Banquet.

Ling Jun and co were resting in Blue Phoenix hotel in the capital. This hotel was extremely high end, and was reserved for those of extremely high status, such as the members of the Imperial family, along with those of the eight great families.

The only reason they had been able to get a room was due to the Floating Cloud sects disciples. Normally they would be the only ones resting whilst the others would find another place, Wen Shi's talent had prompted some bootlicking on the disciples part which lead to the current situation.

It was customary for the disciples who had passed the trial to join a banquet hosted by the king, before leaving for the sect. Disciples from all 103 cities would be present for the test, and the average amount of disciples from each city was around ten. There were also around one hundred disciples from Cloud city.

In total, there would be around 1100 disciples in total, and the banquet was basically a networking event, allowing people to socialise and form connections before they left. If the disciples could help each other out during the entrance examinations, it would increase the number who would pass, thereby strengthening the kingdom as a whole.

Ling Jun and the others were dressed in their finest clothes, though Ling Jun was simply wearing his all black outfit. His possessions were all in his ring, so he would be quite inconspicuous in a crowd. Wen Shi was dressed in a white dress with purple hems and borders and a deep blue sash tied at her waist. It accentuated her beauty and her curves perfectly.

Meng Li was dressed quite simply, in a grass green dress, cut from the bottom at the sides, allowing for easier movement. She also had a sword strapped to her back along with a dagger at her waist. It made her look quite heroic.

Once they were all ready, the two disciples led them to the very centre of Cloud city, where the palace stood in all its splendour. It looked like a lofty being, confident in its superiority over others, disdaining to even prove itself.

At the gates stood two soul realm cultivators who were checking the tokens of the Floating Cloud disciples to make sure no one else could sneak into the palace. The group was already surprised, being at soul realm in the city made one a powerhouse, yet here were two acting simply as doormen. Their horizons were definitely broadened.

Yet, Ling Jun and Meng Li were surprised for another reason.

The gold thread lead into the palace.

***

Deep in the palace, within the throne room, an extremely handsome figure sat on the throne. His eyes were closed and his slightly aged face was supported by his arm. He cut an extremely lazy figure as he sat before his ministers, who were reporting various details to him.

To others, it may look as though the king was quietly listening but in fact, the king was actually asleep. The minsters knew this was simply a superficial reporting, as the king was simply a puppet on the throne, yet pretences had to be kept up even if there was no need for it.

About a year and a half ago, the king had suddenly fallen ill, and when he had recovered his mind wasn't all there anymore. He had become extremely lazy and left everything up to the various ministers and officials. The officials, not wanting a bloodbath, had left him on his throne with only superficial influence and no real power anymore.

The last time he had opened his eyes had been about just over half a year ago, where he had looked out with surprise, before closing his eyes again a few seconds later. His eyes hadn't opened since.

Even as the ministers stared at him with derision, whilst continuing to report, they were shocked to see the kings eyelids flutter, before they slowly opened revealing deep yellow irises within. The king stared at the various ministers for a second indifferently, before his gaze settled at the end of the room, where a golden thread met the wall.

Whatever it is...it's coming closer. Soon... He thought to himself.

The officials gulped as they stared into those deep yellow eyes that exuded no attachment to life, only a hint of mild curiosity.

Were his majesty's eyes always like that? They thought to themselves in a fluster.

The king looked around once again, before his eyes slowly closed.

***

Ling Jun and the others had been brought to the Banquet hall, where various tables had been laid down, with delicacies and fine wine up for everyone to indulge in. Various disciples were sat down and chatting, or some stood together as they conversed with new people.

As soon as they arrived, many eyes lit up as they landed on Meng Li and Wen Shi, their owners tidying themselves up instantly so as to make a suitable first impression. It wasn't long before the group had visitors, who nodded at Ling Jun and the other three boys, before proceeding to talk to the girls.

Meng Li and Wen Shi, conversed politely with the others, maintaining their distance. Many had asked them to refer to themselves simply as brother, yet were politely declined.

Many girls were instantly jealous that attention had been stolen from them yet there was nothing they could do. A few girls took a liking to Ling Jun's handsome appearance and talked to him, introducing themselves. He conversed with them superficially, noting their names and their status, before excusing himself.

