Volume 1 Chapter 5: Li Mengzhi
When he was at 10th Qi Refinement realm, he was already invincible. Now, he felt like he could take on the world!
"Calm down, calm down. I can't be arrogant. A Golden Core expert could squash me to death."
Soon, Fang Zhaoge finally calmed down. He took in a deep breath, readying himself to witness the improvement of his strength.
[Combat Power: 21.120 tonnes (1.408x15 Amplification)]
Ten times.
The increment of strength from 10th Qi Refinement realm to 11th Qi Refinement realm is ten times!
Equivalent to a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm from Qi Refinement realm!
Fang Zhaoge tried to contain the excitement in his heart. After all, it was different when he was just a mortal. He's a cultivator now, the one who's invincible in the Qi Refinement realm throughout history nonetheless!
He has to maintain his immortal image!
In the end, he decides to pour out his excitement into practising the First Slash, and shockingly, after a few hours, he reaches Adept proficiency.
Fang Zhaoge had a feeling, and he hurriedly looked at one particular stat.
[Talent: 900 (60x15 Amplification)]
"F*ck!"
He couldn't contain it anymore. 11th Qi Refinement realm is just too overbearing. It actually increased his talent with multiples! And it was multiplied by ten!
With this, perhaps even if a descendant of an immortal descended and challenged him as a Qi Refinement cultivator, he could crush them like a fly!
How arrogant!
Fang Zhaoge gritted his teeth to hold himself back. He can't be arrogant! He could only be arrogant when his amplification reached 50x and when the quality Underdog Legend reached its quality limit!
"First Slash!"
His hand tensed up in excitement, and he couldn't hold back at all. Fang Zhaoge performed an overbearing sword slash to express his excitement, which was more than 50% of his maximum strength!
That's 90 million kg worth of slash!
BOOM!
The disciples were shocked by the commotion again, and even Old Huang and Li Tianwen, who were still standing in the vicinity, became vigilant.
However, when they saw the source of the impact, they sighed in relief. They also looked at the hidden silhouette with a shocked look.
"This kid launched an attack that's infinitely close to an attack of a 7th Foundation Establishment expert?"
"What the fuck?"
Old Huang couldn't help but curse because of how shocked he was. Even Li Tianwen gaped.
It was still comprehensible if one crossed levels to fight within the same realm. But Fang Zhaoge could cross realms! And he could do it to the extent where he could challenge a late Foundation Establishment expert at peak Qi Refinement realm!
"Is this the meaning of a heavenly genius?"
"Old Wen, listen to me. Your daughter, Li Mengzhi, has to act quickly. You must have that kid as your son-in-law!"
"What sort of nonsense are you spouting now?"
Li Tianwen glared at Old Huang, but the man was unaffected. Right now, the only thing that crossed his mind was how could such a monstrous genius exist?
Is this the time when our Scorching Sun Sect will rise? First, there's the unmatched Li Tianwen.
Then there's his wife, who was known as the Goddess of Melody.
There's also the Scorching Sun Sect's current Holy Maiden, Li Tianwen's current daughter, Li Mengzhi, who has combined the dao of sword and zither and has created an unmatched dao of her own!
At last, there's this kid who could match a late Foundation Establishment expert at peak Qi Refinement realm.
"Our Scorching Sun Sect is destined to rise!"
As Old Huang was chanting the sentence like a fanatic, Li Tianwen quickly waved his hand to place a concealment formation. He knew the kid was obsessed with hiding his strength, so he did him a favor.
As for Fang Zhaoge, he was dumbfounded when he realized that his cottage was no longer there. It has turned to countless dust!
"Sh*t! I made a mistake!"
He was annoyed, but he's also mad. Where the hell will he stay now? Who knew the cottage was so weak?
He was about to go all out when a heroic voice called him out from behind.
"It's normal for the cottage to be destroyed. It could only resist the attacks of a Qi Refinement expert."
Fang Zhaoge turned to the voice in vigilance, but he was awestruck as the figure revealed itself from the haze.
An incredibly handsome man with starry eyes and sword-like eyebrows slowly floated down, his smile is magnanimous, exuding an aura comparable to that of an immortal.
Such a distinguished person, if Fang Zhaoge couldn't tell who he is by now, might as well let a Lu Shi kick his head.
A donkey, he meant.
With a respectful bow, he called out respectfully, "Greetings, Sword Peak Master! This disciple is sorry for causing a commotion and disturbing Master's peace!"
The dazzling man laughed softly, "Why so stiff? We sword cultivators must be bold and unrestrained! We talked the way we like and we treat others the way we like! Besides, it's also my fault for setting up such a weak cottage."
Li Tianwen stared at the empty space around Fang Zhaoge in amusement, and the culprit just coughed.
