Chapter 157

The arrival of the two invitations was entirely within Qin Wuyou's expectations. What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that these invitations, one from the Crown Prince and the other from the Third Prince, not only arrived simultaneously but also requested his presence at events scheduled for the exact same time.

Yun Che took the two invitations and quickly scanned them. Both were worded with great politeness and sincerity. They began by praising Yun Che as a dazzling new star among the younger generation in the Imperial City, expressing admiration upon hearing of his battle with an inner palace disciple yesterday and a desire to witness his prowess. Consequently, they invited him to attend a birthday celebration and a beast-fighting tournament, respectively, both taking place at noon in ten days, earnestly requesting his esteemed presence.

Seeing him finish, Qin Wuyou said, "I believe you also expected to receive such invitations. Any disciple who gains entry to the inner palace is courted by both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Moreover, after your battle yesterday, your reputation has skyrocketed, almost overshadowing all other inner palace disciples. So, these invitations arriving so quickly doesn't surprise me at all. How do you plan to choose?"

"How do you think I should choose, Instructor Qin?" Yun Che asked, casually setting the invitations down.

Qin Wuyou shook his head. "There's no easy choice. Your influence is weak, and you have no background; you cannot afford to offend either of them. Originally, your best option would have been to attend both events, maintaining an ambiguous and subtle stance, neither accepting nor rejecting definitively. However, whether by accident or design, the times for these two invitations are precisely the same. If you go, you can only attend one, and no matter which you choose, you'll be directly declaring your allegiance, thereby thoroughly offending the party you don't attend. If you decline both, it could be interpreted as disrespecting both simultaneously. If I were in your position, I wouldn't know what to do."

Yun Che smiled and said, "Whether I attend the birthday banquet or the beast-fighting tournament, I still have ten days to decide, so there's no rush. What I'm more concerned about is... I'm just a minor disciple of the Blue Wind Profound Palace. As you said, my strength is extremely insignificant in that grand circle. So why are the Crown Prince and Third Prince extending such enthusiastic invitations?"

"Your current personal strength is indeed modest," Qin Wuyou explained, "but what they value isn't your individual power; it's your current renown and your immense future potential. You might not realize it, but after yesterday's battle, your name has spread throughout the entire Blue Wind Imperial City, almost becoming legendary in various exaggerated rumors. Especially among the younger generation, you've inspired strong admiration and longing. Furthermore, without a background and being of common birth, you easily garner support and approval from countless young profound practitioners from ordinary families. If you commit to one side, your current influence could somewhat sway the inclinations of young profound practitioners based on your choice. Additionally, your current performance indicates that your future is destined to be extraordinary. While your strength is low now, in five or ten years, once you mature, you'll become a tremendous asset. It's natural for the Crown Prince and Third Prince to spare no effort in trying to win you over."

Yun Che thought for a long time, then slowly nodded. "I understand."

"The choice is entirely yours," Qin Wuyou stated. "However, I must warn you: if you truly align yourself with either the Crown Prince or the Third Prince, Princess Cang Yue, no matter how deep her feelings for you are, will sever ties with you." Qin Wuyou gave Yun Che a deep look and then left with heavy steps. If Yun Che were merely a profound palace disciple, even if he were ten times more talented, Qin Wuyou wouldn't be so anxious. But Yun Che's relationship with Princess Cang Yue made it impossible for him to remain indifferent to the matter.

For reasons unknown, the news that Yun Che had simultaneously received invitations from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince leaked out, spreading rapidly by word of mouth. Within a single afternoon, it became common knowledge throughout the Blue Wind Profound Palace, with discussions about it heard everywhere.

"Hey! Have you heard? Yun Che received invitations from both His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Third Prince! It's truly enviable. To align oneself with either the Crown Prince or the Third Prince would guarantee a lifetime of glory."

"Tsk, tsk, you can only be envious. It's only natural for a genius like Junior Brother Yun Che to receive simultaneous attention from both His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Third Prince. If you could overpower an opponent seven levels above you, I guarantee you'd receive the same treatment the very next day."

"Who do you think Junior Brother Yun Che will choose, the Crown Prince or the Third Prince?"

"Well, that's hard to say. I hear the Crown Prince and Third Prince are like fire and water now. If he makes the wrong choice and his patron fails to secure the throne, his life might be ruined."

Blue Wind Imperial City, General Zhenbei's Residence.

Murong Yi was severely injured in his battle with Yun Che and was sent back to his residence by Feng Baiyi that same day to recover. The rumors circulating throughout the city about Yun Che made Murong Yi grit his teeth and seethe with rage. In these rumors, he had become a pathetic and laughable supporting character... or more precisely, a stepping stone.

"Yun Che, I'm going to kill you... kill you!!"

He had bellowed this phrase no less than a hundred times in under two days, each time with bone-deep hatred. He had grown up accustomed to flattery and glory, never having endured such an extreme humiliation, nor had he ever felt such immense resentment before.

"Brother Murong, I have some news that might not please you," Feng Baiyi said.

Feng Baiyi walked in, his eyebrows askew.

"What news?" Murong Yi sat up from his sickbed, his face grim. "Is it about Yun Che?"

"Exactly," Feng Baiyi said, stroking his chin, his eyes sinister. "I heard he simultaneously received invitations today from the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, to attend the Crown Prince's 33rd birthday celebration and the beast-fighting tournament organized by the Third Prince."

