Chapter 339: The Imperial Hunting Grounds

Chapter 339: The Imperial Hunting Grounds

Noon, 23rd Day.

As audiences worldwide remained engrossed in the excitement of last night's matches, enthusiastically discussing the events online, Ji Xinghuo had already spent a wonderful night and morning with Zhao Manying. After a brief rest, they boarded a luxurious flyer sent by Princess Sophia.

Their destination was the 'Gagra Imperial Hunting Grounds,' located on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, over 950 kilometers away from Ivanople.

On the flyer, Ji Xinghuo observed his fellow passengers, an unusual group.

The vehicle was spacious, capable of accommodating ten people. In addition to the driver, there were two guards, all members of the "Roman Praetorian Guard."

They were tall and robust, clad in retro silver-gray armor, resembling European knights of ancient times. Their chests and shoulders bore the insignia of the New Roman Empire's royalty.

The Roman Praetorian Guard was a legion with a history spanning over two millennia.

In 2133, the Iron Emperor changed the country's name to the "New Roman Empire" and renamed his longtime palace guard the Roman Praetorian Guard.

This legion of extraordinary individuals was modeled after the elite forces of the Titanium-Cobalt Dragonmen and the Omnipotent War Police.

However, they lacked an original occupational template.

The members of the Roman Praetorian Guard specialized in three primary professions: the Giant, the Iron Guard, and the White Knight, with advancements into more advanced professions.

For example, the Giant and the Iron Guard could advance to become the "Steel Warrior Generals."

The Giant and the White Knight could progress into "Heavy-Armored Knights," and the Iron Guard and White Knight could advance to become "Steel Knights."

Their combat style was traditional, favoring close-quarters combat in their armor, supplemented by modern firearms, and they also possessed healing abilities, making them formidable opponents.

While they might not match the average strength of the Titanium-Cobalt Dragonmen or the Omnipotent War Police, the Roman Praetorian Guard had one significant advantage—their vast legion size, boasting a force of over 50,000 members!

The guards on the flyer were all elites.

With casual glances, Ji Xinghuo assessed their strengths—one Super and two High-level beings. They wore lightweight armor suitable for daily life and carried weapons. Their disciplined silence as they sat upright in their seats spoke volumes about their training.

The luxurious flyer crossed the Black Sea, and soon a mountain range stretching for thousands of miles came into view on the eastern shore—the Greater Caucasus Mountains, at the foot of which lay the Gagra Imperial Hunting Grounds.

The flyer landed in a vast estate.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic senses reached out, and he perceived the luxurious buildings within the hundreds-of-acres estate, bearing traces of a sanatorium from over two centuries ago. The estate was staffed with hundreds of servants and maids, as well as squads of fully armed Roman Praetorian Guards.

As they disembarked, they were greeted by Princess Sophia.

"Welcome!"

Sophia stood on the lawn, dressed in appropriate hunting attire, a smile on her face. "Congratulations, Lady Jianxian, on your championship win! Your performance last night was breathtaking; I'm still reliving the excitement."

"Thank you, Princess," Zhao Manying replied, having moved past the excitement of her victory, and she gently hugged Sophia.

Sophia turned to Ji Xinghuo and greeted him as well. "Mr. Ji."

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

"Please follow me, esteemed guests," Sophia said, leading them into the estate. She personally arranged for their accommodation in the most luxurious guest room available. "Our shooting exchange is scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. today, and there will be a dinner at 7:00 p.m. this evening."

The itinerary for the day had been outlined in the invitation.

Ji Xinghuo asked, "What format will the shooting exchange take?"

"It's mainly for leisure," Sophia replied with a smile. "We'll all enter the hunting grounds together and use the same weapons to shoot at the game." "Please excuse me while I take my leave. If you require anything, the butler will be happy to assist."

With that, she departed to attend to the other guests.

Ji Xinghuo checked the time; there was still over an hour before the event began. "Manying, what do we do now?"

"This estate is quite beautiful," Zhao Manying suggested. "Let's take a tour."

"That sounds like a plan," Ji Xinghuo smiled. "Let's us two commoners experience the decadent lives of the feudal royalty."

Zhao Manying shot him a sideways glance.

In the room, there was also a female steward of the estate, along with several maids, and outside the door stood the Roman Praetorian Guards, though they pretended not to have heard Ji Xinghuo's comment.

"Please make the necessary arrangements," Zhao Manying said to the steward.

The steward immediately responded respectfully and guided the two on a tour of the estate, named "Abkhazia."

