Demon Sea Port.
Every day, countless ships docked and departed here, virtually innumerable. Especially after the Demon Sea War more than four years ago, a Void Realm mighty expert suddenly emerged, attracting many cultivators to observe. Of course, they were merely curious; daring to seek out someone who had surpassed the Saint Ancestor Realm would surely lead to a death without burial.
At this moment, on a ship preparing to depart with the Xuanming Merchant Association's merchant fleet, Wu Tianjun was being treated as a weakling and driven away.
"Senior Brother Wan! He was brought onto the ship by me, after all!" Li Chongwen said, somewhat displeased, upon hearing what Senior Brother Wan said. Even if it caused a slight offense, Senior Brother Wan's actions were unacceptable, not to mention it was a matter of his own face.
"Junior Brother Li, this person shows no respect for my Martial God Academy. Your actions are quite inappropriate, aren't they?" Senior Brother Wan said indifferently upon hearing this.
"When did Brother Tianci show no respect for Martial God Academy? Just for a pet, you want him to give it up?" Li Chongwen said, somewhat angrily. Although they were both students of Martial God Academy, everyone had different beliefs. Senior Brother Wan's actions truly displeased Li Chongwen.
"You... dare to openly defy your Senior Brother?" Senior Brother Wan was speechless, then changed his tone to a cold one. In Martial God Academy, ranking was not based on age but on grade. To advance a cultivation level, one had to reach the corresponding cultivation, and classes were divided according to cultivation. From Human Core Realm was Class One, and as cultivation increased, one advanced to the corresponding class, meaning grades were clearly delineated. Of course, this did not apply to certain prodigies who challenged higher levels; they had their own association in Martial God Academy, the Martial God Association! Naturally, although these people were also geniuses, they were not members of the Martial God Association.
"When did I defy..." Li Chongwen was about to speak angrily when he was cut off.
"Hmph! Isn't that shameful enough? Arguing in front of outsiders, you two wait until we return to the Academy, and I will report this matter." The leading young man snorted coldly. "It is due to my lax management. I hope Brother Tianci doesn't mock me. If your goal is also to gain experience outside, you can come with us." He then turned to Wu Tianjun and said.
"That's right! Brother Tianci, come with me..." Li Chongwen also said with a smile. After all, he was the one who invited Wu Tianjun here, so he couldn't just say nothing.
"Haha! Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't sell it, I wouldn't make things difficult!" Wu Tianjun chuckled. "Since you've said so, it would be rude of me not to go. Thank you all for the ride. I still don't know where I should go to gain experience."
"Alright! Then let's set off." The leading young man gave the order to depart. This time, the ship was only filled with young men and women; there were no adults. The leading young man was only over a hundred years old, which was still considered the youth age group for cultivators. Furthermore, there were no helmsmen on the ship, so they had to take turns steering. Fortunately, steering the ship was not difficult, so anyone could do it.
Wu Tianjun stood at the ship's rail, letting the wind freely tousle his hair. He unexpectedly raised his hand and removed his mask, allowing the wind to directly hit his face. This was the first time he had allowed outsiders to see his true face. Of course, the people on Six Demon Star didn't count; even if they knew, they wouldn't know who Wu Tianjun was.
“Huh? Tian Si, you….” Li Chongwen, who was standing beside Yu Tianjun, was a little stunned when he saw this. Yu Tianjun had actually put on an illusionary mask and changed his face without him noticing. That mask was probably not a simple magic treasure. Also, wasn't this guy too handsome? His jet-black hair was left loose, flying wildly in the wind, his face was flawlessly white, with sword-like brows and bright eyes. It was a face that even the beauties on the ship would probably envy. He finally understood what a legendary "pretty boy" looked like. In front of him was an authentic pretty boy.
“Ah! My elders at home said I should be a little mysterious when I go out, so I put on this mask…” Yu Tianjun smiled faintly and turned to look at Li Chongwen.
“Tsk! If I hadn’t met Brother Tian Si, I wouldn’t have known that someone in this era could achieve such perfection as you. If you were a woman, I’m afraid I would have fallen for you.” Li Chongwen sighed, not knowing if he was envious or angry about why he didn't have such a handsome face. “Four or five years ago, the Five Elements Saint King, Yu Tianyuan, was known as the most handsome man in the starry sky. I wonder how he compares to you?” He said with a hint of bitterness.
