87: Tianjiao Banquet

"Yang Lingchen, the organizer of today's banquet is Zanyang City's number one Genius of the younger generation, Zhang Junhao. Don't you dare get stage fright for This Young Lady when the time comes."

Chen Xueqi looked serious and instructed him earnestly.

Hearing this, Yang Lingchen chuckled gently and said, "Rest assured! Isn't it just a show-off banquet for the youth of Zanyang City? It's not enough to scare me."

In Yang Lingchen's view, that so-called Zanyang City Prodigy Banquet was nothing more than an occasion for the younger generation of Zanyang City to show off and compare themselves with one another.

With Chen Xueqi's peerless beauty, there were surely countless fanatical pursuers in Zanyang City, which was why she needed him to pose as her fiancé to block those troubles for her.

The beast carriage moved as fast as lightning, swift as the wind, and soon stopped in front of a Residence filled with an atmosphere of luxury.

At this moment, Chen Xueqi calmly took out the invitation.

Under the respectful guidance of the guards, Chen Xueqi and Yang Lingchen were led into an incredibly luxurious grand hall.

The hall was already filled with banquets of various flavors, with delicacies and fine food spread out in an eye-catching display.

Colorful lanterns hung all around, illuminating the entire hall like a dream, as if it were a fairyland.

Chen Xueqi's arrival instantly attracted the attention of many young men present. As the number one beauty of Zanyang City, every appearance of Chen Xueqi was like a bright star streaking across the night sky, drawing focused attention from the younger generation.

However, what surprised everyone was that this time, Chen Xueqi had walked in while holding the arm of a strange youth. When everyone saw Yang Lingchen's cultivation level was only at the first layer of the Spiritual Profound Realm, disdain and contempt appeared in everyone's eyes; they looked at Yang Lingchen as if they were looking at a dead man.

"Who is this brat? He dares to touch Zhang Junhao's woman; he really doesn't know how to die." A youth dressed in fine robes frowned and said in a low voice.

"I don't know him. He shouldn't be from our Zanyang City."

His companion next to him shook his head, staring at Yang Lingchen with unkind eyes.

"I don't see anything special about this brat! His cultivation level is only at the first layer of the Spiritual Profound Realm; I really can't figure out how Chen Xueqi could take a fancy to such trash." Another youth said with a tone full of jealousy and mockery.

For a moment, many people in the hall were whispering, their voices rising and falling. After all, as the number one beauty of Zanyang City, her every move, every smile, would attract the attention and speculation of countless people.

Yang Lingchen did not pay too much attention to the hostile gazes directed at him. He remained composed, calmly observing his surroundings.

He discovered that the young men and women at the scene were all dressed in gorgeous clothing, with extraordinary temperaments, and their every gesture revealed an innate sense of superiority.

What shocked him the most was that these young men and women were all under eighteen years old, but their strength was all at the ninth layer of the Spiritual Profound Realm or above, and some individual youths had even reached the Spirit Sea Realm.

Seeing this, Yang Lingchen was thoroughly shocked.

You must know that in the Northern Profound Region, Wang Yuyan, at the Peak of the Spiritual Profound Realm, was already an existence as high and mighty as a god.

Yet Wang Yuyan's strength, when placed in the Central Domain Divine Land, could only be compared to the youths of small families in these remote cities.

The foundation and strength of this Central Domain truly made him feel shocked and amazed.

As people took their seats one after another, after about a quarter of an hour, almost all the seats at the venue were filled.

Just then, a youth dressed in white brocade with gold edges walked into the hall with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger.

This person's upright posture was like a pine tree, straight and tough; his sharp, reserved gaze seemed to be able to see through everything, and a faint smile played on the corners of his mouth, giving people a feeling like a spring breeze.

"Young Master Zhang is here."

With this shout, the originally noisy hall suddenly quieted down, to the point where a pin drop could be heard. Everyone's eyes were focused on this dashing Young Master.

The person who arrived was the organizer of this banquet, the Young City Lord of Zanyang City, Zhang Junhao.

Yang Lingchen just glanced at this person from afar, but in his heart, he suddenly felt a very dangerous feeling, as if he were facing a beast hiding in the dark, ready to strike at any moment.

At this time, Zhang Junhao also noticed Yang Lingchen beside Chen Xueqi. He saw a flash of gloom pass through his eyes quickly, his gloomy expression like dark clouds gathering, but immediately his face carried an elegant smile again as he walked slowly toward Chen Xueqi.

"Young Miss Xueqi, your arrival is truly an honor; I apologize for not welcoming you sooner."

Zhang Junhao said with a warm smile on his face, his voice gentle, yet that smile did not reach his eyes.

"Greetings, Young Master Zhang. We only just arrived." Chen Xueqi's voice was cold, like a clear spring in the mountains, without the slightest emotion.

"Young Miss Xueqi, who is This Young Master?"

At this moment, Zhang Junhao smiled and looked at Yang Lingchen, seemingly casually, yet his eyes carried a trace of inquiry and vigilance.

"I am Yang Lingchen, Xueqi's fiancé."

Yang Lingchen had a slight, calm smile on his face as his right hand gently wrapped around Chen Xueqi's slender waist.

Since they were acting, they had to be realistic, otherwise it wouldn't serve any purpose at all.

The moment Yang Lingchen's hand wrapped around Chen Xueqi's waist, her delicate body couldn't help but tremble, as if she had been electrocuted. Her originally flawless, fair face instantly revealed a blush, like the sunset clouds in the sky, beautiful and moving.

