“So, Tianming my grandson, are you willing to be the new Grand-Orient Sect Master? Grandma has already shown you how sincere I am. If you go to Heaven's Elysium, you’ll be like just any other disciple, and who knows what they might do to you if they find out about your Lifesbane. As for the Grand-Orient Sect, even if we’re no longer the top powerhouse, we’re still a close second...” Li Jingyu blabbered on nonstop. Before Li Tianming could even say anything, she had already called him ‘Tianming my grandson’....
“Granny Li, this is quite an important choice to make, so do you mind letting me and my family discuss it in private for a bit?” Li Tianming asked.
“Naturally, naturally! Qingyu, let’s take a stroll.” Li Jingyu smiled.
“Madame, please stay seated. We can find somewhere else to discuss.” Mu Yang hurriedly stopped her, signaling Li Tianming, Wei Tiancang, and Wei Jing to join him outside.
“Tianming,” Wei Tiancang patted his shoulders, “according to Wei Clan's ancestral records, we are indeed a far branch of the Li Saint Clan. Madame Li may sound like she’s exaggerating, but she wasn't lying when she said the Grand-Orient Sect ruled the lands for millennia.
“Even now, the sect should still be one of the strongest powerhouses in the entire realm, and you’re the only disciple across this entire peninsula who’s qualified to make it in there. Disciples of the sect at your age should all be Unity, at a minimum, right now. The sheer scale of the place is definitely hundreds, or even thousands of times bigger than what we have in the Sanctum!
“Another thing is that the Grand-Orient Sect is on rather bad terms with Heaven’s Elysium. With your bane-rings, I don’t suppose they’ll just let you go easily. Perhaps they might even get rid of you straight away to erase all chances of you returning to the Li Saint Clan. You’ll be in danger the moment you’re revealed to have five rings, let alone the fact that you actually have ten.”
Wei Tiancang was more familiar with the clan’s history, so Li Tianming was inclined to believe whatever he was saying. In the entire sanctum, the three standing in front of him right now were the only people who knew about Li Tianming’s special physique. They were all seniors that he had complete faith in.
“Tianming, your grandpa is right. In the Grand-Orient Sect, you’ll have Madam Li’s help, and even the status as the junior sect master. We’ll be a lot less worried if you have sufficient backing, considering how easy it is for you to get in trouble,” Wei Jing added.
“What do you mean? I’m never one to get into trouble.” Li Tianming stuck out his tongue.
“Haha….”
“Oh, right... mother, how did they find out my five bane-rings?” Li Tianming asked.
“They initially found out about me, first, and had been observing me in Wei Manor. They didn’t pay any attention to you, since you only had one bane-ring then, but then you went into the pagoda for your cultivation. Even when the Sanctum Replacement Challenge happened, they didn’t pay much attention to you, since they thought you only had one ring.
“Apparently your case of having the rings appear one after another was an occurrence that they’d never seen or heard of before, so they even assumed your hair was dyed. Only after you’d defeated Lin Xiaoting did they begin suspecting there was something more to you, but even then they only guessed that you have three rings. It was a reasonable guess, since the Wei Clan is a very distant relative with a thin bloodline, so even three rings would be impressive enough.
“That was when they approached us and asked me how many bane-rings you have, even asking me if I wanted to bring my son to the sect with me. I avoided answering her directly and tried probing her, first. When I heard that five bane-rings was the most that they’d ever heard of, I just told them you have five. Even that was enough to drive Madame Li mad, and she’s been pestering us to find you ever since, haha….” Wei Jing had been hosting the pair from the sect ever since they’d revealed themselves, and she knew Li Tianming would return to say his farewells before joining the inspectors.
For Tianming, the bane-rings on his right arm were simply too obvious. Even if he hid them under his sleeve, he couldn’t make sure that no one found out. But the scenario was different for his left arm, since the bane-rings blended in so well with his black arm. The tiny black dots were almost impossible to find under the little chick’s left wing, too, and as for the black cat… Well, it was black to begin with.
Li Tianming considered himself lucky that the grandmother and granddaughter pair didn’t witness his ten days of change in the Flameyellow Pagoda. He won’t be surprised if Li Jingyu ended up in a coma if that had happened.
“Grandpa, Uncle Yang, mother. So you support me joining the Grand-Orient Sect?” Li Tianming asked seriously.
“Based on the older records from our clan, Madam Li’s words, the blood relation proved by the Lifesbane, the hierarchy of Heaven’s Elysium, and the animosity between the two factions, I say that joining Grand-Orient Sect is the optimal choice,” Mu Yang explained.
To top that all off, they already had a bad impression of the Elysium, thanks to Jin Yixuan and Song Yixue.
“Mother, you have three bane-rings, and you should be similar to Miss Li’s standard. Are you going to join me in the Grand-Orient Sect?” Li Tianming asked, since she was Li Jingyu’s initial target.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying in the Wei Manor to take care of your grandpa,” Wei Jing replied.
That didn’t come as much of a surprise. Even if her body was that of a twenty year old, she was forty at heart and lacked the passion that youngsters like Li Tianming had. There was also twenty years of missed time between her and her father, so she would want to stay to make up for that. Somewhere in her heart, she might even be waiting for Li Muyang.
“You don’t have to worry about us here, they still have me.” Mu Yang patted his shoulder and smiled. The promise of the strongest beastmaster in Vermilion Bird was reassuring enough for Li Tianming.
