Chapter 813: Change

Ju Mang, ruler of the Four Seasons Hall, narrowed his eyes sharply. "Bloodblade Squad of the Blade of Corruption? The third unit squad?"

Qing Yu, the Light of Revival, and the ruler of the Rainwater Palace, stood frozen in disbelief.

The Divine Race. The Blade of Corruption. The Bloodblade Squad.

Any one of these names alone was a nightmare for the human race, the Cosmic Radiances, and even the Tyrants. Every time their names were spoken, it usually meant the fall of a Sacred Monarch.

The Third Unit of the Bloodblade Squad... had even slain a Heavenly Emperor!

Sacred Monarchs and Heavenly Emperors—those were the true giants within the human domain.

The Cosmic Radiances and Tyrants on the battlefield might not fully grasp the weight of this. But those holding key positions in the human stronghold would. They had already shifted their focus from cultivation to improving their status and knew just how much these figures could shape their lives and determine their fates.

That even such figures could be slain by the Bloodblade Squad spoke volumes about how terrifying they were. And now, this squad was nearly wiped out by a single person? By Li Pin?

Qing Yu felt as if struck by lightning. Her True Spirit trembled, and a deafening buzz filled her ears. She couldn't snap out of it.

The Green Emperor, Jian Mu, glanced at what Qing Yu held in her hand. Thinking back on how the Supremes had personally praised Li Pin as a Supreme seed, a flicker of envy crossed his eyes.

"You really are lucky," he said with a touch of emotion. "Judging by Sacred Monarch Origin's attitude, he clearly cares a great deal about his younger sister... It likely has something to do with the fact that he's only been cultivating for just three hundred years."

Due to Li Pin's short cultivation time, he hadn't gone through the kind of loss those Heavenly Emperors had—losing loved ones, watching disciples fall, seeing familiar faces come and go again and again.

Naturally, that made him value family bonds even more during this time.

The Green Emperor advised, "Take good care of this little girl. She might just be the key to changing your fate. Maybe even the reason you break through in the Cosmic Radiance Realm and one day become a Cosmic Tyrant, or even a Sacred Monarch."

The words brought Qing Yu sharply back to her senses. "Tyrant, Sacred Monarch..."

Cosmic Radiances were known as the ultimate lifeforms, arguably the highest level most cultivators in the Astral World could ever hope to reach.

But this consensus was both the Cosmic Radiance's strength and its downfall.

The benefit of this realm was clear: as long as one avoided fighting others at the same level and stayed away from dangerous places, the power of Eternal Oblivion would have minimal impact. This was especially true if they stayed on the main continents of the human race.

However... because the threat of Eternal Oblivion had lessened, the number of Cosmic Radiances had grown too large over the years. Each of them held a noble status, but the sheer numbers led to fierce competition, making it difficult for anyone to truly stand out. Qing Yu was already considered one of the fortunate ones.

But Tyrants were on another level. Unlike Cosmic Radiances, Tyrants had fully grasped the evolution of the universe. Although both were technically in the same realm and used the True Spirit as a foundation, a Tyrant's attack power far surpassed that of a Cosmic Radiance by countless times.

They paid a price for it, becoming more likely to attract the power of Eternal Oblivion. But even so, this advantage made it much easier for Tyrants to rise above the rest.

Compared to Tyrants, however, Sacred Monarchs mastered the power of space. Aside from overwhelming attack power, they excelled in survivability, which Tyrants lacked. As long as they chose to escape, they were nearly impossible to kill, even for Heavenly Emperors without space-binding treasures.

This powerful ability to stay alive gave Sacred Monarchs unmatched stability and reliability. That's why they were often entrusted with major responsibilities, governing entire regions and holding key positions.

If Qing Yu could one day reach that level and oversee a territory of her own... that would be the peak of her life.

At the thought of this, a wave of emotion surged in her heart. Strength seemed to pour through her body once again, filling her with unstoppable energy.

***

In the Supreme Council located in the Material World.

Supreme Primordial's avatar frowned as he reviewed the latest report the Myriad Astral God Hall submitted. "What's going on with the Sovereign Heavenly Emperor, Jin'que? Why are there so many reports coming in lately? The Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War? Didn't we already finalize the rules?"

The Supremes had appointed the Myriad Astral God Hall to govern the Astral World as the official authority of the Human Race, partly because they didn't want to get involved in Astral World matters themselves.

But more importantly... they wanted to avoid trouble. They had no desire to handle every minor issue personally.

However, when Primordial actually read through the details, he sensed something was amiss. "Dao Origin?"

This Supreme had gone to the border battlefield... and even met with Li Pin? That little one known as the Light of Origin?

"Wasn't he close with the Black Abyss? How is he connected to Dao Origin too? And Dao Origin even invited him... to sit and discuss the Dao?"

Primordial stared at those words for a long while, unable to look away.

After a moment of thought, he forwarded the information to Genesis and Ordainment, the two Supremes currently on rotation.

The replies came back quickly.

