Primordial Divine Emperor-Chapter 42: Child of Destiny, Ten Cities’ Geniuses
"He’s here!"
"Finally, he’s here. Hmph, since when did the cultivators of Star Moon City get so high and mighty? This person is really putting on airs, making the group wait for half a month just for him."
"Could he be that Child of Destiny everyone is talking about, the only disciple of the Sword Saint, Ye Xiaofan from Star Moon City?"
The arrival of Ye Xiaofan immediately stirred up a large commotion.
"Is this the Child of Destiny from Star Moon City?"
"Isn’t it just him? It’s said that he awakened a Plant Martial Soul not even at Level One, yet his luck is against the heavens. It seems he obtained great fortune in the Soul Beast Forest, and his cultivation skyrocketed to the Eighth Layer of Profound Spirit, and he also comprehended the Sword Intent of ’Sword Break’."
"Is it because of this that the Sword Saint saw something in him?"
"Indeed, he’s a Child of Destiny. Such luck is truly against the heavens."
"You can’t say it like that. The fact that he could comprehend the Sword Intent of ’Sword Break’ suggests he has some talent in Sword Dao. Otherwise, the Sword Saint wouldn’t have recognized his potential."
"Not only that, I’ve heard he also managed to cultivate Sword Qi from the Grass Cutting Sword Technique, though I don’t know if it’s true."
"So what if he has some talent in Sword Dao? His Martial Soul is too weak, and his realm can’t improve. Isn’t he still a waste? He’s destined to be trampled under our feet. I bet within half a year, he’ll be driven off the Nameless Peak by the Sword Saint."
Many of the prodigies present were murmuring among themselves, clearly discontent.
The ones standing here were mostly prodigies, peerless talents from the nearby regions, all possessing their own pride.
To be able to come this far, almost none of them were weaklings; they were the best of the best, chosen from hundreds. Who wouldn’t want to become a disciple of the Sword Saint?
If the Sword Saint Dugu Nan had chosen an unmatched prodigy as his disciple, they wouldn’t feel any jealousy. Even if it were Nangong Jianchen who joined the Sword Saint, they would be impressed.
But if that person is unworthy of their position, it becomes another matter entirely.
Take Ye Xiaofan for instance. As a Child of Destiny, why should he be the sole disciple of the Sword Saint?
On the other side, Ye Xiaofan was following Mu Yan and others to the ridge of the valley. Mu Yan gave a gentle cry, and Spiritual Power surged from his body, lifting Ye Xiaofan into the air, heading towards the Ark of Star Moon City.
"Brother Ye."
"Brother Xiaofan, this."
As soon as Ye Xiaofan landed on the Ark, Nangong Jianchen and Shangguan Wan’Er softly called out, waving at Ye Xiaofan.
"Go on, hope you have a pleasant journey." Mu Yan scanned the ten arks, a slight smile on his lips.
Ye Xiaofan also sensed something and couldn’t help furrowing his brow slightly.
After saying goodbye to Mu Yan and the four others, he slowly approached Nangong Jianchen and Shangguan Wan’Er. This ark was mostly filled with the new disciples of Star Moon City, including Ye Xiaotian and a prodigy from the Ye Race.
"Brother Nangong, who are all these people?" Ye Xiaofan looked at the peerless talents on the other nine flying boats, feeling bewildered. Was it just his imagination, or did everyone seem to look at him with unfriendly eyes?
"They are talents from the nearby city regions. Along with our new disciples from Star Moon City, these are the ten city talents," Nangong Jianchen explained.
Ye Xiaofan nodded upon hearing this. No wonder these people seemed so unfamiliar. He glanced them over and said in a low voice, "Nangong, have I done anything inappropriate? Why do these people seem so unwelcoming?"
Nangong Jianchen couldn’t help but smile bitterly upon hearing this: "Brother Ye, you really don’t know, do you?"
"Know what?" Ye Xiaofan asked, puzzled.
