King of Ten Thousand Years

After fully deducing the Demon Thought Technique, Luo Tian began his Cultivation.

From Luo Tian’s mouth, a series of erratic Void Melody notes drifted out, echoing endlessly throughout the room, lingering in the air.

It was similar to a monk chanting scriptures, but the atmosphere was completely different. The entire room plunged into darkness, the air becoming somber and demonic.

Gradually, it was as if one could hear dozens, even hundreds, of people whispering deliriously—some frenzied, some sorrowful, some joyful—sending a chill through one’s body and soul.

The Demon Thought Technique was a dangerous and evil Spiritual Secret Technique. During Cultivation, the user’s own mind would be affected, even twisted.

However, Luo Tian’s Spiritual Will was powerful.

Coupled with the Mysterious Blue Treasure Pearl he had obtained from the Mermaid’s corpse, which provided some resistance to the side effects of the Demon Thought Technique, Luo Tian was able to immerse himself in Cultivation for long periods.

「Three days later.」

Luo Tian had cultivated the Demon Thought Technique to the Small Success Realm, a testament to his extremely rapid progress.

Suddenly, a strange, dark light emanated from Luo Tian’s eyes. Bewitching demonic words, low and muddled as if from the Nine Nether Abyss, floated from his lips.

An evil and inscrutable spiritual aura radiated from Luo Tian. His hair and robes stirred without any wind, making him look like a generational Evil Monarch.

’Its power has increased by at least threefold!’

After performing the technique for a moment, Luo Tian stopped.

Now, anyone below the Earth Element Realm would have very limited resistance to the Demon Thought Technique.

Even those at the Earth Element Realm would be affected to varying degrees, depending on factors like their Spiritual Will.

Besides the increase in power, Luo Tian’s Demon Thought Technique could now take effect without his target making eye contact.

Without eye contact, the technique’s range was only four to five meters, and its effect was certainly weaker than with direct eye contact.

But this was already formidable. The ability to affect an enemy without eye contact made it even more bizarre and unpredictable.

Luo Tian had gained another powerful trump card for the Celestial Pride Conference.

’The Celestial Pride Conference is in just two days!’

Luo Tian continued his secluded Cultivation.

In the final two days, he occasionally cultivated the Demon Thought Technique or absorbed the Yin Cold Energy from the second piece of Celestial Yin Jade to increase his Divine Vein Power.

His main focus, however, remained on his Cultivation level.

Currently, his Eighth-Layer Spirit Sea Vortex was only thirty-five percent complete.

Reaching the Peak of Eighth Layer of Spirit Sea Realm before the Celestial Pride Conference would be difficult, even with the Qi Pushing and Root Strengthening Pill.

If the completion of his Eighth-Layer Spirit Sea Vortex reached over fifty percent, Luo Tian would take the Spirit Pill and attempt a breakthrough.

’I won’t rush it, then. I can use the Celestial Pride Conference to temper myself in battle against others. After I’ve consolidated my Spirit Sea Vortex, I’ll break through!’

Luo Tian put away the Qi Pushing and Root Strengthening Pill.

However, his Cultivation over these two days had not been without reward.

His Guiyuan True Skill successfully broke through to the Sixth-Layer Great Success Realm, making his foundation more stable and improving the quality of his True Qi.

「That evening.」

”Luo Tian.” A knock came from outside his room.

”Senior Sister Ning.”

Luo Tian opened the door to see a beautiful and graceful woman. It was Ning Xin.

As far as Luo Tian knew, the Yunxiao Sect held to a ”quality over quantity” attitude, sending only twenty disciples to participate in the Celestial Pride Conference.

Ten of the spots were taken by the ten top Core Disciples.

For Ning Xin to have snatched one of the remaining ten spots, she must have put in a great deal of effort, which also proved her strength.

”Tomorrow is the Celestial Pride Conference. The Grand Elder has summoned us for a meeting,” Ning Xin said with a faint smile.

This time, the Yunxiao Sect delegation was led by the Grand Elder, with Third Elder Zhou Yuquan also in attendance. In addition, many other high-ranking members had come along.

