Wind Spirit Crane

The passage battle had yet to end.

Once the passage battle was completely over and Yanhuang Academy's spots were filled, there would be a few days of rest before the ranking battle officially began.

Li Tianming still had a short period left to make a final sprint, so after returning from "Mu Feng Hall," he planned to cultivate in peace.

The academy residences were assigned uniformly by the instructors. He only needed to collect a key.

To Li Tianming's surprise, the person responsible for handing out the keys was actually his "old classmate," Lin Qingyu.

"Where's Fang Zhao?" Li Tianming asked.

"There are still some matters to handle over at the Yanhuang Battlefield. I came over first to help Instructor Mu Wan with a few small tasks," Lin Qingyu said.

"Give me somewhere quiet," Li Tianming said.

"Alright." Lin Qingyu handed him a key to an absolutely remote place.

"Qingyu, goodbye." After receiving the key, Li Tianming bid her farewell.

To be honest, Lin Qingyu was already decent enough. At the very least, she had not kicked him while he was down like Fang Zhao.

"Tianming." As he was leaving, she called out to him.

"Something wrong?" Li Tianming turned back and asked.

"When Fang Zhao went back earlier, your words made him very angry. He said he'd come teach you a lesson in a few days."

"If he comes, just don't leave your room, or report it to an instructor first," Lin Qingyu said.

"What realm is he at now?" Li Tianming was not surprised by Fang Zhao's intentions.

Some people always had a sense of superiority, thinking that cultivating for three more years than others made them something special.

"Second level of the Spirit Source Realm, about to break through to the third," Lin Qingyu said.

"Three years, and he only went from the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm to the second level of the Spirit Source Realm? What trash. Tell him to come find me directly," Li Tianming said.

Three years ago, he had stood up for Fang Zhao. Three years later, just because a few words had clashed and wounded Fang Zhao's superiority as an "older brother," he was threatening to beat him up.

For people like that, Li Tianming could only laugh.

"Why must you bring suffering upon yourself..." Lin Qingyu shook her head.

"And how do you know I'm bringing suffering upon myself?"

"Fang Zhao's talent may not amount to much in the academy, but he is no longer fifteen or sixteen," she reminded him.

Li Tianming smiled, then turned away.

Quite a few new disciples were watching behind him. Yet when Li Tianming approached, they hurriedly scattered, as though he carried a plague.

Since returning to the academy, apart from Instructor Mu Wan, it seemed no one had been willing to approach him.

"Is this guy an idiot?"

"Senior Brother Fang Zhao wants to teach him a lesson, yet he still dares to talk back."

"I really can't understand it. Why would Instructor Mu Wan recruit such a notorious scum? If I'd known, I wouldn't have chosen Instructor Mu Wan's class."

"It's so depressing to be in the same class as him. Someone like him should have died three years ago."

"Lin Xiaoting was a little too merciful. If it were me, I'd have executed him directly, and no one would have said a thing."

"Forget it, say less. I feel like Instructor Mu Wan likes him quite a bit."

"Fine..."

Such conversations held no novelty for Li Tianming. His ears had practically grown calluses from hearing them.

He was straightforward and practical. The residence Lin Qingyu found for him was indeed remote; it had apparently not been occupied for years.

The place had not even been cleaned. Weeds grew everywhere. Li Tianming could not be bothered to clear them away. Never mind the stench that choked the heavens—he burned it all down with a single fire, then began cultivating!

His cultivation tasks were now heavy. Four battle arts had only just been grasped, and he still needed to use Fire Jades to frantically absorb Beast Essence and raise his realm.

The ranking battle would begin soon. Every second counted now.

Fire Shadow Lost Step, Nine Thunder Whips, and Netherfire Ghost Claw had all displayed miraculous effects during the passage battle, proving that these battle arts truly suited him.

But he knew very well that at his current level, if he wanted to enter Heavenly Court and compare himself with people like Chen Yao and Lin Xiaoxiao, he was still somewhat lacking.

Fortunately, he could still make one final sprint before the passage battle ended.

This was an incomparably crucial battle for him. If he failed to enter Heavenly Court this time, he would have to wait for other assessment opportunities in the future, delaying his mother's treatment.

Even with the Spirit-Cleansing Grass, Wei Jing might not be able to hold on much longer.

From then on, Li Tianming seized every moment. Day or night, he saw no one and immersed himself entirely in cultivation.

Little Yellow Chick could freely gorge itself on yellow Heavenly Pattern Fire Jades, and this delighted it beyond measure.

Every day, it cracked Fire Jades like sunflower seeds, swallowing one with every bite. The majestic, tyrannical fire power erupted forth, causing flames to continuously rise all over its body.

But it did not care. Whenever it could no longer endure, it transferred the flames onto Li Tianming and made him burn hot alongside it.

For those with faith in their hearts, cultivation achieved twice the result with half the effort.

Together with supreme talent and an ample supply of Fire Jades, the progress of Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chick in every aspect advanced a thousand miles a day.

In the end, after consuming three hundred Fire Jades, they successfully broke through to the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm!

This was the complete perfection of the Beast Pulse Realm. Reaching this realm meant that every Beast Pulse throughout the body had been opened, forming a whole and perfect cycle.

The first major realm of cultivation had been completed!

Next came the Spirit Source Realm. Cultivating in the Spirit Source Realm required one to first condense a spirit source.

Li Tianming had experience in reaching the Spirit Source Realm.

But there was no need to rush for now. After reaching Beast Pulse Realm perfection, the Eternal Purgatory Beast Essence within Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chick had become remarkably vast and violent.

