Chapter 861: Direction

"Li Pin? Who is that?" Supreme Great Heaven looked slightly surprised. "Since when did our human race produce a Divine Emperor like him?"

As one of the Human Race's Supremes, his focus had always been on his own cultivation and matters concerning other Supremes. As for the Heavenly Emperors and those below, he rarely paid them any attention.

Supreme Foundation frowned as she recalled the details about Li Pin. "Li Pin... he's one of the participants in the current Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War, right? I remember reading the report. His performance was outstanding. It's no exaggeration to say the Human Race secured victory entirely because of him.

"In theory, the Supreme Council should reward him generously once he returns. But... he took part in the tournament, which means he hasn't even cultivated for a full epoch yet. And within that single epoch, he not only managed to kill Yuan Jie, but there's also speculation that he might've opened a path beyond Supreme?"

Has the intelligence reporting gotten this exaggerated during your watch? What is this, fortune-telling now?

"A junior who hasn't even cultivated for a full epoch killing Yuan Jie? What, are Divine Emperors just cannon fodder nowadays?" Prime Abyss Highlord didn't even bother to hide his displeasure. "And this nonsense about a path beyond Supreme, every few dozen epochs, someone comes out claiming they've found one, just to win the Supreme Council's support and a fast track to promotion. This kind of toxic trend needs to be stamped out."

Supreme Genesis fell into thought, then said, "Divine Martial... isn't one to exaggerate."

"This time really is different," Supreme Primordial said. "Divine Martial sent this message precisely because he wants us to confirm it."

He paused for a moment. "He wants us to verify it with the Black Abyss Highlord."

Great Heaven, Prime Abyss, Foundation, Unity, and Grand Luo all looked confused.

"Black Abyss?"

"What does this have to do with Black Abyss?"

But Genesis and Ordainment quickly pieced it together.

Supreme Genesis immediately pulled up Supreme Primordial's message. His expression finally shifted. "The Black Abyss Highlord personally witnessed the path Li Pin created and acknowledged its potential? He didn't know how far it could go, so he transferred Sasha's authority to him, and even gave him a protective mark..."

"So that's the truth behind the rumor that Black Abyss never took Li Pin as a disciple?" Supreme Ordainment checked the information as well, and his face turned to one of shock. "Li Pin... actually refused to become Black Abyss's disciple?"

"A junior... turned down Black Abyss?"

This time, even Supreme Great Heaven, Supreme Unity, and Supreme Grand Luo showed genuine interest.

They quickly reviewed the information Supreme Primordial had released, and before long, shock spread across their faces.

The Supremes spoke up one after another.

"Dao Realm? Great Dao Radiance!?"

"A law-based power that can function within the Abyssal Rift!?"

"He actually killed Yuan Jie? A Divine Emperor of the Chaos Clan? Even if he used the Abyssal Rift's unique environment to his advantage, to slay a Divine Emperor... this Li Pin is truly extraordinary."

Seeing their reactions, Supreme Foundation and the Prime Abyss Highlord exchanged glances. Though skeptical at first, they immediately started reviewing Supreme Primordial's information as well.

Once they finished, especially after seeing the memory images of Li Pin killing Yuan Jie and the techniques he used, even Supreme Foundation was visibly shaken.

"It's actually true..." she murmured in disbelief. "Li Pin... he's cultivated for less than a single epoch, and yet he managed to kill a Divine Emperor of the Chaos Clan?"

Supreme Ordainment exhaled deeply. "Not an epoch. To be precise... it has been only three hundred years."

"Three hundred years!?"

Now, that revelation really shocked those present.

Prime Abyss Highlord, Supreme Great Heaven, and Supreme Unity all turned to look at him.

"Ordainment," Supreme Great Heaven asked, his voice heavy with disbelief, "did you just say... three hundred stellar years?"

"Yes," Supreme Ordainment confirmed, then quickly calculated. "To be exact—294 stellar years."

The Supremes and Highlords were stunned into silence.

Not even three hundred years... and he could already kill a Divine Emperor?

Everyone instinctively turned their attention back to the message from Divine Martial.

Supreme Great Heaven was momentarily speechless. "Is Divine Martial exaggerating... or have we simply fallen behind the times? Less than three hundred years?"

Supreme Ordainment, having recovered from the shock, muttered, "Li Pin... really is full of surprises."

He quickly pulled up more information on Li Pin and displayed it to the four Supremes and the Prime Abyss Highlord. "When he first appeared on our radar, he wasn't even an Astral God. Just a Divine Being.

"Back then, he completed Black Abyss's experiment in the Heavenly Prison World, which earned him special recognition. That's when we first took note of him. By the time he showed up again, he was already representing the Human Race in the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War.

"And in that tournament, he swept through the myriad races in both the Prodigy and Overlord Competitions."

Supreme Foundation glanced at him. "He swept through all the races? Wasn't that the tournament where the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations system was officially introduced? That means the competition must've been unusually intense. He..."

"It was." Supreme Ordainment nodded. "Genesis even sent his prized disciple, Yao Ji, to participate. The Divine Race, the Sky Clan, the Unique Lifeform Alliance, and the Chaos Clan all fielded exceptionally strong contenders, far stronger than in previous years.