Nangong Jianchen explained, "You are the last one to arrive at the gathering place. Everyone else was already here long before you. The schedule has been delayed for more than half a month just for you. Could they have any favorable feelings toward you?"
"Is there even such a thing?" Ye Xiaofan responded helplessly. He wasn’t even involved. This was Divine Sword Sect’s own rule to gather in three months’ time. What did it have to do with him?
"It’s not just about this. To put it bluntly, it’s jealousy," Shangguan Wan’Er interjected bluntly. "Brother Xiaofan, the main reason is your identity."
"Oh? Sister Wan’Er, what do you mean?" Ye Xiaofan asked instinctively, not understanding immediately.
Shangguan Wan’Er raised her voice: "Brother Xiaofan is now the sole disciple of the Sword Saint. Many are eyeing this position. Now that it has fallen to a Child of Destiny, of course, they are envious and naturally don’t like you, Brother Xiaofan."
Shangguan Wan’Er’s blunt remark instantly left countless peerless talents feeling awkward and ashamed, yet their displeasure deepened even more.
Shangguan Wan’Er’s words hit the mark. Numerous peerless talents were indeed eyeing the position of the Sword Saint’s disciple. Ever since they’d learned of the Sword Saint’s intention to take on a disciple, countless individuals dreamed of joining Divine Sword Sect and gaining the Sword Saint’s favor.
Who would have thought that the spot would be taken by a Child of Destiny with a Martial Soul less than Level One, which dashed their hopes? Who could feel comfortable with that?
Seeing the stir caused by Shangguan Wan’Er’s words, Ye Xiaofan immediately regretted it. He shouldn’t have asked this girl. Truly adding fuel to the fire, should he thank her for that?
Nonetheless, Ye Xiaofan merely shook his head and smiled, not taking it to heart. However, someone had already set their sights on him.
"Child of Destiny? Sword Dao genius? Hmph, so what if he’s already the Sword Saint’s disciple? That doesn’t mean no one can replace him."
On a certain ark, a black-clad youth with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes curled his lips into a cold smile, seemingly indifferent to Ye Xiaofan’s current status.
Yet after the young man finished speaking, he slowly closed his eyes, no longer paying attention to the Star Moon City’s ark.
At that moment.
"Set off!"
Rumble—rumble rumble rumble—!
A series of booming sounds echoed through the skies.
The arrival of Ye Xiaofan also signaled the start of the journey. Accompanied by an aged yet powerful voice that resounded through the valley, in an instant, ten gigantic arks roared loudly, rising from the ground, crushing the endless void as they flew towards the Divine Sword Sect.
The wind howled in their ears as the mountains below quickly receded. Countless prodigies were astounded; it was their first time being on an ark, and the experience was overwhelming. Meanwhile, more prodigies gazed into the distance, their blood boiling with excitement.
In their view, the direction of the ark’s flight was not towards the Divine Sword Sect but rather the cultivation sacred land they had long yearned for.
There, they would shine brightly, competing with countless prodigies, eventually growing into unparalleled powerhouses renowned across the lands.
Ye Xiaofan stood on the ark, turning back to gaze at the increasingly distant region of Star Moon City until it became too small to see. Only then did he reluctantly retract his gaze and begin to observe the prodigies of the Ten Cities.
On those arks, none were ordinary awakeners; each had a terrifying presence and astonishing spiritual power, with some individuals even making one feel suffocated.
Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by.
During these ten days, many prodigies had grown accustomed to the flying experience of the ark and settled into meditation, individually cultivating.
After ten days of understanding, Ye Xiaofan also learned from Nangong Jianchen that the prodigies of the other nine cities far exceeded those of the small city of Star Moon City.
For example, the ark of Silver Moon City alone had three times as many prodigies as Star Moon City, and that was just an average level.
Among these Ten Cities prodigies, it was said that three had already reached the peak of the Tenth Layer of Profound Spirit before boarding the ark, truly terrifying.