*Crack... crack...*

Murong Yi said nothing, but a crisp sound of bones dislocating emanated from between his fingers.

"Both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince have extended olive branches to him, and they've invited him to such grand events, which shows how much they value Yun Che. While they do court inner palace disciples, they've never before invited them to such important occasions. This means it will be difficult for us to openly cause trouble for Yun Che. Even if your father were to intervene, it would be impossible, as it would undoubtedly disrespect both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince," Feng Baiyi said indifferently.

"He must die... he must die!!" Murong Yi roared furiously. His overly violent movement abruptly pulled at his wound, making him howl in pain.

Feng Baiyi glanced at him and said, "In that case, we'll have to proceed covertly, and we must act quickly."

"Baiyi, you must help me with this! I've never experienced such humiliation my entire life. All the dignity and glory I've ever had have been trampled into dust by that scoundrel Yun Che! How can I tolerate this? How can I let him bask in glory by stepping on my dignity?" Murong Yi's entire body trembled, his eyes dark with a deep, malicious rage. "Baiyi, you absolutely must help me!"

"Don't worry, we've been good brothers for many years. Of course, as your brother, I won't stand by when you've suffered such humiliation," Feng Baiyi said calmly. "Actually, you were too impatient in yesterday's battle. When you first fought Yun Che unarmed, you were basically evenly matched. His talent is indeed astonishing; at True Profound Realm Level Two, he could actually exert profound energy strength similar to yours. However, there's still a seven-level gap between you. While he could exert similar profound energy strength, in terms of foundational profound energy and its depth, he absolutely couldn't compare to you. You just needed to continue fighting him unarmed, and he would have slowly lost endurance and undoubtedly been defeated. But you chose to use a weapon after failing to gain an advantage for a long time."

"How could I not be impatient when I couldn't gain the upper hand against someone seven levels weaker than me!" Murong Yi retorted through gritted teeth. He completely agreed with Feng Baiyi's words; recalling the fight now, he realized that if neither of them had used weapons, he would have undoubtedly won. Though the victory might have been somewhat ungraceful, at least it wouldn't have been as humiliating as his current situation.

"In fact, Yun Che's heavy sword isn't that terrifying. It's just that very few people use heavy swords, and you simply lack experience fighting against one. Otherwise, how could Yun Che's first strike have so easily sent your Silver Dragon Spear flying and inflicted internal injuries? Losing the Silver Dragon Spear made you lose your composure, which inevitably led to your subsequent defeat. I observed clearly from the side: Yun Che's heavy sword attacks are indeed overwhelmingly powerful, but a heavy sword is incredibly weighty, its attack speed is very slow, and there are significant openings after each strike. With your movement profound skills, you could have easily dodged and then quickly counter-attacked, leaving Yun Che no chance to win. Yet, in your first weapon clash with him, you met him head-on, directly confronting the heavy sword's strongest point. How could you not be defeated?"

"Moreover, that Overlord's Colossal Sword weighs three thousand nine hundred jin; even for you or me, wielding it is extremely taxing. Yun Che's three attacks were likely close to his limit. Therefore, your defeat yesterday actually had little to do with Yun Che; the key was you. I believe that if you were to fight him again after hearing my analysis, he would have no chance of winning against you. As for me..." A cold glint flashed in Feng Baiyi's eyes as he sneered, "I could take his life in three moves at most."

Recalling the battle scene from yesterday, Murong Yi increasingly felt that Feng Baiyi's words were entirely logical. He was instantly filled with regret and hatred, gritting his teeth as he said, "You are absolutely right. If we fought again, I would never lose... But now, I'm covered in injuries and can't even get out of bed. Otherwise, I would personally tear him... into ten thousand pieces!"

"Don't worry, I will get revenge for you. In five days at most, I'll bring you Yun Che's head, guaranteeing that all your anger and resentment will vanish completely," Feng Baiyi said with a smile.

"Really!?" Murong Yi's eyes widened excitedly, then he frowned. "But Yun Che has now received invitations from the Crown Prince and Third Prince. If we act against him..."

"Rest assured, I will handle this flawlessly. And to make absolutely certain, I've also invited someone else."

"Who?" Murong Yi immediately asked.

"Xue Lang," Feng Baiyi said, his eyes narrowing.

"Xue Lang... Xue Lang, seventh on the Heavenly Profound Ranking of the inner palace?" Murong Yi's face showed surprise. "Will he really agree to do it?"

Feng Baiyi smiled faintly and nodded. "You know him; he'll do anything if the profit is sufficient. For this matter, he's asking for 800 purple profound coins. After all, Yun Che's current influence is extraordinary, and killing him carries a certain risk. It just depends on whether Brother Murong is willing to pay this amount."

"Absolutely no problem!" Murong Yi's face darkened. "As long as he can be killed without a trace, and my hatred is appeased, I wouldn't hesitate even if it cost eight thousand purple profound coins, let alone eight hundred!"

"Good!" Feng Baiyi stood up, his voice turning cold and low. "Brother Murong, just wait for my good news... Heh, I'm also eager to see the sight of this arrogant person who dared to provoke me, kneeling at my feet, desperately begging for mercy. Hahahahaha..."