Chapter 1128: Sheng Xuehuai

Though Sheng Xuehuai's appearance was unremarkable, upon the stage, he stood in easy discourse with Xian Nankui, the formidable commander of the Shen Ce Army and a mighty figure of the Dong Zhen realm.

Despite having drawn the most unfavorable lot, his demeanor remained composed. This air of self-possession, indeed, yielded nothing to others.

His gaze first fell upon the southern viewing platform. This, of course, was the "correct" order, for many would first direct their eyes there. Seated at the center of the southern platform was none other than Ye Lan'er, renowned as the foremost beauty of Chu Country.

She was adorned in a magnificent, floor-length gown of unparalleled splendor. The embroidery of phoenixes crying upon a Wutong tree was breathtakingly lifelike. Brilliant gold, ink green, and fiery red intertwined in a marvelous fashion, forming this treasure unlike any other in the world. Every material composing it was far from ordinary, yet woven together, it possessed only aesthetic value, devoid of any artifactual ability. From its creation, it was intended solely for her to wear at the Yellow River Meeting.

As the Yellow River Meeting forbade the use of artifacts, naturally, artifactual clothing was also prohibited. The craftsmen of Chu Country's Heavenly Work Mansion had specially employed unique methods to suppress any possibility of it manifesting ability.

Such a breathtakingly beautiful gown could easily overshadow anyone of slightly lesser appearance. Yet, Ye Lan'er merely sat there, and still, all gazes were drawn to her face. This was a face that skillfully surpassed nature itself. Besides her, all other beauties were but mere accompaniments.

Her features defied description; one could only deem them perfect. Every detail was captivating, even her eyebrows were precisely as they should be. Hers was an intensely dazzling, aggressively beautiful presence, yet her own temperament was one of gentle, cold tranquility. This sense of fatal contradiction imbued her with a suffocating charm. No man's gaze could escape her, nor could a woman's.

One only had to observe Huang Sheli, whose eyes had been shining from the start, constantly glancing towards Ye Lan'er. From the moment Ye Lan'er took her seat until now, she had been turning her head repeatedly, truly racing against time to behold her. In contrast, Murong Longji, seated beside her, remained consistently upright, his gaze unwavering.

On the southwestern viewing platform, Ye Qingyu, her face veiled, also couldn't help but appreciate Ye Lan'er with several glances. However, she then cast a slight look towards the eastern viewing platform, only to see that Jiang Qingyang of Qi Country, like everyone else, was intently staring at the southern platform.

She watched for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle. Jiang Wang was indeed seriously observing the southern viewing platform, but his focus was not on Ye Lan'er at all. Instead, it was on the tall and imposing man seated to Ye Lan'er's left and slightly ahead. He possessed a proud countenance and profound features, sitting there like a mountain peak. Of course, what was most striking were his eyes, born with the peculiar phenomenon of double pupils. That was a potential adversary for Jiang Some... Xiang Bei, the inner mansion realm prodigy of Chu Country.

Sheng Xuehuai's gaze swept over Ye Lan'er's form, utterly devoid of any inferiority or similar emotion due to the vast disparity in their appearances. He merely regarded her with the eyes of someone assessing an opponent.

Then, he turned west. Seated in the center-right of the western viewing platform were several prodigies of Qin Country, led by Zhang Gu, commander of the Ba Rong Army. Sheng Xuehuai's gaze landed on Huang Budong. This was a prodigy of "aged appearance." Though clearly within the thirty-year age limit, in his late twenties, he resembled a wizened old man. Sitting there, his eyes half-drooped, he appeared drowsy... the very image of a dying candle in the wind.

This was likely the most spiritless prodigy present, and also the most lacking in youthful vitality. It made one strongly desire to verify if he was truly under thirty years old. Beside him, Commander Zhang Gu of the Ba Rong Army, his face proper and gentle, possessing the demeanor of a renowned general, secretly used his spiritual power to prod Huang Budong.

Huang Budong shuddered, straightened his back, and swung his head left and right, exclaiming, "What happened!" Zhang Gu smiled and said, "Perhaps you'd like to go back and rest for a while?" Huang Budong stood up, preparing to leave, but then belatedly realized where he was and awkwardly sat back down. Still, he naturally raised his hand and offered a greeting to Sheng Xuehuai with a look.

Sheng Xuehuai nodded with a smile and shifted his gaze to the next prodigy. Murong Longji of Jing Country was a man with a cold and cruel countenance, his entire being exuding an air that warned strangers away. In response to Sheng Xuehuai's scrutinizing gaze, he met it with cold, hard intensity, practically on the verge of saying directly, "Challenge me, and I'll send you back immediately."

Sheng Xuehuai did not respond to such provocation; his gaze continued to move. Cang Ming, known as the "Divine Messenger of the Present World," wore a large cloak that tightly concealed his face. He held a scripture in his hand and meditated throughout, appearing indifferent to everything.

The gaze of Sheng Country's prodigy, Sheng Xuehuai, completed its circuit and finally rested on Ji Zhaonan. Ji Zhaonan, with his peerless bearing, was also consistently a focal point on the ring-shaped viewing platform. Facing Sheng Xuehuai's eyes of selecting an opponent, Ji Zhaonan neither disdained nor valued him, merely looking back faintly.

Just as the prodigy of Mu Country would undoubtedly first select the prodigy of Sheng Country for suppression in the main matches, from Sheng Country's perspective, Sheng Xuehuai's opponent should, without question, be Cang Ming. His feigned examination was truly not very interesting. Thus, Murong Longji of Jing Country's eyes remained fixed on him.

But Sheng Xuehuai's gaze indeed lingered on Ji Zhaonan. "Among those present, the strongest, I believe, is your esteemed self." He bowed towards Ji Zhaonan, "Brother Ji, please enlighten me."

Upon these words, Huang Budong and Cang Ming, one too sleepy to react and the other hidden beneath a cloak revealing no reaction, remained still. Murong Longji's sword-like eyebrows raised slightly, clearly unwilling to concede. Ye Lan'er then looked towards Ji Zhaonan, observing his response.

Ji Zhaonan smiled, his long body rising. Carrying that spear like frost and snow, the Shaohua Spear, he stepped down from the viewing platform. He laughed towards Sheng Xuehuai, saying, "At least in terms of eyesight, you are worthy of being called a prodigy!"

Sheng Xuehuai bowed in return, his demeanor elegant: "Brother Ji's praise, Sheng humbly accepts."

As the foremost prodigy of Sheng Country, an absolute top figure who had reached the Shen Lin realm before the age of thirty, he possessed the freedom to choose his opponent. Challenging Cang Ming, forcing out more of Cang Ming's abilities, and preventing Mu Country from achieving a better ranking... this might have been a choice more in line with Sheng Country's interests.

But there was also no problem in him challenging the one he believed to be the strongest. Xian Nankui, standing at the side of the arena, couldn't help but cast Sheng Xuehuai another look. As a renowned general of the Dao Zong Country, regarding Sheng Xuehuai, the foremost prodigy of this Dao-aligned country, he had honestly only heard his name and didn't truly know what kind of person he was. After all, Xian Nankui's gaze, if it were to fall, would be upon individuals of the level of Meng Wuya.

Judging from Sheng Xuehuai's choice at this moment, his earlier mention of the Jing Country prodigy... actually had a true sense of eagerness! He simply wanted to challenge the strongest!

Having all come from the era of young prodigies, there was not much expression on Xian Nankui's date-red face. He merely raised a hand and spoke: "Please!"

Ji Zhaonan, peerless among men, and peerless with his spear, had already stepped onto the martial arts stage.