The Prodigies War

Quasi-Emperor Hua Dian had been killed!

Sword Emperor Brave Gale and Heavenly Sound Pavilion's Grand Elder Liang Chuan had both declared that they were on Yu Xuan’s side!

Everyone dropped their jaw upon learning about this, as if they had just heard the most bizarre thing in the world.

Yu Xuan, the main culprit of all this turmoil, was not only still alive, but he was also living better than anyone could have expected!

At least, no one on this Whirlwind Ship would dare to plot against him going forward!

“What exactly happened there? What made Sword Emperor Brave Gale and Elder Liang Chuan change their mind?”

“There must be something we don’t know about Yu Xuan!”

There were endless discussions on this topic.

……

After the various news circulating about reached Liu Qingyuan, she fell into a long trace, staring into space.

Once she returned to her senses, she began to ask all kinds of questions like a curious cat.

Lin Xun explained everything that he could, but he was unable to reveal the details of his Eleventh Senior Brother Pu Zhen as well as what had happened that night.

Liu Qingyan was obviously dissatisfied with just that. She proceeded to try various indirect approaches to pry out more information. The only thing she didn’t do was throw a tantrum.

As helpless as he was, Lin Xun glossed it over and revealed nothing more.

His current identity was still Yu Xuan. Even though he had exposed quite a lot of his power and aroused many suspicions, at least no one knew his true identity yet.

In the end, Liu Qingyan couldn’t get anything out of him.

However, she started to look at him differently, her expression clearly saying, ‘I will figure out your secret sooner or later’ which made Lin Xun feel uncomfortable all over.

Starting today, Lin Xun's life suddenly became distinctly peaceful.

If he wasn’t cultivating, then he would be pondering the possibilities of what he would do after he arrived at the Great Primordial Chaos World.

Occasionally, he would go out, only to attract many strange gazes wherever he appeared.

Among those gazes, some carried awe, some curiosity, some doubt, and some confusion.

It made him feel like he was a different species from the rest.

Even the hemp-clothed youth, who had introduced himself to be Xuan Jiuyin, would climb on the walls of Lin Xun’s yard and throw all sorts of questions at him.

“My friend, your master must be a big shot. Who exactly are they, though?”

“My brother, is that senior who loves to reason really your senior brother?”

“Bro, you can't blame me for leaving you to sink. I really wanted to help you, but my lack of power wouldn’t allow it. Still, can't you at least tell me if you’re actually a descendant of the Imperial Yu Clan?”

“Bro…”

It was naturally impossible for Lin Xun to answer all that, so he simply decided to stay in for good and focus wholy on cultivating.

During this, Zhuang Yunzhi dropped by and notified him that Primordial Dao Court might become quite a problem in the future.

Once Lin Xun arrived at the Great Primordial Chaos World, their disciple Kong Yu definitely wouldn’t let him be.

Lin Xun made no comment on this.

Kong Yu was not only a disciple of Primordial Dao Court but also a pureblood descendant of the Imperial Kong Clan. His background was beyond special.

Yet Lin Xun couldn't care less.

After all, the Kong Clan’s founder, Demon-Beast Emperor Dutian, had been suppressed by his Ninth Senior Brother Ge Yupu for countless years!

Currently, Kong Dutian’s primordial spirit was still imprisoned in the Dao Endless Pagoda and would be completely refined in less than ten years!

Since that was the case, why would he take any threats from Kong Yu seriously?

Another recent visitor was Sword Emperor Brave Gale, who now treated Lin Xun amiably like a junior of his clan.

He was planning to give compensation to Lin Xun.

Pu Zhen had spared his life precisely on this condition, so how did he dare make light of it?

Lin Xun, however, shook his head and said that he didn't need any compensation.

This rendered Brave Gale helpless.

No compensation? That won’t do!

Thus, this issue had become his heart demon for a while now. Compensation was necessary, but he couldn't decide on what to give.

For example, him killing Hua Dian and announcing his resolve to defend Lin Xun was, in fact, already the start of his compensation.

However, that was still far from enough!

In his courtyard, Sword Emperor Brave Gale was having trouble deciding.

“What exactly should we offer? Cultivation techniques and arts? He probably doesn’t need any. Treasures? How can he possibly lack treasures when he has an Emperor expert for a senior brother?”

Jintian Xuanyue was puzzled. “Ancestor, his senior brother is long gone. Why are you so torn about the compensation?”

Her old ancestor was the nebula-famous Sword Emperor Brave Gale. He might not be a match for that farmer, but he was still a true Emperor at the end of the day!

Now that the farmer had left, why was it necessary to be so serious and careful about the compensation?

“You’re still young, so you wouldn’t understand,” sighed Brave Gale. “The Emperor path is not as simple as you may think; it’s full of trials and obstacles. I've been certified as an Emperor for thirty thousand years, but to this day, I've only touched the threshold of the ‘No Self, No World’ phase[1].

“And this is only the threshold into the first phase of the Emperor Stage, which is also called ‘Free From Obsessions.’ Since the beginning of time, more than half of those who have ever entered the Emperor Stage were stopped by this threshold.”

Hearing this, Jintian Xuanyue was dumbstruck.

Ancestor has been an Emperor for thirty thousand years and only barely touched the first threshold of the Emperor Stage?

