Against The Heavens 51 Tian Clan.

"I'll be undoing the fusion now, Jinwu."

Shortly after he spoke out, the golden robe he was wearing turned into a stream of energy, quickly turning into Jinwu. His eyes returned to being pitch black, and the two icy wings on his back dissolved. He looked at the torn red robe he was wearing, a slight frown appearing on his face. He rubbed his interspatial ring, taking out a small crystal.

The small crystal was a Spirit Stone, the crystallization of Qi. Most cultivators used them as currency or to train, the purer the Qi within them, the more valuable they would be. Li Yang placed the Spirit Stone against the robe, the Qi within it quickly entering the robe and repairing it. He could not use his own Qi, so he had to rely on the Spirit Stone to supply the necessary Qi to repair it.

While Li Yang was waiting for the armor to repair itself, Jinwu flew around his head, letting out several caws, seemingly unsatisfied. Hearing his complaint, Li Yang could not help but lift his head, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Jinwu.

"Yeah, we could have kept the fusion going for longer, but don't think that I am unaware of how much it drains you to keep it going."

Li Yang felt no strain whenever he used the fusion ability with Jinwu, but he could tell that it drained quite a bit of energy from Jinwu if they used it for too long, he was worried what it would do to Jinwu. Jinwu still didn't seem quite satisfied, looking Li Yang up and down with a questioning gaze, letting out a few more caws. Hearing his words, Li Yang could feel the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Don't look at me like that, I can still clear a trial like this with ease. Aren't you underestimating me a little too much here?"

Li Yang s.n.a.t.c.hed Jinwu out of the air, using his knuckles to give his head a vigorous rub. Little b.a.s.t.a.r.d dared to think he was unable to complete a trial like this. After giving Jinwu's head a strong rub, he loosened his grip and let him go. Jinwu flapped his wings a few times, landing on Li Yang's shoulder and letting out a few caws in a complaint at its treatment. Li Yang simply rolled his eyes, grasping the spear as his eyes landed on the slowly receding flames.

He could see beasts gathering together on the other side of the flame, waiting for them to vanish so that they could tear into Li Yang. Facing the horde, Li Yang simply put on a fearless smile, his eyes s.h.i.+ning with a splendid light. Even if he didn't have the robe that Jing Yimu had given him, he was confident that he would be able to finish this trial, the robe simply made it easier.

The golden flames grew smaller and smaller, the beasts inching closer and closer. But it was not the beasts that made the first move, it was Li Yang. He grasped the spear and dashed forwards, jumping over the flames and directly into the horde of Demonic beasts. Jinwu had already taken off from his shoulder, flying above him and keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

As Li Yang jumped into the swarm of enemies, he completely emptied his mind, his eyes becoming dull. He was not certain for how long he would have to battle to clear this trial, but since the first trial alone had taken him a month, it was clear that it would require a great deal of time. Forcing himself to stay conscious for so long was hard, even for him, so he had decided to rely on his instincts, putting himself in a nearly unconscious state and letting his instincts control his body.

This would allow him to reduce the strain on his mind from forcing himself to stay conscious, allowing him to practically sleep through the entire trial. Of course, were it not for the sharp instincts he had retained from his past life, it would be impossible for him to pull it off. Li Yang continued to carve a path through the unending horde, his mind blank as time pa.s.sed by without him noticing.

–

While Li Yang was mindlessly slaying the endless swarm of beasts, the rest of the continent was quietly preparing for the grand compet.i.tion that the Huo clan was going to put on soon. Even the Tian clan located at the center of the continent and the Duan clan located at the far coast were preparing, picking out who among the younger generation they would send.

The Tian clan was located at the center of the continent, situated atop a mountain so tall that it crested the clouds. There was a magnificent palace, nine spires that pierced into the clouds stationed around it, located at the peak of the mountain, the headquarters of the Tian clan. The only ones who could live there were the most elite disciples, as well as the ones who had high positions within the clan. Between the nine spires and the palace was a ma.s.sive courtyard filled with rare flowers and plants, there were even several gorgeous lakes filled with water that was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with Qi.

Inside this courtyard stood several smaller buildings, each one two or three floors tall and built out of softwood that released a faint heat. These houses were where the elite disciples lived while they focused on cultivation, each house supported by an array that would automatically draw in large amounts of Qi from the surroundings.

There was currently a young man walking towards one of the buildings, his hands folded behind his back as he walked with a leisure gait, enjoying the scenery. He was clad in a light green robe decorated with the emblem of a tall mountain that pierced a lone cloud, the mark of the Tian clan. He had smooth and silky black hair that was tied into a neat bun, and his facial features were soft and rounded, a faint smile hanging on his lips. His skin was a bit pale, but from the strong pressure he released, it was clear that he was not sickly.

