Ao Feng

"Years ago, I too was considered to be one of the geniuses of Rain Country. I was in the prime of my youth, filled with longing for the outside world. After I broke through to the Element Gathering Tier, I left my home to find my own way in the world. Eighteen years ago, I was searching for an antique relic in Dark Demon Forest, when I accidentally encountered your mother."

As Ling Dong Xing thought back to his past, his steadfast face could not help revealing a sliver of tenderness, especially when he started to speak of Ling Han's mother.

"Your mother's name is Yue Hong Chang. She was a very beautiful and very gentle woman."

Ling Dong Xing spoke in a murmur, and his gaze became extremely gentle.

"However, the first time we met, we had a slight misunderstanding, and ended up fighting with each other.

After that, we started journeying together, and built up a strong, deep affection for one another.

When your mother was pregnant with you, we decided to return to Gray Cloud Town, and at that moment, I found out that your mother came from a remarkable background. She was the great granddaughter of the Third Elder of Winter Moon Sect.

The Sect Master of Winter Moon Sect was a powerful warrior of the pinnacle of Spiritual Infant Tier, the elders were all in the Spiritual Infant Tier as well. Should any one of them appear, they would be able to easily obliterate our Rain Country!

Your mother's elders intended to marry her off to the descendant of another Elder of the Sect, a man named Ao Feng. He was extremely talented in martial arts--so talented that his talent could be claimed to be in defiance of the natural order. However, he was a philandering character. There were hundreds of women around him, and he even had many sons and daughters born out of wedlock.

Your mother naturally did not wish to marry such a man, so she left home to get away from her worries, after which she met me, got to know me, and entered into a relationship with me.

But eventually, the Winter Moon Sect still discovered your mother's relationship with me, and dispatched elite warriors to capture us. We kept fleeing, and a short while after you were born, your mother's older brother, Yue Zhen Shan, and Ao Feng managed to catch up to us.

I will never forget what Ao Feng did to me at that time. He broke all my fingers one by one in order to force me to say traitorous words about your mother. However, he was disappointed. Even if I die, how could I ever do anything to hurt Hong Chang?

Your mother threatened them by saying that she would end her own life, and with that, managed to guarantee the safety of us father and son, but my Spirit Base was crippled by Ao Feng.

At first, I was of a mind to storm to the Winter Moon Sect and battle to the death, but for your sake, I decided to live out a contemptible life, and so returned to Gray Cloud Town."

Ling Han suddenly understood. No wonder Ling Dong Xing could easily enter and leave the Purple Light Ground Valley which even elite warriors from Hu Yang Academy did not manage to enter. His mother must have left some kind of secret treasure with his father that could ensure his survival years ago.

Spiritual Infant Tier!

Ling Han lightly frowned. It looks like he would not be able to retrieve his mother in the short term. There were ten tiers in martial arts, and the Spiritual Infant Tier was the seventh tier. Meanwhile, he had only just stepped onto the second tier, so no matter how he looked at it, it'd take him about ten, twenty years or even more before he managed to achieve the seventh tier. [1]

And this was still what he, with his comprehension of the tiers up to Heaven Tier, an Immortal Grade Spirit Base, a Heaven Grade cultivation technique and the support of his knowledge as the Alchemy Emperor, could achieve. If it was any other genius, even if they managed to enter the Spiritual Infant Tier within their lifetime, it would still be something that could only be possible after at least two or three hundred years' time.

He had to make full use of his time!

That's because, there was a limit to the lifespan of a martial artist. If a martial artist did not break through to the Flower Blossom Tier, they would enjoy a lifespan no longer than that of a mortal. At best, he would have no pains or illnesses and manage to survive to a hundred years old. But should he be able to break through to Flower Blossom Tier, then he'd be able to gain an extra two hundred years of lifespan, and breaking through to every subsequent tier would reward the martial with another additional two hundred years of lifespan.

Ao Feng!

Flames of rage burned strongly in Ling Han's eyes. Although Ling Dong Xing had played down what he experienced, Ling Han could imagine how much his father had suffered in the hands of Ao Feng on that day, and how much humiliation he had gone through for all his dignity to be lost.

If it was not for his sake, Ling Dong Xing would definitely have stormed the Winter Moon Sect. At worst, he would die.

An insult to the father was the same as insulting the son!

