Chapter 447: Eat The Table
Translator: Swammped Editor: Hitesh_
The more they neared Thunder City, the more young elites they met, which included peak geniuses with each having their own unique aura; dignified and lofty, gentle and elegant, or astonishing and beautiful. Every single one of them was the most outstanding elite of their own region.
Of course, when they arrived at the city, they finally got to witness the city of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. It was the place where all the young elites of the Southern sector converged. Apart from the likes of a few such as Thunder Princess and Edict Prince, nobody dared to be arrogant here. If someone did, it was because they had already been tested before.
"Thunder City, let me see what geniuses this place offers."
"This time, I'll amaze everybody for sure."
"As I see it, these peak geniuses from other regions might not be stronger than me!"
En-route, Ye Chen's group heard these kinds of voices everywhere. On one hand, they found it sort of amusing, and on the other hand, they had begun to get a feel of this fierce competitive atmosphere.
As the imperial capital of Thunder Region, Thunder City was the number one great city of the southern sector, and one of the ten greatest of the entire True Spirit Continent.
The vastness of Thunder City was hard to describe with words.
Standing ten miles away, Ye Chen's group could only see a black line stretching indefinitely; this black line was the city wall. Inside it, the silhouettes of buildings rose and fell in endless succession without any pattern horizontally or vertically. Without even nearing it, they could feel an ancient grandeur, which left them breathless.
Ye Chen remembered how he had been stunned the first time he entered the Martial city. Of course, comparing Martial City with Thunder City was like comparing a tattered hut with a luxurious villa. Even without considering the vastness, merely the city's silhouette and aura was at a completely different level. It was hard to imagine how much building this city would have cost.
This was a city standing since tens of thousands of years; the first city of southern city, and one of the ten great cities of True Spirit Continent.
As they walked closer, the city's silhouette cleared more and more, and its ancient aura seemed to be stagnating the air itself. Before this ancient aura, anyone who came here for the first time would be unable to control themselves, fearing that their movements might attract something unknown.
"Thunder City!"
Two ancient characters were engraved on the wall above the city gates. Thunder itself seemed to rumble within the 'thunder' character, while the 'city' character gave off a peaceful feeling.
"What a city!"
Underneath the gates, Ye Chen raised his head and said softly.
…
Upon entering the city, the ancient aura underwent a subtle transformation. Amidst the ancient vastness, it felt as if the city had always remained flourishing and resplendent over thousands of years. The passage of time didn't cause the city to lose its color in the slightest, and it was still in its most flourishing state.
On the streets that were wide like a plaza, endless streams of horses and carriages stretched as far as the eye could see, accompanied with the typical clamor of a city. Black heads could be seen in every corner; towering restaurants and shops stood on each side, seeming like a dam holding in the tides of people.
One in about ten people was a youngster, one in ten youngsters was a genius, and one in ten geniuses was a young elite capable of raising people's eyebrows.
Perhaps due to the exuberant dragon Qi, Ye Chen seemed to be hearing countless dragon cries. Of course, these faintly discernible sounds weren't real dragon cries. To be fair, most of the beast roars could be considered dragon cries at a stretch, and in the sky above the Thunder City, the winds were rumbling and clouds were incessantly morphing.. If one paid careful attention, one would be able to see a lot of dragon-shaped gales.
"The long-awaited Tea Gathering is finally happening. I, Huang Yuan, will definitely bask in the spotlight. At the very least, I must let others know my name."
Some youngsters who had recently left their clans felt their blood boiling, as their eyes shone brightly.
"This Tea Gathering will have the greatest number of participants. Without knowing a special skill or two, it won't be possible. Brother Huang, you better prepare yourself mentally. If the disparity turns out to be too great, you won't be able to handle the pressure." A somewhat experienced youngster beside him splashed him with some cold water.
There were numerous restaurants in Thunder City, and there was a dazzling restaurant at the crossroads. Ye Chen's group made their way inside.
"Manager, prepare four rooms for us."
The manager glanced at the group and then said with an apologetic expression, "My apologies, but our restaurant is already full. Precisely speaking, it has been full since three days."
Helpless, the four could only pick another restaurant.
However, the result was the same as before. Any restaurant that seemed luxurious was already full. Even somewhat subpar ones didn't have a single vacant room.
At this point, Gu Youyun said to Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng, "With the Tea Gathering in sight, Thunder City is really packed. It would be really difficult to find a restaurant with four vacant rooms if we look together. Why don't we look for one separately? That way, our chances will be much better."
Ye Chen nodded; the former's words were right. Finding a restaurant in groups of two would be much easier. Moreover, he and Gu Youyun were not that close to begin with. It was time to go on separate ways.
Eventually, the two were able to find a middle-class restaurant in a somewhat desolate area of Thunder City. Only three empty rooms were remaining there.
Normally, this restaurant wasn't even thirty percent full. But today, the restaurant was packed, and the atmosphere inside was lively.
"Please come this way." The two followed after a worker.
On the third floor, Ye Chen picked a room towards outside while Murong Qingcheng picked a room inside the corridor.
The guest room was clean and spacious. It had a bedroom, a hall, and a bathroom. On the floor was a thick carpet which looked ancient yet elegant.
After spending some time inside the room, the color of the sky darkened. Ye Chen and Murong Qingcheng went downstairs together and arrived in the lobby of the second floor.
The second floor's lobby was quite bustling, mostly constituting of young men and women.