“Haha! Being handsome doesn’t mean anything. This world is ruled by the strong. If Yu Tianyuan wasn’t overbearing and powerful, people wouldn’t call him the most handsome man in the starry sky. I think there are many handsome men in the starry sky, it’s just that they aren’t powerful, so no one knows them. How can a small fry like me compare to him?” Yu Tianjun said with a laugh.
“You’re right! The rules of this world are grasped and operated by the strong. A pretty boy can’t do anything!” Suddenly, a cold voice came. He emphasized "pretty boy" very deeply, as if to allude to Yu Tianjun. Of course, it was that Senior Brother Wan.
Ever since Yu Tianjun took off his mask, everyone on the ship who saw him was greatly surprised. Men had eyes filled with envy, anger, and even gentle admiration. As for the women, there was only one reaction: their eyes lit up. They didn't know how or why, but they were certain that this was the most handsome man they had ever seen. He was tall and slender, a little thin, and his face wasn't angular, but it was perfectly proportioned, truly making women envious. Not to mention, he exuded a mysterious aura that made it impossible for the person opposite him not to look at him several times. Beauty always exists in the world, it's just a matter of whether one is lucky enough to encounter it.
“Hmph! A handsome face is still better than an ugly face!” A girl spoke up for Yu Tianjun. “I am Jiang Yunmeng, twenty-two years old. May I ask who you are? We can look out for each other in the future.” This girl was one of the two most beautiful among the women. As she spoke, she extended her hand towards Yu Tianjun. It seemed she was a bold woman.
“Ah! Sister Jiang! My name is Tian Si, twenty years old…” Yu Tianjun, his nerves taut, also extended his hand to shake Jiang Yunmeng’s hand. He hadn’t had much contact with women. Besides Meng Li and Chen Xiaoling, who used to hug him often, once he grew a little older, he didn’t let them be so casual. Oh, and there was also a Jiang Yu… Is this Jiang Yunmeng not a member of the Jiang family? Like Jiang Yu, who is crazy about men, he naturally didn’t know why Jiang Yu liked to hug him. She must have some ulterior motive!
“Ah! A member of the Jiang family?” He blurted out.
"...". Yu Tianjun seemed oblivious to their astonishment. A twenty-year-old in the Heaven Core Realm was already a rare genius. The geniuses from the Martial God Academy here, all over twenty, were still only in the Earth Core Realm, some even having just recently broken through. Any one of them, if they were to go out and gain experience, might stumble upon a cultivation method that would make them significantly stronger than these academy students. Such was the caliber of a stellar prodigy.
"Tw-Twenty years old?" Jiang Yunmeng stammered, ignoring Yu Tianjun's question. Even a prodigy from her Jiang family, a super-power among the Twelve Peak forces of the Human Race, would only reach that level at twenty. But her family's prodigies were the result of countless years of accumulated heritage. Could Tian Ci be from some hidden family, out gaining experience? Yes, the more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. The Jiang family had connections with several hidden families, but she didn't know of any "Tian" family.
"Huh! Probably twenty. I don't know if it's exactly twenty or a few days short. You'd have to ask my father." Yu Tianjun said, puzzled. He even spread out his hand to count and add, genuinely unsure of the exact number.
Because it was generally difficult for cultivators to determine age without a detection device, and many old monsters preferred to maintain their youthful appearance, seeking ways to preserve their looks was not uncommon. Therefore, no one here could be certain that Yu Tianjun was telling the truth.
"Haha! Do you think you're some super genius? A pretty boy like you is still far from reaching that level." Senior Brother Wan suddenly burst into cold, mocking laughter. He simply didn't believe Yu Tianjun's words.
"Oh? Why can't I be like that? If someone else can, then naturally, I can too. If you don't believe what others say, it's because your mentality is weak and you can't handle setbacks. That's why you deny it!" Yu Tianjun glanced at him and said indifferently. "How can your Dao Heart be stable then? How can you cultivate?" Yu Tianjun didn't even look at him, turning his back to gaze at the Demonic Sea. A mere frog in a well wasn't even worthy of his direct gaze.
