Zhu Yao was really confident in little tyrant. Though his cultivation level was not really standing out in the Foundation category, his actual combat experience was more than sufficient. Him being beaten by various high rank demonic beasts all these years were not for naught.
As expected, an hour later, little tyrant easily advanced into the next stage. Among the several hundred Foundation practitioners, only twenty or so of them remained, and little tyrant was the one and only early-stage Foundation practitioner among them.
The groupings for the other two categories were all decided as well. In the Essence category, there were forty-two participants, twenty-one in the Foundation category, and Azoth being the smallest, with only sixteen participants.
At this moment, the organizers from Wandering City came. A tall, red stage was casually erected in front of them, and it suddenly began to slowly rise. The red sheet was removed, revealing a stage made of white jade, and a row of exquisite-looking chairs were placed on top of it, emitting out an immensely overbearing aura. However, there were no one seated on them. Above the chairs, there was another empty floating square platform.
A middle-aged man, possessing the cultivation level of late-stage Azoth and wearing the Wandering City's staff uniform, flew on his sword and landed on the stage. He took a step forward and swept a glance at the practitioners who were densely packed together, and with a solemn voice, he transmitted his voice throughout the entire tournament venue. "Fellow daoists, welcome to Wandering City. Firstly, I would like to congratulate all of you for advancing past the preliminaries." He looked at the practitioners that advanced, and began to voice out large paragraphs of official statements. "Our Wandering City was built many thousand years ago with the support from many daoists, and also the protection from our old ancestor, even till now… bala bala…" After singing a string of praises, his tone changed as he began to introduce the sponsors. "This tournament is brought to you by Tower Master Zhao of Treasure Passing Tower, Pagoda Master Li of Source Spirit Pagoda, and Boss Yuan of Treasure Retrieving Mark. All who advanced past the preliminaries will be awarded with one 'Scentless Fruit'. The top three Essence practitioners will be awarded with…"
He continued to introduce a row of prizes. For each prize he introduced, a practitioner would take up a seat on the stage and greet the various people present with a smile. Though, the cultivation levels of the practitioners were really varied, with some being at the Foundation stage, or even the Nascent Soul stage. However, every single one of them was seated in a row on the stage.
Zhu Yao faintly felt as if she was spectating a reality TV programme, and the introductions she was hearing instantly changed accordingly.
"Welcome everyone, you're presently watching the TV programme 'Wandering Practitioners' Great Tournament' sponsored by "Treasure Passing Tower", "Source Spirit Pagoda" and "Treasure Retrieving Mark". We like to thank Source Spirit Pagoda, your great companion for spiritual herbs, and great guarantee to the quality of medicinal pellets. We would also like to thank Treasure Passing Tower, your wisest choice for mystic artifacts for a smooth cultivation journey, for greatly supporting the programme. Lastly, we like to thank Treasure Retrieving Mark, the professional escort services that's worth your money, for sponsoring the prizes today. The tournament this time is fair, just, and open to the public! It is hosted entirely by Wandering City, and is split into three categories. The matches are randomly assigned, and ultimately the top three will be greatly awarded. For this programme, Wandering City holds the say in all the rules! Now, let us welcome the judges of this tournament with a warm applause! Tower Master Zhao of Treasure Passing Tower, Pagoda Master Li of Source Spirit Pagoda, Boss Yuan of Treasure Retrieving Mark, and their close friends!"
Clap clap clap…
Zhu Yao clapped her hands on reflex.
The entire place was instantly dead silent.
Several hundred eyes swept towards her.
Zhu Yao, an audience who had the courtesy to clap for the performance: "…"
"Hohoho…" The hell. Zhu Yao's face darkened. "Umm… My hands were dirty, hoho, so I was dusting the dirt off…" Thus, she had no choice but to strongly patted her hands under the intense gaze of the crowd. See, this is the trouble you get into for acting on reflex! Know some shame!
In an instant, she received several hundred stares that felt as if they were looking at an idiot.
So uncomfortable!
The silence of the crowd did not persist for long, as their attention was drawn away an instant later by a growl coming from the not so distant skies.
That roar could be heard wide and far, and it felt as if it carried endless might. Though it was not releasing any pressure, it could not help but stir the hearts and senses of people, causing them to feel at awe.
