Chapter Forty-Three: The Opening

“How could they dare to ask for ten spirit stones for a book this shoddily made?” Zhou Tian’s face was full of dissatisfaction as he gazed at the book lying on the table. Though the calligraphy upon it was elegant and flowing, it could not conceal the fact that the book was made of nothing more than papyrus. His family was wealthy indeed, but being rich and being a fat sheep ripe for slaughter were two very different things!

“Master, this information comes from the Pilgrims, a group subordinate to the Fools. Their spies are spread throughout the Nine Provinces, and the credibility of their intelligence is extremely high. The book is published by the Treasure Pavilion. As you know, those people are all penny-pinchers—what truly holds value is the intelligence within, not the material itself, so they cut costs wherever they can!” The servant at his side spoke with head bowed.

“Enough, I understand…” Zhou Tian waved his hand dismissively. The Fools, ever since the matter with the Grand Diviner, had been at odds with the Heavenly Qin Empire. Though they would not sabotage grand events, they never hesitated to make trouble in smaller affairs such as this. Thus, they had chosen to cooperate with the Treasure Pavilion instead of the empire’s official channels.

The servant withdrew, and Zhou Tian opened the book. The first page was labeled “Dharmic Manifestation Rank”—straight to the main topic.

Surprisingly, the top spot was not held by anyone from the imperial capital, but by a wanderer.

“Banished Immortal: None like him in the heavens, the Banished Immortal of the ages! Name unknown, bone age verified at seventeen; undefeated since his first battle, capable of wielding myriad divine arts with ease, Three Treasures Divine Powers unknown, suspected to be the reincarnation of some ancient figure named Mu Tian!”

“Interesting,” Zhou Tian murmured, somewhat astonished. He hadn’t expected such a figure to rank first—he would never have known if not for this book. He read on.

“Zhou Xunchuan, third son of the Qin Emperor, seventeen years old, cultivates the royal secret arts. When his Dharmic Manifestation appeared, dragons roared for ten thousand miles. Three Treasures Divine Powers unknown.”

Zhou Xunchuan occupied second place. Following him were the young prodigies of the imperial capital—Zhou Zui, Gu Feng, Li Xuanyi—all listed, except for Zhou Tian himself.

Besides these figures, there were a few other wanderers, nearly all of whom had participated in a past Youth Tournament. There were twenty names in total. At the end of the ranking, Zhou Tian found a line that made him chuckle.

“The above rankings are in no particular order!”

Rankings in no order—what a paradox! Shaking his head, Zhou Tian flipped to the section labeled “Three Treasures Realm.”

At the top, a line read:

“These are provisional rankings and subject to change at any time!”

It seemed this list was, after all, in order. This section was the true focus, for most participants this year were in the Three Treasures Realm—the previous Dharmic Manifestation rank was reserved for the elite, with little relevance to the rest.

The top spot here was held by someone from the Southern Wilderness tribes, already at the peak of the Three Treasures and on the verge of breaking through to the Dharmic Manifestation. But that had nothing to do with Zhou Tian.

After turning several pages, Zhou Tian finally found Tian Ling’s name, ranked at 358.

“Tian Ling, disciple of the Grandmaster of the Vast Sky Sect, fiancée of Prince Zhou Tian, third son of the King of Qin, in the Earth Treasury stage, her Celestial Treasury Divine Power is an offensive art, while her Earth Treasury cultivation is unknown.”

“Not bad, not bad!” Zhou Tian smiled and nodded. The Fools had some sense, even including her engagement to him—he was quite satisfied.

The intelligence of this Pilgrims group was truly impressive. It had been only a day since Tian Ling broke through to Earth Treasury, yet they had already caught wind of it.

The rest of the book contained little of consequence. Only in Tian Ling’s entry did Zhou Tian find his own name, but he took no offense. After all, he was “just a mortal,” wasn’t he?

…This was merely a minor episode to while away Zhou Tian’s boredom. Days passed swiftly, and soon it was time for the Youth Tournament’s royal capital matches to begin.

This was, after all, a grand event held once every four years across the province, and the opening ceremony was suitably lavish.

With nothing better to do, Zhou Tian pulled along Tian Ling, who had just emerged from seclusion. During this time, she had not managed to break through to the Human Treasury stage; half a month was simply too short.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Tian poured some Heavenly Dragon tea into a glazed purple clay cup and handed it to Tian Ling, asking with a smile, “Ling’er, do you remember the last time you got drunk?”

Tian Ling took the cup, pausing slightly. Her skin was luminous, her cheeks tinged with a rosy glow as she lowered her eyes. Gripping the cup a little tighter, she sipped the golden tea and nodded.

“I remember…”

“Then can you tell me what happened that time?” Zhou Tian leaned closer, breathing in her delicate fragrance. Gazing at the woman before him, so lovely she seemed to have stepped out of a painting, he asked gently.

“The details… I don’t recall… Only that I drank too much…” Tian Ling’s voice was so soft it was barely audible, her head bowed with embarrassment. It was all Sister Liu’s fault for making her drink so much wine. Her subsequent behavior had been so out of character that she blushed just thinking of it, unable to focus on her cultivation for days.

“Let me help you remember then.” Zhou Tian reached out, lifting Tian Ling’s delicate chin with one finger. Her large, limpid eyes, framed by long lashes, brows arched like distant mountains, skin smooth as jade and flushed with a rosy hue, her hesitant gaze—all of it awakened a mischievous delight in Zhou Tian.

Tian Ling did not know what had come over her. Zhou Tian’s finger was gentle, yet she could not resist as her face was lifted. He was, after all, just a mortal—she could have pushed him away with a mere gesture, and yet she found herself powerless, her hands tightly entwined in her lap.

Her lashes quivered. Seeing Zhou Tian’s teasing smile, Tian Ling closed her eyes.

Zhou Tian, watching her do so, smiled and leaned in until only a breath separated their faces—yet he did not kiss her.

Tian Ling waited and waited, but nothing happened. Confused, she opened her eyes, and just as she did, Zhou Tian kissed her, his tongue twining with hers…

Their gazes met—Zhou Tian’s eyes full of mischief, Tian Ling’s wide with shock, followed by resignation. She was utterly helpless before his antics…

The tournament grounds were located in the eastern part of the imperial city, expressly constructed for the Youth Tournament and generally closed to the public. The structure resembled a sports stadium from Zhou Tian’s past life, but was at least a hundred times larger, all in pristine white. In the center lay the dueling platforms—over a hundred in number—each inscribed with space expanding arrays. Though vast within, the external view could focus on any two combatants, a marvel of ingenuity.

Encircling the platforms were tier upon tier of grandstands, enough to accommodate tens of thousands. The second level housed the VIP seats reserved for the capital’s elite.

When their carriage arrived, Zhou Tian stepped down grinning wickedly, while Tian Ling’s cheeks still held a faint blush.

By then, the arena was nearly full, with crowds lining up outside, faces alight with excitement, chattering animatedly and bursting into laughter. Thankfully, there was a special passage for distinguished guests, sparing Zhou Tian and Tian Ling from waiting in line.