"You..." Senior Brother Wan stared at Yu Tianjun, at a loss for how to retort. As for the others, they looked at Yu Tianjun with strange expressions. Was he saying that to provoke Senior Brother Wan?
"Do you know Yu Tianyang from four or five years ago?" Yu Tianjun looked at the Demonic Sea, as if talking to himself. "He reached the peak of the Earth Core Realm at fifteen. What is his cultivation now? You only look at the strength of others without wanting to strive yourselves. If your Dao Hearts aren't stable, how can you improve yourselves?" He still didn't look at any of the people on the boat. He was speaking mainly for Li Chongwen to hear. "Yu Tianri, at twenty-two years old, was at the first stage of the Divine Realm. Do you only know how to look up to him? Yu Tianyuan, haha, if you only ever compare your own strength to those weaker than you, how can you ever become stronger?"
"You... Who are you?" Jiang Yunmeng and Wu Qingqing both looked at Yu Tianjun in surprise. His words were astonishing, yet no one could refute them. A twenty-year-old in the Heaven Core Realm still constantly sought to be stronger, remaining unperturbed when facing those more powerful. He was right; their Dao Hearts were far inferior to his. They seemed to have accepted that members of the Yu family were inherently powerful, born with an absolute advantage over cultivators of the same generation.
"Me? I belong to no sect or faction, nor do I have a family. I'm just a rogue cultivator..." Yu Tianjun sighed, looking up at the sky. It wasn't that he couldn't rebuild the Yu family now, but the time wasn't right yet. He still had to avenge the annihilation of his clan; rebuilding the family afterward wouldn't be too late. He hadn't even found enough of his clansmen yet.
"A rogue cultivator?" The others were immediately stunned. How could he be a rogue cultivator? If a twenty-year-old rogue cultivator could reach the Heaven Pill Realm, then those backed by powerful forces might as well bash their heads in and die! This guy was definitely hiding his identity!
"Haha! If Brother Tian is indeed a rogue cultivator, then with your talent, you could participate in the entrance examination for my Martial God Academy six months from now." Li Chongwen suddenly laughed. After Yu Tianjun's words, no one present could ignore him. He was a mysterious young genius. Although his exact age wasn't known, he was still very young. Martial God Academy accepted students under thirty, so Yu Tianjun was certainly eligible to participate.
"That's right, Brother Tian! I also plan to take the Martial God Academy entrance exam in six months. Anyone under thirty with a cultivation of Human Pill Realm or above has a chance to enter Martial God Academy..." Another young man said. It seemed he had been invited, and his cultivation was at the mid-Earth Pill Realm, indicating he was also not simple.
They were trying to entice Yu Tianjun to join Martial God Academy. If they could befriend a terrifying genius like Yu Tianjun, life within the academy would be much more comfortable.
As for the others, their gazes also fell on Yu Tianjun. Apart from Senior Brother Wan's gloomy look, the rest showed a hint of anticipation. If Yu Tianjun entered Martial God Academy, they would be considered to have rendered service to the Academy, not to mention the possibility of befriending a genius. For them, it was all benefit and no harm.
"Join Martial God Academy?" Yu Tianjun curled his lips. He wasn't afraid of the Martial God Continent itself, so why would he go there?
"Huh! Do you know who's there? Qin Qingqing, the super beauty, one of the Ten Great Beauties..." Li Chongwen said, his eyes flashing.
"Qin Qingqing? Yu Tianjun's fiancée?" Yu Tianjun frowned and asked.
"Oh? You know about her too?" Li Chongwen was a little surprised. "A few years ago, many coveted her beauty and put a lot of pressure on her family. But ever since a member of the Yu family appeared, not many dared to anymore."
"Yu Tianjun is dead, so I heard there are still many who want to covet her. If Qin Qingqing breaks off the engagement, perhaps the Yu family wouldn't say anything, so many still haven't given up," the young man who invited Yu Tianjun to join Martial God Academy said.
"Ah! I also want to see the main wife of the Peerless Demonic Lord..." Yu Tianjun smirked. That girl had already gone to Martial God Academy, huh? After all, she was still his fiancée in name! He should go and see. If she didn't want it, he could annul the engagement and give her freedom. He hadn't wanted this marriage arrangement back then either. It all depended on her!
Author: Di Qing
Source: