This Young Master is not Cannon Fodder-Chapter 707: Choice

Speaking of trips, Tianyi had never taken his disciples with him on trips. Most of the time, it was just Daoyi. That didn’t mean he didn’t accompany them when they sought his presence or secretly protect them when they ventured into dangerous lands. It was just that he had never taken them on a trip for recreation.

Thinking back, Tianyi hadn’t even taken Xi Ri on a family vacation, even though they were technically considered family, being his cousin and all. In fact, the last time Tianyi remembered a trip composed of three people or more was a long time ago, when he took that trip with his mother and Daoyi, who was still just a junior sister at the time.

Speaking of Xi Ri, he had also met Yinian and given a gift. Because of Tianyi’s wealth, the value of gifts did not matter much—only the thought put into them. Xi Ri’s gift was a rare copy of an anthology detailing all legends related to Tianyi.

Naturally, Yinian didn’t have a good expression. If there were legends about his mother, he might have been more receptive. Unfortunately, aside from her connection to Tianyi, she did not have much of a reputation of her own. Practically every legend about her was related to Tianyi. It was for this reason alone that Yinian accepted the book.

Tianyi had also invited Xi Ri, but he rejected the invitation on the basis that he was too busy accumulating merit. Tianyi seriously considered whether or not his cousin had a mental problem. Ever since becoming a merit immortal, Xi Ri had focused wholeheartedly on accumulating merit.

With Tianyi’s aid, accumulating merit was much easier for Xi Ri than for the ninety-nine point nine percent of people. The Heavenly Immortal Court even dispatched him to different realms because the faith received from areas touched by Xi Ri was more devout. His contributions to the stability and rule of the Heavenly Immortal Court were immense, to the point that many immortal ministers wanted to deify him and make him the God of the Masses and Mercy.

Unfortunately, it was blocked by Tianyi, making people wonder if the two cousins had a fight. That was not the case. Tianyi simply did not want to tie another member of his family to the Heavenly Dao of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System. Granted, becoming a merit immortal was already half a divinity of faith, but Tianyi still harbored a bit of hope.

Tianyi wasn’t put off by Xi Ri’s rejection. He had already expected it.

And so, the family of three plus four disciples set off on a journey that encompassed the entire Three Thousand Immortal Realms System. They didn’t visit every realm or landmark, but rather the most famous ones, starting from low-rank realms.

Sun Wutian hated the low-rank realms because demons did not exist. And to prevent people from mistaking him for a monster, he had to pretend to be a pet or transform into a human. For someone used to freedom, he hated hiding himself. Yinian also spoke for his idol, causing Tianyi to only select the most notable low-rank realms before moving on to middle-rank realms.

There, Sun Wutian’s appearance still affected the journey somewhat, but it was much better.

The trip didn’t end with just the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System; Tianyi took them to visit other pantheons and their systems. If he was still masquerading, he would not announce himself. A demigod-level combatant would not cause too much of a fuss, but it was a different story for a divinity. What else could be done except scheming something if he secretly intruded upon another’s territory?

No one would believe he was truly going on a recreational trip. So, to avoid a diplomatic incident, Tianyi informed each pantheon of his coming. Of course, he only displayed such courtesies to systems with pantheons. If he came to systems without divinities of power, they would only have two reactions: rejection and wariness, or fawning.

The first was understandable. Who would feel safe inviting someone who could tear down their entire house with a flip of a hand into their home? As for the second, they might feel fear, but they coveted the benefits brought about by Tianyi’s connection.

One of the systems Tianyi visited was the Shinto System. Perhaps because of his interests on Earth, he particularly enjoyed traveling there.

“Is it true that the Shinto System was once part of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System?” Yinian asked upon seeing the local culture. Although it was quite different, the similarities were unmistakable compared to the other systems they had visited.

“It’s said that at the end of the primordial era, the Pangu System fractured. The large fragments gathered together to form the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, while the smaller pieces not attracted by gravity floated away into the distance. Most of those fragments shattered and became dust in the universe, while a small percentage became world seeds that eventually formed complete systems,” Tianyi said. “Comparing the legends, their first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, shares many similarities with Qin Shi Huang’s alchemist, Xu Fu.”

His four disciples complimented and praised Tianyi, stroking his ego. They were long used to his repertoire of random facts. Yinian was unimpressed. To his eyes, the entire Shinto System was even weaker than the Death Goddess Planetary Alliance. Unlike his father, he did not care too much for the local culture.

Normally, Tianyi would have followed Yinian’s likes and dislikes, staying only a little longer before leaving, but for the Shinto System, Tianyi stayed until he was satisfied. Yinian pretended not to care. After all, he displayed a facade of not caring about where his father took him. How could he openly voice it and tell his father that he wanted to go to the next place immediately?

He had his pride, and so the ‘cold war’ continued.

They traveled several more systems and eventually arrived at the Avalon System. The spells of the Avalon System were incredibly developed, among the peak of many systems. However, they were also known for their knights skilled in a variety of weapons. Most knights’ legends only lasted for a few generations, but great knights’ legends lasted an eon.

And what was the difference between a regular knight and a great knight? Intent.

Although it wasn’t exactly the same as the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System’s sword intent or saber intent, it was very similar. For Yinian, it was something he immensely enjoyed. He even hid his power and lowered himself to mortal standards, and dueled with these knights.

