Among these people who were tossed to the side, some wore bitter smiles. They knew that their aptitudes weren’t that good, but they were used to being ignored like this. Others had envy in their hearts, but they also rejoiced that they had tested at the same time as this prodigy. Perhaps, they could mingle as familiar faces? Who knew if they could rely on someone’s help in the future? In addition, some possessed pride in their hearts, and weren’t thinking about relying on help. However, they did intend on making friends with him.
As for several others — Previously, they were worshiped upon as the moon was encircled by the stars. Now, they were eclipsed by Gongyi Tianheng’s radiance. Just like that gloomy young man with the nine-star comprehension… The dissatisfaction in his chest practically overflowed. Jealousy and resentment bubbled up from the bottom of his heart.
In the wide and open world, living beings had all kinds of attitudes and behaviors. From this, it could be seen that the temperament of a martial artist was but a small item in the grander scheme of things.
At this time, although Tianheng was being surrounded by many masters, he didn’t neglect the expressions of the other people. It was just that he was splitting his attention, and he didn’t reveal it on his face.
Of course, the enthusiasm of these masters was the most crucial matter. Although it was very good that he was being fought over by others, his response couldn’t carelessly offend them, too.
As a result, Tianheng smiled and said: “Honorable masters, please.”
These words weren’t partial towards anyone, but they also didn’t reject anyone either.
When the numerous masters heard what was said, they restrained themselves one after another. In their eyes, Tianheng was neither servile nor overbearing. From his expression, he wore a faint smile. However, his countenance also possessed an inviolable air of respect that belonged to a prodigy. Suddenly, their understanding of Tianheng went up by two points.
Never mind. Each and every prodigy had their own plans. While they could rope him in, they wouldn’t be able to completely call the shots. It was better that they sent him in together. Then, they would ask those decision makers who bestowed the benefits to fight over him!
After making such a resolution, the masters plainly smiled: “Gongyi Tianheng. Is Student Gongyi okay?”
Tianheng said: “That’s fine.”
The masters spoke: “Since it’s like this, this student shall follow us into the Inner Sect. You’ll go to the Ten Ultimates Palace Hall, and see the sect elders.”
Tianheng naturally answered: “This one understands. Deference is no substitute for obedience.”
After that, these masters exchanged glances, and pretended to consider something. All of them had dispatched the attending disciples at their sides to temporarily watch over the testing. Meanwhile, the remaining masters moved to escort Tianheng — The heart of a prodigy was hard to fathom. This personal escort was also a showing of their sincerity.
Tianheng was well aware of the intentions of these many masters, but he didn’t turn them down. Only, the bigger the prestige one had in this kind of large organization, the more precious one appeared. This could guard against villains, but it also acted as a warning sign to powerhouses. This freed oneself from wasting time on some trifling matters.
When all was said and done, the Central Continent’s Ten Ultimates Sect and the Qingyun Continent’s Qingyun Sect were different. The forces within the latter were a mass of twisted roots and intertwined joints. When they first arrived at Qingyun Sect, they were encumbered by family and the secrets they protected. Consequently, they needed to be careful in all things, contend and mingle in every possible way, and establish themselves to engage with others.
As for Ten Ultimates Sect, there were countless powerhouses, and its factions stood tall in great numbers. The number of ways they could kill him was as numerous as the hairs on an ox. No matter how smooth and slick he was, it would be useless. On the contrary, he would appear petty and small-minded. He needed to show all of his strong points to be able to seize an opportunity and gain the appreciation and recognition of one side’s powerhouses. This would avert many dangers.
This was what it meant when one rested their back against a great tree, and cooled off in its shade. What Tianheng currently needed to do was to select a rather powerful faction out of all parties to become his backer. This would lay a solid foundation for what he needed to do in the future.
After walking out of the hall, a master stepped forward and stood out. He extended a hand, and made an outward grabbing motion. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic palm dropped down from the sky. It gently and cautiously fell in front of Tianheng.
This master laughed in a clear voice, and said: “This is called the World Palm. Student Gongyi, allow this old man to send you on your way!”
