King of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 588: Chapter 586: Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang

“Kid, I’d advise you to just give up. The Wuji Saint Institute isn’t a place you can get into!”

The purple-robed youth sneered.

“That’s right. You need certain qualifications to even take the Wuji Saint Institute’s entrance exam.”

“You need to be from at least a second-class family or sect, and you need recommendations from many powerful elders to even qualify…”

an elder said, advising Luo Tian not to waste his effort.

The Pale Ring.

The Five Ancient Clans and the Ten Great Super Families.

Beneath them were the second-class and third-class families!

And on par with these were the second and third-class sects.

Only powers of the second-class or higher had the qualifications to enter the Three Great Saint Institutes.

Third-class powers did not!

And Independent Martial Artists had even less of a chance!

Even the recommendation slots from second-class powers were limited, and talented Martial Artists had to fight tooth and nail for them.

Third-class powers, and especially Independent Martial Artists, had almost no chance of ever getting into the Three Great Saint Institutes!

What’s more, Luo Tian was from the Broken-star Realm, making it difficult for him to get the qualifications in the short term. The Saint Institutes also didn’t accept older students, so one could say he had no hope of entering the Three Great Saint Institutes in his lifetime.

“The Wuji Saint Institute’s entry requirements are certainly high.”

Luo Tian couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Aren’t the Wuji Saint Institute afraid of missing out on geniuses this way? Perhaps there’s a reason for it that I don’t know.’

“Are you certain, sir?”

the red-faced elder asked again for confirmation.

“I’m certain.”

‘I have the token from Mu Qingqing’s grandfather, so it shouldn’t be a problem.’

‘After all, with Mu Qingqing in my custody, the old man wouldn’t dare to screw me over.’

“He has to learn things the hard way.”

The purple-robed youth sneered and shook his head, his sense of superiority restored.

‘So what if Luo Tian is a second-class VIP of the Martial City Spirit Hall? He doesn’t have the qualifications to enter the Wuji Saint Institute!’

Many nearby Martial Artists shook their heads, thinking Luo Tian was wasting his time, and didn’t bother saying anything more.

The registration was complete.

The two of them, Luo Tian and Mu Qingqing, paid two hundred and fifty thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

And that was with the second-class VIP discount.

The two then entered the Transmission Hall.

The Transmission Hall had an inner and outer chamber. The outer chamber was for short-range transmissions, while the inner one was for ultra-long-range transmissions.

The ultra-long-range transmission could transport a maximum of ten people at a time.

Luo Tian and Mu Qingqing happened to be traveling with the Li Family’s group, teleporting to the Martial City Spirit Hall near the Wuji Realm.

…

「At the distant other end」

Luo Tian and the nine others appeared on an ancient, enormous formation platform.

The upper echelons of the Spirit Hall checked their identities before letting them pass.

Walking out of the Transmission Hall, Luo Tian discovered that this Martial City Spirit Hall had several times more Martial Artists gathered than the previous one, with far more experts among them.

Luo Tian even sensed… the aura of a Martial King!

In the Broken-star Realm, Martial Kings were few and far between, as elusive as mythical dragons. The vast majority of Celestial Level Martial Artists might go their entire lives without ever seeing one!

‘This is terrifying.’

‘If the Pale Ring really set its mind on destroying the Broken Ring, they could probably do it with ease.’

‘As for why they haven’t…’

‘It’s probably because they see it as barren and inferior, not even worth their time.’

‘Are most of the young people here to take the Wuji Saint Institute’s entrance exam?’

Luo Tian’s gaze swept across the crowd.

‘The overall quality of Martial Artists in the Pale Ring is far superior to that of the Broken Ring.’

‘In the Broken Ring, over sixty percent of the young Martial Artists here would be considered peerless geniuses.’

A fire of excitement ignited within Luo Tian!

‘As one of the Three Great Saint Institutes of the Pale Ring, what kind of place is it really like inside?’

“Let’s go. Time to head to the Wuji Saint Institute.”

Luo Tian and Mu Qingqing set off immediately.

As they were leaving the Martial City Spirit Hall, Luo Tian and Mu Qingqing ran into the Li Family’s group again.

“Don’t tell me the two of you are planning to travel to the Wuji Realm all by yourselves?”

the purple-robed youth said with a mocking laugh.

“Is there a problem with that?”

Luo Tian retorted.

“I’d advise you to gather some information before you set out.”

Naturally, the purple-robed youth had no intention of kindly explaining anything to Luo Tian. After showing off a bit, he left with the Li Family’s group.

Luo Tian noticed that the Li Family seemed to be traveling together with other groups.

“Why don’t you two join our team?”

Just then, the voice of a middle-aged woman came from behind them.

Luo Tian turned to look.

The middle-aged woman’s group had a full ten members, four of whom were in the Celestial Pool Realm.

The middle-aged woman had the highest Cultivation, having reached the Peak of Celestial Pool Realm Fourth Layer.

“Is there some kind of danger along the way?”

Luo Tian sensed something was amiss.

“That’s right. Because of the ‘Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang’!”

the middle-aged woman said gravely.

Luo Tian and Mu Qingqing both looked completely bewildered.

“You’ve really never heard of the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang?”

A cold-faced man in the group asked in surprise.

“In the Pale Ring, there are Four Great Thief Emperors. Each has established their own Pirate Empire and proclaimed themselves emperor…”

the cold-faced man stated coolly.

Luo Tian was startled.

‘Even pirates dare to call themselves emperors!’

‘The pirates of the Pale Ring are even more rampant than those in the Broken Ring.’

‘Thinking about it, it makes sense. Although the Pale Ring is rich, it’s also home to countless competing clans, and warfare is common.’

