King of Ten Thousand Years

”Hmph, just an idiot. I wouldn’t even want him to mop the floors and do chores!”

The thick-browed man’s expression darkened; he didn’t appreciate the joke.

However, Luo Tian was insistent on the challenge. He could have simply refused.

”Come on, then. I’ll be careful. I’ll try my best not to kill you.”

The thick-browed man’s face was cold and detached.

Although Auditor Disciples were of low status, one couldn’t just kill them casually.

As soon as he spoke, the thick-browed man waved his hand, and a gust of dark, violent wind swept toward Luo Tian.

WHOOSH!

The black gale raged past, and Luo Tian’s figure vanished.

”Huh? Where did he go?”

”Did he get blown away?”

The disciples looked behind them but couldn’t find any sign of Luo Tian.

A glint suddenly flashed in the thick-browed man’s eyes, and his pupils darted to the left.

SHWOOSH!

An ethereal, formless green wind swept by, and Luo Tian appeared at his side, no more than half a meter away.

”You?”

A trace of astonishment appeared in the thick-browed man’s eyes.

’I underestimated this guy. His Body Technique is actually this fast!’

”In that case, I can finally attack without holding back!”

The thick-browed man shouted.

True Essence surged in his palm, and a dangerous aura fluctuated outward. The surrounding light flickered between bright and dark.

”Senior Brother, the challenge is over. What are you doing? Are you planning to go back on your word?”

Luo Tian asked.

”Can’t you count? That was only one move!”

the thick-browed man barked.

But Luo Tian shook his head and said, ”What I mean is, I’ve already injured you. It’s over.”

”A joke? You injured—”

The thick-browed man scoffed, but he stopped mid-sentence.

Luo Tian raised his index and middle fingers, which were held together. Pinched between them were several strands of hair!

The thick-browed man glanced at his own hair, his expression sinking. ”It’s just a few strands of hair. That counts as—”

”Senior Brother, you said before that if I could harm a single hair on your body, I could move in. These few strands of hair are worth several times more than a single hair!”

Luo Tian said unhurriedly.

A vicious glint flashed in the thick-browed man’s eyes, and his face contorted slightly, but he didn’t lash out.

He had indeed said that! He was speechless, unable to refute it.

”Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Luo Tian said gratefully before walking into the luxurious residential area.

Left behind, the few Official Disciples and the Auditor Disciples were all dumbstruck.

There were so many Auditor Disciples present, and several had challenged the thick-browed man before, all defeated in a single move. They hadn’t even forced him to use a second move.

Luo Tian also took one move.

But he won in that one move!

”Brother Ying, your strength is really slipping. You can’t even handle a snot-nosed kid at the Third Layer of the Earth Element Realm.”

an Official Disciple teased.

The thick-browed man’s loss had also brought shame upon all the Official Disciples.

”I was worried I’d accidentally kill the kid, so I only used thirty percent of my strength. Who knew that guy would be so cunning!”

The thick-browed man ground his teeth.

”What’s that person’s name?” he then demanded.

Everyone’s gazes immediately turned to Mu Ze and the green-robed woman, who confessed the truth.

”Luo Tian? A mere Auditor Disciple dares to anger me!”

the thick-browed man growled grimly.

”Who’s next?”

The thick-browed man looked at the other Auditor Disciples.

After that, people challenged him one after another. Some wanted to live in the luxurious area, and others wanted to become the thick-browed man’s lackey.

But they all failed.

Apparently, the thick-browed man was furious because of Luo Tian and was taking it all out on them.

Before, the thick-browed man had only used fifty percent of his strength, but now he was using seventy percent!

”Brother Ying, why don’t you rest for a bit? I want to recruit a few lackeys myself.”

Another Official Disciple stepped forward.

...

Luo Tian’s entry into the luxurious area drew looks of surprise from many Official Disciples.

He wasn’t wearing the uniform of an Official Disciple, so he was clearly a newly arrived Auditor Disciple.

”Earth Element Realm Third Layer, and he actually got in?”

”Maybe he knows someone.”

The Official Disciples murmured amongst themselves, but were actually quite polite to Luo Tian, choosing not to provoke him.

