--- Chapter 24 ---
As the time passed quickly, Hayate woke up from his nap and noticed someone was hugging him.
Cang Yue rested her head on Hayate's arm and tightly hugged him like a baby koala. She looks adorable in this position, which caused Hayate to chuckle slightly.
Hayate tapped her forehead gently and whispered, "Wake up, big sister."
"We have some preparation to do."
"Hmmn~." Cang Yue's face scrunched for a moment.
She opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times at Hayate, who smiled at her mischievously. She blushed when realizing their positions and tried to lift her body off the couch.
"Eh, my hand..." Cang Yue felt her arm stuck between Hayate's abdomen area. She could tell Hayate's refined abs were touching her hand.
She experienced an enormous amount of shame, which would always appear again in her mind later.
Hayate shook his head and commented amusingly, "How lovely."
After releasing herself off Hayate, Cang Yue breathed slowly and avoided his gaze like a shy cat. She glanced to see his reaction occasionally, making him chuckle even more.
"It's okay, big sister. I know that was a misunderstanding," Hayate smirked at her. "Unless you're into my muscles, that is."
Cang Yue pouted and responded, "You're teasing me!"
"Haha..." Hayate covered his mouth and let out a small laugh.
'Jerk. It's just muscle.' Jasmine commented with an annoyed tone.
'What are you proud of?.'
Hayate went out of the Imperial Palace with Cang Yue to get lunch. Since Silver Lake's Gourmet has a branch in Blue Wind Imperial City, they won't have a problem with having bad food.
However, when they were about to arrive at the Silver Lake's Gourmet branch. A group of noble youngsters gathered at the entrance and created a commotion there.
They obviously ignored them by walking past the entrances, but life couldn't be easier for Hayate.
"Hey, you!" A young man in a noble robe yelled.
"Where do you think you are going to, huh?!"
"Restaurant?" Hayate answered with an annoyed expression.
Cang Yue was ready to draw her sword, but remember they were inside Blue Wind Imperial City. She sighed inside and calmed herself down.
She walked forward and gently asked, "May I know your name?"
The young man frowned and answered proudly, "I'm from the Silver Star noble clan."
"Kong Ming."
"Remember my name, Kong Ming."
"I see... Then, what's your problem?" Cang Yue responded with an unenthusiastic tone.
Even though Cang Yue's expression was gentle and dignified, her voice was like cold winter. This exact contrast caused everyone to feel smacked by a bucket of ice water.
Kong Ming's instinct was too shallow to sense Cang Yue's tone, and he continued to brag about his family's wealth.
"If I want to, I can buy this entire restaurant." Kong Ming said it like he was buying grass.
"How can the staff here be so rude to me?"
"They said I cannot enter the sixth and seventh floors."
"Mark my words! I'll call my daddy here to purchase this building."
"Are you perhaps not from the Blue Wind Empire?" Hayate pulled Cang Yue back. "If so, then your daddy's wealth might fall to rock bottom."
"Just how much is this building even worth, huh?" Kong Ming sneered at Hayate.
"40 million."
"Huh?"
Kong Ming's eyes widened in shock, but Hayate's voice was clear and unwavering, telling no lies to him.
"40 million of Purple Profound Coins," Hayate repeated once again. "This whole building is worth that much."
"If we count the food, service, and maintenance, it could reach 69 million potentially."
Hayate's golden eyes showed them an invisible sense of pressure and caused Kong Ming to curl in fear.
"Your life is not even worth that much." He commented indifferently.
They went into the Silver Lake's Gourmet and suddenly were greeted by a young waitress.
"Welcome to Blue Wind Imperial City's branch." The waitress smiled politely at Hayate.
Hayate reached over the waitress's ear and whispered, 'Shadow Garden's Ghost.'
'Clear that annoyance from the entrance.'
A hint of coldness appeared in the young waitress's eyes. She blinked a few times and nodded slightly.
"Please come to the seventh floor." She said naturally.
Hayate and Cang Yue walked past the waitress, moving to the seventh floor. A group of waitresses greeted and quickly served them today's special menu.
The young waitress gradually approached Kong Min and his group, giving them a faint smile. "Young master and ladies, why don't you follow me?"
"I'll try my best to compensate you."
"H-Heh, finally someone with a brain." Kong Min followed the waitress to the back area, where they swiftly got knocked down onto the floor.
"Unfortunately, I'm on my shift," The young waitress's eyes shone coldly.
"I would have killed you."
"How dare you irritate young master Hayate..."
It's a secret that every worker in Silver Lake City's business is a Ghost from [Hidden Shadow Garden]. Ghost used their second positions to merge into society.
