Chapter 23: Advantage is Mine!

At this moment, inside the palace.

When noon arrived, it was time for Yao Ye's coming-of-age ceremony.

As the eldest princess of the Jia Ma Royal Family, her coming-of-age ceremony was naturally a significant event. Representatives from several major families in the Holy City, including Miteer Tengshan and Nalan Su, were all present.

Some rapidly developing family forces within the empire were also in attendance. For example, the Northwest Mo Family, which had recently established ties with the Misty Cloud Sect, sent their elder, Mo Cheng, to participate.

However, at this moment, Mo Cheng was clearly not interested in the ceremony. His attention was focused on the members of the Misty Cloud Sect standing nearby.

Evidently, in his mind, the position of the royal family was already inferior to the latter.

Ironically, he looked down on the royal family, but he was eager to please his master, the Misty Cloud Sect, which held the royal family in high regard. Not only did the Elder Yun Ling attend, but even Yun Yun herself personally came, giving them considerable face.

In addition to the figures from within the empire, there were two individuals in the distinguished guest area who stood out and occasionally received icy gazes from others.

They were the Ninth Prince from the Chu Yun Empire and his three-star Dou Spirit guard.

Yun Yun had come today partly because she had received information about them in advance.

Although the relationship between the royal family and the Misty Cloud Sect was becoming increasingly tense, that was an internal matter within the empire. In the face of external threats from various forces, both sides had reached a consensus and formed a united front.

At least, that was the case for now.

On the stage, accompanied by a long opening speech, the seemingly inconspicuous Emperor of the Jia Ma Empire finally made his appearance and personally presented the gift to Yao Ye.

Yao Ye, today, shed her heroic armor and donned a luxurious gown, showcasing her exquisite figure and outshining everyone present.

Today, now, she was the sole protagonist!

Looking at the queen-like Yao Ye, not to mention others, even Jia Xingtian, Yu Er and the inconspicuous Emperor himself felt somewhat dazed.

She should be like this!

But because...

Many people involuntarily glanced at the Emperor, not saying anything yet seeming to say everything, making the Emperor feel a burning sensation on his face.

The presentation of the gift concluded, and the only official business of the ceremony came to an end. What followed were entertaining performances, commonly referred to as a time for boasting, bantering, and watching performances.

However, it was during this process that an unexpected incident occurred.

The Ninth Prince of the Chu Yun Empire stood up with a wine glass in hand and approached the Jia Ma Emperor, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Even though there were several Dou Kings present, and even two Dou Emperors, one overt and one covert, the Ninth Prince remained unfazed. This was precisely the effect he desired.

"Your Majesty, I have come here on behalf of the Chu Yun Empire, uninvited. Celebrating the Crown Princess is one aspect, but besides that, I have a request to make of Your Majesty."

He used the word "request," but his face showed no signs of pleading. He even appeared rather perfunctory in his manner, not paying much respect.

The Jia Ma Emperor's expression turned cold as he responded coldly.

"Speak," the Emperor said.

If possible, he would have loved to drag this ungrateful fellow outside and chop him to pieces. However, the Ninth Prince's status was special, and he had to consider the matter carefully. Otherwise, it could potentially lead to immeasurable consequences, even war.

The Jia Ma Empire's towering white jade pillar and purple-gold beam, Jia Xingtian, was already old. If he couldn't break through to the Dou King level, he wouldn't have many more years left. Even the guardian beast, the Sea Jiao Beast, was in poor condition.

On the Emperor's side, there was also the ever-vigilant Misty Cloud Sect.

Among the three major families in the capital, only the Mu family could be considered loyal.

The Nalan family was double-dealing and unpredictable, while the Miteer family was always focused on their own interests. If a war were to erupt, it would be good enough if they didn't seize the opportunity to profit from it.

Considering everything inside and out, it was evident that the royal family was in a precarious situation and couldn't withstand the ravages of war.

The Ninth Prince was clearly aware of all this, which was why he dared to come so recklessly. He hadn't even informed his emperor father beforehand, intending to claim credit upon his return.

As long as he was in the right, the Jia Ma Royal Family would never dare to touch him.

Well, the reality was indeed as such.

