Chapter Seventy-Three: The Disciple of Senior Chen?

At the Banquet of Heaven’s Chosen.

When Chu Yichen’s roar echoed through the hall, the faces of the crowd grew grave.

For he was calling for Chu Yingxuan, the most gifted scion of the Chu family’s current generation—brilliant, resourceful, a core disciple of the Sole Will Sect.

Though Chu Yichen was also of the Chu family, he was utterly eclipsed by his elder sister. If he was little more than a pampered wastrel, then Chu Yingxuan was the true heir of the family and often spoke with its authority.

More than that, Chu Yingxuan was a core disciple of the Sole Will Sect—an existence far above the great clans, where Nascent Soul cultivators were as common as clouds. Even the Wu family dared not provoke them lightly.

Sprawled on the ground, Chu Yichen’s face twisted into a savage grin as he raved, “Boy, you’re dead. My sister is a guest in the City Lord’s residence. Once she comes out, you won’t walk out of Falling Cloud City alive! I’ll have you torn to pieces, hahahaha!”

Yet Wang Ran showed no reaction to Chu Yichen’s nearly feral gaze. He casually pulled over a chair, sat, and picked his ear as he replied, “Very well. I’m curious to see what explanation your sister will offer me.”

Chu Yichen failed to hear the confidence in Wang Ran’s words, mistaking them for bravado. In his heart, he was already planning how to torment Wang Ran once his sister appeared.

The onlookers sighed—none had expected the situation to turn so abruptly.

“This man is formidable, but his luck is poor. Who would have thought Chu Yingxuan would be in Falling Cloud City?”

“She is the pride of the Sole Will Sect! No matter how talented this youth may be, he wouldn’t dare offend the Sole Will Sect, would he?”

“Exactly. The Chu family only has one half-step Nascent Soul cultivator, but the Sole Will Sect? They’re everywhere!”

“I’ve heard Chu Yingxuan is highly valued in the Sole Will Sect, a candidate to become a true inheritor among the Four Alliances!”

“That’s right. In the Sole Will Sect, only Ye Cang stands above Chu Yingxuan.”

Many were filled with emotion. Among the cultivators of this generation in Cloud Province, Chu Yingxuan was already far ahead; it wouldn’t be long before she formed her Golden Core.

Zhu Tianyun shook his head, “Brother Wang, you were too impulsive. Leaving Chu Yingxuan aside, what about Steward Huang? Would he tolerate you striking someone at the Banquet of Heaven’s Chosen? Steward Huang is a true Golden Core cultivator. If he intervenes… alas!”

Qin Yu remained silent, frowning with anxiety, feeling much the same unease as Zhu Tianyun.

“It doesn’t matter,” Wang Ran said, plucking a grape and smiling, paying no mind to the two of them.

He bore no grudge over their earlier actions, for it was only human nature—not worth implicating one’s entire family for the sake of an acquaintance of only three days. If their positions were reversed, he would have made the same choice: stay out of it.

Ultimately, it came down to weakness. If one possessed unmatched strength, one could do as one pleased, even drawing a blade to right a wrong, and none would dare utter a word.

Meanwhile, not far from the courtyard where the banquet was held, inside a magnificent palace—

Huang Huifeng was exchanging pleasantries with a young woman of delicate beauty, her purple and white robe bearing the emblem of the Sole Will Sect.

Chu Yingxuan.

Despite being of much higher seniority, Huang Huifeng showed her no condescension. Stroking his beard with a touch of helplessness, he said, “Master Chu, I must apologize. This is how things stand, and I hope you can understand.”

Chu Yingxuan frowned delicately and, after a moment’s silence, sighed, “Steward Huang, I understand your difficulties, but please consider ours as well. I have over a thousand spirit talismans in hand. If you won’t do business with us, won’t they all go to waste?”

“I know Elder Chen is beyond our means to offend, but you have extensive connections in Cloud Province. Is there truly nothing you can do?”

Chu Yingxuan’s visit was not for the banquet, but to conduct a spirit talisman transaction with the Falling Cloud Pavilion. Her identity was more complex than it seemed: besides being a disciple of the Sole Will Sect and the eldest daughter of the Chu family, she was also a spirit talisman master—a key reason for the wealth of the Chu Alliance.

Unfortunately, her plans fell through. All the Pavilion’s resources had been allocated to Wang Ran, leaving them unable to purchase her spirit jades.

Huang Huifeng understood that business must not sour relationships. Though they had a new patron in Elder Chen, they could not alienate old clients. He suggested a new route to Chu Yingxuan.

“In that case, Master Chu, I still have some contacts at Black Cloud Market. If you trade there, you may get an even better price than here.”

He explained his idea in detail, and Chu Yingxuan was delighted. The Black Cloud Market was a marketplace for cultivators—less reputable than the Pavilion and essentially a black market, where violence was common. But Chu Yingxuan was unfazed; so long as there was business, she cared not.

Her concerns settled, a smile appeared on her face.

Suddenly, a guard hurried in and whispered a few words to Huang Huifeng, whose expression changed at once.

“Master Chu, something has happened in the front courtyard. Please excuse me.”

He cupped his fists to Chu Yingxuan and left in haste, leaving her momentarily surprised.

Huang Huifeng moved swiftly, covering ten meters in a step, and in the blink of an eye reached the front courtyard.

The Banquet of Heaven’s Chosen was hosted by Falling Cloud City and reflected directly on the City Lord’s honor. If anyone dared cause trouble at the banquet, as the overseer, he could not stand idly by.

Especially when he heard that the troublemaker had beaten the Chu family’s young master until he looked like a dog and forced him to kneel—his displeasure grew.

The nearby guards shuddered, for Huang Huifeng was not just a steward but a Golden Core cultivator. They vividly remembered the last time someone caused trouble at the banquet—Huang Huifeng had exploded in fury, crippled the man’s meridians, and hung him at the city gate for three days, until his clan came to take him away in disgrace. The incident had caused quite a stir at the time. The guard sighed, eyes full of pity—who would be the unlucky soul this time?

At that moment, Steward Huang entered the courtyard, his face stormy as he strode into the banquet.

“I want to see who dares cause trouble at the Banquet of Heaven’s Chosen!”

His gaze swept the hall, landing immediately on Chu Yichen and the other scions sprawled on the ground, and the youth seated before them. He strode toward them, mind turning over how to interrogate the culprit—when suddenly, he realized that the smiling youth looked familiar.

He stared for a long moment, and then, eyes wide, was struck dumb with shock.

“This… isn’t this Elder Chen’s disciple?!”