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Chapter 574: A Banquet of Peaches

After five rounds of intense competition, the climax of the selection had arrived!

And so, it was the eve of a storm.

Under such a night sky, the vast Thunder Immortal Formation that blotted out the heavens seemed even more fierce. Blinding and booming flashes of lightning raced through the streets of the Divine Heaven Jade Purity Office of the Thunder Department.

Such ferocity even made the mood of the people more irritable and stern!

Surrounded by a lightning storm, Yun Xiao rode his Sovereign Sword, landing gracefully in front of the Grand Firmament Academy with two beauties in tow.

He was clad in shimmering platinum armor, his presence even more ethereal and valiant against the backdrop of the night.

Jiang Haiyan and Jiang Heqing, naturally delicate, matched the daughters of the Thunder Department\'s Immortals in both beauty and demeanor.

"How majestic."

Upon arrival, Yun Xiao looked ahead to see a towering and solemn edifice of the academy. His eyes caught sight of 99 giant thunder pillars, each entwined with lightning dragons, their serpentine bodies intertwined, forming the grand entrance of the Grand Firmament Academy.

"The Grand Firmament Academy, formally known as the Grand Primordial Violet Firmament Origin Thunder Academy..."

Yun Xiao noticed these words carved on one of the thunder pillars and thought to himself how much more imposing the full name sounded than the abbreviation.

In the Celestial Court, any notable entity or individual had a lengthy full name, such as the Supreme Everlasting Nine Heavens Sovereign Thunder Immortal Formation or the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Thunder Voice Universalizing Sovereign.

Even the Emperor of the Celestial Court supposedly had a title dozens of words long, which, if spoken aloud, would tie the tongue in knots.

Length signified loftiness, grandeur, sanctity, and authority!

As the Thunder Department\'s premier institution for nurturing the youth, the Grand Firmament Academy was a true noble institution of the Celestial Court.

Most high-ranking officials of the Thunder Department had studied at the Grand Firmament Academy!

"Neither of us ever had the chance to study here," Jiang Haiyan said upon arrival, her eyes filled with longing and a hint of regret.

Her father had finally been promoted to the core of the Thunder Department. But she was almost too old to attend this place.

Only Jiang Heqing was set to enter the Grand Firmament Academy after the selection, ready to build her future networks within the Thunder Department\'s bureaucratic circles.

In plain terms, the academy was a microcosm of the Thunder Department\'s bureaucracy!

"Let\'s go."

The Grand Firmament Academy was indeed grand, but Yun Xiao showed little interest.

With a single glance, he strode directly towards the entrance of the Grand Firmament Academy.

Tonight was undoubtedly the liveliest moment for the Grand Firmament Academy; as Yun Xiao arrived, the gates were bustling with Immortals, mostly youths.

Some were attending the banquet, others were there to greet.

No matter how gifted the geniuses were, when they met Yun Xiao, they immediately lost the spotlight.

"Is that him?"

In just an instant, Yun Xiao drew nearly all eyes to himself.

Just like during the Nine Thunders Arena, the stares he received were peculiar, and within that peculiarity, there was a mix of mockery, irony, and amusement.

He seemed like a gifted fool in their eyes.

In truth, no one doubted Yun Xiao\'s talent; what they found odd was his way with people.

To put it bluntly, they thought him a fool.

Of course, Yun Xiao bore the title of a Rank 3 Heavenly Officer\'s foster son. Though they viewed him with disdain, nobody openly mocked him. They stifled their laughs, silently watching him move forward.

It was as if they were watching a monkey. A stubborn monkey, low in brain capacity, grinning and baring its teeth at anyone it saw, played by the societal rules of Immortal.

At the entrance of the Grand Firmament Academy, a group of young Immortals had gathered.

They seemed to be in charge of organizing the Azure Sky Banquet.

Among them, a particularly striking young girl led the group.

Her skin was exceedingly fair, so pure it seemed without a single impurity, glowing like jade.

She wore a snow-white short dress adorned with a blue chiffon that was semi-transparent, embroidered with electric currents, clearly a protective garment of considerable strength.

The girl had large eyes, and when she spoke, a pair of fangs and light dimples appeared, her smile comforting.

She was stunningly ethereal and natural, almost exactly as mortals might imagine a celestial maiden, possessing an elevated and ethereal demeanor.

By comparison, Jiang Haiyan and Jiang Heqing, though distinctive, seemed to lack a celestial aura and were completely overshadowed.

