King of Ten Thousand Years

Once aboard the boat, Luo Tian deduced that the danger was diminishing.

”It seems I’ve met a true master.”

Luo Tian thought, studying the white-haired old man and the naive young girl for a moment longer.

The white-haired old man had likely guessed what Luo Tian had been through.

Luo Tian’s request to see a doctor was, in truth, a plea for help.

By agreeing to ”examine” him and letting him board the boat, the white-haired old man had agreed to help.

But as for why the old man agreed, or whether the crisis could be completely resolved, that remained to be seen.

”Where are you two from?”

Luo Tian asked, wanting to learn more about the old man and the young girl.

”The Flowing Water Realm. And you, sir?”

The naive girl answered without much thought.

’Flowing Water Realm?’

Luo Tian had never heard of it, but that was normal. The cosmos was vast, containing countless realms, and his own knowledge was limited.

”I’m from the Tai Yuan Sect. And where might you two be headed?”

Luo Tian continued to inquire.

But he noticed that the young girl showed no reaction upon hearing the name Tai Yuan Sect.

”We’re going to the Pale Ring,” the naive girl said.

”We’re on the same path.”

Luo Tian couldn’t help but smile.

”Grandpa, didn’t you promise to treat him? Hurry up and heal this gentleman.”

The naive girl called out.

She had been incredibly bored on the journey and was rather interested in Luo Tian, who looked to be around her age.

”The examination is finished. His injuries will heal on their own in three months.”

The white-haired old man said flatly, without even glancing at Luo Tian.

A sharp glint flashed in Luo Tian’s eyes.

The old man was right. The wounds inflicted by the Martial King would indeed heal completely in three months!

But the old man hadn’t examined him at all. To be able to determine this with a single glance was no simple feat!

”Grandpa, you’re not lying again, are you? You didn’t even examine him.”

The naive girl put on a clever look, as if to say, ’You can’t fool me’.

”Thank you, Senior, for examining me. If you require any compensation, please speak freely.”

Luo Tian was polite and courteous.

The white-haired old man wouldn’t help him for no reason. Luo Tian would actually feel more at ease if he simply stated what he wanted.

The naive girl was a little confused.

Her grandfather clearly hadn’t examined him but said he had, and now this gentleman was thanking her grandfather for the examination.

’Are Grandpa and Luo Tian the confused ones, or am I?’

Just then.

SWISH!

A Celestial Level Martial Artist flew over from the distance. His cultivation aura was even more powerful than the Ghost Scorpion Hall Master’s. His cold, sinister eyes swept in all directions as if searching for something!

”Hua Feng Hall Master!”

Luo Tian’s expression darkened!

He had a history with the Hua Feng Hall Master. For him to appear here now, the reason was self-evident—he was definitely here to capture Luo Tian!

And the Hua Feng Hall Master was a High Tier Celestial Pool Realm expert!

Luo Tian couldn’t help but look toward the white-haired old man.

The man had only agreed to let Luo Tian on the boat; it was uncertain whether he would actually step in to help now.

’Even if he does help, is he any match for the Hua Feng Hall Master?’

SWISH!

The Hua Feng Hall Master closed in on the small boat, drawing ever nearer to Luo Tian!

Luo Tian’s heart began to pound!

But Luo Tian suddenly realized that the Hua Feng Hall Master wasn’t looking at him at all. Or rather, he couldn’t see him.

SWISH!

The Hua Feng Hall Master flew right over the small boat and continued searching for any trace of Luo Tian!

He glanced back suspiciously, feeling as if he had missed something, but there was nothing behind him but darkness.

”Luo Tian, oh, Luo Tian... you can’t escape.”

The Hua Feng Hall Master flew off into the distance.

Luo Tian was stunned.

The Hua Feng Hall Master was here to capture him, yet he had passed right by without seeing him.

It was too strange.

A little while later.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

A squad from the Sea Race flew past not far away. They didn’t see Luo Tian either.

In the span of just a few days, at least ten different search parties appeared around Luo Tian, some of them even stronger than the Hua Feng Hall Master.

But none of them discovered Luo Tian.