Luo Tian gave a slight nod and followed Ning Xin to a spacious hall.

Several Elders and high-ranking members stood at the head of the hall, their expressions cold and imposing.

When Luo Tian arrived, a few of the high-ranking members glanced at him.

After all, Luo Tian had taken first place in the Xuankong Mountain trial, possessed immense talent and potential, and was a Core Disciple.

This time, if Luo Tian was lucky, he might make it into the top one hundred, but he was certain to shine brightly at the next Celestial Pride Conference.

The Third Elder, however, narrowed his eyes, a glint of cold light flashing within them before disappearing.

’I deliberately leaked information to Luo Tian’s enemies, but they still failed. What a bunch of trash.’

The Yunxiao Sect disciples arrived one after another.

Luo Tian saw Yi Jingwen, the number one beauty of the Upper Sect. As expected, she had also broken through to the Earth Element Realm!

Ye Feng was the last to arrive.

His appearance drew everyone’s attention.

Ye Feng, the number one Core Disciple!

Fourth on the Spirit List!

The number one prodigy of the Eastern Domain!

He had broken through to the Earth Element Realm half a year ago, and now, the aura he exuded was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea—utterly unfathomable.

After arriving, Ye Feng shot a cool glance at Luo Tian. His defeat in the Xuankong Mountain trial had made him remember Luo Tian well.

WHIR!

Ye Feng’s eyes were like two Moon Discs, shimmering with divine light and emitting an indescribably powerful, oppressive aura.

Beside Luo Tian, Ning Xin and another Core Disciple met Ye Feng’s gaze. Their minds instantly trembled, their eyes stung, and they felt a crushing pressure bearing down on them like a collapsing mountain.

Luo Tian’s mind also reeled, but he immediately calmed himself and took a deep breath. ’Ye Feng is even stronger than before!’

He still remembered back on Xuankong Mountain.

After Ye Feng had endured two attacks from the Molten Rock Giant and was heavily injured, Luo Tian had used every trick up his sleeve, simultaneously activating the power of two Spirit Pond Marks, to barely gain the upper hand and force him out.

If that situation were to happen again, Luo Tian wasn’t certain he could succeed.

And there were four others who were just as famous as Ye Feng.

They were the Celestial Evil Sword from the Southern Domain’s Ten Thousand Swords Sect, Shangguan Su from the Western Domain’s Purple Luo Hall, the Extreme Ice Fairy from the Northern Domain’s Bishui Palace, and Qi Yuntian from the Central Domain’s Celestial Ring Alliance.

During his time with the Celestial Ring Alliance, Luo Tian had heard endless discussions about these five great prodigies of the Dongchen Continent. He’d heard their names so often his ears were calloused.

Even though they were the same age as some of the people present, they were famous throughout the Continent, like figures from a legend.

”Tomorrow is the Dongchen Continent’s Celestial Pride Conference, held once every five years. It is your stage to make a name for yourselves across the entire Continent!”

The Grand Elder began to speak, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, lingering for a moment longer on Ye Feng.

Next, the Grand Elder briefly explained some of the rules based on past experience.

At the Celestial Pride Conference, only the top one hundred would receive rewards.

And only the rewards for the top twenty could be considered valuable.

The top three would not only receive astonishing rewards but also enjoy many special privileges.

The first-place winner would earn the title of ”King of the Celestial Pride.”

In addition, the rules of the Celestial Pride Conference were extremely strict and could not be broken.

”In past Celestial Pride Conferences, the Yunxiao Sect’s overall performance among the Four Major Sects has always been third, or even fourth!”

”But this time, I am setting a goal for you all. Our performance among the Four Major Sects must reach second place, or even first.”

As soon as the Grand Elder said this, the disciples below were all astonished.

Where did the Yunxiao Sect’s leaders get such confidence?

The Yunxiao Sect only had three people in the top twenty of the Spirit List: Ye Feng at fourth, Yi Jingwen at thirteenth, and Qiao Hai at seventeenth.

The other Core Disciples’ rankings on the Human List were also less than ideal, with most of them falling outside the top one hundred of the Spirit List.