He first needed to consolidate his current realm.

At the same time, those four battle arts still needed further tempering.

Li Tianming had experience regarding the Spirit Source Realm, while Little Yellow Chick possessed the cultivation method.

Li Tianming had heard it explain that upon reaching the ninth level of the Beast Pulse Realm, the "Eternal Purgatory Scripture" carried within its bloodline had revealed a Spirit Source Realm cultivation technique.

When it came time to condense a spirit source, Little Yellow Chick could take the lead.

The Spirit Source Realm was an entirely new realm, and Li Tianming was already filled with anticipation.

Just as he finished stabilizing his realm, a burst of clamorous noise suddenly came from outside.

Li Tianming knew Fang Zhao had come looking for him.

This also meant Fang Zhao had finished his work. The passage battle should have ended, and perhaps in just two or three days, the ranking battle would begin.

The pressure before the great battle was already drawing near like a colossal beast.

"Li Tianming, I brought the brothers to come see you." Fang Zhao's voice came from the entrance. Judging by the commotion, there were quite a few people.

Li Tianming tidied himself up and went outside.

Looking up, he saw quite a few people indeed. They were all from Mu Wan's class in the past and had now entered the intermediate class. There were seven or eight in total, all familiar faces.

When they had first come to the academy, they had gathered together to play and cultivate as classmates.

Lin Qingyu was among the crowd as well, though she looked somewhat troubled because she knew why Fang Zhao had come.

"Fang Zhao, Qingyu, Guanxiong, Zhao Ying, Chen Kun, and... you are all rare visitors. Long time no see." Li Tianming smiled.

"That's right. If you hadn't done that shameful thing three years ago, you would have entered the intermediate class with us. You wouldn't have to mingle with a bunch of little children at all," Fang Zhao said in a strangely sarcastic tone.

"Li Tianming, you have no idea. After you committed that grave mistake, all the brothers in our class could not even hold our heads up when we went outside."

"For three years, everyone finally managed to forget you, yet you came back out to disgrace yourself again." Lu Guanxiong shook his head.

"Shouldn't old friends who have not seen each other for so long reminisce? To me, you all sound like you came to condemn me." Li Tianming spoke with a smile.

Besides these old classmates, quite a few new classmates had also been drawn over to watch nearby.

Over the past few days, they had gotten to know each other, but no one had visited Li Tianming alone.

"Li Tianming, are you cowering now? A few days ago, you provoked me and told me to come find you." Fang Zhao licked his lips, his expression dark as he asked.

"Not at all. I simply felt there was once some affection between us, so I felt a little embarrassed about beating you up," Li Tianming said.

Hearing this, several of them looked at one another.

They had heard that Li Tianming had been quite arrogant since returning. Now that they saw him, the rumors were indeed true.

"There's nothing more to say. He is still this foolish even now. Fang Zhao, deal with him and teach him a lesson."

"Right."

"Let him see that the senior brothers of the intermediate class are not someone a person who wasted three years can compare to."

Under their goading, Fang Zhao reluctantly agreed.

He pointed at Li Tianming and said, "Actually, I'm helping you by teaching you a lesson."

"In the future, when you meet other senior brothers and sisters, you'll know to treat them with respect, so others won't beat you even worse."

"Then I truly must thank you." Li Tianming could not help laughing.

His indifferent attitude truly caused Fang Zhao's fury to blaze.

"Wind Spirit Crane!"

Fang Zhao summoned his companion beast.

It was a snow-white immortal crane, with only a small portion of its feathers tinted black.

The Wind Spirit Crane was noble and elegant. When it spread its wings, they were enormous, and its proud expression was exactly like Fang Zhao's at this moment.

This Wind Spirit Crane was a low-grade Fifth-Order Companion Beast, the kind that had only just met Yanhuang Academy's standards. It was a storm-element avian companion beast.

However, Fang Zhao was at the second level of the Spirit Source Realm, enough for him to unleash considerable strength from it.

"Yinghuo, this Wind Spirit Crane is female. Do you want to do something?" Li Tianming asked Little Yellow Chick on his shoulder.

"Too ugly. I can't bring myself to make a move." Little Yellow Chick said disdainfully.

"It's an immortal crane. Isn't it graceful enough?" Li Tianming doubted its sense of beauty.

"Having witnessed Instructor Mu Wan's gentleness, I've lost interest in both chickens and birds." Little Yellow Chick chuckled lewdly.

"Wretched."

As Li Tianming spoke, he had already taken the Thunderfire Chain into his right hand.

No matter what, Fang Zhao was at the second level of the Spirit Source Realm and was the same age as him. He was a truly worthy opponent.

Had Li Tianming not lost Jin Yu and never obtained the Sacred Beast Battle Soul, he would now have been an intermediate-class student as well, likely somewhat stronger than Fang Zhao.

This battle was the perfect chance to verify whether he had already caught up to the life trajectory he once possessed!

Across from him, Fang Zhao wore a sinister grin. In his hand, he held the same third-order Beast Weapon—the Windchaser Sword.

It was a narrow, slender sword, incomparably sharp. As he began moving, it was as though a divine wind carried his feet. Li Tianming remembered that Fang Zhao's movement technique was especially outstanding as well.

Such an opponent was indeed stronger than Chen Ding.

His speed was far more difficult to handle than Chen Ding's, and his Wind Spirit Crane also possessed a spirit source divine ability.

But Li Tianming was going to beat him up!