Chapter 258: Rankings Soar, Has the Tianshi Sect Also Taken a Liking to Zhao Xing?

"Young Liu, someone is investigating your disciple." On the Biyou warship, inside a fragrant and quiet cabin, Princess Youruo walked over to Liu Tianning's side.

"Investigating my disciple?" Liu Tianning frowned. "Who is investigating?"

Princess Youruo handed over a letter: "It is Meng Kun and Gu Changqing from the Kunyuan Academy. They are the ones the imperial court sent to set up the arena."

Liu Tianning opened the letter: "What do they want?"

Princess Youruo smiled: "They've taken a liking to him. Meng Kun and Gu Changqing want to transfer Zhao Xing away. Since they don't hold office in Haizhou, they can only transfer him through the Kunyuan Academy."

If they are not in the same province, it is very difficult to manage the transfer of officials within that province.

Only the seventy-two Dao Academies have branches across the nineteen provinces; using the academy channel for transfers is much more convenient.

"They are in Daoyuanzhou, yet they have taken a liking to my disciple?" Liu Tianning's frown relaxed. As long as they didn't intend to harm Zhao Xing, there was no problem.

"Meng Kun sent someone to find me," Princess Youruo said. "He said Zhao Xing, while in the First Heaven, comprehended the Yuan-Draining Earth Palace they arranged, broke through the perfection of high-level techniques, and mentioned that raising horses at the Dragon-Horse Stable is a waste of talent..."

Princess Youruo rested her chin on Liu Tianning's shoulder: "In short, they think Zhao Xing is a genius of the Dili Sect and want to take him from me."

"Don't they know Zhao Xing is my student?"

"They know~" Princess Youruo wrapped her arms around Liu Tianning's waist and whispered in his ear, "But they don't care. They just feel Zhao Xing is a seedling of the Dili Sect, and they even pleaded with me, hmm~"

Liu Tianning frowned, not because Meng Kun and Gu Changqing had taken a liking to his student, but because Princess Youruo was licking his ear and her hands were starting to get improper.

"I don't care how they think," Liu Tianning turned around and placed the letter on the table. "But force cannot be used; Zhao Xing must want the transfer himself."

Princess Youruo followed like a shadow, flicked her dancing sleeves, and sat beside Liu Tianning again: "You are quite open-minded. Don't you fear Little Chen An will be bewitched into joining the Dili Sect and never cultivate your Ten Thousand Techniques Straw Man again?"

"He won't."

"Your confidence in him is quite great." Princess Youruo held the letter with her slender jade fingers: "This letter says that if Zhao Xing goes, he will immediately become a Dharma-Preaching Mage at the Genchuan Branch, become a Doctor of Scripture Management within five years, and within twenty years, it is guaranteed he can become a Vice Dean."

Liu Tianning smiled lightly: "Shared ideals and goals; this is the first unshakable relationship in the world, far more reliable than promising high office and great wealth."

"Whether he goes or not, he will absolutely not abandon the cultivation of the Ten Thousand Techniques Straw Man."

The Ten Thousand Techniques evolve to the ultimate, pursuing the extreme of the Dao; it is a threshold others cannot even enter, yet Zhao Xing has already started walking up it. How could he possibly give up?

Just look at Pang Xianyun, who was defeated by him two years ago; even if this Third Rank official switched to the Benwo Sect and studied again, he might not achieve anything great.

As for which sect Zhao Xing actually belongs to?

Liu Tianning didn't care, because he fundamentally had no factional thinking.

On the contrary, he hated academic cliques and factional strife the most.

It was just that what he did back then could not be remedied, and the relationship could not be repaired; otherwise, Liu Tianning would have wanted to unify the three sects.

"Then I will do as you say?" Princess Youruo asked. "You really don't care at all?"

"Do I need to care?" Liu Tianning smiled. "For a disciple to be taken a liking to is a good thing."

"However, I do not allow others to interfere with his Dao, unless he wants to go himself."

"Alright, alright, I understand." Princess Youruo nestled in Liu Tianning's arms, constantly rubbing against him. "I will send someone to explain it clearly to them in a moment."

On the Genchuan Fubo ship.

Meng Kun waited for the news. Looking at the letter brought by his subordinate official, he frowned.

"My Lord Meng, did the Princess refuse?" Seeing Meng Kun's expression, Gu Changqing felt this matter would be difficult to handle.

"She didn't exactly refuse." Meng Kun handed the letter to Gu Changqing. "It's just that she doesn't allow us to use connections to operate; we must first seek Zhao Xing's own opinion."

"That is quite novel." After reading the letter, Gu Changqing also showed an interested expression. "Princess Youruo values him so highly."

