King of Ten Thousand Years

’Luo Tian, let’s see you get out of this!’ Mu Ze thought smugly.

The other Mu Family disciples, including Mu Jinyuan, all smiled when they saw this.

But in the next moment, a dense, substantial vortex around Luo Tian suddenly expanded, erupting with an extremely powerful suction force.

”Hm?”

”What’s going on?”

The four Mu Family prodigies surrounding Luo Tian opened their eyes at the same time.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around them was thinning out.

Their Martial Veins were also suddenly suppressed, able to exert only fifty or sixty percent of their power.

”Such terrifying suction!”

The young woman exclaimed in astonishment.

”It seems this boy’s Martial Vein is nothing simple!”

”Still, there are four of us. Our influence on him has to be greater, and that’s not even counting Brother Mu Ze!”

The Mu Family prodigies murmured amongst themselves.

Not far away, Mu Ze overheard their discussion. His expression turned ugly, and his brows knitted together.

At this moment, no one but him knew that his Celestial Tier Martial Vein was also being suppressed, reducing his Cultivation efficiency by thirty to forty percent!

”Impossible! How can this be? I have a Celestial Tier Martial Vein!”

Mu Ze roared internally.

’This was supposed to be a foolproof plan, so how did this happen?’

’Damn it, does he have a Celestial Tier Martial Vein too?’

Mu Ze shot Luo Tian a vicious glare.

’To think this country bumpkin from a small world actually has a Celestial Tier Martial Vein!’

The four of them had joined forces to interfere with Luo Tian, and they had failed!

Mu Ze gave up!

’Forget it. I’ll ignore him and focus on my own Cultivation and breaking through to the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer!’

Mu Ze decided.

He didn’t plan on leaving, as that would be the same as admitting defeat.

Besides, the four of them were still surrounding Luo Tian to interfere with him. It would be too humiliating to retreat now.

So, Mu Ze could only endure the interference from Luo Tian and continue his Cultivation.

Time slowly passed.

「Five days went by.」

’I’m about to break through to the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer!’

Mu Ze rejoiced inwardly.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi inside the Cloud Pool was extremely abundant; one day here was equal to ten days outside!

’Once my Cultivation breaks through, my efficiency at absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi will increase. Maybe I can still turn this situation around.’

After building up his energy for four hours, Mu Ze prepared to charge the bottleneck in one go.

But just then...

BOOM!

The dense mist all around began to churn violently.

Originally, every person was surrounded by a vortex of cloudy qi. Now, however, they were all being sucked away and dispersed.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi all around was dense, but they couldn’t grab any of it!

”Did someone break through?”

”Even a breakthrough in the Middle Tier Earth Element Realm shouldn’t cause such a shocking phenomenon!”

The many disciples nearby were all startled and deeply shocked!

Mu Jinyuan also opened his eyes. His Cultivation had been disturbed, and he was very displeased.

”That direction... it’s Mu Ze!”

a Mu Family disciple exclaimed!

”So it’s Mu Ze! He’s the most talented prodigy in the Mu Family, with a Celestial Tier Martial Vein!”

”So this is how amazing a Celestial Tier Martial Vein is!”

Many people around exclaimed in amazement.

Mu Ze’s body was stiff, and the corner of his mouth twitched!

The one whose Cultivation had broken through wasn’t him! It was Luo Tian!

He himself had been preparing to break through to the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer, only to be disturbed and interrupted!

Listening to the surrounding exclamations of awe and envy, Mu Ze felt a sour taste in his mouth.

’The Cloud Pool is truly worthy of its reputation! I broke through the bottleneck so quickly!’

Luo Tian thought to himself.

Inside his Qi Sea Primordial Pool.

The Primordial Pool Wall expanded, and the True Essence within was rapidly replenished.

The Spiritual Qi vortex around him gradually dimmed.

After his Cultivation broke through to the Earth Element Realm Third Layer.

Luo Tian continued to cultivate.

The opportunity in the Cloud Pool was rare. The Mu Family only opened it once every three years, and only for half a month!

’It would be too wasteful to use the remaining ten days just to consolidate my Cultivation!’

Luo Tian also discovered that cultivating while soaking in the Water Essence Liquid made his foundation exceptionally stable. Despite the rapid cultivation speed, the hidden dangers were very low.

And so, Luo Tian continued to cultivate, refining his True Essence and expanding his Primordial Pool Wall.

He cultivated with a peaceful mind.

But someone else was not at ease at all.

”Brother Mu Ze, should we continue to interfere with Luo Tian?”

The young woman asked via voice transmission.

”We’re supposed to be interfering with him, but I feel like I’m the one being strongly interfered with. My Cultivation isn’t going smoothly at all.”

”Of course, we continue!”

Mu Ze snapped, his eyes wide.

”But it doesn’t seem to be working!”

said the man in the white hat.

They didn’t dare defy Mu Ze’s will, so they could only continue to stay near Luo Tian.

Until the tenth day.

One of the four had, at some unknown point, secretly slipped away.

”Damn it, I’m out of here too!” the man in the white hat said.

For the past ten days, his mind had been restless, and his Cultivation efficiency had been very low.

The key was that Luo Tian seemed completely unaffected. Everything they had done was a wasted effort.

Mu Ze, who was in the middle of cultivating, frowned with irritation and slightly opened his eyes.

”Hm?”

He was stunned.

Of the four people who had been surrounding Luo Tian, he was now the only one left.

’Bastards, you all ran away!’

Mu Ze glanced around.

”Brother Mu Ze, why don’t you retreat too?” the man in the white hat transmitted, sounding a bit embarrassed.

