Chapter 523 - 521: Coming with Ill Intent

After returning from the Thief King’s Treasure Land, Luo Tian began a long period of seclusion.

Many visitors, hoping to trade for treasures, were turned away at his door and left disappointed.

Some didn’t give up and came back to check every few days.

But the gate to Luo Tian’s courtyard remained tightly shut.

Word got out.

Some speculated that after obtaining such immense wealth, Luo Tian would likely go into seclusion for a year or more.

Inside the Practice Room.

Luo Tian had consumed that half-stalk of Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass, and its medicinal effects were fully absorbed.

Luo Tian’s Life Essence was once again nourished and enhanced.

The damaged parts of his Divine Vein were also slightly repaired.

"This Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass is of excellent quality and ancient. Its effects are truly astounding!"

Luo Tian clenched his fists, feeling his body surge with power.

POW!

He activated his Divine Vein Cold Power, condensing it in his fist, and struck a black metal stele directly in front of him.

The metal stele was instantly frozen solid, then exploded, shattering into countless ice shards that scattered across the floor!

This was a specially made Training Stele. An Attack from someone at the Earth Element Realm Seventh Layer would, at most, leave a shallow mark.

Yet, it had been reduced to ice shards by a single strike from Luo Tian, who hadn’t even used his True Essence!

’I still have one stalk of Thousand-leaf Wandering Dragon Grass left. I’ll consume it later.’

Next, Luo Tian had originally planned to cultivate the Void Thief King’s Body Martial Skill, the Moon Shadow Escape Heaven.

But the space here was too confined.

Furthermore, this Body Secret Skill was too precious, and he didn’t want outsiders to see it. Thus, he wasn’t in a hurry to cultivate it.

So, Luo Tian took out some Spiritual Materials, circulated the Celestial Essence Water Condensation Technique, and began to condense his True Essence and expand his Primordial Pool Wall.

On the way back to the Sect, he had spent two and a half months completely stabilizing his Cultivation. Now he could cultivate without worry.

With the superior environment here, coupled with Luo Tian’s Divine Vein aptitude and no need to worry about the burden of resources, his cultivation speed was terrifyingly fast!

Among all the disciples of the Tai Yuan Sect, very few could compare to Luo Tian in terms of cultivation speed.

Of course, Luo Tian wasn’t solely focused on speed. He placed great importance on his Martial Arts foundation, proceeding one step at a time.

「Meanwhile.」

At Yan Yufeng’s residence.

"Greetings, Master. What are your instructions for me?"

He Yunkong bowed.

"The five-year pact. You must win."

Yan Yufeng’s tone was firm and allowed no room for doubt.

"Your disciple will definitely not tarnish Master’s reputation!"

A bright, sharp light glinted in He Yunkong’s eyes.

He was determined to crush Luo Tian underfoot and win the heart of his junior sister.

"How confident are you?"

Yan Yufeng asked lightly.

He Yunkong fell silent.

’Before entering the Thief King’s Treasure Land, I was completely confident.’

’But now...’ Thinking of this, a trace of worry surfaced in He Yunkong’s heart!

Yan Yufeng’s expression was cold.

’I know my own disciple’s capabilities inside and out!’

Now that Luo Tian had become an Official Disciple, his fame had spread far and wide, and he had received great attention from the Sect. It would be much harder for Yan Yufeng to suppress him, and he couldn’t be too obvious about it.

There was another point. Luo Tian had gone into seclusion right after returning, giving Yan Yufeng no opportunity to suppress him.

If this continued, he and his disciple would be unable to stop Luo Tian’s rise!

"After Luo Tian comes out of seclusion, you will challenge him... Move the five-year pact forward!"

Yan Yufeng said calmly.

"Move the five-year pact forward?"

He Yunkong’s thoughts raced, and he instantly understood. His eyes shone with brilliance!

’With his abundant resources, plus the twenty thousand Contribution Points rewarded by the Sect, Luo Tian’s Cultivation will surely advance by leaps and bounds. In the future, there’s even a significant chance he’ll surpass me.’

’But by moving the five-year pact forward...’

’...the duel would happen when I am at my strongest, and Luo Tian has yet to fully mature!’

’What a brilliant plan!’

After all, He Yunkong had also gained a great deal from his trip to the Thief King’s Treasure Land.

In less than a month, he would be able to break through to the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm!

