Qian Min's sudden outburst came as no surprise to Si Yao. She'd lost.
Qian Min kicked her off the arena. When she landed on the ground, her expression still hadn't recovered.
She'd never thought she would lose.
She couldn't help looking toward her teacher in the audience. He was staring at Qian Min onstage, his face full of surprise. In his eyes, she saw the familiar look of admiration and approval, along with surprise.
Was her teacher surprised by Qian Min's talent, too?
Si Yao pressed her lips together, quietly stood up, and walked back to her seat in silence.
Onstage, Li Yilin looked toward the Cloud Sea Family Head, who raised a hand and laughed.
"Brother Li, I concede."
Li Yilin raised an eyebrow. "Wins and losses are commonplace in battle. The Cloud Sea Family is indeed one of the top families in Black Dragon Mountain. This junior is impressed." He stood and cupped his hands toward him.
That night, Li Yilin returned to the Floating City. Si Yao was waiting outside his residence, looking up at him with anxious eyes. "Teacher, did A-Yao embarrass you?"
Her voice caught in her throat. Her blue eyes were bloodshot, and tears trembled on the verge of spilling over.
Li Yilin chuckled and stepped forward, gently tapping her forehead. "Winning and losing don't matter. If you're happy, then your teacher is happy."
He took her hand and led her inside. As they walked, he said, "I spent the first half of my life taking winning and losing too seriously—"
So seriously that the smallest mistake could cost him his life, leaving him dead and gone.
His eyes held both memories and acceptance, and his voice grew gentler. "Your teacher hopes A-Yao can always be happy. At the very least, while I'm here to protect you, I want you to be happy."
On the arena.
After kicking Si Yao off the platform, Qian Min jumped down soon afterward and returned to the audience.
As for the prize for winning the Planetary Level championship, it would be awarded after the Star Level matches were over.
She headed toward her seat. As she was about to pass Si Yao, she caught sight of her sitting in a chair with her head bowed. Her normally straight back had slumped, and she had curled up into a small ball, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
It was just one loss. Did she really have to look like that?
She was way too fragile!
Why had the ancestor taken a liking to her?
Qian Min didn't understand, but just before passing her, she reached out.
Si Yao was upset that she'd disappointed her teacher when a hand suddenly appeared before her. Two neatly wrapped candies rested in its fair palm. The wrappers were sky blue, much like the color of her eyes.
Si Yao instinctively looked up and met Qian Min's blood-red eyes. They looked terrifying, but Si Yao could see a hint of awkwardness in them.
She blinked, still not sure what was happening.
When Si Yao didn't move, Qian Min's brows furrowed even more. She pressed her lips together, shoved the candies into Si Yao's arms, and forced out, "Here. Don't be sad."
No matter how pitiful Si Yao looked, Qian Min wouldn't go easy on her.
Five years later.
As usual, Li Yilin left the training room and went straight to the terrace to lie down.
Five years had passed. The fluctuations of Law around him had grown more pronounced, yet his aura had become ever steadier and more unfathomable.
He had completely mastered the second level of the Thunder Dragon Art, raising his combat power from threefold to a steady ninefold. After cultivating his first Phantom Body with the Thunder Dragon Step, he'd finally used Time Acceleration for the first time a few days ago.
Being able to use Time Acceleration, even on a small scale, was enough to show how much he had improved in his understanding of the Time Law.
What he looked forward to most was the giant egg in the World Ring. Over the past few days, his Clone had suddenly begun devouring massive amounts of energy, which meant it had entered a rapid gestation phase.
Unfortunately, the eggshell had an extremely powerful ability to block prying eyes. Even his spiritual force couldn't penetrate it, let alone observe the gestation process.
If nothing went wrong, his Clone would emerge in four years.
As usual, he connected to the Virtual Universe and headed to the Killing Field.
Man Luo was still seated in a corner of the Killing Field, resting with his eyes closed as he discreetly observed the Fighters coming and going.
"Lord Man Luo." Li Yilin approached with a cheerful smile and handed him a freshly bought drink.
Man Luo opened his eyes. His cloudy pupils shifted, and his gaze settled on Li Yilin's face for several seconds. At last, he smiled.
"Young man, it's only been a few days, but you've become a real eye-opener."
Before, he had been like a half-drawn sharp sword. Now he had drawn it completely, its edge fully exposed.
