"Nalan Princess's dance undoubtedly won everyone's applause. Although the dance of the Zisang Kingdom is renowned, after watching the dance of the Li Xia Kingdom, it evokes more emotions. Not only do people move physically, but even their souls are dancing," praised Murong Shaofeng, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Ah!"
Su Zimo looked at Murong Shaofeng in surprise. He actually gave her such high praise.
Instantly, everyone present agreed with Murong Shaofeng's words.
The crowd showered compliments on Nalan Wenhao and Situ Ruoyan.
The praises for Su Zimo made her delighted.
Su Zimo smiled brilliantly, astonished by her unexpected triumph. Being usually criticized, today she had undoubtedly won everyone's admiration. It seemed that talent could be appreciated anywhere. Su Zimo's heart reveled in the moment.
Yan Zhaoxue, listening to the praises around her, suddenly had a malicious thought. This Su Zimo was so likable. Yan Zhaoxue claimed to be the best in dance in the Zisang Kingdom, and no one dared to challenge her. A waste six years ago, yet after six years, she had undergone such a tremendous transformation.
Su Zimo's cultivation might not be as impressive as her dancing skills. Moreover, considering she had only started cultivating profound energy six years ago, how high could her cultivation level be?
Yan Zhaoxue's lips curled up as she stood up and said, "Emperor Haoyue, Nalan Princess's dance is indeed exceptional. However, the most significant surprise among the four nations lies in the profound energy, which values martial prowess. Over the years, to maintain peace among the nations, cultivation competitions have been stagnant. Every year, it is only filled with music and dance. Isn't that insufficient? What do you all think?"
After Yan Zhaoxue spoke, the expressions of the crowd varied. They wanted to nod but dared not do so. A profound energy competition meant staking one's life. In most cases, unless one had absolute confidence, no one dared to mention it.
Yan Zhaoxue looked at Su Zimo with a cold smile. If there were a profound energy competition, Su Zimo would undoubtedly be doomed! In her mind, Su Zimo was already a dead person.
"Princess, although the cultivation competition is exciting, as you said, it would harm the harmony among the nations," said Emperor Haoyue, faintly guessing what was on Yan Zhaoxue's mind. He glanced at Su Zimo before continuing, "Su Zimo, even though you are now a princess of the Li Xia Kingdom, after marrying Yun Xuan, you still belong to the Haoyue Empire. The princess of the Zisang Kingdom hasn't been involved in any actual events, or perhaps she is either too audacious or doesn't understand Su Zimo well enough."
Su Zimo always knew how to assess the situation. If this Zisang Kingdom princess wanted to challenge her, even if her cultivation level was several realms higher, defeat was inevitable. She had underestimated Su Zimo.
Su Zimo's gaze turned icy as it fell upon Yan Zhaoxue's malicious face. Even in the night, the moonlight couldn't conceal the malice on her face. Yan Zhaoxue proposed a cultivation competition simply to turn Su Zimo into a corpse.
"Emperor Haoyue, Nalan Princess's dance is impressive, and her cultivation is probably remarkable as well. I heard that my eighth prince has willingly served as the steward of the Mingyue Villa for two years now."
As Yan Ping'an spoke, the whole audience erupted into discussions. No one expected that a prince would work as a steward for a woman in the Mingyue Villa.
Murong Shaofeng furrowed his brow. He hadn't expected Yan Ping'an to know about Yun Ting's situation in the Mingyue Villa.
Suddenly, Su Zimo's face darkened. Everyone had their own secrets. Although Yun Ting had concealed his identity, he had never done anything to harm her in these two years. They considered each other family, and she had never blamed Yun Ting or revealed his true identity.
"Your Highness, to fulfill your own desires, you even plotted against your own brother. Truly, the bond between brothers is profound," Su Zimo coldly retorted, her stunning eyes fixed on Yan Ping'an, exuding an icy frost.
Regardless of who it was, if they crossed her bottom line, they shouldn't expect her to be polite. Su Zimo understood very well that Yan Ping'an's intentions were likely related to the deceased Princess Yuerong, who was recently married.
"Hmph! Such a despicable provocation. It would only lower Your Highness's dignity," Su Zimo sneered. Yan Zhaoxue's intentions were unclear to her, but as for Yan Ping'an, it was highly probable that he was acting for the sake of his late Yuerong Princess, to whom he had just been married.
