Chapter 1078 The Rules
âSister Mengmeng.â
After entering the long corridor, Chen Chuan became a little restless again. He ran to Mengmeng and said, âSister Mengmeng, this corridor in the garden looks so pretty. How about we take a picture here to mark this moment?â
âOh, sure.â
Mengmeng had no choice but to comply with Chen Chuan. She took a photo with him in the corridor.
One minute laterâŠ
âSister Mengmeng, this place also looks beautiful. Letâs take another picture.â
âChen Chuan!â
Mengmengâs face darkened. âDidnât we just take one?â
Chen Chuan said in a wronged tone, âBut the flowers here are different from the ones we saw just now.â
âAlas!â
Mengmeng sighed clearly and said, âI really donât know what to do with you. But this shall be the last one!â
âOkay, Sister Mengmeng, itâs so nice of you. Letâs take our last picture.â
Chen Chuan became elated at once. After taking the last photo with Mengmeng, he was finally satisfied.
Seeing this, Zhang Han and Zi Yan simmered with laughter.
âHere we are.â
The exit of the corridor was ahead of them. They could see a huge square at the end of the corridor. The square was lined with more exquisite bouquets and other decorations. In the shape of a ring, it was as large as an open-air football field. The square was divided into different areas, and there were many tables in each area.
It was smaller than the square in the garden outside, and there were fewer people there. Many of the seats there were unoccupied. The people here were no more than about 3000.
Every time a group of people came in, they would attract the attention of many important figures who were already in the square.
When Zhang Han and the others went in, Yue Wuwei cast a layer of light-colored ripples with a stir of his mind, which instantly wrapped them in.
âSwish, swish, swish!â
Many appraising eyes flashed at them. Some were even probing with their soul sense.
On this occasion, it was not a good manner to probe with oneâs soul sense. Nevertheless, there were always several heavyweight forces that wanted to find out who those strangers they hadnât seen before were.
Unfortunately, they couldnât find any clues.
Under everyoneâs gaze, Zhang Han and the others walked to a big table on the right side with great ease. They sat in a circle. There were some fancier delicacies on the table.
âWow! Sister Mengmeng, come on and dig in.â
Chen Chuanâs eyes lit up.
âYou just ate so many snacks. How can you have room for more? Youâre a real chowhound, arenât you?â Mengmeng curled her lips.
After everyone sat down, they began to chat in low voices.
At the table opposite them sat Li Mu and his men.
âIâve never seen these people before.â
Li Mu took a few glances at them, then beckoned to an elf behind him and asked, âWho are they?â
The female elf took out an electronic device and searched the data for a moment, then she shook her head and answered, âThere are records about them. There may have been some errors with the data. Excuse me, Iâll report this to my superior.â
A short while later, the female elf came back.
She said, âThey are qualified to enter the venue. But Iâm not in the right place to disclose their identities.â
âOh, fine,â Li Mu replied.
He then looked at the opposite table again.
After a while, he shook his head and muttered, âThe Coming of Age Ceremony is about to start. It seems that Senior Zhang and the others wonât make it.â
âYoung Master, if Senior Zhang didnât come, would we really intervene in Ninaâs affairs? After all, Hu Yuan is sitting on the other side. We have no odds against him,â said the man in white beside him.
âOf course we would,â Li Mu said without hesitation. âNina is Mengmengâs good friend. If they didnât come and I just sat back and watch, I would not have been qualified to obtain Senior Zhangâs teaching. As for Hu Yuan, considering his high status, he probably doesnât have the face to get violent himself on such an occasion. We shall take action accordingly.â
âNina is only a friend of Senior Zhangâs daughter, not his friend. If we were to interfere, we would become the enemy of many people present. Even the King of Elves wouldâŠâ
âNo-no-no, this is something you donât understand.â Li Mu smiled but did not explain.
