Strands of Invincible Sword Ki gathered at the tip of Tianming’s sword as the Imperealm Sword Formation expanded outward. However, he could also choose to not spread it so wide out and instead concentrate the countless strands of sword ki around him to amplify its raw power. Just like that, his sword pierced the back of the wyrm's head, going straight through and turning its brains to mush.
The wyrm roared and slowly collapsed. Tianming then withdrew his sword and hurriedly refined the soul of the beast before handing it to Lan Huang.
"This is your seventh. If you fail, there won't be any more for you," Tianming said.
"I'm not satisfied with this!" Lan Huang said.
"Damn, are you in your rebellious phase too? You don't have a choice!" Tianming hurried it back into his lifebound space. So far, only Ying Huo had managed to get a new ability, whereas Lan Huang and Meow Meow hadn’t made any progress. While Tianming was focused on gaining points and cultivating during the Deepstar Battle, he would also kill the wildbeasts he came across. After all, his lifebound beasts' improvement would also make him stronger.
"I'm now only one level away from getting an empyrean gold body at the fourth level of the Empyrean Saint stage. Once I succeed, I still won't get much stronger until I get a body-refining technique. Those three, however, will grow much stronger physically every level after that." He truly did envy how lifebound beasts could grow powerful so easily. Once they were past the awkward stunted growth phase of Heavenly Will, their power would skyrocket.
"If I can reach the fourth level, I might be unmatched among all empyrean saints. Time truly flies. It feels like it was only yesterday when I was fighting the second-level empyrean saint, Autarch Qian. Even though the Nine Divine Realms are dangerous, I probably wouldn't have reached Empyrean Saint if I hadn't come."
While Lan Huang refined the wildbeast soul, he decided to leave the battlefield and head to the Old Deepstar Path to continue training his heavenly will, so he touched the Astral Formation on his skin. However, there was no reaction.
"Why isn't it working?" He recalled the last few times, the senior of the Deepstar Hall was able to take him away quite quickly. However, something immediately occurred to him. "Someone must be within three thousand meters of me. My fight with the wyrm probably drew them in."
He looked around alertly as he pointed his left arm behind him and suddenly saw a cold youth flying rapidly in his direction.
"It's someone from Fang Xingque's camp."
That youth had tricolored hair, and didn't seem too old. He was obviously talented. Tianming turned back suddenly and startled the youth, who was trying to ambush him. Now that he had been discovered, his surprise attack had failed. Fortunately for him, Tianming didn't immediately summon the black cat.
Turning to Fang Chenyu, Tianming asked, "Who are you?"
Fang Chenyu slowed down. There was no longer any point in charging in after losing the element of surprise. "Fang Chenyu," he said as he approached.
"What are you planning?"
"You dared to kill someone from the Sterling House of Fang and have antagonized us. I’ve been tasked to break your limbs and take you to Fang Xingque for judgment."
"But none of you died though, or perhaps it was just so insignificant I forgot."
"No, you went too far. We have to make an example out of you, or others will start getting ideas. Nobody can make Xingque lose face and walk away fine."
Tianming laughed and said, "He's just a teenage brat. What face does he have to speak of?"
"You’re truly brave.... I hope you'll still be able to smile and talk like that once tragedy befalls you."
"Sure."
Fang Chenyu shook with anger at Tianming's casual demeanor, though he tried to suppress it and sneak closer to him.
"Are we going to fight?" Ying Huo asked.
Observing closely, Tianming said, "This guy's a little weird. He feels just like an empyrean saint, but there’s traces of samsaran power in him. I suspect that he’ll be a full-fledged samsaran soon. It is really tiring fighting someone like that, and it's hard to say whether we'll win, especially with Lan Huang not able to join the fight right now."
"No need to justify it. Just run like you always do."
"You don't need to be that direct about it!"
As they bickered, Fang Chenyu was already right in front of him.
"Watch out!" Tianming yelled and turned tail to run.
"How dare you—" Fang Chenyu was about to defend against whatever move Tianming was going to attack with, only to see him mount his lightning beast and attempt an escape, much to his ire. "Li Tianming, you spineless coward! Is running all you know how to do? Softie! Pathetic! You're only a coward that knows how to run!"
He tried his best to insult him as he gave chase. "Your whole family is nothing but beasts that only know how to run with their tails between their legs!"