Tianheng looked at this hand, and saw that it had been condensed out of power, but the palm, fingers, and even fingerprints were all true to life. It was like a material object, and it would make a person gasp in amazement. The size of this palm dominated a range of five hundred meters. The vastness of its form could accommodate several hundred people, so there was no harm in riding on it.
Hearing this master talk like this, Tianheng leaped out and stood on its surface.
Off to the side, those masters cursed under their breaths: “Cunning!”
Immediately following which, they also boarded the palm, and accompanied Tianheng.
This palm hid the sky and covered the earth like a mass of black clouds that continuously stretched onward. Tianheng lowered his head to take a look. With the mere wave of this palm, that huge academy suddenly passed by. Soon after, what laid ahead were vast tracts of land, lofty and towering mountain ranges, and a boundless reservoir of ambient qi. In addition, there was that long and mountainous stairway, layers upon layers of palaces, and a torrential ocean of clouds. One glance would never hope to see the end of this horizon. Regardless of whether one looked to the left or right, front or back, there were flourishing blossoms, dense forests, wondrous animals, and precious herbs. The resources everywhere seemed inexhaustible.
Down below, there were innumerable Ten Ultimates Sect disciples. They wore all kinds of robes. Their bearings were broad, and their miens were unhurried. The qi emissions that everyone gave off carried fantastic and astonishing tones, as if they possessed countless mysteries. Throughout the sect, many young martial artists were drenched with sweat as they roamed like surging waves and sparred with each other. The entire sect overflowed with a grand martial spirit. Endless spirit weapon lights glittered brilliantly, and an untold number of geniuses and elites showed outstanding might.
There were also vast stretches of spirit fields and fertile lands. Inside the gardens and flowerbeds, the gleams of precious treasures were blindingly bright. Rich and heavy pill fragrances permeated many areas. And many more beams of psychic power would soar into the sky. They spread out in all directions, colliding with each other. Countless messages were rolled up, and many obscure and ineffable things were sent out!
Tianheng took everything into his eyes, and inwardly praised in his heart.
A silver-ranked organization was worthy of its designation. The Qingyun Sect he had originally seen was already majestic and mighty, but compared to this Ten Ultimates Sect, it was nothing but the light of a firefly against the luminous moon. It simply couldn’t be mentioned on equal terms. Even at conservative estimates, if the total sum of Qingyun Sect was multiplied a hundred to a thousand fold, it would still fall short of Ten Ultimates Sect.
Tianheng didn’t have to think about it too much. He only needed to breathe in a mouthful of the ambient qi here, and he suddenly felt that his internal organs were brimming with a dense and pure true qi. It swiftly proliferated to every one of his cells and spread to every corner of his body. It made each strand of hair seemingly want to tremble and stand up!
His time of secluded cultivation at Qingyun Sect already couldn’t be compared to a mere random location in Ten Ultimates Sect. That true qi pool, which Qingyun Sect viewed as a treasure, was somewhat inferior. Moreover, these qi emissions were gentler and easier to absorb.
Tianheng remained calm and collected. He just carefully experienced the various things received within a silver-ranked organization.
A period of time passed. After crossing over quite a few valleys and mountain ranges, another master swung his arm and tossed out a token-like object. And carved on this token was a fierce wild bird that bore its fangs and brandished its claws. Once the token flashed with rays of light, a wild bird with the exact likeness of that carved portrait appeared. It spread its pair of enormous wings.
That master said: “This place is quite windy. Student Gongyi, why don’t we ride this wild bird and experience it for a little bit?”
Ten Ultimates Palace Hall.
The sound of booming footsteps, the whistling of gale-force winds, the crackling of flames, the surge of a jade-green ocean, the booming of thunder and chirping of lightning… All kinds of sounds converged inside the main hall.
After several loud noises, a scattering of ten people stood at the center of this main hall.
Among the ten, there were men and women. Some were old and some were young. Their looks also had nothing in common with each other. However, there was no need for doubt that their moods were all rather eager. The lights in their eyes faintly flickered.
A tall and sturdy man with a height of three meters sat down on a chair. In a loud voice, he said: “Hey! I’ve heard that a good seedling has come. You guys have taken many before, so this one must be left with the great me, okay?”