Yun Xiao saw her too.

"Hmm?" He paused for a moment, his heart fluttering.

"Lian Xi?" But after a second look, he felt a twinge of disappointment. He was mistaken! The girl resembled Lian Xi, sharing a similar appearance.

Both had an air of innocence and charm that naturally drew sympathy and favor.

Sadly, this girl was not Lian Xi!

"Lu Yao," she recognized Yun Xiao at a glance, smiling as she waved him over. "Come this way."

She seemed warmly enthusiastic.

"Her name is Bai Ling\'er, and her father is also a general of the Thunder Department," Jiang Haiyan whispered.

This meant Yun Xiao was an adopted son of a Rank 3 Heavenly Officer, while Bai Ling\'er was the biological daughter of one.

In terms of status, the biological daughter held a higher rank.

"They say she\'s very powerful. She reached the Divine Self Realm at 17 years old, and now her prowess is nearly that of a Rank 6 Heavenly Officer. She\'s even considered a prime candidate for the Divine Gateway," Jiang Heqing said with evident envy.

Compared to this fair-skinned girl, the two sisters felt rather plain.

"Bai Ling\'er?"

Truth be told, as her name suggested, she was indeed vibrant and charming.

Since she was the only one who smiled at Yun Xiao, he approached politely and handed her the invitation, saying, "I am here at the invitation of the Grand Firmament Academy."

His words caused some of the young Immortals by Bai Ling\'er\'s side to look uneasy.

Bai Ling\'er smiled as she took the invitation, telling Yun Xiao, "Please, come in."

Yun Xiao nodded, turned back to take each beauty by the hand, and boldly stepped into the Grand Firmament Academy!

He had humiliated Lightning Lord Bo Hong and dared to slay Mo Ruoyu; now he walked into the assembly as if it were nothing, a clear challenge to the prodigious talents of the academy!

At least to the young talents beside Bai Ling\'er, it was a provocation.

"Sister!"

Beside Bai Ling\'er, a young man stood—handsome and commanding, resembling Bai Ling\'er closely, with an exceptional presence.

He turned back to watch Yun Xiao\'s departing figure, frowning slightly, "Just like that, he\'s let in?"

"What else?" Bai Ling\'er responded.

"At the very least, the invitation says only one companion may accompany him, yet he brought two. He\'s blatantly disregarding the rules, showing no respect for the Grand Firmament Academy," Bai Zijun said coldly.

Bai Ling\'er pursed her lips, shaking her head. "You don\'t understand; he\'s a special case. Even if he wanted to bring his entire family, we couldn\'t stop him."

Bai Zijun was initially startled, then quickly came around, laughing, "You\'re right as always."

Those around, though somewhat irked, understood the reasoning.

This Azure Sky Banquet was a veritable gauntlet for Yun Xiao. Since he dared to present himself, why block him?

Letting him in was the start of the spectacle.

"Merely isolating him completely will give him enough trouble," Bai Zijun remarked.

As soon as Yun Xiao entered, he found a seat and began with a pot of wine.

"Refreshing!" Yun Xiao drank down the pot of exquisite, unnamed celestial wine in one go, and let out a long sigh of relief.

After finishing his drink, he finally took the time to take in the Azure Sky Banquet and the Town of Sword Gate.

"Is this the legendary Banquet of Peaches?" Yun Xiao looked around to see a scene enveloped in celestial mist, with countless fine wines and dishes, celestial maidens dancing, and musicians playing... a grand spectacle of a heavenly palace!

The luxury here was many times that of the birthday celebration for Huyan Luo at the Primordial Ruins!

As soon as Yun Xiao entered, he was dazzled by the array. The jade table in front of him was laden with various celestial fruits and fine wines, high in spirit and essence.

The fruits were primarily peaches, including the kind that Lu Changfeng had gifted to that old guard Yan Song. There, such peaches were treasured. But here, they were just another fruit.

This Banquet of Peaches was indeed modeled after the famous Celestial Court\'s Empress Dowager\'s Peach Banquet.

It must be said, the high society of the Azure Sky Banquet truly opened Yun Xiao\'s eyes.

"Worthy of being a gathering of top celestial second-generations." Observing the scene, Yun Xiao was reminded of a saying. "Behind the gates of the rich, food and drink are plentiful while bones of the frozen dead litter the streets."

The chilling part was, the rich behind those gates were the cause of the dead littering the streets...

JustLivingJL\'s Thoughts