Mysterious Old Man

"Earl Fang's talent is unparalleled in this generation! My useless son is your age but he still hasn't reached the unranked martial artist rank", one of the nobles surrounding Lin Fang said making the young man next to him turn red in embarrassment.

"Indeed, Earl Fang's talent is unheard of in a hundred years, I'm sure that he will become an inner sect disciple of the sect and soar to new heights", chimed in another exquisitely dressed noble.

Lin Fang humbly smiled in response, "It was just luck", he said hoping this overused sentence would make them stop.

To his surprise, it succeded offering him a couple of seconds of silence before another noble jumped on the opportunity to say his piece.

"Earl Fang, my daughter has always looked up to you, and at your age, it is time for you to settle down and create a family", Said an old viscount matter-of-factly.

Lin Fang's face turned sour almost cursing out loud, 'Does this old man want to end my journey so fast??'

Luckily, he didn't have to deal with them anymore as they suddenly turned towards a frail old man and bowed deeply before moving away, their eyes filled with the utmost respect.

Lin Fang was shocked. Normally, he would feel anyone within the range of his spirit sense, but somehow, this old man was completely invisible, as if he were a simple illusion.

But what shocked him even more was that the strange sensation from before was getting stronger the closer the old man got. It was like something inside of him was screaming in excitement.

The old man had white hair that reached his waist, and his skin was very lusterless like old bark, but despite this his frail frame stood straight like a sword and his eyes shined like two stars seeming to peer through everything.

Lin Fang wiped his sweat, just looking at this old man was making him feel a heavy pressure, as if he was looking at a vast mountain.

"Not bad!", said the old man with a smile, "You are the most talented Kid my Empire ever birthed"

'My Kingdom? What is he talking about?', Lin Fang eyed the emperor from the corner of his eye hoping to catch his reaction to these words.

The old man laughed before turning around and slowly disappearing into the crowd, "we will meet again"

Lin Fang sighed in relief, the heavy pressure finally disappeared but the strange feeling also slowly faded leaving him with a bitter taste.

The following events unfolded exactly like in the simulation, the nobles were shocked by the old man's praise for him and his rank was suddenly elevated to Duke.

But through this Lin Fang discovered one of the simulator's fatal weaknesses; the events happening in the simulation aren't described perfectly and crucial details can be missing.

For example, through the simulation, he only knew that the emperor and the other nobles highly respected the old man, so his first thought was that he was maybe the imperial chancellor or the expert with the highest martial realm in the empire.

However, seeing the scene with his own eyes, he noticed that the nobles and the emperor didn't simply respect that old man, but he instead sensed worship in their gazes which wouldn't be possible by simply having a higher rank or higher martial strength.

And personally sensing the man's heavy pressure, he was now sure that he was no mortal.

Also, the old man referring to the empire as his own made him curious about his true identity, 'is he the past emperor? Or just someone controlling the empire from the shadows?'

"WE WELCOME THE IMMORTALS FROM THE DIVINE WIND SECT!" Lin Fang's thoughts were interrupted by the crowd's collective shout.

Everyone bowed deeply prompting Lin Fang to follow their lead while sneaking glances towards the figures who suddenly appeared in the hall.

The group consisted of three young figures radiating a dreadful aura that left the nobles trembling, their legs threatening to buckle. The weakest among them couldn't withstand the pressure collapsing to the ground as blood seeped from the corners of their mouths.

The man at the very front had long black hair tied into a topknot and was wearing a blue sect robe that had the engraving of two angel wings surrounded by lines indicating the powerful wind, while the other two behind him were wearing white robes with the same engraving.

He had an arrogant expression on his face as he calmly scanned the crowd before stopping on the emperor, "Move aside, let us start the ceremony", he said with a flat tone.

The emperor didn't seem to mind as descended from his throne letting the arrogant man sit in his stead, before urging the guards to bring more seats for the two other examiners.

"let the ceremony start", said the arrogant man before summoning a white orb out of nowhere, making some of the less knowledgeable people in the crowd gasp in amazement.

The youngsters participating in the ceremony subconsciously made a straight and orderly line afraid of angering the terrifying man.

At the very back of the line, an extremely handsome man with long black hair was observing the other two examiners, one of them was a young lady seemingly lost in her thoughts, while the other one an annoyed man with a hooked nose, made him raise his eyebrow, 'is this the one who made me suffer a loss in the simulation?'

'Once I'm strong enough...', Lin Fang snorted coldly before turning his sight back to the ceremony.

The first participant took a few steps forward and stretched his hand towards the white orb which was now placed on top of a luxurious table, his eyes were filled with hope. However, that hope all crashed down as soon as his trembling fingers touched the orb.

The orb was unchanged and a cold voice rang out, "No spirit roots! next!"

The participant walked away his head lowered in shame and his face face filled with disappointment. The crowd didn't react seemingly used to such a sight.