”If anyone’s retreating, it should be Luo Tian!”

Mu Ze’s attitude was firm.

Even he hadn’t realized that a Heart Knot had already formed within him.

Mu Ze was agitated, his thoughts wandering and running wild.

That Heart Knot gradually took root, growing more and more severe.

If Mu Ze could not come to an understanding and break free from it in time, the Heart Knot would worsen and become a Heart Demon! It would accompany him for life and be extremely difficult to exorcise!

Back then, Mu Yunshi had been tormented by his Heart Demon for countless years, living a mediocre and decadent life.

Two more days passed.

’This is bad!’

Mu Ze finally realized he had fallen too deep and developed a Heart Knot.

He gave Luo Tian a grave look, then got up and moved far away.

...

「Cloud Pool, the fifteenth day!」

By this time, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had gradually thinned.

Everyone was immersed in their Cultivation, seizing every last second to advance their Cultivation.

”Time’s up! Everyone, out!”

At a certain moment, the Grand Elder’s voice echoed from outside the Cloud Pool, startling everyone awake.

”Hah! It’s over!”

Luo Tian exhaled a breath of turbid air. His pitch-black eyes were bright and seemed to shoot out sharp rays of light!

Luo Tian’s gains from fifteen days of Cultivation in the Cloud Pool were plentiful.

Not only had he successfully broken through to the Earth Element Realm Third Layer, but he had also advanced a great deal further.

’At my current rate, I should be able to break through to the Peak of Earth Element Realm Third Layer in three months!’

Luo Tian’s face was filled with joy!

The others also finished their Cultivation.

Everyone’s Cultivation had improved significantly.

”What happened with that Luo Tian kid?”

Many of the Mu Family disciples looked toward Luo Tian, ready to watch a good show.

Their expressions immediately stiffened.

Luo Tian was still in his original spot, not having moved an inch, while Mu Ze and the other three had all moved far away.

”Mu Ze, what the hell are you doing?”

Mu Jinyuan yelled.

Before the Cloud Pool opened, Mu Ze had made such grand boasts, yet in the end, his group was the one that fled?

The man in the white hat was also asked this question, but he could not voice the bitterness in his heart.

The defensive Barrier of the Cloud Pool opened, and figures walked out one by one.

The upper echelons of the Mu Family sized everyone up with faces full of anticipation!

With every Cloud Pool opportunity, the Cultivation of the twenty prodigies would increase dramatically.

Normally, everyone’s improvement would fall within a certain standard range; some would be slightly lower, while others would be higher!

Those with truly outstanding talent were bound to stand out from the crowd!

”Mm!”

The several high-level members nodded one by one.

They were all of the Celestial Level, and with their sharp gazes, they could clearly judge the improvements of these Earth Element Realm juniors.

Over ninety percent of the prodigies had successfully broken through a Small Realm.

Some prodigies improved a lot, others not so much.

’Although Mu Jinyuan broke through to the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer, his overall progress is below average. It will be quite difficult for him to break through to the Earth Element Realm Sixth Layer within half a year!’

the Grand Elder thought to himself.

Soon, his son, Mu Ze, came out.

The Grand Elder revealed a slight smile. Mu Ze’s talent was supreme, and he had a chance of succeeding as the future Patriarch.

But in the next moment, his brows furrowed.

Although Mu Ze had also broken through to the Earth Element Realm Fifth Layer, the Grand Elder could see with a single glance that Mu Ze’s breakthrough had been a bit hasty. His foundation was unstable, his overall progress was actually not that great, and he was below average!

The other Elders also noticed this.

How could this be?

Mu Ze, the most talented one, had made the least overall progress among the twenty prodigies, ranking at the very bottom!

Luo Tian was the last to walk out.

When the several Elders saw Luo Tian, they felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

When they observed Luo Tian’s progress, their eyes all widened in disbelief!

Luo Tian’s overall progress was actually the best among the twenty!

”If he were allowed to cultivate in the Spirit Pool for another ten days, he could probably break through to the Peak of Earth Element Realm Third Layer!”

The red-faced old man was utterly shocked.

Luo Tian’s progress ranked among the very best of any Spirit Pool session in history!

”The Cloud Pool opportunity has ended. Your Cultivation has all improved significantly. It is not suitable to continue closed-door Cultivation. Sparing with and learning from each other will be more beneficial for your improvement,”

the Grand Elder said.

Every time the Cloud Pool opened, a gathering would be held according to tradition.

The location of the gathering was the Martial Arts Arena, opposite the Cloud Pool.

All twenty of them stepped into the Martial Arts Arena and were immediately greeted by a noisy hubbub of discussion.

”The Cloud Pool is over! They’re coming out!”

”The Cloud Pool is amazing, just as expected. Their Cultivation has all improved so much! Damn it, why didn’t I get a spot in the Cloud Pool!”

The many Mu Family disciples and outside prodigies were incredibly envious.

All the Mu Family disciples and outside prodigies participated in this gathering, but the real stars of the show were the twenty prodigies who had cultivated in the Cloud Pool!

Luo Tian had no interest in this kind of gathering.

The fundamental reason was that he had a very poor impression of the Mu Family disciples and had no desire to interact with them at all.

He prepared to leave.

But Mu Yunshi suddenly sent him a voice transmission: ”Luo Tian, you should perform well at this gathering.”

Luo Tian looked and saw that Mu Yunshi was actually in the Martial Arts Arena.

”Alright.”

Since it was his master’s request, Luo Tian decided to stay.

At the same time, he sensed that something was amiss.

’Could it be that performing well at this gathering comes with other rewards?’