"This young man is Gongsun Shengji, from the Gongsun clan. The elder of the Gongsun clan, Gongsun Sheng, is also an ally of Yuwen Taiji. Gongsun Shengji is another genius from Yuwen Shendu’s circle and his lifebound beast is a fire type broodmother beast known as the Imperial Flame Locust, which can probably birth a hundred thousand Sky-Blazing Locusts. His lifebound beast is quite difficult to deal with, so if you do encounter him, you must be careful. Gongsun Shengji is also at eighth-level Unity. As for how much of a challenge he poses, you’re about to witness that for yourself.”
As Qingyu spoke, Gongsun Shengji and his Imperial Flame Locust had gone into battle. His opponent, a seventh-level Unity disciple, was basically useless against him. When the Sky-Blazing Locusts swarmed, flames filled the air, so his opponent could only surrender.
"Amazing!" Tianming frowned.
"Chen Xiaoji, Gongsun Shengji, and Yuwen Zhenxing are all after you. And each is harder to deal with than the last. Big Brother, if you want to enter the Prime Tower, you’ll have to properly consider this,” Qingyu said.
"It's too early to talk about this. If I can't even pass the second round, I won’t have to think about the Prime Struggle," Tianming smiled.
In truth, these three young men didn’t scare him. They couldn’t stop him from competing for the treasure in the first and second levels, or break his resolve to explore the third level.
"Don't worry, I’ll protect you, Big Brother," assured Feiling.
"Of course. With you around, I have little to worry about," added Qingyu.
"You’re amazing as well. Your master constantly praises you,” replied Feiling. The two girls started complimenting each other again.
Meanwhile, Tianming was calmly observing his opponents.
There were indeed several notable characters with amazing combat power, especially Chen Xiaoji and Gongsun Shengji, who enjoyed the disciples’ awe.
"Big Brother, do you know who your opponent is today?" asked Qingyu.
"Yes, it’s Su Yiran, your previous opponent."
"Yuwen Zhenxing and Su Yiran are a couple, both at seventh-level Unity."
"A couple?"
Tianming was well aware that the Su clan was once on par with the Ye clan, but that was thousands of years ago. Now, the Su clan had three elders, and Su Zhen was one of them. Headed by the second elder, Su Yunzhi, they were the strongest supporters of the Yuwen clan.
Su Wuyou and Su Yiran were granddaughters of the Su clan, and enemies who didn’t deserve any civility.
The junior sect master’s talent had shocked the entire sect. All the talented disciples of the forces headed by the Yuwen clan desperately wanted to crush him. However, their abilities remained to be seen. Whether or not they could actually obstruct Tianming’s rise was still up in the air.
Tianming wasn’t proud, but he had a clear understanding of himself.
"Surpass yourself and you can defeat your enemies.” Tianming took a deep breath. Next up was his turn.
As expected, Elder Su Zhen announced, "Next, Ninepaths Mountain’s Su Yiran against Azure Dragon Sword Mountain’s Li Tianming! Li Tianming is the junior sect master of the Grand-Orient Sect. Ladies and gentlemen, are you excited?"
At the mention of his name, the audience boiled with excitement, displaying a greater reaction than during Gongsun Shengji’s appearance. Since the junior sect master rarely made an appearance, many disciples looked forward to seeing him in person.
In the eyes of the masses, Tianming descended from the sky, stepping into the battlefield without further ado. Drawing the Onyx Dragon, Tianming thrust it into the rock before him and waited for his opponent.
Seventh-level Unity, Su Yiran?
"Not a bad opponent to practice my sword intent on."
The Onyx Dragon had the audience’s mouths agape. Numerous inner disciples kept their eyes wide open, so they wouldn’t miss the junior sect master’s performance.
"The junior sect master is probably slightly stronger than Yuwen Shengcheng, who’s at sixth-level Unity. But against Su Yiran, I’m afraid it’ll be a losing battle.”
“With his talent, God knows how much progress he’s made. Perhaps he has a fighting chance."
"Well, let’s watch and find out!"
"To be honest, I admire the junior sect master’s courage. There are few people who dare confront those in that circle. Even the grandchildren of the first and fourth elders lack the courage."
"I heard that the junior sect master beat Yuwen Shengcheng into a sorry mess. I’m guessing Su Yiran will teach him a lesson on Yuwen Shengcheng’s behalf. This battle is going to be phenomenal!”
“Su Yiran made her move!"
Where the audience’s gazes were fixed, a beautiful girl in a fiery red dress slowly descended on the lake. Her flame-red lips, cat-like, charming eyes, soft posture, and slim, flexible waist had the audience drooling with each suggestive step she took.
One could hardly imagine how it would feel to have such a girl wrapped around a man. After all, her beauty was beyond the reach of ordinary men.
Deathly silence pervaded the battlefield.
Su Yiran swept her seductive eyes over the sword-wielding young man. His white hair swayed in the gentle breeze, forming a sharp contrast against his scaly, black arm.
She had to admit that Tianming had a special charm, which wasn’t limited to his heroic air. Both his gaze and his manner of being were intimidating. However, at the thought of his level, Su Yiran was confident.
After making a decision, Su Yiran’s lifebound beast emerged from her lifebound space, wrapping around her with a ferocity comparable to a Taotie.
The Su clan of the Grand-Orient Sect possesed winged serpents for lifebound beasts. Su Yiran’s huge winged serpent had a pair of blood-red wings, which burned with flames. Most winged serpents were fire and poison dual type lifebound beasts.
The terror of Su Yiran’s winged serpent lay in the eyes that stretched throughout its body—a total of one hundred blood-red eyes, burning with flames and poison. This was a second-order saint beast, the Hundred-eyed Winged Serpent. Aside from its fire and poison properties, it also possessed illusion abilities.
As soon as Tianming’s eyes were laid upon the Hundred-Eyed Winged Serpent’s blazing wings and bloody eyes, he sensed an awe-inspiring oppression.
What a fierce lifebound beast! The moment the Hundred-Eyed Winged Serpent locked on to Tianming, its murderous intent unfurled.
Su Yiran tapped her feet, charging forth with her lifebound beast. In her hand was a grade seven Red Plume Serpent Sword that was curved like a snake and as thin as a cicada’s wing. It seemed powerful enough to easily slice through everything.
With a smile, Su Yiran waved her sword, demonstrating the unity-ranked Phantom Flameheart Sword Art.
A sea of flames flowed toward Tianming.
"Junior sect master, would you agree if I said that you’re a reckless fool?"
Plastered across Su Yiran’s beautiful face was a charming smile, her captivating voice spreading throughout the battlefield.