For example, Luo Tian was ranked one hundred sixty-fourth, Cheng Wanli one hundred fifty-first, and so on.

With a lineup like this, achieving second place among the Four Major Sects would be quite difficult.

”There is one more thing. This time, the Yunxiao Sect will have twenty-one disciples participating in the Celestial Pride Conference!” the Grand Elder continued.

’Twenty-one?’

Everyone looked around. There were only twenty disciples!

But just then, a graceful figure in white floated in, like a fairy descending to the mortal world.

Her face was covered by a light veil, revealing only a pair of beautiful eyes that were like clear autumn pools. They seemed to hold a dreamlike wonderland within, captivating all who saw them.

The woman in white slowly descended, exuding a serene, dignified, and otherworldly aura that made others feel inadequate in her presence.

”Who is that?”

”She’s so beautiful!”

Many of the male disciples stared, dumbfounded.

Some even compared the woman in white to Yi Jingwen, finding it difficult to say who was superior.

”Why would such a beauty cover her face?” Qiao Hai sighed, also captivated by the woman in white. He thought that if she were to remove her veil, her looks and aura would likely surpass even Yi Jingwen, the Upper Sect’s number one beauty.

Luo Tian was also drawn to the woman in white. When his gaze met her autumn-pool-like eyes, the image of Xueyao leaving suddenly surfaced in his mind, eventually overlapping with the figure before him.

A chord was struck in his heart. He felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity from the woman in white.

’It can’t be Xueyao...’

Luo Tian shook his head.

The Cultivation of this woman in white was clearly at the Earth Element Realm, and her aura was on par with Ye Feng’s.

But Luo Tian still clung to a sliver of hope. ’What if it really is Xueyao?’

He released his Spiritual Sense, wanting to see the woman in white’s true face.

’Hmm?’

Luo Tian frowned slightly. The woman’s veil could actually block his Spiritual Sense, making it impossible to see her face clearly.

”Tsk tsk, I wonder where the Yunxiao Sect recruited such a genius. No wonder they’re so ambitious, aiming for second or even first place among the Four Major Sects,” Cheng Wanli marveled.

”Rest well for now.”

With the meeting concluded, the high-ranking members left first.

The twenty-one Yunxiao Sect disciples also returned to their rooms to make their final preparations for the upcoming Celestial Pride Conference.

In the hallway, the woman in white suddenly turned back and glanced at that tall, straight back.

A ripple passed through her eyes before she turned and went back to her room.

”Granny Yun, you’re here too?”

The woman in white suddenly noticed a silver-haired old woman sitting by the windowsill.

”Young Miss, do not forget our agreement,” the silver-haired old woman said slowly.

”Granny Yun, I’m just here to participate in the Celestial Pride Conference, see the prodigies of Dongchen, and temper myself for improvement.”

”Didn’t you also say that I’ve only ever cultivated in seclusion? In terms of talent and potential, perhaps no one in the entire Dongchen Continent can compare to me. What I lack most is real combat experience.”

The woman in white smiled sweetly, but it was hidden by her veil.

The silver-haired old woman’s eyes twitched. She felt a twinge of regret.

It was because she had said those very words that the woman in white had proposed participating in the Celestial Pride Conference, leaving her with no way to refuse.

”Young Miss, know when to stop.”

The old woman’s words were heavy. After speaking, she walked out of the room.

The woman in white sighed. She closed her eyes, as if reminiscing about something, and a faint dimple appeared on her cheek.

...

「The next morning.」

Led by the Yunxiao Sect’s high-ranking members, the group arrived at the venue for the Celestial Pride Conference—the Celestial Ring Arena!

”It’s huge!”

From a distance, the prodigies could see an incomparably massive, oval-shaped structure.

The entire arena was an immense, towering structure that spanned a hundred li.

The ancient, weathered aura of ages, combined with modern prosperity, created an unprecedentedly powerful impact on everyone.

The group passed through the entrance and into the legendary arena—the oldest, largest, and most mysterious on the Dongchen Continent.