Ling Han had already sentenced Ao Feng to death penalty within his heart. However, as Ao Feng was a disciple of the Winter Moon Sect, and was even labeled a genius existence, what would his current cultivation level be?

Spiritual Ocean? Spiritual Pedestal? Flower Blossom? [2]

"Han'er, although you are very talented, the Winter Moon Sect is still a colossal existence to the two of us. You must not act impulsively. Otherwise, I really will not be able to face your mother anymore!" Ling Dong Xing said after regaining his composure.

Ling Han nodded, and said, "Please don't worry, Father. I will definitely not act impulsively."

"All my hopes are now on your shoulders. You are not only living for the sake of yourself, but also for the sake of your mother!" Ling Dong Xing said deeply.

"I understand!"

"Right, now that you have broken through to the Element Gathering Tier, you can participate in the Da Yuan Tournament!" Ling Dong Xing said, changing the subject.

"Da Yuan Tournament?" Ling Han searched through the memories in his head, and discovered that he did not have any relevant memories regarding this tournament.

Ling Dong Xing smiled, and said, "You had never shown such talent in the field of martial arts before, and so I never spoke of it to you. This Da Yuan Tournament is a martial arts tournament organized by the Da Yuan King's Mansion. It takes place once every three years. The requirements for the participants are: below thirty years old, cultivation level under Gushing Spring Tier, and being a martial artist that belongs within the sphere of control of Da Yuan City."

In Rain Country, cities were the largest administrative area, and there were thirty six great cities all over the country. Every city was responsible for an expansive area. Da Yuan City was one of these thirty six cities, and the one in charge of this city was called the Da Yuan King--he was also a descendant of the founding emperor of Rain Country as the title of Da Yuan City's Lord and Da Yuan King was passed down through the generations.

Under the control of the Da Yuan King's Mansion were four great powers, which were in charge of their own respective barren areas aside from Da Yuan City itself. Stone Wolf Sect was one of them.

"What kind of reward will the champion get?" Ling Han asked.

Ling Dong Xing could not help feeling a little scorn. His son was really quite ambitious to immediately and directly aim for the position of champion. However, this was his excellent son. He thought for a while, and said, "It's apparently some kind of spiritual medicine called Dark Moon Grass. It's the chief ingredient for concocting Purple Origin Pill, which can help a martial artist in the Element Gathering Tier easily break through to the Gushing Spring Tier."

Ling Han was immediately flabbergasted.

The alchemists now.... were they all idiots?

Dark Moon Grass is of such high value, how could it be used to concoct a Yellow Grade High Level pill?! It was the chief ingredient for concocting the "Spatial Pill". The Spatial Pill could help expand the space within the Dantian of a martial artist, and this was something even elite warriors of Heaven Tier would be deeply jealous of!

Such a natural spiritual medicine naturally could let a martial artist in the Element Gathering Tier break through easily and successfully to the Gushing Spring Tier. Its grade was so high that it'd be strange if it did not have this kind of effect. But how wasteful was that?

The chief ingredient of Purple Origin Pill could be easily replaced with a lower grade medicinal ingredient!

Ten thousand years had passed... could it be that there was not even the slightest bit of improvement to alchemy, and alchemy had degraded instead?

Ling Han broke out in a smile. He could not allow such a precious spiritual medicine to be wasted, so he could only take the Dark Moon Grass! Moreover, his Five Elements Origin Nuclei expended too much Origin Power at too fast a pace, and he was just worrying about the limited space within his Dantian! And here, the solution came knocking on his door!

Still, it was already the end of October now, and there were only about two months left before the end of the year, so it did seem to be a bit pressing.

Looks like he would have to make a trip to the Seven Wind Mountains, as the inner core of the Red Scaled Dragon Snake could be used to concoct the "Transcending Origin Pill".

A Transcending Origin Pill would allow the cultivation level of a martial artist in the Element Gathering Tier to forcibly increase by one layer, but it was only effective for martial artists in the early stage of Element Gathering Tier. For Ling Han, if he wanted to reach the middle stage of Element Gathering Tier before the year's end, then the Transcending Origin Pill was his only option.

However, the Red Scaled Dragon Snake was extraordinarily powerful and its whole body was strongly poisonous, thus Ling Han needed to make full preparations for this trip. Otherwise, it would be the same as throwing away his life.