Chapter 1799 – Stealing the Stage

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“Brat, so it’s you again!”

A red eyebrow youth looked up at Lin Ming. This youth was Yi Fan, the young man who had come into conflict with Lin Ming aboard the spirit ship.

He didn’t think that Lin Ming would actually show up out of nowhere during the assembly meeting for the Akashic Dream Battlefield; it seemed that he was tired of living.

According to the rules of Zenith Palace, if a low level disciple were to interrupt the speech of the Vice Palace Master during an important occasion, that was a sin of tremendous disrespect.

“Jaderiver, Yi Fan, you know him?”

The white-robed Elder looked towards Jaderiver, frowning.

“Yes…”

Jaderiver braced herself and nodded. She looked at Lin Ming and glumly said, “Lin Muk, how come you aren’t training in your residential area but instead came to the high peak?”

“Miss Jaderiver.” Lin Ming cupped his fists together. “I heard that the Akashic Dream Battlefield will be opening soon and would like to be granted a spot to enter. I wonder if the Akashic Dream Battlefield has any limits on race for entrance?”

Lin Ming’s words caused the entire audience to die down.

He wanted a coveted spot to enter the Akashic Dream Battlefield? Who the hell did he think he was!

“Hahaha! Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death!? You are nothing but a human and yet you’re so arrogant! Only 9300 people can enter the Akashic Dream Battlefield and the list of names was decided well over three months ago! Besides 3000 disciples that were predetermined, the 6000 some leftover spots were all decided by a grand tournament held between the disciples of Zenith Palace, passing through layers upon layers of competition before they were able to win a spot!

“Every Zenith Palace disciple that could obtain a spot is an outstanding individual that can dominate martial artists of the same level and look down upon their peers with disdain! And yet you actually spoke of wanting to take a spot from these people, what an idiot!”

Yi Fan recklessly laughed. Although his words were contemptuous, this was also what the other spiritas martial artists present were thinking. They all thought that Lin Ming was just some brain-addled idiot.

“Oh? The list of people has already been determined?” Lin Ming hadn’t expected this. Before, Jaderiver said that they could enter the Akashic Dream Universe from any place in the spiritas’ seven universes.

Now it seemed that only location wasn’t limited. But as for wanting to enter the Akashic Dream Universe, there were inevitably other restrictions. Not just anyone could casually enter as they pleased.

Zenith Palace could only send 9300 people. Then, smaller influences were likely able to send in even less.

Lin Ming’s voice lowered. He said, “Then I would like to know, is there a limit to races that can enter the Akashic Dream Universe?”

“Who cares if there isn’t? You don’t have the qualifications to begin with!” Yi Fan sneered.

“Then… give me your qualifications.” Lin Ming calmly said as he looked at Yi Fan. “Since the spots are decided through competition within the sect and I am also a disciple of the sect, once I defeat you I should obtain your qualifications, right?”

“You!! You want to die!?”

Hearing Lin Ming’s brazen words, Yi Fan was enraged.

With a ringing sound, Yi Fang’s sword left its sheath. He pointed it straight towards Lin Ming!

“Since you’re in such a hurry to die, let me help!”

Yi Fan flew into the sky as he spoke. His eyes locked onto Lin Ming’s dantian.

Because Lin Ming had been injured before, his inner world had been in chaotic tatters. But now, Lin Ming had completely recovered and there was no need for him to conceal his inner world, thus Yi Fan was clearly able to discern Lin Ming’s cultivation.

“What? Early Holy Lord realm? So you are a Holy Lord realm human?”

Yi Fan’s words startled all the Zenith Palace disciples present. They all looked towards Lin Ming’s dantian and could feel the light aura of a micro universe from within.

In other words, his inner world had developed starry space and even bred planets.

“Early Holy Lord?” Jaderiver’s eyes flashed with astonishment. So the Lin Muk that she had rescued was actually an early Holy Lord realm martial artist.

In the Soul World, human Holy Lord realm martial artists were extremely rare.

Generally speaking, a human had to possess great talent and come across many lucky chances as well as have an extremely high degree of talent to just barely be able to break into the Holy Lord realm. Moreover, the Holy Lord realm was the terminus of human cultivation. To take a further step into the World King realm was impossible.

“Humph! Who cares if you are a Holy Lord? No wonder you have the guts to rush to the highest peak. Do you think that just because you are a Holy Lord you are that great? In Zenith Palace, a Holy Lord isn’t anything at all! Moreover, you are nothing but a human Holy Lord, you don’t even enter my eyes!”

What Yi Fan despised the most was human martial artists. In the Soul World, human martial artists were in a miserable state and it was nearly impossible for them to keep up with spiritas martial artists of the same level. In fact, even when facing a spiritas that was a small boundary lower, they still might lose.

Moreover, Yi Fan was an extraordinary core disciple of Zenith Palace and his cultivation was at the peak of the late Soul Lord realm; he wasn’t too far from the Holy Lord realm.

The reason he was able to obtain a spot to enter the Akashic Dream Battlefield was not because he competed through the tournament but because he was elected and directly granted an entry token.

A talented disciple of a World King Holy Land possessed more than enough skill to jump ranks to fight. Even a spiritas Holy Lord might not be his match, much less a human Holy Lord!

“Senior-apprentice Sister Jaderiver, this person wants to walk down the road of death. Me killing him is also within reason so you should look for some other human to perfect your virtual dantian instead!”

As Yi Fan spoke, he slashed his sword down at Lin Ming.

His sword chopped towards Lin Ming’s forehead. Sword light shot out. Yi Fan had also combined a soul attack in this strike, going for a one hit kill!

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

In this situation, many of his fellow sect disciples were watching. If he couldn’t destroy Lin Ming in one strike then even if he won he wouldn’t have any face to greet them.