Luo Tian chose an empty, small courtyard and moved in.

”Not bad. The environment is much better than outside.”

Luo Tian nodded in satisfaction.

「The next day.」

An older Auditor Disciple led Luo Tian and a group of new Auditor Disciples to receive their Tai Yuan Sect uniforms and Tokens.

The Official Disciples of the Tai Yuan Sect wore white robes and had white Tokens.

Auditor Disciples all had gray robes and gray Tokens.

”As Auditor Disciples, you have more freedom and fewer rules. But by the same token, you don’t get much attention. Nobody cares about the feelings of an Auditor Disciple.”

”If you find it hard to get by, you can join the factions of the more established Auditor Disciples.”

the older disciple said.

However, to join a faction for support, one needed to pay a certain amount of Spiritual Essence Coins and Contribution Points.

Many Auditor Disciples immediately paid their Spiritual Essence Coins and went to accept missions, hoping to join an Auditor Disciple faction as soon as possible.

In an unfamiliar environment, it’s human nature to subconsciously band together to seek a sense of security.

Luo Tian, however, felt it was unnecessary.

’Coming all the way to the Tai Yuan Sect just to mingle with other Auditor Disciples?’

’You are the company you keep. Luo Tian’s goals were much higher!’

”Excuse me, can Auditor Disciples enter the Main Peak?”

Luo Tian asked.

”That’s a rather... audacious question...”

The older Auditor Disciple chuckled and gave a simple explanation, ”It’s actually harder for an Auditor Disciple to enter the Main Peak than it is for an Official Disciple, so there’s basically no hope.”

Official Disciples were already stronger than Auditor Disciples in every aspect.

Yet the requirements for entering the Main Peak were even higher for Auditor Disciples. It was undoubtedly an insurmountable wall keeping them out.

”So it’s possible.”

Luo Tian got the answer he wanted.

”Don’t think you’re so great just because you’re living in the Official Disciples’ territory. Yesterday, Ying Long was just being too careless.”

said the black-robed man from the Su Family.

Before their superiors left, they had been instructed to find opportunities to humiliate the one from the Mu Family at the Earth Element Realm Third Layer.

But on the very first day, the target of their humiliation had gotten the upper hand against an Official Disciple, Ying Long, and moved into the Official Disciples’ area.

”Oh?”

The older Auditor Disciple’s attitude toward Luo Tian changed slightly.

He had thought Luo Tian had connections with an Official Disciple.

”Today, on the Eighth Peak, a Celestial Level Martial Artist will be lecturing on Martial Arts. In addition, the Fire Spirit Cellar, the Celestial Bamboo Forest, and many other precious locations will be open... You may choose as you wish.”

the older Auditor Disciple said.

Luo Tian thought for a moment and headed to the ”Celestial Bamboo Forest.”

Before long, he saw a forest of white bamboo. Each stalk was as white as jade, and the leaves emanated a faint white mist.

”Spiritual Essence Celestial Bamboo! A rare plant that can produce its own Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!”

Luo Tian had seen Spiritual Essence Celestial Bamboo before in the Purple Scale Race’s territory, but there had only been two or three stalks planted outside the Clan Leader’s residence, which the Clan Leader watched over like a priceless treasure.

But now, there were at least several hundred stalks of Spiritual Essence Celestial Bamboo here!

This vast number of Spiritual Essence Celestial Bamboo formed a precious Cultivation ground that was only open for five days each month.

”One hundred Contribution Points to cultivate in the outer perimeter of the Celestial Bamboo Forest for five days. Five hundred to enter the inner area, and one thousand to enter the core.”

A Guard near the Celestial Bamboo Forest stopped Luo Tian and spoke with a hint of disdain.

’Contribution Points!’

Luo Tian had forgotten about that.

”You must be a new Auditor Disciple. Without Contribution Points, you can only cultivate on the very edge, outside the forest itself.”

the Guard continued.

”I can cultivate for free?”

Luo Tian walked to the area just outside the edge of the Celestial Bamboo Forest, where several other Auditor Disciples were already present.

Luo Tian also sat down cross-legged.

’For me, there’s no difference between cultivating here and cultivating inside the Celestial Bamboo Forest.’

