Chapter 3161: False Alarm
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Old Qi!” Duan Ling Tian paid no attention to the eyes trained on him. He hastily sent a message to Qi Tian Ming, an inspector of the Profound Nether Mansion, as soon as he returned to Profound Nether Mansion’s estate. He quickly told Qi Tian Ming about the message he had received from Huang Jia Long, his good friend.
“The first Sect Leader of the Coupling Celestial Sect wants to lure you to the sect to kill you? Impossible! Give me a moment. I’ll ask that brat Bihai Mingfeng about this…” Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s message, Qi Tian Ming was perplexed.
Bihai Mingfeng was similarly perplexed when he received Qi Tian Ming’s message. Gongsun Wenqing, the first Sect Leader of the Coupling Celestial Sect, wanted to kill Duan Ling Tian? Feeling anxious, he quickly sent a message back to the Coupling Celestial Sect to enquire about what was happening.
“Duan Ling Tian left the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm?” Gongsun Wenqing knew he had gone overboard when he heard that Duan Ling Tian had left the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm after receiving Huang Jia Long’s message. He immediately explained to Bihai Mingfeng that he was only testing Huang Jia Long. “Huang Jia Long is now my direct disciple. Tell Duan Ling Tian not to worry and to return to the middle realm. I have to say that boy really treats Duan Ling Tian like a brother.”
Bihai Mingfeng heaved a sigh of relief after discovering the truth behind the matter. He did not waste time and explained the matter to Qi Tian Ming.
“It’s just a false alarm. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d Gongsun Wenqing!” Qi Tian Ming instantly sent a message to rea.s.sure Duan Ling Tian and explained the matter to him.
“So it’s just a misunderstanding? The first Sect Leader of the Coupling Celestial Sect tested Jia Long before accepting him as his direct disciple?” Duan Ling Tian was, naturally, relieved upon hearing the explanation. At this time, he finally noticed the commotion in his surroundings.
“Duan Ling Tian, are you confident you’ll be able to maintain your current rank?”
“Duan Ling Tian, there are many people who haven’t made a move yet. Do you think you’ll be able to stay in the top ten?”
Although Duan Ling Tian managed to acc.u.mulate near 300 points and ranked fifth after spending only two days in the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm, the elders and the disciples of the Profound Nether Mansion knew it was mostly because he was lucky enough to come across the Fire Glaze Mansion’s base in the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm. They a.s.sumed he had only managed to eliminate Tan Yuan because he had caught Tan Yuan off guard. Otherwise, with Tan Yuan’s speed, he should be able to escape from Duan Ling Tian. For this reason, they felt that Duan Ling Tian might not be able to maintain his current rank or even stay in the top 10 for long.
“Maintain my current rank or stay in the top ten?” The corners of Duan Ling Tian’s lips curled up into a smile when he heard the words of the elders and disciples of the Profound Nether Mansion. He teleported into the Transporting Formation as he held his Acc.u.mulative Point Jade in his hand. Before he was transported to the middle realm, he said, “My goal is to rank first!”
Duan Ling Tian’s words echoed in the air, causing everyone to fall silent for a moment.
“His goal is to rank first? Isn’t he too ambitious?”
“Is it possible he’s still hiding his true strength?”
“Impossible! He’s not even 100 years old. If he’s really still hiding his strength, he’s a monster!”
“However, he sounds really confident! I can’t wait to see how he fares this month!”
“Unless he’s able to repeat his stunt at the Fire Glaze Mansion’s base a few times, it’s difficult for him to rank first.”
Only a few people took Duan Ling Tian’s words seriously. Most of them did not think it was possible for him to rank first, and a few thought he would only be able to rank at the top if he managed to replicate his success at the Fire Glaze Mansion’s base at other grade-six Celestial Mansions’ bases in the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm. Apart from that, they believed Duan Ling Tian only managed to obtain so many points from the Fire Glaze Mansion because he had hidden his true strength and managed to catch the Fire Glaze Mansion disciples off guard. Now that everyone knew about this strength, they would be more cautious of him. Even if Duan Ling Tian managed to find another grade-six Celestial Mansion’s base, their disciples would not recklessly leave the base.
