Host’s note: I hosted this story on RRL for the author. Past tense because the future is unknown from here on out.

“So it is him…”

King Lan Fu murmured to himself as he stared at Jin Xia standing at the center of the colosseum.

By his side, Lan Gan likewise had a serious expression while looking towards the stage. As royalty, in this kind of situation, it would only be right for the King or the Prince to speak up.

If it was any other evildoer, the situation would be quickly reversed around.However, following the sudden bizarre turns of event, Lan Gan did not know what to say. The strange comments made by the youth and the instant dispatching of two royal elders without a leak in Qi energy…these scenarios had simply never happened before!

Looking back to his father, Lan Gan could likewise see a pondering look on the former’s face. With a solemn expression, Lan Gan turned towards the section where he had previously saw the white robed youth flew out from.

“Over there should be where the Jin Clan is situated…but with their status and power, how could they dare have someone so audacious. Or could it be the Hanmu Clan besides them? No no, they definitely wouldn’t…just…what is going on? A rebellion? Or is it simply a madman?” Lan Gan’s mind raced as he tried to organize everything he had seen.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he could not think of any clan who would dare go against their royal family. The only explanation was that an anomaly had appeared…an anomaly that was a madman!

While Lan Gan was trying to figure out Jin Xia’s state of mind, another youth was likewise doing the same at a far away corner of the colosseum. With a chubby appearance, the young man had a strange expression while he stared at Jin Xia, who was standing calmly on the stage.

“This guy…just what is trying to do? Is it he not aware tha— wait, why is he not afraid? Could it be…his cultivation level has…? But, but… during our training, I haven’t even seen him meditate once! Just what is going on…” Hu Feng, who was sitting among the shocked group of Jin clansmen, tried to understand the ‘logic’ behind Jin Xia’s move.

Since he was merely at the first stage of Spiritual Dan, Hu Feng could obviously not feel other practitioner’s cultivation level. As such, even though he had been with Jin Xia for the past month training in the mountain, Hu Feng still had no idea of Jin Xia’s power level.

“How crude. Two elders moving out at once to attack a youth, is that what the Lan clan like to do?” Jin Xia sneered as he stood loftily on stage.

His voice echoed across the colosseum as everyone stared mutely at the white robed youth. Before, they had been mocking Jin Xia due to his status and sudden appearance. However, now that they had seen the other party’s strength, some even began to think long and hard about Jin Xia’s previous question*, trying to figure out if there were any hidden meanings behind it. There are even some who were still trying to wrap their heads around Jin Xia coming from the Jin Clan’s section, causing a few to feel a certain sense of trepidation…

*The previous question this is referring to, is when Jin Xia asked the crowd if anyone had Cherry Flower Tea on them.

Lan Fu stared at Jin Xia a while longer before he finally spoke, his rough laugher breaking the silence.

“Haha, to think a young hero like you to appear in this generation, and to even come from my very own Great Azure country, the Heaven has truly treated my Lan clan well!”

Jin Xia slowly turned to look at the location where the king sat, a strange gleam within his black pupils.

“Child, what is your name?” Lan Fu asked as his raspy voice pierced the air, looking down at Jin Xia from his high seat.

“…”

Jin Xia gazed slightly upward at Lan Fu, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face, before he began to walk towards the king.

A smile silently stretched across Lan Fu’s face when he saw Jin Xia’s action.

“Look, it seems that kid is going to pay proper respect to the king!”

“Of course he would! Although I’m not sure how he defeated those two elders, in the end, those two guards are nothing in comparison to the king!”

“Originally I thought he would actually cause a ruckus here, but alas, it must have been merely for him to catch the eyes of King Lan Fu. After all, who would dare to truly agitate the royal family?”

“Damn! How ingenious! With that display of strength, even if that boy beat a few royal elders the king would most likely forgive him as long as he is willing to be loyal to the royal family…Maybe I should’ve jumped up there earlier as well…”

Whispers drifted through the crowd as everyone began to discuss with one another, seeing Jin Xia slowly walking towards the King’s direction.

