Chapter 3: The Making of an Empress—Jiang Yueli
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“Hmm?” Li Daoran furrowed his brows at the words. Could this be one of those melodramatic plots straight out of a typical wish-fulfillment novel?
He had some recollection of this person. Li Tianyuan’s memory told him that the Shangqing Peak, which he led, had once been ranked mid-to-lower tier among the Thirty-Six Peaks, sharing a similar standing with Lingyun Sword Peak. Naturally, conflicts over peak rankings and resources were inevitable between them.
Every meeting between disciples of the two peaks inevitably involved verbal sparring.
Since that was the case, he had to be able to hold his own in this performance.
This was a prime opportunity to show off and deliver a comeback.
After all, they were both peak leaders — who was afraid of whom?
Approaching Han Fengchen, Li Tianyuan’s lips curled slightly. “Oh? Master Han, do you think Lingyun Sword Peak no longer deserves to remain among the Thirty-Six Peaks?”
“Hmph, of course not,” Han Fengchen retorted without hesitation. “Lingyun Sword Peak has ranked last in the grand competition for nine consecutive years, and there isn’t a single outstanding disciple left. With only one year left, do you really believe that the current half-withered state of Lingyun Sword Peak can possibly rise again?”
Li Tianyuan did not get angry. Instead, he smiled disdainfully, pointed a finger at Han Fengchen, and said slowly, “How about this, Master Han? Let’s make a bet.”
“A bet?”
Han Fengchen narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly.
“A bet that one year from now, if Lingyun Sword Peak wins the grand competition over Shangqing Peak, you win, and I will hand over the Lingyun Sword — the peak’s heirloom treasure — to you. If you lose, well, I’ll think about what to give you.”
“I’ve heard your Shangqing Peak has a ten-thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit Tree. I rather like that.”
Li Tianyuan spoke calmly.
Han Fengchen was momentarily stunned at Li Tianyuan’s words, then burst into laughter, having never expected such a proposal.
“Haha, in that case, prepare to hand over your heirloom treasure,” he said dismissively.
He didn’t even regard Li Tianyuan as a threat. How could a mere half-withered figure possibly stir up any waves for Lingyun Sword Peak?
Besides, he had long coveted the Lingyun Sword. Now that it was being offered, how could he refuse?
“Gentlemen, there’s no need for this,” Zhao Wu stepped forward as the tension thickened between the two. He gave Li Tianyuan a subtle glance. “Today is the day the Holy Land opens its doors to recruit disciples. We are all here to select them. There’s no need to cause unpleasantness.”
Although the various inheritances of the Thirty-Six Peaks often competed with each other, it was mostly over resources.
But now that the atmosphere had turned so hostile, it could affect the harmony and unity of the sect.
After all, the Holy Land valued rules above all. If things escalated, it would benefit no one.
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Of course, the main concern for Zhao Wu was that Li Tianyuan might suffer a loss and end up losing the heirloom treasure left by his old friend.
Given Lingyun Sword Peak’s current state, dreaming of defeating Shangqing Peak in the grand competition was sheer folly.
Li Tianyuan met Zhao Wu’s glance but ignored it, instead turning back to Han Fengchen with a calm voice: “It’s settled then. Don’t back out later, unwilling to part with your Vermilion Fruit Tree!”
“Rest assured, I always keep my word. As for you, don’t break yours!” Han Fengchen sneered, swept his sleeves, and left.
Before departing, he shot Li Tianyuan a sinister look. “Li Tianyuan, don’t blame me for not warning you. If Lingyun Sword Peak loses again in the grand competition one year from now, it won’t just be the Lingyun Sword you lose — your peak will be expelled from the Thirty-Six Peaks altogether.”
“Heh, that won’t trouble you,” Li Tianyuan replied with an indifferent smile.
“I hope by then you can still be as defiant as you are now.”
With that, Han Fengchen strode away.
“Ah, Master Li, you’re too impulsive. Shangqing Peak ranks twenty-fifth among the Thirty-Six Peaks and boasts many outstanding disciples. It won’t be easy to beat him,” Zhao Wu advised earnestly, worried that Li Tianyuan’s youthful passion might lead to a grave mistake.
Li Tianyuan paid no heed, his expression remaining relaxed.
“Heh, Master Zhao, no matter how much they ride me, I cannot back down.”
Sigh! Seeing his resolve, Zhao Wu shook his head in regret.
Their old friend had died too soon. This eldest disciple was still too young, too proud, too stubborn.
Yet, there was nothing he could do to intervene.
...
At this moment, at the foot of the mountain of Lingxiao Holy Land.
“Finally arrived. I wonder if this time I’ll have a chance!”
A girl just eighteen years old looked up at the towering gates of Lingxiao Holy Land, her eyes shining with deep longing and desire.
Yet her appearance was pitiful: her face smudged with dirt, her clothes tattered, like a beggar.
She had clearly endured countless hardships and long journeys to reach this place.
She brushed the dust off her clothes, her gaze resolute as a rock, and followed the crowd, stepping through the gates of Lingxiao Holy Land.
On the plaza, as the tests began, everyone’s aptitude shimmered like stars.
Some gifted individuals shone like the brightest stars in the night sky, eagerly snatched up by various peak leaders as true disciples.
Others, like scattered stars, entered ordinary discipleships or menial roles within the peaks, and those of poor aptitude streaked across the sky like meteors, quietly leaving Lingxiao Holy Land.
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“Master Li, how is it? None of these excellent candidates have caught your eye?”
Zhao Wu, standing beside Li Tianyuan, noticed his stoic expression atop the viewing platform and couldn’t help but ask curiously.
After more than a hundred thousand tests, Li Tianyuan had already taken two promising true disciples and dozens of ordinary disciples, yet he showed no sign of action.
“These candidates have good aptitude, but unfortunately, none are destined for Lingyun Sword Peak,” Li Tianyuan said slowly, his voice like a steady ancient bell, tinged with a hint of arrogance.
“Destined?”
Zhao Wu was even more puzzled by his inscrutable demeanor but seeing no intention to explain, he suppressed his questions and continued watching the assessment on the plaza.
This round of tests involved a large number, nearly seventy to eighty thousand.
Only about one percent had outstanding aptitude, and most were weeded out like rice stalks bent by the wind.
Suddenly, before the testing stone pillar, a figure appeared — like a beacon in the darkness, capturing Li Tianyuan’s attention.
It was a girl, frail and slight, seemingly vulnerable enough to be blown away by a breeze.
Yet in Li Tianyuan’s eyes, her presence radiated dazzling golden light.
Hmm?
At that moment, Li Tianyuan’s previously indifferent gaze instantly brightened.
[Name: Jiang Yueli]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining, Stage Three]
[Aptitude: SSS]
[Comprehension: Unparalleled in Ten Thousand Ages]
[Talent: Strengthens when facing stronger opponents]
[Fate: Supreme Fortune (Stolen)]
[Physique: Exquisite Supreme Heart (Excavated)]
[Destiny: Empress Potential, Nirvana Rebirth, Peerless Elegance]
[Summary: A once-in-ten-thousand-year immortal prodigy, currently in a state of darkened destiny and lost fortune. If she can defy fate, she will ascend to the pinnacle of the world, unmatched and unrivaled!]