“Half a year ago, a prodigy from the Wuji Saint Institute wiped out one of the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang’s squads. It just so happened that one of the squad members was a beautiful woman who was the beloved concubine of the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor…”

This incident enraged the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor.

Coincidentally, the Wuji Saint Institute is about to start its new student enrollment.

So, members of the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang have come to cause trouble as a form of revenge.

‘To dare to oppose the Wuji Saint Institute, these Four Great Thief Emperor Gangs must be extraordinary.’

‘But they wouldn’t dare go too far. At least, their top experts wouldn’t dare to get involved. If they truly angered the Wuji Saint Institute, the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang would definitely be the one to suffer.’

“I see. So, that means on the way to the Wuji Realm, we’re likely to run into people from the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang…”

A chill went down Luo Tian’s spine.

“A month ago, many of the groups that set out for the Wuji Realm met with disaster.”

the middle-aged woman continued.

She saw that Luo Tian was very young yet already had a Celestial Pool Realm Cultivation, and thought he was a promising talent. That’s why she invited him to join their group, hoping to form a connection.

But the middle-aged woman found it strange.

‘A genius like Luo Tian doesn’t have any elders from his family escorting him?’

‘And what’s the deal with Mu Qingqing next to him? She’s even younger and her Cultivation is very low.’

“Alright, I’ll join your group.”

Luo Tian accepted the invitation.

Being unfamiliar with the Pale Ring and having to look after Mu Qingqing, who was a liability, traveling with other experts was his best option.

“Twelve people, six at the Celestial Pool Realm. That should be enough. Let’s move out.”

the middle-aged woman said.

…

「One month later.」

In the vast, gray void.

A pale yellow Void Ship sailed slowly forward.

‘Traveling in the Outer World, we not only have to be careful of Void Creatures, but now we also have to guard against the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang. That’s why our speed is slow. It’ll take at least three months to reach the Wuji Realm safely!’

Luo Tian glanced outside through the window.

During this past month, he had gotten a clear picture of the group.

The middle-aged woman was from a second-class family, and she was responsible for escorting five of her clan’s geniuses to the Wuji Saint Institute for the entrance assessment.

The rest of the members had all been invited by the middle-aged woman to join them.

‘Still two months to go. I’ll continue my closed-door cultivation.’

Luo Tian’s Cultivation had just broken through, and his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body had also reached a new Realm.

He finally had time to focus on his Cultivation of the Creation Technique.

With his current Cultivation Realm, breaking through to the Fourth-Layer of the Creation Technique wouldn’t be a problem.

SWOOSH!

Luo Tian took a Purifying Moon Lotus from his Storage Space.

It was a Spiritual Material he had obtained back in the Thief King’s Treasure Land. It worked on the Soul level, capable of strengthening one’s mind and consciousness, dispelling impurities, and facilitating the Purification of evil thoughts.

Luo Tian had originally obtained two of them. After returning to his Sect, he sold one to the True Disciple He Yuan, saving this one for himself to break through with the Creation Technique.

Activating the Creation Technique, Luo Tian’s body began to emit faint, wondrous spiritual fluctuations.

In his mind, a pale blue, ethereal ball of light rippled on its surface.

After several days of Cultivation, the pale blue, ethereal ball of light had expanded slightly.

Only then did Luo Tian begin to absorb the essence of the Purifying Moon Lotus’s Medicinal Power.

Instantly,

a cool, refreshing stream surged through Luo Tian’s entire body, ultimately merging with his mind and soul.

The blue light ball in his mind began to ripple more intensely, its azure waves increasing in frequency.

Ten days later,

the pale blue, ethereal ball of light had expanded by a large margin, appearing even more profound and mysterious.

Another three days passed!

VWOOM!

The massive, blue ethereal ball of light pulsed, sending a vast, surging ripple of blue light crashing out in all directions!

At that moment, everyone on the Void Ship felt a jolt run through their minds and consciousness.

‘Such powerful spiritual pressure! Could it be the team leader?’

The cold-faced man was startled.

‘It must be the team leader, the middle-aged woman. She must have had another breakthrough.’

But the cold-faced man didn’t know that even the team leader, the middle-aged woman, was greatly shocked. She released her Spiritual Sense, carefully spreading it outwards.

‘That spiritual pressure just now… it was much stronger than mine!’

‘Could a powerful expert be spying on us? What is their objective?’

The middle-aged woman tried to investigate, but she found that the powerful spiritual pressure had vanished without a trace just as quickly as it had appeared.

Inside the room,

Luo Tian exhaled a breath of turbid air and slowly opened his eyes. A layer of deep blue, mysterious light patterns flashed across them and vanished.

“The Creation Technique has broken through to the Fourth-Layer!”

Everything had gone smoothly, just as Luo Tian had expected.

Now, his spiritual strength was likely superior to that of an average Middle Tier Celestial Pool Realm cultivator.

In addition,

Luo Tian’s Inference Ability and his Celestial Eye ability had also improved further.

He also gained the ability to observe the weather and celestial phenomena, but Luo Tian, having little interest in such things, didn’t delve deeper into it.

The most direct and significant benefits of cultivating the Creation Technique were the massive boosts to his Comprehension and Spiritual Power.

“Hm?”

Luo Tian suddenly had a premonition that trouble was coming.

‘Could it be the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang?’

The Outer Void was vast and boundless.

Even if the Heaven-Dominating Thief Emperor Gang had many members, the probability of encountering them in the Outer Void wasn’t high. This was due to the Pale Ring’s unique environment, which was full of interference that limited visibility and affected Spiritual Sense.

‘I should warn them.’

Luo Tian left his room.