Zhu Yao frowned. Why did this roar sound so similar to the roar of a dragon?
As expected, not even a moment later, a humongous beast came flying over from the horizon. Its entire body was covered in pitch-black. It had the looks of a snake did not have any legs. Its pair of eyes were like lightning, and horns grew above its head. It constantly swirled about in the shy. It was actually a ninth rank demonic beast.
"Scaled Dragon! A ninth rank Scaled Dragon!" The crowd cried out in awe.
"It's Sovereign Hua Lin of Wandering City."
"Sovereign Hua Lin has arrived."
The crowd was instantly in an uproar. With revering eyes, they looked above the Scaled Dragon where the Demigod Sovereign, dressed in azure robes, was standing.
The Scaled Dragon seemed to have intentionally circled around in the sky twice, before coiling towards the highest seat.
"Sovereign Hua Lin is actually able to tame a Scaled Dragon as his spiritual beast. He's really amazing."
"That's right. That's a Scaled Dragon! It's said that its species carry the bloodline of the Dragon race, and that it's the species of demonic beasts that's closest to the God race."
The crowd began to fervently discuss about that Scaled Dragon.
Little Eighth who had been lying on Zhu Yao's shoulder like a corpse shifted his head away in disdain. "Tch!" Stupid humans, just which part of that looks like a Dragon?
That Scaled Dragon seemed to be extremely satisfied with the commotion it caused. After arriving at the highest seat, it did not rush to make a landing, but instead, it brought its master up in the air and once again flew a perfect circle in the sky, showing off its demeanour. With its mouth wide open, it let out the same draconic roar from before.
Zhu Yao frowned. "So noisy."
Little Eighth was even more direct. "Shut up!"
His voice was not loud. The practitioners next to them were most likely unable to hear him either. However, that Scaled Dragon which had yet to show off completely suddenly twitched, and fell straight onto the stage with its face planted onto the ground. Even the Demigod Sovereign on its back wobbled, and had almost fallen off its body.
Hua Lin desperately clung onto his reputation as a Demigod practitioner. What happened to this spiritual beast today?
The Scaled Dragon however, opened its large, black pearly eyes as it looked straight at Zhu Yao's direction. Its eyes first shone from excitement, and then it dimmed right away. Finally, it began to shiver, emitting out an unclear growl.
"Heisha, what's wrong?" Hua Lin asked a little worriedly. After all, it was a spiritual beast he managed to tame through great difficulties.
The Scaled Beast however ignored him, and had instead began to shiver even more, like a leaf being blown by the wind. Its voice grew even sadder, and tears began to well in its eyes.
No one else could understand, but Zhu Yao heard it really clearly.
"Wuu… Lord hates Tiaotiao now. Tiaotiao is so sad. Tiaotiao wants to cry. Wuu…"
Zhu Yao's face darkened. Tiaotiao? Wasn't it called Heisha? To have such a distasteful name for a demonic beast, was it named by its parents?
Hua Lin inspected his spiritual beast for a long while, but was unable to find out what was wrong. Sighing, he had no choice but to leapt down from its body. The Scaled Dragon however immediately coiled up into a spiral, and then occupied the stage like a round flat pie. A pair of broken-hearted, black pearly eyes were what's left that could be seen at the center, and the surroundings were suffused with a low and dispirited atmosphere.
Little Eighth, the culprit, glared in that direction for a while, and muttered. "Stupid."
That Scaled Dragon immediately shivered even more than before.
"Wuuu… I'm being hated. I really want to die!"
Zhu Yao immediately pressed on Little Eighth, and whispered. "Stop scaring it already. If you scare it any further than now, you will cause a commotion."
Can't you see that even Hua Lin is being pushed to the very end of the stage due to its large figure? Anymore than that and he's going to fall.
#Informed on the importance of the God race's bloodline#
"Ahem…" Hua Lin finally regained his senses from his spiritual beast's anomaly. He secretly felt fortunate that these practitioners had never seen a Scaled Dragon before and believed that this coiling of its body was the usual stance it would always take. Not a single person suspected it. His reputation was kept safe, but because of this commotion, he no longer had the mood to say the speech he had initially prepared. Thus, with a wave of his hand, several types of formations were placed on the wide tournament venue. With incredible seriousness and might, he said. "Let the tournament begin."
