The Legend of Futian - Chapter 107

Chapter 107: Cangye College

One month later in the imperial city of the Cangye Kingdom, the City of Cangye.

The City of Cangye had no city walls. It centered around the imperial palace and spread out wide and far in all directions. Thus, the city was expansive. Presently, on the outskirts of the city, many large beasts soared through the skies. There were also powerful cultivators riding on their swords, and some even had wings on their backs.

The sky above Cangye City was an incredible sight. Countless cultivators had gathered in the city from all over the Cangye Kingdom.

Among the beasts in the skies, was a winged demon tiger pulling a carriage. On this white tiger’s back stood several figures. The two people at the front were around 17 years of age. One was unbelievably handsome and one was exceedingly beautiful.

These two youngsters were Ye Futian and Hua Jieyu who had traveled a long way. Behind them were Yu Sheng and Yi Qingxuan. Inside the carriage sat Hua Fengliu, Nandou Wenyin, Tang Lan and Tang Wan. Tang Lan’s eldest disciple, Nie Bing, had her own home. That day in Donghai City, she left the Guqin Gardens.

After all that had happened in the City of Donghai, Ye Futian was no longer the happy-go-lucky young man he once was. And after that day the light of an emperor dawned upon him, his aura had experienced a slight change. Different from before, he had gotten even more handsome and more charismatic.

“We’re finally here,” muttered Ye Futian. Cangye Kingdom’s imperial city was massive in comparison to Donghai City. This ancient city had a rich history and majestic architecture. From the exterior of the buildings, you could not tell that it had been around for ages. They were ancient but dignified which made the mood throughout the entire city more solemn.

“Yeah.” Hua Jieyu nodded in agreement.

“Once upon a time, when Master, Yu Sheng, and I first arrived at Donghai City standing atop the Black Wind Eagle, I had wanted to conquer the city. But in return, that city has life me with memories I shall never forget,” Ye Futian smiled lightly and said in a self-ridiculing way as he observed the vast imperial city ahead.

In the time it took the group to arrive in Cangye City, Hua Jieyu’s injuries had healed but their wounded hearts would never heal from the events in Donghai City; especially for Ye Futian. Emperor Luo’s imperial order, being hunted down by Minister Hua and the School of the Emperor Star, the Nandou Clan’s choice, and Grandmaster. All of it was deeply engraved into his memory, unable to forget even if he tried.

Hearing Ye Futian’s words, Hua Jieyu reached out her hand and held tightly onto Ye Futian’s. Her eyes remained up ahead and filled with determination. She was not going to forget about anything that happened in Donghai City either. They were able to make it here today because of Grandmaster’s sacrifice.

Ye Futian could feel the warmth that radiated from Hua Jieyu’s hand and tightened his grip on it. He had originally planned to go to the Nandou Nation’s imperial city but now, they had arrived at Cangye Kingdom’s imperial city. Ye Futian was not going to allow history to replay itself here. The sharp sword that Hua Jieyu pierced through her own body, Grandmaster’s selfless sacrifice, brought him pain to this day.

Tang Wan stepped out of the carriage and took a look at the majestic city below. The skies were still crowded. She asked, “Futian, where are you planning to go?”

“Cangye College,” Ye Futian said without a hint of hesitation. It was evident that he came with a plan in mind.

Cangye College was similar to the academies in the Nandou Nation. Its status was equivalent to Nandou Academy located in the Nandou Nation’s imperial city. The college was backed by the royal family. Many genius cultivators attended this school. Even disciples of the royal family cultivated at the college. However, Ye Futian was not going there to attend school but for the grand event being held soon in the imperial city. The Fenghua Banquet.

The Fenghua Banquet was an imperial banquet. The emperor of the Cangye Kingdom would come personally to examine the abilities of younger generation cultivators. If it had not been for Emperor Luo’s imperial order, Ye Futian should have been preparing to attend the Tingfeng Banquet in the Nandou Nation’s imperial city. But life was unpredictable. He was now in the Nandou Nation’s rival country, the Cangye Kingdom, preparing to attend the Fenghua Banquet.

