Several of the disciples narrated the details of the conflict to Liu Xueyao.
“How presumptuous! Isn’t he fearful of Wei Lingxuan killing him?” Liu Xueyao narrowed her eyes. Did he think of his challenge of peak synchronisation as a springboard to success?
“He lasted two minutes in there, even longer than Xiaoting. Qingqing, your thoughts?” Liu Xueyao asked.
“Master, I don’t want to dredge up old matters. He’s already paid the price, and I wish him nothing but luck now that he’s back cultivating. We were friends once upon a time after all.” Mu Qingqing lowered her head. This was the only way she could allay suspicions when Li Tianming left Flameyellow Scions Institute, only to meet an assassination attempt by Bloodflower Chamber.
“I’m just afraid he’ll let hatred cloud his judgement. He may now believe he has some chance of revenge. Be careful,” Liu Xueyao said.
“Yes, supernal mentor.”
“Still, no need to worry too much. Firstly, he hasn’t lasted one hour, so he may not actually have peak synchronisation. That’ll be too incredible. Secondly, his starting point is too far behind. His cultivation stage now is weak, so even having peak synchronisation won’t let him catch up.” Liu Xueyao was feeling shocked. Just like everyone else, she couldn’t understand how this was possible.
Mu Qingqing relaxed somewhat after hearing that. “Don’t worry. I believe Li Tianming has seen the errors of his ways and will cherish his second chance.”
Yet, she couldn't stop herself from continuously casting glances at a certain youth. As time passed, the possibility of Li Tianming having peak synchronisation grew, as well as the torment in her heart. She was well aware of the terrifying talent peak synchronisation represented, but she continued to maintain a placid expression.
“Xiaoting is currently in seclusion in this very Flameyellow Pagoda. I wonder how he’ll feel if he knew Li Tianming, who he once crippled, is challenging peak synchronisation right now,” Liu Xueyao said ruefully.
“Big brother Ting is a good person. I think he won’t do anything since he’s already levied a punishment on Li Tianming,” Mu Qingqing said.
“Fortunately, the ones he’d offended were the two of you. If it had been anyone else, his corpse would have rotted away in the three years since then,” Liu Xueyao said.
“Yes.” Mu Qingqing didn’t deny this part.
“Xiaoting does treat you well. Your talent wasn’t considered high before you joined Heaven’s Sanctum, and your lifebound beast was only five-star. For your sake, he took out the royal manna, Aquatic Dracosoul, from Lightning Manor. That thing is as valuable as a city! It elevated your lifebound beast to become seven-star, a royal beast. That’s how you achieved meteoric improvements in the past three years, reaching eighth level Spiritsource and creating an unbridgeable gulf with Li Tianming, who used to be on your level.”
Liu Xueyao looked at Li Tianming with distaste. “Honestly, you two belong to different worlds now. Don’t keep targeting him, lest you feed the rumour mill.”
“Supernal mentor, all of Lightning Manor has treated me well, and I’m deeply grateful for it. Actually, the Aquatic Dracosoul just happened to be a good fit for me, and there weren’t any good candidates among Lightning Manor’s direct line of descent. I was just lucky,” Mu Qingqing spoke happily, a hint of pride in her words.
“Luck is part of your abilities,” Liu Xueyao said.
While she tended to be frosty to others, she treated her own disciples well. Furthermore, Mu Qingqing’s link to Lin Xiaoting would help keep her seat as a supernal mentor secure.
Although they were talking, they kept their attention on Li Tianming. As time passed, their mood worsened.
“Supernal mentor, if he really does have perfect synchronisation, will his future cultivation be very fast?” Mu Qingqing couldn’t resist asking anymore.
“He will be fast, but without background or resources, it will never be fast enough to catch up to you two. You may also get more fortuitous encounters in the upcoming Abyssal Trials as well. Focus on it instead; it wasn’t easy getting your slot,” Liu Xueyao said solemnly to Mu Qingqing.
“I have to thank you for that.” Mu Qingqing said.
“I didn’t do much. The credit goes to Lin Xiaoting and the Tempest Marshal. That family is full of good men. You haven’t married him and aren’t considered a true part of Lightning Manor. Yet, you can join others like Wei Guohao, Princess Qing, Mo Lin, Chen Hao, Xing Que, all direct descendants of powerful clans, in the Abyssal Trials. You can fight for the chance to join Heaven’s Elysium.”
Liu Xueyao stroked Mu Qingqing’s head, her eyes full of hope.
“Big brother Ting really hopes I can join Heaven’s Elysium together with him. I’ll definitely try my best in the Abyssal Trials.” Mu Qingqing’s expression was serious. As someone who craved advancement, she possessed a fighting spirit that actually wouldn’t lose to anyone.
“In this final stretch, I’ll try to help you grasp more trump cards. After all, the Abyssal Trials won't just have competitors from our Heaven’s Sanctum, but also premier geniuses from other countries. Add on the multitude of fierce wildbeasts, and the death toll will be high.” Liu Xueyao became worried when she mentioned this.