Liu Tianning was not even an obstacle; after all, Liu Tianning currently only held a Fourth Rank official position. Even if he had the strength to defeat a Third Rank official, his official rank was still lower than his and Meng Kun's.

Furthermore, Liu was a junior. In terms of connections, the power of the Benwo Sect was not as vast as the Dili Sect.

If they wanted to transfer him, as long as Princess Youruo allowed it, it would be a matter of a single sentence.

"It seems the rumors are true; Liu Tianning and the Princess have a very close relationship."

"You and I should not speculate on such matters rashly," Meng Kun said. "Since the Princess holds this attitude, let us find Zhao Xing to talk after this competition ends."

Meng Kun did not care about gossip; he no longer had any interest in that area and was solely focused on promoting the Dili Sect.

His greatest wish was to see the Dili Sect become more prosperous than the Tianshi Sect within his lifetime.

Meng Kun was also a staunch war faction member!

As the Minister of Agriculture for the Dili Sect, of course, he hoped for more land; if he could plant fields across the Four Seas and Eight Wildernesses, and have seen all the earth veins and soils under heaven, he would die without regrets.

"After the competition ends, I will go to talk personally," Gu Changqing said.

"Good, then I will trouble you, Changqing," Meng Kun said.

Old Master Zhao did not know that merely comprehending the Yuan-Draining Earth Palace had caused the big shots of the Dili Sect to take a liking to him.

At this moment, he was still hiding in the area around Crescent Moon Mountain.

Food supplies were completely sufficient for him, especially after comprehending the eleventh turn of the Boundless Earth Palace; the influence of the Yuan-Draining Earth Palace had become very small.

Whether it was him, the Mountain Cat, the Cang Ni, or the Spirit Illusion Goat, within the scope of the Boundless Earth Palace, they no longer needed to eat every day.

Of course, if they changed locations or engaged in mobile warfare, they would still be affected.

But comprehending the eleventh turn was already much better than the state when they first entered.

Another fifteen days passed, marking the fiftieth day since entering the Grand Arena.

Zhao Xing had a breakthrough again. The Boundless Earth Palace technique, based on the eleventh turn 'Starlight Boundless', broke through once more, comprehending the twelfth turn 'Boundless Vortex'.

After comprehending it, Zhao Xing floated to the surface.

His steps shifted slightly; waves of light emerged beneath his feet, and then the surrounding land seemed to turn into flowing water, generating ripples.

A shadow spread from beneath his feet, quickly covering an area of over six hundred square meters around him.

"Shhh~" The earth suddenly trembled; earth veins seemed to begin rotating like flowing water.

All the sand and gravel seemed to be resonating.

"Wang Wang!"

The Cang Ni Dog swiftly bit the neck of the Spirit Illusion Goat, carrying it in its mouth and flying out of the shadow.

The Mountain Cat hugged a supply box and began to walk upright.

For if they did not leave now, even these supplies would be shattered by the tremors!

Everything around them was turning into desert.

Originally, this place was barren earth with stones present, but now, everything was unknowingly desertifying and rotating around Zhao Xing as the center.

The vortex would sometimes contract and sometimes expand, and wherever it went, everything turned to powder!

Zhao Xing opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Starlight Boundless is to counteract the effect of the Yuan-Siphoning Earth Palace."

"The Boundless Vortex, however, is completely different."

"It retains the constriction power of the Boundless Earth Palace, yet simultaneously possesses immense offensive power; combined with the Pure Origin Soil, everything within the spell's range is crushed."

"It seems the range has shrunk, covering only over six hundred square meters, but within this range, the distance above and below is ignored."

Zhao Xing looked up at the sky, then waved his hand; a hundred-jin stone block not far away was thrown by him toward a hundred meters high.

Three hundred meters, five hundred meters, eight hundred meters, one thousand meters, two thousand meters...

This stone was continuously lifted by the Gao Wind until it hovered at three thousand meters.

Afterwards, Zhao Xing withdrew the Gao Wind.

The stone block began to fall.

It fell merely twenty meters.

Zhao Xing shifted his thought, pointing toward the stone: "Shatter!"

"Voom~"

The shadow vortex beneath his feet immediately expanded.

The massive stone at an altitude of two thousand nine hundred eighty meters instantly crumbled into powder in response.

Zhao Xing tested it many more times, even taking out a fifth-rank suit of armor and throwing it into the air.

The fifth-rank armor came from a supply box; supply points provided not only food but also equipment.

Yet at an altitude of three thousand meters, the fifth-rank armor still shattered into powder!

