The Divine Nine-Dragon Cauldron

The Second Prince felt an involuntary fear. The Duke of Xianyu was the most powerful of all the dukes in the empire. He was at Level Six of the Martial Path, and according to his reputation, he could kill any enemy without breaking a sweat.

The First Prince hurriedly stepped forward, harboring a smile as he cupped his hands, "Duke, you misunderstand. We were just sparring. We did not expect Mister Su's abilities to be so exceptional. We saw a shadow of your former self in him. Congratulations duke, for finding such an exceptional son-in-law."

He glanced over to the Second Prince with a stern look, "Second brother, you should thank Mister Su for holding back."

If Su Yu had not held back, the Second Prince, with cultivation at Level Four Peak of the Martial Path, would have been gravely wounded by Su Yu.

In front of the duke, the Second Prince could only swallow his grievances and thank Su Yu. Su Yu returned the gesture, but his gaze swept towards the green robed guard of Level Six of the Martial Path behind the First Prince. His eyes momentarily narrowed.

While Su Yu recovered fast, he was still caught by the First Prince.

"Mister Su, have you met my guard before?" The First Prince's eyes were sparkling.

Su Yu was a little dazed, "I seem to have encountered him before, but I cannot recall where exactly."

"Haha, you could have met someone who looks similar." The First Prince let out a small laugh.

The young princess was impatient, "Okay, please go back and rest. Come for my engagement ceremony in five days."

Quickly, the three princes were escorted to their respective rooms.

"Look Father, I have broken through to Level Three of the Martial Path. Aren't I great?" The young princess hugged the duke and lifted her chin, proudly boasting her achievements.

The Duke of Xianyu was shocked. He had observed the events that had happened earlier from the shadows. How could he have missed the moment when Su Yu took out the fabled Jade Fire Marrow? He also knew that Su Yu had cultivated a saint level technique!

Even the royal family had only one saint level technique manual, and no one had cultivated it in the past century. Where did Su Yu obtain his saint level technique?

Could he have gotten it from the Depository of Buddhist Scriptures in the martial arts training institute? The duke knew that even the best techniques in the Depository of the training institute were advanced level.

The duke did not know that the Purple Star Thunderbolt was from the remnants of a manual and could not be classified under a level. Even the martial arts training institute was not sure how to classify it, as no one had cultivated it until now.

For one, the process of understanding the manual was extremely difficult. The user also had to possess Su Yu's Holy Decree. Thus, there was no one that knew that the Purple Star Thunderbolt; it was a fabled saint level technique.

The Duke of Xianyu felt immense joy mixed with his surprise. Su Yu had once again exceeded his expectations. To think he would have the ungodly insight needed to understand saint level techniques!

"Yu-er, after your marriage with Xianer, I will help you search for the treasured saint level technique of the royal family for you to gain insight on!" The Duke of Xianyu was feeling generous and relieved. He was proud of himself for choosing such an exceptional son-in-law.

The saint level technique of the royal family? Su Yu could feel his heart thumping wildly. Su Yu, after experiencing the horrifying power of the Purple Star Thunderbolt, was also convinced that it was a saint level technique.

Su Yu had gratitude in his heart. He could imagine that even the duke would have trouble borrowing the saint level technique of the royal family. But he promised Su Yu anyway. The Duke of Xianyu was dependable. Su Yu's heart was full.

After the duke left with Xianer, Su Yu returned to his room.

Passing by the yard that the three princes were at, Su Yu recalled the green robed guard at the side of the First Prince, with his terrifying Level Six of the Martial Path.

"To think it's him!" Su Yu's expression turned grave.

That guard, if he was not mistaken, was the person of Level Six of the Martial Path who was tempting students the other day at the Twilight Mountains.

Ceng Bier, ranked fourth of the gold students, had died in his hands, his corpse still rotting in the valleys. Su Yu, Lu Xuan and Lu Xing nearly fell into his trap. It was Su Yu's early detection that saved their lives.

