Free Web NovelChapter 196: Chapter 195: The Throne
A gentle breeze stirred. Ling Wei stood in the wind, her eyes on Wen Qingye.
Her purple robes danced in the wind. She had a finely sculpted nose, crimson lips, and pearly teeth. Her black hair swayed, dancing with the breeze, while her eyes held a sense of urgency, yet also a faint, almost imperceptible aura of power.
"It’s been a while," Ling Wei said with a smile.
Wen Qingye laughed as well. "Yes, it has been a while. To be honest, I should have figured it out long ago."
The surname Ling belonged to the Royal Family of the Celestial Martial Country. And in the entire Celestial Martial Country, who else with that surname possessed such authority? ’To think I didn’t realize it back in the Hundred Break Mountains.’ Wen Qingye couldn’t help but laugh at his own foolishness.
"It’s not too late to figure it out now," Ling Wei said with a sweet smile. "You, on the other hand, are the one who has truly surprised me."
As she spoke, Ling Wei looked Wen Qingye up and down and shook her head. "Back then, your cultivation couldn’t even match mine. Now, in just a few short months, you’ve already surpassed me."
Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over her, instantly discerning her cultivation level: Refining Spirit Second Layer Heaven. Ling Wei’s innate talent wasn’t what one would call astonishingly brilliant. Most of her cultivation had been forcefully raised with pills.
"Are you going to the Thousand Rivers Secret Land this time as well?" Wen Qingye asked.
"No, I know my own limits," Ling Wei said, shaking her head. "I’m mainly here to see an old friend."
Before Wen Qingye could speak, Ling Wei continued, "My father intends to betroth me to your younger brother, Wen Tongyu. You must have heard my name by now, right?"
"Oh?" Wen Qingye raised an eyebrow. So, Ling Wei was the very princess who was supposed to marry Wen Tongyu.
A smile tugged at the corner of Ling Wei’s lips. "What? Are you disappointed?"
"No." Wen Qingye shook his head.
A playful glint flashed in Ling Wei’s eyes as she spoke softly. "What if I told you I need your help? Would you help me?"
Wen Qingye instinctively asked, "What?" fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
"I want the throne," Ling Wei said slowly.
"You?" Wen Qingye smiled faintly. He had never imagined that what Ling Wei wanted was the throne.
A cold glint flashed in Ling Wei’s eyes. "I don’t want to spend the rest of my life at the mercy of others. That’s why I am determined to take the throne."
"Me, help you? Shouldn’t you be looking for someone else?"
"If not you, then who else?" Ling Wei let out a soft laugh and shook her head.
Wen Qingye mulled it over for a moment, then asked, "How does one obtain the throne?"
"The support of the powerful!" Ling Wei said, her wide eyes fixed on Wen Qingye without blinking.
The succession to the throne of the Celestial Martial Country had always followed one tradition: a contest for power. A Crown Prince might be appointed, but in the end, no one truly knew who would inherit the throne.
Only the strongest could obtain the throne. This was an unspoken secret within the Celestial Martial Country’s Royal Family, and also the reason for its enduring power. It was natural selection—survival of the fittest.
Wen Qingye held out a hand. "Do I look powerful to you?"
"You do." Ling Wei nodded emphatically. "As long as you can make a brilliant showing in the Thousand Rivers Secret Land, even if you don’t join the Celestial Profound Sect, I’m confident I can win the throne with your support."
Her eyes shone with confidence, a confidence that seemed to be placed entirely in Wen Qingye.
"You could go find—"
"I have nothing to do with him!" Ling Wei cut him off before he could finish.
"Promise me!" Ling Wei’s gaze bored into Wen Qingye, as if forcing him to accept.
Wen Qingye’s brows knitted together. He glanced at Ling Wei, then nodded. "Fine. I’ll consider this me repaying a favor."
Hearing his reply, Ling Wei couldn’t help but smile, as if she had expected this all along.
"I’ll come find you later. I’m leaving first." Without waiting for a response, Ling Wei turned and walked away.
Wen Qingye watched her departing figure. For some reason, he felt that she had changed, that she wasn’t the same as before. Yet, this change also felt strangely natural, not surprising at all, as if he had always known she would become this way.
Still, Wen Qingye was somewhat surprised. He had never imagined that the person Wen Tongyu was set to marry was actually Ling Wei.
After a moment, Wen Qingye went back inside.
...
A day later, Wen Qingye was in his room studying the Dragon Scale Eight Trigrams Map in his hands when Chen Feng’s voice called out from outside.
"Qingye, you need to come out! The National Master is here!" Chen Feng’s voice was tinged with anxiety.
Wen Qingye walked out slowly. "National Master Liu Ying?" he asked in confusion. "He’s here?"
Chen Feng nodded. "Yes. And not just him. There are also some students from the Purple Sun Prefecture and the Celestial Academy. The National Master said that with the opening of the Thousand Rivers Secret Land imminent, he wants to test everyone’s skill level."
"Where are they now?"
"In the martial arts arena at Yiyun Pavilion. I’ll take you there right now."
Wen Qingye nodded, asking no further questions.
Chen Feng hurriedly led Wen Qingye toward Yiyun Pavilion’s martial arts arena, his expression clearly anxious.
When Wen Qingye and Chen Feng reached the martial arts arena, a fierce battle was already underway. Wen Qingye recognized one of the two combatants on the stage, Cheng Yu, but not the man she was fighting.
But this man’s strength was truly impressive. His cultivation was likely approaching the peak of the Refining Spirit Fourth Layer. His Thunder Palm Technique was executed with formidable might; his palms radiated a brilliant purple luster, flowing with a terrifying light. Before him, Cheng Yu could only barely manage to defend herself.
"Is that all you’ve got?" the man shouted. Leaving several afterimages in his wake amid a series of thunderous booms, he pressed down on Cheng Yu with an overwhelming wave of power.
The hearts of the spectators lurched. ’So strong!’
At the center of the attack, Cheng Yu felt the full force of the Palm Technique, and her face instantly turned ashen.
Cheng Yu’s hands danced in a flurry. Primordial Qi seeped into her fair arms, causing them to emit a silvery-white light that shook the Heart Spirit of everyone watching.
"Wild Dance of the Nine Heavens!"
Cheng Yu met the attack head-on with a palm strike of her own, pushing her power to its absolute limit. Ripples spread out through the air.
The two palms collided in mid-air with a dull thud.
Like a kite with its string cut, Cheng Yu’s body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Yu’er!" Nie Shuang cried, rushing to her side.
"I’m... fine," Cheng Yu said, forcing a smile as she coughed up a trickle of blood.
White streams of qi still flowed across the martial arts arena. The man spoke coolly, "Your skills are not bad."
The man’s expression was arrogant, his head held high as he looked down upon the crowd.
Nie Shuang felt a fire ignite in his chest. Clenching his fists, he said coldly, "Thirteenth Prince, let me be your next opponent."
This man was none other than the Celestial Martial Country’s famous "Martial Zealot," the Thirteenth Prince, Ling Quan. He was also the pride of the Purple Sun Prefecture, a man of profound strength and immense talent, and one of the most renowned figures of the younger generation in the Celestial Martial Country.
Ling Quan paid Nie Shuang no mind. Instead, his gaze shifted forward, toward the direction from which Wen Qingye was approaching.