A smile touched Luo Tian’s lips.

He activated his Divine Vein, and a terrifying suction force erupted.

A large swathe of shimmering white mist from within the Celestial Bamboo Forest surged toward Luo Tian, forming a vortex of misty Spiritual Qi with him at its center.

”The effect is three times stronger than at the Mu Family’s!”

Luo Tian began to cultivate, circulating the Celestial Essence Water Condensation Technique.

Back at the Mu Family’s Cloud Pool, Luo Tian’s Cultivation Realm had been just a short step away from the Third Layer Peak.

During the long journey to the Tai Yuan Sect, he had already closed that small gap.

That was precisely why Luo Tian hadn’t gone anywhere else, choosing to come to the Celestial Bamboo Forest to cultivate first.

Within his Qi Sea Primordial Pool.

His True Essence swirled like a vortex, striking the walls of the Primordial Pool.

In the process, Luo Tian’s True Essence grew more condensed and powerful, and the walls of the Primordial Pool slowly expanded.

Exactly five days!

He successfully broke through to the Peak of Earth Element Realm Third Layer!

Disciples began to walk out of the Celestial Bamboo Forest one by one.

”Luo Tian?”

A man in black robes glanced at Luo Tian, his face showing surprise and displeasure.

Luo Tian recognized him. He was the Auditor Disciple sent by the Su Family, the same one who had mocked him earlier.

”No wonder the cultivation effect was so poor even though I was inside the Celestial Bamboo Forest! It was you, cultivating out here and affecting me!”

The Su Family disciple’s expression darkened.

After coming out, he saw that Luo Tian’s ability to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was terrifying. He was afraid this meant Luo Tian’s Martial Vein Tier was extraordinary.

”You wasted one hundred of my Contribution Points. If you kneel, apologize, and offer up fifty thousand Spiritual Essence Coins, I might consider forgiving you. I can even put in a good word with Boss Ying Long to let you off the hook!”

the Su Family disciple shouted.

It turned out that the previous night, he had withstood two of Ying Long’s moves and become his lackey.

Ying Long had specially rewarded him with two hundred Contribution Points, which was how this Su Family disciple was able to enter the Celestial Bamboo Forest to cultivate.

”Scram!”

Luo Tian’s face was cold. He had no desire to deal with this Su Family disciple.

”Insolent!”

the Su Family disciple yelled coldly.

He now had an Official Disciple as a backer. The other Auditor Disciples would all show him respect, but Luo Tian’s attitude was completely different.

The Su Family disciple’s face flushed with anger. He suddenly mobilized his True Essence and threw a punch of purple light, which shone dazzlingly as it bore down on Luo Tian.

He decided to teach Luo Tian a lesson to curry favor with Ying Long.

POW!

Luo Tian also threw a punch. His fist glowed with a silver sheen as his light-green True Essence bloomed.

The massive purple light-fist thrown by the Su Family disciple instantly shattered and exploded.

”Take another one of my moves!”

the Su Family disciple shouted in alarm.

Purple Annihilation Fist!

He executed the Fist Technique again. A terrifying, heart-pounding aura emanated from the astonishing purple light of his fist.

”You’re asking for it!”

A sharp glint appeared in Luo Tian’s eyes.

This Su Family disciple had latched onto Ying Long, an Official Disciple, and immediately became arrogant, turning around to bully other Auditor Disciples. It was truly shameful.

Luo Tian had held back just now, but this time, he unleashed his True Essence with full power.

With his Cultivation at the Third Layer Peak, combined with a direct punch from his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body, his strike was as unstoppable as a sharp bamboo splitting, crushing everything in its path.

POW!

The Su Family disciple’s Fist Technique was once again easily shattered.

A heavy, green fist of light struck the Su Family disciple, sending him flying back more than ten meters and crashing into the Celestial Bamboo Forest.

”The Celestial Bamboo Forest is closed! Who is so bold as to trespass!”

An angry shout from a Guard came from within.

The Su Family disciple was driven out by the Guard, his face a mask of grief, indignation, and unwillingness to accept his defeat.

’How could this be? Last night, I withstood two moves from Boss Ying Long, but today I was defeated in two moves by this kid...’