"How do you find this battlefield?" Mu Rufeng asked with a faint smile.
"Good, very good. Little Nine, it seems your cultivation has also mostly recovered," Mu Wuxia said, looking at Mu Rufeng with some surprise.
"It will still take some time. Now, I’m only in the Refining Organ Realm, and I have to thank the Seventh Princess for her Thousand-year Snow Lotus," Mu Rufeng said with a smile.
"The ability to freeze such a large lake in an instant with the strength of the Refining Organ Realm shows that the Seventh Princess is also quite powerful," Tuoba Zhan said, with a hint of something special flashing in his eyes.
Not only him, but the surrounding young talents also looked at Mu Rufeng in amazement.
At this moment, they also recognized Mu Rufeng’s identity.
The Ninth Prince of the Da Li Dynasty, the one with the highest talent among the contemporary royal family.
However, due to an ambush by the Demon Clan, fifty thousand soldiers were annihilated, and he himself had returned on the brink of death with severe injuries.
With many hidden injuries and his foundation damaged, all his cultivation had plummeted, yet it was unexpected that he had so quickly recovered to Level 5 of the Refining Organ Realm.
Just that move alone was enough to show that his strength was dominant among his peers in the same realm.
Mu Wuxia flipped and landed on the ice.
She gently tapped her foot to test the hardness and was surprised to find that the ice was quite solid.
"The hardness is good, very suitable for combat. Tuoba Zhan, come on," said Mu Wuxia, looking at Tuoba Zhan.
Tuoba Zhan smiled faintly and also leapt onto the ice surface.
The next moment, the aura of both sides burst forth and collided fiercely.
"Boom, boom, boom~~!"
The continuous booming sounds erupted, terrifying Qi Blood Power soared into the sky, and the shockwaves spread in all directions.
However, as soon as these shockwaves reached the shore, they were dissipated by a force into nothingness.
Even the pavilion complex remained untouched, unaffected by the residual waves.
"Your Highness, it seems that your injuries have recovered quite fast, and your strength is still so strong," a graceful figure said, appearing beside Mu Rufeng.
"Vice Pavilion Master Zhao, I must thank you for yesterday. Otherwise, I would have had difficulty gathering those eight million taels," thanked Mu Rufeng towards Zhao Yanran.
"Your Highness, to call me that seems too distant. You can call me Yanran," Zhao Yanran said softly.
"Alright, Miss Yanran," Mu Rufeng replied.
"I say, Old Nine, you really are not being generous. What you did yesterday was really quite unreasonable," an abrupt voice came.
It was the Sixth Prince who walked over, clamoring as soon as he opened his mouth.
But before Mu Rufeng could reply, the Sixth Prince had already moved closer to Zhao Yanran’s side.
"Miss Zhao, I didn’t expect you to be here too. How fragrant! What kind of perfume or sachet did you use today?"
"It smells good, and you look good. I wonder if Miss Zhao is betrothed. I, too, am not yet married, so how about you marry me?" the Sixth Prince said with a lecherous expression.
"Your Highness, please respect yourself," Zhao Yanran frowned slightly and then moved a bit closer to Mu Rufeng.
"Ahem! Sixth Brother, mind your image; there are quite a few young ladies watching," Mu Rufeng coughed dryly.
"Old Six, what type of occasion do you think this is? Look at yourself now," a reproachful voice came over.
It was the Fourth Prince who came over, chiding with a gloomy face.
"Fourth Brother, don’t you know the saying, ’A gentleman seeks a fair lady for his match?’ What I do is none of your business," the Sixth Prince shot back without hesitation.
"Say that again?" the Fourth Prince said coldly.
"Fourth Brother, Sixth Brother, stop fighting. Aren’t we just making a laughing stock of ourselves?" Mu Rufeng interjected, trying to mediate.
"Forget it, forget it. I can’t be bothered to argue. Miss Zhao, I’ll visit you at Lingyan Pavilion tomorrow," the Sixth Prince said.
"Old Nine, you’d better remember, my one million and the twenty percent interest," said the Sixth Prince.
He didn’t care at all about the gloomy glares from the Fourth Prince.
"Sixth Brother, don’t worry, I will definitely pay you back within a month," Mu Rufeng answered.
"Off I go. There’s an annoying guy here, making me uncomfortable all over," the Sixth Prince muttered as he walked toward a group of girls gathered elsewhere.
"Hmph!" The Fourth Prince snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeves.
The Fourth Prince was always a disagreeable fellow; Mu Rufeng was too lazy to talk to him after he left.
"Your Highness, have you prepared the gift for the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet?"
"If you haven’t, I can prepare it for you," said Zhao Yanran softly.
"Thank you, Miss Yanran, but it’s already been prepared," Mu Rufeng declined gently.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yanran fell silent.
Mu Rufeng also stopped talking, and there was a sudden silence between them, the atmosphere growing somewhat awkward.
Mu Rufeng didn’t often interact with girls; he could manage to talk for a bit at first, but after a while, he didn’t know what to talk about.
Seeing the situation become increasingly awkward, Mu Rufeng had to find a topic for conversation, particularly since the battle was still underway.
"Miss Yanran, who do you think will win between my Seventh Sister and Tuoba Zhan?" Mu Rufeng asked, pointing to the two still fighting.
"The Seventh Princess has astonishing talent and very strong combat instincts, but she has not experienced real combat, lacks bravery, and lacks killing intent. Moreover, as a woman, her Qi Blood Power is naturally less than that of a man,"
"Tuoba Zhan’s talent is not weak either, his combat instincts are stronger than the Seventh Princess’s, and he has more experience in battles,"
"If the fight comes down to the wire, it will surely be Tuoba Zhan’s victory. However, I guess it will end in a draw," said Zhao Yanran.