…
In the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm.
Before entering the middle realm, Duan Ling Tian had already sent a message to Wan Qing Qing from the Martial Battle Mansion. Therefore, when he arrived near the Fire Glaze Mansion’s base, Wan Qing Qing was already waiting for him there.
“You’ve dealt with your affairs?” Wan Qing Qing initially thought Duan Ling Tian would require at least half a day to handle his matter. She was surprised to receive a message from Duan Ling Tian not long after she arrived at the Martial Battle Mansion’s estate.
“Yes, it was just a misunderstanding.” Duan Ling Tian nodded. He did not expect such a misunderstanding to occur. He was not surprised Huang Jia Long pa.s.sed Gongsun Wenqing’s test. After all, he knew Huang Jia Long was trustworthy and loyal. Nevertheless, he was still moved by Huang Jia Long’s actions. Although they had a close relations.h.i.+p, they did not have much contact over the past few years. Both of them shared the sentiment; they did not want to disturb each other’s cultivation. Despite their lack of communication, he was pleased to discover their relations.h.i.+p remained strong.
Apart from that, Duan Ling Tian was certain there was a reason Gongsun Wenqing, the first Sect Leader of the Coupling Celestial Sect, suddenly decided to accept Huang Jia Long as his direct disciple. Moreover, he was certain the reason had something to do with him. It could not be a coincidence that Gongsun Wenqing suddenly decided to accept Huang Jia Long as his direct disciple on the day he ranked fifth in the middle realm of the Southern Heaven Ancient Realm. Moreover, Gongsun Wenqing had even used him to test Huang Jia Long.
Duan Ling Tian thought to himself, ‘I should ask Old Qi to accompany me to visit the Coupling Celestial Sect after I leave the middle realm. It’s been a long time since I last saw Jia Long. A visit to the Coupling Celestial Sect will definitely help Jia Long’s advancement in the sect.’
At this moment, Wan Qing Qing said with a sigh, “Duan Ling Tian, I only found out you eliminated the Fire Glaze Mansion’s Tan Yuan and Mo Ping Zhi after I left the middle realm.”
Wan Qing Qing might not realize her att.i.tude toward Duan Ling Tian had thawed. Moreover, she treated him differently from others as well. Although she might be unaware of the changes, Duan Ling Tian could sense the s.h.i.+ft in her att.i.tude. She was no longer as aloof and indifferent as before.
Duan Ling Tian shook his head and said, “Although it wasn’t difficult for me to eliminate Tan Yuan and Mo Ping Zhi, if I didn’t catch Tan Yuan off guard and he wasn’t reckless, he would have been able to escape.” He knew speed was his biggest shortcoming for now. It was the main reason he had wanted to work with Wan Qing Qing. After a moment, he said, “Let’s go. I’ll help you obtain points!”
Although Duan Ling Tian was certain he would be able to run into Tan Yuan and the others even without Wan Qing Qing’s reminder, he would probably encounter them close to the Fire Glaze Mansion’s base. At that time, with the joint attack from the Fire Glaze Mansion disciples and the close proximity of their base, it would be easy for Tan Yuan to escape him even though he was confident he would be able to eliminate Mo Ping Zhi and the others. Therefore, he credited Wan Qing Qing for his successful elimination of Tan Yuan. It was also for this reason that he was determined to repay her.
“You don’t owe me anything. You could’ve eliminated them even if I didn’t alert you to it.” Wan Qing Qing knew the meaning behind Duan Ling Tian’s words. She had been worried initially; she was not certain Duan Ling Tian would be able to deal with Tan Yuan and Mo Ping Zhi if they joined forces. After discovering what had happened, she knew she had been worried for nothing.
“In any case, if you didn’t tip me off, I wouldn’t have been able to eliminate Tan Yuan. There’s no need for you to say anything else. I’m determined to repay you. Otherwise, you can forget about working together,” Duan Ling Tian said adamantly as he shook his head.
“Thank you.” Wan Qing Qing saw how determined Duan Ling Tian was so she no longer said anything. Inwardly, she felt grateful since she knew there was no need for Duan Ling Tian to repay her at all.