Chapter 871: Banquet

It was Luo Qiqi.

"You've come at just the right time!"

Seeing her approach, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He sent a telepathic message: "I've found Senior Wu Yangzi's treasures!" With a flick of his wrist, he took out the iron box and the three treasures from before.

Luo Qiqi had received the inheritance alongside him, and as Wu Yangzi's direct disciple, she had the right to know what the treasures were, and even to share them.

"Found them?" Luo Qiqi was startled for a moment, then looked at what he held in his hand.

"Golden Crystal Profound Stone?" Her eyes widened, and Luo Qiqi seemed unable to believe it.

"You recognize this item?" Zhang Xuan looked at her. Although he had read about this item in books, he had never seen the real thing. Even Wu Yangzi hadn't explained it to him, so he wasn't entirely clear. Yet, this girl recognized it with just a glance. Could her discerning eye be even sharper than his own? It was well known that in terms of artifact forging, he stood at the absolute pinnacle of the Hongyuan Empire. Even Zhao Bingxu, the dean of the Artifact Forging Academy, was far from his equal.

"I saw it once before, but... it was only the size of a walnut, and it was quite... expensive. This large, it's far too precious..." Luo Qiqi couldn't help but say.

"You've seen it?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. Even if it was only walnut-sized, it indicated that Luo Qiqi's family background was indeed extraordinary.

"Yes!" Luo Qiqi nodded, then looked over the other two items, secretly relieved that she hadn't practiced wrongly.

"Take this correct secret manual for now. When I have time, I'll help you revise it to better suit your physique!" Zhang Xuan casually tossed the Five Brilliance Golden Body manual to her, then continued, "As for this map, do you recognize the script?"

"I've never seen it before!" Luo Qiqi shook her head, a confused look on her face.

"Alright then, keep this item with me for now. Once I figure out what it is and find the location described on the map, I'll take you there with me!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "As for the Golden Crystal Profound Stone, I'll figure out a way to melt it in the next few days and forge a weapon for you!"

"Thank you, Teacher!" Luo Qiqi nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. Each of these three items was more precious than the last, and her teacher had not hidden anything, showing his excellent character.

"Oh, by the way, Teacher, I came to find you so we could attend a banquet..." No longer discussing the treasures, Luo Qiqi suddenly remembered her original purpose and quickly added. Yu Feier had invited them to a dinner banquet, extending invitations to her, Xing Yuan, and others. Fearing her teacher wouldn't go, and having heard about the collapse of his residence, she had made a special trip.

"Let's go!" Remembering that he still needed to visit the Imperial Palace to see the so-called Sacred Domain Bodhi Tree, Zhang Xuan did not decline and nodded.

Leaving the ruins, the two boarded the carriage Luo Qiqi had prepared earlier and sped away. Before long, they arrived at the Imperial Palace.

As expected of a first-rank empire's Imperial Palace, it was towering and majestic, with an astonishing aura. In front of the grand palace gate, two rows of soldiers stood guard. Each possessed the strength of a Mortal-Transcendence 6-dan Bridging Heaven realm cultivator, and hundreds of them combined gave off an incredibly strong sense of oppression. Inside the Imperial Palace, various formations flickered. The lowest among them had reached the early 6-star level. Without knowing the layout, rash intrusion would inevitably lead to being trapped, making escape nearly impossible. With traps and mechanisms at every step, even a Saint 1-dan expert would not dare to trespass rashly.

With an invitation, no one stopped them. Led by a guard, they proceeded forward and soon arrived in front of a grand palace hall.

"His Majesty is holding the banquet here..." Luo Qiqi pointed forward.

"By the way, what kind of banquet is this? Why were we invited?" Remembering this, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask.

"You don't know?" Seeing that her teacher knew nothing about the banquet he was attending, Luo Qiqi was speechless.

"When Yu Feier gave me the invitation, you were right there. You didn't say anything, so how was I supposed to know?" Zhang Xuan questioned, puzzled.

"Alright!" Luo Qiqi touched her forehead, utterly speechless. Her teacher was good in every aspect, except his emotional intelligence was too low. A dignified princess invited him to a banquet. No matter what, he should have inquired about it beforehand. Even if he didn't, he should have prepared something, put on a bit of a facade... As it was, if she hadn't come to call him, he'd probably still be wandering in the ruins, completely oblivious.

"It's Yu Feier's... birthday banquet!" Luo Qiqi explained, "His Majesty invited all the young talents in the imperial capital, as well as her friends!"

"Birthday banquet?" Zhang Xuan's eyelids twitched.

"Yes, that's right. You didn't even prepare a gift, did you?" Luo Qiqi looked at her teacher, a helpless expression on her face.

"Prepare what?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "You didn't say it was a birthday banquet. I came here knowing nothing, so how could I have prepared a gift? Besides, I don't understand what girls like at all. I'm constantly on the go, with no time to look for anything."

"This..." Luo Qiqi shook her head. Even if he didn't know it was a birthday banquet, if the emperor himself invited him, he should have prepared something to make a good impression. Coming empty-handed... probably only her teacher would do something like that.

