âCongratulations! The Host has obtained the legendary Rocksteady Daoist Core!â
On this day, Chu Kuangren did his daily rolls on the Fairy boat.
He was slightly shocked to see his prize. Even with the Lucky Halo, it was unlikely one would get something legendary. He was already insanely lucky to get the Immortal Phoenix last time!
After accepting the Rocksteady Daoist Core, Chu Kuangren did not feel any different. All that came was information about the item.
The Rocksteady Daoist Core, as the name implied, was an immovable, solid Daoist core.
It was quite a useful item. In the spiritual world, it was commonly said that its method was easy to learn, but cultivating it into a Daoist core was difficult.
The Daoist core was crucial to a cultivator. A cultivator with a strong core may not reach great heights, but every cultivator that stood at the very top would possess a strong core.
âSeventh Forefather, do you know anything about Whitelock Sage?â Chu Kuangren asked while they were on the Fairy boat.
The Seventh Forefather appeared, nodding slightly. âWhitelock Sage is well-known, so I know quite a bit about him.â
âHe doesnât belong to any sage orthodoxy, but he appears to preach to the people once in a while and he has accumulated a lot of merit with this.â
âMany powerful cultivators have heard his preachings. Due to that, he has students from all walks of life. Itâs quite impressive.â
Chu Kuangren noticed a particular phrase while listening to the Seventh Forefather. âYou can accumulate merit just by preaching to the people?â
The Seventh Forefather nodded slightly. âYes, but only the first preaching has a significant effect. Itâs why many newly ascended Sages will preach to increase their merit, but towards the end, it stops.â
âThose like Whitelock Sage are rare. Heâs the only one who still preaches from time to time.â
Chu Kuangren nodded. âIt certainly is intriguing. Could he be accumulating merits because of a personal failure?â
âMerits work in mysterious ways. But for Sages, it serves little purpose unless itâs some groundbreaking mystical merit. I assume he just likes collecting them.â
âPerhaps.â
Chu Kuangren did not give it any more thought.
â¦
Whitelockâs preaching grounds lay in a mountain range that was named after Whitelock himself due to his presence there.
Now, Whitelock Mountain was bustling with a crowd of people several times bigger than the Great Sword Tournament.
It made sense. The Great Sword Tournament only appealed to the sword cultivators, but a Sageâs preaching appealed to every cultivator in the world.
That included many Honorables and elite individuals.
âLook, itâs Ao Chang from the Sacred Lands of Serene Wisdom.â
A Fairy boatâs arrival attracted many peopleâs attention.
The crowd glanced over as a few cultivators from the Sacred Lands of Serene Wisdom got off the boat. Leading the way was Ao Chang.
As a Young Emperor, Ao Chang was more famous than several Honorables. His appearance attracted the attention of many people.
âItâs not just Ao Chang, but Gu Changge and Yuanhong are here too!â
âEven Lin Batian from Zhiyang Valley came.â
Several Young Emperors from various sage orthodoxies showed up one after another, sparking discussions amongst the crowd.
âI didnât expect the Young Emperors to come and listen to a Sageâs preaching.â
âArenât they from the sage orthodoxies? They should already have a Sage backing them, so why do they still come to listen to Whitelock Sageâs preaching?â
âAre you stupid? He who doesnât accept external criticism will never improve. Who says you canât listen to other Sagesâ preaching just because you have your own?â
âThat is fair.â
Humâ¦
Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared nearby and took the form of a white-robed young man with green hair.
A powerful aura settled around him as sparks of electricity pulsed in the air, shocking many cultivators.
âWho is that? Such a rude entrance.â
âShh! Quiet. Heâs the Thunder Falcon Tribeâs ancient sky pride and Young Emperor, Lei Mingtian. He was the first to get an Emperorâs Essence and heâs stronger than people like Ao Chang!â
âRight, just donât anger him, no matter what. Heâs a tyrant with a Sageâs bloodline.â
Once more, a burst of light as red as blood exploded from the crowd. Under the crowdâs gazes, a young man in blood-red robes slowly walked towards Lei Mingtian.
Their eyes met, and in the next moment, so did their blades.
The manâs appearance left many in shock.
âItâs the Yasha Tribeâs Young Emperor, Spirit Blood Child!â
âHoho! Of all the Young Emperors in the Azure Dragon Domain, Spirit Blood Child might be the only one who can spar with Lei Mingtian.â
âThere was a rumor that the two fought last year, and no one knew who won. But from the looks of this, they donât seem to get along.â
The cultivators nearby watched the fight excitedly. Meanwhile, some Honorables were curious to see how much these Young Emperors would improve in the future.
âItching for a fight, Spirit Blood Child?â
Lei Mingtian said coldly.
A crack of a smile appeared on Spirit Blood Childâs devilish face. âItâs been a while, Lei Mingtian. Good to see youâre still as arrogant as ever.â
âIf itâs a fight you want, Iâll gladly oblige you to your death!â
Spirit Blood Childâs momentum increased with no signs of backing off.
âBrothers, this is Whitelock Mountain, a sacred place where Sages reside. Please put down your weapons,â Wuchen Ziâs monotone voice suddenly rang out.
Spirit Blood Childâs eyes flickered at the words. Although he showed no signs of stopping, he also did not move forward.
Instead, Lei Mingtian glanced at Wuchen Zi coldly. âWho are you to tell me what to do?â
âIâm simply reminding my fellow brothers. Do you not think itâs a tad too much to be talking to each other like this?â Wuchen Zi was now miffed.
âOh? Is that so?â Lei Mingtian suddenly lifted his arm to direct an explosive Lightning-based Daoist Rhyme directly at him without another word.
The expression on Wuchen Ziâs face shifted as he channeled his spiritual power to block the attack.
Unfortunately, when their energies collided, Wuchen Zi was forcibly knocked back by several dozen feet and faint electric pulses danced on his body. He was actually injured by the attack!
Lei Mingtianâs power sent the crowd into shock.
Even Wuchen Zi was dumbfounded. They were both Young Emperors, but Lei Mingtianâs power was at least a grade above his!
Gu Changge, Yuanhong, Ao Chang, and the other Young Emperorsâ eyes darkened and their faces turned solemn.
âLei Mingtianâs power is not to be underestimated. He could stand on the same playing field as an Honorable if he wanted to. If I fought him, chances of me winning is low.â
âAs expected of the Young Emperor that got the very first Emperorâs Essence. Very few Young Emperors are on par with him in terms of the insights on Dao techniques.â
Ao Chang and some others thought to themselves.
Lei Mingtianâs face had turned even more tyrannical after he had injured Wuchen Zi. âTo think that someone like you is a Young Emperor as well. The Primordial Emperorâs Essense is wasted on the likes of you.â
His words were not just aimed at Wuchen Zi as he made a point of also including Ao Chang, Yuanhong, and the others in his insult.
Instantly, the Young Emperorsâ faces turned dark. Their eyes brimmed with anger as they glared at Lei Mingtian.
All of their protectors were equally fuming, but this was not their fight. It would paint them in a bad light to interfere in the younger generationâs affairs. Not to mention Lei Mingtianâs protector also had a watchful eye on them.
âThat b*stard! I really want someone to come and teach this Lei Mingtian a lesson! It is so infuriating!â One of the protectors cursed into the void.
As for the other protectors, they settled on a bitter smile. They all hated Lei Mingtian but had to admit that the man was powerful. Of all the sky-prides, only Spirit Blood Child could fight with him on equal grounds.
Still, that was the best they could do since they could not give Lei Mingtian a taste of his own medicine.