Chapter 274 - 188: Grandson

Chapter 274: Chapter 188: Grandson

The crowd of contestants was dazzled.

Yun Tianming was also slightly stunned. ’So Uncle Bai wasn’t bluffing after all,’ he thought. ’The Eldest Princess of Zhao Country, with her figure and looks, truly has the grace of a celestial fairy.’

’If the Eldest Princess is like this, then becoming the Imperial Consort wouldn’t be so bad.’

Yun Tianming’s mood gradually brightened.

On the Royal Palace Square, besides Zhao Song and the Eldest Princess seated at the head, a group of ministers followed behind, filing in to line up on both sides.

Among them, conspicuously present, was the most powerful official in the Zhao Country Court Hall: Prime Minister Fu Haoran.

Besides being the current Prime Minister, Fu Haoran was also an expert at the Rebirth Realm.

His power was so immense that he could even use the excuse of cultivating his Rebirth Realm Spirit Body to skip daily court sessions.

At his longest, Fu Haoran had gone three consecutive months without attending court.

Even so, no one dared to challenge his position as Prime Minister.

Not even Emperor Zhao, Zhao Song himself!

"Your Majesty, quite a few talented individuals have come to the Royal Palace this time. I trust we will surely find a suitable husband for the Eldest Princess," Fu Haoran said, cupping his hands in a salute to Zhao Song.

Zhao Song was all smiles, his tone one of great admiration for Fu Haoran. "I hope your auspicious words come true, Prime Minister. I hope we can find a suitable husband for my Zhao Country."

Fu Haoran had spoken of finding a husband for the Eldest Princess, but Zhao Song spoke of finding a husband for Zhao Country.

Fu Haoran gave a faint smile, not exposing Zhao Song’s little scheme.

"Minister of the Ministry of War, I hear your son, Shangguan Xiong, has also secretly entered the competition," Fu Haoran said, turning to a minister beside him.

Hearing this, Zhao Song’s expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of annoyance was evident in his eyes.

To the side, Eldest Princess Zhao Min’s gaze was filled with unconcealed disgust. Only after a subtle gesture from Zhao Song did she turn her head away.

The Minister of the Ministry of War, Shangguan He, was one of Fu Haoran’s lackeys.

He spoke up now, "Ah? My son is competing? How could I not know? But then again, he’s thirty-nine this year and has already passed the Jade Bone Realm. Come to think of it, he has a very high chance of winning!"

"Your Majesty, if this old subject is fated to become your in-law, it would truly be a blessing from the heavens!" Shangguan He said, his face flush with excitement, though it was unclear if his feelings were genuine.

Just then, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites interjected scornfully, "Your Shangguan family isn’t the only one with a Bone Refining Realm contestant this time."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites was a staunch member of the Imperial Faction. He never shied away from confronting Prime Minister Fu Haoran’s clique and served as one of Zhao Song’s most effective mouthpieces in the court.

Zhao Song’s face remained wreathed in smiles, but inwardly he thought, ’The Minister of the Ministry of Rites really knows his place. He so satisfyingly said what I couldn’t say myself.’

Shangguan He was about to retort when Fu Haoran stopped him with a look.

"Alas, Shangguan He is just being hopeful. Minister of the Ministry of Rites, there’s no need to be so contemptuous of him."

"By the way, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, you’re in charge of the registration for the Imperial Consort selection, are you not? I wonder, how many Bone Refining Realm contestants are there in total? And who are they?" Fu Haoran asked.

Although the Minister of the Ministry of Rites had no desire to engage with Fu Haoran, he couldn’t evade the question. He glanced at Zhao Song before being forced to answer coldly, "Including Shangguan Xiong, there are six contestants at the Bone Refining Realm in total."

"And who might the other five be?" Fu Haoran pressed.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites’s breath caught in his throat. "Prime Minister, why must you ask for such specifics?"

"Oh? Am I not even permitted the right to know?" Fu Haoran’s gaze turned icy as he unleashed the aura of a Rebirth Realm expert, blanketing the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

Right in front of Emperor Zhao, in front of all the ministers, Fu Haoran dared to openly suppress one of Zhao Song’s men!

"That’s enough," Zhao Song finally interjected, unable to bear it any longer.

With a great show of deference, Fu Haoran instantly withdrew his aura. He then addressed Zhao Song, "Your Majesty, I lost control of my temper. The influence of my Demon Fiend Bloodline has been rather strong lately."

Fu Haoran’s direct admission of fault was like a punch landing on cotton candy; Zhao Song’s erupting anger was completely diffused, leaving only himself feeling uncomfortable.

Zhao Song took a deep breath, and a smile reappeared on his face, though it was somewhat stiff. "It’s no matter. Minister of the Ministry of Rites, just give the Prime Minister the information. The competition is about to begin anyway."