However, Meow Meow easily left him in the dust. "I didn't think you'd be able to endure insults like that," Meow Meow said, fanning the flames.
"I can't."
"Then why aren't you going back to beat him up?"
Tianming knocked on its head and said, "Young one, you have to be more patient. Good wine tastes best when it’s left to age for a while."
After facing one powerful foe after another, he had considerably matured mentally.
"I don't know anything about how wine is made. All I know is that I want to beat him up."
"What are you so pissed for? It's not like you're the one being insulted. It's just like that saying."
"What saying?"
"The eunuchs are always more anxious than the emperor himself."
"Hey!" Meow Meow nervously touched its balls, only to be relieved to find them still there.
......
Tianming didn't really think that he would end up tangled up with Fang Chenyu. Even after leaving the Deepstar Battlefield to go to the Old Deepstar Path, he would still be located by him after returning, chasing him down despite knowing it to be a vain effort. "I wonder why that's the case.... He's definitely tracking me one way or another."
So he began looking up and down across his body. He wasn't wearing any kind of tribulation armor, preferring normal clothes instead. Soon, he found a really small amount of fine powder on him.
"This must be it."
"Just take a bath and get changed then," Ying Huo said.
"No."
"Why not?"
"I ought to pull his tongue out for all the insults."
"You've really been putting up with it, huh?"
"There's no shame in a strategic retreat, you know."
"You mean running like a coward?"
"Shut up!"
......
Meanwhile, in Snowsword Pavilion on Oldwind Street....
"Sis, I want to ask about someone," Tianming said. He came to visit from time to time.
"Who is it?" Ever since that incident, they still hadn't managed to find the culprit. Jian Xueyi still seemed rather downcast, in contrast to her usual optimistic self.
"Fang Chenyu."
"That guy you keep running away from?"
"Even you know about it?"
"Of course. The whole sect does. Everyone's going to see you run into him in anticipation of the day when he catches up! The Deepstar Hall even set up a special viewpoint to focus on you and broadcast your shameful retreat to everyone."
"Darn it! They're heartless!"
"They now call you Tianming the Coward. Someone even wrote a poem and hung it up at the entrance of Number One Pavilion."
"What poem?!" He was fuming with rage. Since when was poetry a bullying tactic?
"I swing my two fists with
"Bravado in
"The faction battles;
"I hide my tail betwixt
"My two legs in
"The Deepstar Battle."
"That's slanderous!" Tianming spat, though he had to admit that it was a rather good poem.
"Don't be sad. There's nothing you can do about it. The Sterling House of Fang has always been this unabashed with their tactics. Nobody asked you to kill one of them, after all. They're all saying you don't have long left to live," Jian Xueyi said, before pausing in thought. "Tianming, Big Sis here suggests that you leave the Deepstar Battle and hide within your residence in the Earth Branch for a few years. I'll bring you whatever you need, so you won't even need to go out."
"That won't do. I don't want to be your pet."
"That doesn't sound so bad, to be honest."
"No! I refuse! I'm not someone who mooches off women! I’ll one day rise to the top of the Deepstar Battle!"
"Hahaha!" Everyone in the pavilion laughed.
"Work hard, friend. I can see the potential in you," Zhao Yijue said as he patted Tianming's shoulder.
"I don't need you to see anything in me!" Tianming smiled and gave his hand a twist, causing Zhao Yijue to wince in pain. The pavilion then quieted down. "Leave now, and don't be buddy buddy with me."
"Alright, fine," Zhao Yijue said before he angrily left."So, Sis, what status does Fang Chenyu have anyway?"
"Well, he's the son of one of the nine palace lords, specifically the lord of Judgment Hall, Fang Shenyu, who’s third in charge of the Sterling House of Fang. He controls the Judgment Hall, which doles out punishments for transgressions in the sect. They're all savage and cruel people."
"That's a rather high status. I have a good idea of what to do now."
"Tianming, it's not like I'm trying to belittle you. I'm just worried," she said with a concerned look.
"I know."
"Then just now...."
"I was only being mean to Zhao Yijue alone. I couldn't stand his eerie tone."
"I see...." She placed her hands on Tianming's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "Just... try not to die."
"I'll be fine. Alright, I'll take my leave now."
"Be on your way then."
"Make sure to go to the Dimensional Battlefield in the next three days," he said at the entrance.
"Why?"
"Just do it."