And at this time, Lin Ming also retaliated.

Facing someone like Yi Fan, Lin Ming had no need to use any transcendent divine might. Rather, he formed a spear with two fingers and cut downwards, sending out a brilliant divine light.

In that moment, many Zenith Palace disciples were forced to shut their eyes. That dreadful divine light was a nearly substantialized spear light. Just by looking at it they felt as if it would pierce their skulls, and even their souls shivered.

Peng!

Blood sprinkled down. Yi Fan cried out in pain and was flung backwards, his sword also sent scattering away.

His figure flew back a thousand feet before slamming into the ground like a meteor. He continued tumbling backwards until he crashed into an ice sculpture, causing it to explode into countless shards.

All of this happened in a split second. The entire audience was left in a silent daze.

The result of this brief exchange was completely unexpected.

“Senior-apprentice Brother Yi!”

Several disciples quickly ran over to help Yi Fan.

Lin Ming had held back. In Zenith Palace’s territory he certainly wouldn’t take Yi Fang’s life, but this strike was more than enough to keep him bedridden for a long period of time.

Since Lin Ming had already said he wanted to substitute for Yi Fan to enter the Akashic Dream Battlefield, severely wounding Yi Fan so that he would have to spend a few months recuperating was the most appropriate decision.

“What was that? What happened just now?”

Many Zenith Palace disciples hadn’t been able to clearly see just what Lin Ming did.

“This human instantly struck down Senior-apprentice Brother Yi Fan! Moreover, he didn’t even use a weapon, he just used his fingers!”

The Zenith Palace disciples all looked at each other in shocked dismay. They couldn’t believe that a highly ranked core disciple had been defeated in such a manner.

Although Yi Fan was only a late Soul Lord martial artist, he could easily jump ranks to right. If one said he was equal to a Holy Lord realm spiritas martial artist, no one would refute that.

But in front of this human, he had been utterly devastated. The disparity was just far too great.

“This human martial artist is also a genius, a king amongst his level! Perhaps he might not be much worse than a middle spiritas Holy Lord or even late spiritas Holy Lord!”

“That’s too exaggerated. If so, then isn’t it likely he’ll break into the World King realm?”

To the disciples of Zenith Palace, the World King realm was a legend.

For the last million years of the sect, they had arduously accumulated a total of two World Kings. And in the future, it would be difficult for them to raise another World King to succeed the previous ones.

To break into the World King realm – wasn’t that easier said than done?

“No matter what, he is absolutely a master. He might not be any weaker than Senior-apprentice Sister Jaderiver!”

“Perhaps he might barely be able to compare with Senior-apprentice Sister Jaderiver. Although it was a Holy Lord against a Soul Lord, with a boundary difference dividing them, it was still incredible that he could win so easily. A human was actually able to grow to such a degree…”

That spear light Lin Ming shot out just now was only aimed at Yi Fan, but even so, the other martial artists who saw it felt as if they themselves had been pierced by the spear light and had been left panic-stricken.

And at this time, Yi Fan was also lying in a sludge of ice and bloody water. As he looked at Lin Ming, his eyes were blurry.

“You… you…”

“I only want your qualifications; I have no interest in killing you.” Lin Ming gloomily said. He no longer looked at Yi Fan but instead turned to the approaching Vice Palace Master.

“Senior Vice Palace Master, this Yi Fan had said that there was no limit to race in entering the Akashic Dream Universe, right?”

After being questioned by Lin Ming, the white-robed old man’s complexion turned ugly.

If Lin Ming was a spiritas then the Vice Palace Master would have been overjoyed if he had defeated Yi Fan with a single move. He would have regarded Lin Ming as the most precious of treasures.

But, the situation was different.

Lin Ming was a human.

A human disciple might be part of Zenith Palace in name, but the truth was that none of them existed in the high level ranks of Zenith Palace. Zenith Palace had always regarded humans as not being a part of their own, and felt a bias towards them as those of an inferior race.

“Yes, there is no restriction…”

The Vice Palace Master’s voice was low and deep. He looked towards the approaching Jaderiver.

Jaderiver also felt this entire situation unbelievable. Lin Ming’s strength had far surpassed her estimations.

As she recalled the location where she first found Lin Ming, a strange feeling surged in her heart. Why had Lin Ming appeared at the same time that the hornless ice dragon had, and why had he been injured? Was all of this a coincidence?

“Third High Master, the situation is like this…”

Jaderiver’s lips moved as she quickly explained to the Vice Palace Master about Lin Ming’s status using a sound transmission.

The white-robed old man carefully listened, his eyebrows shaking.

Such an outstanding disciple was actually not a spiritas; this left him feeling a deep melancholy.

If Lin Ming had been a spiritas then he could be raised with their full support and he might even become a World King in the future.

The white-robed old man looked at several Zenith Palace Masters that were standing nearby.

These people were all high level Elders of Zenith Palace. They glanced at each other, wanting to form a consensus of opinion. Finally, the Great Elder of Zenith Palace spoke up.

“Allow him to join the Akashic Dream Battlefield. Although he is a human, as long as he carries a battlefield token of my Zenith Palace then he is also a disciple of my Zenith Palace. This time, there will be 9300 people participating in the Akashic Dream Battlefield. Besides Jaderiver and a few others, I fear no one else can keep up with this human. Let him enter so he can also help support the ranks.”

“Support the ranks… aiya, even a human is stronger than us. Has Zenith Palace declined so much that we have to rely on a human junior to support us? This is just too pitiful.”

Zenith Palace Elders began to speak amongst themselves. Their words were the same as stating that Lin Ming had the qualifications to enter the Akashic Dream Battlefield.