"Since that's the case, let's have a competition, Nalan Princess. We'll make it a grand one. You're not only the princess of the Li Xia Kingdom but also the mistress of the Mingyue Villa. If you win, both the Li Xia Kingdom and the Mingyue Villa will be proud of Nalan Princess," Su Zimo smiled brightly, her red dress making her even more alluring and extraordinary.
Instead of waiting for Yan Zhaoxue to propose it, Su Zimo decided to voice it herself. After all, she had already understood Yan Zhaoxue's intentions.
"Oh! What does Princess Nalan want to play?" Yan Zhaoxue suddenly became interested.
"How about playing for our lives?" Su Zimo's casual words caused chaos among the crowd. It was madness, too much madness. They had seen people who were bold, but never someone as audacious as her.
Those who knew about the Zisang Kingdom princess were aware that she was the most favored daughter of their emperor, and her cultivation was the best among the royal family, second only to the crown prince.
With a cultivation level above the Divine Rank, she had the audacity to be so arrogant in the Haoyue Empire, in front of everyone.
Upon hearing this, Yan Zhaoxue's pupils gradually dilated, emitting a malicious gleam.
She didn't expect Su Zimo to propose this first, but it suited her intentions as well. She had planned the same thing in her heart. She wouldn't allow a woman who had once been infamous to surpass her. Since Jun Shaochen didn't agree to her marriage proposal, she would kill a few people from the Haoyue Empire to show him Yan Zhaoxue's abilities. However, with Su Zimo's cultivation only at the First Stage of the Divine Profound Realm, she had already determined that Su Zimo would definitely meet her death against her, a Seventh Stage expert of the Divine Profound Realm.
A bloodthirsty and malicious light appeared undisguised in Yan Zhaoxue's eyes, as every drop of blood in her body boiled with excitement.
Su Zimo, seeing this, sneered inwardly. How desperate Yan Zhaoxue was to kill her! Did she really believe that Su Zimo would meet her death this time?
But when she thought about it, it made sense. With her cultivation, Yan Zhaoxue didn't believe that someone at the First Stage of the Divine Profound Realm could survive against her at the Seventh Stage.
After a moment, Yan Ping'an suppressed the gleam in his eyes, smiled gently, and returned to his usual appearance. He looked at Emperor Haoyue and asked, "Emperor Haoyue, do you have any objections to this competition?"
Emperor Haoyue glanced at Su Zimo, who had a profound calmness in her heart.
He had seen Yan Zhaoxue's malicious expression just now.
He then spoke, "Since ancient times, in a cultivation competition, life and death are a matter between the two individuals. Since both sides agree, I naturally have no objections."
"In that case, let everyone enjoy a good show!" Yan Zhaoxue laughed arrogantly.
Mu Yunxuan's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness as he looked at Su Zimo, who appeared calm and relaxed. He felt a sense of doubt in his heart. Didn't Mo'er know that Yan Zhaoxue's cultivation level was higher than hers? Why did she still want to compete with her? But seeing her confident gaze, he felt relieved.
For Murong Shaofeng, his elegant face carried a smile as beautiful as jade, silently watching Su Zimo. He knew that she would never do something without assurance.
"Wen Hao, how could Mo'er agree to the competition? She should be able to sense that Yan Zhaoxue's cultivation level is higher than hers," Situ Ruoyan asked with some concern.
"Ruoyan, don't worry for now. After spending a few days together, I've come to understand Mo'er to some extent. She must be absolutely confident before proposing the competition," Murong Shaofeng replied.
Queen Consort's face revealed a cold smile as she nodded towards Yan Zhaoxue.
This kind of woman was worthy of being her daughter-in-law, the future princess.
Then, she turned her head and looked at Jun Shaochen beside her.
She whispered, "Chener, if Princess Zhaoxue wins this competition, you can bring up the marriage proposal yourself. I don't need to say anything more, right?"
Jun Shaochen didn't look at the Queen Consort but gave a cold smile and said, "I already made it clear during the celebration in the Qinglei Kingdom. I don't agree to this marriage proposal."
His tone was indifferent and icy, leaving the Queen Consort stunned. If she noticed something was off with Chener a few days ago, his cold and chilling tone today made her feel even more uneasy.
Empress Yao glanced at them askance. Although she couldn't hear what the Queen Consort and her son were saying, she could roughly guess the general idea.
Then she looked at Emperor Haoyue and took the opportunity to speak softly, "Your Majesty, Princess Zisang is admirable for her courage and extraordinary vision. She wholeheartedly wishes to form a marital alliance with the Haoyue Empire, as a sign of goodwill between our nations. Since the Crown Prince is not interested, Your Majesty might consider it for Tian'er."