Translator: BOTA Fireteam
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 othersâ 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 wasnât 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 wasnât as unrestrained as Fang Xingque. Perhaps due to how Jian Xueyi treated him, and the fact that he cultivated the Hexapath Samsara Sword, Tianming didnât really mind the disciples from the Draconis House of Jian. In addition to Jiang Lingchengâs innocent smile, it was easy for others to gain a favorable impression of her.
âBrother Tianming, my father secretly told me that you were brought back by Her Eminence. Is that right?â Jian Lingchen came up with a wink.
âThatâs right.â Tianming nodded. It wasnât a secret, so there was nothing Tianming had to hide about it.
âWow, even the eminent appreciates you. My respect for you is like endless spring water,â Jian Lingchen said enviously.
âDo many people know about it?â Tianming asked.
âNot many. My dad told me to keep my mouth shut, so I only told my four godsisters about it.â Jian Lingchen winked at the four girls.
âYour godsisters are all so beautiful,â Tianming smiled.
âHey, hey, hey, keep your impure thoughts to yourself. The four of them are my future wives,â said Jian Lingchen.
âWhat the hell?â Tianming widened his eyes and asked, âAre you serious?â
âWell, I canât help it since Iâm so handsome. Thereâs many girls wooing me, and theyâre all great beauties. So I donât have a choice but to accept them all. At least Iâll be covered in the rain and dew.â Jian Lingchen coughed.
âThe world isnât fair.â
âCalm down, calm down. Ordinary people like you have to keep yourself composed. After all, jealousy will make you uglier, and you wonât be able to attract any beauties,â Jian Lingchen smiled.
âWhy are you guys acting so sneakily?â the mature one among the four women asked.
âNo. Big Sister Nichang, weâre praising you guysâ beauty!â Jian Lingchen smiled while shrinking his neck. After that, he turned around and whispered to Tianming, âYou have to be nice to women. Praise them more and the family will become harmonious.â
âAlright, thatâs enough. I donât need you to teach me how to strike up a conversation with girls,â said Tianming.
âI 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 Iâm thinking of joining hands with you. We have five Heaven Branch disciples here, wouldnât it be better for us to work together?â Jian Lingchen said straightforwardly.
âYou have the guts to face Fang Xingque?â Tianming asked.
âWhy not? Donât listen to him boast about himself, sounding off like the Archaion Sect belongs to him. Who doesnât have a capable father nowadays? Our parents all have some status, so which of them will lower their seniority to interfere in the younger generationâs affairs? Heâs shameless enough to use hundreds of people to rise in the rankings, and Iâm not on his side. So why canât I compete fairly?â Jian Lingchen said.
âThat sounds about right. After all, you have the Draconis House of Jian and Human Branchâs sect master supporting you. Conflicts between the younger generation are trivial matters,â said Tianming.
âSo 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,â said Jian Lingchen.
âSure, but I wonât be working for you. I wonât hesitate if thereâs an opportunity to activate his Astral Formation,â Tianming said straightforwardly.
âThatâs simple. If heâs defeated and the points go to you, then wouldnât it be resolved if I beat you up? Haha, I have four godsisters here.â Jian Lingchen smiled.
âThen Iâll also deal with you if you obtain his points,â said Tianming.
âSure, as long as you have the capability to do so. I look down on people like Fang Xingque the most, acting so arrogant like heâs everything. The Deepstar Battle is ruined by that piece of garbage!â Jian Lingchen said with disdain.
âYouâre 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 youâre saying that you need someone to take the lead?â Tianming asked.
âThatâs right. Iâll take the lead at that time, but I need someone to join me,â said Jian Lingchen.
âYouâre pretty bold. Why not go after Xuanyuan Muxue?â Tianming asked.
âI never hit women. Women are gifts of art created by gods. So how can you beat them?â Jian Lingchen said.
