Chapter 3441: Champion
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Little Brother Feng, you won fair and square; I admit defeat. I won’t deny I was initially dissatisfied with the ranking, but I’m convinced after our duel,” Ding Fu said magnanimously, “I wouldn’t have accepted it myself if I were still ranked higher than you… I would’ve knocked some sense into the t.i.tle Temple if that were the case…”
Duan Ling Tian’s first impression of Ding Fu, the Heavenly Emperor of the Primeval Heaven, was rather good due to Ding Fu’s straightforward personality.
“Little Brother Feng, please follow me. I’ve set up a special area for the Devata Realms’ Battle of the Geniuses. Those from the t.i.tle Temple, Heavenly Palaces, and the heaven-grade forces are gathered there. However, I’ve also arranged for your accommodation if you want to rest while you wait for the Battle of the Geniuses to begin…” Ding Fu said.
Naturally, Duan Ling Tian, Meng Luo, Zhang Tian You, and the others knew Ding Fu was only so courteous and enthusiastic because of Feng Qing Yang.
“Elder Brother Ding, there’s no need to go to all this trouble,” Feng Qing Yang shook his head and said, “We can wait with the others. Moreover, it’s good to let these young ones socialize with the other partic.i.p.ants before the Battle of the Geniuses commences…”
“Little Brother Feng, you have a point,” Ding Fu said with a smile. He did not try to persuade Feng Qing Yang otherwise.
The chaperons and the partic.i.p.ants from the t.i.tle Temple, Heavenly Palaces, and heaven-grade forces were placed in different areas. Hence, before Ding Fu left with Feng Qing Yang and Meng Luo, he instructed his men to lead Duan Ling Tian and the others to the area where the partic.i.p.ants were gathered.
The person that was leading Duan Ling Tian and the others to the designated area was a skinny young man dressed in a long and loose grey robe. Despite his average appearance, his eyes were bright and lively. “You must be Junior Brother Duan, right? My master has told me to take great care of you.”
Despite his ordinary appearance, Duan Ling Tian knew the grey-clad young man was a powerful t.i.tled Celestial Emperor. ‘I remember Elder Huo saying the Heavenly Emperor of the Primeval Heaven is a top Eight Star G.o.d of War, and his two disciples are Seven Star G.o.ds of War with strength comparable to those weaker Heavenly Emperors.’
“Senior Brother Wei Qi, thank you for your hospitality,” Duan Ling Tian thanked the grey-clad young man sincerely. He had taken note of the grey-clad young man’s name when the grey-clad young man greeted Feng Qing Yang earlier. He knew the grey-clad young man was one of Ding Fu’s true disciples since Ding Fu had used the grey-clad young man’s t.i.tle earlier.
The grey-clad young man was Wei Qi, the Skeletal Dragon Celestial Emperor.
Through Elder Huo, Duan Ling Tian learned that Wei Qi was far stronger than Elder Huo and was comparable to Meng Luo. Apart from being Ding Fu’s true disciple, Wei Qi was also one of the strongest t.i.tled Celestial Emperors under Ding Fu’s command. In fact, he was only second to Ding Fu in the Heavenly Palace of the Primeval Heaven due to his strength and status.
Wei Qi had a junior sister, Ding Fu’s other true disciple, who was also a Seven Star G.o.d of War, but she was slightly weaker than Wei Qi.
While they were making their way to their destination, Wei Qi said, “Junior Brother Duan, based on what I know, Junior Uncle Feng hadn’t accepted a true disciple after he ascended to a Devata Realm. He refused many geniuses who wanted to be his disciples… If you don’t mind me asking, how did you end up becoming Junior Uncle Feng’s true disciple?”
The ears of Zhang Tian You and the others perked up when they heard Wei Qi’s question. All of them stared at Duan Ling Tian’s back intently, clearly curious about the answer.
Duan Ling Tian replied with a smile, “My master and I came from the same mundane realm. I was fortunate enough to inherit my master’s legacy in the mundane realm. That’s how I ended up becoming his true disciple.”
