HPMC Chapter 21

　　Once Yu Tianze understood this, his cultivation, which had been stuck at a bottleneck, surged forward. He was now at the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage. With a little more cultivation and the right opportunity to break through, he could directly reach the Divine Transformation stage.

　　Indeed, even though Yu Tianze felt that his rapid progress was due to his past experience of being reborn with hatred, he had finally understood things, and that was why he had made such rapid progress. However, it had to be said that subconsciously, he still lacked his initial confidence; clearly, his past foolishness had led to frequent pyrrhic victories and defeats, so it was perfectly normal for him to lack absolute self-confidence.

　　But now it was different. After that exhilarating battle, Yu Tianze realized that he was absolutely capable. Those who were difficult to deal with before now seemed insignificant, and so his confidence returned. Therefore, those who cultivate the path of thunder and fire like him need a kind of “who else but me?” and “I am the only one under heaven” spirit. Thunder is divine punishment, fire is the incinerator of all things; without sufficient confidence, how can one progress?

　　Yu Tianze’s confidence was now off the charts, so the bottleneck naturally disappeared. Simply put, his previous lack of momentum had been completely compensated for. Yu Tianze’s demeanor also underwent a dramatic transformation.

　　If he was a master before, he was now a master among masters, and in the future, he would undoubtedly become a master among masters among masters. The ranking tournaments for intermediate and low-level sects were only truly exciting for those in the Nascent Soul stage. However, even among Nascent Soul cultivators, their foundations and accumulated strength differed, and their displayed power was ultimately insufficient in the eyes of higher-level sects.

　　After all the battles were completed, Yu Tianze rightfully became the number one among the top 100 Nascent Soul cultivators of this year; a late-stage peak Nascent Soul cultivator with the Dao of Thunder and Fire, coupled with an absolutely formidable magic weapon, who else could be number one?

　　The people of the Jiuyang Sect were overjoyed, but Yu Tianze, who had originally only aimed for a top-ten finish, became indifferent now that he had achieved first place. Indeed, his mind had broadened, and this achievement no longer held any weight in his heart. However, perhaps spurred on by Yu Tianze, another cultivator from the Jiuyang  Sect barely squeezed into the top 100,  ranking ninety-ninth. This person was also considered a member of the sect leader’s lineage, but hadn’t participated in the siege of Yu Tianze; therefore, Yu Tianze harbored no hostility towards him.

　　At this time, the lower-level duels had all ended, and next up was the internal round-robin tournament of the nine major sects. However, apart from the XinYi Sect, which provided the venue, allowing them to watch, not all members of the other mid-to-low-level sects could stay. Only those ranked in the top 100 were allowed to remain. So, the others had to be dismissed first, and the nine major immortal sects discussed it and decided to award them rewards according to the old rules.

　　The Jiuyang  Sect performed well this time. Because Yu Tianze won first place, and they gained another Nascent Soul cultivator in the top 100, although the performance of the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators was still average, overall, they still became the third-ranked mid-level sect under the Zhenggang  Immortal Sect, a rise in ranking compared to the previous year, and received more resources. These resources came from the Zhenggang  Immortal Sect.

　　As the top-ranked individual, Yu Tianze, in addition to the usual top-ranking rewards, could choose a special prize jointly awarded by the nine major immortal sects. Of course, he unhesitatingly chose a spot in the Zhenggang Immortal Sect for secluded cultivation. Upon seeing his choice, the Divine Transformation Realm emissary sent to distribute the rewards nodded in satisfaction.

　　Indeed, besides the nine major sects distributing their own benefits, another important purpose of this ranking competition was talent selection. It aimed to ensure that outstanding individuals from affiliated sects entered the main sect and to prevent affiliated sects from having any trump cards that surpassed the main sect’s. Someone like Yu Tianze, who actively cooperated and clearly yearned for the main sect, was undoubtedly someone they wanted to cultivate.

　　The envoy gave Yu Tianze a meaningful look, smiled, and left: “You’re very good. I am from the Zhenggang  Immortal Sect. Our Zhenggang Immortal Sect welcomes you to come for secluded cultivation as soon as possible. I will arrange a cave abode and resources for you.”

　　Yu Tianze replied with arrogance but without losing his manners: “Then thank you very much, emmisary.”

　　After the envoy left, the other Nascent Soul cultivators on the stone platform all had complicated expressions. Especially the leading elder, whose face changed drastically when he saw Yu Tianze directly put away the storage bag containing the top-ranked reward. Something was wrong. In the past, after every major event, Yu Tianze would only pick out one or two rare treasures and then offer everything else to the sect. This time, he actually kept it for himself?

　　Yu Tianze also noticed the leading elder’s doubt. He didn’t intend to break ties with the Jiuyang  Sect, so he took the initiative to say, “I will be able to advance to the Nascent Soul stage in a few years. At that time, I will take on a personal disciple, and I will need to prepare some things for him.”

　　The leading elder forced a smile upon hearing this. The rewards bestowed by the main sect upon the top ten outstanding Nascent Soul cultivators are undoubtedly rare treasures, things that even low- to mid-level sects might not be able to obtain, even with spirit stones. Previously, Yu Tianze was only among the top hundred, and what he received was already quite rare; now, at the top, who knew what good it would be.