Another voice as soft as jade-green waves lightly echoed out: “You can’t say that. The disciples are recruited based on their skills. Besides, this time’s disciple is different…”
A child-like voice violently shouted: “In your dreams! In the past, most were nothing but exceptional geniuses. This one is a triple all-star prodigy! How can you take advantage of this, you brainless oaf!”
After that, many distinctive voices echoed out one after another. All of them were arguing.
Finally, an unquestionable voice stopped everything: “When too many speak, no one can listen. Wait until that all-star prodigy arrives. Then, we’ll each tell him our advantages, and allow him to select a teacher for himself. Now that things are somewhat steady, don’t show anything disgraceful! If that all-star prodigy comes here and is greatly disappointed, then we are sinners of the sect!”
When these words were uttered, these powerhouses stopped quarreling like young children. Rather, they quieted down, albeit with some unwillingness.
Indeed. Prodigies were rare, and all-star prodigies were even more precious. If they gave that prodigy a bad impression and he turned around to join another organization, wouldn’t they be the ones to blame?
Naturally, these ten people were also the Ten Ultimates Palace Masters. All of them knew their places.
Not long after, disjointed voices echoed from outside the palace hall. After the sound of a blustery wind, a dozen or so masters escorted a young person who possessed the grace of a dragon and the looks of a phoenix. They saw that his appearance was extremely handsome, his temperament was as bright as the moon, and his bearing and elegance were first class. Moreover, it seemed he wasn’t that type who was arrogant, obstinate, and hard to get along with… In a split second, the hearts of the Ten Ultimates Palace Masters gushed with a trace of fondness.
Gongyi Tianheng entered through the doorway. First, he cupped his fist out of courtesy: “This one greets the palace masters!”
Along the way, the numerous masters had already told him about the situation of the Ten Ultimates Palace Halls.
Ten Ultimates Sect had ten Heaven Lords. Each of them were Cosmic Realms, but because their realms were deep and profound, they bore the responsibility of the sect’s safety as well as of their own ascension. Thus, they were in secluded cultivation all year round, and didn’t handle miscellaneous tasks. As a result, apart from the ten Heaven Lords, there were also the Ten Ultimates Palace Masters who were separately in charge of the Ten Ultimates Palace Halls. They were also responsible for raising disciples, and other such matters.
As for the Ten Ultimates Palace Masters themselves, they were the ten Royal Realms who had the highest comprehensive qualities in the sect — Although there were disparities in the smaller realms in terms of their large Royal Realm, their positions were all identical. The differences in their combat strengths also weren’t as exaggerated as that of heaven and earth.
These Ten Ultimates Palace Masters were: Absolute Thunder Palace Master, Ardent Earth Palace Master, Howling Wind Palace Master, Frigid Ice Palace Master, Golden Light Palace Master, Blood Transformation Palace Master, Raging Flames Palace Master, Fallen Soul Palace Master, Jade Ocean Palace Master, and Red Sands Palace Master.
Each palace master, and each of the Ten Ultimates Palace Halls, grasped a school of ultimate knowledge.
Every disciple who joined Ten Ultimates Sect, besides the minority who could directly apprentice themselves to a master, would work on their own in the beginning. When their strength and realm improved, they could choose to study a school of ultimate knowledge. Finally, there was a possibility that they could to enter one of the Ten Ultimates Palace Halls where those ultimate knowledges were located.
As for Tianheng, this prodigy, it naturally wasn’t necessary to run himself ragged like an ordinary disciple, waiting to be noticed by a powerhouse — He could directly enter and join a palace hall.
After Tianheng paid his respects, those palace masters of the Ten Ultimates Palace Halls each nodded their heads and gestured one after another.
Among them, a dignified and solemn middle-aged man spoke ahead of the others: “As the Absolute Thunder Palace Hall’s palace master, I possess the great treasure known as the Milky Way Thunder Pond. It can forge one’s muscles and bones. I also have the heaven-ranked ultimate skill <<Nine Firmaments Thunder Finger>>. Do you want to learn it, and have me as your teacher?”
T/N: I have an announcement to make. I’ll be going back to school soon for an accelerated nursing program. In three years, I hope to get a doctorate in nursing practice. I’ll try to maintain the current updating schedule of one chapter every three days, but if I can’t keep it up, the schedule may change. Thank you for your patience!
Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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