On this small boat, it was as if Luo Tian was cut off from the rest of the world, completely uninvolved.

When Luo Tian rested, he performed another Inference and found that the danger had been drastically reduced.

He looked at the white-haired old man.

To this day, the old man still hadn’t mentioned any compensation. It was as if helping Luo Tian was a trivial matter, something he didn’t care about at all.

Since the white-haired old man didn’t bring it up, Luo Tian couldn’t be bothered to say any more about it either.

Besides, the old man and the girl were also headed for the Pale Ring, so Luo Tian could just hitch a ride.

As time passed, Luo Tian drew closer to the depths of the Broken-star Realm.

「Three months later.」

Luo Tian’s injuries had fully healed. He gazed into the distance, where everything was a hazy, pale, and deathly still expanse.

”We’re approaching the Pale Ring’s territory,” the white-haired old man said.

Soon, the small boat entered the Pale Ring. The surrounding darkness gave way to a gray haze, and visibility was severely reduced.

Luo Tian also keenly sensed that the void currents had grown stronger. The small boat’s speed had slowed considerably!

There was a fundamental difference between the Pale Ring and the Illusion Realm of the Broken Ring. It felt like suddenly entering a new world.

’The dangers of the Pale Ring are several times greater than those of the Broken Ring...’

Luo Tian didn’t know much, but he at least knew the basics.

And just at that moment, Luo Tian discovered his Sea Blue Holy Pearl was pulsing with excitement, emitting a deep, ethereal blue light.

”My Mermaid Maid is in the Pale Ring?”

Luo Tian was a little surprised.

’It seems I’m not completely alone.’ Luo Tian felt a bit more relieved.

He took out the Sea Blue Holy Pearl and sent a message through it: ”Where are you now? What is your destination?”

His Mermaid Maid, Qin Aolan, had a mysterious background and had even come back from the dead.

For her to travel thousands of miles across the Broken Ring to reach the Pale Ring, she must have a purpose.

No reply came from the Sea Blue Holy Pearl, but Luo Tian wasn’t worried.

”Where did you get that treasure?” the white-haired old man beside him suddenly asked.

Over the past three months, Luo Tian had occasionally chatted with the naive young girl, Mu Qingqing, and they got along well. But he had exchanged very few words with the white-haired old man.

This was the first time the old man had ever initiated a conversation with Luo Tian.

”Senior, you know of its origin?”

Luo Tian asked.

He had only known that it was extremely precious to Qin Aolan and contained a part of her Residual Soul. It seemed the treasure itself was also quite extraordinary.

”It’s a great treasure of the Mermaid Clan, not something an ordinary person would have. The Mermaid Race has many treasures. The Mermaid Race’s powers in the Pale Ring have been nearly wiped out several times, and even now, many factions in the Pale Ring are still hunting them.”

The white-haired old man said with profound meaning.

Luo Tian immediately put the Sea Blue Holy Pearl away and took the opportunity to ask, ”What about the Human Race’s factions?”

”The Human Race?”

The white-haired old man pondered for a few breaths before sighing. ”The human factions aren’t peaceful either. There are numerous external threats, and the Human Race itself is rife with internal conflict.”

In comparison, the human factions in the Broken Ring, under the control of the Tai Yuan Sect, at least had no major internal conflicts.

The human factions in the Pale Ring, however, were much more chaotic, with wars even breaking out occasionally!

”Senior, were you once a person of the Pale Ring?”

Luo Tian asked.

The white-haired old man’s origins were mysterious, and his power was unfathomable. Getting on good terms with him could only be beneficial to Luo Tian.

But the white-haired old man remained silent, so Luo Tian didn’t press the matter.

’Sometimes, silence is a form of agreement.’

’The Pale Ring, the Flowing Water Realm... Could the Flowing Water Realm be a refuge for humans? Did Mu Qingqing take shelter there, and now her grandfather is taking her back?’

Luo Tian couldn’t help but form this theory.

The situation was remarkably similar to Ning Xueyao’s.

In the days that followed, Luo Tian didn’t manage to strike up another conversation with the white-haired old man. Bored with the journey, he simply began to cultivate.

