170 Gu Tiange and the Society Battle
The banquet hall was arranged by society. Yan Zhen, through Grand Elder Yu Yan, had also created a society called “Yan Huang,” its members being himself, Huangfu Wenqing, Long Ying, and Zi Xunyi, one more member than in the script, his fiancée.
Although Yan Huang only had four members, each was a powerhouse. It was currently ranked eleventh, just below the top ten societies, so their table was also near the front.
Yan Zhen led the three girls through the aisle and sat at the table with the “Yan Huang” sign, Zi Xunyi on his left, Huangfu Wenqing on his right, and Long Ying on his lap.
The little Dragon Girl had climbed up herself. Seeing her recent good behavior, Yan Zhen didn’t push her off.
Long Ying held Yan Zhen’s wrist, hugging herself, happily swinging her little legs while munching on the fruits on the table.
Many gazes in the hall were focused on them. A freshman hooking up with the “Inner Academy Goddess” still rankled, even if this freshman was now ninth on the Rising Star List.
Soon, the Black Horn society members arrived. Wu Tie, their leader, glanced coldly at Yan Zhen as he passed their table, his eyes filled with both resentment and apprehension.
By now, practically every member of the Black Horn society had been defeated by Yan Zhen. Wu Tie and the others were indignant, but they weren’t confident they could defeat him. The power of his sword strike had left a deep psychological scar.
Moreover, Yan Zhen had now advanced to eight-star Mystic Master. Who knew how strong he had become?
However, if they didn’t do something, after this banquet, they would be removed from the top ten societies, replaced by Yan Zhen’s Yan Huang.
Their territory and resources would be transferred to Yan Huang.
This was their last chance.
“What are you looking at?!” Long Ying glared at them menacingly. “Want to fight?”
Wu Tie snorted coldly and quickened his pace.
Following the Black Horn society were the members of Medicine King. Their leader, defeated by Yan Zhen, greeted him casually, glancing at the two beauties beside him and clicking his tongue.
“I heard you snagged the Inner Academy Goddess. I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems to be true.”
“What’s your point?”
“If I’m not mistaken, that one beside you is your fiancée, right? Then… tsk, tsk… Don’t tell me you’re two-timing her?”
The last sentence was whispered through Spiritual Power transmission.
Yan Zhen’s face darkened. “None of your business. Go back to refining your pills, you gossip monger.”
“You’re the man. Let me know when the wedding is.”
After teasing Yan Zhen, the Medicine King leader greeted Zi Xunyi and Huangfu Wenqing respectfully, then led his members to the adjacent table.
The Medicine King society’s overall strength wasn’t high, ranking at the bottom of the top ten, but their influence was considerable.
Next to Medicine King was “Artifact Spirit,” ranked ninth. The two societies were similar in nature, one specializing in alchemy, the other in artifact crafting.
The leader of Artifact Spirit had even asked Yan Zhen about his flame sword’s forging process, so they were on good terms. He greeted Yan Zhen respectfully before taking his seat.
Over the past half a year, Yan Zhen had gradually earned the respect and friendship of the other prodigies through his strength, his perseverance through adversity, his dedication to cultivation, his growth—all the things Huangfu Wenqing had missed in her previous life, she now witnessed firsthand.
This was the reason she came to the Sacred Ground Academy.
One by one, the Mystic General level experts arrived, and the spacious hall quickly filled up, until finally, the Seven Stars, the hosts, made their entrance.
The Seven Stars society held the top position in the Inner Academy because their leader was Gu Tiange, the strongest student.
Gu Tiange walked at the front of the group. He was a handsome young man with a pale complexion, looking somewhat frail, reminding Yan Zhen of a certain… sickly young master.
According to the script, Gu Tiange was indeed frail because of a Tier 7 Mystic Sword sealed within his body. He couldn’t control its power yet, so his body was weakened by the sword’s Qi. This wouldn’t improve until he reached the Mystic King realm and his body was tempered by the power of heaven and earth.
Of course, no one underestimated him because of this.
Forged by the sword’s constant tempering, Gu Tiange’s strength was astonishing. Although still a nine-star Mystic General, some Mystic King realm elders were no match for him.
As he passed Yan Zhen’s table, Gu Tiange turned to look at him, his lips moving slightly. A beautiful senior sister beside him immediately relayed his message: “Our leader says your flame sword is beautiful. Let’s spar sometime.”
Yan Zhen immediately became wary. Gu Tiange had an unusual obsession with swords. In the script, he constantly coveted Yan Zhen’s sword, his eyes always gleaming whenever he saw it drawn. The most common phrase he heard from him was, “Can I touch your magnificent sword?”
Thinking of this, Yan Zhen shuddered and replied perfunctorily, “Sure, sometime.”
The Seven Stars members took their seats, followed by Grand Elder Yu Yan and the Inner Academy Vice Dean, Wen Canglan’s grandfather, Wen Qingshan. They sat at the most prominent table.
This was Yan Zhen’s first time meeting Wen Qingshan. This old man and Grand Elder Yu Yan were rivals, the Yu family’s only competition within the academy.
Yan Zhen remembered that in the script, it was this old man who delayed his special examination application for half a month, almost making him miss the exam.
With everyone present, the banquet officially began. The speaker wasn’t Gu Tiange, but the beautiful senior sister beside him.
The purpose of the Star Gathering Banquet was to allocate territories and resources among the societies and adjust their rankings, especially the top ten.
The top ten societies held considerable influence within the Inner Academy and naturally controlled many territories and resources, like this “Seven Stars Pavilion,” with its prime location, excellent living conditions, and private cultivation rooms and training grounds.
Other societies also had their own bases, like the “Butterfly Dance Courtyard” occupied by the Transformation society. Yan Zhen had visited it once. It was filled with women who were incredibly bold and forward, asking him all sorts of questions and touching him constantly. He almost couldn’t escape.
Having established his own society, Yan Zhen also needed a base.
In the script, although he and Long Ying were the only members at this time, he had used the Grand Elder’s connections to create the “Yan Huang” society before the banquet, specifically to claim the Black Horn society’s territory and resources.
The beautiful senior sister from Seven Stars announced each society’s achievements over the past half a year.
Normally, there would be some changes in the lower rankings, but the top ten societies remained relatively stable. This time, however, was different. The Black Horn society, previously ranked seventh, had been replaced by Yan Huang.
“Members of Black Horn, any objections?”
“Naturally!” Wu Tie stood up and said loudly, “I challenge Yan Huang to a society battle.”
In a society battle, each side would send three members to duel on stage. The winner stayed, the loser retreated. The last one standing was the victor.
In the script, Yan Huang, with only Yan Zhen and Long Ying, didn’t meet the requirements and couldn’t participate, forfeiting by default.
At the critical moment, Zi Xunyi would step forward and declare herself a member of Yan Huang, thus attracting Wen Canglan’s jealousy and hostility.
Now, however, Yan Huang didn’t have a member count problem.
Yan Zhen sneered and stood up. “Bring it on. I won’t be holding back this time!”
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