âWhat if she beats you up?â
âWell, I guess itâs the arrangement of fate to have intimate contact with her fist,â said Jian Lingchen.
âAnd what if someone tries to crush your balls?â Tianming asked with a smile.
âNo way, they have to be beaten up....â Jian Lingchen immediately had beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
âHaha....â Tianming found this fellow interesting, and he didnât mind working together with him. After all, there were so many people on Fang Xingqueâs side, and he really needed an ally to touch him.
âBrother, 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?â Jian Lingchen asked curiously.
âIâm guessing that he still doesnât know about it.â Tianming smiled.
âProbably. After all, the seniors are all unwilling to talk about anything with regards to the eminent,â said Jian Lingchen.
âI donât think heâd lower his head even if he knew it,â said Tianming. His identity wasnât stable enough, so he could only be considered a special existence at best.
âThatâs right. This guy is used to being an overlord.â
......
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 Lingchenâs ancestors.
Along the way, Tianming followed behind while he pondered over Heavenly Will. âLingchen, heâs been cultivating along the way, and heâs slowing down our pace. Why do you have to bring him along?â
âWhy donât you get rid of him? After all, heâs still not comparable to a Heaven Branch disciple. I donât doubt his future achievements, but heâs still an empyrean saint in the Deepstar Battlefield. Heâll be a burden following us, and the gap between you and the top two will only increase.âJian Liuyang turned to look at Tianming unhappily.
âItâs alright. Why do you guys still care about catching up to them now? Thereâs no way we can catch up to them right now. Letâs wait for the last three days,â said Jian Lingchen.
âHe has a huge conflict with Fang Xingque, and I feel that we can watch the show from the side. This personâs identity is too sensitive, and he killed two of Fang Chenyuâs lifebound beasts. The Sterling House of Fang will definitely target him. So why are you interfering?â Jian Liuyang said.
âMost importantly, he might not be able to do anything with his strength. Itâs not worth getting involved in the conflict just for a friendship,â said Jian Weijing.
âDo all of you share the same thoughts?â Jian Lingchen asked.
âI feel the same too!â Jian Yini said.
âYou guys are afraid of Fang Xingque?â Jian Lingchen asked unhappily.
âItâs not that weâre afraid, but we donât want to create any other conflicts other than fair competition. Otherwise, when the Deepstar Battle comes to an end, theyâll keep coming at us, and itâll be vexing. Thereâs nothing special about Li Tianmingâs capability, and he has an aggressive temper. Itâs easy for you to get caught up in a mess to make friends with such a person. I believe that your father and uncle wouldnât recommend you do that,â said Jian Nichang.
âThat doesnât matter. I find him pretty pleasing to the eye. Just let me have it my way this time, alright?â Jian Lingchen said coquettishly.
âAlright, alright, as long as you're happy. But we wonât agree to it if he wants to drag you down.â
âI heard that his improvement is quick, but seriously speaking, thereâs a difference between the Empyrean Saint and Samsara stages. Itâs still unknown if he's an absolute genius before he reaches the Samsara stage.
âIâm afraid that heâs being targeted by Fang Xingque in the Deepstar Battlefield and will be crippled by him. After all, this fellow started it, so he canât blame others for doing the same to him.â
âLetâs not think about that for now. We just need things to be chaotic and find an opportunity to help Lingchen get Fang Xingqueâs points.â
âThe Deepstar Poolâs spot is very important, and we have to do our best!â
âLetâs take the risk once for Lingchen.â
Jian Lingchen was touched by their words and hugged the four girls. He only lamented the fact that he only had two hands and couldnât have enough fun.
......
âTsk, tsk,â Ying Huo smiled.
âWhatâre you laughing about?â Tianming asked.
âLook ahead.â
Tianming raised his head and saw Jian Lingchen hugging a girl in each arm.
âHoly shit. Am I here to be a third wheel?â Tianming smiled bitterly.
âCome and curse his kidneys with me!â Ying Huo said with a dark face.