After returning to the Flame Rock castle with Ba Yan and Ba Tu, Xiao Chen handed two of the three Medial Grade Profound Martial Techniques to them.
He kept only one Medial Grade Profound Martial Technique for himself and the five thousand Essence Stones.
The Medial Grade Profound Martial Technique aside, just the five thousand Essence Stones were a huge gain for Xiao Chen already.
With so many Essence Stones, he would have no problem quickly cultivating to peak Great Perfection quasi-Emperor.
It was likely that Xiao Chen would be able to reach peak Great Perfection quasi-Emperor before he got to the Human-Demon Sea. Searching of the Death Fruit in the Thunder Emperor’s cave then would be good timing.
After arriving at the Flame Rock castle, Xiao Chen immediately headed for his courtyard. How could he not know by now that the hemp-robed old man was the Flame Rock Sovereign, a famous peak expert of the Black Sea?!
The moment Xiao Chen entered the courtyard, he was surprised to discover Ao Jiao and the hemp-robed old man busily making big changes to the repaired Dragon Subduing Platform.
What are they doing?
Wait, that’s not right. Why is Ao Jiao with this old man?
Xiao Chen felt like his brain ran out of processing power. After sleeping for half a month, too many things had happened that he was not aware of.
Little Yellow Feather was the first to notice Xiao Chen. It cried out sharply and immediately flew over to perch on Xiao Chen’s shoulder.
Xiao Chen tossed Little Yellow Feather an Astral Core, making it so happy that it flew around him in joy.
The hemp-robed old man looked up and said, “Big Sister Ao Jiao, look, see who is back?”
“Bang!”
When Ao Jiao heard that, her face turned dark, and she immediately threw a punch and knocked the hemp-robed old man into the air.
This startled Xiao Chen. He rushed forward, saying, “Ao Jiao, this is a senior. Don’t mess around.”
Unexpectedly, Ao Jiao simply twitched her mouth and said, “Senior? Look at him. See if he dares to have me call him senior.
“Hehe! Don’t bother with this old man. How did the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting go? Did you succeed or fail? After this old fool sent me away, he did not even discuss anything with me before tossing you over. I was so worried about you.”
Ao Jiao asked out of concern, now showing a smile on her pretty face that made her look very cute.
Xiao Chen thought to himself, It looks like these two definitely know each other. So, he relaxed and gave a simple description of what happened at the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting.
“Haha! See, I was right. I told you not to worry already, but you still did not believe me.” The hemp-robed old man walked over while laughing. He did not put on any airs, showing none of the temperament of a Sovereign Martial Emperor.
Ao Jiao maintained her sulky expression as she ignored the hemp-robed old man.
Half an hour later, Xiao Chen finally understood Ao Jiao’s connection to the hemp-robed old man, the Flame Rock Sovereign.
When the Thunder Emperor Sang Mu was at his peak over five thousand years ago, he was already a famous Greater Heavenly Martial Emperor, known as the strongest under Sovereign Martial Emperor.
There were even several Sovereign Martial Emperors who did not dare to fight Sang Mu, fearing the loss of reputation if they lost.
When Ao Jiao accompanied the Thunder Emperor to the Dark Sea, the Flame Rock Sovereign was only a thirteen-year-old child, who recently revealed outstanding talent. The Thunder Emperor possessed great acumen, immediately recognizing the Flame Rock Sovereign’s talent. When he stayed in the Dark Sea, he taught the Flame Rock Sovereign for a period of time.
Although the Thunder Emperor and the Flame Rock Sovereign were not teacher and disciple, they could be considered a guide and half a student.
After that, when the Flame Rock Sovereign advanced to Martial Emperor, the Thunder Emperor personally served as a protector, preventing enemies from interfering and allowing him to clear his Great Tribulation of wind and fire smoothly.
The Flame Rock Sovereign returned the favor and risked his life to help the Thunder Emperor during the Thunder Emperor’s breakthrough to Sovereign Martial Emperor, helping the Thunder Emperor with the Sovereign Tribulation.
To the Flame Rock Sovereign, the Thunder Emperor had been both a teacher and a friend. In his heart, the Thunder Emperor would forever be a senior and a good friend, one that he had awe and gratitude for.
After hearing the explanation, Xiao Chen now understood some of what had happened behind the scenes. “Hey, speaking of which, Senior, why do you keep calling Ao Jiao Big Sister?” he asked casually.
Upon hearing that question, the Flame Rock Sovereign laughed loudly for a long time. Then, he replied in an aggrieved tone, “This is a long story. Back then, I was very miserable. A certain person kept punching me, forcing me to call her Big Sister. If I did not, she would teach me a lesson. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.
“In the end, now that I address her that way when I see her, she still punches me.”
The Flame Rock Sovereign showed such a wronged expression that Xiao Chen could not restrain a smile. Now, Xiao Chen had a rough understanding of what was happening. After sleeping for five thousand years, Ao Jiao still looked like a little girl. However, the Flame Rock Sovereign truly became an old man. If someone like that called her Big Sister, she would definitely get angry.
However, this was not true anger. Xiao Chen could tell that the two’s actions were more like messing around, reminiscent of the past.
After all the frolicking around, the Flame Rock Sovereign said to Xiao Chen with a serious expression, “I heard from Big Sister that you want to inherit the Thunder Emperor’s treasures?”
---
Even though the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting came to an end, the discussions about it were far from over.
From the most popular Conflagration Restaurant to the simple stalls in the alleys of Dark City, all the cultivators discussed this round of the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting, which had been different from the previous ones.
This round of the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting simply had too many things that could be discussed: the magnificent Martial Technique that the White Robed Bladesman executed; the unique comprehension of the will of ice and the will of storm of two foreign cultivators; the surprising defeat of Huang Yun, the previous overlord.