"At an altitude of three thousand meters, the effect remains constant; it only begins to weaken after exceeding four thousand meters," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

The two variations of the Earth Palace he had comprehended had completely surpassed the scope of a Perfect High-Grade Spell; especially this Boundless Vortex, which had already approached one-third of the power of a First-Cycle Top-Tier Spell.

Power was secondary; the main point was the spell's range and the fact that its effect remained constant below four thousand meters, a trait ordinary High-Grade Spells did not possess.

In a normal Boundless Earth Palace, the constriction power and its effect diminish the higher one goes.

However, the Boundless Vortex maintains constant power, just like the ultimate truth of heaven and earth.

If High-Grade Spells borrow the momentum of heaven and earth and utilize the rules of the world, Top-Tier Spells have already begun to violate the rules of heaven and earth and cannot be judged by common sense.

A Top-Tier Fire Spell can even burn underwater!

"Withdraw!"

After finishing the test, Zhao Xing retracted the Pure Origin Projection.

"This technique of mine still relies on some trickery, utilizing the Hou Tu Sand and Gravel within the Pure Origin Soil; if I continue to comprehend the 'Hou Tu Return to Origin' from the Three Great Secret Canons in the future, this power might rise even further."

"However, there is still a layer of separation; one must first cast the Pure Origin Projection, so it is ultimately not as good as a true Top-Tier Spell."

"Wang Wang!"

After Zhao Xing retracted the Pure Origin Projection, Xiao Tian ran over, signaling that the poison mist was approaching from behind.

It would take at most another hour to reach here.

"It's already the fiftieth day," Zhao Xing said, looking at the Earth Mirror.

【Name: Zhao Xing】

【Stage: Grand Arena (Fiftieth Day)】

【Points: 689,500】

【Rank: 9,421】

"Just hiding and doing nothing, and I've already entered the top ten thousand."

Zhao Xing smiled faintly.

Since survival points were ten thousand per day, he alone had five hundred thousand survival points, plus the over one hundred thousand points gained from eliminating others previously, and the points that were evenly distributed to him from those who starved to death.

By just hiding, he had entered the top ten thousand.

"Only ten days remain; it is time to actively eliminate others."

"Ao Tian, Xiao Tian, Huan Tian, you should also stretch your muscles and bones."

These three battle beasts had entered fifty days ago but had fought only two battles; the rest of the time they had spent eating, drinking, sleeping, and resting.

Even the Mountain Cat had gotten fat!

"Let's go!"

Zhao Xing activated his full power and flew toward the central area with the three battle beasts.

He made no attempt to conceal his movements, flying directly in the sky.

Soon, when he entered the 'Dragon City Ruins' in the central zone, sixteen figures immediately burst out from a collapsed building.

"Eh? On the fiftieth day, there are still such weak Fifth-Rank Beast Tamers alive?"

"Hmph, truly seeking death, daring to fly in the sky?"

"General Ming Yan, bring them down for me!"

Sixteen figures appeared, yet only five were human; the remaining eleven were all battle beasts.

Hearing their masters' command, these battle beasts emerged from the ruins and immediately launched an attack on Zhao Xing.

"Four people, heavy killing intent; they must fight often. Their points are likely far higher than mine," Zhao Xing sneered.

"Attack!" The four cast spells in unison; a fifth-rank cultivator who looked as weak as Zhao Xing was the perfect target to harvest points.

The final ten days were precisely the time to harvest points.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two wolf-shaped battle beasts, treading on empty air, transformed into a streak of golden light and charged at Zhao Xing.

From the other two ruins, two beams of light, one red and one purple, shot forth, heading straight for the Mountain Cat, the Cang Ni, and the Spirit Illusion Goat.

Eliminating the Beast Tamer himself and killing all of his battle beasts yielded the same effect.

"Swish~"

Zhao Xing shifted his body aside to dodge, casually evading the pounce of the two wolf-shaped battle beasts.

With a perfected High-Grade Wind Art, Zhao Xing's speed and agility made dodging attacks extremely easy.

"Zzzzt~" The Mountain Cat swiped its claws, splitting the Lei Ting beam of light, while the Cang Ni directly withstood the bombardment of the Fire-Attribute spell.

By the time it emerged from the crimson beam of light, it had already reached its second form, its entire body wreathed in red flames, its size doubled.

"Divine Beast bloodline?"

"Only a Divine Beast bloodline can easily achieve the transformation of the Pure Origin's second form."

"Cang Ni Dog, the bloodline of the ancient Divine Beast Suanni?" The four's faces all changed. "Truly exaggerated; a fourth-rank early-stage Bloodthirsty Fire Eagle activates its innate secret technique, yet it takes it head-on?"

