Chapter 3136 - Smooth Rebirth
Tianming seethed about how unfairly he was being treated.
"However, if you really defeat him, the Three Exalted Houses will take it with grace. As long as you’re gentlemanly about it and admit that your total potential is limited due to your early bloom as a tainted beastmaster and give your opponent some face, maybe you’ll make a lifelong friend in high places as a result and benefit from it. I’ve heard that Suishen Zhao has a decent character," Lan Yun said.
"Very well." All Tianming wanted was a fair chance to spar. It would hardly be fair if defeating the enemy would cause him to form another vendetta with people who would want to hunt him down.
"Are you sure you will make your move within a month?" Lan Yun asked.
Suishen Zhao"s invitation for Tianming was limited to his age. There was still another twenty-odd years before he became a hundred, yet doing so twenty years later would be pointless to him. "I’ll go to the Ascension Colosseum later. I’m ranked around six thousandth, so I need to fight a few more people to be worthy of challenging someone ranked in the two thousands. Once I"m done, I"ll immediately issue a challenge to him."
"How impatient." Lan Yun"s lips curved into a smirk. "You"re in such a rush to embarra.s.s yourself."
"At the very least, I have the chance to do so while others can only dream of it!" Tianming said.
"That"s true."
Tianming didn"t waste words and immediately went to the Ascension Battlefield. Across Myriadpath Valley, word of Suishen Zhao"s invitation had spread like wildfire. Tianming gained more and more name recognition; his name spread ten times as much as the scandal with Huang Daosheng.
While Myriadpath Valley claimed to be a place for geniuses from all across the astralscape, it actually belonged to the Three Exalted Houses. Such a sentiment was quite common, which was the reason why news concerning the Three Exalted Houses was always the topic of focus.
When Tianming showed himself at the Ascension Colosseum, people knew that he was going to start challenging people right away.
"Do you think he can reach Suishen Zhao?"
"I don"t know. Wasn"t he an eighth-level cosmic cartographer back then?"
"I heard that he only had seven cosmic charts back when he was at the Skyward Grandpath, then he broke through once. That sounds about right."
"What’s he in a rush for? He"s still twenty years short of becoming a hundred years old. He should be a ninth-level cosmic cartographer by then, right?"
"Think about it, though. How many ranks would the minor pathkeeper have risen in the time it takes Li Tianming to become a ninth-level cosmic cartographer?"
"That"s true! Every cosmic chart after the eighth is insanely hard to form."
***
Lan Yun stepped into the b.l.o.o.d.y hall on Fallengrace Peak, face completely pale. While the blood coc.o.o.n within wasn’t open, it beat in a terrifying rhythm like a gigantic heart, sending reverberations across the entire mountain peak.
"I heard that your disciple’s been challenged by that minor pathkeeper of the Three Exalted Houses," said a cold, deathly voice right by Lan Yun"s ear.
"Senior Sister!" Lan Yun shuddered with fear. "It was completely unexpected. I couldn"t have predicted the development. Fortunately, I made sure to carry out some emergency measures."
"What kind of measures?"
"I provoked him into accepting the invitation. Once he settles his fight, Suishen Zhao will no longer pay attention to him. After that, I"ll send Li Tianming straight to you, Senior Sister!"
"The problem is whether he can actually reach a rank high enough to challenge that Suishen brat. He needs to rise by a few thousand ranks!" The coc.o.o.n-woman"s voice was hoa.r.s.e, and like a mosquito, it wormed its way into Lan Yun"s ears.
"Senior Sister, the child truly is unique. His rate of improvement is rather fast. I noticed that he just recently made another breakthrough, so he should be fine," Lan Yun said, her face growing more pale with anxiety.
"Another breakthrough? His second since his arrival at Myriadpath Valley?"
"That"s right. However, it isn’t unreasonable, considering that he used order fragments to forcefully excavate his talent at the cost of his future potential. His body also has unique properties, so he isn’t entirely useless. However, after two times, he should be at his limit."
"Once his potential’s forcefully extracted to the maximum before he"s a hundred years old, it’ll be the perfect time to send him to me." The woman"s face was visible as she pressed it close to the inner side of the coc.o.o.n. She fixed her gaze on Lan Yun"s face and hissed, "I... have almost recovered. Once he finishes dealing with Suishen Zhao, immediately send him to me!"
"Yes, Senior Sister! I offer you early congratulations for your smooth rebirth. Your might will grace us once more and you’ll continue leading Fallengrace Peak to an age of new prosperity!" Lan Yun fearfully knelt and kowtowed.
"Hehehehehe...." The coc.o.o.n-woman"s laughter echoed nonstop within the hall. "I... I’ll consume every single drop without leaving even a trace...." Her voice was full of desperate hunger.
***
"Lan Yun went to Fallengrace Peak?" Tianming seemed to have some doubts as he stood in the Ascension Colosseum.
"Yes, correct," Yin Chen said.
"You"re saying that her expression changes every time she goes there?"
"Yes, correct."
"Did you manage to find out more about Fallengrace Peak?" Tianming had always found that place weird.
"n.o.body talks... about it."
"Maybe you should send a few more Yin Chens out to gather information just in case," Ying Huo said.
"Alright." Tianming was a bit more familiar with Myriadpath Valley now, so he dared to expand his reach a little to learn more about Fallengrace Peak. "There’s too many b.l.o.o.d.y secrets in this place. I have to tread carefully."
After he was done, he started issuing challenges.
"It"s him!"
"The minor pathkeeper personally invited him to issue a challenge."
"Li Tianming’s less than a hundred years old, huh. He"s also the first red name to appear on the Fortuna Ranking, and as a tainted beastmaster at that."
"Is he going to challenge a fortuna disciple with nine cosmic charts?"
"The minor pathkeeper gave him twenty years, but he"s starting right away?"
"Maybe he"s just testing the waters."
"Come, let"s see what"s so special about him."
Suishen Zhao had made Tianming famous in the truest sense of the word. His every action was now considered something of interest to everyone. As Lan Yun had said, n.o.body would dare act hostile toward him before the duel was settled.
"Looking down on me is the same as looking down on Suishen Zhao, who challenged me, eh?" Tianming had felt really safe since the minor pathkeeper"s invitation.
"So, as long as I don"t make a challenge before a hundred years old, someone like Reverend Daolie wouldn"t dare to touch me even if I show up in front of him." In fact, even Eminent Tiankui might not dare to try anything funny.
"This kind of sense of security...." Tianming didn"t know how to react. A single invitation was actually far more effective than the protection Lan Yun was offering him.
"Then you should just hold off on it. You can cultivate all you want and n.o.body here would dare to disturb you," Ying Huo mocked.
"Hah! I know Boss well, so there"s no point in pretending. He"s already itching to go. If he can endure it for twenty years, I"ll forego sleep for twenty years!" Meow Meow said.
"Shut up, all of you!" Tianming snapped.