After he was approximately ten feet away from the high throne where King Lan Fu sat, Jin Xia stood still. A faint smile glowed on his face.

However, contrary to popular expectations, the youth did not bow. Nor did he knelt, much less even a word of acknowledgment and respect to the king.

Instead, a clear voice rang throughout the colosseum, stunning everyone who heard it.

“I don’t enjoy people talking down to me, while seated up high. And I can’t see you quite well from here…Why don’t you come for me?”

Without waiting, Jin Xia flicked his sleeves as a massive black colored Qi energy shot towards the bottom of the stone stand. With the intense speed it was traveling, in no time, a loud explosion could be heard as the white stone began to break apart.

Lan Fu’s eyes widened when he saw the black Qi energy. Before, he could not clearly see Jin Xia’s attack, but now that he was close up…

The stone stand beneath the king’s throne soon crumbled to the ground.

The audience around once again watched on in utter shock, their mouth agape in trepidation.

He…actually dared to attack the king!

At this moment, many people felt that Jin Xia was doomed. To attack a royal family was naturally already a high offense enough to warrant a complete death. But to dare attack the ruthless Lan clan in a grand occasion such as this…one can only imagine the torture the royal family would do to the youth in order for them to gain back their face!

However, there were a few within the crowd who watched with a strange expression, both mixed with dread and awe.

“That…was materialisation of Qi energy!” An elderly man in green robe murmured.

“An ability like that is something only a Xing Profound eccentric could wield…that, that child, how could he send out his Qi energy?!” Another old man softly said in shock. “And I cannot even feel a shred of aura from him either…”

The old generation within the crowd, who were all at least Spiritual Dan, was able to clearly understand the meaning of the black Qi energy released by Jin Xia.

Their minds spun as they tried to comprehend everything, while they began to think back about the rumors a few months ago on a sixteen years old who was said to have reached the Xing Profound realm…could it be…?

By now, no one dwelled on the fact that Jin Xia came from the Jin Clan. In front of them was only the incomparably audacious youth and the bleak future before him.

As the dust cleared, a figure could be seen seated on a half shattered throne. While his body and hair remained untouched despite the thick billows of dust, a murderous air had formed around Lan Fu’s body. An evil gleam shone darkly within his eyes as he looked towards Jin Xia, who was now on the same ground level.

The smile which had been plastered over the king’s face was still there. It was just that a chilling touch was now present. A faint frown could be seen sitting at the center of Lan Fu’s eyebrows.

“Ah, now I can see you better.” Jin Xia smiled as he gazed back at Lan Fu. “I’m called Jin Xia. Now, tell me, isn’t the ground a more fitting place for you to speak?”

Lan Fu did not continue to reply as he slowly raised his left hand. Quickly, several of auras appeared within the vicinity. And judging from the level of auras, there were at least eight Spiritual Dan practitioners! The rest of the auras ranged between the late stages of Wudan to the peak.

When the surrounding audience felt the auras, they immediately sucked in an air of cold breath; especially for the various clans present. Although those cultivators had not revealed themselves yet, their auras had already allowed the people to understand the terrifying lineup of the royal family.

Such number of Spiritual Dan practitioners coupled with several late Wudan practitioners was not something that even major clans from the other provinces within the Great Azure Country could withstand! This was the elite squad of the royal family!

But on the stage, Jin Xia seemed unperturbed. In fact, he did not even bother glancing around him or attempting to track down the location of these auras.

To the current him, these levels of aura…were insignificant.

Host’s note: We’re all caught up to the latest chapter on the author’s site. Now, time to wait. I’ve contacted the author and I’ll be checking his site daily to find out what comes next in this hosting journey. I encourage you to rate and/or review this story.

Also, we broke 1000 average views, almost have 200 followers, and over 60 favorites. That is quite impressive stats for a fiction page under one month. Then again, there was 2-3 updates per day and the quality of this story is above average.

This is either a new beginning or an end. I say goodbye to all of you and wait alongside you for the fabled and elusive chapter 52.