However, they soon witnessed something even more exaggerated.

After swatting away the Lei Ting, the Mountain Cat swiftly charged down into the ruins.

"Whoosh~"

Fast, fast to the extreme; not even a shadow could be seen. It seemed to flicker, instantly landing beneath the massive leaning tower ruin.

"What, this cat also..."

The two middle-aged men below the ruins instantly turned pale with shock and attempted to flee.

"Crack~"

The Mountain Cat swiped with both claws; two claw marks streaked across, infused with the power of Lei Ting. The Thunder-Cleaving Claw instantly sent these two Beast Tamers out of the Cang Hai Grotto-Heaven.

"Not someone to mess with, run!"

People from the other two directions, along with their battle beasts, fled in a frenzy.

"Run? Leave your points behind!"

Zhao Xing pointed a finger, and a gust of chilling wind suddenly rose from the ground beneath the two fleeing men.

This suddenly generated Yin Wind immediately caused the bodies of these two Beast Tamers to stiffen.

"Thud~" After they fell to the ground, a flash of blue light illuminated.

"The Yin Wind is still useful," Zhao Xing smiled faintly. The Fiend of Yin Wind, perfected at the High-Grade level, possessed a very potent effect against Life Souls.

Since they could not cultivate Life Souls, many late-fourth-rank Beast Tamers here still had Life Souls that remained at the fifth rank.

Nor were they allowed to carry equipment, so facing the Yin Wind, they had absolutely no defense, unless they also knew similar spells capable of blocking it.

"Once blown by the Yin Wind, one cannot even issue orders; thinking becomes sluggish. Even attempting fusion is impossible... uh, there is still one not eliminated?"

Zhao Xing realized he had been proven wrong.

Just now, blue light had indeed flashed, but among the two who had fallen, one was struggling to crawl back up.

The battle beast beside him had vanished; instead, two horns had grown from the top of this man's head, and his entire body was wrapped in a thick layer of leathery hide, like armor.

"Pure Origin Fusion, a powerful Life Soul Ling Xi Chong?"

Zhao Xing looked at this man.

The young man stared at by Zhao Xing trembled all over. While the Ling Xi Chong indeed possessed a powerful Life Soul, after fusing, he was still severely injured by the Fiend of Yin Wind.

Seeing Zhao Xing's battle beasts eliminate the others so decisively, he was utterly shocked: "The dog possesses the bloodline of the ancient Divine Beast Suanni, that cat is even more extraordinary, and a Spirit Illusion Goat actually possesses a Divine Beast bloodline as well."

"And this person himself actually knows such powerful High-Grade Yin Wind spells?"

"It's over; we've met a hard nut. This person is playing the pig to eat the tiger... what do we do?"

In a flash of lightning, he spoke rapidly: "Brother, I underestimated my own strength."

"However, I only have survival points; if you eliminate me, you won't gain much."

"If you spare me, I will tell you who has the most points!"

Zhao Xing said indifferently, "Do I need you to tell me? Just look at the leaderboard, and it is clear at a glance."

"It's different. The leaderboard only has names; you might not know who is who, nor where they are." The fused young man silently recovered his vitality and stabilized his Life Soul.

"I, however, can tell you where the experts are. For instance, the Beast Tamer 'Yaduo' from the Ten Thousand Beasts Island; he already has 2.25 million points!"

"He has been active in the eastern district of the Dragon City Ruins, occupying a favorable position."

Due to the shrinking circle of poisonous mist, some had predicted the central area in advance and used supply equipment or materials to set up arrays, thereby naturally having a better chance of survival.

"Besides Yaduo, in the southwest of the Dragon City Ruins, there is also..."

"Speak," Zhao Xing said. "Why stop talking?"

"You must promise to spare me," the young man said. "Then I will tell you everything I know... uh!"

Halfway through speaking, he felt his heart lurch, his eyes bulged, scales suddenly grew on his body, the fusion was dispelled, and then he was entirely engulfed by blue light.

"So much fuss," Zhao Xing withdrew his hand.

He possessed the perfected Heaven Eye Art and could use the Five Fingers of Destiny to deduce his own fortune; he had absolutely no need for others to tell him who was strong and who was weak.

"Hmph, as expected, he was lying," Zhao Xing glanced at the Ground Mirror.

The latest notification displayed on it showed that he had eliminated a contestant and gained 350,000 points!

In other words, this person just lied!

"Playing tricks in front of me, the master." Zhao Xing pocketed the Yuan Crystal the other had dropped.

