Wei Tian's face had a rare smile. Wei Ren could have easily entered through the main entrance but he chose to jump over the wall of the arena.
"He can Cultivate!!" Royal Elder Wei Jiang looked at Wei Ren who was kneeling on one knee with his jaw dropped. He looked at the other elder who accompanied him to see if he knew something about this. But the latter had a similar horror struck face. Wei Ren's chances of getting the throne have soared high into the sky.
All the youngsters were also in shock. Wei Ren was a very famous cripple in the capital. They all knew that he couldn't cultivate. But his aura surprised them all. They could see that he had reached the third stage of Qi Streams. Although he was only at the early third stage of Qi Streams, it was still a cultivation base.
"He truly is his son. Wei Yan, you have a good son." Wei Tian thought in his head. This was his first time laying his eyes on Wei Ren. When he received Wei Yan's message that Wei Ren suddenly started cultivating, his happiness knew no bounds. There was no way that his brother's grandson would remain a cripple. All his previous worries simply melted away.
After greeting the General and the Royal Elders, Wei Ren climbed the stage and joined his peers.
Wei Qing gave him a big nod. She watched him closely as he walked onto the stage with extreme confidence. He was moving his Elemental Qi inside his body and put his cultivation base on a display for everyone in the arena.
"Congratulations, Elder Cousin Ren." She said in a voice that was directed at Wei Yu and not at Wei Ren.
Wei Chen and Wei Ling also looked at him incredulously. Wei Ling was actually paying attention to something for the first time.
Wei Ren was second in the Line of Succession. So his position was just beside Wei Yu.
Their eyes met. Wei Yu wasn't able to keep a straight face. He couldn't conceal the shock and anger he felt right now.
Wei Ren looked at him with a calm face. He looked closely at Wei Yu. His cultivation reached the sixth stage of Qi Streams.
Not only him, they all made breakthroughs. Wei Chen reached the fifth stage, Wei Qing was surprisingly also at sixth stage and Wei Ling seemed to be at the peak of fourth stage. Just one step away from the fifth stage.
"Nice to see you, Cousin Yu. How is uncle Ming?" Wei Ren asked with a smile.
Wei Yu didn't answer and completely ignored Wei Ren. He couldn't even look at him.
"Since everyone is here. Let the Competition begin." Wei Tian didn't wait for the situation to get better. He continued speaking in his half hearted voice.
"The purpose of this competition is simple. All of you have the chance to serve our beloved kingdom. Especially during these hard times when we are getting attacked by the Golden Crow Kingdom. We can't stay silent. We will retaliate with ten times more damage to them."
His voice had a hint of bloodlust as he spoke.
Cough! Cough!
He coughed twice to regain his composure and continued.
"Another purpose of this competition is to find the successor for the throne of Blue Rose Kingdom. The current contenders for the throne are Wei Yu from Ming Family, Wei Ren from Yan Family, Wei Chen from the Gao Family, Wei Qing from the Huang Family and Wei Ling from Ma Family. All youngsters, who are not in the list can earn a spot by earning battle credit in this war."
He waited for this information to settle in their minds.
"There are twelve types of infantry in our army. Heavy Armoured Infantry, Light Armoured Infantry, Archery Infantry, Assassination Infantry, Tactical infantry, Rescue and support and so on. All of you can choose the type as you wish. But I suggest you give good consideration while making the decision. Choose something that you excel at. Otherwise you won't be able to earn battle credit."
"All five family members on the Line of succession have one advantage." He said this while looking at the five, who were standing behind him.
"Wei Yu is awarded 1000 battle credits. Wei Ren is awarded 800 battle credits. Wei Chen is awarded 600 battle credits, Wei Qing is awarded 400 battle credits and lastly, Wei Ling is awarded 200 battle credits. Rest of you have to start from scratch. But don't get discouraged just because of this. You have to work harder than these five. It is still possible to put your name on the list. There are 48 contestants including the five who are already on the list. The competition will last for two years. Normally this competition lasts for one year or less. But considering that we are at war. We need your help. Thus you have to work hard. By the end of the day, make your decision. Tomorrow at sunrise. All you will be enlisted in the army and you will become official soldiers of our kingdom." He looked at their young faces. Some of them seemed scared but some looked eager to join the war.
"For the Rose and Kingdom." Wei Tian shouted at the top of his lungs. He infused some Qi with his voice. It reverberated in the entire arena and shook the soul of every person present in the arena.
This was his job as the General. Boosting his army's morale was also very important.
