After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 266 The Formidable Eighth Prince
Not all the customers in the small town's restaurant were well-informed, and someone immediately asked:

"Wasn't it supposed to be the seventh prince? How did it become the eighth prince?"

"Could it be that the Emperor of Dali is willing to be a cuckold like those Emperors of Daqi and acknowledge that fake prince?"

Upon hearing this, the restaurant erupted in laughter.

The atmosphere, which had initially been somewhat somber, suddenly became cheerful.

Before the young swordsman could answer, someone else interrupted:

"Whether the Emperor of Dali was a green-haired turtle or not is unclear, but he did issue an edict later to change the Seventh Prince to the Eighth Prince."

"However, as everyone knows, there are only so many trivial matters in the royal family. I'm guessing that the storyteller might be telling us the 'Secret History of the Great Li Royal Palace' today."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant became instantly excited.

Some people started urging the old storyteller to continue telling the story of the scandalous affairs in the Dali royal palace, so they could have something to drink with.

Seeing that the voices of the people in the restaurant had already drowned out his own, the young swordsman could only purse his lips and stop talking.

At this moment, despite the urging from the restaurant patrons, the old storyteller remained calm throughout. He then slammed down his gavel and continued speaking:

"Please be patient, everyone. The important matter I am about to tell you is a hundred times more astonishing than the palace secrets you all love to hear. I assure you that you will not be disappointed."

These words immediately piqued the interest of everyone in the restaurant, and some even shouted at the old storyteller:
"A hundred times more amazing? Is that some kind of exaggeration? If it doesn't turn out to be as scaredy-worthy as you say, are you going to have to pay for my drinks, old man?"

Upon hearing this, everyone assumed it was a joke, but then the old storyteller on the wooden platform turned to look at the speaker and slowly nodded, saying:

"No problem. If what I'm about to say isn't a big deal, I'll cover all your expenses for today."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the restaurant suddenly fell silent.

With so many people spending so much money in this restaurant, the old storyteller must either be very confident or clearly unafraid of the many martial arts figures in the restaurant.

In an instant, everyone began to seriously examine the old man in black robes on the wooden platform, becoming increasingly interested in him and his words.

"It seems you old man are quite confident. In that case, I won't listen to the secret history of the Great Qi royal family today. I'm all ears. What earth-shattering matter are you talking about?"

The young swordsman finally found an opening and called out to the old storyteller with a mocking expression.

The old storyteller didn't seem to care. Instead, he looked up and focused his gaze on the young swordsman, saying:

"I see that this young hero is a sociable, lively, and knowledgeable person. How about I ask him to answer a few questions for me?"

Upon hearing this, the young swordsman raised an eyebrow, as if the old storyteller's words had flattered him.

Then, he crossed his arms and said with a stern face:
"Ask away, I'm not exaggerating, there are few things in this martial world that I don't know."

The old storyteller nodded slightly, then asked aloud:

"Since you've heard of the Eighth Prince, young hero, how much do you know about him?"

Upon hearing this, the young swordsman was visibly taken aback, and immediately frowned, saying:
"If you ask me about the deeds of that fake prince, I do know quite a bit about him. He is not only a true martial arts genius, but also proficient in both literary and military arts."

"Even among the achievements of the princes who took charge of the Six Ministries, he was implicitly ranked first. His reputation was excellent both inside and outside the court. Many people in Dali secretly discussed that he was the most suitable person to succeed the future emperor of Dali."

At this point, the young swordsman seemed to realize he had gone off-topic, and immediately changed the subject, saying:
"As for that Eighth Prince, I really don't know much about him. I've only heard that he was previously stranded in a martial arts school in a small border town. He doesn't seem to have any talent and his martial arts skills are not good either."

"He had no powerful backing, and even his own sister, the princess, seemed to be on the side of that fake prince."

As he spoke, the young swordsman shook his head, as if that was all he knew about the eighth prince of Dali, and he couldn't say anything more.

The old storyteller below didn't say whether the young swordsman was right or wrong.

He merely narrowed his eyes slightly, then surveyed the numerous spectators around him, and asked in a deep voice:

"Regarding that Eighth Prince, does anyone have anything to add?"