The ministers watched as Fu Haoran played Emperor Zhao like a puppet. Most of them were silent as cicadas in winter, while the few who felt anger in their hearts did not dare to step forward and defend the Emperor’s dignity.

After all, Fu Haoran was a Rebirth Realm master, and his faction, including himself, had a total of eight Rebirth Realm experts!

The notion that one could not survive in Zhao Country after offending Fu Haoran was no empty threat.

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites had no choice but to recount the registered cultivation levels, identities, and origins of the other five contestants.

Three of them were from neutral Martial Arts Families in Zhao Country.

One was a prodigy from a merchant family.

And the last had just emerged from the wilderness.

Zhao Song had his eye on the three young men from the neutral Martial Arts Families.

Their own Root Bone and Talent were decent, and more importantly, they were backed by Martial Arts Families. With a little support from him, he could nurture them into a considerable force.

Accumulating power bit by bit, he believed that one day he could suppress Fu Haoran’s influence.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. Fu Haoran applauded. "Not bad. All of them are indeed talented young men. It seems the allure of becoming the Imperial Consort is quite strong."

As Fu Haoran spoke, he quietly said a few words to a guard standing beside him.

The guard acknowledged the order and departed.

A bad premonition arose in Zhao Song’s heart. He whispered a few words to the Chief Eunuch by his side.

The Chief Eunuch flickered away and returned to Zhao Song’s side a moment later.

"Your Majesty, that man’s Lightweight Skill is incredible. I lost him," the Chief Eunuch said in shame.

Zhao Song shook his head slightly. He could only let the matter drop and wait to see what would happen.

With only one hundred and thirty contestants, the selection for the Imperial Consort could be finished within a single day.

Soon, the first round ended, leaving only sixty-five of the one hundred and thirty contestants.

After the second round of competition, thirty-three contestants remained.

Yun Tianming had faced opponents in the Tendon Transformation Realm and won with ease.

The third round began, and Yun Tianming was the first to take the stage.

Up on the high platform, Eldest Princess Zhao Min’s gaze fell upon this young man for the first time.

As the great-grandson of Yun Tiankong, Yun Tianming had inherited his ancestor’s looks, appearing just like an exceptionally dashing Jianghu Swordsman.

He stood out from the other contestants, piquing Zhao Min’s curiosity.

Yun Tianming’s opponent was a Saber Master from one of Zhao Country’s Martial Arts Families, also at the Bone Refining Realm.

The first clash between Bone Refining Realm experts in this tournament had begun.

Yun Tianming wielded a Treasure Longsword, his Swordsmanship exceptionally sharp. The Saber Master opposite him also possessed outstanding Saber Technique.

Before long, the Saber Master erupted with Saber Intent—a materialized, Intermediate Saber Intent!

This level of Martial Arts Talent could be considered extremely outstanding.

Yun Tianming was not proficient in Martial Arts True Intent, as he focused his training on the same thing as his ancestor: Sword Realm Power.

Therefore, Yun Tianming’s Sword Intent had only barely condensed into Basic Sword Intent.

In their exchange, Yun Tianming fell into a disadvantage.

On the high platform, Eldest Princess Zhao Min felt a pang of disappointment. If he was merely handsome, she couldn’t choose Yun Tianming no matter how much she liked his appearance, because Zhao Min was also aware of the mission she shouldered.

’Time to use a little Sword Realm Power.’

’Otherwise, I might actually lose.’ Yun Tianming glimpsed the disappointed expression on Zhao Min’s face from the high platform and decided to erupt with power.

Yun Tianming unleashed his Sword Realm Power, sending out a slash that was intercepted by his opponent’s Saber Aura.

But Yun Tianming’s sword trembled, and an identical, transparent longsword shot toward his opponent at an even greater speed.

The Saber Master opposite him was startled and fell back on the defensive, but the transparent longsword was immensely powerful. His hasty defense couldn’t block its full might.

SHATTER! The Saber Master’s long saber broke apart, a torrent of blood spewed from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"I went easy on you," Yun Tianming said with a cupped-hand salute. He then gave a wink to Zhao Min on the high platform and strode confidently off the arena stage.

Zhao Min was a little surprised, and her face flushed slightly at Yun Tianming’s flirtation. She was a Martial Artist herself, and although she was only at the Tendon Transformation Realm, she could discern some of the fight’s intricacies. However, she had never even heard of the move Yun Tianming had just used.

Of course, even in the Holy Country where this technique originated, on the surface, only the Yun Family had currently mastered it.

In secret, however, Lu Changfeng, who had completely copied all of Yun Tiankong’s Talent, had also covertly mastered the Sword Realm Power.

A Martial Art that so few had mastered even in the Holy Country was naturally unheard of in this part of the world.