Just then, a strong killing intent flashed like lightning in Zhang Junhao's eyes. That killing intent vanished in an instant, and then his expression immediately returned to calm, still wearing that seemingly harmless smile.

If it weren't for the fact that Yang Lingchen's Soul strength was far superior to that of ordinary people and his perception was keen, it would have been difficult to detect this fleeting killing intent.

Yang Lingchen did not take this person's killing intent to heart. Because after tonight, he would leave Zanyang City; if the other party didn't know what was good for them and insisted on pestering him, then he shouldn't blame him for being impolite.

"Fiancé? Young Miss Xueqi, why have I never heard that you have a fiancé?"

Zhang Junhao smiled, yet that smile appeared somewhat stiff.

"This is a man I found myself, so I didn't publicize it widely, so it is normal that Young Master Zhang does not know."

Chen Xueqi's tone was flat, her gaze indifferent, as if she were stating a matter unrelated to herself.

"I see."

The corners of Zhang Junhao's eyes twitched slightly, suppressing the anger in his heart, he looked at Yang Lingchen and said: "This Young Master looks very unfamiliar, I wonder which Family or Sect you are from."

"I am a nobody, not from any big Family."

Yang Lingchen answered with a calm expression and tone.

Seeing that he couldn't get any useful information, Zhang Junhao exchanged a few more polite pleasantries before returning to his seat with a gloomy face.

"bitch, you think that by finding a random man, you can escape This Young Master's grasp. And that Stinky brat, daring to fight over a woman with This Young Master, tonight I will definitely make you die without a burial place."

Zhang Junhao cursed inwardly, his tightly clenched fists showing white knuckles, revealing his inner anger and unwillingness.

At this time, all the guests had arrived, and it was almost time for the banquet to start.

Zhang Junhao returned to his seat, took a deep breath to calm his angry mood, and said loudly:

"Today, This Young Master is hosting this Zanyang City Prodigy Banquet. It is truly an honor for This Young Master that all the Prodigies have graced me with their presence despite their busy schedules. I will offer this toast to everyone first."

After speaking, Zhang Junhao raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, displaying a heroic spirit.

The various young Prodigies at the scene also raised their glasses one after another. For a time, the atmosphere was enthusiastic, and laughter and chatter were constant.

Soon, the atmosphere became lively, with many Genius youths from various Families flattering one another, and sounds of sycophancy were endless.

Just then, Zhang Junhao gave a wink to a youth in blue.

The youth in blue immediately understood, raised his glass, stood up, and said loudly: "Everyone here is a young Prodigy of our Zanyang City's younger generation. Since we are all gathered together today, it would be too monotonous if we just drank. I have a suggestion, I don't know if I should say it."

"Young Master Murong Xuan, please feel free to speak." Zhang Junhao smiled, a trace of undetectable cunning flashing in his eyes.

"We are all people who Cultivate, why don't we spar with each other? It can liven up this Prodigy Banquet and deepen our feelings for each other, wouldn't that be wonderful!"

Murong Xuan's face was filled with smiles, but his gaze would glance toward Zhang Junhao from time to time.

"Good, what a great suggestion that serves two purposes at once. This Young Master supports Brother Murong's proposal."

Zhang Junhao said with a smile, while inwardly calculating how to make Yang Lingchen make a fool of himself during the sparring.

"I wonder if there are any rules for this sparring?" Another youth in white asked, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Everyone is a young Genius, so it is inevitable that there will be some injuries during sparring, so everyone should try to stop at the limit, do not hurt anyone's life or cause serious injury. Other than that, there are no other rules." Zhang Junhao said, seemingly fair and reasonable, but actually hiding a trap.

For a time, the young men and women at the scene were all eager to try, rubbing their hands. Because no one wanted to lose face at this Prodigy Banquet; after all, this was the best opportunity for the younger generation of Zanyang City to stand out and make a name for themselves.

Meanwhile, Yang Lingchen was gorging himself. Rather than listening to their nonsense, it was better to eat more. During this period, he really hadn't had a good meal in a long time.

Yang Lingchen had no interest in their proposal. He was not a person who liked to be high-profile and show off; sparring without substantial benefits was meaningless to him.

"Are you a starving ghost reincarnated? Can you pay attention to your image?" Chen Xueqi looked at Yang Lingchen, who was wolfing down food, and rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.

"Cough, cough... The food has been a bit poor lately, I couldn't help but eat a bit more."

Yang Lingchen coughed lightly and said, then picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, a look of embarrassment appearing on his face.

"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating, be careful not to stuff yourself to death."

Chen Xueqi said in annoyance, her coquettish expression having a unique charm.

At this moment, a spacious area had been cleared in the middle of the hall for everyone to use for sparring.

As the sparring began, people soon went up to challenge their respective opponents. For a time, Sword Qi crisscrossed the arena, Profound Energy surged, and the wonderful duels drew continuous applause from the crowd.

A young girl in white had a light posture, like a dancing butterfly, her long sword dancing in her hand, sword flowers flickering, fighting her opponent to a standstill.

Another youth in gray had fierce fist techniques, every punch carrying a whistling wind, his Aura imposing.

Yang Lingchen ate his food while casually watching the sparring on the field, secretly evaluating the strength of these people in his heart.

Chen Xueqi had a cold expression, seemingly not caring much about these spars.

The sparring went on round after round, and the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

However, Zhang Junhao's gaze would fall on Yang Lingchen from time to time, a sinister light flashing in his eyes.