"The Divine Race, especially. They had a prodigy named Scorching Flame, whose strength was top-tier even among Sacred Monarchs. The Ancestral God Hentian himself gifted him a Supreme Divine Weapon: the World Stabilizing Halberd. With that, he could probably rival a peak Sacred Monarch.

"But all of them, without exception, were defeated by Li Pin."

Then he added, "And at that time, Li Pin didn't even have a Supreme Divine Weapon."

Supreme Foundation looked dazed. "He didn't even have a Supreme Divine Weapon, and still defeated a Divine Race prodigy wielding one, with peak Sacred Monarch-level strength... and he's only cultivated for three hundred years? Doesn't that already place him close to the level of a Heavenly Emperor?"

Combat strength at the Heavenly Emperor level....

With that in mind, it no longer seemed so unbelievable that he had used the unique environment of the Abyssal Rift to defeat Yuan Jie.

At that moment, Prime Abyss suddenly realized something and blurted out, "Wait... Why doesn't Li Pin have a Supreme Divine Weapon?!"

Primordial, Ordainment, and Genesis' expressions turned a bit awkward. Supreme Primordial and Ordainment instinctively glanced at Genesis.

Prime Abyss Highlord seemed to catch on as well. His expression turned odd as he asked, "Don't tell me... he's not a disciple of any of you?"

"Well... it's a bit complicated..." Supreme Genesis replied, clearly uncomfortable.

Known for his bluntness, Prime Abyss couldn't help but speak up. "Complicated?"

He stood up, pretending to be shocked. "Just how complicated could it be? Are you saying that a human prodigy who's reached Heavenly Emperor-level strength in under three hundred years, and even managed to kill a Divine Emperor through special means, still didn't catch your attention?"

Supreme Unity added, "A prodigy like that, and none of you thought to nurture him? I honestly don't understand, but I'm shocked."

Supreme Great Heaven didn't even know how to respond. "Even if rotating Supremes aren't responsible for managing affairs or training talents, overlooking someone who could've become a pillar of our Human Race... is just...."

Supreme Primordial ended up covering his face. "Enough, enough."

He had wanted to take Li Pin as his disciple even before the Ten Thousand Tribes Dominion War. But with Supreme Genesis around, he never found the right moment to speak up.

The real issue was... Li Pin's growth had simply been too fast.

Three hundred years? No, if counted from when he first made up his mind to enter the tournament and revealed his talent at the Divine Martial Emperor Palace, it had only been a few decades.

Who could possibly keep up with such rapid progress in just a few decades?

Now, hearing Prime Abyss, Unity, Grand Luo, and the others voice their disappointment one after another, Primordial couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret.

As for Supreme Genesis, all he could do in the face of their criticism was offer a bitter smile.

At this point, any explanation would be meaningless.

The usually quiet Supreme Grand Luo finally spoke up. "No matter how he managed to kill Divine Emperor Yuan Jie, the fact that Li Pin has already reached battle strength on par with a Heavenly Emperor in just three hundred years is proof enough of his extraordinary talent.

"For a supreme prodigy with such overwhelming talent, it's not entirely impossible for him to be struck by inspiration and catch glimpses of the realm beyond Supreme. Also... when Divine Martial claimed he was paving a way beyond Supreme, could it be... he might actually show us a direction forward?"

He deliberately used the word "direction" instead of "path."

Even after everything Li Pin had accomplished, Grand Luo still didn't believe he could truly pioneer the road beyond Supreme. At most, he acknowledged that Li Pin's breakthroughs might offer some insight into that realm.

The other Supremes fell silent, each lost in thought.

If that were really true...

Everyone had their own thoughts. But regardless of what they believed, one thing remained the same. They all longed to surpass the Supreme level.

Especially since... from the scattered clues left behind in the Ancient Astral World, they had long known that such a realm most likely existed.

"Let's take a two-pronged approach," Supreme Great Heaven proposed. "Reach out to Black Abyss and confirm the truth behind this. At the same time, have Divine Martial and the others support Li Pin, see if he can push this path even further."

Most of the Supremes nodded in agreement.

"But the current situation in the Astral World is too unstable," Supreme Foundation voiced her concern. "Even if Li Pin does show promise of a path beyond Supreme, we still can't descend personally to understand it more fully."

"It doesn't matter," Supreme Unity said. "If Li Pin really has opened a path toward something beyond Supreme, that alone, together with the Human Race's existing connections and foundation, will be enough. Gathering forty-nine Supremes won't be difficult."

The other Supremes, including Prime Abyss Highlord, all nodded slightly in agreement.

"Anyone know where Black Abyss is?" Great Heaven asked.

"Last we saw him, he was heading toward the region near the Void of Chaos," Supreme Ordainment replied. "Not sure if he actually went in."

"Even if he did, it doesn't matter," Supreme Foundation said with a light smile. "With our current strength, going deep into the Void of Chaos and waiting a thousand, even two thousand years to return isn't a big deal. We have time."

Her gaze shifted to the image of Li Pin stored in Supreme Primordial's data archive. "That little guy... really is full of surprises."

"Let's just hope it's not all hype," Supreme Unity said with a sigh. "Even if it only gives us a bit of insight, I'd already consider that enough."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Beyond Supreme,

huh...

"