Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

I have a long bus ride back to my dorm this afternoon, and it'll be quite a hassle, so this might be the only update.

If I have time, I should update again tonight.

25. They are all important figures.

If the arrival of the Forging Saint was an unexpected surprise for Duan Duxiu, then Chu Aotian's attendance at the wedding on behalf of the Lantian Empire was a satisfied joy that came after he had mentally prepared himself for it.

As everyone knows, the Lantian Empire has always been generous. Although in terms of financial resources, it is probably not as powerful as the Emperor Pavilion, the most powerful sect in the world today, it is still a dominant force in the Desolate Sky Domain.

Whether in terms of territory or power, it is stronger than the Northern Ice Palace. The reason why the Northern Ice Palace is so powerful is mainly reflected in its unfathomable martial arts and its control over many mysteries—as well as the Silver Frost Snow Ice that may or may not actually exist within the Northern Ice Palace.

The fact that the Crown Prince of the Lantian Empire could personally attend their wedding was a privilege that even some top-tier families could not enjoy.

How could Duan Duxiu not be happy?!

"Unique".

Faced with what should have been an incredibly exciting scene, the beautiful woman sitting beside Duan Duxiu couldn't help but frown.

She leaned closer to Duan Duxiu, lowered her voice, and asked in a barely audible tone, "Did you invite this Lantian Empire?"

She felt that the appearance of the Lantian Empire was rather strange. It seemed that the Forging Saint was invited by Su Wubin of the Su family to show his support. After all, Su Wubin was quite interested in the art of weapon forging, so it was not impossible that he had the good fortune to meet the Forging Saint.

However, she knew very well that her husband was not capable of currying favor with anyone in the Lantian Empire.

Moreover, she didn't believe that Su Wubin could invite both the Forging Saint and the Lantian Empire, two major powers, in succession. If he really had that ability, he would already be a Heaven-level family by now. Why would he need to form a marriage alliance with the Duan family? The Duan family would rather cling to the Su family's coattails!

Faced with his wife's question, Duan Duxiu could naturally glean some meaning from the beautiful woman's furrowed brows. He smiled slightly and replied confidently, "I'm afraid it was invited by my old friend from the Three-Day Academy. As you know, Madam, that old rascal is quite formidable."

"Your frenemy?" Duan Meixuan revealed a knowing look.

Indeed, if it were that old friend from the Three Heavens Academy, he might indeed be able to summon the Crown Prince of the Lantian Empire.

"But speaking of which, where is your rascal friend? Why isn't he here yet?"

“Him?” Duan Duxiu’s mind conjured up the image of a certain old rascal, and he gave a wry smile: “Meixuan, you know him too. That old rascal is never on time. But since he said he would come, he will definitely come. It’s just a matter of time.”

"I hope he can come soon—" Duan Meixuan looked at Chu Aotian from the Lantian Empire with some nervousness and shook her head slightly: "We may not be able to control these people."

Admittedly, if it were a minor sect or another family, the Duan and Su families could at least maintain some semblance of authority.

But then a Forging Saint suddenly appeared, followed by the emergence of the Lantian Empire.

Although they seemed to have good intentions, just their presence was enough to put considerable pressure on both the Su and Duan families.

While the Duan couple were talking, Su Wubin and Su Ziyan had already approached, with slightly ingratiating smiles and very respectful gestures, flattering Chu Aotian while arranging for servants to collect all the betrothal gifts.

As for the Golden Fiery Lion, they specially arranged for this noble magical beast from the Lantian Empire to go elsewhere, and Chu Aotian had no objection to this.

In fact, as the eldest prince of the Lantian Empire, he felt he shouldn't be in such a place to attend the wedding of two dark-level families, but he had no choice... he had to do something that lowered his status.

After all, the Lantian Empire had received a request from that senior—

I have no choice but to agree!

Recalling how his father had nervously replied to the request on the same day, Chu Aotian immediately gave a helpless, bitter smile.

His gaze soon fell upon the disheveled boy, who greeted him casually.

"Lord Forging Saint——"

Chu Aotian took a few steps forward, came to the boy's side, and bowed his head with the utmost respect, lowering what should have been a proud head.

The boy glanced at him and said indifferently, "Alright, stop with the nonsense and get up now."

"Thank you, Master Forging."

Chu Aotian smiled slightly, then got up from the ground and exchanged a glance with the boy.

Their gazes met in mid-air, as expected, but they both saw a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes—

They all look the same.

At that moment, Duan Duxiu approached Chu Aotian with a mixture of respect and caution, and asked, "Your Highness, may I ask if your visit today was at the invitation of my old friend from the Three Heavens Academy?"

"Three-day academy?"

Chu Aotian instinctively wanted to deny it, but he suddenly remembered that before arriving here, the senior had told him not to make a fuss, that they were just there to set up the venue and there was no need to cause a sensation.

Therefore, the look of doubt immediately vanished. As a prince of the empire, Chu Aotian's acting skills were at least not shameful. He immediately smiled and said, "Yes, I did receive an invitation from that gentleman. After all, the Three Heavens Academy has a certain relationship with our Lantian Empire."

Upon hearing Chu Aotian's admission, Duan Duxiu's last remaining concerns vanished completely. He smiled and grasped Chu Aotian's hand, then instructed the servants to pour tea and water for this distinguished guest.

Upon hearing this, Su Wubin, who was standing to the side, exchanged a glance with Su Ziyan, and a hint of relief flashed in their eyes.

