In the center of Liubo Island stood a Splendid Palace. Inside, graceful maids bustled about carrying silver platters. Their every movement was respectful and perfectly composed; they dared not overstep in the slightest, terrified of making a single mistake.

Slender, fair hands served platter after platter of delicacies and fine wines made from various rare birds, Exotic Beasts, and Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. A rich aroma lingered throughout the vast palace, so potent that it even attracted the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Never mind the magnificent palace itself; the sheer variety of delicacies at this banquet represented an astronomical expense. Converted into Primordial Stones, the cost would be at least one hundred thousand pounds. Only a figure like the Ancient King could afford to be so extravagant.

Up the golden-tiled stairs, a middle-aged man was seated in the palace’s seat of honor.

He wore a magnificent, gold, diamond-studded robe, a Dragon-Shaped Jade Pendant hung from his waist, and his hair was bound in a hollowed-out Jade Crown. This opulent attire, far from diminishing its owner’s class and taste, instead served to accentuate the man’s noble and majestic aura.

This middle-aged man was none other than one of the Overlords of the Celestial Dragon Sea Region, the Ancient King!

"Haha! I thank you all for gracing me with your presence today. I’d like to propose a toast to everyone."

The Ancient King rose with a hearty laugh. Below him, all the invited Martial Artists scrambled to their feet, raised their cups, and drained them along with the Ancient King.

"It is our honor that the Ancient King has invited us to this banquet."

More than thirty tables away from the Ancient King’s main seat, a clean-shaven middle-aged man stood up and laughed loudly, his tone full of flattery.

The Ancient King smiled faintly. "My friend, you flatter me."

The clean-shaven Martial Artist chuckled. "To host a banquet for so many heroes... Such extravagance, such prestige! In the entire Celestial Dragon Sea Region, only the Ancient King could pull this off. As expected of a Martial Arts King. You truly command one’s admiration."

Seeing this, some of the Martial Artists seated ahead of him looked on with contempt.

’You can find brown-nosers like him anywhere.’

The clean-shaven Martial Artist knew his flattery was too obvious, so he said no more, smiled at the crowd, and sat down. Meanwhile, a Merfolk seated closest to the Ancient King toyed with his wine cup and said with a smile, "I heard the reason the Ancient King is holding this banquet is that he has obtained a great treasure..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of many Martial Artists lit up.

A major reason they had come was their curiosity about this great treasure.

"Haha, I am also quite curious about this great treasure."

The speaker was an elder in a white robe who chuckled. Despite his white hair, his face was unlined and youthful. His background and Cultivation were clearly profound, as he was seated at the first table to the right of the Ancient King—one of the closest Martial Artists to him in the entire hall.

"Elder Li, Your Highness, there’s no need for you two to be anxious. This great treasure is something I obtained from the Deep Sea Ruins with great difficulty. It will absolutely not disappoint you. By my guess, this treasure is very likely... a Spiritual Artifact!"

A Spiritual Artifact? At his words, the Martial Artists in attendance could no longer remain composed.

A Spiritual Artifact was a treasure of the highest order. Across the entire Azure Sky Realm, there were only a handful of known Spiritual Artifacts, and the Ancient King had actually managed to obtain one.

The Martial Artists couldn’t help but marvel at the Ancient King’s incredible luck. But on second thought, how could anyone obtain a Spiritual Artifact from a perilous place like the Deep Sea Ruins without formidable strength?

"Oh, the Returning Ruins?" Hearing this, a trace of surprise appeared in the Merfolk Race Prince’s golden eyes. He said, "I never expected the Ancient King to have actually gone to the Returning Ruins, and even obtain a Spiritual Artifact. Such strength and luck... Bo Yun is no match." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The Ancient King chuckled. "Your Highness Bo Yun, why belittle yourself? The Merfolk Race is uniquely blessed by the heavens, and Your Highness is a genius among them, reaching the Extraordinary realm before the age of thirty. You’ve surpassed countless prodigies of my Human Race."

Indeed, the Merfolk Race had peculiar physiques, and their cultivation speed was much faster than that of the Human Race. Even the most ordinary Merfolk’s Talent was beyond comparison to an average genius of the Human Race. If not for the limited numbers of the Merfolk Race, the Azure Sky Realm would have long been dominated by them. Even so, they could not be underestimated.

"You are too kind, Ancient King."

Bo Yun said with a faint smile.

Meanwhile, Qin Ya and his group arrived outside the palace. One needed an invitation to enter. Of course, Qin Ya didn’t have one, but Elder Purple Robe and the others did. And with Li Fei under his control, getting inside was no problem at all.

After entering the palace, Qin Ya spotted the Ancient King from hundreds of yards away. Seated upon the throne, his every gesture exuded an air of nobility. But the Ancient King was a Martial Arts King; he sensed Qin Ya’s gaze from a great distance.

He glanced over nonchalantly, but that one look made it impossible for him to tear his eyes away. ’An Extraordinary Martial Artist who isn’t even twenty... He’s a true monster...’

Having cultivated to the Martial Arts King Realm, the Ancient King had lived for no less than three hundred years. In his long life, he’d seen what he considered to be countless geniuses and monstrous talents. But honestly, he had never seen a Talent like Qin Ya’s before.

’Such Talent... It’s truly astonishing.’

A look of admiration flashed through the Ancient King’s eyes as he stared intently at Qin Ya.

Qin Ya also noticed the Ancient King’s gaze, but he just smiled faintly without any avoidance, looking directly back into the Ancient King’s eyes, his expression calm and composed.

’Oh? Interesting.’

The Ancient King smiled faintly.

The Merfolk, Bo Yun, and the white-robed Elder Li, seated below the Ancient King, noticed his strange behavior. Pausing for a moment, they followed his gaze.

"Eh? This is..."

Like the Ancient King, the moment the white-robed elder saw Qin Ya, his eyes filled with shock. ’A talent like this is a rare sight in this world.’

’It’s him.’

Unlike the white-robed elder and the Ancient King—two vastly experienced Martial Artists with unfathomably deep Cultivation—Bo Yun was only thirty and had just broken through to the Extraordinary realm. He naturally couldn’t gauge the depths of Qin Ya’s power. But he wasn’t a fool. ’How could someone who captures the Ancient King’s attention like that be an ordinary Martial Artist? What’s more interesting is that I just met this Martial Artist not long ago. I remember him saying he was coming to the Celestial Dragon Sea Region to look for some excitement.’

’I never thought I’d actually run into him here.’

Bo Yun’s golden eyes filled with keen interest.

"Your Cultivation isn’t high enough, so you can’t sit in the Extraordinary Region yet. Just stay here. Remember, everyone at this banquet is someone not to be trifled with. You’d better restrain that arrogant attitude you all have back in the family."

"Yes."

The young Martial Artists of the Purple Luo Family all answered in unison. After arriving at the banquet, they realized how much of a frog in a well they had been. Every young person here came from various powers; while many were weaker than them, there were also quite a few who were on their level or even stronger.

Elder Purple Robe nodded, then led Qin Ya toward the gathering place of the Extraordinary Martial Artists. The Ancient King’s banquet had so many attendees that it was divided into two sections: the lower section was for Martial Artists below the Extraordinary realm, and the upper section was for the major Extraordinary Martial Artists.

As soon as he walked up, Qin Ya saw the Blood Saber Youth not far away, eating and drinking heartily. The people around him frowned slightly and unconsciously kept their distance, but he paid them no mind, continuing to eat and drink as before, seeming to have a grand time.

When he saw Qin Ya and his group, he waved at them.