Afterward, more elite youths from races beyond the Ten Great Races came to introduce themselves to Ian Song, all behaving with marked politeness. Some even tried to ingratiate themselves, and quite a few openly flattered him.
Only the Human prodigies ignored Ian Song entirely.
Especially Neil Snow, who kept glaring at Ian Song with eyes full of hatred.
Ian Song couldn’t be bothered to respond—someone like Neil could be slapped to death with one hand.
Time passed slowly, and at last, the banquet’s official start arrived.
At that moment, a shrill voice rang out: "His Majesty the Emperor arrives! The Empress arrives! Lady Yun, Lady Ming, Lady Xie, Lady Xian arrive!"
As the announcement echoed, a middle-aged man in imperial robes entered the Universal Celebration Hall, leading a beautiful woman by the hand, followed by four young consorts of varying figures.
Naturally, these six were Emperor Leon Vance of the Central Empire, his Empress, and his four favored consorts.
At once, everyone rose to pay their respects.
"No need for excessive ceremony, please be seated!"
Emperor Leon Vance smiled and raised his hand, then ascended the steps to take his seat at the highest tier.
Gong! Gong! Gong! Gong...!
Just then, nine resounding bell chimes echoed through the great hall, instantly sharpening everyone’s attention.
Next, Left Grand Chancellor Jasper Ji stood up and unfurled a bright yellow scroll, reading a eulogy in a solemn, rhythmic tone.
It took a full quarter hour before Jasper Ji finished reading.
After that, it was the emperor’s turn to speak. His remarks were all formalities—praising the Ancestor Emperor’s achievements and expressing commemoration.
This part of the ceremony lasted another quarter hour.
Then, three more bell strikes sounded, and a group of armored warriors rushed into the hall. Accompanied by stirring zither music, they began a war dance.
The dance wasn’t exactly graceful, but it filled the audience with a sense of hot-blooded valor.
When the war dance ended, Emperor Leon Vance raised his cup to toast the crowd, and everyone responded in kind.
Next came the performance segment.
This time it wasn’t a dance, but a song and dance performance.
It must be said, these ancient-style performances would count as top-tier entertainment even in the highly developed Main World.
After that came guqin solos and solo dances.
Unknowingly, more than an hour passed.
Then the emperor left with the empress and several consorts. As he passed Ian Song’s tier, the emperor actually paused briefly and gave Ian a slight nod.
Seeing this, Jasper Ji’s expression abruptly chilled, while the Human prodigies all showed looks of anger.
After the emperor left, the atmosphere seemed to heat up considerably.
Prince Rowan Vance even came down from the third tier to toast Ian Song, and ended up staying on that tier rather than leaving.
Even more surprisingly, a group of princes and princesses soon came over to toast Ian Song as well, their tone full of friendliness and attempts to win him over, and their attitude was exceptionally polite.