Immortal Martial Emperor

"Celestial Frost, take him down and see that he’s well cared for," Hong Yu said.

Beichen Celestial Frost nodded obediently, not asking a single question.

For her, no matter what happened, all that mattered was following Hong Yu. Even just standing behind him and supporting him in silence was enough.

Tie Shou was led away.

Hong Yu’s eyes glinted. After a moment of contemplation, he rose and headed for the rear courtyard of the Beichen Family estate.

Hong Yu now held a privileged position within the Beichen Family. He walked, completely unimpeded, all the way to the Quiet Chamber where Beichen Ba was in seclusion to recuperate.

GRIND!

The Stone Gate of the Quiet Chamber ground open, and Hong Yu stepped inside.

Beichen Ba slowly opened his eyes and looked at Hong Yu in confusion. "I just felt a violent fluctuation in your aura. Did something happen?"

Hong Yu nodded. "I can help you recover to your peak within three days. The only condition is that you must help me with one thing in the near future."

"Three days?"

Beichen Ba was taken aback.

During the great battle in the Tianmu Mountain Range, Beichen Ba had fallen victim to Wang Ba’s treacherous attack. The injury was foundational. Even after taking a priceless Fourth-grade Healing Spirit Pill and receiving the full support of the Beichen Commerce Association, he would still need three to five years to make a full recovery.

Yet Hong Yu claimed he could restore him to his peak in just three days?

Beichen Ba didn’t doubt Hong Yu. Instead, he frowned and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Hong Yu said flatly, "Help me kill someone."

"Kill who?"

Beichen Ba was concise.

Hong Yu replied calmly, "You’ll know in due time. In any case, I won’t ask you to do anything that goes against your conscience." He then added, "They all deserve to die."

"Fine."

Beichen Ba nodded.

「Three hours later, Hong Yu left the Quiet Chamber.」

Inside the Quiet Chamber, Beichen Ba stared at a pool of black blood on the floor, his expression complex. As his gaze flickered, he muttered to himself, ’What is this boy’s true identity? Can he really just be from a minor branch of the Hong Family in the insignificant Fengyue Kingdom? If that’s true, then he’s simply terrifying...’

After leaving the Quiet Chamber, Hong Yu headed straight for the Iron Soldier Pavilion.

A short while later, Hong Yu left the Iron Soldier Pavilion without even running into Tie Tongtian.

About half an hour after Hong Yu’s departure, Old Sir Tie, who hadn’t entered seclusion for decades, suddenly announced he was closing his doors to cultivate. This sent the various factions watching the Tie Family into a flurry of activity.

Leaving the Iron Soldier Pavilion, Hong Yu went straight to the Royal Palace.

Inside the Royal Palace, he met with Qin Feng. "Hong Yu greets Your Majesty!"

"Haha, there’s no need for such formalities, Prince Hong."

Qin Feng smiled faintly, his wise eyes scanning Hong Yu. "Prince Hong, you’re set to depart for the Yaoyue Kingdom in a few days to participate in the Ten Kingdoms Alliance tournament. Instead of cultivating and adjusting your condition at home, you’ve come to see me. Is there something you need?"

Hong Yu nodded. "Your Majesty is wise. I do indeed have a favor to ask."

"Speak," Qin Feng said.

Hong Yu said, "I hope Your Majesty can lend me ten thousand elites from the Tiger and Wolf Corps."

"Oh? And what would you do with so many elites from the Tiger and Wolf Corps?" Qin Feng asked, puzzled.

Hong Yu shook his head, offering no detailed explanation. "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I would never use the Tiger and Wolf Corps to cause trouble or provoke powerful enemies for the Kingdom. This is a personal matter. Therefore, as compensation, I am willing to trade an Enlightenment Fruit for these ten thousand elites."

"An Enlightenment Fruit?"

Qin Feng shot bolt upright.

How could he not know of the famous Enlightenment Fruit?

As the King, Qin Feng was constantly buried under countless matters of state, both major and trivial. He was so busy that his Martial Dao cultivation had suffered.