And the Profound Artifact he had commissioned was about to be completed!

His cultivation and strength would undergo a qualitative change, reaching a new peak!

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

He Yunkong bowed.

...

「Three months passed in a flash.」

Inside the Practice Room.

The vortex of Spiritual Qi around Luo Tian slowly dissipated.

After three months of seclusion, his aura was stronger than before. He was just one step away from breaking through to the Earth Element Realm Seventh Layer and entering the ranks of the High Tier Earth Element Realm.

’I’ll rest and relax for a bit, then attempt to break through to the Earth Element Realm Seventh Layer.’

"It feels great to have abundant resources."

Luo Tian sighed in contentment.

He walked out of his courtyard and headed for the Side Peak.

"Junior Luo, it’s been a while! Your aura has grown so much; your strength must have improved considerably."

"Junior Brother, you just came out of seclusion. Where would you like to go? Shall your Senior Sister accompany you?"

Along the way, many Main Peak Disciples took the initiative to greet Luo Tian, and several senior sisters even cast flirtatious glances at him.

After arriving at the Fourth Peak, he caused an even bigger sensation.

Many Side Peak Disciples looked at Luo Tian with expressions full of admiration and awe, but didn’t dare to strike up a conversation easily.

In a certain pavilion.

Cheng Wanli shut the door tightly and said with considerable envy, "Brother Luo, you’re the hero and role model of the Tai Yuan Sect disciples now. I hear senior sisters talking about you every day, practically ready to throw themselves at you."

"Who would have thought," Yan Lihui lamented, "that he would snatch thirty percent of the Thief King’s treasure and perform such a great service."

’Ever since I met Luo Tian, it seems I’m constantly in a state of shock and amazement.’

"Master is amazing!"

Yan Xiaoxia called out with a giggle.

"Let’s drink to celebrate," Cheng Wanli suggested.

"Wait, drink my wine."

Luo Tian took out the "Nine Yang Strong Wine."

As soon as the wine jar was opened, a dense ball of fiery light shot out, leaving Cheng Wanli and the others stunned.

What kind of wine was this? It made such a flashy entrance.

"Yan Xiaoxia can drink it directly. You two need to dilute it first,"

Luo Tian said with a smile.

"Brother Luo, you must be joking," Cheng Wanli said doubtfully.

He admitted that Yan Xiaoxia’s talent was strong, but currently, his Cultivation was the same as hers.

’He didn’t think he would lose to a mere girl when it came to drinking.’

However, Luo Tian still diluted the Nine Yang Strong Wine before giving it to Cheng Wanli and Yan Lihui, lest someone die.

"Ah! What is this wine?"

After just one sip, Cheng Wanli’s entire body turned crimson and burning hot, and fiery light spewed from his mouth.

Yan Lihui, at his side, was in the same state.

And they were drinking the diluted version; otherwise, they would have certainly turned into human torches.

Yan Xiaoxia was drinking the undiluted version, but her condition was slightly better than the two men’s. Her face was flushed, and she stuck out her tongue. "So spicy! So hot."

"Nine Yang Strong Wine. Three hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins a jar."

Luo Tian said with a smile.

The room instantly fell silent.

Cheng Wanli and the other two stared with wide eyes. They knew Luo Tian was rich, but they didn’t expect him to be *this* rich.

Three hundred thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

The entire fortune of an average cultivator at the Low Tier Earth Element Realm wouldn’t be enough to buy a single jar.

At that moment, looking at the remaining wine in their cups, they suddenly felt reluctant to drink it.

Just then, Cheng Wanli and Yan Lihui noticed that Yan Xiaoxia’s skin was completely crimson, with faint flames seeping from her body and burning in the air.

"Luo Tian, didn’t you say Xiaoxia would be fine drinking it?" Yan Lihui asked worriedly.

"Don’t worry. She’s about to have a breakthrough."

Luo Tian took a deep breath.

’Yan Xiaoxia’s cultivation speed is truly astonishing. She’s worthy of being the owner of the ancient Yang Flame Body.’

And she happened to be at a bottleneck.

This cup of Nine Yang Strong Wine from Luo Tian directly helped her break through.

「One hour later.」

The strange phenomenon around Yan Xiaoxia disappeared. Her Cultivation had smoothly broken through to the Earth Element Realm Fourth Layer, leaving Cheng Wanli dumbfounded.