“Honestly, Madame Li was really interested in me, at first, and was trying to convince me to join them with all sorts of methods. I had to expose you to distract her, so I could get some peace of mind,” Wei Jing laughed.
“Are you really still my mother?” Li Tianming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
All jokes aside, since the three seniors were all in favor of him choosing the Grand-Orient Sect, Li Tianming had made up his mind, too. He would also be at ease knowing that his family back home didn’t have to worry about him.
“Tianming, I’ll wait for you to come back and share the tales of your adventures with me,” Mu Yang said.
“Of course, nothing can stop me now.”
“Stop boasting, Madame Li is still waiting for your answer.” Wei Jing peeked in the hall and saw that Li Jingyu was still pacing nervously. It was evident how important someone with five bane-rings was to her.
“So, have you made up your mind?” Li Jingyu instantly grabbed Li Tianming’s hand upon their return.
“Granny Li, I decided to join the Grand-Orient Sect,” Li Tianming said frankly.
“Heavens above! Our ancestors haven’t given up on us, and our Li Saint Clan has hope once more!” Tears flowed out of Li Jingyu’s eyes.
“Huh, why does it sound like there’s no hope if I don’t join?” Li Tianming muttered under his breath. Why did he get the impression that he wasn’t there to be the junior sect master, but rather to save the Li Saint Clan.
Wasn’t the junior sect master a role with utmost power, where a snap of his fingers would bring money and pretty girls over? So why did it sound like he was going there to help them, instead?
“Of course not. Tianming my grandson, have you packed your things yet? We’re leaving right away.” Li Jingyu laughed.
“Now?”
“Yes, now. Better get back before someone else takes the junior sect master spot,” Li Jingyu answered.
“Excuse me?”
“That was just a joke, haha…. Tianming my grandson, let’s go!”
“Sorry, Granny Li, please give me sometime to pack.”
“Before that, granny has a gift for you here. This is a spatial ring, a special beastial item that’s made using spatial ore with blue heavenly patterns. The ore has the unique ability to store items in a separate dimension, and this ring contains a two meter diameter sphere that can be used to store all kinds of treasures and weapons. It’s a handy item for when you’re travelling. But take note the spatial ring is not meant to store living things, and trying to put a lifebound beast inside will instantly rip it apart .”
Li Tianming gawked at the ring, not having known that such amazing items existed.
“Tianming, while the spatial ring is made up of materials that are used to forge grade six beastial weapons, the ring is definitely worth way more than most grade seven weapons. Only two people have one in the entire Vermilion Bird Kingdom, one of them being the king and the other your grandfather. Thank Madame Li for giving you such a precious gift,” Mu Yang hurriedly explained.
The spatial ring was an extremely precious gift. While it wasn’t useful in battle, it meant that Li Tianming would no longer have to carry his weapons and spirit ores with him on the go, which would make life much more convenient. And if he were to bring Jiang Feiling with him, he could also help carry her essential items like clothes and accessories.
“Thank you, Granny Li.” Li Tianming reached out his hand to accept the spatial ring.
“Call me Grandma.” Li Jingyu tilted her hand a little and avoided him.
“Grandma….” It was a price Li Tianming was willing to pay for the spatial ring. He would be getting a new godfather anyway, so one more grandma was nothing much.
Not to mention, the pretty Li Qingyu would now be his younger sister?
“Aha!” Li Jingyu was glowing with elation. “I finally have a grandson, too!”
Li Tianming had obtained a spatial ring. It wasn’t difficult to use, and Wei Tiancang taught him how to operate it. Li Tianming kept his luggage, the Grand Thunderflare Sword, Blazing Dragon Chainblade, and some clothes inside the ring, and still had plenty of room to spare.
“Tianming, here’s what I promised you.” Mu Yang suddenly brought out a wooden box that was rather large and heavy.
“What is that?”
“Didn’t I promise you to give you a grade seven beastial weapon when you left Vermilion Bird? Brother Chen gave you the Grand Thunderflare Sword, so I can’t do worse than that.” Mu Yang smiled.
“Is it a chain?” While Li Tianming was doing well with his sword arts, he didn’t intend to give up on chains.
“That’s right.”
“Can I take a look?”
“Wait till you reach the Grand-Orient Sect,” Mu Yang said.
“Trying to hide it, eh? Must be quite a good weapon.”
“Definitely not bad at all.” Mu Yang grinned.
Both of them laughed heartily, as that was what Li Tianming had told Wei Tianxiong when he defeated Wei Guohao.
“Tianming my grandson, are we ready to leave?” Li Jingyu could wait no longer.
Li Tianming turned around to say his farewells to Wei Jing and the others. It was difficult to depart from a family that was finally reunited, but everyone wore a smile. As tough as his future endeavors might be, they chose to trust Li Tianming.
“See you.”
“See you.”
Who knew when they would see each other again? But Li Tianming knew that he would come back one day. At least, the Grand-Orient Sect didn't seem that far away.
“Before we leave, I need to make a trip to Vermilion Bird Palace,” Li Tianming told his new grandma after leaving the Wei Manor.
“Your mother already told me that we’re picking up my granddaughter-in-law first.” Li Jingyu smiled.
Damn. It seemed like she wasn’t satisfied with just picking up a grandson, but also wanted a great-grandson as well to go with it.
“Let’s go to Vermilion Bird Palace!”