Chapter 738: Prodigy Banquet

Jiang Chen had killed the White-haired Sword Emperor and the White-eyed Blade Demon in quick succession.

Each was a one-hit kill.

This completely stunned the surrounding experts from Coastal City. Each of them looked at Jiang Chen with reverence—the kind of respect reserved for the truly powerful.

Consequently, the looks they gave Gai Shi and the others were no longer filled with the same contempt as before.

Gai Shi nudged the dumbfounded Arhat and grinned. “What do you think? I told you our leader would be just fine, didn’t I?”

“I…”

Arhat opened his mouth but was at a loss for words.

His gaze flickered as he stared at Jiang Chen’s back, a mixture of bewilderment, helplessness, and deep self-deprecation in his eyes.

He had thought that upon reaching the Middle Stage of the Emperor Realm, he would be able to dominate Jiang Chen.

But he never expected…

Jiang Chen’s growth had far, far surpassed his own.

An ethereal voice came from the Seven-Star Tower. “Jiang Chen, you have earned the right to reside in the Seven-Star Tower! You may bring up to ten people with you to the thirty-third floor, to the Celestial Room!”

“Thank you!”

Without delay, Jiang Chen led Gai Shi and the others into the Seven-Star Tower.

Along the way, the onlookers automatically parted to form a path, their eyes fixed on Jiang Chen with deep reverence.

They were like commoners making way for a king on an imperial tour.

‘Jiang Chen? From the Eastern Continent?’

‘A barren place like the Eastern Continent can actually produce such a genius? I have to report this to the City Lord immediately!’

‘The Patriarch would be thrilled to recruit an expert like him!’

Throughout the crowd, various experts with calculating looks in their eyes slipped away and vanished.

In that moment, Jiang Chen’s name spread like wildfire throughout Coastal City. He had become famous overnight.

Even the experts of the Four Great Clans learned of his existence.

Inside the Ximen Clan estate, a young man in ornate robes had just finished with a maidservant. Upon receiving a report from his subordinate, he raised an eyebrow. “The Eastern Continent? Jiang Chen? Interesting. Very interesting! Send some gifts over to congratulate him on behalf of the Ximen Clan!”

At the Nangong Clan, a white-haired elder frowned and said gravely, “He killed the White-eyed Blade Demon in a single blow while only at the Middle Stage of the Emperor Realm? With that kind of power, he has to be at least a Five Extremes Genius. He’s worth recruiting!”

The Beitang Clan.

Beitang Jian’s expression was grim. He had just received Beitang Luo’s report and, filled with rage, had dispatched men to find Beitang Fengyun and deal with him. But now, he received new intelligence: Beitang Fengyun had entered the Seven-Star Tower, and the man he was following was none other than Jiang Chen.

Beitang Jian snorted, his eyes turning glacial. “So, it’s Jiang Chen, is it?” he sneered. “Beitang Fengyun, did you really think finding some piece of trash from the Eastern Continent would let you defy me? Hmph. There’s no rush to deal with him, though. I hear the City Lord is holding a banquet for the young geniuses in a few days. I’ll wait until then to kill you in front of everyone. I’ll make you kneel before me and beg for mercy like a beaten dog!”

Similar news also reached the other major powers, including the Dongfang Clan and the City Lord’s Mansion.

Inside the City Lord’s Mansion.

The City Lord of Coastal City was in secluded cultivation inside a meditation chamber. The Grand Steward of the City Lord’s Mansion stood respectfully outside the sealed door.

An authoritative voice echoed from within the chamber. “The banquet for the young geniuses will be held tomorrow.”

“Yes, My Lord!”

The Grand Steward immediately withdrew.

………

The Seven-Star Tower had a total of thirty-six floors.

The stronger one was, the higher the floor they occupied.

Meanwhile, the many experts inside the Seven-Star Tower had also heard the news about Jiang Chen, and every one of them was stunned.

Of course, the experts on the thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth, and thirty-sixth floors merely took brief notice, not paying it much mind.

‘The White-eyed Blade Demon was nothing special. I could kill him in one move, too.’

‘Jiang Chen? What kind of genius could possibly come from the Eastern Continent? He’s just trash. Killing him would be as easy as reaching into my pocket for me!’

No matter what was happening outside, Jiang Chen and his group arrived on the thirty-third floor and entered the Celestial Room. Though called a “room,” the suites in the Seven-Star Tower were enormous. The Celestial Room on this floor was large enough to hold over a hundred people, making Jiang Chen’s small party seem lost in the vast space.

After a long internal struggle, Arhat finally mustered the courage to ask, “Jiang Chen, you… what level of genius are you now? Five Extremes? Six Extremes?”

Jiang Chen blinked.

Beside him, Beitang Fengyun spoke up proudly, “Five or Six Extremes? You’re underestimating Young Master Jiang. He’s a peerless genius!”

“A… a peerless genius?”

Arhat was taken aback. A dejected look crossed his face as he said with a self-mocking laugh, “So that’s how it is. I never imagined the gap between us was this enormous. To think I was foolish enough to believe that reaching the Middle Stage of the Emperor Realm would let me compete with you.”