Cangye College was the place to sign up for the Fenghua Banquet. Many of the people in the skies right now had younger cultivators with them. They had most definitely came for the same reason as Ye Futian.

Hearing that Ye Futian was headed for Cangye College, Tang Lan understood his intentions. She said, “Are you guys planning on participating? The Fenghua Banquet has an age limitation. Participants must be under the age of 20. This means that quite a few young genius cultivators in the Dharma Plane may show up.”

To travel all the way from Donghai City to the Cangye Kingdom’s imperial city, it was obvious that the group knew something.

“I know,” answered Ye Futian. He continued, “Those picked by the emperor at the banquet will be put on the Fenghua Rank. The top ten people on the list will all be rewarded and the top three can request one thing from the emperor. As long as the request is within reason, he usually grants it.”

“What request do you want to make?” asked Tang Lan.

Ye Futian turned back to take a look at Hua Fengliu in the carriage and said, “I want him to restore Master’s powers.”

A spark reached Tang Lan’s eyes. If Ye Futian was able to make this request, with the Cangye emperor’s abilities, he would definitely be able to find a way to do it.

“Even though the list is determined purely based on the emperor’s liking, and has nothing to do with how strong and powerful you are, you won’t be able to stand out in the crowd if you don’t have extraordinary abilities. It will be difficult to rank in the top three unless you’re prepared to expose all of your gifts,” said Tang Lan.

“I must make it into the top three,” Ye Futian said with determination in his eyes. The emperor of the Nandou Nation wanted to kill him without reason, but now in the Cangye Kingdom, even if Ye Futian revealed his gifts, the Cangye emperor would only praise him. Besides, the Fenghua Banquet was a place to test the skills of junior cultivators. Elder Qin had already passed and Hua Fengliu was not yet healed. This was a chance he could not give up.

“Okay,” nodded Tang Lan. Ye Futian looked determined enough to succeed.

“I will also participate with you,” Hua Jieyu said softly.

“Fox, you’re too pretty. Isn’t it flaunting too much?” Ye Futian examined Hua Jieyu’s beauty. At 17, her beauty was in full bloom.

“Screw you.” Hua Jieyu glared at him. The conversation was so serious before but Ye Futian turned it into a joke in the span of seconds.

However, deep down, Hua Jieyu was glad. On the entire trip, Ye Futian looked so solemn, not like the happy jokester he used to be. It was obvious that he was deeply affected by the things in the City of Donghai. She wanted to see him go back to his true self. Even though he acted shameless at times, she liked him that way.

“I want to participate too,” standing in the back, Yu Sheng finally opened his mouth.

“Of course,” said Ye Futian.

The White Tiger Demon continued forward. Ye Futian did not land to ask for directions. He simply followed the group in the skies. The direction in which the most people were traveling must be the direction where Cangye College was located. There was no question about it.

Cangye College was located in the center of the city, near the imperial palace. It could be said to be a true school of nobility. Even princes and princesses cultivated at the college. To be able to attend this school, students had to have gifts out of the ordinary or else, even if you were a noble, you were not allowed to attend Cangye College. The school had the royal family backing it and had no reason to care about what others thought.

In the skies outside of the Cangye College, beasts, cultivators riding their swords, and those flying with the help of their own wings were all gathered together. There were so many people. The Fenghua Banquet would begin in three days but people were still coming to sign up at Cangye College.

Finally, Ye Futian and his group had also arrived. It was just as he had imagined. A variety of cultivators were present. He had never seen many of the beasts in the sky. They looked fearsome. There were even beasts of the Arcana Plane. Ye Futian wanted to wait until he had higher cultivation and use his ability as a beastmaster to control some powerful beasts.

The beasts and cultivators finally landed when they had reached Cangye College. There was no one who dared to enter the school premises by air.

Ye Futian and the others also landed. He noticed the thin chiffon Hua Jieyu used to cover her face, hiding her beauty.

“Looks like you know just how distracting your looks are,” laughed Ye Futian.

