With the last ray of golden light melting away, Xia Yan thoroughly controlled three high-level abilities, finally consuming the last of his spirit stones.
“Host, as you are out of spirit stones, you will now be sent out of the Supreme Limitless Store!”
The female voice, both sacred and elusive, thundered in his thoughts as brilliant flurries of dazzling white light bathed his form. He quickly found himself in a state of weightlessness.
But soon, this feeling of weightlessness was replaced by the sound of a familiar melody framed against the boisterous shouts of the banquet.
“I’m back,” he whispered, slowly opening eyes that shimmered like steel in the moonlight.
He could easily sense the power surging between his tightened fists. A smile creased his face. He was no longer so weak that he didn’t have the strength to truss up a chicken. He believed that besides the generals and imperial bodyguards above the Small Extremity Realm, no one in the main hall could resist his punch.
“And this physique…”
Xia Yan removed a golden hairpin from his head and began kneading it like clay. Not only did his frail skin not have the least bit of damage as he did so, there was not a single trace left behind.
“Haha!”
Pleasantly surprised, he tossed back a large glass of wine and tore into a giant chunk of meat. He had finally gotten rid of his status as waste.
“First Prince, it seems as if you’ve come across something worth celebrating.”
A female voice rose above the din to cut into his revelries.
Xia Yan turned around to find Tang Xun’er standing behind with a bronze wine glass and a warm, graceful smile.
Tang Xun’er’s approach had been spurred on by curiosity.
At the banquet just now, the other twelve imperial princes had showered her with warm compliments and good intentions. They had praised her while showing off their excellent conditions and qualifications as possible husbands. They had even presented her with rare treasures to win her favor. The whole affair had been so lively that two of the princes almost came to blows.
Only Xia Yan, the First Prince, had been able to close his eyes and remain unmoved amidst the chaos. This caught her attention.
“Indeed, princess, I’ve recently had a spell of good fortune,” Xia Yan said, nodding and smiling in good spirits.
Tang Xun’er quietly congratulated him. However, she did not move the conversation forward.
She had learned before her arrival to the palace that the First Prince was a “waste”. Her imperial father, royal mother, and siblings had all urged her not to choose him, no matter the circumstances.
Yet, she didn’t think an average person who shouldered the same title of waste could exhibit such an easy, relaxed stance as Xia Yan was doing now. Of course, she didn’t know that he was no longer a waste or that his strength now exceeded all of the other Xia imperial princes.
“…Second Princess, I gave up tremendous manpower and even sacrificed a Small Extremity Realm expert to capture this blue-flame green ice leopard from the frozen lands of the far north. At first, I had planned to use its heart for medicine. But after seeing how beautiful it was, I’d decided to keep it for myself!”
The Thirteenth Prince Xia Yangqi’s refined voice suddenly carried through the hall.
“However, I’ve recently heard that you, Second Princess, like to keep pets of your own. Since our palace has many rare and exotic animals already, I present this blue-flame green ice leopard to you as a gift. I would be most honored if you were to accept!”
The Thirteenth Prince clapped his hands, and immediately, a group of soldiers lifted up a millennial cold-iron cast cage, about as tall as a man. Inside, green flames licked the paws of a sleeping leopard tucked in a blanket of ice.
The soldiers quickly dusted red powder through the spacings between the bars of the cage. Two breaths passed. Then, the leopard shook and slowly opened its aquamarine eyes, revealing an innocent gaze to its onlookers.
An ordinary person would’ve merely seen this green ice leopard as a dangerous, unapproachable creature. However in the eyes of the royalty standing in front of it, it was merely a cute and adorable spirit beast pet.
“Wa!”
Tang Xun’er’s eyes lightened with gentle affection.
“Although this leopard is a Core Realm 1st stage beast, there is nothing to fear from it. A top trainer of mine has had it domesticated for several years. Now, it is only smart and docile, far removed from its former savage nature.”
Xia Yangqi smiled with obvious self-satisfaction at Tang Xun’er’s reaction. And just to prove his words, he motioned for the nearest soldier to open the cage.
The leopard stepped out onto the floor of the hall. It slowly paced in front of Tang Xun’er upon instruction from its trainer and rubbed its cold, icy fur against her fingers.
Very happy, Tang Xun’er brought her face closer to the beast.
The complexions of the other imperial princes paled as they watched the scene. They had been wrong to assume the gifts they had prepared would be adequate enough to win the hand of the princess.
Xia Yangqi raised his head and swept the crowd with victorious eyes. He couldn’t help but smile even wider.
With Tang Xun’er’s favor, he would gain a solid lead over them. And if he were to be her final decision, he would not only capture her beauty, he would also grab hold of the colossus that was the grand Tang kingdom. The entire body of ministers and officials would surely unite under his banner afterward, making the future taking of the Xia throne effortless.
However, just in that moment of sweet victory.
“Roar!”
The gentle green ice leopard turned bloodthirsty and wild, its face ferocious and terrifying. It snarled, revealing dense-white fangs, and lunged at Tang Xun’er, tearing and biting.
“What?!”
“Stop that beast! Someone protect the princess!”
The complexions of the attending general and imperial guards changed once they realized the target of the leopard’s attack. By the time they made a move, it was too late to stop it. They expected Tang Xun’er would be injured long before their spiritual Qi swords could fly through the air and kill the beast. The green ice leopard was too close and they had been caught off guard.
“Ah!”
Tang Xun’er watched the leopard suddenly lunge forward. She tried to dodge, but she was only a Yuan Realm cultivator. Her heart sank as the desperate shadow of the Core Realm beast loomed over her.
In this crucial moment, Xia Yan beside her moved.
“Die, evil creature!”
Xia Yan’s eyes were fierce as he unleashed a heavy, ferocious fist into the green ice leopard’s stomach.
“Boom!”
The stature of the leopard flew like a shell into the side of a wall, causing the entire main hall to shake.
Plumes of blood streamed from between the beast’s mouth and the hole he had punched through its stomach. It whimpered with every haggard breath, twitching only for a moment before going stiff and motionless.
The sounds of tumbling stone and brick were followed by wintry silence.