In their view, both the Forging Saint and the Lantian Empire were invited by the Duan family and had nothing to do with them. Especially since the other party also had connections with the Three Heavens Academy, no matter how you looked at it, the Duan family was an extremely powerful ally for the Su family.

It seems that this time, marrying off their daughter was truly the right decision!

Once the Su family forms a marriage alliance with the Duan family, and they find ways to elevate Su Yu's status within the Duan family, the Su family will certainly gain many opportunities to contact forces such as the Lantian Empire.

even……

Let the Duan family and the Su family be promoted together to become new Heavenly-level families!

"Speaking of which—"

The slovenly boy, like a lazy idler, put his legs up on the table. Although this was extremely impolite, he was the most senior person present, so no one dared to say anything.

So he lay there half-reclined, legs crossed, looking rather impatient. "When will the wedding start? Shouldn't the bride and groom make their entrance?"

Su Wubin was taken aback upon hearing this, and quickly gave Su Ziyan a wink: "Why don't you go and check on Yu'er's dressing? Lord Forging Saint and His Highness the Prince are here in person, we can't let her make a fool of herself."

Su Ziyan nodded, curtsied to everyone, and then hurried back to the spacious room to check on her daughter's dressing and grooming.

Seeing this, Duan Duxiu dared not be negligent and summoned a servant.

"Go and call Yu'er here, and tell him not to go and greet the guests for the time being."

—Isn't that obvious? Right now, we have nobles from the Lantian Empire and a forging saint here. What's the point of welcoming those second-rate guests outside?

After receiving the order, the servant glanced hurriedly at the boy and Chu Aotian, then his expression changed, and he quickly ran towards Duan Yu, who was greeting guests at the back gate.

Watching the servant's retreating figure, Duan Duxiu couldn't help but chuckle apologetically, "Well... Master Forging, I know your time is precious, but the bride and groom still need some preparation, and the other guests haven't all arrived yet. Why don't you wait a bit?"

"Okay, I'll wait then."

The boy shrugged, adopting an indifferent attitude.

Anyway, he's not really here for the wedding, so we can wait. His main purpose is still to get that new flavor of instant noodles.

As for Chu Aotian, he was even more patient; waiting was not difficult for him.

Soon, one of the main characters in this marriage ceremony appeared before everyone.

Perhaps having learned of the arrival of Forging Saint and Chu Aotian, Duan Yu deliberately went back to his room first, changed into a festive red robe and groom's attire, with a bright red flower tied around his waist, and a scarlet round crown on his head. After dressing up a little, he took a folding fan and came to the center of the courtyard.

It must be admitted that Duan Yu himself was handsome and had a certain charm. After putting on this festive outfit, he not only retained his gentle and elegant demeanor, but also gained a touch of dashing and proud air.

Although his slightly stiff smile didn't look very smug.

He approached the young man and Chu Aotian, his expression slightly tense, but he still bowed deeply to them.

"Junior Duan Yu greets the two seniors."

The boy looked him up and down, scrutinized him for a moment, then turned his head away. "Not bad, at least he's presentable."

—This refers to his outfit.

Duan Yu couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, thinking to himself that this Forging Saint was indeed as eccentric and capricious as the rumors suggested.

On the other side, after carefully examining Duan Yu for a while, Chu Aotian was about to say something polite when he suddenly realized that Duan Yu had not come alone.

Standing beside him was a girl with delicate features, fair and smooth skin like a young girl, wearing a gray-white square hat, and with a particularly slender figure. Her eyes, glistening with moisture, held a hint of curiosity and astonishment.

At the same time, Duan Duxiu and Duan Meixuan also noticed the unknown boy next to Duan Yu.

"And this is...?"

"Ah, this is my friend." Duan Yu turned to the side and introduced him to everyone: "His name is Lan Xi. We used to be friends, but after he went to Kuntian Domain, we lost contact for a long time. He is here today to attend my wedding."

Lanxi—to be precise, Lantianyi's expression was extremely awkward.

If you ask why—

Chu Aotian kept his eyes on the girl who was dressed as a woman to flirt with girls from beginning to end. He was no fool. Having seen Lan Tianyi many times before, how could he not see through her somewhat clumsy disguise?

As for the Forging Saint, needless to say, he still remembers the thing that the girl and her martial uncle came to his crafting shop to have him repair...

However, he didn't have the ability to fix it.

As for why Lan Tianyi is here...

Chu Aotian probably also considered a certain possibility—

So he tentatively asked, "This... Lanxi, did you come alone? Or...?"

Faced with this question, Lan Tian paused for a moment, then recalled a senior uncle who was slowly walking over, and smiled, "Let's not count that for now, I came with my senior uncle."

"Was it at Young Master Duan's invitation?"

"Well..."

Lan Tian pondered for a while. She naturally recognized Chu Aotian and the Forging Saint. Given the circumstances, it was quite possible that the other party was asking this question...

Their reasons for coming here are the same.

She smiled slightly and said, "I just happened to come to Xiangren City because of someone, and I remembered my old friend Young Master Duan, so I came to join in the fun at his wedding."

"I see."

[A certain person]

As soon as he said that, Chu Aotian understood.

It is obvious—

This prodigy from the Blue Feather Heavenly Palace, like them, was probably invited.

However, it wasn't the Duan family, nor the Su family.

Instead, he was invited by someone.

As a result, both of the two dominant forces in the Desolate Heaven Domain and the Kun Heaven Domain have arrived. I bet no one would have expected that the marriage between the two Dark-level families would attract so many important figures.