Over two centuries ago, this place had been one of the most renowned sanatoriums on the Black Sea. After being abandoned for decades, it was renovated and expanded, incorporating over 1,000 square kilometers of surrounding land to create the imperial hunting grounds.

The estate was well-equipped, with magnificent buildings nestled among lush greenery. Spacious balconies offered breathtaking views of the sea, creating a picturesque setting.

At exactly 2:00 p.m., Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying, hand in hand, entered the grand hall of the estate, where over forty guests were gathered, including some familiar faces.

The guests had formed several small groups.

With a sweeping glance, Ji Xinghuo noticed that they were divided into three main clusters: locals from the New Roman Empire, nobles, and guests from the American Federation and the Western Alliance; another group consisted of guests from the Asia-Pacific Collective, either standing or sitting, with a relatively relaxed atmosphere among them.

Out of the dozen or so guests from the Asia-Pacific Collective, Ji Xinghuo had met most of them before.

Even those he hadn't met, he could recognize their backgrounds, as they were all renowned Empirics from within the country, most of them Legends.

As the two entered the hall, the chatter quieted down momentarily, and all eyes turned towards them.

Some continued their conversations nonchalantly, but most couldn't help but steal a few extra glances, half of them directed at Zhao Manying, and the other half at Ji Xinghuo.

Zhao Manying was a household name, and the man intimately by her side, even if unfamiliar, was easily recognizable.

"Xinghuo," An Yitian waved.

Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying walked over and smiled, "So it turns out that Senior An was also invited by Princess Sophia." These siblings were always inseparable, and next to An Yitian was An Zisu, sitting silently on the sofa.

"My marksmanship is average at best; I'm just here to join in on the fun." An Yitian laughed heartily, "Do you need me to introduce you to everyone?"

"That won't be necessary." Ji Xinghuo surveyed the crowd, "Everyone here is a well-known senior, I am Ji Xinghuo, it's an honor to meet you all."

A smile played on his face, and he appeared relaxed.

Although the room was filled with powerful Empirics, their fame paled in comparison to Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying. Seeing his casual demeanor, no one spoke out of turn, and instead, they offered their congratulations to Zhao Manying on her championship win.

"Xinghuo, your marksmanship is something I've admired for a long time. Show us your skills later." A tall and slender man spoke up.

He was Su Ziyu, ranked 133rd on the Legends Board, known as the "Starry Hunter."

The Starry Hunter was an advanced profession, an evolution of the Ranger and Chaser, naturally skilled in marksmanship, but Su Ziyu's battle pet was nowhere to be seen.

Su Ziyu had been famous for a long time, yet he was only 45 years old.

In recent years, a trend had emerged on both the Ladder and the Legends Board—the higher the ranking of an Empiric, the younger they tended to be compared to those lower on the boards.

The average age of the top ten Legends was under 55;

From the 11th to 50th rank, the average age was around 65;

From 51st to 100th, the average age was roughly 75, gradually increasing, and the last hundred Legends had an average age of over 150, mostly those who had climbed the ranks over time.

Following this trend, the Empirics on the Legends Board would continue to get younger, and in a few decades, those older seniors would be replaced.

The Ladder was even younger.

The top 100 were basically all super-Empirics under 40, and the three number ones over the past decade had been in their twenties when they reached the top.

This was a result of advancements in Empiric research, abundant resources, and technological development.

Su Ziyu was a prime example of this, having only become a Legend a decade ago, yet his ranking continued to rise.

Many believed that he would eventually break into the top twenty on the Legends Board and might even aspire to become a Celestial Emperor in the future.

Ji Xinghuo humbly replied, "Compared to Brother Su's marksmanship, I still have a long way to go. When it comes to innate talent in shooting, there are very few in the world who can compare to Brother Su. My skills are mainly reliant on my Empiric abilities, nothing special."

He was telling the truth; his shooting prowess was largely due to his Empiric ability, the Myriad Astrals, and his innate marksmanship talent was slightly inferior to that of top shooters like Su Ziyu.

However, no one believed his words.

"Excessive humility is a form of arrogance," Su Ziyu shook his head dismissively.

He had watched the video of Ji Xinghuo in the Kingdom of Hindi countless times and was left in awe. Ji Xinghuo's ability to shoot down supersonic missiles and fighter jets while moving at high speeds was a level of difficulty that he, more than anyone, understood intimately.

Ji Xinghuo had no choice but to let their disbelief stand.

As he conversed with the group, he felt a pair of eyes on him, lingering for a long time, and he turned to meet them.

At that moment, Ji Xinghuo's gaze locked with a pair of light green eyes, and he recognized the owner.

Kellina Olsen.

