Volume Two: Travels in Qi Kingdom Chapter 109: Meeting Qi Sisi Again

The invitation was simple: the Eighteenth Prince of the Qi Kingdom, Qi Xuan, was hosting a gathering. He had invited all the young genius cultivators who had come to participate in the Imperial Capital Tournament to discuss their cultivation experiences and foster camaraderie.

Zhang Heng smiled. Qi Xuan certainly knew how to stir the pot, and Zhang Heng liked it. Such gatherings were invariably accompanied by conflict; after all, geniuses were inherently arrogant, and mutual disdain was bound to cause friction. This was a perfect opportunity to test his combat prowess and prepare for the Imperial Capital Tournament.

After the innkeeper left, Zhang Heng closed the door. He expanded the spatial range of his Changing Void Stone to envelop the entire room. His goal was to frantically absorb spiritual power to boost his cultivation.

He already had a rough idea of the situation. The tournament was limited to cultivators under the age of thirty. Among them, the strongest were Qi Xuan, Mu Wanqing, and various sect successors—like Wu Ba, whom he had encountered a few days prior. They were generally at the high levels of the Origin Core stage. Therefore, most of his opponents would be at the Origin Core stage, or at most, the first level of the Anti-Void stage. None were overwhelmingly strong.

That said, Zhang Heng was currently only at the low levels of the Clear Spirit stage—two major realms behind these geniuses. Even with his speed and clever tricks, if his raw strength was too low, he might not even be able to break through their protective spiritual energy. What would be the point in that?

Thus, his top priority was to raise his strength. If he could reach the Qi Sea stage before the tournament, he would have the confidence to contend with those geniuses.

Habitually, he took a large vat of spirit spring water from his storage ring and began to gulp it down. The process was so familiar it had become mundane. Truth be told, he was likely the only cultivator in existence whose method of becoming stronger was simply to eat.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The day of Qi Xuan’s gathering had arrived.

Zhang Heng groomed himself and checked his appearance in the mirror. Satisfied, he stepped out to attend the event. Since he was there to test his strength, he had to look the part; he needed to incite envy to spark the friction he desired.

The venue Qi Xuan had chosen was the Tianxiang Pavilion, rumored to be the finest restaurant in the capital. Zhang Heng asked for directions and set off. The location didn't really matter to him, but upon reaching the entrance, he was stunned.

The guards at the door blocked his path, their tone respectful but firm: "Honored guest, the Tianxiang Pavilion has been reserved by the Eighteenth Prince for this evening. We cannot accommodate other guests at this time. Please forgive us."

What the hell? How did this cliché happen to him? He had dressed up specifically to show off—if not stunningly handsome, he at least looked decent. How could he be blocked?

"Gentlemen, I am also a guest of the Prince," Zhang Heng said, patiently explaining.

"Sir, please don't joke," the guard replied, disbelief in his tone. "The geniuses of the entire Qi Kingdom will be gathered here shortly. You should leave quickly; it would be unfortunate if you accidentally offended one of them."

Zhang Heng understood. With his current strength at the seventh level of the Clear Spirit stage, he didn't exactly look like a genius. Being blocked was only natural. He had been careless; he should have just manifested an aura of the Origin Core stage.

"Gentlemen, I know I don't look like much, but I am a friend of Prince Qi. He truly invited me."

"Where is your invitation?" The guard's tone turned cold, signaling his impatience.

"That... I forgot to bring it." Damn it. He hadn't expected this, so after glancing at the invitation, he had tossed it aside.

"No invitation, no entry. Please leave, or do not blame us for being impolite," the guard said coldly.

What a mess. He would have to go back and check if the servants hadn't already thrown it away. Just as he turned to leave, he saw Qi Sisi approaching. She was dressed in her usual martial artist attire, looking excited as she walked toward the pavilion.

"Zhang Heng?" she called out in surprise from afar, then happily hurried over. "I knew I’d run into you here!"

The girl was truly forgetful. Just a few days ago, they had been at odds over the plight of the commoners, yet she seemed to have moved on completely.

"Why are you standing here? Why don't you go in?" she asked.

Zhang Heng helplessly gestured toward the guards. Seeing this, Qi Sisi clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. "That's hilarious! Aren't you supposed to be so strong? You can't even get through the door?" She paused, looking puzzled. "Wait, your cultivation?" She had pegged him as a high-level Qi Sea cultivator, but now she sensed he was only at the Clear Spirit stage.

"Miss Qi, I had some trouble with my cultivation, so my strength regressed," Zhang Heng lied, not knowing how else to explain it.

Qi Sisi didn't push the matter. Instead, her expression darkened, and she marched toward the guards. Her mood shifted faster than a flipping book.

The two guards bowed. "Greetings, Prin—"

Before they could finish, Qi Sisi scolded them loudly, "Princess what? He is my friend. Can we go in now?" Zhang Heng was her savior, after all; seeing him bullied didn't sit well with her.

"Yes, of course," the guards nodded repeatedly and stepped aside. They were just doing their jobs, after all.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go," she said, looking back at him with a smile.

Zhang Heng followed her inside. A high-born princess who disliked palace life and yearned for the world of wandering martial artists—only to run away and immediately get into trouble, nearly losing her life—it was a truly interesting story.

Inside, many young cultivators had already gathered. Those who knew each other were chatting, while others sat with stiff dignity. They all shared one characteristic: their strength was mediocre. It made sense; the truly powerful and influential people liked to make an entrance and would only arrive at the last moment. Only those with lesser standing arrived early. Zhang Heng was an exception, only there because he was bored of his room.

Zhang Heng found a seat in the central area, and Qi Sisi sat down right next to him without hesitation. Other cultivators saw a low-level nobody sitting in the core area and were about to speak up, but upon seeing Qi Sisi, they swallowed their words.

"Zhang Heng, you saved my life the other day, and I brought you in today. We're even now, right?" Qi Sisi asked with a sly smile.

"Fine by me! From today on, we owe each other nothing and shall never meet again," Zhang Heng replied.

Qi Sisi hurriedly explained, "No, no! I was joking! We aren't even—we’re not even close. I still owe you, I owe you so much more."