He thought to himself, âIf you had met Senior Zhang and his people, you would know that cozying up to Mengmeng is more effective than buttering Senior Zhang up. Sadly, I am not a female elf. I also want to be Mengmengâs bestie. But since Iâm the opposite sex, that wonât work for me.â
âIf we are to make a move, I plan, well, to enter the arena myself. Iâll win the competition and become Ninaâs fiance,â said Li Mu.
âYoung Master, I knew it,â one of the women at his table teased, âyou just want to flaunt that your skills in picking up girls are quite impressive. Why make it so high-sounding?â
âCousin, donât make fun of me. I have no feelings for Nina.â Li Mu said with a wry smile, âCompared to beauty, I value strength more. Womenâs beauty will fade in the end. Thatâs not what I pursue. You should not blabber like that. If Mengmeng ever heard about the distorted story, she would be mad at me. Then, all my efforts would go wasted.â
âIâm just kidding. Look at how nervous you are.â The slender woman smiled and said, âIâm really curious now. What is Senior Zhang like? And what kind of person is that Mengmeng youâve mentioned several times?â
âYouâll see them these days.â Li Mu slightly shook his head and said no more.
Not too far away from them sat members of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family. The dozens of tables around were all occupied. This was the place where most of the forces present had gathered.
The Tiger Talisman Royal Family and its allies had clearly sent quite many people here.
Hu Yuan, the representative of the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, was devoid of expression. He was sitting at the table in the center with folded arms and an aloof face. In contrast to his huge and beefy physique, many people around him somewhat looked like weak scholars.
âUncle YuanâŠâ
With a trace of fawning expression on his face, Prince Hu Qi said in a low voice, âWhat do you think of my suggestion? We are strong here. Besides, the Elemental Elf Clan has offended us. With your status, you can just say the word and settle this matter. After I marry Nina, we can later find some random excuses to annex the entire Elemental Elves in the future. This is a good chance to kill multiple birds with one stone!â
His words didnât cause Hu Yuan to show any bit of emotion on his face. He was even squinting as if a lion were taking a nap. He acted like he hadnât heard Hu Qiâs words and simply ignored him as if he were air.
Hu Qiâs countenance didnât alter at all.
He continued in an ingratiating tone, âUncle Yuan, please consider it.â
âHahaha.â
Beside him, one of Hu Qiâs cousins ridiculed, âI figure that youâre just afraid you canât compete with some of the talents here. Donât make excuses.â
âYeah, I canât win. But I still want to land Nina. I havenât had the taste of an Elemental Elf Princess yet,â Hu Qi said honestly.
âYou donât have any talents, but you always want to pick up women with a strong background. You are surely one of a kind,â his cousin chuckled and scoffed.
Hu Qi didnât even try to deny or anything either. He just curled his lip and sat behind Hu Yuan without another word.
In the Sea Central Star Area, many people said that Hu Qi was a good-for-nothing.
He knew how others thought of him. Still, he had never objected to it.
âSo what if Iâm a good-for-nothing? Iâve got money as well as power. With these two means, I can still have everything I want.â
To Hu Qiâs surprise, his cousin should agree with his idea.
His cousin remarked, âUncle Yuan, although Hu Qi is rather unreliable, arrogant, and debauched, the idea he proposed is still doable. We can slowly gobble up the Elemental Elf Clan by starting with the marriage with Nina. The members of her clan are all the best candidates for Pair Cultivation.â
His words did not make Hu Yuan show any expression either.
However, they were all used to Hu Yuanâs aloofness, so they did not say anything more and planned to watch the ceremony first.
Most people there were conversing through the Designated Voice-transmitting Technique or had soundproofing energy covers around to keep their conversations private.
Therefore, the whole venue was relatively quiet.
It was the case until the King of Elves and his subordinates appeared on the main road leading to the palace inside.
At once, all the soundproof covers disappeared. And many looked over at them.
The King of Elves stood in front of the palace. He was wearing a crown and holding a wand in his hand. Then, he lifted his wand a bit.
