Chapter Forty-Nine: The Gathering of Guests

Almost nothing that happened in the Imperial Capital could escape the eyes and ears of these people. The recent actions of the Prince Qin’s Manor had not been concealed in the slightest, so with a bit of inquiry, they could uncover the entire sequence of events, even catching wind of the subtle maneuvers by those from the Grand Luo Academy. Although Zhou Tian had not invited them, they had nothing better to do, so they decided to come and see for themselves what tricks the young master of Prince Qin’s Manor could possibly pull off.

Entering through the exclusive passage for distinguished guests, Zhou Tian was teleported directly into his own private suite. Tian Ling did not follow; she had her own match today and needed to prepare. Only upon entering did Zhou Tian realize that not only had the capital’s prominent figures arrived, but the influential powers from the other provinces were all present as well.

The Nation of Artisans, the Dao Alliance, the Fools, the Light, the Luotian Temple, the Treasure Pavilion, the Grand Luo Academy—representatives from all eight provinces had converged. This left Zhou Tian somewhat bewildered. He wasn’t surprised by the presence of the Grand Luo Academy, since they had been plotting against him for quite some time and were bound to come and witness the outcome. But the others—what were they doing here, joining in the commotion as if they feared the spectacle wasn’t grand enough?

He had just taken his seat when the door to the suite sounded. Opening it, Zhou Zui’s playful, grinning face appeared before him. He looked nothing like the scion of a princely house, more like a street ruffian.

“Well, Zhou Tian, flying into a rage for a beauty, are we?” Zhou Zui teased with a smile, not bothering to wait for Zhou Tian’s invitation. He sauntered in as if he owned the place, flopped onto the sofa, plucked a golden fruit resembling a grape from the table, and popped it into his mouth with a look of satisfaction.

“The Heir of the Carefree King is truly well-informed—seems nothing in the capital can escape your venerable notice,” Zhou Tian replied with a hint of sarcasm, pushing Zhou Zui’s feet off the table.

“And you, Heir of Prince Qin, are even more impressive—so bold in your actions! When you detain people, you do it in droves!” Zhou Zui retorted, not to be outdone.

“We call it an invitation. Everyone was brought here by the Blue-Eyed Golden-Eyed Beasts. Our Prince Qin’s Manor never bullies the innocent!” Zhou Tian replied, helping himself to a golden fruit as well—sweet and tart, quite pleasing.

He knew Zhou Zui was referring to the relatives of those whom the Grand Luo Academy had approached recently. Prince Qin’s men had brought them all here in the past few days. But it wasn’t an arrest—none of them had committed a crime, so why detain them? Prince Qin’s Manor would never stoop to such a thing, giving others cause for gossip.

“Of course, of course—you’re the star of the day. Whatever you say goes…” Zhou Zui replied with feigned deference.

“Enough of that. Why do all those old foxes have so much free time? What are they doing here? Don’t tell me there’s something going on today that I don’t know about?” Zhou Tian asked, unwilling to argue further. He didn’t believe for a moment those elders were here just for the fun of it.

“Who knows?” Zhou Zui replied, hooked on the fruit, a small pile of pits already accumulating.

“I’ll go tell Liu Yan right now that you’ve been secretly pining for her for ages and fantasize about her image every night!” Zhou Tian said with a sinister smile, watching Zhou Zui’s nonchalance.

Zhou Zui nearly fell off the sofa, exasperated. “My dear brother, where do you come up with these things? Those old foxes really are just here for the show—at least, I don’t know of anything else happening today.”

“Alright,” Zhou Tian replied, studying him for a moment before nodding.

At that moment, the door sounded again. Zhou Tian gestured for Zhou Zui to answer it. Under threat from Zhou Tian’s words, Zhou Zui reluctantly got up to open the door.

This time, Liu Yan and Zhou Xunchuan entered. Liu Yan was dressed in scarlet, her oval face radiant, her figure graceful and alluring, her chin slightly raised—a true queen in every sense. Zhou Xunchuan wore a white robe embroidered with a golden dragon, his handsome features set in a gentle smile.

Seeing the two, Zhou Tian finally nodded. This was more like it. Zhou Zui, by contrast, seemed completely out of place.

Remembering Zhou Tian’s earlier threat, Zhou Zui shrank to one side, feeling guilty.

“Well, well, isn’t this the Heir of the Carefree King? Why aren’t you at the Dance Pavilion?” Liu Yan teased, her queenly air vanishing as she put on the airs of a sulking maiden.

“Heh…” Zhou Zui, usually quick-tongued, could only muster an awkward laugh in front of Liu Yan.

“Zhou Tian, are you confident about today?” Zhou Xunchuan, playing the peacemaker, changed the topic.

“Not absolute, but I’m eighty percent sure,” Zhou Tian responded after a pause. Every plan had its uncertainties; despite his preparations, he couldn’t guarantee everything would unfold as intended.

“Eighty percent is enough,” Zhou Xunchuan nodded encouragingly. “Do what you must. This is Tianqin—you have people backing you, don’t worry!”

As they spoke, the door sounded once more. This time it was Zhang Yi, disciple of the Imperial Preceptor. As soon as the door opened, his laughter rang out.

“I cast a divination before leaving today and foresaw great events unfolding here!” Zhang Yi’s smile was infectious, reminiscent of those sunny boys from Zhou Tian’s previous life—no wonder he had legions of adoring fans in the capital, and even some noble ladies of a certain age were rumored to be enamored.

“Charlatan! Zhou Tian’s actions are already known to all—no need for divination,” came a mocking voice from behind. It was Sun Zhou, son of the Duke of Wei, a master of strategy himself and Zhang Yi’s perennial rival. Their legendary rivalry was the stuff of best-selling clandestine novels.

Soon after, Wu Meng, Zhao Yuan, Li Xuanyi, and Gu Zhen all arrived in Zhou Tian’s suite. Thankfully, the room was equipped with an automatically expanding spatial array; otherwise, it would have been far too cramped.

As golden runes danced through the air, the room’s boundaries blurred and extended, enlarging nearly tenfold in moments. The new seats were all carved from purple sandalwood dragon timber—luxurious, imbued with mystical properties—just enough for everyone to find a place. They sat in a row around the observation window, from which the entire arena was clearly visible.

At the center of the grounds stood a single, immense white stage—the other platforms had vanished. The seats around it were packed with spectators; if not for the room’s noise-filtering enchantment, their ears might have been shattered by the roar.

From some unseen corner came a faint yet powerful drumbeat. Golden patterns shimmered across the building’s surface, emitting a soft rainbow glow in time with the crowd’s energy, as if the whole structure were breathing. The drumbeats emanated from these patterns.

As the drumming intensified, the noise of the audience gradually faded. They all knew this was the signal that the competition was about to begin.

Though the drums thundered, there was a calming power within them. After all, this was the Youth Tournament, not the blood-soaked Royal Arena—there was no need for frenzied shouting and deafening roars.