When he had entered the hall earlier, Ji Xinghuo had noticed the third-ranked Ladder Empiric. She seemed to have moved past her loss in last night's match, chatting animatedly with her friends.

Just as he was about to probe further, Princess Sophia entered the room, clapping her hands to draw everyone's attention and beginning her welcoming speech for the shooting exchange.

Even as the princess spoke with enthusiasm, Ji Xinghuo still sensed Kellina's gaze on him, and he furrowed his brow slightly.

At that moment, Princess Sophia concluded her speech, "Let's get started!"

A moment later.

The group arrived at the estate's stables, where dozens of majestic Silver-winged Pegasi were kept. Each one was pure white, with wide wings, neatly trimmed manes, and intelligent eyes, indicating their extraordinary pedigree.

The horses were already saddled, with grooms standing by their side.

These Silver-winged Pegasi were of exceptional quality, far superior to ordinary flying horses, and made for excellent mounts.

In front of the stables was an open space with a long table holding various shooting weapons: bows and arrows, Gauss pistols, and electromagnetic rifles, all of the same quality and with matching ammunition.

Each guest selected a set of weapons and ammunition and chose one of the Silver-winged Pegasi, placing the weapons into the saddlebags.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please mount your horses," Sophia instructed loudly.

The guests climbed onto their respective Silver-winged Pegasi.

With a flurry of wingbeats, the group of over forty Silver-winged Pegasi took to the skies, heading towards the northern peaks of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the royal hunting grounds.

The target for this hunt was the Windrider.

The royal huntsmen of the Gagra Imperial Hunting Grounds had bred numerous Windriders in the mountains. As an invasive species with no natural predators, their population grew rapidly, and each year, artificial means were employed to reduce their numbers to maintain ecological balance.

Windriders were incredibly fast fliers with exceptional vision, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to even get close, let alone shoot them.

Thus, Sophia had chosen them as the perfect hunting targets.

Soon, the group flew into the mountain range, and Sophia guided her Silver-winged Pegasus lower, using the forest as cover as they flew beneath the canopy. After a few minutes, they hovered in a clearing.

Her voice carried to everyone, "There's a nest of Windriders on the peak of this mountain. For this round, we'll be using bows and arrows. Who would like to go first?"

Everyone looked up, their gazes piercing through the tree cover towards the summit.

On the edge of a cliff near the peak, there was a massive nest, estimated to be over 400 meters away and at a steep angle, making the shot extremely challenging.

Even legendary marksmen would struggle to reach a target at such a height with an ordinary bow and arrow; their effective range rarely exceeded 500 meters.

However, everyone present was far from ordinary.

The bows and arrows provided by Sophia were only of Super-2 quality, with a standard range of 350 meters. To hit a target over 400 meters above them, one would need exceptional skill to exceed the weapon's limitations, a daunting task.

The guests exchanged polite refusals, and finally, Sophia turned to Ji Xinghuo, "Mr. Ji, would you care to set an example for us?"

"Since Princess Sophia has spoken, I shall give it a try."

Ji Xinghuo readily agreed.

Although this was just a leisure activity, there was an underlying sense of competition. He felt it was important to showcase his skills in front of the Empirics from the American Federation and other countries.

His electromagnetic senses had already scanned the nest on the mountaintop, revealing five Windriders: two adults and three fledglings that could already fly. Their wingspans were over three meters wide.

During their flight here, Ji Xinghuo had tested the hunting compound bow in his hands, familiarizing himself with its performance.

He drew out five willow leaf arrows.

Just as everyone thought he would make further preparations, he suddenly released the first arrow without any warning. His hands moved like phantoms, and within a second, he fired off the remaining four arrows, making it look effortless.

The five arrows pierced through the tree cover and disappeared from view.

Everyone looked up, and they saw the first arrow, like a dark shadow, accurately strike the nest on the cliff's edge. Wood chips and branches flew everywhere, and one of the adult Windriders in the nest let out a sharp cry as it struggled to take flight.

The other four Windriders in the nest were startled and took to the air as well.

But as they tried to fly away, each one was struck by an arrow. From below, it looked like they had been hit simultaneously.

The five Windriders fell to the ground, dead.

Everyone watched as the arrows had pierced the brains of the Windriders, entering through the lower jaw and exiting from the top of their heads.

It was a clean sweep!

Sophia stared, dumbfounded. A few seconds later, the sound of the Windriders' bodies hitting the ground snapped her back to reality.

"Amazing!"

"Mr. Ji's marksmanship is truly extraordinary. I am ashamed in comparison," Sophia applauded, and the others followed suit, their faces filled with admiration.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end