731 Gathering of Lantai“Would you believe me if I told you I used to be a Heavenly Being who could dominate an entire planet with ease?”

Chen Fan opened his eyes with a half smile on his face.

Chen Fan had registered a cold glare trained on him everytime he was with Qi Qingwei. He didn’t bother to question her since she had not attacked him yet.

By then, Chen Fan felt that most of his wounds had healed and he was on the verge of a full recovery.

“You claimed to be a Cultivator from an Exalted Sect, but none of the disciples in the seven major Exalted Sects is named Chen Beixuan. I had people search in all their listings. I bet that you are either from a cultivation family or a secluded sect. Either way, you better stay far away from my sister.”

Qi Qingwei’s questioning gaze was as cold as ice.

“You think too much,” Chen Fan replied.

“I am the Senior Apprentice-Sister of the Mixed-Essence Sect and the future Sect Master. If you marry my sister, you would become my in-law. Xiu’er is still a babe in the woods, so I need to look out for her. You weren’t planning to accept her as your disciple only because of her talent, were you?”

Qi Qingwei smirked.

Qi Xiu’er was a lovely goofball, but she was far less talented in terms of cultivation compared to her elder sister. It would even be impossible for her to reach the Ethereal Enlightenment realm, let alone the Divine Sea.

“Haha, Qi Qingwei, you think too highly of yourself,” Chen Beixuan laughed and continued, “I have travelled in many worlds, and never once did I rely on a woman for survival. Plus, do you really think that you’re that much better than your younger sister?”

Qi Qingwei grew quiet, but her eyes were filled with indignation.

She had made a name for herself after reaching the peak of the Divine Sea in her twenties. In the Realm of Kunxu, only Qian Yexue or the Young Master of the Azure Mystic Sect could rival her talent. There was no doubt that she was going to reach the Earth Level Deity realm—a feat that only one in ten million people could achieve. Qian Yexue simply couldn’t compare.

Chen Fan asked abruptly, “What if I told you that Qi Xiu’er’s talent is at least a hundred times greater than yours? She has the potential to surpass the Earth Level Deity realm and become a Sky Immortal in the future.”

Being the North Mystic Celestial Lord, Chen Beixuan would not fall for a random girl so easily. He had decided to take Qi Xiu’er in only because he noticed the presence of the Divine Meridian in her body.

“Haha.”

Qi Qingwei snickered; she turned her head back and began to walk away. “There will be many powerful cultivators at the Gathering of Lantai. Be mindful of what you say. If you piss off some big wig, no one will be able to save your hide, not even me…”

Chen Fan closed his eyes once Qi Qingwei was finally out of sight.

“Qi Qingwei, you have been living under a rock. You would never be able to grasp the full extent of my power.”

Qi Qingwei left Chen Fan alone after that conversation.

Chen Fan didn’t mind the arrogance of the Mixed-Essence Sect’s disciples; he actually enjoyed the quietness without them. On the other hand, Qi Xiu’er approached Chen Fan almost everyday, asking information about the outside world. Chen Fan entertained her with wild stories about Earth and the Universe.

Qi Xiu’er supported her curious head with palms and asked, “Are there really mighty Immortal cultivators out there in space? How would they compare against the Earth Level Deity from the Azure Mystic Sect?”

“A Perfected Immortal can defeat a billion Azure Mystic Sect cultivators with only one finger. A drop of blood from a Perfected Immortal is enough to annihilate an entire planet,” Chen Fan said calmly.

“What a load of nonsense.” The two Mixed-Essence Sect disciples who happened to pass by snorted.

A young man in a white outfit snickered and said, “The Azure Mystic Sect Master is the most powerful Earth Level Deity in the Realm of Kunxu. He was believed to be undefeatable three hundred years ago. Other than the Cloud Heaven Thearch in the Yuntian Palace, no one can rival his power. Not even a sky immortal is able to fend off a billion Azure Mystic Sect Masters, much less anyone else.”

“Chen Beixuan, you can only fool a little girl, but as long as Senior Apprentice-Sister Qinwei is around, you will never be able to marry Xiu’er.” The other disciple shook his head.

Qi Xiu’er’s face flushed red as she waved her fist at them.

“Don’t mind them. They are living under a rock,” Chen Fan said.

After the two disciples were gone, Qi Xiu’er asked disheartenedly, “Immortal Master Chen, they say that I only have a Crude Spirit Root and the best thing for me is to marry an elite disciple from our sect. But I want to be like my sister, I want to be strong and powerful. I don’t think I will ever be like that though.”

In the Realm of Kunxu, a person’s Spirit Root quality was the deciding factor for selecting talent.

A Crude Spirit Root was of the lowest quality, which could then be graded as Inferior, Medium, Superior and ultimately the Supreme grade.

A Crude Spirit Root was at the bottom, and people with Crude Spirit Roots would never be able to reach the Ethereal Enlightenment realm. Only those who had Supreme-grade Spirit Roots could reach the Earth Level Deity realm. Cultivators such as the Young Master of the Azure Mystic Sect or Tian Mingzi possessed the best quality Spirit Roots.

The girl already knew that her inborn talent was lacking, but she had kept that sore spot hidden until then.

“Silly girl, you don’t have a Crude Spirit Root, you have the Red Sparrow’s Divine Meridian. You are destined to reach the nine heavens to compete against the most powerful beings in this universe. Those idiots have no idea what they are talking about.”