"You're too kind, Lord Man Luo. Without all your help, I couldn't have made such rapid progress." Li Yilin smiled and sat down comfortably at Man Luo's feet.
There was a sofa nearby, but he acted as if he hadn't even noticed it, sitting right on the floor.
"Quick progress is good, but don't neglect the rest." Man Luo closed his eyes again, a faint smile on his wrinkled face.
"The best way to grow stronger and keep yourself from going astray is to fight. Only by facing the threat of death again and again, and surviving against the odds—" Man Luo's voice grew hazier, almost a murmur, as if he might fall asleep at any moment.
Li Yilin fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Do you have any recommendations, sir?"
Man Luo straightened up and leaned forward to look at Li Yilin, grinning. "The Outer-Domain Battlefield."
Li Yilin's eyes widened slightly.
Man Luo leaned back in his chair again and said unhurriedly, "The Outer-Domain Battlefield has a high death rate, but there's no denying that it produces more strong fighters than anywhere else.
"Of course, I'm not telling you to go there now. Even at Domain Lord Level, the risk of dying in a place like that is too high. But once you break through to World Lord, you'll have a certain ability to protect yourself there. Then you could give it a try."
He really liked this young man. His eyes were like the depths of the universe. It was rare to see such beautiful, pure-black eyes.
More importantly, this young man's temperament suited him perfectly.
So he was more than happy to offer him a little advice.
Li Yilin shook his head. "I appreciate your kindness, Lord Man Luo, but I'm not planning to break through to World Lord just yet." He wanted to gain recognition for his Lightning Law before advancing.
At the World Lord realm, he would first comprehend the Lightning Law until he was certain he could break through to Immortal. Then he would devote himself entirely to understanding the Time Law and ultimately gain recognition from the Time Origin Law.
If nothing went wrong, thanks to the Thunder Dragon Step cultivation manual, which let him speed up or slow down time, once he broke through to Immortal, he would have at least the strength of a Marquis Immortal.
Man Luo nodded. "That's true. You already have the strength to break through to World Lord. If you haven't done it, you must be aiming for something."
He lifted the cup in his hand. "I see you buying these drinks every few days, so I assume you're not short on money.
"If you've got money, take a look at a mid-level auction. If you happen to find a slot to enter the Initial Universe for cultivation, buy it. It'll do you good." He didn't say how.
Li Yilin nodded.
They chatted on and off. When they had finished their drinks, Li Yilin was just about to head to the Battle Space.
Suddenly, his eyes sharpened, and he turned toward the entrance to the hall.
The two people entering the hall weren't what surprised him most. It was what they were saying: they were speaking Chinese.
The familiar yet distant language brought back memories of Earth, that beautiful blue planet from long ago. His gaze drifted for a moment—
"Is this the Killing Field?" The bald monk in white robes at the front looked up at the enormous dome overhead, his eyes full of admiration.
A bald monk speaking Chinese—the Thunder God from the original story?
"Quite impressive!"
"Of course it's impressive. This place costs a fortune. I'm Planetary Level Nine, and I have to pay 100 Black Dragon Coins a day—"
Beside the bald monk stood a young man about 1.9 meters tall, with black hair and black eyes. His short, close-cropped hair made him look like a long spear poised to pierce the firmament.
The only person the Thunder God would be this close to, who also looked like that, could only be Hong.
"Mm, someone's watching us." The Thunder God quickly noticed Li Yilin, who had been watching them from nearby.
The familiar black hair and black eyes, so like those on Earth, made him freeze for a moment. The purple vertical eye between Li Yilin's brows brought him back to reality.
Although everyone's physical abilities in the Virtual Universe were fixed at the fourth level of the apprentice stage, the fluctuations of Law and the soul aura of a strong fighter were far beyond what an ordinary person could match.
The Thunder God only had to glance at Li Yilin to know that he was far stronger than himself.
He gave a slight nod to show his respect.
Hong had clearly noticed Li Yilin, too. He tugged at the Thunder God's hand, his expression grave. He seemed to be listening to us.
"We're speaking Chinese. Can he understand us?" The Thunder God was greatly shaken.
"I don't know." Hong shook his head.
"Let's go, let's go."
The two left together, while Li Yilin remained where he was, watching them walk into the passage and quickly disappear. He made no move.
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