————————————————
The layout of the wandering practitioners' tournament was actually really simple. Two people would face each other and the winner would move onto the next round. The number of Azoth and Essence practitioners who advanced were coincidentally an even number, while only the Foundation category had an even number of twenty-one people. Probably because little tyrant was the only early-stage Foundation practitioner and had the lowest cultivation level in the Foundation category, he had the honour of directly skipping through two of the rounds. When the third round finally started, including him, there were only six people left. Without doing anything, little tyrant had the honour of advancing into the top six.
Zhu Yao consoled the fortunate participant who was about to head onto the arena. "It's fine, little tyrant. Luck also plays a part in competitions."
"…" Grandma, can you not say such things while nibbling on melon seeds? You're not even the slightest bit persuasive that way, alright?
"Good boy. Win this round, and you will be in the top three!" It's so fortunate of him to enter the finals straight away!
"Haah…" Little tyrant sighed. "But, I have never exchanged blows with the rest, so I don't know the depths of their power. What if…"
"Little tyrant, do you really think that when you encounter an enemy, he will give you time to understand his abilities completely before making his move?"
He was stunned. "…"
"The importance of competitions lie in your own personal growth. The competitions themselves are of no concern."
The worries in his eyes instantly swept away. "I understand now, grandma."
"Mn, remember to win a few more Scentless Fruits!"
"…" In the end, it's still for the Scentless Fruits, isn't it? It felt so saddening to have a senior who did not go by the book!
"If I'm right, you're facing an intermediate-stage Foundation practitioner in your upcoming match." Zhu Yao pointed at a practitioner in grey clothes not far away from them. He was the only intermediate-stage Foundation practitioner in the top six, while the rest were either at the late stages or at the Paragon level. Unlike little tyrant who was seeded into the semifinals, he advanced with his own strength. "As someone who is able to stand above many with just his intermediate-stage cultivation level, he is most likely really hard to deal with compared to other practitioners. Watch out, and don't underestimate your opponent."
Little tyrant nodded. "Mn, I understand."
After the break at half-time, the tournament between the top six drew its curtains. Zhu Yao's guess was right. Little tyrant's opponent was the intermediate-stage Foundation practitioner.
If her eyes proved reliable, his opponent should possess the fire and wood spirit veins. In the previous matches, he had been using mystic arts of these two types.
Little tyrant had the penta spirit veins, so he was not afraid either. Adding that his opponent had just gone through two matches, while this was little tyrant's first match, little tyrant had the advantage in terms of stamina. However, his opponent's abilities should not be limited to just these, and that he was still hiding some.
The match between the two was the third and last match of the round. When the front two matches had just ended, little tyrant rose in the air and landed at the center of the arena. Zhu Yao instantly felt a sense of pride welling inside her.
Watch. A new star is about to be born.
Chapter 307: Rising New StarAlmost at the same time, that intermediate-stage Foundation practitioner descended from the air as well. The two of them landed on the arena at the same time.
"Fellow daoist, please advice."
The opponent courteously hugged his fist and returned a greeting. In the next moment, he summoned a spiritual sword and initiated an attack. It had to be mentioned that he was a participant with great techniques. Every single one of his attack and art was used at the most opportune moment, maximizing the effects of his attacks. Little tyrant, on the other hand, was a power-type participant. His attacks and methods were after all largely developed through countless matches with various demonic beasts. They were quick and ruthless, with great force behind them. Compared to flashy moves, most of them were practical and efficient attacks.
Both of them had their strengths, and it was hard for either of them to gain an advantage on the other. Zhu Yao however was not worried. Though little tyrant only had the cultivation level of at the early-stage Foundation, his abilities were capable of resisting a fifth rank demonic beast. Furthermore, the demonic beasts that sparred with him were different every day, and they all had various abilities. This way, he was not reliant on a specific element, and he was now able to deal with various types of mystic arts handily. Almost at the same time he were to realize that his opponent was using a certain element of mystic art, his body would on reflex use a mystic art of the opposing element.
Thus, in just a few moments, the technique-type practitioner was slowly driven into a disadvantageous position.