Most of these people had similar status to himself, so there was no need to worry about most people. The only people he had to be careful around were those situated further up in the hall, near the raised platform where the king would sit later on. Ling Jun realised that people subconsciously had split up according to their status, and those near the front were all likely from Cloud city itself.

They kept to themselves and subconsciously looked down on the others, though they tried not to show it. Who knew which bumpkin would suddenly end up having greater talent than themselves. Arrogance could wait till after the entrance examinations and ranking battles. Before then, there was no need to mock others, which could lead to shooting themselves in the foot.

Ling Jun conversed with many others as did the group, making many friends who agreed to help each other out at the entrance examinations. Ling Jun decided to tell others he was a fifth grade talent instead of fourth, as that would garner unnecessary attention whilst fifth grade was barely acceptable.

The group didn't expose his lie, as no one wanted to be looked down upon due to Ling Jun, and they had also gotten quite close with each other so they didn't want to see him making a fool of himself.

It was then that some of the locals from Cloud city caught sight of Meng Li and Wen Shi, inviting them over. The two beauties accepted the invitation, though Meng Li made sure to stick with Wen Shi, as Wen Shi's talent could protect the both of them in the case of any advances made towards them.

The group from the capital were excited. Two beauties on the level of the exalted princess had suddenly appeared, and it would probably be easy to attain them, considering their low backgrounds! The boys stared around at each other vigilantly. After all, there were only two girls, whilst there were about seventy boys.

In actuality, most of the people knew that the girls would probably end up with one of ten boys present. Either of the two princes, and eight members of direct descent of the eight great families.

Yet before any could even begin to compete, Wen Shi clasped her hands and bowed slightly before speaking, "This humble one is Wen Shi from Xin city, along with my close friend Meng Li. I was lucky enough to be born with first grade earthly talent, helping me to pass the trials. Please take care of me."

Meng Li also clasped her hands and bowed. The boys eyes widened in surprise before narrowing. They understood the hidden meaning behind her words. It was a warning to think twice before attempting anything with her, whilst also stating Meng Li's position as her friend.

Wen Shi had one of the highest talents out of those present. It was absolutely not worth it to ignore her warning, lest they provoke a strong opponent. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't talk and leave a good impression.

"Interesting...Blessed with beauty, talent and intelligence, it is certain that you will grow up to become an incredible figure.", a handsome youth dressed in white silk robes and an exquisite gold bordered fan in his left hand remarked. He remained facing his table, only moving his eyes to observe, whilst gently shaking the red wine in the glass he held in his right hand. This was Yun Liang, eldest son of the king and the crown prince.

He gently placed down the wine, before inviting Wen Shi over. Yet before he could, another handsome youth beat him to it, glancing over at Yun Liang with well disguised hostility. He was dressed quite similar to Yun Liang, this was Yun Cai, the second prince of the kingdom and he was at odds with Yun Liang.

Yun Liang narrowed his eyes. He knew how shallow his younger brother was, even though they had no reason to be hostile since they would both sacrifice their right to kingship by leaving for the sect, Yun Cai was still limited by his previous mindset of opposing Yun Liang at every turn.

Yun Cai is too stupid, we could have joined forces to improve our standing at the sect, yet he tries to oppose me at all turns. It is simply stupid, just like choosing to play with fire, instead of simply dousing the flame. Yun Liang shook his head before picking up his wine glass once again, closing his eyes and no longer paying any attention to anyone.

While it seemed that Ling Jun was casually chatting with others, he was taking note of those at the top and their reactions.

After the two princes had spoken, no one else had said anything, revealing the power of the Yun clan. Also the two princes seemed hostile.

Suddenly, the doors opened and a few eunuchs appeared, quieting everyone down, before announcing that the King was arriving. A few seconds later everyone stood as the King made his way through the door and sat down, on the central seat, while those following took up seats around him on the raised platform.

The King's yellow eyes scanned the room without even pausing for a second on Ling Jun and Meng Li, though internally he was shocked that the thread connected him to them. Ling Jun and Meng Li were astounded as they realized that the third of the seven was in fact the King of the entire country!

"Please be seated." The Kings deep voice sounded out.

Everyone took a seat and Wen Shi and Meng Li returned to sit next to the group.