âBuzz, buzz, buzz!â
The waves of energy converged on each venue from all directions. In addition to the central square, the other eight squares also rose into the air at the same time.
It was as if numerous branches were holding the squares in midair.
In the end, a huge circular field came into being.
It looked like the Birdâs Nest in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, only this one was many times larger. All the tables in the central square were floating at a low altitude, where the view was the best.
Rays of sunset glow cascaded.
âWelcome to the Coming of Age Ceremony of our Elemental Elf Clanâs Seventh Princess, Nina.â
There were about 100,000 people on the scene. When the King of Elvesâs ethereal voice rang out, many people cheered.
Meanwhile, the King of Elves, with more than a thousand elves behind him, slowly walked to the center of the square. A stone platform slowly rose as if it was a stage.
âI hereby announce that Ninaâs Coming of Age Ceremony officially begins.â
âSacrificial offering!â
The more than a thousand members of the Elf Clan raised their hands at the same time and started chanting something that others could not understand.
As they chanted, wisps of light green energy rose from various plants in the surroundings and eventually condensed into the shadow of a giant totem in the sky.
It was the Elemental Divine Tree.
The huge tree expanded in all directions, emitting a bright green glow.
âNina the seventh princess, please enter the venue!â
The King of Elves was dressed luxuriously. His majestic voice swept through the field.
As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell on the field.
Everyone knew that the most important moment had arrived.
Before entering the venue, according to the Elf Clanâs tradition, Nina would worship the Elemental Divine Tree to obtain its blessing. This process would take half an hour.
Under many peopleâs gazes, beams of colorful light formed a floating corridor that connected with Ninaâs palace.
Dressed in a long white dress and wearing a small crown, Nina, with her long hair fluttering in the wind, slowly glided down the corridor constituted by colorful light and headed for the shadow of the Elemental Divine Tree.
âWow, Nina is so beautiful.â
Mengmengâs eyes sparkled slightly.
âNo, my daughter is the most beautiful girl,â Zhang Han said with a smile.
âWho is more beautiful, Mummy or me?â Mengmeng looked over her shoulder and posed the death-dealing question.
Zhang Han immediately fell silent.
âGirl, donât set your daddy up anymore.â
âOf course, your mother is more beautiful,â Zhang Han replied bluntly.
âHumph!â
âThatâs why you are as beautiful as your mother,â Zhang Han added.
âDaddy, youâre so slick,â Mengmeng gleefully rolled her eyes at Zhang Han and commented. Then, she turned to look at Nina as well.
This scene was quite amazing to Liu Jiaran, Liang Mengqi, and the others.
âItâs Elf Princess Nina.â
The nearly 100,000 people on the scene were also engaged in hot discussions.
âNina is indeed the prettiest female elf. She is really attractive.â
âHow gorgeous she is! Itâs a pity that she, in the prime of her life, has to pick a man as her fiance today.â
âAccording to the tradition of the Elf Clan, her fiance will have her in bed tonight.â Some in the crowds who also knew about the Elemental Elf Clanâs traditions showed a strange look on their faces.
They wanted to taste the graceful beauty themselves, but they didnât have the strength to be her fiance.
However, if one was in a high enough position, he would still have a good chance. That was the case for Hu Qi. At this time, he was eyeing Ninaâs figure.
He swallowed and said, âShe is the woman I will definitely land.â
Li Mu said with emotion from the side, âNinaâs really dressed up. She looks prettier than usual. The competition today should be fierce. Senior Zhang and his people havenât arrived yet. I wonder if I can keep the matter in check. Alas.â
Then, he heaved with a sigh and took a look at Hu Yuan, who was resting with his eyes closed. At once, he felt stressed.
âSacrificial offering!â
âBlessing!â
âChanting!â
With the instructions of the King of Elves, the Coming of Age Ceremony proceeded as planned.
Each process took about half an hour.
There were a total of nine processes, which cost nearly five hours. However, none of the audience was bored. On the contrary, they watched the ceremony with great interest.
