Chapter Forty-Two: Departure for the Celestial Abyss Secret Realm

After a period of relentless torment, Tianming finally forced Wang Sheng to hand over ten thousand spirit stones as he wished. Due to the sheer quantity, Wang Sheng had no choice but to surrender his storage ring along with them, a gesture that made his heart ache.

When Wang Sheng produced the storage ring, Chu Qingchen, standing nearby, immediately brightened and drew a sharp breath. Even as an inner disciple, he didn’t own such a ring, for storage rings involved the laws of space and were not something an ordinary person could afford. For Wang Sheng to give such a precious item to Tianming clearly showed how highly he valued him.

Tianming glanced at the black ring in his hand and, without so much as a pause, transferred all the spirit stones inside to his dimensional space. Wang Sheng had already erased his spiritual imprint, otherwise it would have been impossible to open it.

“Here you go, uncle. You said you wanted only the spirit stones, so spirit stones it is. I am a man of my word!” Tianming nodded and spoke with a smile.

Although Tianming didn’t know how rare storage rings were, with his own dimensional space, he had no need for one. Moreover, he had won by cheating; how could he be so shameless as to take more?

“...Are you serious?” Wang Sheng’s lips twitched as he looked at the storage ring in his hand. He’d begged so shamelessly before, and now he refused so readily—was this not a slap in the face?

He simply didn’t believe Tianming could put away so many spirit stones, and in such a short time, right under his nose.

“Heh, uncle, see for yourself!” Tianming said slyly, as if he knew exactly what Wang Sheng was thinking. He had no intention of bluffing, though he didn’t explain directly—his dimensional space was far too extraordinary to reveal.

Meanwhile, Chu Qingchen was puzzled as to why Tianming didn’t want Wang Sheng’s storage ring, when he suddenly noticed that Wang Sheng was petrified with shock, standing like half a log, his hand trembling as he held the ring, as if frightened by something.

“It seems I underestimated you, Tianming!” Wang Sheng glared at Tianming fiercely, gritting his teeth and clutching the ring with a smile. Even he hadn’t seen how Tianming had put away all those spirit stones. Fortunately, there weren’t many people around, or he’d have been utterly embarrassed.

At the thought, Wang Sheng felt a rush of relief.

“Keep a low profile,” Tianming said calmly, unaffected by Wang Sheng’s reaction, still as serene as ever.

“You’re getting cocky just because I paid you a compliment!” Wang Sheng didn’t press further; everyone had their own secrets, and being curious about everything was not his way.

“Well, since this kid doesn’t want it, I’ll give it to you!” Turning around, Wang Sheng spoke helplessly to Chu Qingchen behind him. He couldn’t take back something he’d already handed out, so he might as well do a favor.

“To even meet you is honor enough. How could I accept such a great gift?” Chu Qingchen hesitated, then clasped his hands in respect. He knew the value of a storage ring, and didn’t dare make a sound for fear of offending this elder.

“What, do you look down on me?” Wang Sheng’s face turned stern.

It was one thing for Tianming to refuse, but now both of them didn’t want it! Wang Sheng’s initial intention to be polite evaporated, and he resolved firmly to give it away. For him, it was just a trinket—he had bigger and better storage treasures.

“I wouldn’t dare!” Chu Qingchen replied, his face suddenly awkward under the overwhelming pressure of Wang Sheng’s presence, caught in a dilemma.

“Take it, Brother Chu. No need for formality; we’re all on the same side. As the saying goes, never refuse a free gift!” Tianming interrupted just as Chu Qingchen was about to protest.

“Thank you, Senior Wang Sheng.” Chu Qingchen nodded gratefully to Tianming and clasped his hands again. He didn’t push it further; at this point, refusing would no longer be polite, but disrespectful.

Seeing this, Wang Sheng didn’t hesitate and slapped the ring into Chu Qingchen’s palm.

“No need to thank me; thank Tianming. If not for him, I’d have wanted to give you a beating!” Wang Sheng said, a little gruffly after a moment’s pause.

Usually, others gave him gifts; today he’d fallen to this state. Wang Sheng glared fiercely at Tianming, who was looking at him leisurely, and felt his anger rising.

“Haha... Brother Chu, don’t listen to him. He’d never do such a thing. Uncle Wang Sheng is much too kind to hit anyone!” Tianming laughed, shaking his head.

He understood Wang Sheng’s meaning, but didn’t want Chu Qingchen to feel indebted to him.

Chu Qingchen...

He said no more, silently nodding his thanks to Tianming.

Wang Sheng smiled knowingly at the scene.

Ahem.

“Well, I have much to do and won’t be joining you. Take care—if you can’t manage, send word back immediately, understood?” Wang Sheng coughed and spoke suddenly.

As soon as he finished, Tianming nodded in understanding, though he didn’t know what business Wang Sheng had; he knew that the road ahead was his own to walk.

Chu Qingchen, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. With this elder present, he hadn’t dared speak freely; now, at last, he was liberated.

“All right, uncle, watch me climb to the very top!” Tianming thumped his chest.

But Wang Sheng snorted.

“Hah, talk big, kid. Even I couldn’t manage it, and you think you can?” Wang Sheng mocked incredulously.

He recalled that back in his day, he’d only reached the fourth floor, already at the Void Spirit stage. He glanced at Tianming, then laughed and shook his head again.

It was impossible!

Tianming...

He fell silent, knowing that words were empty now. Only facts could break the disbelief; perhaps he hadn’t done it yet, but at least he had the courage to try.

“All right, I’ll wait and see.” Wang Sheng nodded to Tianming, casting him a surprised look.

He admired Tianming’s determination; after all he’d been through, how could Wang Sheng fail to understand?

He looked at Tianming and Chu Qingchen once more, then refrained from dampening Tianming’s spirit, and turned to leave...

“Brother Tianming, shall we set out?” Watching Wang Sheng’s tall figure retreat, Chu Qingchen secretly breathed out and turned to Tianming.

Tianming nodded.

The two then walked in the opposite direction from Wang Sheng. Along the way, Chu Qingchen seemed to return to his earlier self, leaving Tianming a little bewildered.