She knew that in the Abyssal Battlefield, even the most heaven-defying of geniuses could get killed in a moment of carelessness.
“I’m willing to take the risk, all for the chance of joining Heaven’s Elysium.” Mu Qingqing bit her red lips.
“Not bad. That’s what I like about you. Although you look soft on the outside, you’re tougher and more hardworking than anyone else. Your accomplishments today were a foregone conclusion. The competition will be fierce, but I believe in you.” Liu Xueyao was clear why Mu Qingqing was so persistent.
Heaven’s Elysium was a true paradise. She herself had dreamed of going there when she was young. Only after going there would one know how vast the world truly was.
It was Lin Xiaoting’s destiny to go there after obtaining the Saintbeast War-Soul. His horizons would be broadened, and if he went alone, his life may not have a Mu Qingqing thereafter.
So, whether Mu Qingqing followed him to that vaster world, or stayed here to wait and wait for him was all up to the Abyssal Trials.
Mu Qingqing swore that no one, absolutely no one, would stop her path forward!
In the grand scheme of things, Li Tianming was just an insignificant thing, unworthy of mention. He was the past, and what would determine her future was the Abyssal Battlefield.
If she was still worrying about him getting perfect synchronisation, that was the real joke. Liu Xueyao was right. They no longer belonged to the same world.
Hence, when Li Tianming finally lasted one hour and everyone present burst into an uproar, she was busy completing her mental preparations for what was coming. “From now on, if a god blocks my way, I’ll kill the god. If a devil blocks my way, I'll kill the devil!”
Mu Qingqing bit her tongue, and the taste of blood immediately roused her emotions to bursting point. In that moment, the coldness in her eyes seemed to rise another level. The sanctum geniuses who were busy feeling shocked over Li Tianming now seemed rather meaningless, because Mu Qingqing knew this was not where her future lay.
“What is he doing?”
“It seems he made a breakthrough, right next to Flameyellow Rock!
“He’ll be famous if it gets out that he has perfect synchronisation. I bet the supernal mentors are all going to fight over him…”
“I heard he rejected all of the supernal mentors and wanted to be the Vice-Potentate’s disciple, though…”
“That… might actually be possible now.”
Li Tianming’s performance had convinced many disciples.
Li Tianming’s power madly rose, as he finally entered second level Spiritsource. However, because of Spiritual Attachment and his Aeternal Infernal Beast Ki being much more majestic than others, he seemed to possess power of sixth level Spiritsource to others!
It was imaginable that with his perfect synchronisation, his rate of growth would be much quicker. Surpassing most here was a very real possibility. Li Tianming was no longer considered mediocre in Heaven’s Sanctum.
“Let’s go, supernal mentor,” Mu Qingqing said coldly.
“He actually has perfect synchronisation. Many of the supernal mentors will be regretting it soon, I bet.” Liu Xueyao couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration, well aware of how hard perfect synchronisation was.
“Good for him then,” Mu Qingqing said.
“You don’t want to see him?” Liu Xueyao asked.
“I’ve forgiven him, but he still hates me. I don’t want to see him strutting around in front of me after he accomplished a bit. Besides, I need to go prepare for the Abyssal Trials.” Mu Qingqing said.
“Alright. From my point of view, it's disgraceful when a despicable person has good talent.” Liu Xueyao didn’t say anything more. As the commotion continued, she and Mu Qingqing headed for the Flameyellow Pagoda’s second floor.
None of the Heaven’s Sanctum disciples noticed, but when they vanished into the upper floor, Li Tianming threw that direction a glance.
“Big brother, why aren’t you happy even though you made a breakthrough?” Jiang Feiling asked.
“I think I saw someone detestable.” Li Tianming frankly. It was only a glimpse of a skirt he caught, but that snow-white clothing was what she liked the most.
“Mu Qingqing?” Jiang Feiling asked.
“Yes.” From the commotion, it seemed many people had come.
Li Tianming wanted to go out for a break. He had just reached second level Spiritsource, so he needed to rest and consolidate his gains. That definitely wasn’t possible next to the rock.
After he came out, Jiang Feiling also undid her Spiritual Attachment, flitting out of him like a small bird. It had been like a date, and the two were exceptionally happy. When Li Tianming thought of how he could use this as a reason to bring her out more often in the future, a warm, fuzzy feeling flooded his heart.
“Hah! With perfect synchronisation as an excuse, we’ll see how Jiang Qingluan stops me from bringing out Ling’er everyday!” Just thinking of Jiang Qingluan’s stunned expression was enough to make Li Tianming chuckle. He left the cultivation region a little while later, hand in hand with Jiang Feiling like a couple getting married. The first person Li Tianming saw was Vice-Potentate Mu Yang, whose eyes were burning with passion. He wasn't alone for long; soon a dozen odd supernal mentors appeared by his side.
There were as many supernal mentors now as there were on that day in the Hall of Ancestry. The only one missing was Liu Xueyao, who had already left with complex feelings.
As Mu Qingqing’s supernal mentor, there was no way she wanted to personally witness how popular Li Tianming was.