Primordial skimmed over them. "I nearly forgot... Dao Origin's way of doing things has always been a bit unorthodox. Founding the Dragon Origin Dojo, and having those 'Dao discussions' with juniors. It's not the first time he has done that."

Still, for Dao Origin to personally visit the human domain and extend an invitation...

"This Li Pin... really does stand out."

He couldn't help but chuckle softly.

If Li Pin weren't exceptional, how could a mere Tyrant keep drawing our attention again and again?

Given their status as Supremes, those who could appear around them, outside of their own descendants or disciples, were all at the level of Heavenly Emperors.

For a mere Tyrant like Li Pin to attract such attention from the Supremes was already a great honor, proof of how much they recognized his identity and strength.

After thinking it over, Primordial made his decision. "Li Pin's talent has been confirmed from multiple sources. Still, the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War is of critical importance. He must take part.

"The stronger he is and the more talent he shows, the better our chances of securing a full victory for the Human Race.

"If he survives the war, I'll meet him in person. If his character is decent, I'll take him in as my disciple and teach him myself."

Although the Black Abyss Highlord did not take Li Pin as a disciple, and that made Primordial feel as though he was accepting Black Abyss's rejected disciples, Li Pin had already proven his talent in many ways. The title of Supreme seed was no empty claim.

Even if it felt a little awkward, with that kind of potential... it was worth it.

What's this? Had Li Pin already won me over with his talent?

At the thought, Primordial couldn't help but smile. "The Dominion War... Let's see how he does."

With that, Primordial put the matter aside.

***

Meanwhile, Li Pin had followed the Divine Martial Emperor back to his palace. This was also where the participants of the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War went into seclusion and trained.

Once there, Ji Shun left to help Li Pin sell divine weapons and exchange materials.

As for Li Pin, after returning to the palace that the Divine Martial Emperor had prepared for him, he immediately began reviewing the participants' cultivation progress over the years.

The Divine Martial Emperor noticed what Li Pin was doing and explained, "There's been some improvement, but not much."

He had a thorough grasp of the participants' profiles.

Li Pin frowned. "You call this... improvement?"

They hadn't even made any progress on the Supreme Ladder. How could this be called improvement?

After a moment's thought, he said bluntly, "How about arranging a match between Xuan Chengming, Yue Shu, and me? Better yet, if Emperor Ara could join in himself, that would be ideal. I'm quite curious about the strength of the ace in this competition."

"Xuan Chengming and Yue Shu are out of the question." The Divine Martial Emperor shook his head. "The Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War is just around the corner. If they're defeated now, it'll shake their confidence and affect their performance in the real competition."

"You're underestimating what a true prodigy is capable of," Li Pin said seriously. "A real prodigy won't be crushed by failure. They'll reflect on it, break through their limits, and rise stronger. In their next battle, they'll surpass their former selves. No, some won't even lose to begin with. The stronger the opponent, the more pressure they feel, the more likely they are to awaken their potential, reach a breakthrough in the middle of battle, and turn the tide."

The Divine Martial Emperor looked at Li Pin.

Well, breakthroughs in the heat of battle... I have had that kind of experience too.

After all, anyone who could rise to become a Heavenly Emperor was, by definition, a prodigy, right?

But... things like this don't happen often. Maybe once or twice in a lifetime at best. Was Li Pin treating it like something as ordinary as eating or drinking?

Besides... considering Li Pin's strength, which was enough to defeat all four members of the Bloodblade Squad, even if Yue Shu and Xuan Chengming made a minor breakthrough, they still might not be able to beat him.

No, forget minor breakthroughs. Even if they achieved a major breakthrough and stepped into the Sacred Monarch Realm, it's still uncertain whether they could defeat the current Li Pin.

"Forget it, better to play it safe," the Divine Martial Emperor said, quickly waving his hand.

He had to take the participants' condition into account.

"As for Emperor Ara... he's been in seclusion for over ten years now. He's probably working on integrating his secret arts, combat skills, and Divine Weapons into one. He hasn't come out yet, but he definitely will in a few years. If the timing works out, I'll arrange a match for you two then."

Li Pin felt a twinge of regret upon hearing that. "A few years..."

Still, a few years was something he could wait for. So he quickly said, "Alright then."

But almost immediately, he seemed unwilling to let it go. He pressed again, "As for my fight with Yue Shu and Xuan Chengming, shouldn't you at least ask them how they feel about it? After all, they're supreme prodigies who became Tyrants in under a century. They're destined to dominate the world with unmatched strength. Deciding on their behalf without even checking in with them doesn't seem right, does it?"

Hearing this, the Divine Martial Emperor had no choice but to send them a message using the Primordial Spirit Art.

There was no reply.

Before long, a disciple entered and explained, "Your Majesty, not long ago, His Highness Xuan Chengming and Her Highness Yue Shu seem to have made breakthroughs in their cultivation and have already gone into seclusion. They asked me to inform you that unless it's urgent, they don't wish to be disturbed before the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War."

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The disciple paused before continuing, "They also said they won't be taking part in the rankings in a few years. You may arrange it however you see fit, Your Majesty."