While Chen Xiaoji felt horrible, his grandfather Chen Nantian was even worse off. He had seen his most beloved grandson horribly humiliated twice by Tianming through the projection. Now, his face was so sunken it looked like it had been smashed in by a brick.
It was the same with Gongsun Sheng. His son's performance wasn't any bit better, especially with how haggard he looked when he had rolled and crawled away at the end. The two of them looked at each other in shame.
"Chen Xiaoji really performed embarrassingly," Chen Nantian said with his head lowered.
"It's the same with Chi'er. He's too weak," said Gongsun Sheng.
"Don't take it to heart, you two. All an old man like me can say is this pentabane son of Li Wudi really broadened our horizons," Su Yunchi said with a furrowed brow.
"From Li Xuanchen to Su Yiran, and now Chen Xiaoji and Gongsun Chi, Li Tianming's rate of improvement is too fearsome!" Yuwen Kaitai spat. He had always thought of Tianming as a fly he could crush at any time, only to realize how truly disgusting this fly was.
"Kaitai, we're now counting on your son Zhenxing. He managed to hold his ground even when fighting against two foes. It looks like he's much stronger than the junior sect master," Gongsun Sheng said.
"That's right. Even we can't see what’s going on in the third floor of Prime Tower. If this disgusting fly dies, it’ll no longer annoy us so," Chen Nantian said.
"Well, killing is my son's forte, after all. Not to mention, Gongsun Chi is there with him," Yuwen Kaitai said.
While they felt horrible and embarrassed and weren't able to act as smugly as they did before, they didn't think the fly could do anything more than he had already done.
"It's fine. Even if Zhenxing doesn't kill him today, he's just a brat. We can kill him any time we want, once we get the Grand-Orient Sword," said Third Elder Yuwen Fengtian. Everyone chuckled at the sound of that.
"He does have rather decent talent. If anything, he was just born in the wrong place. With his current status as a mere direct disciple, it's no big deal if we kill him. As long as those old fogeys Huangfu and Shangguan don't interfere in our matters, we’ll be fine," Yuwen Fengtian said.
"That's right. It's all manageable as long as he doesn't become a prime disciple. We already have the Ye Clan cornered, anyway," Yuwen Kaitai added. The thought of Ye Yuxi caused his gaze to darken further.
"Big Brother, what’re your thoughts on this?" Yuwen Fengtian asked.
Yuwen Taiji had been quiet the whole time. When everyone turned to him, he waved and said, "Just watch. There's nothing much we can say about it."
Everyone knew he was more concerned with getting Yuwen Shendu to participate in the Realm Wars. Much more counted on that than the Prime Struggle.
......
To the left of Fengtian Mountain's hall was the largest hall, which belonged to Fengyun Immortal Mountain. Huangfu Fengyun and Shangguan Jingshu were paying attention to the First Grand-Orient Battlefield when their gazes crossed with a hint of distraught.
On the battlefield, many had cheered for Tianming when he defeated Chen Xiaoji and Gongsun Chi, both of whom were bullies that usually threw their weight around. Their defeat was a guilty pleasure for many. Instantly, Tianming's reputation soared. Even after he stepped into the third floor, none of the audience members left; everyone was waiting in suspense.
"His improvement rate is a little scary," Huangfu Fengyu said with a bitter smile.
"That's right. Ye Shaoqing really has a good eye," Shangguan Jingshu agreed.
"It now depends on whether he'll emerge at the top of Prime Tower or be carried out as a corpse. If he survives, he'll have a chance to rest and recuperate when the Yuwen Clan goes to fight in the Realm Wars."
"That's right. As long as he has time, he’ll definitely grow at breakneck speeds. As for us, we'll just have to wait for the results of the Realm Wars," Shangguan Jingshu said.
"What if he becomes a prime disciple today?" Huangfu Fengyu asked.
"Then we'll have to stand out to protect him until the end of the Realm Wars."
"Wanna bet he does?"
"Sure. His rate of improvement is ridiculous." Shangguan Jingshu nodded.
"That's right. If he can become a figure like the founding ancestor, not even ten thousand Yuwen Taijis or Yuwen Shendu will be able to match up to him."
