Yang Zhen had never been afraid of any so-called geniuses. On the contrary, he quite enjoyed making friends with them, regardless of their exact level of talent. After all, he considered none of them to be as talented as himself.
There was this young prodigy named Li Cangxu, who was reputed to be a rarity in the Heavenly Spring Sacred Land that hadnât seen such talent in thousands of years. From the moment he was born, he manifested astonishing abilities, mastering the most difficult cultivation methods and martial skills of Heavenly Spring Sacred Land. Furthermore, he had never met a match at his level of cultivation.
When Yang Zhen heard about this, he was amazed at Li Cangxu. âDamn,â he thought to himself, âWhat impressive flair this guy has.â
It was said that Li Cangxu was heading to the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain for a meeting with Ji Yourong, the holy maiden of the place. After hearing rumors about Yang Zhen, he took a sudden interest in him.
Li Cangxuâs strength did not primarily lie in his level of cultivation, but rather his immense talent, a caliber of talent that has not appeared in thousands of years.
Many people were debating whether Yang Zhen would dare to visit the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain now that Li Cangxu was there. Some were even questioning if Ji Yourong herself dared to return to the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain at this point.
Ji Yourong was considered the most talented among the young generation of the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain, possibly even more powerful than Lu Tianwei. If she were to lose to Li Cangxu in terms of talent, the entire Heavenly Snow Holy Domain would be utterly disgraced.
Despite the increasing speculations, and the majority believing that Yang Zhen wouldnât dare approach the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain under the current circumstances, many were still looking forward to seeing Yang Zhen and Ji Yourong, these two highly-anticipated prodigies, have a face-off with Li Cangxu.
As a result, the entire Heavenly Snow Convention became a sensation on the Northern Island before people even realized.
It was said that the one with the greatest talent among the three prodigies would likely guide the younger generation in the Northern Island in the coming years.
The Mobei Abyss had suddenly quieted down, creating the perfect atmosphere for the Heavenly Snow Convention. Peopleâs focus began to shift from the Mobei Abyss to the Heavenly Snow Convention. The names of Yang Zhen, Ji Yourong, and Li Cangxu were being echoed throughout the Northern Island.
âDo you think Yang Zhen will dare to come?â
âBuddy, how much do you know about the legends of Yang Zhen? Joking about him being afraid of going somewhere?â
âNot so sure about that. Everyone says Yang Zhen is surprisingly talented and can accomplish impossible feats. Thatâs why he must cherish his reputation. Leaving Li Cangxu, who is a rare talent of a thousand years or Ji Yourong, an heiress of the sacred area, he might not even be able to compete with either of them. The Heavenly Snow Convention is currently the most significant gathering of the Northern Islandâs most powerful forces. If Yang Zhen decides to go and gets defeated and ridiculed by Li Cangxu, heâll lose more than just face, heâll be a laughingstock throughout the whole Northern Island.â
âThatâs true. Iâve met Yang Zhen once, and he wasnât as monstrous as the rumors suggestedâ¦â
âAnd what?â
Everyone in the teahouse was eagerly waiting for the practitionerâs response after he mentioned that he had met Yang Zhen before. They all focused their curious eyes on him.
A satisfied smile appeared on the practitionerâs face. He lowered his voice and stated mysteriously, âThe fact is, everything Yang Zhen did was based on his abilities. If there was a slight uncertainty, Yang Zhen wouldnât take the risk.â
âWhat? Really?â
âIâve also heard about it. Yang Zhen simply got lucky. How would such a man dare to come to the Heavenly Snow Holy Domain at this time?â
A quirky voice sounded out.
âTell me, have any of you actually met Yang Zhen?â
At these words, everyone glanced at each other, turning their heads to the source of the voice, their expressions odd.
âFellow practitioner, you seem unfamiliar. Are you here for the Heavenly Snow Convention, too?â
Yang Zhen nodded and said, âYes, Iâm here to attend the Heavenly Snow Convention. I heard you guys talking, and some of you have met Yang Zhen?â
âOf course!â
A youth with a feather fan and a silk scarf flipped open his fan with a snap. In a slightly pompous manner, he said, âIn my opinion, Yang Zhenâs fame is only built on his recklessness. Iâve met Yang Zhen and even clashed with him once. He is indeed very cautious. Once he realizes something canât be done, he will make all sorts of excuses or simply turn and leave.â
âWhat?â
The crowd was taken aback, looking incredulously at the fan-waving youth, even Yang Zhen was shocked. He examined the braggart closely from head to toe, unable to recall having ever clashed with such a youth.
The others took the youthâs words at face value, their eyes gleaming with adoration. One person admired aloud, âSuch a high caliber practitioner who could cross hands with Yang Zhen! How was it? Is Yang Zhen truly as troublesome and despicable as the rumors say?â
The fan-waving youth scoffed and said, âAny flashy tricks are futile in front of real power. Yang Zhen is not particularly good-looking and his cultivation is only useful for bullying those of a lower level than him. I heard that when Yang Zhen entered the Sealed Land, he purposely avoided those black puppets from the start. Heâs far too cautious!â
At these words, the crowd looked at the youth, nodding in enlightenment.
Yang Zhen was speechless, watching as everyoneâs gaze focused on the fan-waving youth as though they were surrounding the moon with stars. However, everything he said seemed like utter nonsense.
âSo, Yang Zhen definitely wonât dare to come to the Heavenly Snow Convention after all. Itâs a shame.â
The crowd sighed as if they were missing an enlightening opportunity without Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen sighed as well and said, âIndeed, I have also encountered Yang Zhen before. Although I didnât defeat him with one sword, I made him flee in disgrace. How could such a loser dare to come to the Heavenly Snow Convention!â
After a pause, Yang Zhen asked curiously, âCompared to Yang Zhen, Iâm more interested in how powerful Li Cangxu is.â
âHow powerful?â
âOf course, he would be very powerful. At the minimum, if all of us here combined our efforts, we wouldnât even be able to withstand one blow from Li Cangxuâs sword!â
âSheesh!â Yang Zhen gasped, âThatâs terrifying!â
Hearing Yang Zhenâs exclamation, the crowd fervently nodded in agreement.
The practitioner who answered Yang Zhenâs question earlier said thoughtfully, âMay I ask your name, fellow practitioner? How do you evaluate your relationship with Yang Zhen?â
âEvaluation?â Yang Zhen laughed loudly. When it came to evaluating Yang Zhen, he was probably the most qualified and authoritative one to do so.
When all eyes were on Yang Zhen, he cleared his throat and said, âMy name is not important. What is important is Yang Zhen. I donât know whether you have really met Yang Zhen. He is a handsome, gallant man, especially his sculpted facial features are unforgettable, causing many young and pretty girls willingly throw themselves at him!â
âPreposterous, simply preposterous! How could you, a young man, utter such ridiculous words?â