“Simple. Just take Wei Guohao for example. He is the same age as you, and I nearly accepted him as my disciple. If you can overcome him, then I’d say you are qualified,” Mu Yang said casually. With Li Tianming’s performance today, it would take nothing short of a miracle for him to defeat Wei Guohao.
“I understand. Thank you, Vice-Potentate.” Surprisingly, Li Tianming did not frown at that challenge, but instead nodded with a smile.
Wei Guohao was at least seventh level Spiritsource, and he was no doubt one of the top among his generation. Li Tianming had lost just too much time, and it would no doubt be difficult for him to catch up. But he was confident of himself and the Primordial Chaos Beasts — it wouldn’t be long before he could overtake Wei Guohao.
Idiot! Wei Zikun could no longer take Li Tianming’s stupidity. Since Mu Yang had already made arrangements for Li Tianming, then there was no point in him staying there anymore. After exchanging a few words with Mu Yang and the guardian, he turned around and left the hall.
“Second uncle, wait for me.” Wei Guohao chased after Wei Zikun. As he walked past Li Tianming, Wei Guohao couldn’t help but snicker. It was almost as if his eyes could talk, telling Li Tianming to keep dreaming about defeating him.
“This key is yours now. Do you have any friends in the sanctum?” At least Mu Yang was quite nice to Li Tianming, handing him the key to his residence in the sanctum as well as a simple map of the area.
“Yes.” Li Tianming thought of Princess Qing and Jiang Feiling.
“Then you should pay them a visit as soon as possible. In Heaven’s Sanctum, we have our own rules, which are a lot stricter than the ones in the institute. It would be good if you can ask them about it before you settle here.”
“No problem, Vice-Potentate,” Li Tianming replied.
He realised that both Sage Chen and Mu Yang seemed to be amiable and capable individuals, and they had achieved quite a name for themselves in the capital. Li Yanfeng seemed like such a bad choice in comparison. Why would Wei Jing choose Li Yanfeng instead of these two? Li Tianming felt that his mother was still hiding something from him, but he couldn’t figure out what it could be.
“Time to leave.” After a few words with the guardian, Mu Yang left the hall as well, and the moment he left was the moment the supernal mentors headed out too. Most of them were still glad that thanks to Li Tianming’s stupid decision, none of them would have to become his mentor.
Li Tianming bade farewell to those who were still in the hall and then immediately rushed outside. He didn’t want Mu Yang to leave. Even if he did not manage to become Mu Yang’s disciple, he felt that he could still make use of their encounter to tell Mu Yang about his mother's situation.
“Vice-Potentate, can I have a moment?” Luckily for him, Mu Yang had yet to leave the vicinity.
“Yes?” Mu Yang answered. He admired the fact that the boy stood his ground and refused the offer to choose any mentor he wanted. But if Li Tianming was to continue bothering him, then he would just treat him as a fool and ignore him too.
“I have some personal matters to discuss with you, and it’s rather important as well.” Said Li Tianming.
“What personal matters can you have with me?”
After calculating his risks, Li Tianming finally decided that saving his mother took precedence over him accidentally provoking Mu Yang.
“Do you remember an old friend?” Li Tianming glared into his eyes.
“Who?”
“Wei Jing,” Li Tianming said.
Mu Yang’s body trembled slightly when he heard the name. The look in his eye changed, and he suddenly extended out his hands to press onto Li Tianming’s shoulder, putting pressure on the boy.
“Say that again.” Mu Yang’s voice was a lot lower.
“Her name is Wei Jing.”
“Do you know her? Or are you trying to threaten me with that name?” Mu Yang’s demeanor was totally different from just now. He looked very emotional, even though he was already trying to contain it.
“Of course I won’t dare to.” Li Tianming pointed at himself. “I am Wei Jing’s son.”
When he heard that sentence, Mu Yang released his palms and took a step back, as he stared at Li Tianming with shaking eyes.
A while later, he finally took a deep breath and said, “No wonder I felt something familiar when I saw you. It all makes sense that you are her son…” He knew that Li Tianming was bold, not only rejecting the supernal mentors and even wanted to be his disciple despite all the mockeries. He had only seen such charisma from one person before, and it was none other than that girl!
Mu Yang squinted his eyes and continued, “So what is it that you want to tell me?”
Li Tianming was still dubious about Mu Yang’s attitude towards Wei Jing. After some thoughts, he explained, “Vice-Potentate, honestly I’m not sure what my mother went through in the past. I spent so many years cultivating just to enter the sanctum someday, since she told me that the only one who can save her is inside Heaven’s Sanctum.”
“Save her? What do you mean?” Mu Yang’s expression was still unreadable.
“Have you heard of Lifesbane?” Li Tianming asked.
“She has Lifesbane?!” Mu Yang’s pupils went out of focus momentarily. Clearly, he knew something about that queer illness.
“That’s right.”
“When did that happen?”
“She apparently got it when I was born, so that’s twenty years ago.”