Hua Jieyu ignored him.

Ye Futian turned back to look at Yi Qingxuan and Tang Wan. “Qingxuan, Wan, do you guys want to attend the Fenghua Banquet as well?”

“No,” Yi Qingxuan shook her head.

“Me neither.” Tang Wan smiled.

Both girls knew that they were still lacking and nothing would come of attending the banquet.

Ye Futian nodded and said, “Then you guys should first find some place to stay nearby. I’ll have the Black Wind Eagle go with you guys.”

“Okay. Be careful, Futian,” ordered Nandou Wenyin.

“I’ll be fine, Masteress.” Ye Futian smiled. After, he, Hua Jieyu, and Yu Sheng walked towards Cangye College. As soon as they set foot on the campus, they saw many people headed in the same direction. In that direction, sat a line of elders making records. There were many people in line ahead of the trio waiting to sign up for the banquet. They stepped closer to the lines in front of the tables where the elders sat and a little while later, it was their turn. They walked up to the empty table.

The elder sat at the table. He was still writing. Moments later, he lifted his head and said, “Name, age, level of cultivation, occupation class.”

“Ye Futian, 17, Seven-Starred Glory Plane, Musical Sorcerer,” said Ye Futian. On the day of the battle, he stepped into a new plane.

“Hua Jieyu, 17, Seven-Starred Glory Plane, Spiritual Sorcerer,” said Hua Jieyu.

“Yu Sheng, 17, Seven-Starred Glory Plane, martial arts cultivator.”

The three of them were all on the same plane now.

The elder looked up at the three of them. He was amazed that their age and level of cultivation were all the same. He then handed them each a wooden bookmark. On the bookmark was the information they had just given.

From the side, came a young lady. She smiled and said, “Come with me.” The young lady was wearing a school uniform. Before the Fenghua Banquet, the students of Cangye College were in charge of taking care of everything.

“Thank you,” said Ye Futian. The trio followed the young lady. She looked to be about 18-years-old. She was very pretty.

“My name is Cen Xia,” the girl said. She took a couple of extra glances at Ye Futian. She had seen many handsome males at the college but it was rare to find someone who looked like Ye Futian.

A woman’s sixth sense was very accurate. Beside Ye Futian, Hua Jieyu took Ye Futian’s hand. Cen Xia took a quick look and smiled at Hua Jieyu. This girl is interesting, thought Cen Xia.

Even though Ye Futian was attractive, as a student of Cangye College she was not going to fangirl over him. Besides, as a Seven-Starred Glory Plane Musical Sorcerer, Ye Futian could not compare to Bai Qiu of the Qin Clan who had entered Cangye College a short while ago.

Chapter 108: Bai Qiu of the Qin Clan

In Cangye Kingdom, other than Cangye College, there were also a few powerful clans who trained accomplished disciples as well. They definitely would not miss out on the Fenghua Banquet.

The Qin Clan was a force of Cangye Kingdom known for their studies of the guqin. There were not many disciples because only musical sorcerers could be accepted. This was also why the strongest musical sorcerers of the kingdom were grouped in the Qin Clan.

Bai Qiu was the most talented of the Qin Clan’s younger generation. Apparently, he had already entered the Dharma Plane and had an unbeatable talent. Not long ago, Bai Qiu had led the disciples of the Qin Clan to the Cangye College. Cen Xia had seen Bai Qiu with her own eyes and saw the youth was extremely handsome.

Therefore, someone who was only a Seven-star Glory Plane musical sorcerer and not from the Qin Clan would only be there to enhance the others at the Fenghua Banquet by contrast—even if he could pass the pretest. Even the other disciples of the Qin Clan seemed better than this youth beside him, let alone Bai Qiu.

Of course, Cen Xia wouldn’t say all this. She just smiled and led the way, saying, “The pretest of the Fenghua Banquet will be administrated by the Cangye College. I am taking you all to the exam site now.”

Ye Futian nodded. Since they knew about the Fenghua Banquet, they had naturally done some research. The Fenghua Banquet was the Imperial Examination and it was not open to everyone. After applying, they had to pass the pretest held by the Cangye College to truly be qualified to attend the Fenghua Banquet.