"How about this? I have some treasures here. If you don't mind, take these first..." With a flick of her wrist, Luo Qiqi took out several treasures that girls would like. Zhang Xuan looked and saw seven or eight items in her hand. There were large luminous pearls, hairpins crafted from rare materials, uniquely scented sachets... Each item was exceedingly precious and valuable.

"No need! Anyway, I don't really want to attend. If it comes to it, I'll just leave. It's no big deal!" Zhang Xuan shook his head. He hadn't intended to attend any birthday banquet. He came to the Imperial Palace simply to investigate whether the Sacred Domain Bodhi Tree could cure Wei Ruyan. If they slighted him for not having a gift, he would just leave; it was nothing significant.

"Leave?" Seeing her teacher's serious expression, not like he was joking, Luo Qiqi could only nod. "Alright then!" Yu Feier was her good friend. They had known each other for a long time and understood each other's temperament and disposition. Yu Feier wouldn't care about gifts; Master Zhang's presence would be enough.

They stepped forward towards the grand hall before them. The towering hall was sumptuously decorated. Everywhere one looked, there was a sense of grace and grandeur. The thick carpets, over half a foot deep, felt soft and springy underfoot. His Eye of Insight activated, and he looked around, seeing various formations laid out inside and outside the hall. Some were for defense, some for offense, but most were for reinforcement.

"Peak 6-star stability formations, peak 6-star bedrock formations, peak 6-star city wall reinforcement formations... What are all these formations doing here?" After observing for a moment, Zhang Xuan blinked, completely bewildered. While some of the formations in this grand hall were for defense and offense, the majority were for reinforcement. Such massive Imperial Palace buildings were typically constructed by the most skilled craftsmen, making their stability unquestionable. Even the largest tremors would struggle to collapse them. Yet, adding so many reinforcement formations without apparent reason seemed utterly baffling.

"Never mind, it's none of my business anyway..." Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it. He was just here to attend a banquet. No matter how many formations were in the banquet hall, they had nothing to do with him.

"Qiqi, Master Zhang, you're here!" Before they even entered, Xing Yuan and Wu Zhen came forward to greet them. Both were wearing brand-new Master Teacher robes today, clearly having dressed up specially. They looked vibrant and possessed extraordinary demeanors.

"Has the banquet started?" Luo Qiqi asked.

"Not yet, not everyone has arrived..." Xing Yuan smiled.

"That's good!" Seeing that not everyone had arrived yet, Luo Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief.

Following behind the two, they entered the grand hall. The entire hall was seven or eight hundred square meters in size, supported by only four pillars around its perimeter. The ceiling was adorned with countless luminous pearls, their dazzling light making it as bright as day. They found seats and sat down, only then noticing that seven or eight people had already arrived in the room. All were around twenty years old, dressed in luxurious attire, and exuded an extraordinary air. Just by their appearance and demeanor, one could tell they came from prominent backgrounds.

"These are all descendants of the empire's powerful nobles..." Xing Yuan whispered.

Zhang Xuan nodded. Actually, once he knew it was a birthday banquet, he understood. His Majesty inviting young talents likely meant he intended to choose a suitable consort for Yu Feier. Although twenty years old was still young for Mortal-Transcendence cultivators, the royal family valued interests. Bringing these individuals onto their chariot early could further stabilize imperial power. These young talents, although not students of the Master Teacher Academy, were all remarkably strong. Some of the most powerful among them were actually at the same level as Hu Yaoyao and the others, already at the peak of the Chrysalis Realm, just a step away from becoming a Half-Saint. To possess such strength at around twenty years old meant they were super geniuses, even in the Master Teacher Academy!

"Xing Yuan, there must be quite a few of your rivals here, right?" Luo Qiqi chuckled. As his friend, she knew Xing Yuan had always pursued Princess Yu Feier, but alas, while the Prince had his dreams, the Goddess remained indifferent.

"Well..." His face flushed, Xing Yuan glanced at Zhang Xuan, who was not far away. Seeing that Zhang Xuan hadn't spoken, he offered an awkward smile. "I know I'm not worthy of Princess Yu Feier. I've long since given up on that idea..." He did like Yu Feier, but she paid him no mind. Instead, she seemed to have an indescribable affection for Master Zhang, who was right there. After much deliberation, he decided to give up. Not to mention that Zhang Xuan was his lifesaver, just the things he had accomplished at the Master Teacher Academy were enough to make ten of him unable to catch up. Competing with that guy, he truly worried that the people from the Xuanxuan Society would beat him so badly he wouldn't even be able to find the Master Teacher Academy's gate.

"I advised you to give up a long time ago, but you wouldn't listen. It's good that you can see reason now!" Seeing him say this, Luo Qiqi smiled. She knew her best friend's preferences perfectly well and had privately advised Xing Yuan before, but he simply hadn't listened. Being able to give up now wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him.

"Xing Yuan, these two beside you look quite unfamiliar. May I know who they are? Would it be convenient to introduce them to me?" As they were speaking, a faint voice sounded. They then saw a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, approaching with a wine glass in hand, a slight smile on his face. The young man was dressed in green robes, his eyebrows raised, and his gaze was like lightning. His appearance was no weaker than Xing Yuan's, exuding the refined charm of a noble young master. He was indeed the strongest among the many talents present, having remarkably reached the peak of the Chrysalis Realm.