He walked up to one of the houses, knocking on the ornate door that was engraved with the symbol of the Tian clan. A low growl came from within the house, the youths mouth twitching slightly when he heard it, but the growl was quickly silenced by a soft voice.

"Langshen, don't be rude. You can enter."

The male youth let out a stealthy sigh of relief when he heard the soft voice. He shook his head slightly, making sure that his smile was flawless, and then entered the house. The inside of the house was neatly decorated, colorful paintings, blooming flowers, and delicate tapestries filling the room with life. The youth merely glanced at these decorations, his eyes landing on the center of the room.

At the center of the room was a wooden table, a fragrant pot of tea placed on the table, a porcelain cup filled with steaming tea standing ready. On both ends of the table stood a small couch large enough to hold two people. One of the couches was empty, but there was a girl sitting on the other couch, slowly sipping tea from a second porcelain cup. Curled up on the second seat of the couch was a wolf that had silvery-gray fur, its head resting on the lap of the girl, looking at the youth with a slight glare.

The girl had graceful and delicate features, her silvery-white hair tied up into a long ponytail. She had cherry-red lips and emerald eyes, a faint and lovely smile hanging on her lips as she looked at the second cup of tea placed on the table. The male youth slowly strode forward, speaking up in a cheerful voice.

"Junior Sister Ying is only growing more beautiful as the days pa.s.s, soon there will be no one in the clan who can match up to you."

The youth, Tian Gong, sat down on the couch located on the opposite side of the table, smiling at his Junior Sister, at Fang Ying. He glanced at the steaming cup of tea that stood on the table, a.s.suming that it was prepared for him. He reached out to grab onto it, but his hand quickly stopped when the wolf that was resting next to Fang Ying, Langshen, let out a subdued growl. Fang Ying pat Langshen on the head, speaking to Tian Gong with a slight smile.

"Please don't touch that. Senior Brother Gong, to what might I owe this surprise visit?"

Tian Gong pulled back his arm, cold sweat starting to gather on his back. Langshen had only let out a subdued growl, but he knew just how ferocious and brutal he could be when he was let loose. Tian Gong smoothed it over with a smile, casually leaning back in the couch as he let out a light chuckle.

"How could I possibly have the guts to give you a surprise visit if it wasn't for something important? Elder Brother Zheng is hosting a party tomorrow evening, celebrating his recent breakthrough. Certain disciples of the other clans are also coming to take part in the party, so he wishes for you to grace them with your presence."

The words Tian Gong spoke were not the complete truth. It was indeed true that Tian Zheng had recently broken through in his cultivation, but the main drive behind the party was so that the Tian clan could try and matchmake Fang Ying. The disciples that were coming from the other clans all had ill.u.s.trious positions, each one taking control over one aspect of their clan. If they could marry Fang Ying to one such disciple, they could basically a.s.sure a deeper alliance between the two clans.

And even if they failed to marry Fang Ying to any of those disciples, they could still marry her to Tian Zheng, she would make for a suitable wife and dual cultivation partner. Tian Gong swept the room with his gaze, his eyes landing on a zither that was leaning against the wall, a faint smile appearing on his face as he spoke up again.

"He wonders if you would perhaps be willing to bring your zither and play a piece, it would be a shame if no one were to ever hear what you might be able to do with it."

How could Fang Ying not understand what Tian Gong was thinking, how could she not see what the true purpose of the party was? But she did not care about any of that. She turned her head, glancing at the zither that was leaning against the wall, the zither she had not allowed anyone to hear her play. She turned back to Tian Gong after a short moment of silence, nodding her head with a faint smile on her face.

"You can tell Senior Brother Zheng that I will certainly come to celebrate his breakthrough, but he will have to forgive me for not bringing my zither. I can only play that zither when the thunder is rumbling, so I am afraid he will not have the chance to hear it."

Tian Gong's face broke into a wide smile when he heard Fang Ying's response. He quickly stood up, cupping his hands towards Fang Ying and giving her a bow, his voice cheerful.

"Wonderful, I will go and deliver the news immediately! I am certain that he will understand your troubles and not pester you about the zither. I bid you farewell, Junior Sister Ying."

Tian Gong quickly left after cupping his hands at Fang Ying, as he knew she preferred the peace of being alone. The way Tian Gong saw it, Fang Ying would end up marrying someone who had a high position in one of the clans, so he would have to do his best to get on her good side.

After Tian Gong left, Fang Ying turned to look at the zither once more, a blooming smile appearing on her face. She dug her hand into her robe, taking out a piece of paper that only contained a few words, 'Huo clan compet.i.tion, Li Yang'. A lovely laugh escaped her lips when she read the message, softly stroking Langshen's head.

"Soon, Langshen. Only two more years."