"Your Majesty, to be honest, I have admired Princess Yao Ye for a long time. However, I had previously considered the issue of age and didn't bring it up. Now that Princess Yao Ye has come of age, I no longer wish to delay. Today, I have come to propose a marriage and hope that Your Majesty can grant your benevolence. It is also for the benefit of our two nations. As such, I offer one million gold coins and a total of ten fifth-grade elixirs," the Ninth Prince said.

The earlier part was still acceptable, as there were often proposals of marriage between major empires, although most ended in failure.

However, when the list of gifts was announced, the scene instantly fell silent, and you could hear a pin drop.

One million gold coins sounded intimidating, but when you considered that a low-level Storage Ring alone cost at least a hundred thousand gold coins, the problem became significant.

Compared to the identity of Princess Yao Ye, this gift list was outrageously cheap!

It was a blatant humiliation!

The atmosphere in the venue instantly turned tense, especially among those loyal to the royal family. If looks could kill, the Ninth Prince would have been torn to shreds.

The Jia Ma Emperor's chest heaved with anger. He was a weakling, so weak that he didn't even deserve a name. He was weak for not producing a crown prince who could bear the banner, and weak for lacking formidable strength.

But he had his dignity.

Just as the Jia Ma Emperor was about to risk a confrontation with the Chu Yun Empire to teach them a lesson, Yao Ye, today's protagonist, stood up and stopped his decision.

As the person directly involved and experiencing such humiliation, she should have been furious. However, at this moment, Yao Ye behaved extraordinarily, not showing any signs of anger. Instead, her face revealed an undisguised sense of delight.

Don't misunderstand; it wasn't that she enjoyed being treated this way by others. It was just that she had received a tremendous surprise and now had a simpler way to handle the situation.

Approaching the Ninth Prince, who was shorter than her, Yao Ye looked down at him.

"You want to marry me?"

"Isn't it obvious? I have admired the Crown Princess for a long time."

The Ninth Prince looked at Yao Ye with a disdainful gaze, assessing her from head to toe. Initially, he had only come here with the intention of humiliating the Jia Ma Royal Family and then returning to claim credit. However, seeing Yao Ye's captivating appearance after she had taken off her armor, he actually developed some thoughts.

As they say, he was swayed by appearances.

Suppressing her disgust, Yao Ye said, "Alright, but you must know my temperament. Show me your strength and impress me."

"Oh? How do you propose?" he asked.

"This is the Jia Ma Royal Family's territory, and I won't intentionally make it difficult for you. I'll find a sixteen-year-old opponent for you. If you can defeat him, I will agree to this marriage proposal. If not, then go back and improve yourself in your mother's womb. The Jia Ma Empire holds paper tigers in the lowest regard." Yao Ye deliberately added a few years to the opponent's age.

Upon hearing this, the Ninth Prince didn't immediately agree.

In fact, although he wasn't favored, he was still considered talented among the princes and princesses of the Chu Yun Empire. At the age of twenty-four, he had already reached the level of a six-star Dou Grandmaster with the resources provided by the royal family.

He had confidence in himself, but when Yao Ye proposed the challenge, he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't that simple.

That unknown opponent they had never met must also be a genius.

However, considering the age, even having a Dou Master at sixteen was already an ambitious thought.

Thinking about the fourth-grade Beast Strength Pill and the third-grade Windwalk Pill he had on him, both of which could enhance his combat power, the Ninth Prince shamelessly made a request.

"In that case, I also have a condition. I can use the elixirs and similar items that I have on me."

It was all for the sake of safety, not to be embarrassed. After all, he only had one life.

His principle was that he could take risks, but he had to be confident. Being confident meant enjoying the game, while lacking confidence meant courting death.

Yao Ye turned her head and looked at the young man who had already stepped onto the edge of the square. Seeing him nod, she agreed.

To his surprise, the Ninth Prince became even more confident after seeing the youthful face of the young man.

"Are we fighting to the death, or should we stop when someone admits defeat? Personally, I'm not used to friendly sparring. I can't hold back."

"Depends on you. We'll take it as an agreement."

"Hahaha, good. Let's begin then."

The Ninth Prince didn't know where Yao Ye's confidence came from. That young boy appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, but people on the Douqi Continent matured quickly, especially during their teenage years. With his keen eye, he could be sure that the boy was definitely not sixteen.

In this battle, the advantage is mine. I will surely win!

(End of this chapter)