Chapter 38: A Gathering of Geniuses

The next morning, the ten geniuses who had secured their spots for the hunt gathered at the Prefecture Governor's residence.

"Are these... Purple Wind Beasts?"

Everyone looked at the dozen or so exotic beasts standing before them. The Purple Wind Beast was a relatively low-level spirit beast, but it possessed exceptional flight speed and a gentle temperament, making it easy to tame. Consequently, many in the Tianyan Dynasty used them as mounts for long-distance travel.

"Let’s head out."

Yuan Qing, a supervisor from the Red Dragon Tower, led the team personally. After only two hours, the group arrived at the Yun Prefecture capital. By now, the Yun Prefecture Governor’s residence was already crowded with a large number of geniuses selected from every county across the province.

"Yuan Qing."

As soon as Su Xin and his group descended, someone immediately walked over to greet them.

"Tie Ying, you rascal." Seeing the man, Yuan Qing smiled; it was clear they were old friends.

"Tie Ying, are these the geniuses selected from Sishui County behind you? I heard that this time, a genius who cleared the second level of the Red Dragon Tower appeared among your ranks. Who is it?" Yuan Qing asked, gesturing toward Tie Ying.

"Look, he’s right there." Tie Ying pointed to a cold-faced man in black robes standing in the back. The man’s expression was icy, and he stood like a sharp, freezing blade.

"Hmm, he looks like a master," Yuan Qing nodded.

"What about your Yongning County? It doesn't look like there’s anyone particularly impressive there. Wait, why is there a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm mixed in?" Tie Ying had also been observing the ten geniuses from Yongning County, and his expression turned peculiar when he spotted Su Xin.

"Do not underestimate this young man," Yuan Qing said. "Although he is only at the Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm, in terms of strength, he is the strongest among this year's geniuses from Yongning County. He is certainly no less capable than your strongest from Sishui County."

"Oh?" Tie Ying’s interest was immediately piqued. "A Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm is your strongest? Come, tell me more about him."

As Yuan Qing and Tie Ying chatted—both being supervisors of the Red Dragon Tower in their respective counties and good friends—Su Xin and the other nine geniuses looked ahead in astonishment. Before them, a dense crowd of geniuses from all the counties had gathered.

"There must be two thousand people here, right?" Long Dao exclaimed.

"There are 206 counties within Yun Prefecture. Selecting ten geniuses from each makes 2,060 in total," Su Xin said with a solemn expression. "The Tianyan Dynasty has thirty-six provinces. If we estimate an average of two hundred counties per province with two thousand geniuses each, that makes seventy-two thousand! And that doesn't even count the great families, major powers, and independent sects that exist throughout the dynasty. They don't need to go through preliminary assessments; they are granted spots for the hunt automatically."

"If you count all of them, this Imperial Hunt must have nearly one hundred thousand geniuses participating!"

Su Xin, having once been a young master of a prominent family, knew a fair amount about the Imperial Hunt. It was a fact that those great families and sects held fixed quotas. When the Su family ancestor was alive, the family was a powerhouse in the dynasty with vast resources to cultivate their disciples, and they always received many spots. Naturally, those spots vanished once the family fell into decline.

"Nearly one hundred thousand geniuses!" Long Dao and the others felt their heads spinning. In the small territory of Yongning County, they were indeed the top geniuses, but within Yun Prefecture, they were merely quite capable. And among the nearly one hundred thousand gathered from all thirty-six provinces of the dynasty, they were even more ordinary.

"So many geniuses, gathered in one place." Su Xin clenched his hands, a surge of ambition rising within him.

Among these hundred thousand, the most mediocre were those like Kang Jing, who could barely clear the first level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower or were close to that standard. The slightly stronger ones were at the level of Long Dao, Qiu Ze, and Ling Yu. The truly formidable ones were the top experts who had cleared the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower. There were likely thousands of such geniuses at this hunt.

This was a true gathering of talent! Compared to the entire Tianyan Dynasty, a mere county like Yongning was far too small.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Dozens of figures swept out from the Governor’s residence simultaneously. Leading them was a vigorous old man—the Yun Prefecture Governor. As a high-ranking official of the Tianyan Dynasty, his strength was formidable, having long reached the peak of the Void-Breaking Realm.

"All the county geniuses have arrived. In that case, let us depart."

Following the Governor's command, the 2,060 geniuses from the 206 counties of Yun Prefecture mounted their Purple Wind Beasts and set off in a grand procession toward the Imperial City. The beasts were incredibly fast. The journey that would have taken over half a month was completed in just two days.

The group arrived at a vast plain dozens of miles outside the Imperial City. From a distance, they could gaze upon the magnificent capital, but instead of entering the city, they settled into a sprawling camp on the plain. This camp, situated near the Royal Hunting Grounds, had been prepared specifically for the numerous geniuses participating in the hunt.

Under the guidance of the Yun Prefecture Governor, the geniuses settled into the camp in an orderly fashion, registered their identities, received their identification tokens, and were assigned living quarters. Once everything was settled, the geniuses were left to their own devices.

...

As night fell, the camp became exceptionally lively. With less than two days left until the start of the hunt, nearly ninety percent of the hundred thousand geniuses had already arrived. With so many young talents gathered together, it was bound to be bustling. There were over a hundred arenas in the camp alone for sparring, and nearly all of them were occupied.