He couldn’t risk exposing a Cultivation Technique like the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique.

He mainly focused on cultivating the Celestial Essence Water Condensation Technique, an Internal Cultivation Method, and the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body.

He had already cultivated the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body to the Perfection of the Sixth-Layer. The Seventh-Layer to the Ninth-Layer was called the ”Celestial Furnace Sword Body.”

In Luo Tian’s current view, the Tier of the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body was a bit low.

Luo Tian’s consciousness entered the Celestial Book World. He wanted to further perfect the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body, raising it to the Celestial Level Upper Grade!

Going from Celestial Level Low Grade to Celestial Level Upper Grade was a significant leap.

A line of text appeared on the Celestial Book: ”Four hundred pages of Energy are required to upgrade it to Celestial Level Upper Grade.”

However, since Luo Tian had broken through to the Celestial Pool Realm, it now cost five hundred Spiritual Essence Coins to charge one page of the Celestial Book.

Four hundred pages would cost two hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

Luo Tian didn’t even bat an eye. He spent the Spiritual Essence Coins and raised the Tier of his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body!

Then, he sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate!

VMMMM!

A sharp, piercing Sword Intent erupted, soaring to the heavens. Luo Tian himself seemed like an unsheathed sword, too sharp to look at directly.

”Brother Luo, that’s amazing!”

Mu Qingqing exclaimed in admiration from the side.

The white-haired old man remained expressionless. Comprehending a Sword Intent was a prerequisite for breaking into the Celestial Pool Realm; there was nothing special about it.

But gradually, the white-haired old man realized something was amiss.

A dazzling golden luster, incredibly sharp, began to radiate from Luo Tian’s entire body.

The Sword Intent emanating from him grew stronger and stronger, until it was as if he had become one with the Sword Intent itself.

「One month later.」

He achieved the Initial Achievement of the Seventh-Layer of the ”Celestial Furnace Sword Body.”

PSSSH!

Luo Tian extended a finger. Its surface shimmered with a sharp golden light, and a two-foot-long golden blade of energy shot out from the tip, wreathed in a layer of flowing wind.

With a gentle slash, a golden gleam flashed, and an incredibly swift beam of Golden Sword Qi shot out, disappearing into the void’s mist.

’This strike... is so powerful.’

Luo Tian was a little surprised.

The strike he had just unleashed with a single finger was nearly as powerful as a strike with an ordinary Profound Artifact!

”’The Celestial Furnace Sword Body allows one to become the sword. It not only aids in comprehending Sword Intent but also enhances the power of any sword-type Divine Soldier...’”

”’At full mastery, even a single strand of hair can become a Divine Soldier, a peerless blade!’”

This was the essence of the Seventh-Layer to the Ninth-Layer of the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body. Luo Tian couldn’t help but feel a sense of yearning.

”I don’t recall the Tai Yuan Sect having such a unique Body Refining Technique!”

The white-haired old man spoke up.

He had watched Luo Tian’s cultivation process and recognized how extraordinary this Body Refining Technique was.

It actually combined the Sword Dao with the Path of Body Refining, forging a unique and astounding path!

Moreover, he had seen the results of Luo Tian’s cultivation, and they were astonishing.

”I figured it out on my own,” Luo Tian said, his face straight and his heart steady.

The white-haired old man shook his head, not believing him.

But inwardly, his interest in Luo Tian had grown.

「Another month passed.」

The small boat continued on its journey, and Luo Tian was still cultivating the Celestial Furnace Sword Body!

Suddenly, the white-haired old man walked up to Luo Tian and said, ”With the Demon Wave Martial King’s power, you won’t be safe even after entering the Pale Ring.”

Luo Tian opened his eyes.

’So this old man knew everything all along.’

”Do one thing for me, and I will give you a safe place to stay. How about it?”

A slight smile touched the white-haired old man’s lips.

’It’s finally here...’

Luo Tian thought to himself.

He never believed the white-haired old man would help him without asking for anything in return. Now that the man had made his request, Luo Tian actually felt relieved.

But what exactly was the favor the white-haired old man needed from him?