He could not help but look flustered. He had initially thought that this would be the easiest match so far, as, after all, his opponent's strength was a level lower than his. Never did he expect that he would instead be suppressed by his opponent instead. He had believed that his usage of mystic arts could already be considered unparalleled, but he never thought that his opponent could use various mystic arts faster than him, as if he was using them on instincts alone. Furthermore, his speed on casting any type of mystic art was incredible. Could he be a penta spirit veins holder? Is a penta spirit veins holder supposed to be this terrifying?
If this were to go on, he would most likely lose! The practitioner's expression sank, bringing out his hundred and twenty percent of concentration. With a wave of his hand, he constructed a wood-type mystic art – Heaven-Earth Net. In an instant, countless vines grew at rapid speeds, speeding towards little tyrant in all directions.
Bai Zhiyuan leapt far into the air, wanting to dodge them. Those vines however immediately followed after him, growing all the way to the skies and grabbing hold of his legs, which restricted his movements. One sharp thorn after another approached his figure.
Little tyrant's expression sank as he instantly summoned a large fireball to burn away the vines restricting him. Furthermore, the flames were even spreading towards the ground. His opponent immediately cast a water-type art.
Huaaaa. A heavy rain came pouring down, extinguishing the huge flames in an instant. When little tyrant landed on the ground, the ground was already completely wet.
A good opportunity! The practitioner's eyes shone, as he immediately unleashed the formation which he used the vines to construct earlier. In an instant, a great white light flashed beneath little tyrant's feet, and the surroundings began to freeze up. Little tyrant was quickly frozen in ice.
It finally ended.
The practitioner heaved a sigh of relief.
This was all completed in a mere instant. His speed of casting was extremely quick, and before everyone could even react, little tyrant was already frozen.
So he had the fire, wood and ice spirit veins. Zhu Yao understood and nodded, it seemed like the thing he had been concealing till now was his ice spirit vein. However… no matter how fast he was, it would not be any effective at all.
Before the practitioner could celebrate his victory, that iceberg suddenly made a crisp, crackling sound.
A figure flashed past. In the next moment, a regular second rank sword was already held right at his neck. In the face of absolute strength, speeds would just be paper tigers.
"Fellow daoist, good fight!" Little tyrant courteously spoke, as shattered pieces of ice scattered onto the ground behind him.
"That's… That's impossible!" The practitioner looked at Bai Zhiyuan, who had charged out from the ice, in complete disbelief. His cultivation level was clearly lower than his own, so how could he possibly be able to charge out of it?
Little tyrant slowly retracted his sword. No matter if this practitioner believed it or not, this battle was won by little tyrant. The practitioner was however, still standing on the arena with a dazed look.
The entire place was in an uproar.
"Tch, idiot!" Little Eighth silently spat out.
Even the Demigod practitioner, who had been standing on the highest point of the stage and was unable to escape from being squeezed by his own spiritual beast, nodded in satisfaction as well. He stroked his slightly white beard, and said. "Mn, such a talented youth."
Zhu Yao silently shifted her eyes away. This was why she said little tyrant was a power-type participant. Every day, he was beaten up by various types of demonic beasts with various attack patterns, so it would be impossible not to gain a rough skin and hard muscles from that, and it would not be unexplainable if his resistance stat was maxed out either. The iceberg of a mere Foundation practitioner could not possibly block the tail of a fifth rank demonic beast, right? Furthermore, it was the type where he would be smashed by tails without knowing that those demonic beasts were capable of doing that. Zhu Yao had initially wanted to raise him up into a sword cultivator, but unknowingly, she had instead raised a physique cultivator.
Uh… This was definitely an unexplainable mistake on the side of operations.
Fortunately, little tyrant had a good base. Even when his physical parameters were raised, he did not turn into a bulky man with muscles filling his face. He still had the same little white face with unlimited potential.
Little tyrant won beautifully in that particular round. At the very least, the group that were in the finals, had all been successfully stunned. Other than the Azoth practitioners who felt a little disapproving of him, every Foundation and Essence disciple was dumbfounded.
Initially, to all practitioners, they would put emphasis on training their arts, while those who cultivate their bodies were of a miniscule amount. Using gaming terminology, practitioners were ranged magic users with high intelligence, high magical power, and high magical defense, but incredibly terrible stamina and physical defense. Little tyrant however was an abnormal case. While raising his three main stats at the same time, he had even unlocked the physical route of the skill tree. This was why the rest were this stunned.