【Name: Zhao Xing】

【Stage: Grand Arena (Day 50)】

【Points: 1.07 million】

【Rank: 7264】

"The rank instantly jumped by over two thousand places."

"It's still easier to farm points now." Zhao Xing licked his lips. "Let's go, continue fishing!"

Zhao Xing, accompanied by three battle beasts, constantly roamed the outskirts of the 【Dragon City Ruins】.

He was Fifth Rank, and his battle beasts were also Fifth Rank; they looked like easy targets.

However, as soon as someone truly attacked, they were swiftly dealt with by Zhao Xing.

Constantly fishing, constantly counter-killing.

In just five short days, Zhao Xing had eliminated over a hundred people!

His points were also climbing rapidly.

…………

Outside the Canghai Grotto-Heaven.

On the Wind-Rest Cloud Ship.

"Ho, Old Heng, look, Zhao Xing's rank is rising so fast." Geng Shouchang handed the Earth Mirror to Heng Yuan, "In five days, he has already fought his way into the top three thousand."

"Before entering the Dragon City Ruins, he was still around the ten thousand mark."

"This Zhao Xing is indeed a talent," Heng Yuan smiled. "His combat experience is very rich; he handles complex battle environments with great expertise."

"Yes, I've been watching him these past few days." Geng Shouchang pointed at the Earth Mirror, "Look at the fight from yesterday; this kid discovered a formidable opponent named 'Jiang Huo'."

"First, he used the Heavenly Eye Method to observe; upon discovering the opponent's battle beasts feared cold, he immediately cast the Start of Winter Solar Term, then employed a High-Grade Ice-Sealing Technique, forcing Jiang Huo, this Fire-Attribute Beast Tamer, to flee the arena he had set up."

"Not bad." Heng Yuan nodded. "This was the only time he merged in five days. After merging, he defeated Jiang Huo and his three Fire-Attribute battle beasts using only the Hou Hou Bian Method. Judging by the result, his combat power clearly exceeded the opponent's."

"However, he remained cautious; after pure Yuan merging with Cang Ni, he enhanced his defense, speed, and spell power."

Geng Shouchang nodded: "The Ice-Sealing Technique and the Great Cold Solar Term weakened the enemy's battle beasts, while the Yin Wind Evil Spirit disrupted Jiang Huo's Life Soul, preventing him from unleashing his full strength."

"Jiang Huo rushed out, yet saw no one, because he was hiding within the Mist-Hiding Technique."

"Jiang Huo didn't even know which way to flee."

"Finally, he used the Hou Hou Bian Method to literally wear Jiang Huo to death."

"Jiang Huo was a Mid-Fourth Rank Beast Tamer; his points had already entered the top thousand, yet he still lost to this kid."

"He lost without complaint." Heng Yuan smiled. "He wasn't facing a Beast Tamer at all, but a Tian Nong genius proficient in numerous High-Grade Heavenly Time Techniques!"

"Every Heavenly Time Technique reached High-Grade Perfection; he never imagined the battle scene would be like this."

Jiang Huo usually trained by picking opponents who were primarily Beast Tamers.

Who the hell would count a Tian Nong as a hypothetical enemy?

They simply didn't belong in the same category!

Yet he ran into Zhao Xing, such an oddity, crossing over to play with Beast Taming.

Causing Jiang Huo, who clearly had the strength to survive until the end, to capsize in a gutter.

"Truly a student of Liu Tianning," Heng Yuan praised.

"What does this have to do with Liu Tianning?" Geng Shouchang asked. "Zhao Xing didn't even cast the Ten Thousand Dharma Avatars; he purely used our Heavenly Time Sect's techniques. He is a solid Heavenly Time Sect genius!"

"Old Geng, what do you mean?" Heng Yuan, being sharp, immediately caught the meaning in Geng Shouchang's words.

"You don't know?"

"What should I know?"

Geng Shouchang looked around; seeing Sima Yunhai was not here, he immediately lowered his voice.

"Meng Kun and Gu Changqing, those two guys, were preparing a few days ago to dig into Liu Tianning's corner."

"What? Is that true?" Heng Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "Do those two not want their lives? Aren't they afraid Liu Tianning will initiate a 【Great Dao Struggle】 against them?"

In the circle of High-Rank Tian Nong, Liu Tianning's fame was great, especially in recent years.

Shangluo Academy had confirmed Liu Tianning's candidate status and begun building momentum for him.

Putting aside this propaganda, Liu Tianning's own strength was also formidable.

The year before last, he beat Pang Xianyun until he became Pang Yuanzhen; among the Heavenly Time Sect Tian Nong of Daoyuanzhou, there was no one who did not know him, Liu Wanfa.