After all the processes had been carried out, the exciting part came.
âThe Coming of Age Ceremony is over.â
Standing in front of the stone platform, the King of Elves slowly declared, âNot long ago, I made an announcement, which said that Nina, the seventh princess of our clan, would pick her fiance at her Coming of Age Ceremony. Now the ceremony is over, the next part is the selection ofâŠâ
âSwoosh!â
At this moment, Hu Yuan suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His overwhelming aura outpowered the auras of all the people present.
He looked straight at the King of Elves, who abruptly broke off, and said in a calm tone, âNo need to go through the trouble. Hu Qi will be Ninaâs fiance.â
âHiss!â
Hu Qi gasped with exultation when he heard this.
âSure enough, Uncle Yuan liked my idea!
âHahaha!â
He was so happy that he almost threw his head back and laughed out loud.
In his opinion, since Uncle Yuan had made the request, the matter was basically settled.
âThisâŠâ
The handsome King of Elves put on a somber look.
âYour Majesty!â
Mo Wen, who was standing behind him, turned pale with shock.
âHu Qi?
âYou want that loser to be Ninaâs fiance? Are you kidding me?â
He really wanted to ask if the Tiger Talisman Royal Family had come just to humiliate the Elemental Elf Clan with that loser.
The 100,000 people present burst into an uproar.
âWhat! Hu Yuan really made the request?â
âIsnât he too overbearing?â
âHu Qi? Him? Come on. in normal competition, I can smack him to death with one punch.â
âIf Hu Qi really gets to be the fiance, then Princess Ninaâs future is ruined.â
ââŠâ
At that moment, even Nina revealed a trace of anger on her face.
But she didnât say anything. She was waiting for her father to show his stance on this.
The eyes of the King of Elves were undecided.
He wanted to say no. But in the face of the mighty Hu Yuan, his heart trembled with fear.
âYour Majesty!â
Mo Wen said loudly, âAccording to our clanâs traditional rulesâŠâ
âHuh?â
Cold light flickered in Hu Yuanâs eyes.
The overwhelming pressure he emitted made Mo Wen unable to speak at all. Mo Wen almost collapsed to the ground.
As a Yuan Ying Realm Early-Stage cultivator, Mo Wen was far inferior to Hu Yuan, a Yuan Ying Realm Last-Stage cultivator.
âHissâŠâ
The King of Elves took a deep breath and eyed Mo Wen coldly.
He then remarked, âTraditions and rules can be altered.â
After that, he looked at Hu Yuan and plastered a smile on his face.
With a fist-hold salute, he said, âI am indebted to the Tiger Talisman Royal Familyâs friendship. Brother Yuan, since youâve made this proposal in person, I reckon it is workable.â
âRumble!â
Like a bolt from the blue, those words directly struck Ninaâs heart.
âWhy? Why do this to me?â
She could not understand why her father had abandoned her so thoroughly.
Even though he was to choose a fiance for her, if he prudently made the choice, Nina would consider it understandable. After all, this matter concerned the entire Elemental Elf Clan.
But the candidate was Hu Qi, a notoriously lecherous loafer. However, her father had actually agreed to let him marry her!
âHahaha, great!â
Hu Qi roared with laughter. Without another word, he stood up and made to go up to the stage.
At this moment, all the others were silent. They were very surprised by how readily the King of Elves agreed.
That caught them off guard.
Moreover, Hu Yuan had closed his eyes for a long time. After he suddenly opened his eyes, his fierce aura swept through the place, which was rather forbidding.
He was one of the strongest cultivators present. Even if some wanted to object, they had to think it over.
Besides, many forces on the scene that were on par with the Tiger Talisman Royal Family remained silent. Now that they did not say anything, the others dared not to oppose the idea on their initiative.
Just like that, everyone was waiting for others to object first. Thus, the silence dragged on.
Hu Qi was about to go on the stage.
At the moment, Zhang Han also was about to say something.
However, just then, Li Mu couldnât sit back anymore.
