Only then did Divine Lord Qitan finally leave.
Suddenly, Lucia Lu remembered: it wasn’t just Divine Lord Qitan’s birthday today—she was also picking her imperial consort.
Her gossipy curiosity instantly overwhelmed everything else, so she revealed herself and headed straight for the banquet hall.
When she arrived, she discovered her Divine Father was there too.
Her little aunt Tanya Lu was also there, happily chatting with the Celestial Empress.
It looked like she really got along well with the Celestial Empress.
Lucia paid her respects, then sat down next to Luna Lian.
Right across from her sat Adrian Drake and Sean Shaw.
When she looked at them, Sean Shaw lowered his eyes, his long lashes fluttering slightly—making Lucia feel like something was tickling her heart.
She quickly looked away and bit her lip in silence.
Today, the gods were in high spirits.
After the usual music and dance, the Phoenix Clan elders brought in a group of men.
There weren’t many—just six.
But every one of them was handpicked by the elders, based on family background, divine vein, cultivation, and more.
All of them were handsome, each with their own unique charm.
And their backgrounds were nothing to sneeze at—they were all from divine families.
Their job tonight? Just to catch Divine Lord Qitan’s eye.
Whoever she liked—that was it, he’d be chosen.
The procedure was simple: each candidate walked up to Divine Lord Qitan, introduced himself, and let her judge his looks, manners, and bearing.
If she liked someone, she’d grant him the Wind-Plume Scepter and make him her imperial consort.
The first few who went up only got a faint nod from Divine Lord Qitan—she didn’t say a word.
But then Liam Leshan stepped forward.
He was easily the most striking among all the candidates.
Standing there, he was perfectly poised, spoke smoothly, and had excellent eloquence.
He talked about his background, then his personality, and from there moved on to his hobbies.
He said he especially admired Divine Lord Jincy Phoenix’s calligraphy and paintings, and his analysis was sharp and original.
Divine Lord Qitan’s expression changed—she actually smiled and asked him a few more questions.
Then, a trusted attendant brought out the jade Wind-Plume Scepter and personally walked over to hand it to him.
Liam Leshan bowed slightly, raised both hands: “Thank you, Divine Lord!”
But suddenly, Lord Noctis appeared in human form and snatched the jade scepter away.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
An elder asked, “Lord Noctis, what are you doing?”
“If you want to be Divine Lord Qitan’s consort, pretty words aren’t enough.” Noctis narrowed his eyes at Liam Leshan. “You have to be able to beat me!”
Liam Leshan was surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and replied, “Your cultivation is unmatched, Lord Noctis. None of us could possibly defeat you.”
“If none of you can, then go train for a few more years!” Noctis turned, tall and aloof. “All of you, get lost!”
But Liam Leshan turned to Qitan. “Divine Lord, is this really your will too?”
Divine Lord Qitan frowned at Noctis, clearly sending him a private message.
Finally, she spoke aloud, frowning: “Noctis, give the scepter to Liam Leshan.”
“Are you sure?” Noctis stared at her.
“What do you think?”
He took a deep breath, nodded, then suddenly hurled the jade scepter at Liam Leshan.
Liam Leshan reached out to catch it, but was knocked back several steps, fell hard onto the floor, cracked the tiles, and even had blood at the corner of his mouth.
“Noctis!” Divine Lord Qitan snapped. “Do you know what you’re doing?”
Noctis narrowed his eyes at Liam Leshan. “I didn’t even use much strength.”
“It’s just that my cultivation is too low, it’s not Lord Noctis’s fault!” Liam Leshan looked a bit disheveled but still kept his composure, holding the scepter firmly. “Divine Lord, please don’t blame Lord Noctis.”