They laughed at his lack of self-awareness. Did he really think the position of junior sect master held water?
"Is this a provocation?" A chill was burning under Yuwen Shengcheng’s stony expression.
Indifference from a thirteen year old boy? This was no child.
"Is a kid like you even worthy of provocation? Shut up. You’re delaying my cultivation.”
"Cultivation? You’re just a sideshow!"
A sideshow? Tianming couldn’t be bothered arguing with this kid. At his age, quarreling with a kid and rushing to prove himself would only be an embarrassment.
He continued on his way to the fourth gate, feeling the energy within him rush and boil as if on the brink of breaking through to Unity. Unfortunately, his silence was considered an admission of weakness.
The girls around Yuwen Shengcheng cast contemptuous gazes in his direction.
"The Apex Branch are a bunch of losers," pouted Su Li.
……
Meanwhile, Tianming’s appearance had alarmed the two elders.
"He’s Li Wudi’s son?" Ye Yuxi gave him the once over.
"I heard he’s a pentabane," said Yuwen Kaitai.
"Do you believe that?" asked Ye Yuxi.
"Of course I do. This young man looks extraordinary. I bet he’ll reach third-level Unity in thirty years," laughed Yuwen Kaitai.
"You’re crazy!" Ye Yuxi turned to look at the young man.
"It seems that he’s unsatisfied with cultivating at the fourth gate. I heard he has a seven-star lifebound beast. Under normal circumstances, he’d have a hard time at the first three gates."
She couldn’t quite comprehend why the young man refused to properly cultivate, but wandered to the next gate instead.
Wasn’t he inviting sarcasm by humiliating himself?
While Ye Yuxi was pondering his actions, Tianming had already stepped into the fifth gate.
However, he rose to his feet in no time. Such a scene provoked snarky looks from all around. Was he just taking a tour of the gates? If this continued, Tianming wouldn’t cause any ripples even if he walked up to the ninth gate.
What an injustice for Tianming! He wasn’t feigning grandiosity, but actually trying to break through to Unity. However, the first five gates placed no pressure on him.
"Tianming, are the Imperial Ninefold Gates broken? There must be something wrong with it. Even the fifth gate has done zilch." By this point, Ying Huo was speechless. And the trouble at hand was a sleepy Meow Meow!
Having witnessed the benefits of the Imperial Ninefold Gates in advancing to Unity, all Tianming lacked was such oppression. He had a hunch he would break through at once.
Ye Shaoqing's advice had been useful, yet even the fifth gate was ineffectual.
"As long as I pass this hurdle, I’ll make rapid progress cultivating on Li Shenxiao’s tomb. No one will be able to stop me!"
Breaking through to a new stage was completely different from advancing to a higher level. Li Shenxiao's tomb might have eighty-one saintly heavenly patterns, but it couldn't achieve this effect.
Tianming moved on to the sixth gate.
"From the sixth gate onward, I’m supposed to possess a Saint Beast in order to endure the pressure of the Imperial Ninefold Gates. I just hope I’ll feel something. Let the violent storm wash over me!"
Tianming began cultivating. Ready to welcome the tremendous pressure, he watched as the saintly heavenly patterns gathered at the top of his head.
Ten seconds later—
Where’s the tremendous pressure?
"Tianming, find someone to fix this thing! What a waste of effort!" grumbled Ying Huo.
"It’s been fine for tens of thousands of years, how can it be broken now?" Tianming frowned.
"Someone, fix this bloody gate!" Ying Huo bounced up and down like an ant on hot bricks.
At the sight of the sleeping cat, Ying Huo brimmed with frustration.
For lack of a better option, Tianming set off for the seventh gate as the rest of the disciples icily watched on.
At the seventh gate, Tianming wept tears of joy. The malfunctioning gates were finally working! The slight pressure he felt was like stumbling upon an oasis in the middle of the desert.
Ying Huo eagerly awoke Meow Meow. The east wind they were waiting for had finally appeared at the seventh gate, meant for beastmasters with second-order Saint Beasts; that is, twenty to twenty-nine-star lifebound beasts.
Ten seconds later—
"It’s not doing anything for me! There’s hardly any pressure, it barely even tickles," complained the furious little chick.
Even as the others began laughing, Tianming hardened his resolve and departed for the eighth gate.
"This feels so refreshing," smiled Ying Huo.
With eight saintly heavenly patterns, the pressure was barely noticeable. Perhaps this would help them!
"Oh, stop wasting my rest time. Let’s move on to the ninth gate," urged the impatient Meow Meow.
Tianming set his sights on the ninth gate, where the ancestors of the Li Saint Clan had once practiced. It had been a thousand years since any disciple attempted the last gate.
That was the land of faith.
At the moment, the onlookers were boiling with rage. They were certain Tianming was playing them for fools.
When Tianming stood at the ninth gate, he allowed the world to surge while calm reigned in his heart. The humiliation brought on by Yuwen Shengcheng over his identity as junior sect master, as well as his sinister intentions were all mundane matters. Only when the mind was tranquil could one rise above and leave all the worries behind.
"In the Grand-Orient Sect, I may be my own opponent." Though Tianming was unsure why he held such a sentiment, he believed it was a sign. He was a decabane with dual supreme abilities and ten Primordial Chaos Beasts.
Composing himself, everything but the Imperial Ninefold Gates disappeared—even Qingyu. This was the biggest hurdle he had yet to encounter on the road of cultivation.
Unity stage is integration of the spirit, thus creating harmony in cultivation and battle.
Most importantly, the pressure of the ninth gate would be enough to launch him towards Unity. Tianming felt tremors in his lifebound space.
Ying Huo and Meow Meow withstood the oppressive force of the Imperial Ninefold Gates, protecting the remaining Primordial Chaos Beast eggs.
"Ah, feels good." Ying Huo sighed contentedly.
"Let’s get started!" Tianming was confident that today was the day he would break through to Unity.