I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress-Chapter 167: Subtle Maneuvers

A glimmer shone in Gao Zhen’s eyes when she heard this and asked the next moment.

"Why is it that you want to know about it?"

’It seems she knows!’ Yi Chen’s expression brightened when he heard this and answered the next moment.

"It’s because I want to participate in it as well!" Yi Chen stated with determined eyes the next moment.

’Interesting...’ Gao Zhen’s eyes shone with interest when she heard him.

"Then does Young Master Chen know what its participation requirements are and when it is being held?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"No." Yi Chen shook his head the next moment, "Apart from the name, I know nothing about this tournament."

Gao Zhen’s eyes flashed with confusion when she heard this and asked with an even greater interest than before.

"Then from where did Young Master Chen hear about it in the first place?"

"This...I’m afraid I cannot tell Madam Gao about that," Yi Chen stated the moment he heard that question while scratching the side of his face.

In the excitement of finally being able to get the answer to this question, he had failed to prepare for the scenario of being asked this question and thus was unable to think of a plausible lie.

Hearing this response, a frown formed on Gao Zhen’s face. It was apparent that she wasn’t expecting such a reply.

"Well...the only thing I can say is that it’s something related to my wife," Yi Chen stated under the pressure of her gaze and also not wanting to keep her in complete darkness.

He needed her help in the end, so he revealed what he felt he could so as to not feel guilty.

"Is that so..." Gao Zhen nodded subtly as her eyes fell on Yi Chen’s fingers, which were fidgeting with his engagement ring.

’Looks like his marital life is indeed facing some problems,’ Gao Zhen thought while reading Yi Chen’s hesitant eyes.

From her shadow guards, she was able to find that he was married, but they were unable to find any information about his wife.

’If she separated from him after a fight...then it all makes sense,’ she assumed in her mind. This was what she was able to interpret from his eyes, which contained a trace of sadness.

Shaking away all these thoughts, the next second, a pleasant smile returned on Gao Zhen’s face as she finally started to answer Yi Chen’s question.

"Since it seems that the matter is too personal, I won’t be poking any further. Coming back to your question..."

When Yi Chen heard this, the expression on his face relaxed visibly as he listened to her following words with great attention.

"The Silver Cloud Tournament is an individual tournament which is held by the Silver Cloud Kingdom every 27 years.

And the reason why you were unable to get decent information about it is most probably because you would have only asked the cultivators below the Qi Absorption Stage. Am I correct?"

Gao Zhen asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Yi Chen responded as that was indeed the case.

"Mhm," Gao Zhen nodded and continued, "This tournament is only open for the Qi Absorption Stage cultivators. Whenever it is held, they come in droves from all across the continent to compete against each other and attain the highest rank possible.

The rewards for the top rankers change every year, but the first prize has stayed constant throughout the years and is also something that pulls several cultivators from all across the continent to participate in this tournament.

The cultivator who was able to rise above all is bestowed a divine pill which could only be created by the Silver Cloud Kingdom.

It’s named the Golden Firmament Pill, and it possesses the ability to save a dying person from the brink of death, irrespective of their cultivation."

A tone of veneration was apparent in Gao Zhen’s tone when she heard those words.

’Golden Firmament Pills...’

Yi Chen couldn’t help but think about the bottle of golden pills which were resting inside his storage ring at the moment. Inside the bottle, there were still more than twenty Golden Firmament Pills.

It was also because of this reason that he was unable to relate to the veneration-filled tone in Gao Zhen’s voice when she mentioned the reward

"So that’s how it is."

However, he didn’t show that on his face, just nodded while feigning a surprised expression before asking, "Then...I need to only be a Qi Absorption Stage Cultivator to be able to participate, right?"

Hearing this question, a teasing smile formed on Gao Zhen’s face as she said, "If that was the case, then don’t you think the Silver Cloud Kingdom would be flooded with Qi Absorption Stage cultivators?"

"This...’ Yi Chen made an uncertain expression on his face while concluding in his mind, ’So, the number of Qi Absorption Stage cultivators in the continent as a whole is quite enormous...’

Seeing his unsure expression, she added, "To ensure something like this doesn’t happen, the Silver Cloud Kingdom organises this tournament with the support of the Imperial Families of all the other kingdoms.

In each Kingdom, we have a list of talented cultivators who are below fifty years of age and are at the Qi Absorption Stage, and the responsibility of maintaining it and keeping it up to date falls in the hands of the Imperial family."

"I see..." Yi Chen nodded with his brows still furrowed. Although he was able to understand the gist of it, there was still not much clarity in his mind.

Seeing this, Gao Zhen decided to explain with an example.

"Like in the case of the White Jade Kingdom, that list is named the Thousand Stars List, which is maintained by the Imperial family.

All the talented Qi Absorption Stage Cultivators of the White Jade Kingdom below the age of fifty years are in this list..."

’Oh?! Isn’t that the list which Feng Yu had mentioned once?’ Yi Chen’s eyes rose in realisation the moment he heard its mention and nodded in understanding.

Satisfied with Yi Chen’s reaction, Gao Zhen continued, "...only the top 50 cultivators in the Thousand Stars List are selected by the Imperial Family later and are allowed to participate in the Silver Cloud Tournament."

"So that’s how it is..." Yi Chen nodded and muttered, "So I just need to come in the top 50..."

Hearing this, a glint appeared in Gao Zhen’s eyes as she asked the next moment, "Indeed, with Young Master Chen’s capabilities, something like that is easily achievable...however, there seems to be a problem for your case."

"Huh? What problem?" he asked the next moment.

"The next Silver Cloud Tournament is scheduled to take place in two years.

So, if you want to participate in it, you will have to not only enter the Qi Absorption Stage before that but also get in the top 50 position in the Thousand Stars List in less than one and a half years, which will be quite difficult even for you."

Gao Zhen stated.

"Only two years?!" Yi Chen stated with a frown on his face.

Now that he was at the Fifth Meridian Refinement Stage, his cultivation speed had decreased drastically, and it was obvious that will continue to further decrease the more he levels up.

So, without being blessed by the system and being given a 10x Cultivation speed buff...achieving the Qi Absorption Stage in just this much time really seemed difficult if not impossible.

Seeing the worry on Yi Chen’s face, Gao Zhen probed.

"Is qualifying for the Silver Cloud Tournament very important for Young Master Chen? Even if you miss it now, you’ll still be able to participate in it after another 27 years."

"No, I must participate in it now," he stated with conviction the very next moment.

Although the system has not stated any time limit, he still didn’t want to take a risk and lose the opportunity to interact with Feng Yu.

Seeing the intense determination in his eyes, Gao Zhen’s heart welled up with joy.

’If it’s like this, then I won’t even need to put in an effort to convince him...’ Her gaze momentarily flashed with a calculating light. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Then ...there just might be a way for Young Master Chen to achieve this..." she said with a hesitant tone in her voice.

’This?!’

Yi Chen instantly matched his gaze with Gao Zhen’s.

Just when he was faced with a wall, Gao Zhen’s words decimated it and gave him the light of hope he had been searching for.

While staring intensely towards her, he asked the next second, "Madam Gao, is there really a way?!"

"Yes, there is," Gao Zhen nodded with a serious countenance and continued with a subtle frown, "However, for that, Young Master Chen would have to place himself in great danger..."

"It doesn’t matter," Yi Chen stated with determination apparent in eyes, "If it allows me to quickly break through to the Qi Absorption stage, then no danger is too much!"