The Empyrean Monarch

Chapter 4- Desire

Chapter 4: Desire

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Every three years, the Skyfire Kingdom would hold a tournament known as Skyfire Meet [1] in Skyfire City [2]. Skyfire Meet was a 1-on-1 tournament where anyone, as long as they were below twenty years old and had reached a certain amount of strength, would be able to join.

As a prestigious tournament, of course, the the prizes of the winners were truly exorbitant. Because of that, young cultivators from all over the country would venture towards Skyfire City every time this tournament occurs.

Since it was held by the renowned most formidable country in Tianhuo Continent, other than prizes of the winners, the opportunities brought by this tournament was truly enormous.

Various sects within the Skyfire Kingdom would be eyeing for prospects, and not to mention even the King himself was in attendance. Even if a young cultivator eventually lost, as long as he caught the eye of one of those extraordinary people, it would still be worth it.

And for that reason alone, the Skyfire Meet had always been one of the biggest events within Skyfire Kingdom.

It was 5 years ago when the 117th Skyfire Meet was held inside Skyfire City. At that time, Skyfire Kingdom was once again bustling. A lot of geniuses would once again appear, and perhaps among these geniuses, some would eventually become famous figures that will hold enormous power within Skyfire Kingdom in the near future.

At that time, Lin Xiaoran was still a frail and tender seven-year-old child cowering behind King Lin’s huge figure. But, compared to his peers, Lin Xiaoran was already way smarter.

While Lin Xiaoran was still quite shy from strangers, his eyes still held a strange light, thoroughly inspecting everyone he meets. By distinguishing their demeanors, Lin Xiaoran was able to guess what kind of people they were.

He considered some as good people, but even more was considered as bad. Even as young he was, Lin Xiaoran had already seen through most of the people’s facades, even telling King Lin that some of these people were just like snakes, waiting to bare their fangs at the right moment.

For King Lin, this kind of insight for such a young child was truly astonishing. While he already knew what kind of people he was dealing with, these people’s facades were still perfect.

For inexperienced people, it would be a no brainer to entirely believe that these people were truly showing their ‘real’ selves. But to King Lin’s surprise, a seven-year-old child, who most people considered as wet behind his ears, had actually uncovered the flaws of these people with perfect facades.

From that time, King Lin held Lin Xiaoran in new light.

He knew that this kind of insight at such a young age would eventually develop to something frightening. If Lin Xiaoran grew even more wiser as he grows up, then it would be no question that Lin Xiaoran was truly worthy of becoming Skyfire Kingdom’s king.

And so, he decided that it was time for Lin Xiaoran to discover more about the world. With this thought in mind, King Lin brought Lin Xiaoran with him to the 117th Skyfire Meet.

By bringing Lin Xiaoran in the Skyfire Meet, King Lin hoped that Lin Xiaoran would open up his eyes and realize what kind of people he’ll be dealing with in the future. King Lin wanted Lin Xiaoran to acquire enough knowledge in order to prepare him on his path towards becoming a king.

However, this thought actually backfired. Since for Lin Xiaoran, experiencing this tournament himself gave him another sort of idea…

-Pak! Bang! Boom!-

In one of the stages set up during the Skyfire Meet, ringing explosions could be heard reverberating throughout the surroundings.

Two youths, one dressed in black robes, and the other dressed in white robes, were fighting their hearts out. A punch will meet a palm, a kick will meet another kick, it was a fight that had truly piqued the interest of the audience.