Upon hearing this, many people in the restaurant visibly frowned, and some began to say impatiently:
"Since you're talking about important matters, then get to the point. Why are you so insistent on talking about that unknown Eighth Prince?"

"What's there to talk about about a prince who has fallen into poverty and has no talent in martial arts? In the end, he'll just be a prince who enjoys a peaceful and comfortable life, eating and waiting to die."

Then, someone else chimed in:
"That's right, to be honest, when it comes to talent and achievements, the real prince is no match for the fake prince at all!"

For a time, some people in the restaurant gradually became dissatisfied, wondering what was wrong with the old storyteller.
Why are you deliberately rambling on and on, keeping us in suspense, and never getting to the point?

The old storyteller paid no attention to this, but suddenly slammed down his gavel, drawing everyone's attention, and said in a deep voice:
"If everyone has nothing to say, then I will continue."

Then, he glanced around at everyone in the restaurant and said:
"The reason I asked you all about the Eighth Prince's deeds is not because I'm not going to talk about the important matter. In fact, the subject of my story today is this very Eighth Prince!"

Upon hearing this, the brows of the people around them furrowed even deeper, clearly unable to understand how an ordinary commoner prince could become the protagonist.
In stark contrast to the others was the young swordsman from before.

He suddenly became unusually quiet, staring at the old storyteller below, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the old storyteller observed the reactions of everyone in the tavern, but only sighed before continuing:
"I can understand that you all think that the Eighth Prince is worthless, but things in this world are not always clear from appearances."

"As the saying goes, one cannot judge a book by its cover, nor can one measure the sea with a bucket. I only learned a few hours ago that the Eighth Prince is actually the most extraordinary person in the world!"

“Those so-called Seventh Princes and their ilk, those so-called top martial arts geniuses from martial arts sects and ancient families, are not even worthy of carrying the shoes of that Eighth Prince.”

As he spoke, the old storyteller suddenly fell silent.

Even though they knew the whole story beforehand, they still couldn't help but be amazed and speechless when they heard it now.

At the same time, the entire restaurant suddenly fell silent.

A moment later, everyone was in an uproar!
Although everyone heard clearly what the old storyteller was saying, it seemed that they didn't understand what he was talking about at all.
When did the Eighth Prince of Dali become the only genius in the world?
How come they've never heard of this before?
Moreover, the other party's praise was so high that it elevated the Eighth Prince to the heavens, while even belittling the fake Seventh Prince and the geniuses of various sects in the martial arts world.

Everyone was now wondering how much silver the Eighth Prince had given to the old man in front of them to make him lie through his teeth.
In the entire restaurant, only the young swordsman, for some reason, was sitting at the table with a furrowed brow and an ever-changing expression.

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly stood up, looked down at the old storyteller in the courtyard below, and asked:

"Old man, do you have any basis for what you're saying?"

At this moment, everyone in the restaurant also looked at the old storyteller, and some people cursed and complained that he was talking nonsense.

Someone was shouting:

"Give me my money back! Give me my money back!"

The old storyteller, facing the aggressive and indignant crowd, remained calm and composed throughout, his eyes seemingly observing a group of clowns.

Or perhaps, in the group of people before him, he saw a reflection of himself when he first received the news.

The next moment, the old storyteller's thunderous voice suddenly resounded throughout the entire restaurant, instantly drowning out all other voices present. The invisible martial arts pressure shook the surroundings, causing everyone to freeze in shock.

"You all at this moment are just like I was at that moment!"

The old storyteller's voice echoed in the now quiet crowd, and he turned to the young swordsman who had asked the question, saying:

"Young hero, what evidence do you have for this old man? I will only ask you, young hero, do you know that the Great Li Heavenly Guard has already made a move against Luoshen Peak?"

"And what do you think, young hero? Will the Great Li Tianjin Guard be able to capture Luoshen Peak?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, who had been stunned by the old storyteller, all had their expressions change and looked at the two people upstairs and downstairs, clearly attracted by their conversation.

The Dali court suddenly dispatched the Tianjin Guard to attack Luoshen Peak, one of the four major sects in the martial arts world. Since everyone was in Lanzhou at the time, they had naturally heard some rumors about it.

The group had even discussed this privately, and they all believed that it would probably take at least ten days to half a month for the Great Li Tianjin Guard to make a move.

