Ling Xiao was always dazzling, no matter where he went.
In Tianfeng City, he left geniuses speechless.
In Yunkong City, he stunned countless experts.
At Yuehua Sect, he claimed the position of top disciple in less than a year.
In the Holy Dynasty’s capital, he defeated the invincible Holy Son under twenty, earning the title of Chosen One, and even repelled the terrifying Yin-Yang Demon King and Lightning Demon King.
In the capital of the Divine Phoenix Empire, he once again became the centre of attention.
And here, he was still doing extraordinary things.
Why does someone succeed?
It’s a hard question to answer.
But blindly following others’ paths, sticking to convention, will never lead to success.
“Stop!”
Leng Mei, observing her master, was jolted from her thoughts by a sudden shout.
Circle Five lived up to its reputation as the strongest of the five circles.
As soon as Ling Xiao and Leng Mei entered Circle Five, they were spotted by Earthfire Tianzun’s men.
Most people in Circle Five seemed to have been recruited by Earthfire Tianzun, all dressed uniformly, exuding an imposing aura, like a small independent kingdom.
“Let Earthfire Tianzun come out!” Ling Xiao shouted.
“Courting death!”
Faced with such provocation, how could Earthfire Tianzun’s men hold back?
Dozens of experts rushed toward Ling Xiao and Leng Mei.
Leng Mei glanced at Ling Xiao. “Master, leave them to me.”
“Alright.”
With Ling Xiao’s permission, Leng Mei leapt forward. Her plum blossom martial soul transformed into a shadowy blur, radiating a terrifying killing intent.
Whoosh!
A black shadow flashed, and dozens of Earthfire Tianzun’s men fell dead.
Shockingly, each had only a red mark on their neck, with no other wounds.
“Fast sword, but killing our people means you’re courting death!” said a warrior wielding a long spear, his cultivation at the early Five Elements Heaven stage, equal to Leng Mei’s.
As Earthfire Tianzun’s top subordinate, his strength matched the leaders of the other four circles, a testament to Earthfire Tianzun’s own prowess.
“It’s not certain who’s courting death!” Leng Mei retorted, unyielding.
Her dual martial souls surged, her speed blinding. Her long and short swords unleashed a storm of plum blossom sword qi, enveloping the spear-wielding warrior.
Boom!
Energy clashed, shattering nearby walls in a fierce head-on collision.
The spear warrior was thrown back over ten metres, while Leng Mei retreated only two or three steps before standing firm.
“What a strong woman!” The spear warrior, confident he could face the other circle leaders without fear, was Earthfire Tianzun’s right-hand man. Earthfire Tianzun rarely appeared, focusing on cultivation, leaving him to manage Circle Five.
He’d thought dealing with this troublemaking woman would be easy, but after one move, he realised his grave misjudgment.
This woman was stronger than him, far stronger.
Even the other circle leaders couldn’t knock him back with one move.
“Xin, what’s the matter?” A booming voice echoed from all directions, impossible to pinpoint, laced with a chilling earthfire aura that sent shivers down the spine.
“Boss, we’ve got trouble. I can’t handle it alone,” Xin replied, ignoring Ling Xiao, whom he deemed insignificant. He admitted to Earthfire Tianzun that he couldn’t defeat Leng Mei alone.
Life mattered more than pride.
“Someone you can’t handle? Fine, I’ll see for myself!” Before the voice faded, a sinister white shadow appeared before Ling Xiao and Leng Mei.
His speed was so great that even Leng Mei felt inferior.
Ling Xiao’s expression remained unchanged as he assessed Earthfire Tianzun, quietly relieved.
Earthfire Tianzun was strong, but weaker than expected. Ling Xiao could handle him alone, without Leng Mei’s help.
“You don’t seem like the other circle leaders. What do you two want?” Earthfire Tianzun glanced at them coldly, demanding an answer.
“Join us to rebel against the underground factory. Dare you?” Ling Xiao saw potential in Earthfire Tianzun. His strength could be a valuable asset if he joined.
Activating his World Eye, Ling Xiao saw that Earthfire Tianzun’s cultivation was at the late Five Elements Heaven stage, with Tianyuan energy four times that of Rat Tianzun.
In both cultivation and energy reserves, Earthfire Tianzun far surpassed Rat Tianzun.
However, taking fifty years to advance from early to late Five Elements Heaven showed his talent paled compared to geniuses like Blood Skeleton.
His strength was far below Blood Skeleton’s.
That was the gap between ordinary warriors and geniuses.
“Rebel? Hahaha, I have no plans to leave. I’ll cultivate to the Cave Heaven Realm here first!” Earthfire Tianzun laughed heartily. “Besides, who are you to speak to me? If it were the woman beside you, maybe she’d have some standing!”
“No room for negotiation, then?” Ling Xiao asked calmly.
“Negotiate? You two dared to trespass into my Circle Five and kill my men. I’ll give you one chance: become my subordinates or die!” Earthfire Tianzun’s tone was domineering.
He dismissed Ling Xiao but saw potential in recruiting Leng Mei.
“How arrogant! Leech Tianzun wanted us as his subordinates too, but he’s dreaming in hell now,” Ling Xiao said with a faint smile.
“You’re quite bold, kid. But bold people rarely meet good ends,” Earthfire Tianzun said, narrowing his eyes. “I can’t see how a mere peak Three Talents Heaven warrior like you has the gall to act so brazen. Are you stronger than the woman beside you?”
“Maybe not as strong as her, but more than enough to kill you,” Ling Xiao replied, hoping Earthfire Tianzun would provide a satisfying challenge.
Previous opponents were defeated in one or two moves, leaving him unable to fully test his improved strength.
Earthfire Tianzun, being much stronger, might be a good sparring partner.
