestial Emperor, it might be wise to form alliances, and if the Tian Family also had grievances with the Celestial Emperor, they could prove to be valuable allies.
Meanwhile, Tian Yuexing returned to where his family was staying after his brief meeting with Yuan.
"Where did you go?" A beautiful young lady with black hair and brown eyes asked him.
"I met someone interesting," answered Tian Yuexing.
The young lady raised an eyebrow and asked, "Interesting? How?"
"I donât quite know how to describe it," Tian Yuexing said, recalling his encounter with Yuan. "At first, he seemed ordinary, but the more I spoke with him, the more I felt something deeper. It was as if he was wrapped in an indescribable aura... something beyond what the eye could see."
"Thatâs quite the high praise from you, brother. Now I want to meet this guy," said the young lady, who turned out to be his sister.
"That guy called me arrogant, but he is obviously even more arrogant than I." Tian Yuexing shook his head with an entertained smile.
"Even more arrogant than you? Thatâs hard to believe."
"Right? Thatâs mostly why I found him interesting. Anyway, I made a bet with himâthat if he outranks me in the Sword Emperor Qualifications, Iâd do any one thing for him."
"What...? What if you lose?"
Tian Yuexing frowned and said, "You think Iâll lose to some nobody? Iâll crush him quickly and show him why I am ranked first in the Nine Heavens."
"Anyway, will father and mother be coming to watch or what?" he then asked.
"No, but theyâll be watching from home," she said.
Tian Yuexing sighed out loud, "I wonder how long this will continue. Itâs already been several decades, and they still havenât gotten over it."
His sister frowned and said, "Donât talk nonsense. You have no idea what theyâre going through now."
Tian Yuexing looked at her with a curious gaze and asked, "What about you? How are you feeling?"
She shrugged, "Iâm a bit disappointed, but thatâs about it."
"Youâre quite heartless."
"I donât want more competition. Youâre already too much for me to handle," she sighed.
"Whatever. Iâm going to cultivate."
Without another word, Tian Yuexing sat down and closed his eyes.
The other participants also took this time to mentally prepare themselves. Whether it be the Holy Sword Maiden or the Holy Sword King, everyone took the Sword Emperor Qualifications seriously.
Only Yuan was spending his time casually chatting with his friends.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the moment everyone had been waiting for had arrivedâthe Sword Emperor Qualifications were about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have a moment of your time before we begin the Sword Emperor Qualifications?"
Senior Baiâs voice echoed through the skies just moments before his figure descended gracefully, coming to a halt above the platform on the central island.
Despite the presence of tens of millions of spectators, an eerie silence fell over the venue, as if the entire world had paused to listen.
"Thank you."
Senior Bai then retrieved a long scroll with several names written on it and began calling them one by one.
"These will be this yearâs Sword Emperor Qualifications. Please come to me when youâre called."
"Holy Sword Clanâs Holy Sword Maiden."
Seconds later, the Holy Sword Maidenâs beautiful figure appeared before Senior Bai, greeting him at her arrival.
"Holy Sword Clanâs Holy Sword King."
The Holy Sword King appeared to greet him a moment later.
"Ethereal Sword Clanâs Vanishing Sword."
A middle-aged man appeared and greeted him.
Several names later, "Tian Familyâs Heavenly Son."
Tian Yuexing made a grand entrance, radiating a powerful aura as he appeared before the crowd. His silky black hair shimmered under the sunlight, and a confident, handsome smile played across his face.
The moment he appeared, countless girls in the crowd erupted into cheers, swooning like fangirls at a concert.
Unsurprisingly, being the eldest son of the second most influential and powerful family in the Nine Heavens attracted a lot of attention and attraction.
Senior Bai cleared his throat loudly, instantly halting the loud noises.
Once the place calmed down, he continued, reading the last name on the list, "Yuan."
"???"
The crowd raised their eyebrows at Yuanâs brief introduction.
The next moment, Yuan leaped from his island and flew toward Senior Bai with incredible speed, stopping right before him.
Both the Heavenly Son and the Holy Sword King narrowed their eyes at Yuan, but he ignored them and greeted Senior Bai.
"Good luck."
Senior Bai responded to his greeting, which caught everyone off guard, as it was the first time he had acknowledged any participant. Both the spectators and the contestants were stunned, and whispers quickly spread as curiosity about Yuanâs identity began to grow.