His progress had been painfully slow since breaking through to the Primordial Core Realm.

Despite the Royal Family’s abundant resources, he had only managed to reach the Mid-stage Primordial Core Realm. But with the help of an Enlightenment Fruit, he could definitely break through to the Late-stage Primordial Core Realm in a short time, and even lay a solid foundation for advancing to the Peak of the Primordial Core Realm in the future.

At this thought, Qin Feng nodded. "Fine. I will trust you this once."

He received a Military Token from Qin Feng, enough to mobilize ten thousand elites of the Tiger and Wolf Corps.

Eager to use the Enlightenment Fruit, Qin Feng immediately went into seclusion.

Just as Hong Yu put away the Military Token and was about to leave, he ran into Sister Qin at the entrance to the Imperial Garden. The beautiful woman wore a look of sorrow and hesitation, as if she had been waiting there for him for some time.

Hong Yu paused, then smiled. "Greetings, Your Highness."

"..."

Sister Qin faltered.

Seeing Hong Yu treat her with such reverence, she suddenly felt a pang in her heart, as if she had lost something precious, leaving an empty space behind.

With a soft, fragrant sigh, Sister Qin asked, "Can you walk with me for a while?"

After a moment’s hesitation, Hong Yu nodded.

The two walked side by side through the Imperial Garden.

Birds sang amidst fragrant blossoms, and fish swam in clear waters. No matter the dynasty or the kingdom, the Royal Family always had a place like this, a veritable Peach Blossom Spring.

Except...

Hong Yu did not like such places.

A vast sea for the fish to leap, a high sky for the birds to fly—that was true freedom, a true Peach Blossom Spring.

The Imperial Garden, for all its beauty, was still a cage.

Sister Qin seemed to have something on her mind. She stood by the edge of a pond, and as she scattered a handful of feed, a school of colorful fish immediately swarmed to the surface.

Sister Qin said softly, "Sometimes I really envy them, able to swim about so care-free in a place they love."

Hong Yu frowned and murmured softly, "You are not the fish. How can you know if they are happy?"

"Hm?"

Sister Qin looked at him, puzzled.

Hong Yu took a handful of feed, scattered it into the water, and explained, "You are not a fish, so how could you know if this is the life they prefer? Perhaps while you envy them for living in the water they love, they envy you for holding the feed in your hand, controlling their sustenance... even their very lives."

"Everyone has their own way of living. Some are poor, some are rich. Some seek pleasure, others seek tranquility. It’s just that our ways of life are different."

"The poor envy the rich for their wealth, but don’t the rich also envy the poor?"

Hong Yu looked at Sister Qin and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Sister Qin, I don’t know why, but it feels like after taking on the mantle of a princess, you’ve become so different from the Sister Qin I used to know. But I know that your status and the life you aspire to... this is it."

"If this is the life that suits you, the one that gives you a sense of belonging, then you should embrace it."

As she listened to Hong Yu’s words, a series of emotions flickered in Sister Qin’s eyes.

Finally, she let out a soft, melancholic sigh.

She took two steps forward, closing the distance between them, and wrapped her soft, fragrant arms tightly around Hong Yu. After a long moment, she slowly released the young man from her embrace.

The sorrowful Sister Qin was gone, replaced once more by the noble Third Princess.

She smiled faintly. "Thank you, little brother Hong Yu. No matter where our paths may lead in the future, I hope you never forget that you have me as your big sister."

"Mm."

Hong Yu nodded.

Sister Qin took a booklet from her Storage Ring.

The booklet was cool to the touch, seemingly forged from a special metal. Despite its material, it was thinner and lighter than an ordinary paper book.

Hong Yu curiously opened to the first page. Four large, gilded words in a cursive script met his eyes: Dragon and Tiger List!

"The Dragon and Tiger List?"

Sister Qin smiled and explained, "Every time before the Southern Ten Nations tournament begins, the Underground Alliance compiles detailed statistics and rankings of all the geniuses participating, then produces one of these booklets. What you’re holding is this year’s latest Dragon and Tiger List. It contains information on all the geniuses in the tournament. It might be useful to you."

