Senior Brothers and Sisters

All the battles for the day came to an end.

That evening, Lin Yuan was cultivating in the training room at home when he received a communication request.

When he checked who it was, he saw that it was Cohen, so he accepted the call.

"Brother! You're incredible! You actually tied with Brian!" The chubby young man sounded excited.

"Lots of students watched the recording of your match. You're a celebrity in the Holy Land now!"

"My strength is still a long way behind Brian's. His insight into the Law of Space Origin is much deeper than mine," Lin Yuan replied calmly.

"That's still amazing. Hey, I looked it up: ties have happened occasionally in the history of the Ranking Tournament, but this is the first time there's been a tie for first place."

Lin Yuan smiled and chatted briefly with Cohen before ending the call.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged and began reflecting on his match with Brian.

If Brian hadn't chosen to close in and finish him off at the end, Lin Yuan wouldn't have had the chance to hit him with "Burning Sky."

After all, Lin Yuan had only just mastered "Burning Sky." Although its attack power was formidable, its range was still limited and it didn't last long. It could only be effective if unleashed in a close-range burst.

Brian's insight into the Law of Space Origin was far deeper than Lin Yuan's, which left him at a severe disadvantage. If Brian hadn't approached him, Lin Yuan would have had no way to deal with him.

Lin Yuan's defenses were powerful, but against an expert with a deeper insight into an Upper Origin Law, they weren't nearly as formidable.

Improving my insight into the Upper Origin Laws is indeed important. Unfortunately, my progress with the Law of Space Origin is too slow. I have only average talent for it. If only I could find some treasure that would improve my affinity for space. Lin Yuan thought.

Several days later, the Nine Flame Sacred Land Ranking Tournament came to an end.

With a record of "257 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses," Lin Yuan tied with Brian for first place among the Universe Level fighters in the Holy Land Universe.

Since this was his first time ranking first, Lin Yuan received a reward of 50 Hunyuan Units from the Holy Land. If he could hold on to first place in the next Ranking Tournament, he would receive another 10 Hunyuan Units.

Barry didn't renege on their bet. As soon as the Ranking Tournament ended, he transferred 10 Hunyuan Units to Lin Yuan.

There were some changes among the top-ranked Universe Level fighters in the Holy Land Universe. Barry came in third, while the Spirit Reader Controller Ling came in fourth. Resk dropped to fifth, and the chubby Cohen took sixth.

It was said that Ling had improved greatly since the previous tournament and had performed exceptionally well, defeating Resk, who had ranked above her before.

After losing to Ling, Resk became noticeably more subdued.

To Lin Yuan's surprise, Resk would occasionally seek him out in the Virtual Universe for sparring matches.

He had completely dropped his former arrogance and acted much more honestly, though he still spoke in a rumbling, halting voice. The contrast amused Lin Yuan.

Barry, meanwhile, hadn't appeared in front of Lin Yuan once since the Ranking Tournament ended.

Inside Marquis Yuankun's villa in the Virtual Universe.

The villa's living room was bustling with activity this time.

"Teacher!" Lin Yuan greeted him respectfully.

"Lin Yuan, you're here."

Marquis Yuankun gave a slight nod. He was quite pleased with this young disciple of his.

"Your senior brothers and sisters heard that you came first in the Holy Land Ranking Tournament, so they made a special trip to see you today."

Lin Yuan looked up and saw that, besides Marquis Golden Sword and Saiwen, whom he already knew fairly well, three other figures were standing there. All three were Immortals.

Lin Yuan recalled that his teacher had once told him he had ten senior brothers and sisters. Two had fallen, and four had become Immortals.

Of the teacher's first six disciples, four had actually become Immortals. That was an impressive success rate. It seemed his teacher had a keen eye for choosing disciples.

"Little junior brother," said a man in a green robe and battle armor, his bearing easy and unrestrained.

"I'm Yunting, your eldest senior brother. I heard you tied with that young fellow from the Desolate God Race. Well done!"

"Your eldest senior brother was the first disciple I took after becoming an Immortal. He has now reached the Immortal Army Lord Peak," Marquis Yuankun explained.

"He now serves as the Twelfth Military Lord of the Nine Flames Universe Kingdom, leading its Twelfth Army."

Lin Yuan was taken aback. An ordinary Military Lord couldn't command an army of a Universe Country. That spoke volumes about his eldest senior brother's strength and standing.

Marquis Yuankun then introduced the other two beside him: a broad-shouldered man with a calm gaze, and a woman in blue with a gentle expression.

"These are your fourth senior brother, Panshi, and your sixth senior sister, Lanyu. They're both Immortal Military Lords as well."

"Greetings, senior brothers and senior sister!" Lin Yuan said respectfully.

The three Immortals smiled and nodded, their expressions warm and approving.

"Little junior brother, that final move of yours, 'Burning Sky,' must be the third form of the Burning Universe Flame Wild Axe, right? It's extremely difficult for someone at the Universe Level to master," Marquis Golden Sword remarked.

"Hahaha, I told you long ago that our little junior brother has exceptional talent," Saiwen said with a laugh.

"I only managed to master it thanks to Instructor Moke from the Holy Land. He guided me in both the Law of Fire Origin and axe techniques," Lin Yuan replied modestly.

"Moke? I remember him," said eldest senior brother Yunting.

"He turned down the chance to lead a Universe Country's army and chose instead to join the Holy Land as an instructor. I didn't understand it at the time, but it seems he really is suited to teaching and nurturing geniuses."

Marquis Yuankun looked at Lin Yuan and asked in an even tone, "There's still some time before the Peak Warrior Tournament. What do you plan to focus on in your cultivation?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment. "I still plan to focus mainly on insights into the Laws of Earth Origin and Fire Origin. With the Warrior Battle approaching, I should improve my combat strength as much as possible."

"As for the Law of Space Origin, I could spend more than a hundred years on it without making any progress. That would be a waste of time."

"Good. It seems you took my words to heart, so I don't need to worry anymore," Marquis Yuankun said, nodding with satisfaction.

Marquis Golden Sword advised Lin Yuan, "Junior brother, you've only just begun to make a name for yourself. You'll need to be even more cautious from now on. The universe is full of opportunities, but danger is everywhere too. It's important to master some ways to protect yourself as soon as possible."

Lin Yuan spent a long time talking with his senior brothers and sisters, asking them about their cultivation experiences. He listened closely and committed every piece of advice and every reminder to memory.

He stayed at the villa for quite some time before finally taking his leave.

In the days that followed, Lin Yuan made insight into the Law of Fire Origin his top priority, followed by the Law of Earth Origin. Given his talent, he would undoubtedly make the fastest progress with the Law of Fire Origin.

Less than ten years remained before the next intermediate auction held by the Virtual Universe Company.