He stood up and said, âSince itâs a tradition, then it must be abided by. If this matter is decided just like that, then whatâs the point of inviting us here?â
Li Mu was talking to the King of Elves. As for Hu Yuan, whether in terms of seniority or strength, he was several ranks higher than Li Mu.
At the end of the day, Li Mu was not qualified to stand up to Hu Yuan. He was under a lot of pressure. However, he had no choice but to raise the objection. Hence, he made the King of Elves the target.
As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, many people present flashed their eyes at him.
âDoes he want to compete for Nina as well?â
Regarding this, Hu Yuan slightly narrowed his eyes and did not even spare Li Mu a glance.
The King of Elves furrowed his brows and said, âI invited everyone here to attend the Coming of Age Ceremony of my daughter. That is the main reason why I spread the news. We elemental elves have always refrained from engaging in disputes with others. Young Master Li, now youâve raised the objection, why donât you ask Brother Yuan yourself if he is willing to make this an open competition.â
The King of Elves directly threw the hot potato to Hu Yuan.
Li Mu was angry inwardly.
âYouâre so crafty and devious. Donât you know how to make rules for your own clan?â
Yet, to the King of Elvesâ astonishment, Hu Yuan did not want to spare his feelings at all. He said plainly, âWhy asking me about the rules of your clan?â
âSwish!â
The King of Elvesâ countenance changed slightly. He gazed at Hu Yuan with a somewhat bemused look.
âThe decision is yours. I am only recommending Hu Qi to be Ninaâs fiance. You donât want to accept my recommendation?â Hu Yuanâs eyes narrowed as he stared the King of Elves straight in the eye.
âOf course Iâd like that.â The King of Elves inhaled and nodded toward Hu Yuan.
He was totally submissive in front of Hu Yuan. The tens of thousands of people around all sighed with emotion.
âIsnât the King of Elves too cowardly?â
âWhat a wuss he is!â
Mu Xue slammed the table and said angrily, âHow can such a person become the King of Elves?â
âEven though his clan is no match for the Tiger Talisman Royal Family, he shouldnât have been like this.â Zi Yan knitted her brows. Her impression of the King of Elves instantly became negative.
âHe isnât good enough to be the king of a clan,â Lisa said with a cold face.
She was the master of the Black White Palace. Although she didnât usually attend to the affairs, she still had to guide it in the macroscopic sense. Sometimes, when her clansmen were bullied by other magnates, she would personally attack their bases. Her title as one of the top three strongest magnates in the Kingâs Domain was certainly warranted.
But after seeing the decision of this King of Elves, she just wanted to scoff at him. âAs a mother who also has a daughter, I say what youâve done has truly gone too far.â
As if she was experiencing this herself, Lisa was a little infuriated.
Yue Wuwei shook his head with resignation.
âPeople can be very different.â
At this moment, after hearing what the King of Elves said, Mo Wen quivered behind the king, feeling wronged and incensed.
âYour Majesty, pleaseâŠâ
Mo Wen took a deep breath, knowing that he had to remind the king again that he shall not lose the dignity of a king!
âYou shut up!â
The King of Elves suddenly turned around and shot a cold look at Mo Wen. âWhen is it your turn to tell me what to do?â
âRumble!â
Mo Wen trembled all over. He looked at the King of Elves in a daze.
âYes, Your Majesty.â
As if he didnât know what to say, he cupped his hands before his chest and backed away. Suddenly, he seemed to have aged several years.
Among all the people present, he was the one who understood the King of Elves relatively well. âHis Majesty only made the decision for the sake of the entire clan. However, is his decision correct?
âHas the many harsh years caused the King of Elves to lose his edge?
âAlasâŠâ
Mo Wen sighed deeply in his head and then looked at Nina, who was floating in the air. Her face was perfectly serene, as though she had long gone numb.
âYour Majesty.â
Zhong An from the Silver-winged Hall opened his mouth and spoke, âI think itâs best not to break the rules.â
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