The king's words resounded, both around the room and in his children's heads and hearts. Well... not Rain. He understood the gravity and would be paying close attention, but he didn't really care for all the make your name, establish yourself as something more in the First Heaven bullshit. He would prefer to stay in the shadows.
Rain already had a plan, the fact that something would happen when the king's twins turned 17 put a timetable, something he actually wanted, else he stay too far from the kingdom and his mother and sister lose their minds. Rain was not planning on staying in the kingdom, he had business with getting stronger and he couldn't do so here. Naturally, he 'd have to tell his mom and sister, and they would want to, at the very least, know when they should expect him back. Given that Rain was very close in age to the twins, he could let them know that he would be back around that time, the kings next words did not matter nearly as much to him than the other children next to him.
"To start, you should know that their will be an event... one that involves all five kingdoms."
The children had to contain their shock, this did not happen often. Normally, the kingdoms kept to themselves, as such a peace was formed. However, an event that involved all five kingdoms meant the mysterious Liu family was involved, probably at the center of it all. However, they could not interrupt with their gasps, so they kept quiet and decided to celebrate or despair later. All they knew was that they had an opportunity.
"Around the time some of you, and my children were born, the Liu family king also had a child. One with insane expectations placed upon them. They would be given 4 years after they turned 13 and were able to cultivate to reach a certain level, then an event would be held. The top geniuses around their age would be invited from every family, no matter if they were a child of a concubine or the official child of a king. You will have a similar amount of time, given when you were born in respect to when the child was born, to reach a level appropriate for a genius. Thus, you will earn yourself an invite. My children will also be participating in this... competition and we will take a journey to the Middle Kingdom in order to participate."
The king paused, allowing reactions, which were mixed. Those who were young were despairing, if they didn't have very good talent, they would have an insanely hard time. Those who were older were smiling, their was less pressure. However, regardless, expectation shone in each of their eyes. This was their chance. Very few visited the Middle Kingdom, where opportunities abound. This was a chance, a once in a lifetime chance to make their claim.
Rain exhibited a small smile, though his eyes were bored, something the king didn't miss.
The king paid attention to his kingdom, not because he cared, but rather to keep track of talent and to keep track of emotions. Should any show signs of hatred, they would be... dealt with. However, most of children showed signs of devotion and the one who didn't had only exhibited a small distaste, surprising the king. He thought for sure that child would hate him, but instead it seemed like he didn't care in the slightest.
Indeed, Rain had distaste for his father, but no hatred. He did not hate people, he never had and really would, though he might hate their actions or certain things such as his food mixing. He respected the actions of others, though he might also go against them depending on his tastes. Rain wasn't swayed by his mother, who was honestly too obsessed with him to bad mouth the king much, and his distaste led from him seeing the condition the king originally put her in. He didn't like that, though it wasn't near hatred.
Contrary to his eyes, Rain was actually really happy. He liked a good secret kingdom with hidden mysteries. That sounded like fun. Plus, it was a good opportunity, though he didn't really want to get know as a top genius.
"Indeed, this is a great opportunity. For both you and me, so I trust you will not disappoint. Work hard."
""Yes, Your Majesty!""
'Fuck that."
Rain would trust in his talent as a transmigrated person. He didn't want to spend his time training, that was hard. And boring. He already knew where he was going as soon as he left the kingdom, and it wasn't necessarily to train, though it might involve some work.
'Heaven's Asylum'
Heaven's Asylum was a prison for all shapes and sizes. It was the place that Rain most wanted to see, and it was also the most secure place in The Nine Heavens. Why? Because it was one of the few places that spanned all Nine Heavens and housed the worst criminals of every generation. It's warden was an allegedly an insane dragon that was one of the most powerful beings of The Ninth Heaven. A universally feared monster with sadistic tendencies. The dragon was very intelligent despite this and would occasionally communicate with people of the First Heaven. However, they also served to keep everyone in line, regardless of the Heaven and few could even hope to compete with it so it was left alone. It was one of the few interactions the First Heaven had with the Ninth.
Rain wanted to see it. The prison, not the dragon. He thought seeing one of the greatest structures in all the Nine Heavens would give him inspiration, one he needed to train and get stronger. It was for the best or else he would be stuck dealing with young masters down here in the First Heaven as others explored and enjoyed their lives. Rain lacked passion for most things, and the things he did like, he would have to have power in order to enjoy without worry.
Regardless, he had a plan. He would leave after working for a little while so he wouldn't die when he left the kingdom. When he turned 15, he expected and he would return 2 years later. However, he still had time. He would use it wisely.