"Haha, satisfying! Keep going!"
"Hmph, you are no match for me!"
"Take this hammer strike!"

Su Xin walked through the camp, passing by the arenas, watching the geniuses clash. These talents were usually scattered across various provinces and counties, making it difficult to find a suitable opponent, but here, there were plenty. Naturally, they didn't hesitate to fight. The more combative ones moved from arena to arena, constantly engaging others. Even Su Xin felt the urge to spar, but he held back.

After all, he was only at the Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm. If he were to defeat those who had cleared the first or second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower, it would attract too much attention. He was surrounded by hidden enemies, and it was better not to be too conspicuous. He would wait until the first round of the hunt, when he entered the Imperial City and all the top experts and powers of the dynasty were assembled—only then would he reveal his true strength.

Just then, a familiar voice reached his ears: "Haha! You big oaf, your attack patterns are far too clumsy. Come, come, spar with me in blade techniques again."

Su Xin turned and saw, among the two fighters in a nearby arena, a slovenly-looking 'youth' carrying a long blade and grinning wickedly.

"It's him!" Su Xin felt a surge of joy and walked toward the arena.

The one called the 'big oaf' was a burly man nearly two meters tall. He wielded a heavy battle blade with massive force and a profound artistic conception; his momentum was terrifying. In terms of strength, this man could definitely clear the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower. Yet, before the slovenly youth, he appeared incredibly clumsy. His blade techniques were powerful, but he couldn't touch a corner of the youth's clothing. Instead, the youth swung his blade casually, leaving the burly man in a state of utter disarray.

A moment later, the burly man conceded. He had been completely dominated from start to finish. A large crowd of geniuses surrounded the arena, and upon seeing the man concede, they couldn't help but sigh.

"Another one lost. Is this the eleventh?"
"Yes, the eleventh. And among these eleven, only four had cleared the first level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower; the other seven had all cleared the second. Yet, they were all like toys before this slovenly youth."
"Who is he? How is he so strong?"
"I know him. His name is Duan Yunfeng. A genius with a very eccentric temper. It is said he spends all his time traveling the dynasty, challenging experts. In terms of strength, among the nearly one hundred thousand geniuses here, he definitely has the qualifications to challenge for the top ten!"

"Top ten? No wonder he's so incredible!"

After defeating the burly man, the youth stood on the arena for a while, but no one else dared to challenge him. "Boring," he muttered, then hopped off the arena.

"Duan Yunfeng!"

As soon as he stepped down, he heard his name called. He looked toward the source.

"Su Xin?" The youth’s eyes brightened.

In his travels across the Tianyan Dynasty, he had fought countless geniuses, but only a handful were worth remembering. Su Xin was undoubtedly the one who left the deepest impression. Back in Dongyang City, Duan Yunfeng had already been at the Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm, while Su Xin was only at the True Martial Realm. Despite the vast difference in their cultivation levels, in a pure contest of technique, he had been unable to do anything against Su Xin. He hadn't even been confident that his strongest move could defeat him. Such a talent was certainly worth remembering.

...

In the camp, there were not only arenas but also taverns for leisure. Su Xin and Duan Yunfeng sat opposite each other in one.

"Su Xin, back in Dongyang City, you said you’d come to the Imperial Hunt to fight me. I didn't expect you to actually make it." Duan Yunfeng was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected that in just a few months, Su Xin’s cultivation would soar from the True Martial Realm to the Great Perfection of the Sea-Transformation Realm.

"I said I would come," Su Xin smiled. "Duan Yunfeng, a few months later, your cultivation has also improved. It seems you’re a lock for the top ten."

"Haha, I can't guarantee anything else, but the top ten is within my reach," Duan Yunfeng said confidently.

Su Xin nodded inwardly. He had noticed that Duan Yunfeng’s cultivation had advanced from the Great Perfection to the peak of the Sea-Transformation Realm. Previously, at the Great Perfection, Duan Yunfeng’s explosive power was already comparable to the peak. With his blade techniques and profound grasp of artistic conception, now that he had reached the peak, his strength was truly terrifying. Even two or three ordinary geniuses who had cleared the second level of the Dragon-Seeking Tower might not be a match for him.

"What about you? What level are you aiming for in this hunt?" Duan Yunfeng asked.

"Since you're confident in the top ten, I certainly won't fall behind," Su Xin laughed.

"You're aiming for the top ten too? Are you sure?" Duan Yunfeng stared at him intently.

"Of course," Su Xin nodded.

"Haha, that's great! In Dongyang City, your cultivation was too low, and I couldn't go all out. In this hunt... setting aside the competition in the first-stage hunting grounds, when we reach the final duels, if we meet, I must have a proper fight with you, no holds barred."

"It's a deal," Su Xin said, equally looking forward to a battle with Duan Yunfeng.

Just then, a few figures walked past. "Senior Sister, look, it's Duan Yunfeng!" one of them said, pointing in their direction. The woman leading the group glanced at Duan Yunfeng, pondered for a moment, cupped her hands in a respectful gesture, and walked away.

"Duan Yunfeng, do you know those people?" Su Xin asked.

"I don't know them, but I know who they are," Duan Yunfeng said with a faint smile. "That’s Fairy Luo, the top genius of the current generation of the Ziyun Sect. She is also qualified to challenge for the top twenty in this hunt."