But how could he be the First Prince's guard? A feeling of uneasiness came over him.

In the room, the First Prince wore a downcast expression. "Bai Qixiong, you have exposed yourself in front of Su Yu before?" The terrifying guard at the Twilight Mountains the other day was indeed him.

Upon hearing the First Prince, Bai Qixiong fell to his knees, fearfully saying, "First Prince! I have never seen him. In these months, I have always been stationed at the Twilight Mountains, and had little contact with other people. If I had seen him before, I would definitely remember."

That day, Su Yu had spotted him from 500 meters away. Su Yu could clearly see Bai Qixiong, but that was not necessarily the case for Bai Qixiong. Furthermore, this Su Yu sported a different demeanor, skin color and clothes. Bai Qixiong might not have recognized him even if he were standing in front of him.

The First Prince let out a groan, nodding his head, "Get up. I hope that Su Yu has merely gotten the wrong person. You should go make preparations immediately and carry on with the plan."

For the next five days, Su Yu was busy entertaining guests, and had no time to practice, especially since the young princess was fond of playing and would disappear from time to time. He had no free time.

The engagement of the daughter of the strongest duke in the empire was a big matter indeed. All the guest were of important status, or were famous and wealthy merchants. An action from any one of the guests would have a significant impact on the empire.

As for guests from within the prefecture, no one was worthy of attending besides Xia Linxuan of the martial arts training institute. On the fifth, and last, day entertaining guests, Xia Linxuan brought along his daughter, Xia Jingyu, to attend the event.

"Congratulations, lad." Xia Linxuan was a little awkward. He had been a student of the martial arts training institute, despite being overshadowed by others. Now his brilliance was showing and he was becoming part of the royal family.

Su Yu clasped his hands in respect, "Thank you, Lord Xia."

Xia Jingyu, her beauty rivalling a celestial being, had a smile on her face. Her voice was gentle, "Congratulations to you. You must take good care of Xianer in the future. Xianer's heart is kind and pure, do not do her any wrong."

Su Yu laughed in response, "I will remember this lesson by Senior Xia. Please take a seat inside."

Su Yu had deep respect and gratitude towards Xia Jingyu. He could never forget the favor of the bow.

Xia Linxuan, who was walking in front, suddenly paused, then awkwardly said, "Su Yu, I heard that you have a friendly relationship with Jingyu. Jingyu had several problems with her cultivation, and I hope that you can give her a pointer or two."

"Father!" Xia Jingyu's white skin became flushed, and she stamped her feet in embarrassment.

Su Yu was smooth in his answer, "Senior Xia is a genius of demon student caliber, with abilities above mine. How can I give her any pointers? We can discuss this in the evening, when I'm done with the work here."

Xia Linxuan had a look of respect. Su Yu's answer was polite, and he could see that Su Yu's etiquette was much better than that of his peers.

He was envious of the duke. "The Duke of Xianyu has indeed picked an exceptional son-in-law."

Su Yu sent the two in, then stayed outside to continue entertaining the guests.

"The Duke of Qin has arrived!" a servant reported.

Su Yu raised his eyebrows, a cold look flickered in his eyes. The presence of the Duke of Qin the other day had forced him to give up Jiang Xueqing. He had not forgotten that.

In a flash, Su Yu regained his calm expression.

The engagement party of the Duke of Xianyu had caused a commotion in the royal court, and many people of high status were invited to attend. The Duke of Qin was neither a friend nor enemy of Su Yu. The fact that he had come to extend his congratulations did not affect Su Yu.

"Welcome, Duke of Qin" Su Yu respectfully greeted.

His manner was gracious, not belittling himself. He maintained a calm expression, as if the past unhappiness had not happened. It had been two months since the Duke of Qin had seen Su Yu. He had gained a newfound respect for Su Yu.

The other day, when Su Yu was still a commoner, he had sensed his exceptional demeanor, and had deduced that he was a genius. Today, he was proven right! The Duke of Xianyu had taken a liking to Su Yu and had taken him as his son-in-law.

