Chapter 1666: Helian Tulong

Before Ling Qingfeng even had a chance to explain, she was interrupted by Luo Shanhe who got up from his seat abruptly, a genial smile on his face while calling out loudly, "Nephew Helian!"

A handsome young man in a black robe decorated with dragons strolled into the hall.

He was obviously late but he did not appear to be apologetic at all - his handsome face void of any expression.

Instead of getting angry, Luo Shanhe's smile only grew broader. "Nephew! Please come in! Please take a seat!"

"Luo Shanhe," Helian Tulong said, unimpressed, "In terms of seniority, my old father is one generation older than your previous emperor! You should be calling me Shishu!"

"I..." Luo Heshan swallowed nervously. "Helian Shishu please forgive me... I am Princess Puti's eighth uncle... I spoke without thinking..."

"We still don't know who will win today!" Helian Tulong said. "The day when I have officially married the princess, would be the day you can call me nephew!"

"Yes, yes, yes... That was so rude of me." Luo Shanhe quickly apologized. "Helian Shishu, please have a seat!"

Helian Tulong looked to be about in his mid-twenties but he had Luo Shanhe calling him shishu!

Instead of breaking into gossip upon watching the whole incident, the people in the hall sat in a hushed silence.

Helian Tulong must have come from a formidable background!

"Who is this guy? He's so full of it!" Chen Xiaobei whispered to Ling Qingfeng.

Ling Qingfeng whispered back, "The Helian family is the top family in Apocalyptic Starfield! Helian Tulong was recognized as the most outstanding prodigy of the family in the past millennium! He's 25 years old this year and he is the core disciple of Dominating Heaven Faction! He is number one on the Nine Zones Earth Leaderboard!"

"So young and he's already Dominating Heaven Faction's core disciple?!" Chen Xiaobei exclaimed.

Greenhill Starfield's Wei Zhonglie was at least 300 to 500 years old, and he was also a core disciple of Dominating Heaven Faction!

From this, one could see why Helian Tulong was recognized as the number one gifted prodigy!

It was no wonder that even Luo Shanhe had to address him with such reverence.

Chen Xiaobei looked at Helian Tulong's cultivation.

Ding!

[Cultivation: Later phase of God-Ascension cultivation; Lifespan: 1,009 years; Health: 1,200,000; Combat power: 1,200,000]

And then he looked at Luo Shanhe's cultivation.

Ding!

[Cultivation: Pinnacle phase of God-Ascension cultivation; Lifespan: 1,897 years; Health: 1,500,000; Combat power: 1,500,000]

Luo Shanhe was clearly much stronger than Helian Tulong but he had to submit to the young man - the reason behind this was simple enough!

Helian Tulong's family and faction's background were superior to Luo Heshan's.

But more importantly, as he was a youth full of vigor, Helian Tulong had a bright future ahead of him.

If Luo Heshan displeased Helian Tulong today, he could be displeasing the future number one elite!

That was no one else in the hall dared to aggravate Helian Tulong.

"Aren't you going to announce the rules of the martial arts contest? Hurry up and get on with it!" Helian Tulong settled down on the main seat. "If this is just purely a martial arts contest, I'm not pointing any fingers, but you can all go home!"

Helian Tulong had an overwhelming advantage over all the other competitors, and therefore harbored the absolute confidence.

Luo Shanhe sat down next to him. "No... This is not purely a martial arts contest of course! As everyone has heard, our Saint Duke Imperial family has Saint Duke blood but only his majesty, the Emperor and Princess Puti carries with them Saint Duke's bloodline! That is why Princess Puti's marriage is a momentous and cardinal matter for the entire Saint Duke! It has to be executed with extreme prudence! For that very reason, this martial arts contest will have three elimination rounds to test each of the candidate's competency, and to also choose a prince consort for the Emperor who would be most beneficial to Saint Duke!"

Everyone understood what he meant.

Saint Duke was in a precarious situation. If Tenshou and Royal Azure launched the second joint attack, Saint Duke could be completely destroyed.

That was why Saint Duke needed to find a prince consort who was well equipped; enough to turn the situation around in a jiffy.

Family, background, status, authority, wealth, strength - these were all the criteria for assessment.

"Today, I will be announcing the first task!" Luo Shanhe said. "Within 7 days, find 100 catty of Earth-God grade materials. Be it gold, wood, water, fire, earth elements - there would be no categorical specification nor restrictions in the method of acquisition. Upon completion, you will be able to move on to the second round of elimination!"

Almost half of the competitors began to complain with noisy whispers.

"What kind of joke is this?! Beyond the Earth-God realm, Earth-God grade materials are extremely rare items! 100 catties?! I can't even find 1 catty!"

"I know right?! Even if I sold my entire household's worth, I won't be able to exchange them for 100 catties of Earth-God grade materials!"

"Saint Duke really is ambitious! They want to reap all Earth-God grade materials which can be used to forge Earth-God instruments which could be traded with other starfields for the latest interstellar weapons!"

"That's right! They are just using this competition as a front to hoard all the rare resources, and prepare for any major battles ahead!"

"Yeah... But Earth-God grade materials are don't grow on trees! Where are we going to find 100 catties of them?"

"You're right... I won't be able to acquire any..."

"It's not just you! I don't think anyone here could! Even if they could, using that to exchange for a wife would still be a great loss!"

...

Those who voiced out were clearly those who either could not complete the task or were not determined enough so much so that they thought it was not worth exchanging Earth-God grade materials for Luo Puti.

"Those who cannot complete or do not wish to complete the task can leave now!" Luo Shanhe was unbending. "Not only does our princess Puti carry within her Saint Duke's bloodline, but she is also an out-of-this-world beauty, and her talent allows her to increase her cultivation with lighting speed! In the future, princess Puti could very well become the Empress of Saint Duke! If you are not earnest enough, you are not qualified to talk about marriage with her!"

Luo Puti had Saint Duke's bloodline. If anything were to happen to the current Emperor, Luo Puti would become the Empress by default!

Whoever married Luo Puti would also be marrying the entire Saint Duke Starfield!

The value of this engagement was beyond comparison! Not even the 100 catties of Earth-God grade materials could not compare!

Helian Tulong was the first to leave the hall.

"I will be back after seven days!" he said without expression.

"We will also do our best! We'll try to complete the task before the seven days ends!"

The others in the hall proclaimed uncomforably.

Chen Xiaobei, on the other hand, was stumped. "Where am I going to find 100 catties of Earth-God materials?"