It would be impossible for the Dali Tianjin Guard to take down Luoshen Peak on its own. In the end, the Dali Tianjin Guard would probably suffer a crushing defeat and retreat in disgrace.

After that, the Dali court will likely not take action against the martial arts world for a long time.

Even among many martial arts practitioners, this matter was seen as a great thing for the martial arts world, since without the constraints of the imperial court, they would undoubtedly be able to act more recklessly.

At this moment, the young swordsman narrowed his eyes in response to the old storyteller's question.

He did not answer the other party's question, because anyone in the martial arts world present would know how to answer it.

He simply gazed at the old storyteller and began to speak:
"So, what does the battle between the Great Li Tianjin Guard and Luoshen Peak have to do with the Eighth Prince of Great Li?"

Upon hearing this, the old storyteller didn't seem to mind the young swordsman's question instead of an answer, as if he already knew his answer, and nodded, saying:
"Young hero, you are indeed intelligent to be able to recognize the music as it is."

Then, he slowly turned his gaze, scanning the now completely silent restaurant, and said:
"I suppose you all think that the Great Li Dynasty only sent a Tianjin Guard, which is absolutely impossible to shake the behemoth that is Luoshen Peak, one of the four major sects of the Jianghu."

"But I must tell you all here that you are wrong, and terribly wrong!"

As he spoke, the old storyteller slammed down his gavel and sighed:
"You all think that the Tianjin Guard alone could not possibly take down Luoshen Peak, but you have no idea who is leading the Tianjin Guard this time?"

"And who gave the Great Li Tianjin Guards the audacity to set foot on the territory of the Luoshen Peak Sect in Lanzhou, knowing that they were facing a nine-out-of-ten chance of death?"

Upon hearing this, someone in the crowd finally couldn't help but ask instinctively:
"Who is that person?"

At this moment, the young swordsman suddenly frowned, looked at the old storyteller with some surprise and doubt, and tentatively asked:

"You wouldn't be thinking of... the eighth prince of Dali, would you?"

At this moment, everyone in the restaurant was watching the old storyteller.

The other party, facing the young swordsman upstairs, slowly nodded and said:

"Young hero, you are indeed clever."

Then, the old storyteller paused, and then said in a deep voice:

"That's right, that person is the eighth prince of Dali!"

"The important matter I want to tell you all today is related to Luoshen Peak, the Dali Tianjin Guard, and that Eighth Prince."

At this point, the old storyteller suddenly fell silent for a moment before slowly exhaling and saying:

"Listen up, everyone!"

"The Fallen God Peak sect has been wiped out!"

……

Upon hearing this, the entire restaurant was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The deathly silence lasted for a while before everyone in the restaurant suddenly realized what was happening.

"The Fallen God Peak sect was wiped out?"

"How can this be?"

……

For a moment, no one could believe the old storyteller's words.

At this moment, the old storyteller began to speak on his own, his deep voice resounding in everyone's ears:

"Just last night, the Tianjin Guards of Dali launched a four-pronged attack on the third, fourth, sixth, and ninth peaks of Luoshen Peak."

"Originally, the four routes should have been a protracted war, and it was very likely that the Great Li Tianjin Guard could only capture one or two peaks at most."

"But all of this was rewritten by that unknown eighth prince."

The old storyteller paced back and forth as he spoke, sighing with emotion:
"Everyone knows that the Eighth Prince has been newly recognized by the Emperor of Dali, and must be staying in Shangyang City at this time."

"But in reality, the Eighth Prince had already left the capital at some point and arrived at the Luoshen Peak Sect in person last night."

"He climbed the peak alone, first beheading Zheng Yunfeng, the peak master of Hundred Refinements Peak, and then killing Crimson Flame Venerable, one of the four Venerables and the highest existence of the Fallen God Peak sect, with a single finger."

At this point, the old storyteller paused, then continued:

"After that, the sect leader of Luoshen Peak personally took action, joining forces with the three Venerables to try to stop the Eighth Prince."

"As for the Eighth Prince, he fought four people alone, and with terrifying strength comparable to a martial god, he killed all four of them, thus turning the tide of the battle and laying the foundation for the victory of destroying Fallen God Peak."

As soon as he finished speaking, the gavel slammed down heavily, startling everyone who was still listening.

(End of this chapter)