Furthermore, with the Holy Decree Su Yu displayed in the martial arts training institute, he had demonstrated the right to contest the Holy King.

The Duke of Qin was hit with a wave of regret. Had he known, he would not have tried his best that day to end Su Yu's life. His decision that day gave Su Yu a chance to grow, and now it would be even more difficult to get rid of him.

"Haha, Su Yu, your future is bright. Should you have the chance to come into the capital in the future, you can come to my abode for a chat." The Duke of Qin's smile was friendly, as in the past.

The Duke of Qin had the intention of reconciling the relationship between them. Behind the Duke of Qin, a male and female approached to pay their respects.

"Congratulations, Mister Su." It was Qin Feng and Jiang Xueqing, their expressions complicated.

Qin Feng was humiliated. In the past, he had not regarded Su Yu as anything worth mentioning. To think that today he had become the fiancé of the young princess of Xianyu! The young princess of Xianyu, Qin Xianer, was one of the top three beauties in the institute, her status equal to Jiang Xueqing's. Today, he was getting married to a beautiful lady, and had the backing of the Duke of Xianyu. Su Yu's status and influence was now equal to his own.

Jiang Xueqing had a bitter look on her face. It was she who abandoned Su Yu. Now he was a demon level genius that had the potential to become the Holy King. He had become the fiancé of Qin Xianer, the son-in-law of a duke, and had exceptional influence. What made her even more bitter was the fact that she had loved this purple robed youth.

Su Yu nodded his head slightly, calmly saying, "Your journey here must have been tiring, I'll get the servants to settle you into your rooms."

At that moment, Xianer ran out from a corner of the yard, excitedly shouting at a distance, "Brother Su Yu, Brother Su Yu, come quickly! Sister Jingyu is also here. Let's have a discussion together."

After breaking through to Level Three, she had been excited for a few days. Her excitement towards cultivation had been exceptionally strong. Even though the excitement might only last for a short period of time, it was enough to make the Duke of Xianyu feel relieved.

Xianer tugged Su Yu's arm, intimately lugging him along. After half a month of interaction, she had become used to Su Yu. Of course, she had multiple times used Su Yu to brag about herself.

Xianer had only now noticed the presence of the Duke of Qin and the rest of the people, her babydoll eyes glancing past Jiang Xueqing.

She had heard of what had happened to Su Yu. Upon seeing Jiang Xueqing, she put her hands on her waist and stared angrily, expressing the unfairness that befell Su Yu, "Hmph! You're the bad woman who abandoned Brother Su Yu? Your looks are decent at best. You're not as beautiful as me!"

"Let's go, Brother Su Yu!" Xianer tugged on Su Yu, making her way towards the inner yard.

Su Yu turned back, his hands clasped apologetically, and ordered the servants to escort them to their rooms.

Jiang Xueqing's lips quivered. She bit her lip as a bitter feeling rose in her chest. That's right. Who am I, Jiang Xueqing, compared to the young princess?

In terms of looks, the young princess did not lose to her. In terms of status, the young princess was at the top. She was part of the royal family. How could Jiang Xueqing compare to her?

Qin Feng felt a deep sense of humiliation, but suppressed his rage and consoled, "Qing-er, we do not need to bother with them. I do not believe that Su Yu will be this arrogant forever."

He and Jiang Xueqing had not wanted to attend the ceremony. He was once defeated by Su Yu. She had once abandoned Su Yu. But their father had wanted them to come. Their father had instructed them sternly, and they had no choice but to follow, resulting in such a humiliating moment.

Xianer led Su Yu to a pavilion in the inner yard. It was evening and the lights were just coming on. They were dazzling like stars, lighting up the pavilion that bore pear flowers.

Xia Jingyu was silently sitting on a stone bench. Under the lights and flowers, her slender figure was like that of a fairy's. Standing outside the pavilion, Su Yu was delighted by what he saw. No matter the occasion, Xia Jingyu looked like a celestial being.