The Supreme God of Martial Arts

Austin was soon becoming indomitable. When invited to Prince Reuben's banquet, he defeated Hasson within seconds. Hasson, the foremost disciple of the Peripatetic Sect was formidable but in front of Austin he looked like a rookie. Little did Hasson know that by brazenly provoking Austin he had beca lesson to the rest. Their schof prevailing over Austin from the very first encounter was now a laughing matter.

Austin, on the other hand, was strong, fierce and warlike.

By beating Hasson, he had made his presence felt among the greats. He was not just one among the hundreds of the young competitors present. Rather, he had joined the ranks of the top ten warriors. Nobody could question Austin's position now and naturally, his invitation to the Outstanding Talents Exchange Games by Prince Reuben.

"Your Highness, | am so sorry for what | have done to your banquet. It wasn't my intention," said Austin humbly.

Now that nobody had the guts to challenge him anymore, Austin put on a sincere face and apologized to Prince Reuben.

His Highness had been observing Austin right from the start. In his usual impassive manner, the Prince saw how Austin fought his warriors and not a single one of his dared challenge Austin anymore.

Austin too took note of His Highness's detached manner. He understood that the Prince enjoyed fights and liked to gauge the strengths of the warriors in combat. To the Prince, this was an obvious way to select the truly strong and fierce. And, the weakest were rid of conveniently.

"You don't need to apologize. You beat him up in self-defense. End of story. But | am impressed with your skills.

Austin, | am surprised and pleased by your fights," replied His Highness.

There was something more on Prince Reuben's mind that he didn't reveal yet. After seeing Austin fight, he felt that Austin was worthy of being one among the fifty of his seeded team of the Mysterious Nether World. In fact, he knew that Austin would make a great addition to his elite group. Prince Reuben valued talents and Austin had earned his place of pride in his thoughts.

After Prince Reuben dismissed Austin, he saw hundreds of servants file in with the choicest of dishes and delicacies. From meats to fish, exotic vegetables and fruit. There was a wide array of mouth-watering preparations at Prince Reuben's feast.

The air was tinted with the spirit of revelry, while sclinked wine glasses, others took to indulging in finger- guessing gambling. This was an extraordinary event and the disciples present dove headlong into the sensual experience. After all, no one wanted to miss out on an evening like this.

In the sumptuously furnished hall, a group of young girls, supple and lithe of limb, were dancing among the guests. Like the melodious notes they sang, their bodies too moved gracefully. The gossamer-like dresses flew with the cool breeze that gushed through the balcony. One could make out silhouettes of their youthful, vigorous bodies but not one detail more.

And yet, despite the carousing, swarriors remained grim-faced with their hostile gaze fixed on Austin.

And nothing went unnoticed from Austin's hawk-like gaze too. Rather, he chose to shrug off their envy with a laugh.

His Highness abruptly interrupted the banquet to make an announcement.

"My mighty warriors. Can | have your attention, please? Tomorrow morning, | want to meet everybody here as | wish to take all of you to my brother's palace for the ceremony." The ceremony? What ceremony? A wave of confusion rippled through the warriors. It was common knowledge that now, all sons of the emperor were enemies. They were fighting each other for their old man's throne. So why would Prince Reuben invite them to another prince's mysterious ceremony was really beyond comprehension.

"Tomorrow, my eldest brother will take two concubines, at the stime. Both of them are, as | hear, of unmatched beauty. So the Grand Prince invited all the princes to attend the ceremony, all of us! And he insisted that, in particular, every brother should bring with him his favorite warriors. And for me, my favorite warriors are each and every one of you." Prince Reuben paused for a second, looked around and started again, "I know. My brother wants to make a show of his harem. But | also know about his ulterior motive of finding out what each and every one of us is up to. So let's go. Let's see what's on my brother's mind this time." Prince Reuben looked around for the second tand aroused his audience, "Maybe he thinks his warriors are better than mine. | don't think so, do you?" Everyone present gasped.

Now they knew what Prince Reuben's hidden agenda was. And what this day of scrumptious food and seductive girls was about.

The next day in the morning, His Highness gathered as many as hundred warriors as his retinue to the grand prince's palace.

Austin was of course, one of them.

As they approached the grand prince's palace, the warriors were astounded by its sheer size that was almost ten times larger than Prince Reuben's. Its unique architecture with its turrets and spirals were never seen before, not anywhere in all the realms. The towering structure made of sandstone and marble was bedecked with carvings.

Right from the spire to the floors, everyone was goggled by the palace's beauty. The sprawling manicured gardens and the embellished entrance reflected His Highness's opulence at its peak.

As Prince Reuben's entourage gaped at the lavishness, warriors of the other princes started coming in in an endless stream.

At the gate, His Highness's splendidly dressed and ornamented servants began to usher in the warriors. Visibly happy, they too were infected by their jubilant prince and his marvelous achievements.

One might think that they were just servants in the royal household, but they took enormous pride in having a master as remarkable and superior as the grand prince.

After extending his master's regards to Prince Reuben, a minister from the grand prince's counsel led the way to the main hall.

The majestic entrance of the palace led to a vast corridor lined by exotic trees dotting the inner courtyard. Red silk ribbons and myriad kinds of lanterns hanging from the branches, were auspicious omens for the prince to start a new life with his concubines.

"The silk ribbons, the decorations—all of it certainly looks a wedding to me," thought Austin to himself.

He felt thirsty and licked his lips instinctively.

But with so much going on, no one even looked at Austin. As everyone streamed into an enormous square of pearly white jade, a horde of so-called guests too arrived from another entrance.

The luxurious hall was docked with people occupying every inch of the place. At one end, was a high platform erected specially for the ceremony. Antique plush armchairs lined the red carpeted-stage as if they overlooked the audience seated below.

At the center of the platform, ten seating arrangements with exquisite tables and chairs were arranged for the premium guests.

To help the servants usher in each person to their designated seat, placeholders were kept as The Grand Prince, Prince Geoffrey, Prince Frederick, and so on. Of course, towards the end, cthe placeholder for Prince Reuben.

It was understood that each table meant seating for a certain prince and his privy council. Prince Reuben was not a man to flare up easily and take offence at his nbeing put towards the end. Quietly, he and his council took seat to observe the undercurrents at the event.

Shad heard that the hidden agenda behind the occasion was to assemble all warriors aiming at the Outstanding Talents Exchange Games today. Since becoming a part of a prince's camp was necessary for participation in the competition, Austin realized that in a way, the whole ceremony was for each prince to size up all warriors and calculate the chances of winning they had.