In the following finals, he had undoubtedly suppressed the Foundation Paragon through sheer force, and was able to successfully become the champion.
The exciting award ceremony began. Only nine practitioners remained in the arena, being the champion and runner-ups for the respective categories. Filled with spirit and valiance, they walked onto the podium. Standing on the podium were the various sponsors and leaders, and they personally awarded and encouraged the practitioners. Furthermore, they took a group shot together to mark the occasion. At this moment, the winners represented the backbone of the new cultivation world. They were the honor and pride of the cultivation world, each and every single one of them was a rising star. Ah~ My country…
Ahem! Stop there!
Everything above was just an imagination on her part.
The actual scenario was different. Someone that seemed to a manager chuckled as he handed a storage pouch to every single winner, while not forgetting to ask each one of them a question. "Congratulations, fellow daoist. Do you have any intentions of joining our Wandering City? We have great salary, few missions, and we will arrange a cave residence with rich spiritual energy for you. Every month, we will even issue Scentless Fruits."
Everyone: "…"
The manager asked every single winner, but unfortunately, not a single one of them gave a positive answer. Then, he sighed as he returned to the stage, and just as he was planning on ending this tournament…
"Wait!" The Demigod Sovereign above suddenly called out. With a wave of his hand, a light breeze blew towards the few people who had just received their prizes. Little tyrant's figure lightened and his body flew towards the tall stage.
Sovereign Hua Lin raised him towards his own seat at the tall stage, then, he glanced at the stage which was already being completely occupied by his spiritual beast. He had no choice but to give up and place little tyrant on the stage beneath his, where the sponsors were.
With a stern and esteemed look, he said. "Practitioner, are you willing to become my disciple, and come under my tutelage?"
When these words were spoken, everyone on-site held their breaths. A Demigod Sovereign wanting to take in a disciple was a huge matter, and it was even Sovereign Hua Lin the number one wandering practitioner no less. Never did anyone expect that a mere wandering practitioners' tournament would make a Demigod practitioner think about taking in a disciple. Envy appeared in everyone's eyes, as they looked at Bai Zhiyuan with excitement.
"I'm not willing."
"In that case, let's… what?" Hua Lin was stunned, and only then did he realize what Bai Zhiyuan had just said. Unwilling. Someone actually rejected the proposal of becoming a disciple of a Demigod practitioner!
Everyone on-site began to gasp at this moment.
"Have you truly thought about it?" Pass this village and there won't be anymore stores. "I don't take in a disciple often!"
"Thank you, Sovereign, for your goodwill." Little tyrant hugged his fist and said. "However, I already have a master, and my abilities were cultivated by my master. Bai Zhiyuan is unwilling to do something that's akin to betraying her."
Only then did Hua Lin understand the situation, however, he was still unwilling to give up. "May I know who your master is?"
"She's right here."
"May I see her?" As a wandering practitioner, stealing disciples or whatever, was something he was best at.
Little tyrant turned his head and looked in Zhu Yao's direction.
"Little Eighth, stop eating. It's time for us to shine." Zhu Yao brought down the pouch of melon seeds from Little Eighth's foot, and then flew towards the tall stage. Little Eighth was unable to stabilize his footing in time, and a corner of the pouch under his other foot loosened, causing melon seed shells to scatter along the way.
"Grandma." Little tyrant happily took a step forward.
"Not bad, little tyrant. You're simply incredible." Before Zhu Yao even landed, she had already raised her thumb and praised him.
"You are his master?" So she's just an Azoth practitioner. Hua Lin was relieved. When she landed on the ground, he was planning on saying something when the Scaled Dragon that had been acting dead the entire time suddenly trembled, as if it had received some sort of shock. Its tail slammed towards him just like that.
Smack…
Sovereign Hua Lin, the number one wandering practitioner who was still carrying the demeanour of a celestial deity earlier, fell.
With his face planted on the ground!
Zhu Yao: "…"
Little tyrant: "…"
The various sponsors: "…"
"Hohoho… May I know how I should address fellow daoist?" Sovereign Hua Lin stood up at lightning speed, and looked towards Zhu Yao with a harmonious look. It was as if that tragedy earlier had never happened.
Zhu Yao: "…" If you want to act, at the very least, wipe away the dirt on your face first, hey.
This instant face-changing quality could already be considered top-tier.