　　However, these were personal rewards. If Yu Tianze was willing to offer such a personal reward to the sect out of gratitude, that was fine. If he didn’t, the sect could not forcibly take it, as the main sect was watching. Moreover, Yu Tianze has already handed it over several times before, and now he doesn’t want to continue because he wants to take on disciples; no one can say he’s not grateful to the sect, otherwise, wouldn’t the sect be branded as exploiting its disciples?

　　It’s just that this happened while the leading elder was leading the group, so he would inevitably face some reprimand upon his return. Equally pale, or even more so, was Chen Yiheng. Yu Tianze’s departure for secluded cultivation at the main sect—this alone disrupted many of Chen Yiheng’s plans. Yes, Chen Yiheng was the son of the sect leader and also possessed the Nascent Soul realm, but he hadn’t made it into the top 100. Judging from Yu Tianze’s performance this time, he realized even more the gap between them.

　　If they were both in the Jiuyang  Sect, he could use his status to gradually soften Yu Tianze’s influence, but once Yu Tianze went to the main sect, what would his position in the Jiuyang  Sect amount to in the main sect? Unless Yu Tianze was willing to take him along, but clearly, Yu Tianze didn’t treat him that way at all. Chen Yiheng was disappointed, even furious.

　　At the same time, deep down, there was a fear he himself was unwilling to admit. After witnessing Yu Tianze smash people with his giant hammer, just looking at Yu Tianze made his bones ache. Even though Yu Tianze’s appearance was as handsome as ever, it made him restrain his arrogance. If they could truly become Daoist partners, he would likely be the weaker party. Yu Tianze, by all accounts, didn’t seem like someone who could be subservient to others. If that were the case, he did hesitate.

　　Why couldn’t Yu Tianze be a little more gentle? He was raised by Ming Yuan, so why wasn’t he more like him? But although Chen Yiheng thought this way, he didn’t intend to give up immediately. He had finally managed to get closer to Yu Tianze, and he couldn’t give up halfway. If he could grasp Yu Tianze’s true feelings, he didn’t necessarily have to decide based on strength. Perhaps Yu Tianze would be willing to submit to him.

　　Chen Yiheng took a few steps forward, composed himself, and tentatively asked with a smile, “Tianze, why did you choose that reward?”

　　Yu Tianze said with a stern face, “My strength has reached a bottleneck. If I cultivate in seclusion at the main sect, I might be able to break through.”

　　Chen Yiheng was somewhat surprised. How could Yu Tianze bear to leave his master alone at the Jiuyang  Sect? Putting aside everything else, Chen Yiheng knew Yu Tianze’s deep respect and love for Ming Yuan. The master and disciple had relied on each other for survival before. Even after Yu Tianze’s aptitude changed, he was unwilling to leave Ming Yuan, preferring to explore cultivation on his own rather than accept the sect’s suggestion to join another sect. How could Yu Tianze let go of such a bond between master and disciple?

　　After some thought, Chen Yiheng was somewhat suspicious but feigned nonchalance as he spoke, “Then Ming Yuan…”

　　Yu Tianze looked at him strangely, “Master is now at the Golden Core stage, and will naturally have to walk the path of immortality alone in the future. If I continue to be reluctant, it will be detrimental to Master. Besides, now that Junior Brother is by Master’s side to fulfill his filial duties, I can also pursue my own Thunderfire Great Dao with peace of mind and pass on my methods. Now that I am establishing my own mountain peak, I will devote my future efforts to my disciple.”

　　Chen Yiheng was stunned for a moment. This statement was not wrong.

　　In ordinary master-disciple relationships, the disciple would establish their own peak after reaching the Golden Core stage or catching up with the master. The master-disciple pair of Yu Tianze and Ming Yuan was already very strange. The master could not guide the disciple at all, but instead made the disciple devote all his efforts to helping the master reach the Golden Core stage. Ming Yuan couldn’t have reached this level on his own, but Yu Tianze helped him achieve it. He had already fully repaid his master’s kindness. Not to mention, even before establishing his own mountain peak, Yu Tianze found another person to serve Ming Yuan, and considering all the resources he had contributed before, he had done everything perfectly.

　　Now that he wanted to take on disciples, his feelings for Ming Yuan would gradually fade.

　　However, if Yu Tianze no longer cared about Ming Yuan as before, then how useful would Ming Yuan be? Chen Yiheng admitted that he enjoyed Ming Yuan’s admiration, but more than that, he needed Ming Yuan to help him keep Yu Tianze interested. At least because of Ming Yuan, Yu Tianze couldn’t completely ignore him. However, now he was unsure.

　　If it weren’t for Yu Tianze, he wouldn’t have much interest in a Golden Core cultivator like Ming Yuan, who had almost no future potential.  For the sake of his future reputation with his Daoist partner, he probably wouldn’t even take him as a male servant. At most, it would be a fleeting affair.

　　Therefore, Chen Yiheng was now thinking that, before Ming Yuan and Yu Tianze’s master-disciple relationship faded, he should have Ming Yuan try to build a relationship with Yu Tianze and have him go to the main sect for secluded cultivation with Yu Tianze. He remembered that cultivators who obtained a spot in the conference could bring one person with them.

 

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