Chapter 303: The Emperor’s Gift

After the Flame Wave Sect Master and the others left, the Blade Slaughter Sect Master looked at Li Yang and said with a smile, "Li Yang, you’ve given me quite a surprise this time. It seems that Fire Spirit Pearl was very effective."

Due to Li Yang’s rapid progress, some experts had learned that the Blade Slaughter Sect Master had arranged for him to visit the Fire Nether Divine Beast group and obtain a Fire Spirit Pearl.

Tempted, some of these experts began making their own plans to visit the Fire Nether Divine Beast group and ask for one.

Hearing the Blade Slaughter Sect Master’s words, Li Yang smiled. "I was just lucky."

’I hope Master doesn’t ask me why I’ve progressed so quickly,’ he wondered inwardly.

He certainly couldn’t mention his Fire Nether Divine Beast clone, yet his rate of progress had suddenly accelerated... If asked to explain why, he wouldn’t be able to give a reason.

However, the Blade Slaughter Sect Master clearly had no intention of probing further. He said with a beaming smile, "After you passed the eighth step, many powerful Deities, and even Emperors, started speculating on whether you or Lan Yu would be the first to pass the ninth step of the God’s Path. They’ve even placed bets."

"Huh? Emperors are betting?" Li Yang was taken aback.

"Li Yang, many experts in the Eternal Saint Hall are monitoring your and Lan Yu’s growth. Something like this is perfectly normal," the Blade Slaughter Sect Master said with a laugh.

These Emperors don’t pay attention to other geniuses. But with prodigies like you and Lan Yu, it’s possible that in tens of thousands of years, you could be standing on the same level as them.

The Blade Slaughter Sect Master continued, "What’s more, Yongli Emperor and Bone Xu Emperor told me that if you can beat Lan Yu and be the first to pass the ninth step of the God’s Path, they will bestow a treasure upon you."

"Oh? A treasure?" Li Yang was once again taken aback.

"Haha, Li Yang, it’s not unusual for the experts of our Human Race to bestow treasures upon talented geniuses. To Emperors, such treasures are nothing special."

The fact that Yongli Emperor and Bone Xu Emperor would bestow a treasure upon Li Yang if he passed the ninth step of the God’s Path before Lan Yu meant they had almost certainly bet on him to finish first.

Bestowing a treasure upon him was a clear sign that they were optimistic about his potential.

Furthermore, if Li Yang truly did rise to become an Emperor in the future, then this gift would ensure a better relationship between him, Yongli Emperor, and Bone Xu Emperor.

At this, Li Yang’s eyes lit up. He quickly asked, "Master, what treasure are Yongli Emperor and Bone Xu Emperor planning to give me?"

His Fire Nether Divine Beast clone was currently comprehending within the land of inheritance of the Fire Nether Divine Beast group. Even before entering, his rate of progress was on par with Lan Yu’s.

But now, his rate of progress was several times faster than Lan Yu’s!

Li Yang was confident he could pass the ninth step of the God’s Path before Lan Yu!

Seeing Li Yang’s expectant gaze, the Blade Slaughter Sect Master didn’t keep him in suspense. "The treasure from Yongli Emperor is the queen egg of a Fire Ant Insect."

"A Fire Ant Insect queen egg?"

Hearing this, Li Yang looked confused. "Master, what kind of treasure is that?"

With so many treasures in the Cosmos, it was inevitable that there were some Li Yang hadn’t heard of. This Fire Ant Insect queen egg was one of them.

"Li Yang, ant-like lifeforms have an astonishingly high rate of reproduction."

The Blade Slaughter Sect Master explained, "Not only do these Fire Ant Insects have an astonishing reproductive rate, but they are also very powerful in combat."

"If fed enough resources, the Fire Ant Insect queen can grow to the Peak of World Realm. At that point, the combined might of the queen and the countless drones she has bred would be something that even an ordinary Deity wouldn’t dare to underestimate. They would have no choice but to flee."

"Oh? Even Deities have to flee from a mature swarm of Fire Ant Insects?" At this, Li Yang’s eyes lit up.

This was clearly a very precious treasure.

He was currently in the Longevity Realm. Once he broke through to the Star Lord Realm and left the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall, this Fire Ant Insect swarm would surely be of immense help to him!

The Blade Slaughter Sect Master continued, "The treasure from Bone Xu Emperor is a Teleportation Stone. It allows you to teleport five times, with each jump covering a distance of one light-year!"

"A Teleportation Stone?"

Li Yang was delighted to hear this.

He had obtained a Teleportation Stone once before in a Relic Space within the Milky Way. Its original owner was an expert at the Peak of World Realm.

Although they were both Teleportation Stones, the one from the Milky Way had a range of one hundred billion kilometers.

A light-year, however, is nine trillion kilometers! The two weren’t even in the same league.

The greater the distance, the higher the chance of escaping a crisis.

A Fire Ant Insect queen egg and a Teleportation Stone with five uses and a one-light-year range—these were the treasures the two Emperors were offering Li Yang.

These treasures were of little use to the Emperors themselves, but for the currently weak Li Yang, they could be life-saving in a critical moment.

"So? Are you confident?" the Blade Slaughter Sect Master asked, looking at Li Yang.

Li Yang smiled. "Master, I am confident!"

Announcing the rewards so directly wasn’t meant to put pressure on Li Yang.

Every expert encounters various difficulties on their path to power. If one felt stressed by such a small amount of pressure, there would be no point in cultivating, as their chances of ever growing strong would be minimal.

A true expert, when faced with such rewards, would convert that pressure into motivation and cultivate even harder.

"Good, confidence is key." The Blade Slaughter Sect Master smiled. "Alright, now, do you have any problems with your comprehension of the laws? I can explain things for you..."

...

After leaving the Blade Slaughter Sect Master, Li Yang’s heart was filled with anticipation.

’I have to train hard and get that Fire Ant Insect queen egg and the Teleportation Stone!’

In truth, both of these treasures could be redeemed at the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall, but the price was exorbitant, totaling one million contribution points.

The two Emperors were essentially offering him one million contribution points’ worth of goods. Of course, Li Yang was now bursting with motivation!

"Hm?"

Back at the peak of the Lianyun Mountain Range, Li Yang’s gaze suddenly fell upon a very ordinary-looking young man.

’Mixed Void,’ Li Yang thought to himself, looking at the ordinary young man.

’Just how in the world does Mixed Void cultivate? His progress is so fast!’

At that moment, Li Yang felt the same bewilderment that Lan Yu had.

’I have a clone with a Talent for three powerful laws, and I even entered the land of inheritance of the Fire Nether Divine Beast group...’

’And even with all that, it still took me a full year to get from the seventh step to the eighth.’

’Yet Mixed Void went from the eighth step to the ninth in that same year!’

’That rate of progress... it’s terrifying to even think about!’

As things stood, Li Yang had no confidence that he could pass the ninth step within a year.

"Li Yang, don’t dwell on it. Every one of the top one hundred geniuses in the Human Race is extraordinary in ways you can’t imagine. It’s understandable for such a genius to progress this quickly," Soul Ink said calmly, seeming to know what Li Yang was thinking.