The young waitress pulled a few memory-erasing pills and fed them to Kong Ming and his friends, making them forget everything in the last two hours.
She skillfully wiped her hands in disgust and continued, "I have to tell the mistress about this later."
--- Seventh Floor ---
Hayate and Cang Yue enjoyed their lunch peacefully.
"Oh, the dessert is here." Cang Yue released an exciting squeal.
Hayate finished his soup and commented, "Girls really like desserts, huh."
'Even in my previous life.' He added inside.
Cang Yue shook her finger and countered, "How could you know, younger brother."
"It was well known that Silver Lake's gourmet created the most amazing dessert."
"Every lady in the Blue Wind Empire craved it."
"I even see some people from other empires come just to buy dessert here."
"The dessert is low in calories, but it also tasted divine."
Cang Yue kept talking about the dessert for hours, leaving Hayate speechless on the side.
'This princess agreed with her wise words.' Jasmine nodded her head in approval.
'Even in the Divine Realm, the dessert created in Silver Lake's Gourmet would stand on top position.'
'I didn't expect such a thing to explode in popularity.' Hayate thought while shaking his head. He underestimated people's appetites in this world.
The day continued without any problem after their lunch. Cang Yue brought Hayate to Blue Wind Profound Palace and introduced the last person on Blue Wind's team.
Blue Wind Profound Palace is Blue Wind Empire's most remarkably profound palace. It was strictly established by the Imperial Family one thousand eight hundred years ago. It is directly supervised and supplied for by the royal family.
A young man called Fen Juechen, Fen Juecheng's brother, was approved by Cang Yue to attend the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament.
Feng Juechen was the number 1 in the Inner Palace and reached the 2nd stage of Spirit Profound Realm at age 17. He's actually one year older than Hayate, which means his talent is not bad.
He's one or two-inch shorter than Hayate, with a cold demeanor and calm pair of red eyes.
'Heh, not bad.' Hayate thought while approaching Feng Juechen.
He was expecting Fen Juechen to be different so that he could use him leisurely.
Fen Juechen moved his gaze to Hayate and frowned because there was a sense of domination from this guy. He was known to be number 1 in the Blue Wind Profound Palace, but everyone in the inner palace knew Princess Cang Yue was more powerful than him.
Princess Cang Yue is only 18 years old this year, and she reached the late stage of Spirit Profound Realm. However, since she rarely stayed in Blue Wind Profound Palace and trained alone in her room, no one knew her full power.
(An: Cang Yue publicly was at the 10th stage of Spirit Profound Realm)
"Princess." Fen Juechen greeted Cang Yue with respect.
Cang Yue nodded her head and replied, "Fen Juechen, this is Hayate."
"He will attend the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament with us."
"Nice to meet you." Hayate offered Fen Juechen a hand.
Fen Juechen stared at Hayate's hand and gradually grasped it, but a shock abruptly swept his body. He opened his eyes widely and saw a vast ocean coming toward him.
'Strong!' He thought while solemnly staring at Hayate.
They awkwardly released each other's hands a second later, and Cang Yue stared at them in confusion.
A man in his early twenties arrived and smiled at them. "Princess, you've finally visited the profound palace." He greeted Cang Yue.
This man is Qin Wushang and vice-chair of Blue Wind Profound Palace. His current appearance looks younger than his age.
As practitioners progress in the Profound Way, their lifespan will increase amazingly. Even a grandma in her late 90 will be like a young maiden if her cultivation is high.
Qin Wushang is at half-step of Sky Profound Realm and has the potential to reach Sky Profound Realm in a decade or two.
"Senior Qin." Cang Yue nodded her head.
"Okay, Since all of you are here, I'll tell you our goal in this Blue Wind Ranking Tournament."
"We'll reach rank 1."
"Eh?" Qin Wushan was shocked by Cang Yue's bold statement.
"I know you're confused, Senior Qin, but we have a secret weapon on our side." She confidently added while patting Hayate's shoulder. "With him on our side, we can easily get the number 1 position."
Hayate released his cultivation to match Qin Wushang's level and shocked Fen Juechen. They gazed at him like he was a monster.
"I'm still 16 years old, by the way." Hayate yawned lazily.
"..." Qin Wushang.
"..." Fen Juechen.
Hayate glanced at them and continued, "It's easy to reach this stage, to be honest."
"You only have to do 100 sets of 100 sit-ups, pushups, and squats followed by a 6.2-mile (10-km) run every day."
Cang Yue giggled on the side because Hayate obviously tried to fool Qin Wushang and Fen Juechen, who unknowingly remembered his advice in his heart.
'Those exercises, I'll do it.' Fen Juechen thought while clenching his hand in excitement.