Jiang Chen just smiled, unconcerned. “I’ve just had a few lucky breaks, that’s all.”

Arhat shook his head and gave a bitter smile. ‘Lucky breaks?’ he thought. ‘Who could possibly reach the Emperor Realm without a few lucky breaks of their own?’

Jiang Chen didn’t dwell on the topic. “Arhat,” he asked, “what are your plans now?”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Arhat’s eyes before vanishing. “I used to think I was strong enough to participate in the Holy War,” he said. “But now I see I’m nowhere near strong enough. I’m going to leave Coastal City and train. I hope that by the time we meet again, I’ll be an opponent worthy of fighting you!”

“Alright, then.”

Jiang Chen nodded. Everyone has their own path, and he wouldn’t force the issue. He took out a Storage Ring. “Here are some Spirit Crystals. I hope they’ll be useful.”

“Thank you!”

Arhat accepted the Storage Ring, gave Jiang Chen a long, meaningful look, and then turned and left.

Jiang Chen then dismissed Gai Shi and the others.

Gai Shi went off to refine his Battle Blade, and Yao Yueye was still absorbing the Emperor Yuan Pill. After all, he wasn’t a monster like Jiang Chen, who, with his Chaos Bloodline and God-slaying Sword, could absorb an Emperor Yuan Pill in a flash.

Zuo Yu was meditating on the Spear Dao.

Beitang Fengyun, meanwhile, stood guard at the door for Jiang Chen. As a native of Coastal City, he knew the local customs. Now that Jiang Chen had become famous overnight, there would undoubtedly be a stream of visitors, and it was his job to handle them.

As for Jiang Chen, he went into the bedroom.

Inside the bedroom.

Jiang Chen entered the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle.

He first went to the grand hall where the Black Emperor was staying, but its doors remained tightly sealed, preventing Jiang Chen from seeing what was happening inside.

‘Looks like this hit Little Black really hard…’ Jiang Chen thought, shaking his head with a wry smile.

‘He never thought that the fearless Black Emperor, who bowed to no one, would be so devastated by a single sentence from Yiluo.’

He was about to head to the Time Hall to cultivate, taking advantage of its tenfold accelerated time flow, when he noticed a figure had appeared behind him at some point.

The figure was none other than Yiluo.

Yiluo looked at Jiang Chen with a hint of reproach. “You told me to wait here for a little while,” she said, “but I’ve been waiting for so long!”

Jiang Chen slapped his forehead. “I’m so sorry!” he said with a wry smile.

When Beitang Fengyun had attacked their vessel, Jiang Chen had sent Yiluo into the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle for safety. In the chaos that followed and the subsequent trip to Zhongzhou, he had completely forgotten she was still inside.

Yiluo nodded.

After performing the Sea God Festival, she had damaged her very core and even lost her memories.

Combined with the fact that she had consumed a Blood Qi Pill infused with Jiang Chen’s Essence Blood, she felt an inexplicable affinity for him. She followed him like a shadow. “Don’t leave me by myself again!” she said.

“Okay!” Jiang Chen replied instantly.

Bringing Yiluo to the Time Hall, Jiang Chen sat cross-legged and summoned a vast amount of Spirit Crystals. The Emperor Yuan Pill auction had earned him seventy trillion Upper-Grade Spirit Crystals, and Duann Tianya had gifted him another hundred trillion before he left. It was more than enough for him to cultivate his Divine Demon Tyrant Body to the Middle Stage of the Sixth Stage, which would raise his physical strength to the level of a Middle Grade Divine Weapon.

Jiang Chen immediately began to absorb them…

「In the blink of an eye, a day passed in the outside world, while ten days went by inside the Time Hall.」

The more than one hundred trillion Upper-Grade Spirit Crystals before Jiang Chen were completely consumed. Purple-gold runes swirled across his skin. Suddenly, his entire body jolted, and he spat out a cloud of black, impure qi.

‘I’ve finally broken through,’ he thought, a sharp glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. ‘A body on par with a Middle Grade Divine Weapon. With my current strength, I’m comparable to a veteran at the peak of Emperor Realm Perfection. As long as I don’t run into an expert who has consolidated their domain, I don’t have to fear anyone! That’s equivalent to jumping eight levels… I suppose that makes me a peerless prodigy, doesn’t it?’

In the Nine Extremes talent ranking, the Invincible Venerable is the highest, followed by the peerless prodigy.

‘Xiang Tianwen,’ a sharp glint flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes. ‘I’m one step closer to you now. Just you wait. With one year left, I will absolutely fulfill my promise and slay you atop the Demon God Palace!’

After briefly acquainting himself with the new power in his body, Jiang Chen left the Celestial Demon Ancient Castle with Yiluo in tow.

As he left the bedroom, he saw Beitang Fengyun rushing toward him, his face flushed with excitement. “Young Master Jiang!” he exclaimed. “The City Lord’s Mansion sent an invitation! You’re invited to the banquet for the young geniuses!”