“Impossible…” Mu Yang stared at Li Tianming, his jaws grit together, “She must have returned long ago if she got the Lifesbane twenty years ago. No one in the Wei family could endure that pain for twenty years, you must be lying…”
“And why should I?” Li Tianming replied with a rhetorical question.
“Alright, so she suffered twenty years of Lifesbane. Even then, she wouldn’t come back, she wouldn’t lower her head…” Mu Yang must have remembered what happened in the past, and even red veins appeared in his eyes. From start to end, Li Tianming had thought Vice-Potentate to be a solemn individual; him being in such a state of panic seemed wholly out of character.
After a moment of silence, Mu Yang looked into his eyes, “So what are you here for?”
“She doesn't have much time left,” Li Tianming answered.
“Go on…” Mu Yang looked into the distance.
“From young, I have asked her about how to cure that freak illness of hers, and she initially told me that it was incurable. Later on, she told me that she would tell me the way to cure it if I entered Heaven’s Sanctum, perhaps just to encourage me to work more diligently,” Li Tianming explained.
“I made it into the institute, but after certain events I returned home a crippled man. But this time, I brought her to Ignispolis with me and became the prime disciple in front of her eyes. Therefore, she finally agreed for me to find a cure for her. She told me about her past, and she told me to find you, and said that you are the one that can bring me into the Wei Manor.” After he was done, Li Tianming spread his hands, “That’s all I know.”
“She’s back in Ignispolis?” After a while, Mu Yang finally asked.
“Yes”
“Is Li Yanfeng with her?” Mu Yang asked.
“Li Yanfeng? He had abandoned the two of us, and is now a proud member of the Lightning Manor,” Li Tianming sneered.
“Are you serious?” Mu Yang’s eyes suddenly became much colder.
“Of course, ever since I was a kid, the one who took care of me was mother. Li Yanfeng had nothing to do with it.” Li Tianming rolled his eyes.
“That bastard, I will personally see him dead!” This was the first time Mu Yang displayed his emotions in front of Li Tianming, and an incredible pressure fell on his shoulders.
“Vice-Potentate, I just want my mother to stay alive. She’s running out of time, and I need to act now,” Li Tianming explained.
“Bring me to her.” Mu Yang came to a conclusion. Li Tianming was glad that Wei Jing had referred a reliable person to him, since it was clear that Mu Yang was concerned about her. Even if he had grudges against Wei Jing at the start, it had dissolved the moment he heard that she had been suffering from Lifesbane for twenty years.
“Can we head to the Wei Manor first? Mother said that only the Potentate could cure her of the illness.” Li Tianming said.
“...” Mu Yang did not reply.
Only after a while did Mu Yang answer, “To be honest with you, I know what kind of a person the Potentate is. With the fallout he had with Jing’er, and the fact that she had never come back, his grudge has been festerig. He is utterly disappointed in Jing’er, and it’s all but impossible for you to get him to help. Furthermore, her affliction is now deeply rooted in her body; removing it will be a herculean effort through and through.” Mu Yang fell deep into thought.
“I don’t understand this. How much grudge could there be between the father and daughter that he could watch her die without any emotions? Even animals won’t do that.” Li Tianming was displeased, not with Mu Yang but with this mysterious Potentate that Mu Yang had described to him. To make matters more complicated, the Potentate was Mu Yang’s mentor.
“You are Li Yanfeng’s son, aren’t you?” Mu Yang stared at him.
“Yeah?” Li Tianming didn’t understand where the question was coming from.
“Does Li Yanfeng care about you?”
“You are telling me that this Potentate is as loathsome as that Li Yanfeng?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I will still have my chance. No matter how difficult it is, I have to take a look for myself. What if he agreed straightaway, and we’re wasting our time here?” Li Tianming said.
“If only the situation was this optimistic,” Mu Yang said.
“You are bringing me there right? Even if the manor is a tiger’s den, I will not give up my chance.” Li Tianming looked at him, his eyes burning with ardent flames.
“Aren't you scared? The Wei family is huge, and they are the real rulers of the sanctum. Your two uncles, Wei Tianxiong and Wei Zikun, have yet to forgive Jing’er. If you go there today, chances are you will just get chased out,” Mu Yang suggested,
Li Tianming just found out that the chancellor and the overseer were both the Potentate’s sons, making them his uncles. That would also make that Wei Guohao his cousin.
“Being chased out from the manor, and saving my mother’s life. Which one do you want me to choose?” Li Tianming looked at Mu Yang. It was a question that needed no answering.
“I’m going to the manor today, even if it costs me my life,” Li Tianming said. He was smiling, but the ardor in his eyes spoke of his determination.
Mu Yang took a look at him.
“Damn it, you look exactly like your mother back then. If it wasn’t for that stubbornness of hers, things would have been much easier,” Mu Yang mumbled, but he still made a decision.
He would take Li Tianming to the Wei Manor right now, and nothing could stop them!