Chapter 16: Chapter 15 - Tang Tianjue

CHAPTER 15

Tang Tianjue

Tang Tianjue.

It was his name.

Known by the world as the Star of Cosmos, the personal disciple of the Northen Ruler, who was the Sect Master of the Ice God Sect, Wen Han.

Right after being born, he was directly taken by the Northern Ruler, trained day and night. Turning three, his teacher forced him to awaken his natural power. In the process, as he was too stressed, his Star of Cosmos power was also awakened, revealing that he had a total of three attributes—all of which were ultimate attributes.

Born with the three ultimate attributes of ice, light, and postcognition, Tang Tianjue was hailed as the true definition of the word ‘genius’.

Right after that, under the guidance of his teacher, he spent two and a half years in the Awakening rank. He then started attending school as he cultivated, and broke through to the Master rank at the age of eight.

Reaching this rank, he started to participate in his sect’s internal competitions, to gather battle experience. This didn’t hinder his natural power’s growth, though, and by, the age of ten, he successfully broke through to the Grandmaster rank in one fell swoop.

As he cultivated, he also started to gather more experience—he joined in the sect’s mission teams, becoming one of the teams’ leader, and led his team into several difficult missions, each time succeeding perfectly.

Breaking through to the King rank was quite difficult, even for a genius like him. This time he spent four years to break through, as he had to find his own Path of cultivation to reach the King rank.

After all, he wasn’t Yuriel, whose Path had already been laid in front of her after her Crown of Cosmos awakening.

Now, Tianjue had turned sixteen, and his teacher was expecting him to have perfected his Path.

Meaning, he was already at the peak of the Earthly Emperor rank—just a step away from breaking through.

Right now, though, this earth-shaking genius was...

Blushing.

Sitting cross-legged on a flat stone, he grinned strangely. Then realization struck him the second time—he was going on a ‘date’ with Yu’er! And he was nothing but neat, with his short hair sticking to his head, body covered in sweat, dirt, and dried blood...

Flustered, he glanced around, frantically looking for something... There! His figure flashed, turning into an icy-blue light which zig-zagged toward a winding creek nearby, which was emitting a soft, sprightly gurgle.

He propelled himself into the air with his long, strong legs and splashed into the creek, sprinkling dots of freezing water onto the surrounding leaves. Once inside, he tore off his tattered robes and put the pieces into his sword-shaped spatial storage pendant hanging from his silver necklace.

Not wasting any second, he quickly washed away all the sweat, dirt, and blood on his body inch by inch, then jumped out and lightning-quickly covered himself with a set of white three-piece suit—only to shake his head and take off the jacket and vest, leaving behind only the shirt and trousers.

A full-body mirror materialized in front of him, reflecting his tall and athletic, yet slender build. He frowned, quickly removing the tie and unbuttoning the two top-most silver buttons. His frown deepened. He ruffled his own hair in frustration, then snapped his fingers—the white shirt and trousers turned into a deep black color, white the buttons stayed silver.

He then thought of something, and a black coat appeared in his hands. Swinging it across his shoulders, he took one more glance at his reflection. A faint smile appeared on his handsome face—which quickly faded away.

“Dammit, we haven’t agreed on the exact meeting spot!”

The mirror disappeared in a silvery flash, while Tianjue himself paced back and forth, deep in thought. After a mere few seconds, he stopped in his tracks, nodding and muttering something to himself.

A silvery black longsword appeared in his grip. At the same time, a silvery-blue star rune glowed on the center of his forehead, and his eyes shone with a silver light which rippled mysteriously.

With full concentration, he clutched his grip on the sword. Then suddenly, he slashed upward to his right.

A jarring vertical crack was formed in a flash, hanging in the air quietly. It was pitch-black, but tiny silver cracks floated in a slow-motion around it, glittering in the darkness of the night, creating a somewhat mystifying scene.

Tianjue slashed his sword back down and turned at the spatial crack, which was slowly widening. He stepped into it, and when the end of his coat disappeared into the crack, the tiny silver cracks around it rapidly danced inward, covering the dark vertical crack in a few breaths’ time.

If you were there, you would see that the surroundings had returned to normal after you blinked—as if nothing had ever happened, as if Tang Tianjue the Star of Cosmos had never been there at all, as if everything that had just transpired was nothing more than an illusion...

