Chapter Forty-Five: Tang Hao and the Tang Royal Residence

Chu Han was seething with anger, raising his fist and preparing to charge forward. The three men before him were merely experts at the Divine Bridge stage; he was confident that a single punch would suffice to deal with all three.

Yet before he could act, Tang Hao stopped him. “Han’er, don’t be impulsive.”

“Heh, so you’re this old man’s son, Chu Han, right? I’ve looked into you before—just a piece of trash. When you meet Tang Feng, the genius of the Prince Tang’s Manor, you’ll understand the true gulf between yourself and a real talent.”

The other party continued to mock, but he had already regained his composure. Since Tang Hao had held him back, there must be a reason for it. Chu Han quietly memorized the name Tang Feng—he was genuinely curious to see just how powerful this so-called genius of the Prince Tang’s Manor really was.

“Enough talk. I’ll go with you,” Tang Hao said, turning away. “Han’er, you and the Young Prince should head to the capital first. I’ll go to the Prince Tang’s Manor. Once I’ve dealt with matters there, I’ll come find you. No matter what, don’t stir up trouble.”

Chu Han nodded. Since Tang Hao didn’t want him to follow, he would respect his father’s wishes. “Very well, Father. Be careful. If you run into any trouble you can’t handle, send word to the capital. I’ll come at once.”

Tang Hao nodded gravely and followed Tang Yuan and his men. As they departed, Tang Yuan turned back. “Chu Han, is it? I hope you’re still so arrogant after arriving in the capital. You’ll see soon enough the difference between a genius and an ordinary man.”

With that, Tang Yuan led Tang Hao away. Chu Han clenched his fists tightly, staring after them. Their arrogance was infuriating, but he couldn’t help but feel a faint excitement about his coming journey to the capital.

If Tang Yuan’s claims were true and the capital was teeming with prodigies, then his excitement only grew. He sincerely wanted to see what these ‘talented’ people were really like.

He continued on toward the capital with the Young Prince, listening along the way as the Young Prince explained the enmity between Tang Hao and the Prince Tang’s Manor. Chu Han gained a rough understanding of the situation.

Tang Hao had been born in the Prince Tang’s Manor, but his abilities were average, and he was always ostracized. Yet Tang Hao was a traditional man; though his life there was difficult, he never left the family.

Then, years later, disaster struck—Tang Hao was framed and accused of stealing the Prince Tang’s Manor’s core martial technique, a crime punishable by death. In the end, it was only thanks to his mother’s intervention that Tang Hao escaped, though she herself vanished without a trace, her fate unknown. The mastermind behind this was none other than Tang Yuan.

Afterward, Tang Hao fled to Jingyuan City and opened the Tang Family Smithy. The injustice weighed on Tang Hao’s heart, but deep inside, he still felt bound to the Prince Tang’s Manor, so he could not refuse the summons to return to his ancestral home.

“That’s why Tang Hao stopped you earlier and wouldn’t let you fight,” the Young Prince concluded with a sigh. “He can’t give up this chance to be recognized by his family, even if his old enemy Tang Yuan is the one to fetch him.”

In large clans, such things were commonplace, and the Young Prince, having investigated the Prince Tang’s Manor himself, was well aware of that history.

Chu Han nodded. Understanding now, he sympathized with Tang Hao, but his heart burned with anger toward the Prince Tang’s Manor. Such a family, he thought, had no right to exist in this world.

“As for Tang Feng,” the Young Prince continued, “I’ve heard of him too. He’s said to be the first genius in a hundred years of the Tang family. His strength is exceptional—by eighteen, he could match experts of the Eighth Body Tempering stage. He’s twenty-five now, and he must be formidable. At the very least, I wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

The Young Prince’s tone was tinged with envy as he spoke of Tang Feng.

Chu Han nodded. To reach the Eighth Body Tempering stage at eighteen—certainly a prodigy. Still, he wondered what Tang Feng’s current strength was. He made up his mind to show the Prince Tang’s Manor that, to him, their so-called ‘genius’ was nothing at all.

Two days later, they arrived at the capital. This was Chu Han’s first time in the imperial capital of Great Chu, and it truly lived up to its reputation: the streets were thronged with people, the city itself vast—twice the size of Jingyuan City.

“Let’s stroll around the city today and head to the palace tomorrow. You go explore—I'll make contact with my people in the palace first.”

The Young Prince clapped Chu Han on the shoulder and was about to leave, but Chu Han stopped him.

“I want to visit the Prince Tang’s Manor tomorrow. I’m worried about my father’s safety. Please make arrangements so that I can enter the palace only after I’ve left the manor.”

Chu Han had thought long and hard about this and couldn’t rest easy leaving Tang Hao alone at the Prince Tang’s Manor, especially when his enemy Tang Yuan was the one who had come to fetch him—who knew what tricks he might have up his sleeve?

Understanding Chu Han’s concerns, the Young Prince readily agreed. He suggested they visit the Jing King’s Manor together the next day, then the two of them found an inn to stay for the night. Afterward, Chu Han set out to explore the metropolis.

Vendors lined the streets, hawking all manner of curious wares, and Chu Han wandered among them with delight. Eventually, he found himself before an imposing building. Looking up, he saw the sign: “Jade Cloud Pavilion.”

“This is the largest auction house in the capital. They hold auctions every day, with plenty of treasures. Interested in taking a look?” the Young Prince explained at his side.

Chu Han nodded. At present, his strength was at the peak of the Heavenly Palace stage, just a step away from the Dao Palace. Still, he did not wish to break through so quickly; he intended to suppress his realm, refine his true essence to its utmost, and then attain the ultimate Dao Palace.

Even so, he needed vast quantities of true essence to sustain this, and for that, he would need powerful external support. Thus, he followed the Young Prince into the auction house.

They found seats at random, and soon the auction began. As the capital’s premier auction house, Jade Cloud Pavilion was frequented by the rich and powerful. Everyone seated here was a person of note.

Item after item was presented, but none caught Chu Han’s interest; they were mostly weapons or pills, of little use to him at this stage. Instead, he observed the people around him. The capital was indeed the capital—no one here was weak. The lowest among them had reached the Ninth Body Tempering stage, and there were even Divine Bridge experts present. Only in the capital could one find so many masters of the Wheel Sea stage.

At that moment, an object was brought to the stage that drew Chu Han’s attention—it was precisely what he sought: Thunderstruck Wood, imbued with the power of tribulation lightning, just like the fragment he had obtained before.

“This piece of Thunderstruck Wood contains the power of tribulation lightning. The starting bid is three million gold coins. Bidding begins now.”

As the auctioneer’s voice fell, the crowd began calling out bids, quickly driving the price to ten million. But as the price neared its limit, Chu Han called out, “Eleven million.”

All eyes turned to him, but seeing his unfamiliar face, no one thought much of it. After all, countless strangers entered the capital every day; as long as he wasn’t from a rival clan, no one cared.

Just as Chu Han thought the Thunderstruck Wood was his, a voice rang out, “Fifteen million.”

The bidder turned to look at Chu Han, his gaze openly provocative. Clearly, this man intended to compete with Chu Han to the end.

“Twenty million,” Chu Han replied, refusing to back down. He had to obtain this Thunderstruck Wood—he was on the verge of perfecting his control over his true essence, and this was the final piece he needed.