Chapter 308 Fight with Falling Star Empire’s genius!

It was just as the Emperor said-nothing more than a stroll.

The grandeur of the Falling Star Palace stretched in every direction: towering jade pillars, gilded archways, and gardens that seemed to flow endlessly like rivers of blossoms.

Yet, despite the splendor, the conversation remained strangely trivial.

The Emperor spoke of architecture, of the weather, even of palace routines.

Bai Zihan responded sparingly, his crimson gaze sweeping over his surroundings as though none of it impressed him.

Sun Yaoqing walked a step behind them, silent, her delicate hands folded before her. She listened, her curiosity sharpening with each word.

Then, as they passed beneath a pavilion draped with flowering wisteria, the Emperor’s tone shifted.

“Tell me, Bai Zihan,” he said casually, though his eyes were watchful, “have you found any young lady in this palace who caught your interest?”

“I already have a fiancée, your majesty.”

The Emperor chuckled.

“A man of your talent should not be bound by just one. Surely you know- someone of your standing may take many wives and concubines.”

At this, Bai Zihan finally glanced back. His gaze, fleeting yet deliberate, landed on Sun Yaoqing.

Her heart skipped. Heat brushed her cheeks.

(Could it be… is he interested in me?)

For the briefest moment, her composure wavered. But then-

Bai Zihan’s lips curved, his voice cutting through the air without hesitation.

“No! None I’ve met are even fifty percent as beautiful as my fiancée.”

The words dropped like a blade.

Sun Yaoqing froze, Bai Zihan’s words felt like mocking her.

(Fifty percent?)

The sting was sharper than she expected. She prided herself on her bearing, her poise, and yes-even her looks.

She did not care for beauty alone, but to be dismissed so bluntly, as though she weren’t even worth half of another woman…

Her lips twitched, and before she could stop herself, the words hissed through her thoughts.

(Love-blinded fool. He can’t even see what’s in front of him.)

Her expression remained smooth on the outside, but inside she cursed him thoroughly.

Bai Zihan had already turned away, utterly unconcerned with her reaction, his attention sliding back to the Emperor.

Sun Yaoqing, however, could not shake the simmering mix of embarrassment and irritation twisting in her chest.

(How dare he…!)

Sun Yaoqing’s nails pressed faintly against her sleeve as she walked behind them, her eyes fixed on Bai Zihan’s straight back.

(You are also not perfect!)

She wanted to scoff, to criticize his looks, to find some fault-any flaw she could cling to. But the more she stared, the harder it became.

His face, framed by long midnight hair, bore an austere beauty that was neither soft nor overly sharp.

Every line carried a balance between elegance and menace, like a blade polished to perfection.

A face sculpted by the heavens themselves.

(…Annoying!)

The thought only made her irritation deepen.

(So what if he’s flawless on the outside? A man without delicacy, arrogant enough to belittle every woman he meets-his fiancée must be suffering under him.)

She exhaled slowly, smoothing her expression, though her heart was still bristling.

The path opened suddenly, the wisteria shade giving way to the open expanse of the imperial training grounds.

The scent of steel and sweat clung faintly to the air, carried on the crisp wind.

Dozens of figures stood assembled in neat rows, their postures straight, their gazes sharp as blades.

Some wore the uniforms of noble houses, others the colors of great sects, but every single one radiated extraordinary aura.

Sun Yaoqing’s breath caught.

(When did Father…?)

She realized with a start that nearly every top genius of the Falling Star Empire was gathered here.

Young heroes whose names resounded across the continent, people the Empire held as its pride and hope for the future.

The Emperor stopped, his hands clasped behind his back, eyes glinting. He turned to Bai Zihan, a smile curving his lips.

“What do you think of them?”

All gazes shifted, the young elites standing taller under the weight of the

question, as though silently declaring-measure us if you dare.

Bai Zihan’s crimson eyes swept over them, slow and indifferent.

It seems like he was really measuring them with his eyes.

Finally, he spoke.

“Weak!”

Just one word.

And yet, it cracked across the training ground like thunder, leaving silence

more deafening than any uproar.

Sun Yaoqing’s lips parted slightly in disbelief.

She didn’t know whether it was because of his arrogance or ignorance.

Mixed in them were Nascent Soul Realm and Soul Formation Realm Cultivator under the age of 40 which is considered pretty rare in Falling Star Empire.

They were all the Top geniuses of the Empire yet Bai Zihan dared utter such words.

Sun Yaoqing knew that the Desolate Heaven Empire had a stronger cultivator but still, their Top geniuses weren’t someone one could call weak. The gathered geniuses stiffened, rage flashing in their eyes, but none dared speak-not while the Emperor watched.

The Emperor looked like he was in deep contemplation but finally spoke.

“Bai Zihan, if you don’t mind, how about sparring with them?”

The Emperor suggested.

But Bai ZIhan doesn’t look very thrilled.

“It would be just a wastage of my time. They don’t stand a chance.”

Bai Zihan said arrogantly.

The words hung in the air like an insult thrown at a shrine. The gathered

geniuses bristled-pride turning to fury in an instant.

One of the foremost among them, a young man whose reputation alone could

rally troops, stepped forward.

He wore the sigil of a great house on his breast and the steadiness of a Soul Formation cultivator in his carriage. His jaw was tight, eyes blazing.

“Young Master Bai!” he called, voice ringing clear over the training ground. “If

you think us weak, then grant us the honor of proving you wrong. Come-test

yourself against us.”

A ripple of agreement followed, sharp and eager.

“Yeah-show us that pride of yours isn’t just talk!” “Or are you afraid, Young Master Bai?”

Mocking laughter spat from a few quarters; other challengers stepped forward, all of them eager, all of them ready to gamble reputation on a strike.

Their fingers twitched toward blades and formation talismans; they had waited

their whole lives for a moment like this.

Sun Yaoqing’s heart lurched. She had seen anger flare before, but not this-an entire host of the empire’s favorites itching to dismantle an outsider’s arrogance with their own hands.

A petty duel could become something far worse: an insult turned into a blood feud, a diplomatic incident, a pretext for half the court to demand vengeance.

She swallowed hard.

(Father-please don’t let this get out of hand.)

The Emperor watched them all with an unreadable expression.

“Young Master Bai, can you grant them their wish?”

“I don’t want to!” This further fueled the anger, thinking that Bai Zihanw as running away after

running his mouth arrogantly.

“If you win against them, I will grant your permission and even help you destroy

the Organization. How about that?”

Bai Zihan’s crimson eyes lifted to meet the Emperor’s. A slow smile ghosted his

lips-almost amused, almost bored.

“Sure!”

He said simply. Then, with a final glance at the assembled geniuses, his tone

dropped into something colder, sharper.

“But don’t blame me if you get severely hurt!”