***

Paris, France.

A towering structure loomed into the vast expanse of the dark night sky, twinkling with dots of magnificent goldish lights.

At this moment, Tianjue stood not far from it, silently scanning his surroundings with his pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

Countless people of endless different ethnicity and personality crowded the surroundings of the tower, chattering about loudly. Tianjue frowned a little—all the noises and atmosphere were slightly too overwhelming.

He continued looking around, searching for that figure. Because he was taller than most of the people there, he just needed to turn his head around and scan his surroundings. And well, the eyesight of a King-ranked powerhouse was also pretty great.

People moved around, pushing through the crowd. They kept bumping him—some apologized, some didn’t. But the majority just glanced at him in irritation, as if he were the one at fault. Tianjue’s frown deepened. He was beginning to regret not suggesting another place as their meeting spot.

Suddenly, he felt it—that unmistakable aura.

Even though separated by the crowd, their eyes still met.

For a moment, it was as though the world had come to a standstill. Time froze, space froze. All noise disappeared. It was only the two of them, gazing into each other’s eyes in that silence.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Then, in unison, the two smiled ever so slightly. The frozen world resumed its flow. But Tianjue had disappeared.

In a relatively less-crowded place in the distance, clad in black, Yuriel smiled, staring at the tall young man who had just appeared in front of her.

“Your face is nothing like people say.” she grinned.

“You, too.” Tianjue grinned back.

Yeah. To avoid being recognized by either other people or the surveilance systems, they had each worn an identity-covering mask.

“Looks like we both prefer black.” Tianjue said.

“And looks like we both prefer silence.” Yuriel smiled. “Sorry for suggesting such a crowded place.”

“It’s alright, we can just go to another place now.” Tianjue smiled back.

With tacit understanding, they sauntered away from the Eiffel Tower, strolling carefreely while enjoying the bustling area—although they didn’t like noisy crowds, it didn’t mean they didn’t like the atmosphere of big cities.

Well, actually... They didn’t even pay attention to the surroundings...

“So,” Yuriel cleared her throat. “How much of the past have you seen?”

“Not much,” Tianjue shook his head. “I haven’t awoken that power, after all. You, on the other hand... How much of the future have you seen?”

“All of it.” Yuriel said softly.

They looked at each other, their eyes seemingly reflecting their unspoken thoughts. Worry, sadness, burden...

“The memories are still sealed, though—my brain can’t bear them yet.” Yuriel said. “But I still vaguely remember what will... are supposed to happen.”

“Like our current meeting?” Tianjue smiled.

“Well, no... Our current meeting isn’t in the original timeline.” Yuriel blushed a little, adding in a small voice, “Though I could sense that it would happen... You know, because of my newly-awakened precognition attribute...”

“Yeah, I get it,” Tianjue nodded. “In my case, I can sense what’s just happened to someone, a certain area, myself, and... you.”

They ‘small talk’ ended in an awkward silence. So they just kept walking, casually looking at the shops lining along the streets, people laughing and chatting, and... the fireworks.

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

The two faced each other, their eyes interlocked, as sparkles of festive colors boomed in the sky, becoming their backdrop. Neither spoke a word. Just like that, they both drowned in the other’s eyes.

“Yu’er...”

“Let’s get to know each other.”

They both smiled. Who cares about the past? Who cares about the future? In this lifetime, in this timeline, they just wanted to get to know each other, and slowly let their feelings bloom on their on, pure and true.

“Young lady, you are really beautiful. Would you mind spending some time with me?” Tianjue smiled, offering her a hand.

“Of course, young man.” Yuriel placed her hand on his.

They two stared at each other, then laughed.

Their figures turned into two streaks of multicolored light, speeding above the crowd’s heads, completely unnoticed. They weren’t flying—just riding on the winds in extreme speed.

“Hey, it seems that we’re stronger when holding hands.” Yuriel commented as they zoomed through the air.

“Should we keep holding hands, then?” Tianjue grinned.

“Dream on.” Yuriel laughed.

Her hand slipped out of Tianjue’s grip, then she sped up by herself, leaving behind her voice hanging in the air,

“Come catch me if you can~!”