Of course, there was still the most surprising scene: Sima Lingxuan suddenly conceding when he held the absolute upper hand.
Sima Lingxuan’s strength went without saying. After Huang Yun left, he was the outstanding young talent that shone the brightest in Dark City.
Originally, many people expected the most interesting match of this Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting to be a match between Sima Lingxuan and Huang Yun, the old and new peak geniuses.
However, even such a favored, dazzling outstanding talent suddenly collapsed after Xiao Chen displayed his strength. This outcome puzzled a lot of people.
Some said that Sima Lingxuan had acted like a gentleman, not wanting to defeat a Xiao Chen in poor condition.
Others said that Sima Lingxuan could tell that Xiao Chen still had trump cards. If he had lost to Xiao Chen under such circumstances, he would embarrass himself even worse.
However, outsiders would never be able to guess the truth. The scene of Sima Lingxuan drawing his sword, smashing it to pieces with one palm, and bloodying his hand had been very shocking.
There was definitely a story between Xiao Chen and Sima Lingxuan that others did not know. However, if the people involved said nothing, the outsiders would never be able to guess it.
However, the bigger the secret, the more curious people would get, resulting in people harping on it, discussing it endlessly.
As for the topic of the conversations, Sima Lingxuan had made a mad dash out of Dark City. He appeared very dispirited as he walked forward feeling somewhat lost, not knowing where to go.
Along the way, people kept pointing at Sima Lingxuan, talking about him. However, he ignored them all.
After working hard for ten years and appearing to have a bright future, Sima Lingxuan had nursed lofty sentiments and hot-bloodedness, wanting to wipe away his previous shame. However, the reality was cruel.
Sima Lingxuan could still see only the back of the person he was trying to catch up to. This person appeared as tall as a mountain. One would look up and feel that it was insurmountable.
Blood dripped continuously from Sima Lingxuan’s hand as he trudged on. After walking for some time, he approached the shore of Dark Island, the vast boundless sea spreading before him.
Suddenly, Sima Lingxuan came to a stop, his muddled mind startled at the sight of a familiar figure at the seashore.
An imposing figure stood in front of the vast boundless sea. While this figure might seem like nothing much, it was all that Sima Lingxuan saw.
“Whoosh!”
That figure slowly turned around and seemed to travel ten kilometers in an instant, arriving before Sima Lingxuan.
“Adoptive Father.”
Sima Lingxuan choked somewhat on his words, unable to say anything more.
This person was the newest Great Bandit of the Black Sea, the Sovereign Martial Emperor Zong Boxiong, Sima Lingxuan’s adoptive father.
Sima Lingxuan thought about his adoptive father’s care and hopes for him, as well as the concern that his adoptive father showed him, how he made him feel like a true family. All this made him choke up. Sima Lingxuan felt very useless. Guilt filled his heart as tears flowed out irresistibly.
When Zong Boxiong saw this scene, his heart ached. He patted Sima Lingxuan’s shoulder and did not say anything.
No longer able to control himself, Sima Lingxuan lunged forward and hugged Zong Boxiong, crying his heart out.
“Adoptive Father, this child is useless. In the end, I could not take that step. I failed Adoptive Father’s expectations.”
What kind of pressure could cause a two-hundred-thirty-centimeter-tall man to cry so loudly, to feel so sorrowful in this Black Sea where those in tears did not receive compassion?
Zong Boxiong remained silent all the while. When Sima Lingxuan had cried enough, Zong Boxiong let go. This ruthless cultivator, who had chopped down and killed all the cultivators of the previous Great Bandit, revealed a look of compassion in his eyes and showed a faint smile.
“I already know about the Outstanding Talent Summit Meeting. You chose to give up at the crucial moment, refusing to use an unfair match to obtain victory and numb yourself. I am glad for that.
“If you truly chose to fight that battle, in my opinion, you would never be able to walk out of the shadow of hatred. Even if you managed to advance to Martial Emperor, you would never be able to be conferred King.”
Zong Boxiong slowly said a string of things that Sima Lingxuan did not expect.
Sima Lingxuan opened his mouth and said, “Adoptive Father, I—”
“Don’t overthink. You have done very well. Don’t take this heart demon too seriously. In everyone’s life, there will always be some opponent that makes you feel despair, feel like you will never surpass them. What we need to do is never compare ourselves to these people.
“Back then, your father did not understand that and harmed you instead, harming himself as well in the process. In this world, we need to live for ourselves and not for these opponents.”
Sima Lingxuan was somewhat at a loss. He asked anxiously, “Adoptive Father, are you telling me to resign myself to fate?”
“No, it is not resigning to fate. Let me ask you, have you slacked off in the past ten years?”
“No.”
“Have you given up on working hard?”
“No.”
“Do you feel like you are wasting time on worthless activities, not improving at all?”
“No.”
These few rapid-fire questions immediately made Sima Lingxuan’s confused eyes light up. As he answered, his voice became stronger.
“Do you still feel that you are useless?”
Sima Lingxuan said seriously, “Not at all.”
“Very good. In that case, I will tell you. Xiao Chen swept through all the outstanding talents of the Kunlun Continent; even disciples of Primes fell at his hands. In the Heavenly Starry Ocean, he defeated the various outstanding talents with one move each. Now, do you think that you’ve suffered an injustice?
“Among these people are the descendants of Primes—the successors of the Heaven Abandoning Deity Sovereign, the East Mountain Ghost Monarch, and the Heaven Punishing Corpse God; all of them are absolute geniuses.”
Zong Boxiong said all this, enunciating everything clearly, word by word, his tone slowly becoming heavy.