"Well, I do have an offer for you. You're quite to my liking. How about you come to my place and stay there from now on?"
Hearing how the Peak Master casually invited him over to his place and even letting him live there almost gave him a heart attack. Er, Master, you're the revered Head of the Sword Peak, right? How could you be so casual?
"If you hesitate, I could give you the second and the third slash of the Seven Slashes Severing the Seven Seas. How about that?"
Damn Peak Master. I was too embarrassed to accept your offer, but you have to give out such a tempting offer. How could I hold back any longer?
Immediately, Fang Zhaoge bowed to Li Tianwen, "Thank you for your kindness, Peak Master!"
"Just call me Master Wen. That title is a little bit old-fashioned."
Li Tianwen was satisfied. Now, he has secured this outstanding disciple. His offer basically tells Fang Zhaoge that he wanted him as his personal disciple, and the kid easily catches on.
He smirked at his disciple, who looked around cautiously.
"Don't be anxious. I had set up a concealment formation before I came. Our interaction wouldn't be noticed, not even by the Sect Master. Unless someone knows of this formation pretty well."
"Well, I did!"
Li Tianwen chuckled when Old Huang appeared beside him. His face was gloomy as he looked at Li Tianwen.
"You're so fast, aren't you?"
"I really don't know what you are talking about."
Fang Zhaoge felt quite speechless. Turns out, Elder Huang was a close accomplice of Master Wen. They keep bickering back and forth, making him dizzy. Who knows that the indifferent Elder Huang could be so talkative?
"Alright, I need to introduce my new disciple to the place he will be staying from now on. Old Huang, why don't we continue this the other time?"
Old Huang still eyed Li Tianwen gloomily. At last, he sighed in defeat and waved his hand, "Fine, fine. This one is yours, old friend. Perhaps you're fated with him, and I'm not."
"Old Huang, I severed my fates not because I hate fate. No, it's because I think it's unfair for me to have those fates. As for the rest, I let them develop naturally."
Old Huang thought for a while. Soon, his eyes turned mellow as he smiled at Li Tianwen, "Of course. After all, if you keep severing fate here and there, how could you meet her?"
Their gazes met with each other, having mutual understanding with one another. At last, Old Huang glanced at Fang Zhaoge before he turned his back to them and disappeared.
Fang Zhaoge cupped his fists in Elder Huang's direction,"I hope you well, Elder Huang!"
This whole time, Fang Zhaoge felt like a noob listening to pros that keep talking about foreign terms. What the hell was he supposed to do to sever fate? And why do you need to develop them naturally?
Noticing his disciple's confused look, Li Tianwen gives a smack on the back of his head, earning him a groan, "These talks aren't for you, a mere Qi Refinement junior, to think about. Let's go!"
"Yes, yes, I understand!"
Soon, Li Tianwen placed his hand on Fang Zhaoge's shoulder, and the master and disciple duo disappeared.
At the highest point of Sword Peak, where even the ground couldn't be seen and was surrounded by boundless clouds, two figures silently appeared.
One of them stumbled to the ground and landed on his face. The other one simply stepped his feet onto the peak.
"Welcome to my abode, my disciple."
"Damn!"
Fang Zhaoge's face turned green, desperately trying to hold his puke. What the f*ck was that?!
Unfortunately, his master isn't so understanding, and he 'pats' his back.
"Gurgh!"
"Don't force yourself to hold it."
With a magnanimous smile, Li Tianwen moved his finger, bringing the proning Fang Zhaoge up. With his immense qi, he simply flicked his fingers to clean up the mess.
Fang Zhaoge was dumbfounded. Do you actually use qi like this? How convenient is your life?
"In my personal place, there are a total of 4 cottages. The middle is mine, at the front is my daughter's, beside her cottage is my supposed second son's. It's empty, so you could use it for the time being. And the one besides mine…"
"Master, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't force yourself."
Fang Zhaoge is an understanding person, but Li Tianwen shook his head.
"No, it's fine. You're my disciple now, and you have the right to know. That cottage was my wife's before we became husband and wife. It's a treasured cottage for me."
Li Tianwen's tone was flat, but there's a feeling of desolation and affection mixed with it.
Fang Zhaoge looked at his master knowingly. It's that familiar plot of a dashing man whose wife was too outstanding in terms of background, and he has to fight even the heaven itself just to reunite with her!
'My master was definitely the main character when he was still young!'
He was amazed.
"Alright, here's the promised second and third slash for you. But beware, if you haven't reached Golden Core yet, do not touch the second slash. Your qi will be sucked dry just to comprehend even a little bit of it at your current realm. Not to mention the third slash. But if your head was kicked by a donkey, then go ahead! It's all up to you."
