Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

"The Gathering Talent Villa is just ahead!" After winding past high walls and long corridors, Ling Fei and the others arrived at an Imperial Palace Garden, where Shangguan Wan'Er made the announcement.

At this moment, the people from Celestial River Academy were heading toward it.

As for Tianyan Academy, they had already gone ahead.

This was the place where the Celestial Emperor summoned geniuses!

'Gathering Talent Villa?' Ling Fei couldn't help but release his Heart Spirit.

As his Heart Spirit reached out, Ling Fei perceived a massive villa.

Within the villa were pavilions, grand halls, and a wide stage.

At the very front was a great hall. There, a man in a Dragon Robe was seated upon a Throne on the dais.

This man looked almost identical to the Dharma Aspect Ling Fei had seen in the Void at Celestial River Academy.

This was none other than the Celestial Emperor of the Great Tang Empire.

On a platform three steps below the dais, several tables were arranged, draped in yellow brocade.

Four young men in Flood Dragon robes were currently seated cross-legged at them.

All four youths were Princes, and the Ninth Prince was among them.

However, he, who had always occupied the central position, had been placed in the last seat on the left.

The center was the seat of honor!

This treatment left him feeling incredibly sullen.

Though it wasn't stated explicitly, it seemed the Celestial Emperor was truly giving him the cold shoulder.

'The Seventh Prince's talent is good. He already possesses the Four Spirits Body, and he's only missing the Fire Spirit Body to achieve the Five Virtues Body. While he doesn't meet the conditions to be named Crown Prince, he could still cultivate a True Dragon Body and become a True Dragon Emperor with the help of the True Dragon Divine Seal. His mother has also been gaining Father Emperor's favor recently, posing a great threat to me.'

'Ling Fei!' The Ninth Prince roared in his heart. 'It's all because of that bastard.'

Now, at the slightest provocation, his emotions would destabilize, and he would become uncontrollably irritable.

The Celestial Emperor's seating arrangement now sent his mind racing with wild thoughts.

'I wonder if the Thousand-Faced Daoist has everything arranged.' Murderous intent flared in the Ninth Prince's heart.

At this point, regardless of what his Father Emperor was thinking, the Ninth Prince wanted Ling Fei dead. Otherwise, he would never be able to stomach this insult.

On another platform below the one where the Princes sat, there were five more tables. Seated there were five women of peerless beauty and extraordinary temperament. These women were the daughters of the current Celestial Emperor, the Princesses of the Empire.

Below the Princesses, yet another platform held eight tables. Six people were already seated, all of them geniuses from the Empire.

However, two seats in the very center remained empty.

These two positions represented the highest honor.

Only true geniuses were qualified to occupy the central seats.

As for the others, they were seated on the left and right sides of the great hall, in rows that stretched to the entrance.

'The Celestial Emperor is already in the hall.' Ling Fei was somewhat taken aback by this discovery from his Heart Spirit.

'For someone of the Celestial Emperor's status to arrive first and wait for everyone else... it spoke volumes of his character and cultivation. He was nothing like those tyrannical Monarchs of legend.'

Just as Ling Fei's Heart Spirit Sensing reached the hall, he suddenly noticed the Celestial Emperor on the Throne glance in his direction.

The Celestial Emperor seemed to have detected him, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint, enigmatic smile.

'He detected me?' Ling Fei was inwardly shaken. 'Truly a Heaven-Reaching expert. To think he could sense even a wisp of my Heart Spirit.'

At that moment, Ling Fei's heart filled with awe for the Martial Arts World.

"Everyone, the Gathering Hall is just ahead!" By now, a Palace Attendant had led them to the base of the great hall.

"'The Gathering Hall... it's magnificent!' Everyone looked up to see a colossal hall, ten zhang high, standing majestically atop the stairs before them."

Guided by the Palace Attendant, the crowd climbed the ninety-nine steps and arrived before the Gathering Hall.

"Your Majesty, the students of Celestial River Academy have arrived!" a Palace Attendant announced from within the great hall.

