"It's okay mother, I understand."
Although Di Feng smilingly nodded in understanding, his heart ached and he found it hard to remain tranquil. He had been with his mother all his life after all! Even if he was not with her, he knew she was watching him from afar, always taking care of him.
Those things he had to go thorough and bear with silently did not have anything to do with his mother because he knew that even though it was saddening, she really couldn't take care of him all his life if he did want to be a powerful cultivator and be able of living freely without any worries, it was reality!
Before, he was ignorant and didn't understand this, without even mentioning the reasoning behind his father's actions, but now it was different and he saw everything clearly. Unfortunately, the time has already come where he had to put to practice his hard earned willpower and continue cultivating and strive to walk his own martial path towards its limit, alone.
Di Yue sighed but did not continue talking about this, she let Di Zhen talk instead.
"Mister Zhen, please tell Di Feng about the specifics."
The old man nodded. His tone changing to a more serious one.
"Di Feng, near this house, about ten kilometers south, there is a city. That's Evergreen City and where my Di Family lives. In turn, Evergreen City is located within the borders of the Iron Blood Country and is just a second tier city that only has this status due to the materials and resources that it obtains from the Evergreen forest. If one takes the entirety of the country into account, Evergreen city is nothing, one could even said that it is a backwater city with almost no martial strength. And if one adds the entire Azure Star Continent then even the entire Iron Blood country is just a middle tier country!"
He stopped here for a few seconds before continuing. His tone becoming a bit more casual.
"As for the top factions of the entire Azure Star Continent, they are; The Divine Stars Academy, the Li Clan, the Austrich Family, the Wang Clan, the Five Major Countries, the Three Major Sects of Ice, Fire and Metal who each had a special cultivation method regarding these elements and finally, the Professional Guild."
By this point, Di Feng fully concentated on listening, he buried the matter of his separating from his mother deep down in his heart.
"Going back to the Iron Blood Country, it is ruled by the Neville Family while its other top factions are the Fang Clan, the Astor Family, the two national academies and the branch of the Professional Guild. On the other hand, in Evergreen City, the top factions are our Di Family, the Zhu Family and the Chen Family."
The old man emphasized the word 'our' causing Di Feng's eyebrow to twitch.
"As of now, a grand event is coming to Evergreen City with the reason being Princess Sophie, who lately has been going from city to city hosting tournaments between the factions in power in each one while adding on commoners. Her personal rrasons for doing this is unknown but it is rumored that she is taking on subordinates from those she fancied and then getting them to join the Iron Blood Academy. This was then connected with how she suddenly wants to fight for the throne, being years behind her brothers who started amassing forces long ago and caused quite the controversy. For you Di Feng, this could be a good opportunity to rapidly rise in position by showing your talent but it depends on you. She will be coming to the city two months from now so you stil have time to think it over as well as to prepare."
He then stopped, letting his words sink in and for Di Feng to ponder.
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"A princess huh..." Ji Qingyue, who had been silent all this time, suddenly exclaimed.
She was ignored however as Di Feng, with a frown on his face, asked.
"She can't be just wanting geniuses to form a force from scratch right? That would be too inefficient since they had to grow first and her brothers may not let them."
Even though he was ignorant of most matters concerning the continent, Di Feng still understood the power struggles that happen inside families, clans, sects, alliances or imperial families. How, for the sake of becoming the one with the absolute say in everything, be either the family head, patriarch, supreme elder, king or emperor, there can be people who would adopt any measures and literally do anything to achieve it.
The Neville imperial family was surely no exeption and there was nothing the Emperor could do to stop this unless he was immortal and did not want to pass down his seat.
"Hehe, what, could it be that you're saying that she may be looking for a husband?" The old man weirdly smiled as he said, a sly glint flickered in his eyes.
"What!? Could it really be so? T-then... You want to marry the princess!?"
Ji Qingyue abruptly stood up and looked with atonishment and a very well hidden panic in her eyes at Di Feng.
"How come you suddenly thought of that!? Do you not see the old man having that weird smile!" Di Feng felt a headache coming his way and an urge to punch the old man in the face surged within him.
"Oh my, Feng`er sure has grown!" Di Yue smilingly chimed in.
"So it was true!" Ji Qingyue, who seemed to realize that she had reacted too quickly and was about to back down, abruptly had her eyes lit and a crystal clear but exaggerated anger shone in those crimson pupils.
"You too mother!? Hey, Qingyue! Why the heck did you throw a fireball at me!? You seriously overreacted, it is not true!" Di Feng first looked with atonishment at his mother before suddenly having his right palm shine with an icy dark glow to extinguish the fireball that came his way.
"Pfft." Unnoticed by all, Di Yin was covering her mouth with her right hand, hiding away her smile and laughter. Di Feng noticed her at this time however.
"You too Aunty Yin!?"
At this time, the athmosphere turned lively and the faint heavy feelings that Di Yue's initial words bought were completely swept away.
"If you fight back then it is true, you want to marry the princess!" Ji Qingyue came up with an absurd reason before she pounced at Di Feng! Meanwhile, Little White nimbly jumped out of her shoulder, not wanting to be swept up in this mess.
"What kind of logic is that!? Hey! Wait, you're going to destroy the entire building!"
And then, the scene of one boy and one girl, one chasing and the other running away, was calmly observed by two mothers and a mischievous old man from the side...
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Fifteen minutes later....
An old man looked with a hidden smile at the two youths before him, their two mothers having left to who knows where.
While Di Feng, who had his clothes burnt here and there with smoke coming from the burnt marks, Ji Qingyue looked happy and filled with satisfaction. She was stronger after all and he could not do anything to her. In the end, he also realized that aside from her first reaction, the rest were just she playing along... Or at least for the most part...
"Then, where were we? Oh, I remember now. Answering your question from before. There are some rumors in reality that said that the princess wants to nurtue geniuses that could potentially win some honor and backing for her during the grand tea party five years from now!"
At the mention of this, Ji Qingyue's eyes lit up and she interrumpted. Her mannerism changed as she adopted the air of an expert.
"I heard about that thing! I'm also supposed to go and it is a tea party held by the Li Clan where every top faction's geniuses on the continent would attend, it is even rumored that those from other continents would also come! As for the reason, my master told me that it is because someone from the Li Clan that became a core disciple inside the Heavenly Paragon Alliance managed to obtain the recognition of a powerful elder and became his personal disciple. The key factor however is that, that master of his would be present too which is also an opportunity for the geniuses from these factions that will attend to show their talent and hope to also be recognized. Even then, there would be no lack of opportunistic people who would want to show friendship to the Li Clan...
As she spoke though, she became more earnest and when she reached this point her words stopped and she turned to look at Di Feng with a complicated expression on her face before adding.
"Li Tianyun would be present there too..."