“The same mundane realm?” Wei Qi was briefly taken aback. When he regained his senses, he said with a smile, “No wonder Junior Uncle Feng accepted you as his true disciple. As it turns out, the connection between both of you started such a long time ago.” After a brief pause, he continued to say, “Junior Brother Duan, you’re really lucky. Do you have any idea how many people dream of becoming Junior Uncle Feng’s disciples? After he returned from the Asura h.e.l.l, even more people wanted to acknowledge him as their master. There were many elders from heaven-grade forces in various Devata Realms who brought the younger generations to visit Junior Uncle Feng in the Heavenly Palace of the Solitary Destructive Heaven in hope that he’ll accept them as disciples. Alas, Junior Uncle Feng refuses most of them. He only accepted a few nominal disciples because he felt indebted to some of the elders who had helped him a lot in the past…”
“Indeed, I’m quite lucky,” Duan Ling Tian replied and no longer commented on the matter. After all, what else could he say? He could not say the others were rejected because they were inferior to him, could he?
“So that’s why our Lord Heavenly Emperor accepted him as a true disciple…” the green-clad young woman, one of the three partic.i.p.ants from the Solitary Destructive Heaven, said. The girl who was also the granddaughter of Meng Luo’s friend looked at Zhang Tian You meaningfully and asked, “Zhang Tian You, I think he’s really lucky. What do you think?”
“w.a.n.g Ting, you can stop trying to instigate me,” Zhang Tian You said tonelessly, “I know you want me to challenge him to a duel so you can see his strength. Don’t think I don’t know you plan to challenge him if I win. I’m not a tool you can use. Moreover, all the partic.i.p.ants will have a chance to fight each other during the Battle of the Geniuses. Even those who lost will be given a chance to challenge the winners…”
w.a.n.g Ting did not expect Zhang Tian You would expose her thoughts so thoroughly; she was embarra.s.sed and angry.
At this time, Wei Qi who overheard the conversation chuckled before he said, “Junior Brother Duan, it seems like they’re very curious about your strength. Are you here just to watch or are you partic.i.p.ating in the Devata Realms’ Battle Of The Geniuses as well?”
“I’m here to partic.i.p.ate,” Duan Ling Tian replied as his eyes glinted. He was not bothered by Zhang Tian You and w.a.n.g Ting’s words. He had no doubt the duo was talented since they were chosen to partic.i.p.ate in the Devata Realms’ Battle of the Geniuses, but his improvements over the last 300 years were tremendous. Apart from furthering his comprehension of the law of s.p.a.ce with the Supreme Powerhouse Divinity, he had also become a Nine Palaces Celestial Emperor and was not far away from another breakthrough. Even without the help of the Five Divine Elements, he was confident he could kill an ordinary t.i.tled Celestial Emperor with just a strike.
To be blunt, Duan Ling Tian did not think w.a.n.g Ting or Zhang Tian You would be a match for him at all. Most of the partic.i.p.ants were at the same level as Zhang Tian You and Wan Ting. In his opinion, only those few who were stronger than the others were his opponents. Even then, he did not think they would be a threat to him. He thought to himself resolutely, ‘I, Duan Ling Tian, will be the champion of the Devata Realms’ Battle of the Geniuses this time. The reward from the t.i.tle Temple, the Exploding Element Celestial Fruit, will be mine. Even the geniuses from the t.i.tle Temple can forget about competing with me. I’ll defeat all of them even if they have secret weapons…’
w.a.n.g Ting raised her brows slightly when she saw Duan Ling Tian did not react even after he overheard their conversation. She really could not figure out if Duan Ling Tian was truly talented or just lucky. If Meng Luo did not tell her that Duan Ling Tian was strong, she would have challenged him by now.
Upon hearing Duan Ling Tian’s reply, Wei Qi’s eyes lit up. “You’re here to partic.i.p.ate? Junior Brother Duan, what rank do you hope to place? From what I know, this time there are at least 2,000 partic.i.p.ants in the Devata Realms’ Battle of the Geniuses. I heard from my master that among the partic.i.p.ants this time, there are descendants from powerhouses who live in seclusion. According to him, some of these powerhouses are even more powerful than Heavenly Emperors. Many of them are top Seven Star and Eight Star G.o.ds of War. In fact, my master knows for sure one of them is a Nine Star G.o.d of War who’s not a Heavenly Emperor…”
Duan Ling Tian was only slightly surprised by Wei Qi’s words.. After all, there were some who preferred to live quiet lives and cultivate in seclusion and did not wish to become a Heavenly Emperor. After a beat, he replied to Wei Qi calmly, “First place…”