Chapter 639: Late Arrival

Luo Zhao, wearing a vibrant red master teacher's robe, was exceptionally striking under the lights. He held a glass of fine wine and looked over with a smile. He appeared to be completely unfazed by Master Hong's earlier visit to cause trouble.

"Luo Zhao, what do you mean?"

"Nothing much. I just think that the Hongfeng Empire is seriously regressing. To have an expert at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm actually reach the top three... tsk tsk, truly each generation is worse than the last!" He shook his head as he spoke.

Among the top three in the Master Teacher Tournament, Bi Jianghai and Luo Xuan had already reached the Spirit Unification Realm, but Zhang Xuan was still at the peak of the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm. Zhang Xuan had not deliberately concealed his cultivation when attending the banquet, and Luo Zhao had seen through it at a glance. Although the Four Vassal States were not as powerful as the Illusion Feather Empire, they were vast and had countless geniuses. Those who reached the top three had generally attained the Spirit Unification Realm. Only Zhang Xuan, this anomaly, despite being at a lower cultivation level than others, had managed to utterly confound and nearly break them.

"What's wrong with being at the Fourth Mortal-Transcendence Realm? Master Teacher competitions aren't just about who has the higher cultivation!" Master Hong retorted, curling his lip. *You haven't seen how terrifying he is...* It seemed Master Feng hadn't told him how he ended up in that state. If Luo Zhao knew, he probably wouldn't be talking so much nonsense. Although Luo Zhao was his old friend and Master Hong knew his capabilities thoroughly, Master Hong had a feeling that if Luo Zhao and Master Zhang were put in a cage together, the latter would definitely be the one to emerge victorious!

"Oh? You seem very confident," Luo Zhao said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I wonder if you'll still feel that way after you see my top three!" As he finished speaking, he turned his head and saw three young men slowly approaching. Their auras flickered indistinctly but were undeniably strong.

"Spirit Unification Realm Mid-stage?" Master Hong's eyebrows furrowed. "Did you use... Spirit Unification Pills?"

Spirit Unification Pills were fifth-grade medicinal pills. After consumption, they could unconditionally increase the strength of a Spirit Unification Realm expert by a minor stage, without any side effects! Such pills could only be refined by five-star alchemists, were extremely rare, and were only sold in the Illusion Feather Imperial Capital. The fierce, drug-aided breakthroughs within these three individuals clearly indicated they had consumed medicine to advance. They had only recently broken through and had not yet fully mastered their new power.

"That's right. The Soul Cleansing Pool is beneficial for the soul, and it's most suitable and effective for those in the Spirit Unification Realm... Yet, among your top three, there's someone who hasn't even reached the Spirit Unification Realm... Do you think the Crown Prince will grant you the quota later?" Luo Zhao chuckled softly. Their three vassal states had arrived in the imperial capital early, paying a great price to collect and purchase Spirit Unification Pills. Fortunately, they had gathered all the necessary medicine before today, allowing all three of their top contestants to break through.

Although the Spirit Unification Realm was only a small step away from the peak of the Turbid Cleansing Realm, it marked a fundamental difference between the soul and the body. Without reaching Spirit Unification, the soul could not be cultivated independently, and even entering the Soul Cleansing Pool would yield significantly reduced effects.

"This..." Master Hong's brows furrowed. The time for the Master Teacher Tournament was the same for his state and the other three vassal states. However, the venue for this competition was located in the Myriad Nations Alliance, which was quite far from here. The opponents had arrived in the Illusion Feather Imperial Capital much earlier to prepare, truly catching him off guard.

"The Crown Prince hasn't set the rules for determining the quotas yet. Besides, what does it matter if they are at the Spirit Unification Realm mid-stage? It's not certain who will have the last laugh!" Although worry showed on his face, he could not lose his momentum. Master Hong gritted his teeth and insisted.

"Since you're so confident, let's wait and see then!" Luo Zhao smiled, gripping his wine glass, and led the three young men into the hall.

"Hmph!" Master Hong flung his arm. Even though he knew the other party had deliberately come to flaunt their strength, he couldn't help but feel angry.

"Master Zhang, please don't take it to heart..." He snorted and turned to look at the young man beside him.

"Me? I'm fine!" Zhang Xuan, surprised that Master Hong was consoling him for being scorned due to his low cultivation, smiled. "By the way, when you went to settle scores with him at noon, did you challenge him to a Master Teacher duel?"

"He did want to challenge... but didn't you say not to accept it for now?" Master Hong looked at him. The scenario he encountered after going to cause trouble, including the words "greatly depleted vitality, unable to compete for a short time," had been taught to him by this very person. Otherwise, he, a man of lifelong integrity, could never have thought up such shameless words!

"Both you and he are at the early stage of the Sixth Mortal-Transcendence Realm. Your strengths are not very different, and it's hard to predict who would win in a duel, so not accepting then was fine. However... things are different now!" Zhang Xuan smiled.

"Different?" Master Hong was puzzled. What was different? Only a few hours had passed; his cultivation hadn't increased, nor had Luo Zhao's diminished in the slightest...

"With me here, go ahead and challenge him. I guarantee you'll win!" Zhang Xuan said calmly, an air of proud confidence in his eyes.

"You mean... you'll guide me in our fight against him?" Master Hong was stunned, then his eyes lit up.