Li Tianwen leisurely reminded Fang Zhaoge. There's a hint of expectation in his starry eyes.
After all, this kid is not a mere Qi Refinement practitioner. He's the legendary 11th Qi Refinement junior! If he could unleash even a fraction of the second slash's intent, it would be unprecedented!
A Qi Refinement junior unleashing an attack comparable to that of a Golden Core expert! How amazing would that be?
"Thank you, Master!"
"Yes, yes. Go to the cottage beside my daughter's. The formation in my place is countless times stronger than your former cottage, so you'll definitely cultivate faster than before."
Li Tianwen waved his hand as if it was nothing. In fact, even if a core disciple of Sword Peak received such words, they would certainly explode in excitement.
This is the legendary, fabled Head of Sword Peak! To be the disciple that received his personal teaching is a fortune of a lifetime!
"I understand!"
Fang Zhaoge cupped his fists and bowed in respect before he retreated to the cottage. It was countless times bigger and stronger than his previous cottage.
In fact, not to mention a mansion, the cottage is the size of a mountain!
When Fang Zhaoge entered the place, he gaped in stupefaction. The ceiling is not something he could see with his current eyesight! He entered one of the doors, and it revealed a boundless training arena with combat puppets from Qi Refinement all the way to Soul Formation!
There's even an imposing, purple combat puppet after the Soul Formation. Fang Zhaoge almost stumbled. It's actually a Divine Soul combat puppet!
"Just how rich is my master?"
The most bedazzling thing is the fact that this is just one of the places within the cottage! There's also a cultivation room specialized to support a cultivator with incomparable dense, concentrated qi!
It may sound unbelievable to think that such a place was built on the tip of a mountain, but a mountain with 100.000 km of height… if it was placed on the blue planet in his previous life, even a blue planet was just a small, tiny thing!
"Oh, and also, in your current realm, you could only use the combat training area and the cultivation room. You're prohibited from entering other rooms until you reach the Golden Core."
Li Tianwen's gentle voice appeared in his mind. Fang Zhaoge shivered. He knew it was one of the abilities that his master had, but does that mean he could peek at him whenever he wanted?
"No, I can't. And even if I can, why the hell would I peek at you all day along? I already have a daughter!"
Fang Zhaoge coughed. Damn! Thankfully, this master of mine is mindful and considerate.
However, no matter how much he wanted to cultivate, he had something that required his attention. Fang Zhaoge turned serious as he looked at his qualities.
[Qualities: Underdog Legend (15x Amplification) (Blue), Elemental Talker (3x Comprehension) (White)]
"It's time for me to show the world how mighty I am!"
He then turned his back to the alluring cultivation room and the tempting training area. He has matters to do, and as a sword cultivator, he has to fulfill his responsibilities! To grasp the fate that was meant for him!
His heroic back left the cottage and walked towards a formation Li Tianwen had set up for transportation. 100.000km is an unimaginably long distance. Who knows how long he needs to reach the core area of the sect if he walked on his own?
Unknowingly, as he approached the formation, a pair of silhouettes, one tall and one short, were watching over him curiously.
"Dad, is that your new personal disciple?"
"Yes. He's a little wrong in the head and has some issues regarding his obsession to hide his strength. But he's a good kid."
Li Tianwen's handsome face tilted to the side, looking at the impeccable side profile of his daughter. Her lustrous, black ink hair swayed in the wind as her red lips parted, giggling at his father's depiction.
Her eyes are big and watery yet heroic. Her skin is flawless, and perhaps even an immortal would be envious. On her side, a sword with intricate design calmly accompanied her, creating a picture of a brave, heroic fairy.
She wore a long white robe, complementing her heroic looks. Looking at her, Li Tianwen pats her on the head. She's the reminder that he has something to fight for, something that he must take back.
"Dad, are you having thoughts about him? To place him beside my cottage…"
The fairy-like girl pouted her lips, looking at him with a fake distraught look. Li Tianwen just laughed at her silly antics.
"He's not worthy. At least, not yet. Perhaps when he surpassed me would I consider him as a candidate for my Little Mengzhi…"
"But you have already reached an unimaginable realm. Isn't this just hopeless for him?"
Li Tianwen desperately wanted to agree with her, but he had this feeling that the kid would certainly surpass him. Doesn't mean he'll be giving away his daughter though!
"I hope that's true."
"Huh?"
Li Mengzhi was confused. But her father's mysterious depiction of Fang Zhaoge makes her curious about him. Who could make even her father, the number one expert under the heaven, to feel uncertain with his own words?
Her watery, big eyes turned into crescent moons as she saw Fang Zhaoge disappear within the formation.
Maybe she'll consider meeting up with him?