The Deepstar Battle was close to the end, and there were only two or three thousand people left in the battlefield. Almost everyone had been eliminated after close to a month of fighting, and they soon turned into the others’ points.
But those that remained were elites. They were either Heaven Branch disciples, or Earth Branch disciples standing at the top of the pyramid. Fang Xingque was ranked first, with one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three points, Xuanyuan Muxue was second, with one thousand five hundred and eighty points, and Jian Lingchen was third, with eight hundred and thirty-one points.
Those in the top hundred were all Heaven Branch disciples, and every single one had defeated at least dozens of others. Those in the top three were from their three respective clans. Among them, Fang Xingque had a team of hundreds, along with nine Heaven Branch disciples, that forcefully put him first.
Many people felt that cheating like that was shameful, but there was nothing they could do about it. Jiang Lingchen wasn’t old, and he might not necessarily be stronger than other Heaven Branch disciples. But there was a reason he could stand in the top three. That was because he had four sisters supporting him and forcefully bringing him up in the rankings.
Although he was also using external help, he wasn’t as unrestrained as Fang Xingque. Perhaps due to how Jian Xueyi treated him, and the fact that he cultivated the Hexapath Samsara Sword, Tianming didn’t really mind the disciples from the Draconis House of Jian. In addition to Jiang Lingcheng’s innocent smile, it was easy for others to gain a favorable impression of her.
“Brother Tianming, my father secretly told me that you were brought back by Her Eminence. Is that right?” Jian Lingchen came up with a wink.
“That’s right.” Tianming nodded. It wasn’t a secret, so there was nothing Tianming had to hide about it.
“Wow, even the eminent appreciates you. My respect for you is like endless spring water,” Jian Lingchen said enviously.
“Do many people know about it?” Tianming asked.
“Not many. My dad told me to keep my mouth shut, so I only told my four godsisters about it.” Jian Lingchen winked at the four girls.
“Your godsisters are all so beautiful,” Tianming smiled.
“Hey, hey, hey, keep your impure thoughts to yourself. The four of them are my future wives,” said Jian Lingchen.
“What the hell?” Tianming widened his eyes and asked, “Are you serious?”
“Well, I can’t help it since I’m so handsome. There’s many girls wooing me, and they’re all great beauties. So I don’t have a choice but to accept them all. At least I’ll be covered in the rain and dew.” Jian Lingchen coughed.
“The world isn’t fair.”
“Calm down, calm down. Ordinary people like you have to keep yourself composed. After all, jealousy will make you uglier, and you won’t be able to attract any beauties,” Jian Lingchen smiled.
“Why are you guys acting so sneakily?” the mature one among the four women asked.
“No. Big Sister Nichang, we’re praising you guys’ beauty!” Jian Lingchen smiled while shrinking his neck. After that, he turned around and whispered to Tianming, “You have to be nice to women. Praise them more and the family will become harmonious.”
“Alright, that’s enough. I don’t need you to teach me how to strike up a conversation with girls,” said Tianming.
“I heard what you did to Fang Chenyu, not to mention that you have a conflict with Fang Xingque. It just so happens that I want to get that idiot off the ranking. So I’m thinking of joining hands with you. We have five Heaven Branch disciples here, wouldn’t it be better for us to work together?” Jian Lingchen said straightforwardly.
“You have the guts to face Fang Xingque?” Tianming asked.
“Why not? Don’t listen to him boast about himself, sounding off like the Archaion Sect belongs to him. Who doesn’t have a capable father nowadays? Our parents all have some status, so which of them will lower their seniority to interfere in the younger generation’s affairs? He’s shameless enough to use hundreds of people to rise in the rankings, and I’m not on his side. So why can’t I compete fairly?” Jian Lingchen said.
“That sounds about right. After all, you have the Draconis House of Jian and Human Branch’s sect master supporting you. Conflicts between the younger generation are trivial matters,” said Tianming.
“So what do you think? Us joining hands to deal with Fang Xingque in the last three days. Since you were able to defeat Fang Chenyu, you must be approaching the strength of a Heaven Branch disciple,” said Jian Lingchen.
“Sure, but I won’t be working for you. I won’t hesitate if there’s an opportunity to activate his Astral Formation,” Tianming said straightforwardly.
“That’s simple. If he’s defeated and the points go to you, then wouldn’t it be resolved if I beat you up? Haha, I have four godsisters here.” Jian Lingchen smiled.
“Then I’ll also deal with you if you obtain his points,” said Tianming.
“Sure, as long as you have the capability to do so. I look down on people like Fang Xingque the most, acting so arrogant like he’s everything. The Deepstar Battle is ruined by that piece of garbage!” Jian Lingchen said with disdain.
“You’re saying that when the rankings are revealed on the last day, those going after Fang Xingque might be intimidated by his group and give up? So you’re saying that you need someone to take the lead?” Tianming asked.