As a Third-Rank Tian Nong, Heng Yuan knew even more.

That battle was truly one where no one could find fault.

Liu Tianning let Pang Xianyun strike first, using every single spell. Liu Tianning's Seven Great Dharma Bodies, not one of them was knocked down.

Then Liu Tianning defeated Pang Xianyun with a single move.

"You probably don't know this kid Liu Tianning's temper," Heng Yuan said. "Back then, for his childhood sweetheart, he killed until heads rolled."

"A person's nature doesn't change; a hundred years ago, when Liu Tianning went mad, it was already hard to contain; it took Luo Hou Wang and several other Ruling Kings to step in and settle the matter."

"Now you want to snatch his disciple? Old Geng, I think this is a bad idea."

Geng Shouchang said: "Old Heng, that's not right. Recruiting talent, how can that be called snatching?"

"Besides, Liu Tianning himself hasn't said anything."

Heng Yuan asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"

Geng Shouchang smiled: "Liu Tianning put out the word that he does not allow anyone to interfere with Zhao Xing's promotion and transfer."

Heng Yuan nodded. "He is the Transport Commissioner of the Two Prefectures and the Military Realm Inspector; I also heard he concurrently holds a post in the Shangyu Office. His jurisdiction already covers most of Pinghaizhou; saying this indeed has backing and is reasonable."

Geng Shouchang said, "But he also said he would not sway the disciple's mind. That is to say, as long as Zhao Xing agrees, it is possible for Zhao Xing to come to our Profound Heaven Academy."

"Where does it matter where one serves as an official?"

Heng Yuan smiled, "Liu Tianning is indeed generous; then again, he has been so since his youth."

Geng Shouchang nodded, "Precisely so."

"Look at the Heavenly Timing Arts he has mastered; he has even drilled the Solar Term Tokens to the point of the Fixed Realm. He is simply meant to follow the path of the Heavenly Timing Sect!"

"Zhao Xing going to Shangluo Academy to pursue the Benwo Sect is a complete waste of his prime years."

"To endure until one is withered and old, and even then reach the First Rank Realm, what use is that?"

Geng Shouchang did not deny the combat power of the Benwo Sect, of course, mainly because Zhao Xing had already cultivated the Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Men.

If one cannot cultivate the Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Men, the Heavenly Timing Sect's combat power is far superior to that of the Benwo Sect.

Why say Zhao Xing is wasting his years?

Mainly because for the Benwo Sect to reach its peak, it consumes a great deal of time; not to mention those auxiliary Benwo Sect Farmers.

If one follows the combat path, those who become famous are mostly old men; only Liu Tianning is younger.

But how many such exceptions as Liu Tianning are there?

"In the same time, if Zhao Xing devoted his energy to the Way of Heavenly Timing, he could reach Third Rank, or even Second Rank, in less than a century. As for the Benwo Sect, by the time he is four or five hundred years old, he might still not succeed."

"Such a genius, sent to Shangluo Academy to suffer in vain, is truly a waste."

Heng Yuan chuckled, "You make sense; it is indeed a pity to waste such talent."

He knew Geng Shouchang's eagerness carried other factors, for Geng Shouchang was already very old and had at most a hundred good years left to live.

Furthermore, Geng Shouchang hailed from Tongyou Commandery, Dayuan Prefecture, in Haizhou, while Zhao Xing's hometown was in Nanyang Commandery, also of Dayuan Prefecture. The two commanderies bordered each other, making the two men fellow townsfolk.

"Your meaning is to go and recruit Zhao Xing?"

"Exactly." Geng Shouchang nodded, "His performance in the Way of Heavenly Timing, if he joins the Profound Heaven Academy, may well become a mainstay of the Heavenly Timing Sect in the future."

"I fear Brother Yunhai will..." Heng Yuan hesitated; in terms of seniority and status, Sima Yunhai was higher.

If he opposed it, it would truly be difficult to handle.

"I will find a way to persuade him."

On the fifty-eighth day of the Grand Arena, the poison mist had shrunk to the outskirts of the Dragon City Ruins.

"Roar!"

"Ahhh!"

"Screech—"

"Bang! Boom!"

At this moment, the Dragon City Ruins appeared extremely crowded.

Roars and the sounds of spells colliding were everywhere.

People were being eliminated almost every moment.

"The battle situation has become quite fierce; only now does it truly deserve the name Grand Arena. Without true skill, it is hard to pass this stage," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Blue lights representing elimination lit up everywhere.

He himself now dared not strike out again.

For in such fierce competition, a single slip would mean his own elimination.

