Chapter 319: Registration
The selected ones for the Sea of Cloud’s debate could get generous rewards such that one would even consider it an instant success just to get in. The top three would get to meet the emperor, the leader of this world. To anyone else, it was best to get into the top three. However, Yan Wugui did not like the fact that they would have to visit the emperor. He just wanted the rewards.
After staying a few days in Yunjing, the two of them realized that the cultivators weren’t as weak as they first thought.
It was a fact that Ji Xulin was taken down easily, but his ability was just normal. And with Bell Woods being such a small town, not many people in Yunjing would have heard about it. Ji Xulin might be the best in Bell Woods, but in comparison to the huge aristocratic families, he still had a long way to go.
Yunjing was well known for their four princes. They were either born into well-known aristocratic families or some other grand bloodline. They were the best of the best among their realm.
And the Floating Cloud young master they came across the day before was one of them.
“Hurry up, let’s get going now.” It was still dawn, yet Yan Wugui was already at Lu Mingshu’s door, urging Lu Mingshu to hurry.
The “siblings” rushed to the yamen, but the scene they saw caused them to be rooted to the ground.
“Why is it so crowded?!”
A man who, like them, came late and was crowding outside the yamen on his tip-toes to get a look inside heard that and laughed. “Count yourself lucky! It’s only a thousand people now. Which Sea of Cloud’s debate does not have more than five thousand participants? Registration is free after all.” He then eyed them. “By the way, where are you guys from?”
“Bell Woods.” Yan Wugui smiled. “Brother, five thousand is a lot of people! Can Yunjing hold that many?”
“Bell Woods? Never heard of it.” The man was bored, so he happily chatted with Yan Wugui. “Five thousand is considered somewhat small. Accommodating more than ten thousand people in the Sea of Cloud’s mountain is not a big deal. Furthermore, many will be eliminated soon. Only ten will get into the finals.”
“So it works like that. We came from a small place, so we are ignorant.” Yan Wugui laughed sheepishly. “Brother, are you from Yunjing? You know so much about this!”
“Nah, I’m just working here. ” He then pointed at Lu Mingshu. “Your sister? Came to accompany you, huh?”
Yan Wugui pretended to step ahead to get a better look at the queue with the intention to block Lu Mingshu from his view. He shook his head and laughed. “My sister just got into the Purity Soul Realm and begged me to let her join the debate! Since I feel that it’s good to increase her knowledge, I brought her along.”
The other party raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “Bro, are you aware of the injuries and death counts from this debate every year? This is not a playground! If I had a sister, I would lock her back at home! What if something bad happens?”
“Hahaha, I have no choice! I can’t beat her. And we can look out for each other since we came together too.”
“Then you must take very good care of her. Those powerful families, when they fight, they care about nothing. Even if we die, we are in no place to lament.”
“Thank you for the advice….”
Yan Wugui tried to continue the talk, and soon, they were both chatting happily like good old friends.
“This year is definitely going to be hard!” The other party sighed. “It’s okay if you’re just here for the rewards, but it’s definitely not easy to get into the finals since the four princes participating!”
“Princes of Yunjing?” Yan Wugui looked awed. “I have been hearing about them ever since I arrived, but I haven’t gotten to meet them yet.”
“Yup, the princes of Yunjing. Even though that’s just a nickname that originated out of fun, they are really the best of the best among their generation.”
“Wow! Can you please tell me more? I came from far, and I don’t know much about Yunjing.”
The queue was moving forward very slowly. Happy that there was someone to keep him entertained, the man started chatting happily. “The four princes are, respectively, the Qin, Chu, Jiang, and Nie young masters. Prince Qin is called Mingjun, the eldest young master of the Qin family. He’s gifted from birth and has been famous since he was young. Prince Chu is called Zhengyan. Even though the Chu Family is not a well-known family, he is the disciple of Master Bao Guang and successfully got into the Purity Soul Realm. An example of a young, handsome, successful man.
“In the early days, the Qin and Chu princes were the two jewels among their generation and were known as the Pearls of their Peers. Recently, about three or four years ago, the Jiang Family’s young master shone during a sword ranking event and sprung into fame. From then on, people started comparing him with the Pearls of their Peers. Soon after, the Floating Cloud young master followed, and tda! That’s how the princes of Yunjing came about.”
“Among those four, of course, the Pearls of their Peers are the best. They are slightly older and became famous earlier. I heard that, recently, they have been preparing to break through to the Freezing Spirit Realm. The Qin Family’s young master didn’t even want to participate in this debate, but it seems like he lost all his luck; all his siblings are apparently useless, so he has no choice. The Chu Family’s young master is in a similar situation too.”
As those queuing up were bored too, many had already started listening to the story that the man was telling Yan Wugui. When he got to this part, a passerby interrupted, “No, you’re wrong! I heard that the Chu Family’s young master is participating because of his own benefit, not his family. He’s here to prepare for his breakthrough.”
Unhappy that he was refuted, the man felt embarrassed and snapped, “Bullcrap! Young Master Chu is two years younger than Young Master Qin! How can he break through while Young Master Qin is still training?”
But the other party seemed unwilling to give in. “How is that bullcrap? Why can’t he be lucky and break through first?”
Seeing that both of them were about to fight, Yan Wugui stepped in. “Both of you make sense. And I think it might be both. What could be better than training oneself and helping your family to gain fame at the same time?”
“Hmph!” Both of them stared at each other and turned away.
“What about the other two princes?” Yan Wugui asked.
Seeing that Yan Wugui was looking at him with anticipation, he coughed and continued. “For the Jiang Family’s prince, he used to be an unknown figure, but he soared after reaching the Purity Soul Realm. But he isn’t a true son of the Jiang Family, he’s an illegitimate child, so he’s obviously not treated as well as the other two Jiang Family young masters. Now, with his performance, it’s a different thing. As long as he breaks through, the Jiang Family will be his.”
Yan Wugui nodded his head: “That’s pretty easy, considering that he’s an illegitimate child.”
“Yes, but not compared to the last prince.” The man smirked.
“The Floating Cloud young master?”
“Yes, that’s him! The other three, no matter how low their status is in the family, they are still blood-related. However, the Floating Cloud young master’s surname is not even Nie, and…”