"Let them enter!" the Celestial Emperor spoke. The sound waves of his voice reverberated through the spacious hall, and a supreme Celestial Might spread forth.

Upon hearing his voice, everyone was filled with solemn respect.

"Announcing the students of Celestial River Academy for an audience with His Majesty!" a clear voice called out.

Then, the thousand students from Celestial River Academy formed two columns and proceeded into the great hall.

"Shangguan Wan'Er, student of Celestial River Academy... pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Ling Fei, student of Celestial River Academy... pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Led by Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er, all the students bowed to the Celestial Emperor.

In the Empire, these students held a special status and were exempt from kneeling when meeting the Emperor.

This was a sign of the high regard the Celestial Emperor had for these talented individuals.

With their arrival, the students from the Three Great Academies were all present.

"All of you are the geniuses of my Great Tang Empire. There is no need for such ceremony. Today, I have gathered you not as a monarch meeting his subjects, but as a gathering of fellow Daoists. Here, we can all discuss the Dao, talk of ancient and modern times, chat about the vast Martial Arts World, and voice our aspirations. Today, we are all peers!" The Great Tang Emperor wore a kind smile, truly appearing like a friend to them all. His words immediately made everyone in the hall feel less constrained.

"Everyone, please be seated!"

Then, several Palace Attendants came forward and guided the geniuses of Celestial River Academy to their seats.

Under the watch of countless eyes, Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er were guided to their seats in the row of tables just below the Princesses.

The five Princesses all smiled at Ling Fei.

Ling Fei returned a polite smile.

Ling Fei was seated in the center position, a treatment that caused the students beside him to look on with envy.

This position represented the Celestial Emperor's favor.

'He's the one sitting there?' The Ninth Prince's expression grew even more grim.

Ling Fei and Shangguan Wan'Er sat together. His gaze shifted to the side, where several Celestial Spirit Realm experts were seated.

Two of them were from the Wu Clan: Wu Tongxuan and Wu Tongyou.

Another was Wang Zhiyuan of the Wang Clan, who had entered the Celestial Spirit Realm two months prior.

The remaining three were all disciples of the Li Clan who had also reached the Celestial Spirit Realm.

The other geniuses could only be seated in descending order of importance to the left and right of the main hall.

There were three rows on both the left and right sides of the hall, where all two thousand six hundred students were now seated.

Everyone's relative status was clear at a glance.

Everyone looked at Ling Fei with faces full of envy, yet few dared to object.

By now, Ling Fei's name had spread throughout the entire Empire.

"I will offer the first toast to you all!" the Celestial Emperor declared, rising from the dais and raising his cup.

Immediately, Ling Fei and the others also stood up. They turned to face the Celestial Emperor on the dais and raised their cups as well.

"To Your Majesty!" the two thousand six hundred students chorused.

The Celestial Emperor drained his cup.

Only then did he sit back down on the Throne.

After settling back onto the Throne, the Celestial Emperor's gaze swept across the hall as he spoke in a deep voice, "All of you are geniuses of my Empire. The future prosperity and stability of the Empire will rest on your shoulders. Of course, the Four Major Sects from the Southern Wilderness are here to select disciples, and one-third of you will be able to enter the Southern Wilderness Martial Arts World."

"There are people from our Empire there as well," the Celestial Emperor continued. "When you arrive, you must all stick together. Only by doing so will you be able to establish a foothold in the outside world."

"Should any of you grow weary of the outside world, you can return to the Empire at any time. This will always be your homeland, and there will always be a place for you here."

These people had not even entered the Southern Wilderness, yet the Celestial Emperor was already winning their hearts and minds.

"We will take Your Majesty's words to heart! We will never forget our love for our homeland!" the students in the hall declared one after another.

Everyone was visibly excited.

They had all felt immense pressure before coming to see the Celestial Emperor, but now, they were filled with nothing but fervent passion.

Many could already envision themselves making a name in the Southern Wilderness.

