Chapter 1244 - Joining the Fray

"Sorry, this little fish has made a mistake..." Weisheng Moran said, keeping her forehead flush with the ground. Her hair fell to the ground as the youth reached out through the mist and put his palm on the back of her head.

"Remember. You have never existed. Don't even dream about becoming a person of your own. You're not a person, just a process. Understood?"

"Yes... I understand," she said.

"You did poorly and wasted my time. I’ll be the one to play this game with the Sky Palace from now on." After saying that, he gripped her head tight, causing all the white mist to enter her head.

"Ugh!" She widened her eyes abruptly, her entire body uncontrollably twitching. Despite her face being plastered to the burning hot ground, her eyes didn't close in the slightest. She dug her fingers into the ground and let out a gut-wrenching shriek. "Master, I was wrong! I was wrong!"

She continued foaming from the mouth and rolling her eyes. Right now, she was completely seized by terror, like a fish out of water. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, her gaze completely changed and she calmed down. She stood up and tidied her clothes up, tossing her hair with style. "Hmph."

Her gaze, expression, and behavior had completely changed and her aura was identical to the one in Somnium. She turned and saw the green umbrella on the ground. Stretching out her hand, the umbrella came flying and elongated into a spear that was two meters long. She pointed it toward the imperial star ranking and squinted with a sinister smile. "Looks like I'll be joining the fray."

......

The countdown proceeded rather swiftly. Time seemed to pass without notice during cultivation, with each day seeming only about as long as two hours. Tianming felt like the number on the stele decreased by one with every blink, but he kept to his own pace no matter what happened. He prioritized cultivating in the Violetglory Pagoda once every ten days, managing to stay there five full days every time. After that, he would focus on the Ninedragon Tribulation, so he no longer needed to challenge the ancient idols.

Apart from cultivating, they would also go out hunting to bring their scores up, Lingfeng and Xiaoxiao especially. The other disciples were striving to raise their points as well, with fewer and fewer people choosing to hide. Even so, Tianming's position was unshakeable; he was a miracle in the making. Though he wasn't that powerful in relation to the rest, being the fifth most powerful at best, he had managed to soar to first place two times, then he’d stayed there for the remainder of the competition.

Some people ranked those in the top twenty according to their actual power and performance. Weisheng Moran was first, according to them, followed by Long Longlong in second place, and Kong of Voidword Shrine in third place. As Zhan Yuance had been eliminated, they didn't rank him, so the one in fourth place was taken up by the current ninth-ranked Chu Jingchuan. Tianming was ranked tenth in their custom power ranking. There were no Azuresoul Palace disciples in the fourth to ninth places of the power ranking, with most of them being disciples from first-rate sects instead. On the imperial star ranking, those disciples were actually ranked ninth to fifteenth.

People had noticed their talent and prowess, but as they hadn’t been able to obtain any of the treasures, they hadn’t made it into the top eight. Most people still felt that the four Azuresoul Palace disciples didn't deserve such a high ranking. After all, they had worked together to defeat Zhan Yuance, so they weren't that powerful. Apart from the Dreamless Celestial Nation, Xuanyuan Dragon Sect, Voidword Shrine, and the wargodeans, the disciples of the other six first-rate factions were incredibly powerful. They were the ones rising at the fastest rate in terms of points. Even so, it wouldn't be easy to make up for the huge point boosts afforded by the treasures.

......

Xiaoxiao went to fight when she wasn't cultivating. Even though her points didn't rise so quickly, the ninth ranker wouldn't catch up to her anytime soon.

Weisheng Moran, now ranked second, gained the most points in the shortest time. She was catching up to Tianming. Throughout the entire time, Zhan Yuance's points didn't change at all, while Long Longlong's slowly rose. Eventually, he would definitely be overtaken by Xiaoxiao, and everyone was clear about his intentions. Weisheng Moran was far too powerful, after all.

Being ranked second in terms of power, there was no need for him to face off against Weisheng Moran head-on. In fact, if he didn't have to face her, his chances of getting a Sky Palace candidacy skyrocketed. Not to mention, he could use the time he wasn't hunting for points to cultivate and familiarize himself with his new sword.

In fact, that was exactly what he was doing. He wanted to break through once more before the final battle and become a sixth-level constellier. Having consumed a divine pill before the Voidsky Skirmish, he had already broken through once, hence his relatively slow progress now. Even so, learning to use the Ninedragon Imperius well would make him much stronger.

"He's using the last bit of time to improve, huh? Long Longlong truly is dedicated."

"In terms of talent, he might be the best of them all. He's a few years younger than Weisheng Moran, after all."

"He's the grandson of the Saintdragon Emperor, after all. Those horns of his are proof of his talent. In the centuries to come, he’ll become the new Saintdragon Emperor and inherit Xuanyuan Dragon Sect."

"Long Longlong was just a little unlucky. Had he been born a year later, he could join the next Voidsky Skirmish at twenty-nine instead. By then, nobody would be able to defeat him."

"But the Ninedragon Imperius showed up this time—the tomb might be absent in the next round!"

"True. With his talent and the Ninedragon Imperius, though, he might eventually grow to be more powerful than Weisheng Moran. I feel like he's far ahead of the others in the ranking based on his talent alone."

"Seriously... the Sky Palace is really unfair to this young man for making the final phase a duel."

"If he can become a sixth-level constellier within these forty-nine days, he might actually reach first place!"

The skyward eyes often flocked around Long Longlong. Currently, hundreds of disciples from his sect were defending him as he trained.

"Long Longlong is trying his hand for first place, so he'll definitely be facing off against Li Tianming."

"Interestingly, the Whitedragon Empress has already announced that Li Tianming would join Xuanyuan Dragon Sect as their disciple. Wouldn't Long Longlong be fighting an ally?"

"This was only announced on the outside. The disciples within might not be aware of it. I think he loathes Li Tianming for taking so many of those treasures."

"That's right. Li Tianming also got the Whtiedragon Palace's treasure, right? Was there any word on what it was?"

"None for now. The Sky Palace hasn’t broadcasted anything concerning him so far. Since his score isn't rising fast, he's probably cultivating."

"At this point in time? How old is he? Does he think he has Saintdragon Talent or something?"

"Don't laugh just yet. He definitely isn’t unskilled, having come so far."

"I'm not laughing, just curious. I wonder what the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's other dragon imperials think of this fight between a disciple they just picked up and a successor to their legacy."

"Xuanyuan Dragon Sect might just favor the latter."

"Yeah. A disciple they picked up for convenience will be cast away, sooner or later, after they get the treasures."

"Nobody knows yet if the Xuanyuan Dragon Sect's protection is a blessing or a curse. Li Tianming, Feng, and Lin Xiaoxiao's futures are still far from set in stone."

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