"Yu Yao." The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched, but she still returned an answer.
Hua Lin nodded. "So it's fellow daoist Yu. Do you specialize in the arts of beast taming?" He glanced at Little Eighth and said.
"Uh… You can put it that way!"
"What a coincidence. I am proficient in the arts of beast taming as well." He stroked his beard as pridefully glanced at the Scaled Dragon above which was still trembling.
"…" Please remove the word "proficient". Earlier, you were clearly smacked down here by your own spiritual beast, hey.
"Since both you and I are wandering practitioners, and we are familiar with these arts, it can be said to be fate. Why don't you come under my tutelage as well?" If his master were to come under him, then her disciple would naturally become his grand-disciple, and he would still be considered as one of his people. Mn, Sovereign Hua Lin was quick-witted as expected.
"No need…" Just how much does this person want to take in a disciple? "I have a master as well."
"What!?" Hua Lin was stunned. He never thought of this possibility. "How can you possibly have a master as well? Where is he? What's his cultivation level? Call him here as well, and have him come under…" Eh? Why is the surroundings so cold? Did the temperature drop?
Zhu Yao held onto the pea that was about to charge out from her chest. Master, you must calm down, bullying the elderly is wrong!
Chapter 308: Hua Lin, Don't CryHua Lin sincerely wanted to take in the youth called Bai Zhiyuan as his disciple. As a good owner that loved his spiritual beasts and a Demigod practitioner who had focused on the spiritual beast taming business for several hundred years, Hua Lin could not resist a good youth who had a tenacious body akin to a spiritual beast. He was itching to take him in, and wanted to nurture him properly, train him meticulously… Eh, things are starting to sound weird?
As for spirit veins, the hell were they?
It had been many years since he encountered a good seedling that could stir his heart in such a manner. No matter what, he had to take him in under his tutelage. In order for that to happen, he would not hesitate to do anything, even if it's taking in his master, or his master's master under his tutelage as well.
In any case, being a master, grandmaster, or great grandmaster was of no concern. He felt that he could still accept those titles.
"Daoist Yu, just who is your master? Why don't you call your master out? Don't worry, I'm a really good master." In the world of wandering practitioners, he had a very big say in things.
The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched. If I call him out, you're dead meat!
Even little tyrant silently turned his head away as well.
"Ahem, Sovereign Hua Lin, come over here for a bit." Zhu Yao sighed, as she waved her hands at him with a darkened face, motioning him to come over.
"Mn?" Hua Lin was startled. Could it be that she was troubled with something? Thus, he curiously leaned over.
"I say, Hua Lin…" Zhu Yao brought him towards a corner of the stage, and patted on his shoulders. In an instant, she released her Demigod pressure, while restricting it to the area they were standing in.
Hua Lin's legs trembled, and he was this close to kneeling down.
Late-stage Demigod!
Zhu Yao chuckled. "Who do you think my master could be?"
"…" His expression turned deathly pale. When did a late-stage Demigod appear among wandering practitioners? No one had informed him about it!
"Do you still want to meet my master now?"
He shook his head wildly!
"Hoho… Fellow daoist's master has the blessings of a celestial, and the lifespan of the sky!"
"Mn, good boy!" He just had to force her hand. She was a kind person in the first place, you know? "Oh right, this is a secret. You understand, right?"
Hua Lin: "I understand." ┭┮﹏┭┮
When Zhu Yao brought him back to the center of the stage, Hua Lin's legs were still trembling a little. The girls now sure are brutal. As I thought, am I already outdated?
"Haah…" He looked at Bai Zhiyuan with a resentful look. If you already have a Demigod practitioner as your master, say so earlier! You made me lose face. "Daoist Bai, an encounter is still a form of fate. Though we do not have the fate of being of master and disciple, why don't we… become friends?" Is it too late to mend our relationship?
Little tyrant was startled for a moment. He turned to look at Zhu Yao, and when he saw her nodding her head, he nodded as well.
Hua Lin instantly revealed a flowery smile. Since they were friends, then let the matter of stealing away a disciple earlier be bygones.
"Oh right. Earlier, I saw that you address yourself as Bai Zhiyuan during the tournament. I believe that must be your mortal name. May I know what is your daoist title?"
Little tyrant was startled, and then, he turned to look at Zhu Yao.