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan's lips curved upwards. *Dare to mock my low cultivation? Alright, in a moment, I'll have Master Hong beat you so badly your own father won't recognize you. Spirit Unification Realm mid-stage, huh... I wonder if your master will still be so smug later, when he's beaten to a pulp?*

"Good!" Master Hong nodded repeatedly. Although the young man's master teacher rank was lower than his own, Zhang Xuan's teacher was an eight-star master teacher, and in terms of guidance, Master Hong had personally witnessed that he could not compare. If he truly received guidance from Zhang Xuan, perhaps he wouldn't lose to Luo Zhao in a fight.

"Let's go in!" After a brief discussion, they said no more and the four of them entered the banquet hall.

As expected of the Crown Prince's palace, it was lavishly decorated. Countless massive luminous pearls hung within, illuminating the entire room as if it were daylight. Vivid carpets, various beautiful murals, and countless verdant plants... all contributed to the grand and magnificent appearance of the hall, creating an extraordinarily beautiful aesthetic.

"The Crown Prince has exceptional talent. In his twenties, he became the foremost of the Illusion Feather Empire's younger generation and even achieved the rank of a four-star master teacher. Therefore, he was accepted as a student by a master teacher and directly admitted to the Master Teacher Academy!" Master Hong transmitted. "His status is high, and he is favored. Although this is the Eastern Palace, it's built to be no less grand than the imperial palace, perhaps even more refined..."

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He had never been to the imperial palace, but he had visited many royal palaces, and compared to the current one, they truly paled in comparison. The walls not only featured murals but also numerous works by renowned calligraphers and painters. Spiritual energy pulsed and circulated around them. Furthermore, upon entering the room, one immediately felt a comfortable temperature, indicating the presence of a temperature-regulating formation. It seemed this Crown Prince was not only a master teacher with excellent talent but also someone who valued comfort and luxury.

Walking forward along the soft carpet, they entered the main hall and saw two rows of tables and chairs on either side of the wide room. Luo Zhao and the others, who had entered earlier, were seated there. Master Feng, who had been nearly knocked out earlier, was also present. However, he looked even worse than he had that morning, with a bruised and swollen face and an utterly haggard appearance. It seemed Master Hong had been the one to teach him a lesson. The fact that he could still manage to sit there likely meant he had taken some potent healing medicine. Even so, he lacked any spirit, a stark contrast to his smug demeanor in the air that morning.

"Is that... Master Feng?" Luo Xuan and Bi Jianghai exchanged glances, each rolling their eyes. When they had encountered him that morning, he had been standing on the back of a flying spirit beast, radiating a majestic aura, forcing Master Hong to halt, an unspeakably imposing sight. Yet, he had ended up like this after Master Zhang's roar had sent him plummeting from the sky. Combining this with the recent conversation... it seemed that offending anyone was fine, but never Master Zhang...

Ignoring Master Feng, Zhang Xuan looked at the others. Just as Luo Zhao had said, the top three representatives from the Fengyuan Empire, Qianfeng Empire, and Zhuiyue Empire had all reached the Spirit Unification Realm. One of them had even reached the late stage of the Spirit Unification Realm. Indeed, when it came to cultivation, he was truly the lowest.

Besides the representatives from the Four Vassal States, a young man sat alone at the central main table, drinking by himself, appearing somewhat out of place. The man wore a long robe, and five stars on his master teacher emblem on his chest glinted in the light.

"A five-star master teacher?" Zhang Xuan was surprised and looked at Master Hong. "Could this be the Crown Prince?"

"He is not the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is only a half-step five-star master teacher, not yet fully five-star. This should be one of the senior students from the Master Teacher Academy... either Xing Yuan or Wu Zhen!" Master Hong transmitted. Having learned four names from Luo Zhao, and since this person was male, he was naturally neither Princess Liu nor Luo Qiqi. He must be either Xing Yuan or Wu Zhen. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting as an equal to the Crown Prince, showing no fear whatsoever.

"Xing Yuan, Wu Zhen?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Yes, four people from the Master Teacher Academy have arrived in total. I heard two five-star master teachers among them are named that!" Master Hong explained, then gestured. "The Crown Prince hasn't returned yet, let's sit down first!" From the guards at the door, they had learned that the Crown Prince had gone to invite Princess Liu and others. It seemed only one of the four geniuses from the Master Teacher Academy had arrived so far.

Just as everyone settled into their seats, a faint voice spoke up. It was an elder from the opposite side, Chen Yue, the five-star master teacher leading the Zhuiyue Empire's delegation! Hearing his words, Master Hong's brows furrowed. Although the voice was not loud, everyone in the room heard it, and Master Wu, who was drinking, evidently heard it as well. Admitting to being late, especially when a genius from the prestigious Master Teacher Academy had already arrived while he was tardy, would imply a lack of etiquette and immediately leave a bad impression on the other party. If he denied it, despite clearly being late and arguing illogically, the impression would likely be no better. In other words, a single sentence had trapped him in a difficult situation.

What to do? His face was grim and ashen. He was fretting, unsure how to respond, when he suddenly seemed to hear something, and his body stiffened. Immediately after, his eyes lit up, and he snorted, looking directly at Chen Yue.

"Chen Yue, please mind your words. This is just a happy banquet where everyone gathers. When the Crown Prince arrives later, will you also say he's late?"