The grandeur of the Fanfan Residence was undeniable, but what truly caught the eye today was the endless flow of guests—youthful nobles from all walks of life.
Jixia lowered his gaze and activated his Great Sun Spiritual Sight to take in the scene. Most of the attendees were from the Dafu Clan, but numerous youths of other races were also present. Each exuded considerable power; even the weakest among them had a cultivation level of seven or eight heavens. More impressively, over a dozen had reached the Divine Abilities realm.
Though few had engraved spiritual sigils on their Spiritual Wheels—only two had managed to engrave two sigils—such numbers were already astonishing.
"These Dafu youths are all under thirty, yet their cultivation is so formidable," Jixia thought, taking a deep breath. He compared this scene to his homeland, Taicang, where the entire nation could boast only two Divine Abilities practitioners, neither of whom had engraved any sigils.
"The strength of Dafu... How powerful can it truly be? Here, Divine Abilities practitioners are commonplace. Dafu's core power lies in its Upper Talisman Generals—Spirit Masters! And then there's their Talisman King, as Fanzhu mentioned—a cultivator who has built three Spiritual Palaces."
As Jixia reflected on this, he followed the purple-faced servant to his seat. Before him, the jade table was already laden with exquisite appetizers—various rare fruits and pastries. The main dishes, he guessed, would be served only after the banquet officially began.
Even these starters made the young girl, Qianqian, widen her eyes in awe. She hesitated for a moment, then, after seeing Jixia's approving nod, carefully picked up a slice of blue fruit and placed it in her mouth.
Her expression as she ate was one of pure bliss, her small face glowing with satisfaction. Her innocent, childlike demeanor brought a rare smile to Jixia's lips.
At that moment, Fanzhu entered the hall, accompanied by Shiyu in her red robes and a slender, sharp-featured man.
As they stepped in, the entire hall stood in unison. The guests bowed deeply, loudly declaring, "Greetings to the Sixth Prince! Greetings to Princess Shiyu!"
The Sixth Prince casually waved them off, taking his seat at the head of the hall, while Shiyu sat at the first table below him.
The banquet officially began as the Sixth Prince raised his glass.
Jixia sat quietly at a lower seat, observing the surroundings as dish after dish of delicacies was brought to his table. Before long, the table was brimming with food, each dish exquisitely prepared. From their elaborate names, it was clear that none of the meat dishes were from intelligent species, but rather from beasts and spirit creatures.
This assurance allowed Jixia to relax. After all, this world was a brutal one; if he weren't careful, he might unknowingly consume something horrifying, such as human flesh.
Beside him, Qianqian was overwhelmed by the array of food before her. Her small stomach, already rounded from the earlier pastries and fruits, left her unsure of what to try next.
Seeing her dilemma, Jixia couldn't help but chuckle.
At the head of the hall, the Sixth Prince raised his voice, "Today, I, Gongshi, am deeply honored to host so many brilliant youths from various nations. Let us toast with spirit wine!"
With that, he drained his cup in one swift motion.
Around the hall, the youthful nobles responded with fervent enthusiasm. Jixia, unfazed, followed suit, downing the spirit wine with the rest while quietly musing, "Fanzhu claimed she was hosting this banquet, but from the looks of it, the Sixth Prince is the true host. And all these prominent young attendees are clearly here for him."
His thoughts were interrupted as dancers in light silks entered the hall, their graceful movements accompanied by song. The atmosphere grew livelier as guests began to chat and laugh, filling the hall with exuberance.
Midway through the feast, Shiyu suddenly leaned toward Jixia and asked, "Are you Qin Ji? How are you finding the residence that Ji Ning arranged for you?"
Her proximity triggered a familiar sensation within Jixia—the same faint excitement from his Great Sun Spirit Forge that he had felt when confronting the shadowy figures in the Smoky Alley Mansion.
"Shiyu... is connected to those shadows?" His guard went up, though his expression remained calm. "Thank you for asking, Your Highness. The residence is quite satisfactory."
Shiyu studied Jixia intently. A dark mist emerged from her brows, briefly clouding her eyes as it swept toward Jixia.
Sensing the intrusion, Jixia immediately activated his Great Sun Spirit Forge. Deep within his spiritual sea, the forge roared to life, and the black smoke it had once absorbed surged forth, mingling with the mist Shiyu had released.
The dark mist dissipated from Shiyu's eyes, and she nodded in apparent satisfaction. A faint smile graced her face. "Since you've already assimilated the sacrificial spirits, I'll take you to meet the Dark Sacrificial Priest after the banquet."
Jixia's heart tightened. "Sacrificial spirits? Dark Priest? So my earlier decision to feign compliance was correct."
Feigning nonchalance, he nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, at the head of the table, the Sixth Prince noticed Shiyu conversing with Jixia. A flicker of curiosity crossed his face.
"Is this the extraordinary young man Sang Yang mentioned—the one named Qin Ji?" The Sixth Prince's eyes glinted with intrigue as he gave a subtle signal.
One of the youths seated nearby immediately rose.
This youth, burly and imposing, bore a sigil etched across one side of his face, amplifying his already formidable aura. He strode to Jixia's table, glancing around before pointing at the young girl beside him.
"Brother! How dare you bring such a lowly human to this gathering in the presence of the Sixth Prince?!" he boomed. "Do you not realize that every guest here is of noble birth? How can you allow a mere human to taint this hall?"
Jixia set down his wine cup, his sharp gaze catching the Sixth Prince's earlier signal.
Casting a quick glance at Fanzhu, he saw her lips tighten into an awkward smile, her eyes avoiding his. Beside her, Shiyu seemed entirely engrossed in her food.
Gently stroking Qianqian's hair, Jixia noticed the little girl trembling with fear.
"So this is their game?" Jixia thought coldly. "Fanzhu invited me here to help the Sixth Prince recruit me, a mysterious outsider with a special background. And now, this brute is meant to provoke me, only for the Sixth Prince to step in and 'defend' me, earning my gratitude."
"Perhaps they also mean to test my abilities."
Without hesitation, Jixia drained his cup, then hurled it with precision at the burly youth, catching everyone off guard.
"If they want to test me, I'll show just enough strength to keep them guessing—enough to make them fear me. And while I'm at it, I'll teach this fool a lesson for scaring Qianqian."