The two of them now had a reason to place their bets on Tianming.
......
"Huh?" The moment Tianming arrived in the third floor and looked up, he saw that his surroundings were still covered in the snowy mist. Even with his third eye, he couldn't see far. There was nothing in his field of vision, but he had a feeling that the third floor was worlds different from the second. The mist didn't scatter at all even after he went up. Not to mention, there wasn't anyone around him. It was as if the world was empty, and there was nobody there with him.
However, he was all too aware Yuwen Zhenxing and the others would catch up.
"Ling'er, help me check what kind of treasure this is," he said as he took the manna ball out of his spatial ring. All of a sudden, a bloody aura could be felt as a red miasma spread all around. Tianming gave it a whiff and felt a little uncomfortable. The miasma was actually extremely toxic, and a mere whiff was enough to cause the capillaries in his nose to rot.
"Dang! As expected of something prepared for Yuwen Zhenxing."
Yuwen Zhenxing's lifebound beast was a Bloodfiend Taotie, and the treasure let out a toxic bloody miasma the moment it was taken out. The miasma actually formed a beast and glared fearsomely at Tianming. Tianming figured that the effect would be even more pronounced if it weren’t for the fog around him.
He looked through the bloody mist and soon saw the claw-like object inside the manna ball. It was a blood-colored claw, sharp and curved. The sinister aura it let out made his skin tingle. He immediately knew that it was a manna. The best quality manna he had seen was a top-grade profound manna. But this claw was a whole league different from the Imperial Wing and Electric Fang. Indeed, this manna was truly divine.
"It's a celestial manna, Venomfiend Bloodclaw. Among low-grade celestial manna, this is the best kind. If the assimilation works, the lifebound beast's star count will grow to forty-seven, close to the level of a fifth-order saint beast," Feiling said, recognizing it instantly. Her knowledge was immeasurable, having done months of reading.
"Celestial manna?" Tianming had never expected the second treasure of the Prime Struggle would be so precious and tailor made for Yuwen Zhenxing. It was no wonder the treasures weren't announced beforehand. Anyone would know that it was specially prepared for Yuwen Zhenxing.
"This is definitely the best reward ever to be given in a Prime Struggle in the past thousand years." Those shameless old fogeys were disgusting. It was a shame their antics only benefited Tianming. That way, either Ying Huo or Meow Meow could evolve into a fourth-order saint beast, a mountain-toppling change indeed.
"Some people were guessing that the second treasure would be a celestial manna, however, they didn't think it could be the case. After all, Yuwen Shendu had just made a breakthrough using a celestial manna. How could they give something like that to the non-direct descendant, Yuwen Zhenxing?"
It seemed that the Yuwen Clan wasn’t even bothering to hide how they dominated the Grand-Orient Sect.
"The Venomfiend Bloodclaw contains bloodfiend venom. The moment it enters the bloodstream, it'll start corrupting the blood. The more wounds there are, the more bloodfiend venom is injected. If the afflicted doesn't get treatment quickly and continues fighting, the venom will turn more of their blood into toxic blood, which will rot their bones and innards, ultimately causing death. Only spirit herbs with saintly heavenly patterns can cure the toxin, but they’re really rare. Not to mention, after its evolution, the Venomfiend Bloodclaw itself will become harder than beastial weapons with more than fifty saintly heavenly patterns," Feiling explained from her store of encyclopedic knowledge. Even she was astounded by the sheer horrid nature of the claw.
It was a treasure that made others shudder in fear, mainly from its poisonous effect, not to mention its toughness and hardness.
"They never would've imagined this would fall into my hands," Tianming said. He kept it away to prevent the miasma from attracting his foes. It wasn't a good time for his lifebound beasts to evolve, so he would decide who to give the treasure to after the Prime Struggle was over.
"That Yuwen Zhenxing probably knew the second treasure was meant for him. He'll definitely chase you down to take it back," Feiling said.
"Just what I wanted. I want to see what the terrestrial manna he has is as well."
Even if he couldn't find Tianming, Tianming would seek him out. He wanted both of the treasures from the tower.