Tianjue’s grin became wider. He himself also sped up, quickly chasing after the figure in the distance. The wind carried their laughter, blending it with the laughter of the crowd.

It didn’t take long before Tianjue caught up to Yuriel—after all, he was already at the peak of the King rank, while Yuriel was at the third stage of the King rank, six stages below Tianjue.

He grabbed Yuriel by the waist, then brought the two of them to spin to a stop, landing safely in the shadows of a big tree.

“Impressive, Yu’er—it’s only been a few days, yet you’ve already broken through to the King rank.” he sincerely said.

“You have to work hard, then—or I’ll surpass you in no time.” Yuriel smirked.

“Not a chance.” Tianjue chuckled.

The two joked about as they approached a random café nearby. Once inside, they quickly picked the only empty table for two people in the depths of the spacious café.

The place was lit with glittering golden lights that came from the tiny chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, creating a somewhat expensive atmosphere. The tables and chairs in the café were all tall and made of black wood. The more one sat in the café, the more one would feel that the place was more like a bar, though it was indeed a café and not a bar, judging from the beverages it sell.

The two youngsters scanned through the holo-menu sitting in mid-air in front of them and ordered some snacks and beverage.

“What did you order?” Tianjue asked.

“Lavender cheese milk tea.” Yuriel said. “What about you?”

“Something called ‘Blue Mountain Coffee.” the guy shrugged.

Hearing this, Yuriel stiffened. Blue Mountain Coffee...

“Quite an expensive taste.” she commented after a second.

“Is it that expensive?” Tianjue blinked. “I just picked it because of the ‘blue’ word.”

“How much money do you have in your bank account?” Yuriel was speechless, asking cautiously.

“I don’t know,” Tianjue admitted candidly. “The last time I checked it was three years ago after I broke through to the King rank—my teacher gave me some money to motivate me.”

The corners of Yuriel’s eyes twitched.

“Being the direct disciple of the Northern Ruler does have some... benefits.” she said in a low voice.

“He does treat me well, in that regard,” Tianjue shrugged. “And he sure gives me great pointers and advice.”

Yuriel stared at him in silence. What Tianjue said was true. In order to nurture the Star of Cosmos into the legendary being he was destined to be, the Northern Ruler Wen Han had spared no effort in guiding him on his path of cultivation. All kinds of resources Tianjue needed—all ready at his disposal.

But other than that...

“Hey, what are you thinking?” Tianjue waved a hand in front of Yuriel, smiling. “At least he's successfully raised me into a hardworking, talented, handsome young man.”

“Praising oneself, how narcistic!” Yuriel grumbled, but she smiled.

“I was merely stating facts!” Tianjue raised his eyebrows.

Yuriel wanted to counter his statement, but then a translucent glass of soft-purple materialized in front of her. It was her Lavender Cheese Milk Tea. The top layer of the drink was fluffy white cream, adorned with sprinkles of dried lavender petals. The warm steam of the hot drink assailed their nostrils, the rich fragrance making them relax.

On the table between them, an exquisite silver coffee pot materialized along with a white china coffee cup and its saucer. The cup seemed exceptionally thin, almost transparent. It was one of the few rare occassions that Yuriel saw such fine chinaware.

“Go on, try it.” Yuriel silently put the cup in her hand down, urging Tianjue to drink his coffee with a strange light in her eyes.

“Alright.” Tianjue smiled.

He poured the dark liquid inside the pot into the white cup, wondering if the cup would break from the coffee’s hot temperature. He then inspected its content. Without fear of being scalded, he sipped the Blue Mountain coffee from the cup in his hand. As it slipped past his lips, Tianjue could taste the bitterness on his tongue in the depths of the extremely pleasant sweetness of the dark liquid that verged on creamy.

That was part of what made Blue Mountain special, and he could feel it sliding from the tip of his tongue to the root like silk. As it poured down his gullet, the bitter flavors became subdued, and complicated. The heat filled him, causing the hairs on his arms to rise. The comforting sensation was like being swaddled. Tianjue’s eyes brightened right away.

When he looked at his companion, he found that she was looking at him strangely.

“Is it good?” Yuriel asked, now staring at the white cup in his hand.

“What exactly is it that makes this coffee so expensive?” Tianjue didn’t answer, instead asking this question.