Uh…
The hell, why did she forget about this matter?
Isn't it just giving a name? Giving a name or whatever, is something she's best at.
"He's my disciple, so he naturally has to carry my surname Yu. His name is Yu… Ba!"
Hua Lin: "Yu Ba! Mighty and domineering! Such a good name!"
Zhu Yao: "Hoho, you have good eyes!"
Bathroom Heat Lamp (Yu Ba) Bai Zhi Yuan: "…" Why did he feel something was odd?
Hua Lin chatted with the two of them for half a day. Only then did Zhu Yao realize that this Demigod Sovereign, was a chattering box. If she had not interrupted him, she believed that he could have continued on for the entire day, all the way to the next morning. When Zhu Yao finally clearly expressed her intentions to leave, he unwillingly let them off.
Presently, the people around the arena had long gone off.
"Remember to come back often to play!" Hua Lin waved his hands at the two of them.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to fly off on her sword, from the corners of her eyes, she glanced at the Scaled Dragon which had been crying all day long on the tall stage. Sighing, she could not help but walk over.
"Stop crying."
The Scaled Dragon was startled for a moment, and then he raised his head from the spiraling coil. Its large, reddened eyes glanced in her direction, and in an instant, they sparkled. It then let out a frail sound.
"Meow~"
"Good boy!"
The Scaled Dragon's sadness finally began to dissipate, as it weakly stretch out the tip of its tail.
"Not angry?"
Finding it funny, Zhu Yao held onto the tip of its tail, and then shook it twice. "Mn, not angry."
Its body instantly shook about…
It no longer kept its body in a coiled state, recovering its demeanour as a tyrannical Scaled Dragon, and it began to playfully twist and turn.
Hua Lin: (⊙▽⊙)
As expected of Daoist Yu! She really had skills in the arts of beast taming! Even this Scaled Dragon of his was no longer throwing a tantrum. As expected of a late-stage Demigod Sovereign.
Seeing Zhu Yao who had already flown off on her sword, admiration instantly filled Hua Lin's heart.
Eh, wait a minute. What was that black figure following behind her?
The hell, it was his Scaled Dragon.
Come back! You're my spiritual beast, hey!
Reputation Establishing Achievement, unlocked!
Zhu Yao had initially decided to return to Peaceful Spiritual Forest, but the spiritual energy within little tyrant's body suddenly began to stir abnormally, and there were traces of him making a breakthrough. She had no choice but to change her plan in an instant and rented a cave residence to settle down in.
A week later, little tyrant successfully broken into the intermediate-stage Foundation level. It seemed like this tournament had greatly influenced the growth of his mental state. Just this single trip alone had risen his cultivation. In the future, she had to consider putting study trips and the like into her education plan.
"Grandma, let's return to Peaceful Spiritual Forest tomorrow!"
"What's the rush?" She was planning on going on a study trip now!
The corner of little tyrant's lips twitched, as he shook the storage pouch in front of her eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"It's empty!" He let out a long sigh. "Grandma… We don't have any spirit stones left."
"Uh…" That was a huge problem. "What happened to the spirit stones we brought out?"
He silently lowered his head, and looked at her hands.
She was holding onto a basket filled with Scentless Fruits.
"… Hohoho. Aiya, don't mind such small details." It was just that her mouth was itching a little, so she bought a little more than expected.
Little tyrant looked at her resentfully. "The spirit stones we brought out were gathered by demonic beasts."
"…" Why did she feel like she was being seen as a prodigal?
"Why don't… I refine some mystic artifacts and sell them?" She was rather confident in her crafting skills.
"We don't have the materials." (ˇ?ˇ)
"Why don't… I craft a few talismans…"
"We don't have the materials." (ˇ?ˇ)
"Then let's sell a few formation banners…"
"We don't have the materials." (ˇ?ˇ)
"Alright, let's go home!" Let's go and oppress that rich tycoon frog!
Just as they stepped out of the cave residence they rented, they bumped into a joyful Hua Lin who came to look for them. His dimples showed when he smiled, as he enthusiastically waved his hands at the two of them from afar.
"My dear little sister!"
"Little sister?" Who's your little sister?
"Uh… Dear elder sister!"
Little spat out a mouthful of flames. She's my elder sister!
"Uh… Dear friend!"