“That’s right. I’ll take the lead at that time, but I need someone to join me,” said Jian Lingchen.
“You’re pretty bold. Why not go after Xuanyuan Muxue?” Tianming asked.
“I never hit women. Women are gifts of art created by gods. So how can you beat them?” Jian Lingchen said.
“What if she beats you up?”
“Well, I guess it’s the arrangement of fate to have intimate contact with her fist,” said Jian Lingchen.
“And what if someone tries to crush your balls?” Tianming asked with a smile.
“No way, they have to be beaten up.…” Jian Lingchen immediately had beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
“Haha.…” Tianming found this fellow interesting, and he didn’t mind working together with him. After all, there were so many people on Fang Xingque’s side, and he really needed an ally to touch him.
“Brother, do you mind me asking you something? Logically speaking, Fang Xingque should know about your identity. So why is he still acting so arrogant toward you?” Jian Lingchen asked curiously.
“I’m guessing that he still doesn’t know about it.” Tianming smiled.
“Probably. After all, the seniors are all unwilling to talk about anything with regards to the eminent,” said Jian Lingchen.
“I don’t think he’d lower his head even if he knew it,” said Tianming. His identity wasn’t stable enough, so he could only be considered a special existence at best.
“That’s right. This guy is used to being an overlord.”
……
There were two days left until the final battle, and Tianming planned to stay here together with Jian Lingchen. With that, Tianming slowly got to know Jian Lingchen and his four godsisters.
The intelligent and charming one was Jian Nichang, the short-haired, irritable one was Jian Liuyang, the gentle, quiet one was Jian Wenjing, and the sweet and lovely one was Jian Yini. They were all core disciples of the Draconis House of Jian, and their ancestors were linked with Jian Lingchen’s ancestors.
Along the way, Tianming followed behind while he pondered over Heavenly Will. “Lingchen, he’s been cultivating along the way, and he’s slowing down our pace. Why do you have to bring him along?”
“Why don’t you get rid of him? After all, he’s still not comparable to a Heaven Branch disciple. I don’t doubt his future achievements, but he’s still an empyrean saint in the Deepstar Battlefield. He’ll be a burden following us, and the gap between you and the top two will only increase.”Jian Liuyang turned to look at Tianming unhappily.
“It’s alright. Why do you guys still care about catching up to them now? There’s no way we can catch up to them right now. Let’s wait for the last three days,” said Jian Lingchen.
“He has a huge conflict with Fang Xingque, and I feel that we can watch the show from the side. This person’s identity is too sensitive, and he killed two of Fang Chenyu’s lifebound beasts. The Sterling House of Fang will definitely target him. So why are you interfering?” Jian Liuyang said.
“Most importantly, he might not be able to do anything with his strength. It’s not worth getting involved in the conflict just for a friendship,” said Jian Weijing.
“Do all of you share the same thoughts?” Jian Lingchen asked.
“I feel the same too!” Jian Yini said.
“You guys are afraid of Fang Xingque?” Jian Lingchen asked unhappily.
“It’s not that we’re afraid, but we don’t want to create any other conflicts other than fair competition. Otherwise, when the Deepstar Battle comes to an end, they’ll keep coming at us, and it’ll be vexing. There’s nothing special about Li Tianming’s capability, and he has an aggressive temper. It’s easy for you to get caught up in a mess to make friends with such a person. I believe that your father and uncle wouldn’t recommend you do that,” said Jian Nichang.
“That doesn’t matter. I find him pretty pleasing to the eye. Just let me have it my way this time, alright?” Jian Lingchen said coquettishly.
“Alright, alright, as long as you're happy. But we won’t agree to it if he wants to drag you down.”
“I heard that his improvement is quick, but seriously speaking, there’s a difference between the Empyrean Saint and Samsara stages. It’s still unknown if he's an absolute genius before he reaches the Samsara stage.
“I’m afraid that he’s being targeted by Fang Xingque in the Deepstar Battlefield and will be crippled by him. After all, this fellow started it, so he can’t blame others for doing the same to him.”
“Let’s not think about that for now. We just need things to be chaotic and find an opportunity to help Lingchen get Fang Xingque’s points.”
“The Deepstar Pool’s spot is very important, and we have to do our best!”
“Let’s take the risk once for Lingchen.”
Jian Lingchen was touched by their words and hugged the four girls. He only lamented the fact that he only had two hands and couldn’t have enough fun.
……
“Tsk, tsk,” Ying Huo smiled.
“What’re you laughing about?” Tianming asked.
“Look ahead.”
Tianming raised his head and saw Jian Lingchen hugging a girl in each arm.
“Holy shit. Am I here to be a third wheel?” Tianming smiled bitterly.
“Come and curse his kidneys with me!” Ying Huo said with a dark face.