Then how much more arduous is this path going to be after that?

“Take that Old Monk Dukong for example, he seemed to do well with his mastery of the Light and Dark Zen Bodies as well as the Myriad Apparition Art inherited from Earth Treasury Buddha, but his progress on the Emperor path was just about the same as mine.

“As for the old woman protecting that young man surnamed Xuan, she is slightly more powerful than us, but she’s at most still within this first phase of the Emperor Stage.

“But that farmer is different,” explained Sword Emperor Brave Gale in a low voice.

Then, there was a flash of realization and shock in his eyes, and he fell silent.

After waiting for a long time without hearing anything else, Jintian Xuanyue couldn't help but guess, “Could it be that he has already crossed the first hurdle?”

Brave Gale shook his head. “One who has only crossed the first phase of the Emperor Stage still wouldn't be able to easily suppress Old Monk Dukong with three punches.”

Jintian Xuanyue gasped, “He’s even stronger than that?!”

Brave Gale affirmed, “Yes, indeed. As for how much stronger, I don’t know because I failed to gauge his depths with my cultivation.”

Speaking of this, he couldn’t help but lament in his heart.

This was exactly why he had taken the initiative to admit defeat. Otherwise, he would surely have died because there had been simply no way for him to win that battle!

The Emperor Stage might seem high and mighty, but in the eyes of those who had reached it, the path thereafter was only difficulties stacked upon more difficulties!

If one compared the entire Emperor Stage to a treacherous mountain peak, then for the thirty thousand years since he had first arrived, Brave Gale had only been wandering around the foot of the mountain.

Meanwhile, that farmer had probably been climbing up higher and higher. As for his exact altitude, Brave Gale could not tell due to the huge gap between them.

Jintian Xuanyue asked, “But even though that person is very strong, he still didn’t make it too difficult for us in the end, did he?”

“You don't understand,” said Brave Gale. “I'm certain that he had intended to kill me but then changed his mind. And if my guess is correct, then the reason must be our founding ancestor.”

Jintian Xuanyue was stunned. She also remembered clearly that the farmer had said, “You have a good ancestor.”

She was visibly shocked. “It can't be…that he knows our founder?”

The Jintian Clan's founder was Emperor Bai, a peerlessly supreme legend in the primeval era who had built White Emperor City with his own hands!

Compared to him, Sword Emperor Brave Gale was only a descendant of the Jintian Clan’s sixteenth generation. There was a heavenly rift between their seniority.

“Even if he doesn’t, he spared us on the founding ancestor’s account,” said Brave Gale. “Under such a circumstance, how can I not take his demand to heart?”

He then looked at the stunning and elegant Jintian Xuanyue who was sitting properly in front of him and suddenly had an idea.

“Xuanyue, since you fought Yu Xuan, what do you think of his strength?”

Jintian Xuanyue mused, “Unfathomable is the only word I can think of. I suppose he can even enter the top thirty of the All Heavens Saint-King Rankings, and he’s only at the initial Supreme Saint-King Stage at that. He will only be much more terrifying as his cultivation rises in the future!”

She sighed, “As much as I hate the fact that he has defeated me, I have to admit that his attainments on the Supreme Saint-King path are a clear level above mine.”

Brave Gale was silent for a moment before he said, “Xuanyue, sometimes a disaster can be turned into an opportunity, and what we have right now is one if you’re willing to…grasp it.”

Startled, Jintian Xuanyue said, “Please enlighten me, Ancestor.”

……

On the same day, the Whirlwind Ship that had just regained its calm was swept away by a new storm.

“The Jintian Clan's goddess, Jintian Xuanyue, has expressed her wish to cultivate by Yu Xuan's side! For this reason, she has been painstakingly waiting outside his door!”

Everyone was stupefied when the news came out.

The Imperial Jintian Clan was a huge monster as one of the oldest, top-tier clans on the entire Ancient Nebula Road who had produced many Emperors!

Jintian Xuanyue was the brightest star of their younger generation, which was also why she was escorted by Sword Emperor Brave Gale through her whole trip out this time.

Despite that, she wanted to follow Lin Xun around as a cultivating attendant!

This was simply mind-blowing!

“How can Fairy Xuanyue…how can she…do that?” Countless admirers were heartbroken.

“Yu Xuan is truly blessed!” Many cultivators expressed their envy.

Jintian Xuanyue was not only beautiful and aloof like the moon goddess, but her background was also extraordinary. For many people, being able to win her favor was already an achievement to brag about for the rest of their life.

Yet, someone of her caliber was actually requesting to cultivate by Yu Xuan's side. This was just too much to take in.

“No, I won't agree to this!” some even shouted their disapproval and gnashed their teeth, thinking that Yu Xuan was simply unworthy.

However, these kinds of people were quickly blasted with a dose of reality, “Even Senior Brave Gale hasn’t said anything against this. Who the hell do you think you are? What qualifications do you have to disagree?”

In short, Jintian Xuanyue’s action had raised a great deal of uproar. Countless people clicked their tongues in astonishment and disbelief.

To their dismay, however, what happened next was—Yu Xuan had actually turned her down!

It was said that the courtyard gate hadn’t once been opened, leaving the peerless beauty stand alone outside…

1. meaning letting go of the material world and mortal desires ☜