“You haven't taken any elixirs to boost your cultivation, have you?”
Ye Qing was a bit worried. His little disciple's strength was impressive, but he didn't want her to stray down the wrong path.
Hearing this, Jiang Lu's face darkened. She pouted, looking completely defiant.
“Master, how could I possibly take elixirs to increase my strength? You underestimate me too much!”
“That's good, that's good. Tell me everything exactly as it happened.”
Obtaining a satisfactory answer, the weight on Ye Qing's heart lifted. He hadn't been around to guide her and had feared she might have taken a wrong turn. Fortunately, she was just exceptionally talented.
Jiang Lu recounted everything that had happened since his departure in detail, and her contracted beasts also appeared before Ye Qing.
Ye Qing swept his divine sense over them, and a crack finally appeared on his calm expression.
They really did possess divine beast bloodlines—and there were four of them!
The Le Clan had released a divination that a golden age had arrived, filled with countless geniuses and individuals of great fortune.
Could his disciple be one of them?
He suddenly thought of something and asked, “Disciple, do you know about the Heaven's Pride Tournament?”
Jiang Lu nodded. “Yes, Master. I heard some information about it from Senior Brother Bai a while ago.”
Ye Qing nodded and let out a sigh, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy.
“You only know part of it, but not the whole story.”
Jiang Lu walked over, placing her hands on the table, her eyes filled with a thirst for knowledge.
Ye Qing took a sip of tea and waved his hand. Spiritual energy flashed from his palm, and the three flood dragons continued pulling the carriage forward.
“It is true that the Heaven's Pride Tournament is held once every century. However, once every ten thousand years, there is also a Heaven's Pride Board.”
“The Heaven's Pride Board is formed by the Heavenly Dao. When the time comes, it will appear in the sky. It will be visible across all five domains, and all the information regarding the cultivators on the board will be exposed to everyone.”
He paused and looked out the window.
“Now, the ten-thousand-year mark is approaching, and the Heaven's Pride Board is about to appear. The geniuses who make the board will receive unprecedented opportunities.”
After listening, Jiang Lu thought for a moment and asked tentatively, “Master, is there a connection between the Heaven's Pride Board and the Heaven's Pride Tournament?”
Seeing this, Ye Qing turned and nodded at Jiang Lu in satisfaction. She was indeed clever.
His gaze carried a hint of reminiscence and melancholy as he continued to look into the distance, as if lost in memory, yet also filled with hope.
“The Heaven's Pride Tournament did not exist tens of thousands of years ago. You already know why it was created.”
“In the past, the tournament always took place first, followed by the appearance of the board.”
“However, as no one has ascended recently and true geniuses have remained hidden, everyone has agreed this time to hold the Heaven's Pride Tournament after the board appears—a true Heaven's Pride Tournament.”
As Jiang Lu listened, her mind spun rapidly, and she blurted out, “Master, if that's the case, won't all the participants in the tournament have their trump cards exposed to their opponents beforehand?”
Ye Qing nodded. “Exactly.”
“This is also the most brutal aspect of this tournament. Everyone will already know their opponents' strengths and weaknesses beforehand. It's anyone's game.”
“Furthermore, a major issue will arise: targeted counter-strategies.”
“Targeted counter-strategies?”
Jiang Lu looked puzzled.
Ye Qing explained further, “Yes, targeting! Aside from granting opportunities to the geniuses themselves, those who make the Heaven's Pride Board will also bring opportunities to their respective domains.”
“If those ranked in the top three on the Heaven's Pride Board fail to maintain their original rankings during the tournament, a large portion of their domain's resources will have to be handed over to the victor's side to nurture their own disciples.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lu was dazed.
So this wasn't just an individual competition; it was a competition between entire domains, with the outcome resting on a single person's shoulders. The pressure was unimaginable.
“Are you worried that I will make the board, Master?”
Jiang Lu looked at Ye Qing with a certain gaze.
He nodded, and a scroll appeared in his hand, displaying the lists from the previous two Heaven's Pride Boards.
The board was divided into five categories, each selecting ten people.
They were: the Talent Board, the Divine Weapon Board, the Strength Board, the Potential Board, and the Spiritual Body Board.
Ye Qing pointed to the five categories and said to Jiang Lu, “It's uncertain whether you can make the other three boards, but since you possess the Chaos Spiritual Root, you will likely be named on the Spiritual Body Board. Given your cultivation speed, you will surely end up on either the Talent Board or the Potential Board. Not to mention, you have four divine beasts in your hands. You should know what that implies.”
“So you're worried that I'll be targeted, Master?”
Jiang Lu looked at the lists, feeling a bit solemn.
Ye Qing nodded.
“Exactly, my disciple. You must understand that making the board is by no means just your own business.”
Jiang Lu lowered her head in thought for a moment, a resolute expression appearing in her eyes.
“Master, since you're telling me all this, what do you need me to do?”
Jiang Lu was certain her master wouldn't tell her these things in advance for no reason.
There were still five years left before the tournament. Since her master said this, it meant the Heaven's Pride Board would appear within those five years.
Her foundation was shallow. If she made the board, she would definitely become a target for everyone. In this short period, she needed to grow and turn both her strengths and weaknesses into advantages that others could not overcome.
“Hahaha! As expected of my disciple, you are indeed intelligent!”
“My disciple, since you know that your information will be known to others, you must think about how they will target you once they know your advantages, and how you should counter them.”
Seeing Jiang Lu's contemplative look, he rubbed her head and chuckled.
“Don't worry, your master and your martial aunt will naturally think of these things for you. You just need to focus on your cultivation.”
Jiang Lu looked up and blinked at him.
“Master, I was thinking... if I am all-around and master all the hundred cultivation arts, would I really still have any weaknesses in the tournament?”
Ye Qing: "..."
His little disciple was getting a bit cocky. What should he do?
Master all of them?
He might as well take her as his master instead...
He tapped Jiang Lu lightly on the head, giving her a warning look.
“Theoretically, no. But don't even think about it. A person only has so much time and energy; how could you possibly have enough to learn everything else? Your subsequent cultivation plans will be arranged by my senior sister and me. Just keep a level head.”
Having said that, he looked worried. Fortunately, he had returned early. If he had returned any later and his little disciple's mindset had become set, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.
Jiang Lu lowered her head and pouted.
It was probably best not to tell her master about her photographic memory for now. She would just find opportunities to cultivate those arts in the future.
Besides, she might not necessarily succeed, so it wasn't good to make her master hold too much expectation.
After returning to Xuwu City and settling Jiang Lu in, he immediately vanished, heading to the main hall.
“Senior Sister, something huge has happened!”
The moment his foot stepped into the main hall, his voice carried a crying tone, completely devoid of his calm demeanor from earlier in the carriage.
Hearing this, Ye Qingluan raised an eyebrow.
A Chaos Spiritual Root!
Then, her eyes widened as she glared at him warningly.
“Who else knows about this?”
Ye Qing immediately shook his head. Only he had the discerning eye to recognize her; how could anyone else know?
“Senior Sister, only the three of us know about this. No one else does.”
Rate on N.U.