The Cangye College checked the credentials for the emperor.

The Leaf Court of the Cangye College was now filled with all sorts of talent. They had all applied for the Fenghua Banquet. Many were gathered here for the pretest as it was one of the exam sites. In the center, there was a podium. There were two figures fighting on it now, both applicants of the banquet. Three elders of the Cangye College sat before the podium.

“I’ll help you hand the bookmark in,” Cen Xia said to Ye Futian with a smile. Ye Futian nodded and gave the bookmark to him. Then, Ye Futian saw Cen Xia take one out too and put them together.

“Cen Xia, Nine-star Glory Plane, sorcerer. I will attend the Fenghua Banquet too,” Cen Xia said. She introduced herself again while eyeing Hua Jieyu, and then walked towards the elders.

Hua Jieyu’s gaze was calm. She knew Cen Xia told her for a reason but she didn’t care. She had held Ye Futian’s hand earlier not because she wasn’t confident in herself but because she knew how attractive Ye Futian was to girls.

The two fighting on the podium were both of the Eight-star Glory Plane. One was a sorcerer while the other was a martial artist.

However, Ye Futian discovered something strange. Right now, most of the audience’s attention was not on the fighters. Instead, they focused on the other side. There was a group of people dressed in white. They seemed untainted by the world.

“That’s the Qin Clan. The strongest musical sorcerers of Cangye Kingdom are from that clan.”

“Is the middle one Bai Qiu? He truly is handsome.”

The people around them all discussed the clan. Ye Futian was intrigued that the Cangye Kingdom had a Qin Clan and apparently produced the best musical sorcerers. He looked over at the handsome and slender young man in the center of the group. He looked around 18 or 19. His aura was extraordinary and he stood out like a stork amongst chickens.

At this time, someone walked to Bai Qiu. He wore the uniform of the college. The two smiled and chatted, seemingly ignoring the fight on the podium.

After handing in the bookmark, Cen Xia returned to Ye Futian’s group. She saw Ye Futian looking in Bai Qiu’s direction and smiled. “That’s the Qin Clan. Bai Qiu is the most accomplished of their younger generation. He’s apparently in the Dharma Plane now. He’s a musical sorcerer like you and the one beside him is my senior from the college, Yu Jiang. He’s also in the Dharma Plane. The two of them are the most popular candidates for the Fenghua Rank.”

“Who else is included?” Ye Futian asked.

Cen Xia glanced at Ye Futian. She thought that he was probably not from the Imperial City. Otherwise, he would definitely know about these things.

“There are some others. If you can pass the pretest and attend the Fenghua Banquet, you’ll meet them,” Cen Xia smiled and said without going into detail.

Ye Futian was only at the Seven-star Glory Plane. Knowing all that was meaningless because he was nowhere near their level.

“Oh.” Ye Futian knew that Cen Xia wasn’t willing to say more. He nodded and stopped talking, watching the fight quietly.

People went up continuously. After a long while, Yu Sheng was finally called up.

Yu Sheng walked to the podium. Another figure stood before him. He was also a Seven-star Glory Plane but he was a sorcerer. The fight would display their true abilities clearly.

“Attack me with your best efforts first,” Yu Sheng said. He knew the other was a Seven-star Glory Plane sorcerer. If the opponent was defeated before performing, he would be disqualified no matter how great his talent was.

“You can go first.” The opponent smiled confidently.

Hearing this, Yu Sheng didn’t hold back. He took a step and the podium shook. His composure changed in an instant, stunning the sorcerer. The sorcerer’s Spiritual Qi began to gather crazily and the apparition of a golden tiger appeared behind him. Then it roared and ripped toward Yu Sheng with shocking power.

Yu Sheng punched forward. There were countless shadows that tore apart the golden tiger’s image. The powerful force ripped through everything and landed on the opponent, sending him flying.