As the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament's invitation from Heavenly Sword Villa hadn't arrived yet, Hayate had free time for a few weeks and roamed around Blue Wind Imperial City.
He walked on a peaceful road and noticed a presence following him from behind. He frowned and slowly moved to an alleyway with a dead end.
"Who are you?" Hayate turned around and saw a beautiful woman in the snowy attire of Frozen Cloud Asgard.
An ice silk veil masked her appearance, only revealing a pair of ice-cold beautiful eyes. Even though this woman hid her appearance excellently, her figure alone was incredibly gorgeous. It's enough to make one's mind waver uncontrollably.
"Frozen Cloud Asgard's fairy?" Hayate frowned at the woman.
He had pretty much guessed her identity but played an act of suspiciousness.
"I need your help, Hayate, the miraculous doctor." The woman opened her mouth, releasing a soothing yet cold voice that could captivate one's mind.
"I was poisoned by a Sky Profound Beast a few days ago and found out I couldn't repel the toxin with my profound energy."
"Since there weren't many skilled doctors in this empire, I need you to cleanse this poison."
"Your hand," Hayate said while staring at her.
The woman tilted her head in confusion, leaving Hayate with a deadpan look.
Hayate clicked his tongue in annoyance and added, "Hand me your arm."
"Fairy Chu, If I can't even check your condition, how could I help you?"
Chu Yuechan's eyes wavered because Hayate seemed to know her identity but frowned immediately at his indifferent attitude.
'From what Yueli said to me, he was a gentle young man, yet what's this?' She thought weirdly.
Hayate snatched Chu Yuechan's right arm and flowed his everlasting vigor to check her condition, catching the ice fairy off guard.
"How fast..." Chu Yuechan muttered in awe.
Hayate's gentle hand moved slowly to her shoulder, neck, and finally below her throat. As he was about to reach a lower area, Chu Yuechan released ice energy to block him.
He put on a thoughtful expression and commented, "We could still treat you, don't worry."
"I'll tolerate your actions before." He added while wiping ice off his hand with a handkerchief.
The handkerchief burned by a phoenix flame because it was not usable for him anymore, indicating his slight scorn for Chu Yuechan.
Chu Yuechan frowned at Hayate's action but closed her mouth tightly. "How long is the treatment?" She asked naturally.
"I've cleansed your poison," Hayate answered casually.
"Check your profound energy."
He walked past her and added, "Fairy Chu, your poison is a mere child play with my skill."
'You used Sky Poison Pearl to dispel her fire poison, so you're bragging about your acting skill.' Jasmine sneered, but Hayate didn't care because Sky Poison Pearl was part of him.
Hayate walked out of the alleyway and leisurely moved to the Imperial Palace, aware that Chu Yuechan was following him.
He entered a guest room prepared by Cang Yue and waited until midnight when one of his windows got opened by someone.
Chu Yuechan stood in front of him with a complicated gaze because Hayate's action disturbed her. She never felt such an indifference against herself.
Chu Yuechan usually ignored male attention because they weren't important to her.
When Hayate switched positions and blatantly ignored Chu Yuechan's beauty, a weird feeling grew, and her pride felt humiliated.
"What are you doing here, Fairy Chu?" Hayate questioned while yawning. "Don't tell me you want to rob me?"
Chu Yuechan sighed and answered, "I'll pay you back."
He placed a book on the table and replied, "I don't need anything from you."
"I've everything I need."
"Beside..."
"Three tyrant beast's cores."
"Netherworld Udumbara Flower."
"And Thirty-Five Kilos of Purple Veined Divine Crystal."
Chu Yuechan's eyes widened because Hayate's request was impossible for her.
Three tyrant beast's cores were still a bearable request. However, Netherworld Udumbara Flower and Purple Veined Divine Crystal are out of her reach.
Netherworld Udumbara Flower is the most frightening flower in existence.
Simply approaching the flower will cause one's body to be invaded by its dark and sinister aura, damaging one's soul.
At best, one would fall into a long-lasting coma. At worst, one would die for being too weak or turn into the living dead.
As for Purple Veined Divine Crystal, even Frozen Cloud Asgard doesn't possess such treasure.
Even if Chu Yuechan sold herself, she wouldn't be worth much.
Purple Veined Divine Crystals are made by extracting Purple Veined Heaven Crystal. A house-sized Purple Veined Heaven Crystal was estimated to have a Purple Veined Divine Crystal that was the size of a fingernail.
Hayate requests exactly 35 kilos of it, portraying how ridiculous his demand is.
'H-How did you know...?!' Jasmine mumbled in astonishment.
Yes, Hayate doesn't need these items, but Jasmine needs them to create her body again.