Cold air enveloped the surroundings. A certain master: A friend like this will steer my disciple astray.
"…" Then what should I address her as?
A while later.
"Fellow daoists, where are you two planning to go?"
"We ran out of money, so we're returning home." Zhu Yao replied.
Hua Lin was startled. A moment later, he let out a smile again. "So it's because of such a small matter. Fellow daoists, say so earlier! If you don't have spirit stones, I do!"
"…" You're just here to flaunt your wealth, aren't you?
Seeing that the two of them were not looking too good, he realized the ambiguity in his words. He immediately attempted to save himself. "What I'm meaning to say is, every single small or large establishment belongs to my Wandering City. If fellow daoists wish to stay, putting aside the cost of renting them, it isn't even a problem to gift a cave residence to fellow daoists." As he said that, he waved his hand. The formation core at the entrance used to place spirit stones with instantly flashed green.
"Thank you, Hua Lin!" Zhu Yao grabbed onto his hand in excitement. "We are friends from now on."
"It's my honor!"
"In that case, can you return me the rent we spent the last few days?"
"…"
Seeing that Zhu Yao did not look as if she was kidding, Hua Lin pulled out a pouch for storing spirit stones with a darkened expression. From it, he took out a high-grade spirit stone.
Before he could even pass it to her…
Zhu Yao casually swiped away… the pouch he was holding.
"Thank you. You're truly a good person."
The good person who was left with a single spirit stone: "…"
Zhu Yao immediately passed the pouch full of spirit stones to little tyrant, her household finance manager, and winked. Hurry and keep it. If it's still not enough, we can ask this old man for more. In any case, he's stupid and has lots of money.
"Ahem. Oh right, why are you looking for us?"
Hua Lin was startled, and only did he regain his senses. He suppressed the pain from losing a pouch of high-grade spirit stones, and said. "It's like this. This one has a presumptuous request, which requires the help of daoist's… disciple. This matter concerns the reputation of all wandering practitioners, and the face of my Wandering City. This is why I have no choice but to seek aid from fellow daoist."
"Oh?" Zhu Yao was a little curious. "Tell me more."
Hua Lin straightened his expression, and said with a stern tone. "Daoist Yu, do you know about the Great Inter-Sect Tournament?"
Zhu Yao nodded. "Of course! But what does that have to do with wandering practitioners?" The Great Inter-Sect Tournament naturally involved the participation from various sects and clans, but it did not have any relations with wandering practitioners which did not belong to any faction, right?
"In the past, yes. However, it's different now."
"Mn?" What did he mean?
Hua Lin sighed, motioning them to enter the residence. With a wave of his hand, he placed down a few formations before he began to explain. "Us wandering practitioners have always been on the weaker end, and most of us consist of disciples with a terrible mix of spirit veins. This led to us not being fated to enter the various sects, and had no choice but to take the four seas as our home. This was an ill fate in the first place, yet we still had to succumb to the pressure by the various sects and clans, leading to our ever dwindling resources. If we were to start calculating, we are basically worse off compared to heretic practitioners." At the very least, heretic practitioners could still openly snatch what they wanted, while wandering practitioners had to take care of their own reputation. "When I constructed this Wandering City back then, I merely wanted to provide wandering practitioners a peaceful and safe haven. However, in these few years, though the various sects did not dare to do anything in the open, they had constantly made small movements in the dark. Not to mention, they are always watching my Wandering City. It's still fine if I'm around, but once my lifespan is depleted, I'm afraid that no one will be able to protect this city."
Zhu Yao frowned. Wandering practitioners were indeed experiencing the worst lives out of all practitioners. Many of them were people who were disqualified by the various sects due to their terrible spirit veins. However, because they did not want to reduce themselves to mere heretic practitioners, they continued to live on without feeling embarrassed. Naturally, they would be oppressed everywhere they went.
"Then, what plans do you have?" Could it be that he wanted to seek revenge against the various sects and clans?
"I wish to prove the power of wandering practitioners to the various sects." Hua Lin smiled, his old face seemed to be emitting a radiant glow. "I wish to prove to the various sects, that even with poor aptitudes, we are not just targets that can be bullied easily. So, in this upcoming Great Inter-Sect Tournament, my Wandering City will participate as well."
"You're thinking of having my disciple, represent Wandering City in the tournament?"