Others pictured the day they would become powerful figures within the Empire.

In short, all their previous worries had vanished.

After all, there were many geniuses here, and most of them would not be able to enter the Southern Wilderness. They had been afraid of being neglected by the Empire.

But now, it was clear that such fears had been unfounded.

"Excellent. In that case, I wish you all a brilliant future, and may you reach your own Martial Arts Peak," the Celestial Emperor said, raising his cup.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the students replied, raising their cups.

Everyone was deeply moved.

This was especially true for the students of Celestial River Academy.

They had all witnessed the might of the Celestial Emperor's Dharma Aspect.

In their eyes, the Celestial Emperor was a lofty figure, like a Divine Spirit—an existence they could only look up to in awe.

Yet now, this very same Celestial Emperor was gathered with them, sharing drinks and good wishes.

It was a day that many of them would not forget, even decades later.

'To celebrate alongside the students... the Great Tang Emperor is truly a remarkable figure.' Ling Fei couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.

'Initially, he hadn't held a favorable impression of this so-called Celestial Emperor.'

'But seeing him now, regardless of anything else, a Celestial Emperor who could act this way was far better than any tyrant.'

'Legends told of cruel Emperors in the past who made their subjects tremble in fear and their people cry out in misery.'

"Heh, Seventh Prince, you should spend more time with these geniuses. The future belongs to your generation," the Celestial Emperor said, rising after a bit more conversation.

"Yes, Father Emperor!" the Seventh Prince replied, rising and bowing.

"Everyone, please enjoy the rest of the evening!" the Celestial Emperor said to the crowd.

After the Celestial Emperor departed, it was time for the young people to mingle and socialize.

"Young Master Ling, I have long heard of your great name. To meet you today is a true honor. I toast to you!" As soon as the Celestial Emperor left, the Seventh Prince rose, raised his cup toward Ling Fei, and downed it in one go, his manner appearing exceptionally frank and open.

"Heh, you're too kind, Seventh Prince." Ling Fei smiled, raised his own cup, and also drained it.

'Father Emperor just left, and already the Seventh Prince is fawning over Ling Fei. Is he trying to win him over?' The Ninth Prince's face was dark.

"Young Master Ling, with the Four Major Sects arriving soon, I wonder which Sect you intend to join?" a Princess asked, rising and raising her cup to Ling Fei.

"The selection hasn't even begun. It's too early to say," Ling Fei replied with a smile.

"Heh, if Young Master Ling were to remain in the Empire, it would be a great blessing for us," a Prince commented.

'Remain in the Empire?' Ling Fei was taken aback for a moment.

"Haha, a man of Young Master Ling's prodigious talent would naturally yearn for the vast Martial Arts World," several of the Princes and Princesses said with a laugh.

The attention everyone paid to Ling Fei clearly surpassed that given to any other genius.

In the past, Shangguan Wan'Er would have been the center of attention, but now Ling Fei had become the one the members of the Royal Family sought to court.

After all, behind him stood an existence who could rival the Celestial Emperor himself. Who wouldn't want to win his favor?

Only the Ninth Prince wore a dark expression; the other geniuses were filled with envy.

What other genius in the Empire could claim to be so fawned over by multiple Princes and Princesses?

However, everyone virtually ignored the Ninth Prince. Ling Fei, on the other hand, was chatting amiably with the geniuses of various clans about the upcoming selection.

They were all filled with anticipation for the Four Major Sects.

As night fell and the banquet began to break up, a Palace Attendant suddenly arrived with a Holy Edict. "His Majesty requests an audience with Young Master Ling!"

'What? Father Emperor wants to see Ling Fei alone?' the Ninth Prince thought, his expression turning sinister.

'The Celestial Emperor wants to see me?' Ling Fei looked surprised.

"The Celestial Emperor is wise. He shouldn't make things difficult for you. You should go," Shangguan Wan'Er whispered from beside him.

"In that case, you all head back first. I'll go and be right back," Ling Fei said.