Seeing this, the Cangye College elders made a checkmark on Yu Sheng’s bookmark and put it to the side. At the same time, one said, “Yu Sheng, passed.”

Yu Sheng stepped down.

The one who had been forced off the podium climbed up and glared at Yu Sheng. He left with resentment. Clearly, he had lost the ability to attend the Fenghua Banquet.

“Your friend is quite strong,” Cen Xiao said to Ye Futian with a smile.

Ye Futian didn’t reply. Yu Sheng was way beyond quite strong. This was just the pretest so there was no need to show off everything.

After that, Hua Jieyu was called up. Her opponent was a warrior of the same plane. Though her face was veiled, her eyes were beautiful, and she had a perfect figure and presence. Many people were attracted immediately, thinking that she was definitely a beauty.

“After you,” Hua Jieyu said to the youth.

She didn’t say much but a burst of powerful spiritual energy bloomed. The opponent felt something and moved toward Hua Jieyu quickly. However, at the same time, an invisible power was blocking him. Then, wood element Spiritual Qi gathered into a spell and wrapped around him.

Boom. Powerful strength burst forth. The opponent burst free from the entanglement like a wild demon.

At this time, spears appeared before Hua Jieyu. They kept stabbing toward the opponent, who roared and stopped. His battle intent burst and attacked the spears coming at him. Simultaneously, he stepped forward and flew into the sky. He soared at Hua Jieyu like an eagle.

Seriousness flashed past Hua Jieyu’s eyes. She stepped forward. It was only one step but the opponent seemed to stop in mid-air. Vines curled up toward him and slammed him to the ground.

“Okay, both pass.” The Cangye College elder nodded and put away their bookmarks, meaning both had passed the pretest. The defeated one was upset because he had been confident he could win in the pretest. He hadn’t expected to meet someone so extraordinary.

“May I see your true appearance?” he stood up and asked politely.

Hua Jieyu glanced at him and turned to leave the podium. She returned to Ye Futian’s side. Many looked at Hua Jieyu in shock. She was so arrogant.

“Ye Futian, Mo Gu.” It was Ye Futian’s turn now. He walked up to the podium. The one opposite him was clad in white. He was from the Qin Clan. Clearly, the Cangye College elder thought that if Ye Futian couldn’t even beat a random Qin Clan disciple, he had no need to attend the Fenghua Banquet.

The two sat down with crossed legs and released their Guqin Spirits. This attracted many gazes. In the near distance, the Qin Clan members looked over with interest.

Music sounded at the same time. Gu Mo’s music was wild like a tide of ten thousand beasts. The sound of galloping in the air was terrifying. It was like a wave of demons was charging at Ye Futian.

Ye Futian’s music was calm, graceful, and lovely. It seemed to be reminiscing someone from the past. As his music flowed out, the formless demons charging at him were gradually tamed. Then Ye Futian’s music changed abruptly. It turned sharp like an unsheathed sword. It cut everything and the beasts wailed. Gu Mo’s music was in disarray, no longer strong and wild. His spiritual energy was in a mess and his music was disordered too. With a huff, the Qin Spirit disappeared.

“Ye Futian, pass,” the elder announced.

“Gu Mo was defeated just like that.” The Qin Clan members were surprised. Their fellow disciple was disqualified from the banquet.

“Such pure music and extraordinary mindset. This boy is talented,” Bai Qiu praised. Then he asked from across the arena, “Where do you cultivate? Do you have a clan?”

Ye Futian looked up at Bai Qiu. He smiled and said, “I cultivate with my master and have not entered a clan.”

“The Qin Clan is the most prestigious for musical sorcery in Cangye Kingdom. Are you willing to join us?” Bai Qiu smiled at Ye Futian. “If you are willing, I can recommend you. I am lacking a guqin student.”

Everyone present was shocked. It seemed that Bai Qiu thought highly of this musical sorcerer and had invited him directly into the Qin Clan. He was even willing to let the youth study with him.

A guqin student was someone who would follow him and could learn from him at any time. If Ye Futian could follow Bai Qiu, this would be a great advantage for him as a musical sorcerer!