Chapter 203: Gathering of Talents

The Princess today wore a gorgeous palace gown, her long hair pinned up with a gold dangling hairpin that shimmered with tiny glints of light as it swayed gently.

The Princess had a somewhat tall and slender figure with excellent proportions; her fair, elegant neck and the magnificent, breathtaking curves of her chest were striking, while below that swell lay a slender waist and straight, long legs.

Her peerless, beautiful face radiated an aura of nobility.

It had to be said, even Li Luo had to admit that within the Astral Sage College, the Princess was likely one of the few who could rival Jiang Qing'e in both appearance and temperament.

At this moment, the Princess wore a gentle smile on her beautiful face as she gazed at Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e.

"Greetings, Princess."

Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e also stepped forward to offer their greetings.

The Princess chatted with Jiang Qing'e in a gentle tone for a moment, then turned her gaze to Li Luo and smiled, "Li Luo should know about that matter by now, right?"

Li Luo understood that she was referring to the treatment of the young Emperor, so he nodded immediately and said, "I will try my best, but the Princess should not hold too high of expectations."

The Princess said softly, "You need not have any concerns; over these years, I have long since grown accustomed to it."

In truth, how could she hold any expectations? Inviting Li Luo to treat the young Emperor was merely to strengthen her relationship with Jiang Qing'e, and she understood that both sides were tacitly aware of this.

Li Luo nodded; although he understood this point, he still had to set expectations beforehand.

"Let's go, let's head inside first." The Princess gave the two a graceful smile, then turned and led them into the pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, the lights were bright, as if it were broad daylight.

Upon entering, a wave of boisterous noise and clamor rushed toward them, causing one's spirits to lift slightly.

There were many figures in the spacious hall, gathered in small groups and laughing as they talked; those who could be here were not of ordinary status, and all had significant forces backing them.

"Jiang Qing'e, the House Luolan has had quite a few troubles lately, I didn't expect you to still be in the mood to attend a banquet?" Just as the three entered the hall, a lukewarm voice came from the side.

Li Luo looked over and saw those flame-red lips—it was Duze Honglian, and beside her, Duze Beixuan was also staring at him with a faint, cold sneer.

"I also didn't expect that someone who was bloodily defeated by me in the ranking battle would still have the mood to attend this kind of banquet," Jiang Qing'e said indifferently.

Duze Honglian's willow-leaf brows shot up.

"Honglian, in such an atmosphere today, let's not make a spectacle of ourselves," the Princess said with a smile from the side.

Duze Honglian was clearly somewhat wary of the Princess; she immediately restrained her anger, picked up the wine glass in her hand, and toasted the Princess: "The Princess is right."

Then, she cast a cold glance at Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo before turning and walking away with Duze Beixuan.

"This Duze Honglian has been suppressed by you for so many years; it seems her resentment is truly not small," the Princess said with a helpless expression.

"A defeated opponent can only resort to sharp words. It seems that next time we meet, I will have to strike harder, otherwise she won't learn her lesson," Jiang Qing'e said calmly.

The Princess was speechless; Jiang Qing'e was actually quite vengeful.

She immediately changed the subject, looked at Li Luo, and said with a smile, "Today, quite a few young talents have come for the Golden Dragon Secret Key. Li Luo, you happen to meet the criteria, so you might as well go and try."

Li Luo smiled: "The competition is quite fierce; I can only say I'll give it a try and see if I have the luck."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the bright banquet hall, and he discovered a familiar figure.

That figure was as sturdy as a fierce beast, standing silently by a pillar, not interacting with anyone, and exuding an aura that warned others to keep their distance.

Qin Zhulu.

This guy was actually invited too? But it wasn't surprising; Qin Zhulu's father was a Grand General of the Great Xia Royal Court, so his status was extremely high, and he would naturally be invited.

Besides Qin Zhulu, Li Luo noticed quite a few familiar faces; students of the same grade like Wang Hejiu were present, and at this moment, he was walking toward Duze Beixuan.

Moreover, it wasn't just those of the same grade; there were even students from the Second Star Grade.

For instance, that Ye Qiuding he had met when he was with Jiang Qing'e was there, and beside him was another familiar figure, whose gaze was looking at him with some annoyance.

Li Luo met his gaze for a moment and recognized him; it seemed to be that guy who helped Song Qiuyu in Tian Shu County, was his name Mo Ling? From the Ink House.

Li Luo didn't pay him much mind, and then he saw a figure walking toward them, attracting many gazes as he passed.

That figure was tall and straight, with an impressive aura—it was Gong Shenjun.

He came directly toward their location, raised his glass in greeting, and smiled: "Junior Sister Jiang and Junior Brother Li Luo are here too."

Upon hearing this, both nodded toward him.

Gong Shenjun smiled at the Princess: "Luan Yu and Junior Sister Jiang have been getting closer lately."

The Princess smiled like a flower: "You don't need to be envious of the relationship between us women, do you?"

Gong Shenjun smiled, then lowered his voice: "There was movement from the palace guards today; did you bring the King out?"

The Princess said: "Royal Brother is very well-informed."

"After all, such a big matter..."

Gong Shenjun looked at Li Luo and said: "Is it because you want Junior Brother Li Luo to try? Actually, you could have just asked Junior Brother Li Luo to go to the palace."

"But since everyone is already out, there is no point in saying this. Just be a little more careful next time; after all, the King's safety is paramount."

Gong Shenjun reminded.

The Princess nodded with a smile: "Royal Brother is right; I will be more careful in the future."

Gong Shenjun smiled at Li Luo again: "I'll leave the King's matter to you, Junior Brother Li Luo. Don't feel any pressure; just treat it as an attempt."

After saying this, he gave Jiang Qing'e a gentle smile and turned to leave.

Jiang Qing'e watched his back, her eyes flickering slightly as she said: "Senior Gong Shenjun is indeed a dragon among men. The Royal Court truly produces heroes; it is a real blessing."

The Princess did not speak; a graceful smile remained on her peerless face as she raised her wine glass and gently clinked it against Jiang Qing'e's.

Li Luo also kept a smile on his face; sometimes, having too many heroes might not necessarily be a blessing.

While they were talking, a commotion came from outside the banquet hall, and then everyone saw Yu Hongxi and Lu Qinger walking in, surrounded by a crowd.

Yu Hongxi walked at the very front, and beside her was a middle-aged man with red hair, whose aura was as majestic as an angry lion as he walked.

"That is the House Master of the Extreme Flame House, Zhu Qinghuo."

Jiang Qing'e said to Li Luo, while Li Luo's gaze was fixed on Yu Hongxi and Zhu Qinghuo; behind them was Lu Qinger, and beside her was a tall, straight young man.

The young man also had red hair, a handsome face, and a hint of dominance in his demeanor.

"That is Zhu Xuan, the son of Zhu Qinghuo. He is currently a student of the Second Star Grade, and the 'Fire Immortal Team' he leads won first place in the Second Star Grade this time."

Hearing Jiang Qing'e's voice, Li Luo's eyes narrowed slightly; was this person the captain of the Fire Immortal Team?