"On the fiftieth day I began to act; five days later, I fought nearly a hundred matches before encountering an opponent worthy of my Pure Origin Fusion, Jiang Huo."

"But in the following three days, I fought a total of only twenty-three matches, yet I activated Pure Origin Fusion fifteen times. Only thus could I have a high certainty of not capsizing," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Pure Origin Fusion can increase speed, defense, evasion, stamina, and Life Soul.

Of course, fusing with different battle beasts yields different effects.

Fusing with the Spirit Illusion Goat increases Life Soul, enhancing resistance to illusion arts, and allows the use of the Spirit Illusion Goat's innate skills: Life Soul Reversal, Demon Eye Maze, and Five Elements Knowledge Barrier.

Fusing with the Green Maned Hound increases defense, endurance, and Fire Element spell resistance, enhancing the power of fire spells.

It also allows the use of the Green Maned Hound's innate secret techniques, such as Flame of Destruction and Suanni Power, and so on.

Fusion with the Wildcat increases defense, stamina, speed, endurance, strength, and primal energy; except for Life Soul, it enhances almost every aspect.

Because the Wildcat consumed too much Spirit Elegance, the amplification brought by fusion far surpasses that of the Green Maned Hound.

Of course, speed and evasion remain the most outstanding.

Especially when activating the Wildcat's innate secret technique 【Wind Thunder Evasion Method】 after fusion, among the Fourth Rank, his speed was a figure that looked down on all others.

Precisely for this reason, in the twenty-three matches Zhao Xing fought in these three days, he eliminated his opponents fifteen times; in the other eight, the opponents, knowing he was not to be trifled with, withdrew voluntarily.

Of course, this was also related to Zhao Xing being too strange.

On the surface he is a Beast Tamer, yet he is actually a Farmer, and a Farmer proficient in all three Sects.

At this moment, Zhao Xing occupies the Eastern City of the Dragon City Ruins, a dilapidated palace structure.

Above his head floats a dark red cloud, covering an area of five li in all directions.

Beneath the ground lies an endless underground palace, capable of switching at any moment from 'Starlight Endless' to 'Endless Vortex'.

Around him stand fifty Ten Thousand Dharma Straw Men avatars; some are visible, while others are hidden.

Floating in the sky are twenty-four Solar Term Tokens, ready to alter the environment at any moment, turning it into his home ground.

Surrounding the dilapidated palace exists a Formless Killing Intent Array.

This was set up by Adelo, and Adelo was defeated by Zhao Xing last night.

"To this day, the only trump card I have not yet deployed is the Plant Soldiers; however, there is no need to activate the Plant Soldiers anymore," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He now holds the initiative and is defending a position; unless everyone comes to attack him, it will never reach the stage of deploying the 'Grass and Trees as Soldiers' tactic.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

Suddenly, three streaks of light flew over from a distance.

One of the streaks was black, chasing two others—one red and one purple.

They quickly entered Zhao Xing's territory.

A chase; this clearly meant the battle had spilled into his domain.

Zhao Xing was about to strike and intercept, his hand already raised, but then he paused.

"Hmm? Isn't that Wang Wang Zhaozhao and Lin Zi, the Fourth-Rank Beast Tamers under the Old Witch?"

"Are they being hunted down?"

"A Beast Soul Controller? The one chasing them is 'Fei She', ranked three hundred and ninety-four?"

Zhao Xing's gaze fell upon that single black streak of light.

On the surface, it appeared to be a person chasing, with no combat beasts following nearby; in reality, combat beasts were everywhere behind him, but his combat beasts were all soul forms!

Zhao Xing was not the only one who was obscure; Fei She was a rare Beast Soul Controller, somewhat akin to a fusion of a Beast Tamer and a Priest.

"Human life souls and true spirits are relatively pure, but beast life souls and true spirits are chaotic; to be able to command the souls of combat beasts, this person's strength is extraordinary," Zhao Xing thought inwardly.

Fei She was clearly someone who exploited a bug; he brought only one combat beast, yet possessed dozens of combat beast souls.

This was because he was not a proper Beast Tamer; his priestly aspect outweighed his identity as a Beast Tamer.

The spells he cast were all priestly spells!

Lin Zi and Wang Wang Zhaozhao each had a snake-shaped beast soul coiling around them, and their auras were growing increasingly weak.

The Old Witch's people still needed help; besides, Fei She might not be willing to let him go either.

So Zhao Xing acted.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

More than ten Myriad Arts Avatars materialized; Zhao Xing's true body also unleashed the Evil of the Yin Wind, precisely blowing away the great snake life soul attached behind Wang Wang Zhaozhao and Lin Zi.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~

Sensing the anomaly, Fei She immediately slowed down.