All the youngsters and the soldiers in the arena replied with the same excitement.
"FOR THE ROSE AND THE KINGDOM!!"
As soon as he heard the battle cry, Wei Tian took his leave. While leaving he whispered something into Wei Ren's ears. The two Royal Elders gave him pretentious smiles when he left.
All the youngsters climbed the stage and surrounded the five of them.
"Elder Cousin Ren, what a good surprise. When did you start cultivating?"
"Did you find a cure for your ailment?"
"I am so happy for you."
Wei Ren heard all kinds of questions. But his eyes were on Wei Yu.
Seeing that everyone was flocked around Wei Ren, Wei Yu decided to take his leave. One of the Royal Elders said something to him as he left.
This Royal Elder must be from Wei Yu's family.
The elder looked at Wei Ren with concealed hostility and observed him for a few seconds before taking his leave with the other elder. Both were obviously talking about Wei Ren. They knew that they must send this information back to the capital immediately. Emperor Yan's son can cultivate. This is the news of the year. Even more surprising than the announcement of war.
Wei Ren gave a few polite answers and left the group as fast as he could.
Wei Tian whispered in his ear to tell him that his master, Grand Healer Lu Sheng was waiting for him in the Rescue and Support Infantry.
He was extremely familiar with the entire military base. He headed straight to the Rescue and Support Infantry. He was sure that he would get stopped by another one of the family members if they saw him. He just wanted to avoid their inquiries at all costs.
Rescue and Support Infantry was very close to the battlefield. Because injured soldiers need immediate assistance. It took half an hour to reach the Infantry. It was so close to the battlefield that he could even see the giant wall that separated the Blue Rose Kingdom and Golden Crow Kingdom.
As far as he could see there was a giant wall to the both directions. A wall to the right and a wall to the left.
Giant tents and small buildings were constructed everywhere. Wei Ren looked at the familiar buildings with reminiscing eyes. He was brought up here. There was no way he would forget his true home.
He asked a soldier where Grand Healer Lu Sheng was staying. Lu Sheng was allotted a residence for himself and his disciples.
He followed the way to Lu Sheng's Building.
This building was different from the rest. A small Plant Garden was at the entrance. This was no surprise. It was expected for there to be a medicinal garden in an Alchemist's residence.
Wei Ren was about to walk in when a beautiful figure walked out from the front door.
She was wearing a white alchemist robe with a single green serpent. Her hair was tied together with a green ribbon. Her pink lips pressed lightly made her look like a fairy sent from the heavens.
Her face left Wei Ren horror stricken.
"Elder Sister Mei Rong…" he cried softly in his heart. This girl deliberately made him miserable at the Serpent Valley Sect. He was able to focus on his cultivation only when she left. Who knows how much she is going to irritate him during this Mission Assignment Competition.
Nevertheless, he greeted her with a smile.
"Elder Sister Rong." He bowed and waited for her to pull him into a bear hug. This girl had no boundaries.
But contrary to his expectations, she stopped three feet away from him and bowed just like him.
"Welcome, Junior Brother Ren." She emphasized on his name.
"She knows who I am? Grand Healer Lu Sheng must have told them about my true identity. Does this mean she will stay away from me?"
"So, Elder Sister knows…huh." He said while meekly scratching his head
"Master is waiting for you inside. Let's not make him wait." She said in an ice cold tone and turned around and went back inside without waiting for him
"Is she angry?" He wondered.
He followed her inside. It was actually more spacious from the inside than he thought. He followed her into a big room that was dimly lit.
An old man was sitting inside this dimly lit room, meditating. His white robe was covered with beautifully embroidered serpents. Four green and five golden serpents flowed on his robe. Few strands of hair were left on his head.
Wei Ren couldn't feel this old man at all. It was like the old man was invisible to his senses. He was able to see him but his presence was completely masked.
He slowly walked over to stand in front of the old man.
"Disciple Wei Ren greets master." He said and fell to his knees and kowtowed three times.
"Rise." Lu Sheng said in a deep, soft voice.
"Last time I saw you, you were just a toddler. Time has passed. This old man has become older. But I still can't believe that you can cultivate." When he finished speaking, Lu Sheng opened his completely white eyes. He rushed to his feet as fast as a mantis and grabbed Wei Ren's arm like a vulture.
"What are you…" Wei Ren was caught off-guard. He unleashed the thunderbolts and was ready to run away. But the death grip on his arm didn't allow him to leave.
Mei Rong watched quietly without any changes to her expressions.