"Geniuses from all over the Southern Ten Nations?"

Hong Yu’s heart stirred.

The Southern Ten Nations Alliance was vast, with at least tens of thousands of experts participating in the tournament. To compile information on every single one of them... the power of the Underground Alliance was truly immeasurable.

Eager to see the top geniuses of the Southern Ten Nations, Hong Yu opened the Dragon and Tiger List.

The Dragon and Tiger List was divided into two parts: the Dragon List and the Tiger List.

The Dragon List had only ten positions, while the Tiger List had a full ninety.

The first line was the introduction to the Dragon List: *The ten on this list are all peerless talents, true peak powerhouses capable of challenging for the position of one of the Four True Dragons!*

Dragon List First Place: Yao Yueye, Chief Disciple of Yaoyue Palace.

Dressed in a green robe and carrying the Demon Moon Divine Sword. Mid-Stage Primordial Core Realm cultivation. His Demon God Swordsmanship grants him unrivaled combat strength. Acknowledged as the number one genius in the Southern Ten Nations.

Dragon List Second Place: Prince Zhui Ri of the Wind Chasing Kingdom.

As fast as lightning, acclaimed as the strongest Spirit Cultivator in the Southern Ten Nations.

Dragon List Third Place: Ling Bingxin, Saintess of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect from the Dongsheng Kingdom.

Possessor of a rare Ice Dragon Primordial Vein, which has granted her the strength to be one of the Four True Dragons. Though a woman, her ferocity and power are second to no man.

Dragon List Fourth Place: Ziyan Wuhen of the Li Yang Kingdom.

An Independent Martial Artist who rose from obscurity. With immense perseverance, he broke the shackles of his Purple Flame Primordial Vein—once considered useless—and advanced by leaps and bounds. A self-taught Demon Fiend of a genius.

He ranked fourth in the last tournament. Rumor has it his Purple Flame Primordial Vein has broken through once more, and he now possesses the strength of a peak-level contender.

These four were the strongest geniuses on the Dragon and Tiger List. They were also acknowledged as the four most powerful young talents in the entire Southern Ten Nations Alliance.

To distinguish them from ordinary talents, people had given the four a special title symbolizing the highest honor: True Dragon Genius.

The status of the Four True Dragons was unshakeable.

Among the remaining six names on the Dragon List, below the Four True Dragons, Hong Yu saw three familiar names.

Ranked fifth was, surprisingly, his own name: Hong Yu.

The information on him was brief, just a single line: "Rose from obscurity. Traveled from the Fengyue Kingdom to the Qin Kingdom and made his name in a single battle."

In sixth place was Zheng Tian.

He had once been hailed as the genius most likely to challenge the Four True Dragons, but after successive defeats at Hong Yu’s hands, his rank had fallen to sixth.

In addition, Hong Yu saw Hong Renjie’s name in tenth place.

’Hong Renjie? He actually broke through to the Primordial Core Realm?’

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes, a fierce fighting spirit flaring within them.

After a quick glance at the Tiger List that followed, Hong Yu put the booklet away.

Overall, the Dragon and Tiger List’s assessment of the geniuses was fairly accurate. However, if you blindly trusted the descriptions of their strength, you were bound to be disappointed.

Many geniuses preferred to keep a low profile.

It was possible that during the tournament, one might encounter a seemingly ordinary opponent whose name didn’t even appear on the Dragon and Tiger List.

And that opponent could turn out to be a Demon Fiend capable of challenging for a True Dragon Position.

Such things had happened before.

Hong Yu closed the Dragon and Tiger List and handed it back to Sister Qin. He then glanced at the sky and smiled. "It’s getting late. I should head back. I’ll see you at the tournament."

Sister Qin nodded with a smile.

After Hong Yu left, she let out a soft, melancholic sigh...

’The Ten Kingdoms tournament is such a grand event. I wonder just how far you’ll be able to go?’