Chapter 288 - 161: Child of Destiny

So when the crowd of onlooking Martial Artists finally saw Li Yuanqing in person, they all expressed their admiration and cheered for him.

The conflict among the Twelve Countries was brutal and fierce, with massive battles erupting every few decades.

Countless Martial Artists and commoners lost their lives as a result.

Under these circumstances, the people of Great Zhou revered martial prowess. A prince like Li Yuanqing—naturally gifted and full of fighting spirit—was exactly the kind of imperial successor that countless Martial Artists and citizens admired most.

Only a capable Emperor could protect Great Zhou from being invaded and trampled by other nations.

"I hear the Second Prince was born of a concubine, so he can’t become Emperor. What a shame. If he were the Empress’s own son, the title of Crown Prince would have been his long ago!"

"The current Crown Prince is already nine years old. It’s bad enough he can’t practice Martial Arts, but he probably hasn’t even learned to read. Can you imagine how ridiculous that would sound to the outside world?"

"Not a single reputable scholar in all of Kyoto is willing to tutor the Crown Prince. Whenever they mention the name ’Li Chang’an,’ they just shake their heads and sigh... An illiterate Crown Prince! He’d be the first in the history of the Twelve Countries, I’m afraid. He’s truly brought shame upon Great Zhou, all the way to the Great Yuan and the Qiangman!"

"All the ministers in the Imperial Court have been submitting petitions for years, demanding a new Crown Prince be named. I don’t know what His Majesty is thinking, dragging his feet for so long without taking any action."

"If you ask me, deposing the Crown Prince and instating the Second Prince would be a great idea. We people of Great Zhou don’t want a useless ruler!"

"Don’t you get it? This Martial Dao Tournament is all about building momentum for the Second Prince!"

"If the Second Prince can take first place—no, even if he just makes it into the top three—he’ll have proven his strength to the world. Then, whether His Majesty is willing or not, faced with the overwhelming will of the people, he’ll have no choice but to name the Second Prince as the new Crown Prince!"

The Martial Artists spectating here were, for the most part, from the influential and noble families of the Great Zhou Imperial Court.

As such, they had a rather insightful perspective on the current political situation in the Imperial Court.

And they didn’t bother to hide their opinions when they spoke.

The people of Great Zhou were known for their fierce and forthright nature, and the Martial Artists were even more hot-tempered. They spoke their minds, and if you disagreed, you fought. The Imperial Court still relied on them to fight its wars, so even the Emperor wouldn’t dare punish them for simply speaking a little too freely.

Amid the crowd’s chatter, the horn sounded, officially beginning the final battle of the Martial Dao Tournament.

Li Yuanqing faced the young master of the Cao Family from West Transport City. At just fourteen, he was already a Martial Artist in the Muscle Training Realm and wielded a pair of Giant Hammers, making him a formidable opponent.

Everyone expected a hard-fought battle, but Li Yuanqing proved to be even more powerful than they had imagined.

He effortlessly dodged the Giant Hammers of the Cao Family’s young master and, with a single palm strike, sent him flying off the arena.

It was a clean, stylish victory.

The entire fight was crisp and decisive, with no wasted movements.

At once, the cheers from the surrounding Martial Artists grew even louder. More and more people now saw Li Yuanqing as the perfect candidate for Crown Prince.

Looking down at the excited faces and cheering crowd, Li Yuanqing felt a blush creep up his neck. After all, his entire cultivation had been taught to him by Li Chang’an.

He was completely loyal to his older brother.

And now these people were clamoring for him to become the Crown Prince. ’What a ridiculous joke.’

However, beyond his embarrassment, he happened to notice someone in the crowd smiling at him.

At first, Li Yuanqing didn’t think anything of it.

He fought another match, once again winning with overwhelming force.

The roar of the surrounding crowd grew even louder.

It was then that Li Yuanqing saw the man smiling at him from the crowd again. This time, he composed himself and took a closer look, noticing the man was cloaked entirely in a black robe, revealing only a strikingly young and handsome face.

When their eyes met, the man didn’t look away. Instead, he gave Li Yuanqing a provocative arch of his eyebrow.

Li Yuanqing’s heart skipped a beat.

’He must be the mysterious young man my brother has been going to such great lengths to find!’

’He didn’t participate in the Martial Dao Tournament.’

’But he’s here at the tournament grounds!’

With that realization, Li Yuanqing quickly turned, wanting to signal his brother, who was up in the spectator stands above the arena.

But when he looked, he found his brother, who had been in the spectator seats, was gone. Only a grim-faced Li Shiran remained, his eyes scanning every arena below.

Li Yuanqing blinked at Li Shiran, trying to signal him with his eyes.

But Li Shiran didn’t notice. He was still patiently scanning the arenas for any sign of the mysterious, black-haired youth.

Li Yuanqing knew they were stuck in a mental blind spot, but he was standing on the arena stage, under the constant watch of the mysterious young man. He had no way to send a clear message.

While Li Yuanqing was agonizing over what to do, the final battle of the Martial Dao Tournament began.

Thirty contestants were left to vie for the ultimate title.

Li Yuanqing’s every move was now being watched by thousands of pairs of eyes. He didn’t dare do anything to alert his target, so he could only continue to fight, hoping that Li Chang’an would eventually notice something was amiss.

In this final battle, every combatant was one of the most outstanding Martial Artists of Great Zhou’s younger generation.

Even with the Martial Scripture personally taught to him by Li Chang’an, Li Yuanqing began to feel the pressure. After all, he was still very young—not even nine yet—and that put him at a disadvantage.

The pressure mounted.

Li Yuanqing no longer dared to let his focus wander.

He had to focus all his energy on fending off the challenges from the other young Martial Artists.

After a long and grueling series of fights,

finally, Li Yuanqing lived up to everyone’s expectations and claimed the title of champion.

He stood in the center of the massive Martial Arts Arena, listening to the cheers and praise from the countless Martial Artists. Amid the deafening roar, he fought to keep a clear head.

He turned his head and saw that the mysterious young man had, at some point, appeared on the opposite side of the arena.

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