Dull with boredom, these prodigies would occasionally spar with each other. Some incredibly talented prodigies left even Ye Xiaofan astonished.
However, what caught Ye Xiaofan’s attention the most wasn’t those sparring prodigies, but Nangong Jianchen. From Shangguan Wan’Er, he learned that Nangong Jianchen had arrived at the gathering point as early as a month ago.
In other words, the same route took Nangong Jianchen only two-thirds of the time it took Ye Xiaofan. Although Ye Xiaofan spent a lot of time cultivating along the way, Nangong Jianchen’s speed piqued his curiosity about this ally.
Besides Nangong Jianchen, among the Ten Cities prodigies, Ye Xiaofan also paid special attention to a young man in black, not because of any particular quality, but because he noticed that the other frequently scrutinized him with a hint of hostility in his gaze.
"Brother Nangong, who is this person?" After several days of observation, Ye Xiaofan finally inquired about his identity.
Nangong Jianchen first glanced up at the young man in black and then mumbled, "This person’s name is Jian Zhu, a name he chose for himself. He is said to be a sword Dao prodigy from Silver Moon City with a Celestial Tier Martial Soul. Moreover, he is obsessed with the Sword Dao and longs to become a disciple of the Sword Saint Sect."
"I see," Ye Xiaofan nodded, immediately understanding why the other harbored hostility toward him.
After speaking, Nangong Jianchen pondered for a moment and added, "By the way, he is one of those three, and it’s said he has already reached the peak of the Tenth Layer of Profound Spirit. He’s preparing to break through the Profound Sea Shackles after acquiring the Profound Sea Pill at the Divine Sword Sect."
"The peak of the Tenth Layer of Profound Spirit?"
Ye Xiaofan was indeed surprised. Three had reached the Tenth Layer peak, while there were early, middle, late, perfection, and great perfection stages of the Tenth Layer as well. In such a case, the Ninth and Eighth Layers must not be few. Even Ye Xiaotian, in three months, had broken through to the Eighth Layer of Profound Spirit.
For just the prodigies of the Ten Cities, a barren land no less, to reach such a terrifying level, Ye Xiaofan dared not imagine what the scene at the Divine Sword Sect would be like.
However, he wasn’t worried. As a growth-type Martial Soul, the more his Martial Soul grew, the more fearsome his talent would become. In time, he would gradually distance himself from these people.
While Ye Xiaofan was pondering.
Suddenly, the young man in black stood up slowly and walked straight to the edge of the ark of Silver Moon City, looking down at Ye Xiaofan.
Jian Zhu: "So you are Ye Xiaofan?"
Ye Xiaofan looked up, clasped his fist, and smiled, "Yes, brother, what advice do you have?"
"I wouldn’t dare give advice. I heard your Sword Dao talent is remarkable and that you earned the admiration of the Sword Saint seniors, so you must not be an ordinary person. I am Jian Zhu from Silver Moon City, and I’d like to exchange a few moves with you, if you are so inclined?"
Upon Jian Zhu’s words, a ripple of commotion broke out.
"Jian Zhu, he’s actually challenging the Sword Saint’s disciple?"
"I heard Jian Zhu has reached the peak of the Tenth Layer of Profound Spirit, with a Sword Dao talent seldom seen in a millennium. Will this Ye Xiaofan dare to accept his challenge?"
Countless people were discussing, waiting eagerly to watch a good show.
If Ye Xiaofan refused, it would bring shame to the Sword Saint.
But if he accepted, how could he possibly be a match for Jian Zhu? After all, one is a child of destiny, while the other is a true sword Dao prodigy at the peak of the Tenth Layer of Profound Spirit.
Hearing this, Ye Xiaofan frowned slightly. He had anticipated that being the Sword Saint’s disciple wouldn’t be an easy role, but he hadn’t expected trouble to come so quickly.