Swordsmanship was something Yinian focused on because of his father’s influence. If he practiced his swordplay, he could pretend that his father was by his side, guiding him. Although he was angry at his father’s deception, he did not abandon the sword. His reliance on the sword transformed into a pure devotion to the way of the sword.

Through his actions, Yinian’s reputation as a great knight spread throughout the Avalon System. Even in Camelot, many people talked about his legend. He even participated in a tournament and won first place. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Yinian donned black armor and wielded a knight’s sword.

The Avalon System had a certain fondness for mysterious knights of unknown origin. Because of several famous legends concerning a few members of the Knights of the Round Table and their feats, many glorified these masked knights wearing armor of atypical color. Because most of them chose to wear dark armor, mostly black, they were known as Black Knights.

Every few generations or so, a black knight would appear and capture the imagination of the denizens of the Avalon System. Their hidden identities would spark countless speculations and romanticizations. Very rarely were those black knights truly of unknown origin. Most belonged to powerful families with deep foundations.

And now, Yinian became this generation’s black knight.

Tianyi watched from afar as Yinian dueled a knight who had challenged him. Even though he was of unknown origin, none of the established forces did anything to suppress him tyrannically. He didn’t know whether it was because the leaders of the Avalon System had learned of his destination and ordered the maintenance of good relations or not, but he didn’t care too much as long as it did not ruin his mood.

His four disciples had also gone to do their own things. Sun Wutian sought out the famed dragons. In the Avalon System, the pinnacle race was dragons. In front of them, all other creatures and monsters paled in comparison. And Sun Wutian wanted to add another legend—the legend of a primate dominating dragons.

His first three disciples all wandered the Avalon System, seeking opportunities to increase their comprehension. The worldly laws of the Avalon System were far more difficult to sense than in the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, but their comprehension and understanding were already high, allowing them to glean some insights. These new insights allowed them to see a chance of progress.

The chances of those insights propelling them to the Divine Realm were infinitely small. Strictly speaking, their chances increased five to ten times, but if the original chances were practically zero, the increase meant nothing. Compared to the Divine Realm, they had a chance to form an inner world after digesting the worldly laws of other systems, which gave them the opportunity to reach the Half-Divine Realm.

Daoyi stood next to him, watching Yinian. “Life is nice. It’d be fine to just let it continue to flow like this.”

Tianyi didn’t immediately answer. He knew what Daoyi was hinting at. Even before she spoke, he had been hesitating. Even he, who mastered the Divine Law of Spacetime, could not withstand the ravages of time—especially in terms of determination.

More than once, he had thought about extending the trip, and he had actually changed the itinerary to lengthen it. However, he had also shortened it when his determination solidified. Right now, he was balancing on a scale. When his determination wavered, he would lengthen the trip. When it grew, he shortened it. And when it was balanced, he hesitated.

Adding to the tilting scale were Daoyi’s words. Striking while the iron was hot, Daoyi continued. This wasn’t the first time the two had had such a conversation. “There’s no need to rush. As long as you wait a bit longer and grow stronger, the chances of success will increase to over ninety percent. There’s no need to risk it all.”

Daoyi was right. Life was pretty good. He had a beautiful wife, a talented son, and successful disciples. He was powerful, having reached the Divine Realm that many coveted but could never reach in their lifetime. Even among the divinities, he was undoubtedly powerful and had limitless potential to unearth.

Throughout his life, Tianyi rarely risked his life. With his status and potential, he had no need to. And his act to rescue his mother would undoubtedly be the biggest risk he would ever take in his life.

Hesitation leads to retreat. Although he didn’t deliberately risk his life—who would?—that didn’t mean he feared it. After all, he had risked his life many times, especially against the Dragon Emperor and his clones, though such risks diminished after he entered the Immortal Realm and formed his inner universe.

However, Tianyi also understood that the longer he waited, the lower his chances of saving his mother became. With his advanced progression and comprehension of the divine laws, he could see Mengfei’s situation more clearly, especially after experimenting on all those souls.

He didn’t believe Daoyi couldn’t see such a thing. After all, he had also brought Yinian and Daoyi to see Mengfei. Ideally, Yinian’s existence would allow Mengfei to awaken, but unfortunately, it did not. That didn’t mean there was no effect.

Tianyi could sense his mother’s renewed determination, and the encroachment of the Heavenly Dao had slowed. Still, she was in a precarious situation.

No matter how he tried to blind himself to the facts, Tianyi could not ignore them. If he did not implement his plans, everything he had now would remain. If he did, he would risk everything without a guaranteed chance of success.

He had to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Tianyi stilled. Is love something that can be weighed by benefits and detriments? No—love should be something more sacred, even if it is only familial love. I’m using all sorts of excuses to convince myself both ways. Do I truly love my mother?

The thought made him give a self-deprecating smile. I’m more selfish than I thought. I thought it was a bit of a shame that Daoyi and I got together so easily. There was no test for our love, and I don’t know if we can really call our relationship love. I’d never imagined that it would be familial love that I would risk everything for.

Yes. Tianyi decided to risk it. Call him arrogant or self-centered, but he wanted to save Mengfei just to prove to himself that he loved her.