"Did you hear, another powerful genius has appeared from Floating Light Region, the Edict Prince's place. He has condensed a true martial soul at a young age and defeated Gold Sand Region's former number two genius. His fame is on the rise, only behind the Edict Prince himself. Moreover, he crushed dozens of geniuses at the arena in western district yesterday."
"Floating Light Region's number two genius, Mo Zhuoming, right? He actually defeated that guy… His strength can't be underestimated. This time's Tea Gathering is getting more and more interesting."
"Right? These past few years, geniuses are emerging one after another, and old peak geniuses are being pushed down constantly. Who knows if another true dragon level genius will appear this time who can threaten Edict Prince."
"That doesn't seem much likely. Other geniuses can be surpassed, but the Edict Prince and the rest of these guys are true dragon level geniuses. That's pretty much the highest you can go. To threaten them, it's more or less impossible in the Astral Reaching realm."
"The Tea Gathering hasn't even begun yet. How can you say that for sure?"
"Hehe, if such a genius appears, I'll eat this table."
"I'm not convinced. I'll keep this table for you."
"That's fine, but what if there isn't one?"
"Then I'll eat this one."
The surrounding people were quite engrossed in the conversation between the two. However, the majority favored the former. After all, true dragon level geniuses were not onions that could be produced at will.
The young elite who was intending to safeguard the table sneered and said inwardly, "If there wasn't a big chance, how could I have said such a thing. My master is a Master Astrologist. Three days ago, he said that the sky above Thunder City is a chaotic mess, and a storm is gathering. Apart from the three atmospheric true dragons that have already condensed, there are some more false dragons. More importantly, not one of these dragons approached the southern district. When geniuses converged normally, such a situation had never appeared in the past. This is impossible to occur amidst a power struggle between three true dragons. This means that there is an even more frightening dragon approaching the southern sector, and even before the person has himself arrived, his vehemence has already made the other three dragons not dare to approach the southern sector."
He understood that the true dragon and fake dragons his master spoke of were unfathomable and invisible phenomenon. Only those proficient in Astrology and Feng Shui could feel them. Of course, Life and Death Kings could also see them, and the latter could even influence them.
"Kid, be ready to eat the table! Though, I think we need to change locations. How could you eat a table by yourself? There should be a few more spectators."
The lean youngster quietly left the restaurant with a goofy smile on his face.
Seeing the youngster leave, Ye Chen smiled and sat with Murong Qingcheng on an empty table.
…
In another restaurant not far away from Ye Chen's…
"I wonder… We'll have to find out. There are so many geniuses in this world. We are nothing but frogs at the bottom of the well." Li Daoxuan sipped his wine and sighed.
Yan Chihao said, "What, you afraid?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head, "Not afraid, but excited."
"That's more like you." Li Daoxuan and Yan Chihao had a strange relationship. They could be regarded as friends, but also rivals. Before Ye Chen appeared, they openly fought each other, vying for the first place on the Hidden Dragon List. But, after Ye Chen appeared, it all changed.
Placing down his wine cup, Li Daoxuan looked outside, "I wonder where they are."
By they, he meant Ye Chen and Sikong Sheng. In South Rudra Region, these two were the only individuals who were relatively powerful. One possessed a King's bloodline and was connected to a King, while the other emerged as a new force, forcibly turning the tides. Nothing seemed to be able to stop their rise.
"Sikong Sheng will come for sure, but I am not sure about Ye Chen."
Yan Chihuo understood Sikong Sheng. Although the latter was younger than him, he was much more accomplished. He didn't believe that after suffering a loss from Ye Chen, he would gradually fall off. The setback would only make him much stronger, and let him climb the peak much faster. If Ye Chen hadn't appeared, Yan Chihou thought that his road to Life and Death King would have instead been more perilous. After all, there hadn't been one genius in history who had achieved the Life and Death realm without difficulties.
As for Ye Chen, he couldn't see through him at all. He was like a cloud in the sky, condensing, dispersing, everchanging; formless like the wind. The feeling Ye Chen gave him was strange yet frightening. When he first saw him at the tournament, he had somewhat lost control himself and was overly eager to surpass him. However, it now seemed that his subconsciousness was telling him that he had to defeat him right then; otherwise, he wouldn't have a chance in the future.
"That's right! I think so too. But, I believe that he will come for sure, be it intentionally or unintentionally." Li Daoxuan said while sipping taking a sip.
"A sword artist's intuition?"
Yan Chihuo felt that Li Daoxuan was quite mysterious.
The latter shook his head. Saying it was intuition was not precise. Perhaps, it was his obstinate belief.
The two sitting together were quite eye-catching. One was a blade artist, and the other was a sword artist. Their incorporeal blade Qi and sword Qi were interweaving together, giving off incorporeal sparks and causing the surrounding people to not approach them. They occasionally raised their brows, wondering which region these geniuses belonged to.
…
Inside the lobby…
Ye Chen smiled, "What a coincidence! We have friends nearby."
He hadn't used his soul power, but Yan Chihou and Li Daoxuan's colliding aura was still felt by him. Whenever the blade and sword met, they always strived against each other. Blade Dao and Sword Dao always resisted each other, not willing to be pushed down by the other.
Murong Qingcheng raised her brows as she hadn't felt anything. The former's perception was too sharp. How many auras were there in the surroundings, blended with each other and creating chaos? To distinguish one of these auras as belonging to a friend? This was simply too inconceivable!