Chen Fan burst into laughter.

Chen Fan scanned the girl’s system with his Li Fire Golden Eyes and found a Red Flame in the shape of a bird deep inside her soul energy. The bird flapped its fiery wings and was ready to reveal itself.

“A Red Sparrow’s Divine Meridian?” Qi Xiu’er murmured to herself.

Chen Fan explained calmly, “There are countless variations when it comes to Divine Meridians in the vast universe, but the Red Sparrow’s Divine Meridian is not just any Divine Meridian. The Red Sparrow is the Lord of Fire, a Divine Beast; therefore, the Red Sparrow’s Divine Meridian is among the most potent Divine Meridians. Those who possess it can easily reach the Soul Formation realm, if not the Void Returning level. You might even become an Immortal if you try hard enough.”

A Divine Meridian was in essence similar to a Divine Body, but unlike Divine Bodies, Divine Meridians were given at birth and couldn’t be obtained through cultivation. The Kun Peng Form Chen Fan had used was one kind of a Divine Meridian. In fact, it was one of the most powerful Divine Meridians.

“Really?”

Qi Xiu’er was shocked, but hope and glee slowly lit up in her eyes.

From that day onward, Qi Xiu’er became much quieter. Instead of asking Chen Fan useless questions, she listened to Chen Fan’s teachings carefully and started cultivating in earnest.

As time flew by quickly, the gathering of Lantai was about to begin.

Lantai Mountain was located near the shores of the Fury Dragon River. It was shaped like a broad leaf pointing upwards. An arena had been built at the top of the tallest mountain where young cultivators would gather to compete. The winner of the competition would become the next ruler of Kunxu.

“There should have been many more powerful contestants this year. Cultivators such as the beautiful Qian Yexue from the Snow God Palace, Tian Mingzi who perfected the Wind Thunder Dao Body and the Young Master of the Azure Mystic Sect who possesses the Dao Body of Nascent Divinity—all of them were strong candidates to win the competition. However, they went missing after they entered the mortal world,” someone exclaimed.

“It doesn’t matter, the Realm of Kunxu is full of amazing talents,” someone else said.

“Li Wenchan from Leiyin Mountain developed the Diamond Body as a teenager. He was only half-step away from achieving the same level of attainment as the Elephant God Master. Bai Suxian from the Snow God Palace was once defeated by Qian Yexue, but she’s a powerful contender nonetheless. Qi Qingwei from the Mixed-Essence Sect is also a force to be reckoned with. Her Mixed-Essence Infinity Force is quite something.

“Not to mention the many inner disciples from the Azure Mystic Sect, the Dashi Sect, Fentian Valley, and the Heavenly Thunder Sect. Oh, and you-know-who from the Yuntian Palace.”

The mentioning of the Yuntian Palace made everyone quiet down.

The Thearch’s Son

The son of the Cloud Heaven Thearch was said to possess Divine Powers the moment he was born, granting him the unthinkable ability to control the passage of time using his eyes. He had since dominated the Realm of Kunxu and was feared even by the Young Master of the Azure Mystic Sect.

“The realm of Kunxu is full of talents. I can’t wait to see all of them become Heavenly Beings and bring all the other worlds to their knees!” an elder exclaimed.

Qi Xiu’er heard the old man’s words and she was seized by embarrassment. She hunched her back a little and moved closer to Chen Fan. Her action didn’t sit well with her elder sister as a cold light came up in Qi Qingwei’s eyes.

The Gathering of Lantai would take place at the Lantai Mountain.

Only a small handful cultivators were qualified to fight in the arena; most other cultivators could only wait at the bottom of the hill. As time went by, more and more cultivators gathered at the foothill.

The Gathering of Lantai happened every twenty years and was one of the biggest events in Kunxu.

Many Earth Level Deities would attend to watch the competition, and to spot talented young men and women who could be potential proteges. This was the time for the young generation to shine.

Qi Qingwei looked into the distant river and said, “A thousand year old white water dragon dwells inside the Fury Dragon River. He comes out of hiding every twenty years to harness the moon’s energy. The person able to capture the beast and make use of its energy can shave off ten years’ worth of hard work.

“However, over the last hundred years, only the Azure Mystic Sect Master and the Changhe Sword Immortal have been able to pull it off. ”

Her words gave the people around her a sense of admiration toward those senior cultivators.

Qi Xiu’er looked up at Chen Fan and exclaimed, “Immortal Master Chen, I want to be like Changhe Sword Immortal and force the old dragon to give up his energy. That would be so awesome!”

“A thousand year old white water dragon is a very precious thing. If I could take its Inner Essence so I can mix it with the Divine Child, I might be able to create an even more powerful Grand Pill.”

Chen Fan gazed at the river and was lost in thought for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered Qi Xiu’er.

“Changhe Sword Immortal is weak. I can beat him with just one hand. Don’t be like him.”

Chen Fan’s words attracted many glares from people around him.

A scornful voice shot up, “Changhe Sword Immortal is the most powerful cultivator from the Azure Mystic Sect. He subjugated the white water dragon by severing the flow of the river. Who the heck are you to question his ability?”

Chen Fan furrowed his brow and looked at the speaker.

He saw five people, three men and two women walking toward him.

The leader was a man in a dark robe that was covered with a thunder motif. Lightning energy flashed in his eyes, bringing out the coldness in his smirk.