Chapter 88: Return to Lingxu

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In the deep hours before dawn, within a room on the third floor of the Celestial Pavilion, a tall figure sat cross-legged atop a sumptuous bed. He wore a white robe adorned with the symbols of the Eight Trigrams; now and then a gentle breeze drifted in through the window. Yet the figure remained utterly still, eyes closed, as if his entire being had long since transcended to another world.

Clang, clang, clang!

The familiar interface appeared before his mind’s eye, yet the emotions it stirred were altogether different from before.

“...I hope I get something good this time,” Tianming murmured to himself, staring at the ever-spinning golden disc within his mind.

Though he now possessed the Lightning Sword and had a wealth of spirit stones to his name, these alone were hardly enough to guarantee victory at the grand competition among the Four Sects. He knew all too well that within the inner sect, talent was not measured merely by one’s cultivation at the Spirit Void Realm. There were a rare few—geniuses among the inner disciples, or even the personal disciples of elders or sect masters—who had already reached the terrifying Sky Void Realm. This much Tianming had learned from Chu Qingchen in passing.

At last!

A festive chime rang out, and as Tianming watched with bated breath, the spinning finally ceased.

“Congratulations, Master! You have obtained the Hand of Vengeance. Function: Reflect any attack from an enemy not exceeding one major realm above you, returning it with triple the force. Usage limit: Three times.”

As soon as the words fell, Tianming felt a new strand of mysterious knowledge settle deep in his memory—an arcane technique, yet so natural it felt as if he had been born with it. Unlike anything he had acquired before in the Celestial Pavilion, this memory could not be suppressed or altered.

“Absorb!”

Of course, these matters were but trivialities to Tianming. What truly mattered was the sacred moment that followed: absorbing experience.

“Please select the quantity to absorb within ten seconds,” came the voice of the Universal Doraemon once more.

Delighted at the prompt, Tianming did not hesitate. “Absorb everything!” he commanded.

Within the dimension of the second space, Tianming’s order echoed.

“Congratulations, Master! Successfully converted six hundred thousand spirit stones, acquiring six hundred thousand experience points!”

In an instant, the mountain of glittering stones vanished into nothingness, leaving no trace behind—as if they had never existed at all. At the same moment, surges of formidable energy began to radiate from Tianming’s body, the robust power of heaven and earth cocooning him like a tangible shroud.

Perhaps because this was his second breakthrough, there was no world-shaking phenomenon as there had been within the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm. Instead, his aura steadily intensified, the process deepening the transformation of his spiritual energy into the true energy of heaven and earth.

A ripple of energy burst outward from Tianming as its center, a vortex of power swirling ever faster, expanding until the last of the gathered energy was drawn into his dantian. The full might of heaven and earth erupted from within him.

Clang, clang, clang!

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“Congratulations, Master—you have reached Spirit Void, First Grade!”

“Congratulations... Spirit Void, Third Grade!”

“...Reached Spirit Void, Fifth Grade!”

“Congratulations, Master—you have reached Spirit Void, Sixth Grade!”

...

Soon, with his advancement complete, Tianming’s presence radiated the awe-inspiring might of the Spirit Void Realm. The familiar sensation filled him with emotion. With the Lightning Sword in hand, he reckoned he could now even stand against someone at the sixth grade of the Sky Void Realm.

“Spirit Void, Sixth Grade?” Tianming opened his eyes, a trace of divine majesty flickering within them.

Yet it vanished in an instant, and the once imposing Tianming became, once more, an unremarkable young man. Without witnessing the previous spectacle, no one would believe this was a cultivator of the Spirit Void Realm.

“Hm? What’s this...?”

The sudden surge of Spirit Void energy startled Elder Yu from his rest, his expression difficult to read. Yet when he traced the source with his senses, he found that the anomalous aura had vanished without a trace.

“Could it have been that rascal Tianming?” The familiar scent of the energy left Elder Yu in disbelief.

No! Impossible!

He quickly dismissed the notion. Such profound power was not something a newcomer to the Spirit Void Realm could possess. It felt like the aura of someone who had long dwelled at this level—indeed, someone already at the sixth grade. Though the aura had been fleeting, Elder Yu had sensed it.

Who would dare act so brazenly within his Celestial Pavilion?

...

While Elder Yu was mired in uncertainty and disbelief, Tianming had already risen from his bed and moved to the window.

The Art of Concealing Breath!

As the name implied, this technique could mask all traces of one’s energy from anyone not at least two major realms higher. It was an ancient art, its memory having been imprinted upon Tianming’s mind by that enigmatic scroll he had obtained within the Celestial Pavilion—no doubt left behind by some master who foresaw the jealousy such an immortal technique would arouse.

Alas!

“I wonder... what has become of Earth Star now?” The thought brought back memories of happier days on his home world, however fleeting or imperfect they may have been.

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Gazing up at the bright, high-hanging moon, Tianming was overcome by a turmoil of emotions—feelings so complex he could not put them into words. In that moment, he recalled a poem of longing for home by Li Bai—“Quiet Night Thoughts”—which seemed to speak directly to his heart.

Before my bed, the moonlight glows,
I wonder if it’s frost upon the ground.
I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon,
And lower it, longing for my homeland.

As he recited the lines, Tianming could not help but let a few tears fall. Lost in the boundless universe, he stood alone in this unfamiliar world of cultivation. Though he had found friends and elders who cared for him, who could truly understand this loneliness?

While Tianming was adrift in his own thoughts, a petite figure clad in purple had already quietly opened the door and slipped in behind him.

“What’s wrong...?” came a gentle voice from within the room.

After a brief silence, the petite girl hesitated, reaching out a small hand, pausing in midair as if unsure whether to comfort him, her expression mirroring Tianming’s sorrow. At last, with a sigh, the hand—adorned with a band of purple—fell gently upon his shoulder.

“Ah? It’s nothing... nothing at all...” The familiar clear voice, the subtle, pleasant fragrance, and the cold touch startled Tianming, who quickly turned away, clumsily wiping the tears from his face as he retreated.

He wondered why she had come—had his earlier breakthrough caused too much commotion?

As he pondered this, Tianming avoided even glancing at Xun Qing, seizing the chance to dry his tears.

Hee hee!

Seeing Tianming’s embarrassment, Xun Qing covered her mouth, laughing with a clear, bell-like peal. “So you do cry, after all!”

“You...!” Tianming grunted, his sleeve flicking sharply as he drew a deep breath.

That woman!

Why did she have to come at this exact moment? If word got out, how could he show his face? Resigned, Tianming ignored Xun Qing’s teasing, sitting abruptly on the bed, his presence commanding as he stared at her.

“Speak! Why did you come into my room without so much as a greeting? Are you up to something improper?”

With that, Tianming’s expression returned to its former composure, his eyes fixed upon her as he demanded an answer.