Meanwhile, Lin Zi and Wang Wang Zhaozhao descended.

"Zhao Xing?" Lin Zi could not believe it; it was the Fifth-Rank Zhao Xing who had saved them.

Wang Wang Zhaozhao had seen Zhao Xing's name on the leaderboard, for Zhao Xing was now ranked six hundred and seventy-five!

Furthermore, in the past few days, Zhao Xing had made a name for himself in the Dragon City Ruins; they simply could not connect that name with the face they now saw.

"Fei She!" Zhao Xing ignored the two women and stared coldly at a man before him wearing a green snake-head helmet. "Stop! Or do not blame me for being impolite!"

Fei She could rank in the three hundreds among so many people; his strength was unquestionable, a true powerhouse.

However, this was his territory; if Fei She dared to enter, he would still be made to have no return!

"Hmm?" Fei She stopped; through the snake-head helmet, his gaze emitted a dim light.

"The Farmer's Law... You are Zhao Xing; I know you." Fei She's voice was hoarse. "You defeated Adro; you are indeed a talent."

"However, I have been chasing these two for a while; since they have reached your territory, let us each take one elimination point."

"You throw one out, and I will leave."

Wang Wang Zhaozhao and Lin Zi's faces changed.

Zhao Xing's gaze turned cold as he stared at Fei She: "I told you to get lost; did you not understand?"

Throw one out? Setting aside the fact that these two were under the Old Witch, he would have to help out out of respect for her favor anyway.

Even if they were complete strangers, Zhao Xing could not show weakness at this moment.

If he threw one out, Fei She would demand a second, or even eliminate him as well.

"Zhao Xing, you are too arrogant; do not think that because you have gained some fame in the past few days, you can take yourself seriously!"

"You can try stepping one foot in! See if you die or I die."

Zhao Xing's Myriad Arts Avatars raised their hands in unison.

Seeing this, Fei She fell silent as well.

To rush into Zhao Xing's territory, he truly had no confidence in eliminating the opponent.

The Cloud Law, the Underground Palace Law, and the arrays left by Adro were secondary; the Myriad Arts Avatars were truly something to be feared.

He could not identify Zhao Xing's true body; at the very least, he could not completely rule it out.

Because there were nine Myriad Arts Avatars, their life soul strength felt exactly the same from a sensory perspective.

Zhao Xing, like him, was inherently strong; without being able to beat him to the brink of death and eliminate him, the fight would be meaningless.

"With this time, it would be better to find more weaklings to eliminate." After much deliberation, Fei She abandoned the idea of clashing directly with Zhao Xing.

Only two days remained; he still wanted to scoop up more points; entangling with Zhao Xing was a waste of time, not worth it.

"Hmph, I have remembered you; in the upcoming stages, I will be watching you!" Fei She snorted coldly, then transformed into a streak of light and flew away.

"Phew~" Wang Wang Zhaozhao and Lin Zi both breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the two immediately realized something.

Zhao Xing had only spoken two sentences, yet Fei She gave up the pursuit?

They had personally experienced Fei She's combat power; it was completely unmatched, and several of their combat beasts had even been killed by him.

What kind of fame had Zhao Xing actually made? To make Fei She so wary?

"Are you two alright?" Zhao Xing asked; at this moment, Lin Zi and Wang Wang Zhaozhao were both in a state of fusion with their combat beasts.

Lin Zi wore the Elephant King Armor, while Wang Wang Zhaozhao wore the Divine Tiger Armor.

But the armor was damaged and still bleeding.

Because this armor was actually formed from combat beasts, the armor's damage meant the combat beasts were injured.

"I suffered heavy impact," Lin Zi panted heavily; as soon as she finished speaking, she could no longer maintain the fusion.

The tall figure instantly shrank down, and beside him appeared a Flying Heaven Divine Elephant covered in scars.

As for Wang Zhaozhao, she was even worse off—she had simply fainted, and after a burst of light, a person and a purple tiger appeared in her place.

Zhao Xing walked over, took a look, and immediately said, "In that case, I'll send you off."

"???" Lin Zi was dumbfounded. She had thought Zhao Xing was asking if they were alright because he wanted to treat their injuries—she never expected him to mean this.

Big brother, aren't you going to rescue us at all?

"Marquis Yuanrang, I think…"

Before Lin Zi could finish speaking, she saw Zhao Xing point a finger, and she was instantly electrocuted until her hair stood on end; then she and Wang Zhaozhao were enveloped in blue light.

In the instant before being expelled from the grotto-heaven, Lin Zi had only one thought in her mind: So painful… damn, what kind of person is he!