Now, Yan Xiaoxia’s Cultivation had surpassed his.

"Thank you, Master, for helping Xiaoxia’s Cultivation break through."

Yan Xiaoxia bowed.

Luo Tian nodded faintly.

’I only brought out the Nine Yang Strong Wine for everyone to try. I really hadn’t expected it to coincidentally help Yan Xiaoxia break through.’

Next, Luo Tian took out some Spiritual Materials and said, "Consider these souvenirs I brought back for you—specialties from the Thief King’s Treasure Land."

Having turned over half his spoils to the Sect, Luo Tian certainly wasn’t going to be stingy with his friends and disciple.

「As evening fell.」

Luo Tian returned to the Main Peak and saw a heroic and extraordinary figure in front of his courtyard—it was He Yunkong!

"Junior Luo, I’ve come to trade Cultivation Resources with you."

He Yunkong said with a smile.

"Not interested!" Luo Tian’s reply was decisive.

"Heh, Junior Brother, are you perhaps afraid that my Cultivation will advance too quickly for you to catch up?" He Yunkong sneered.

Luo Tian ignored He Yunkong and walked straight back to his residence.

"Junior Luo, why the rush? There’s still a duel between us. If you’re so afraid of me, how will you win then?"

"Or have you already made plans to be just like your trash Master?"

He Yunkong continued, his words dripping with sarcasm.

’My only goal is to move the five-year pact forward!’

’It’s a bit shameless...’

’...but for the sake of absolute victory, to immediately crush Luo Tian under my foot, I don’t care about anything else!’

Luo Tian stopped in his tracks and said coldly, "Who’s afraid of whom is still up in the air."

He Yunkong’s pupils contracted slightly.

’I am indeed worried about the future Luo Tian.’

’But the current Luo Tian, I can crush him with ease!’

"Heh heh, since Junior Luo is so confident, that’s perfect!"

"In a few days, I have to leave the Tai Yuan Sect and return to my family to cultivate for a while. I don’t know how many years I’ll be gone. Why don’t we move our five-year pact up a bit?"

He Yunkong said with a smile.

"So this was the plan you and your master cooked up," Luo Tian couldn’t help but smile.

Suddenly...

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

From the Main Peak, the sound of a great bell boomed, deafeningly loud.

"The Thundercloud Bell is ringing!"

Both Luo Tian’s and He Yunkong’s thoughts were drawn away by the Thundercloud Bell.

Once the Thundercloud Bell rang, it meant something major had happened, and everyone on the Main Peak had to assemble!

"This Thundercloud Bell really rang at an inconvenient time!"

He Yunkong snorted coldly and immediately rushed toward the first peak.

Luo Tian also hurried over.

In front of Tai Yuan Hall.

The Main Peak Disciples and the upper echelons quickly gathered!

The Sect Master of the Tai Yuan Sect appeared and announced in a loud voice, "In one month, people from the Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall will arrive!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the disciples present were shocked, even thinking that the Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall were going to join forces to attack the Tai Yuan Sect.

Among the Elders and upper echelons, only a very small number knew of this; the rest also showed expressions of shock.

"Sect Leader, what business do they have with our Sect?"

Elder Lu asked.

There was conflict between the Sea Demon Palace, the Barbarian King Hall, and the Tai Yuan Sect. A gathering of the Three Sects had not occurred in nearly a thousand years.

For people from the Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall to come this time, they were likely not coming with good intentions.

"The Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall have proposed a round of sparring with our Sect’s disciples. For this next month, all of you are to prepare well."

The Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall had already sent a message explaining this.

The Tai Yuan Sect could hardly refuse a sparring competition; otherwise, it would mean they were afraid.

But the Sea Demon Palace and Barbarian King Hall had added a demand: the competition must have stakes!

It was obvious that the Sea Demon Palace and the Barbarian King Hall felt resentful after learning that a disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect had obtained a portion of the Treasure of the Thief King.

This was especially true for the Barbarian King Hall, which had suffered a huge loss by having no disciples enter the Thief King’s Treasure Land.

Thus, the two parties reached an agreement to force the Tai Yuan Sect into a gambling match to win some benefits for themselves.

"At that time, anyone who defeats a disciple from the Sea Demon Palace or the Barbarian King Hall will be handsomely rewarded!"

The Sect Master of the Tai Yuan Sect’s majestic voice echoed in all directions!