As cold as Lan Yun was, Tianmingâs words made her laugh, if only for a moment. But her expression quickly turned frosty once more. "This is the first time, so I wonât punish you. But if you speak like that again, I will." It was obvious she knew that it was intentional, not a slip of the tongue. Tianming couldnât hide his thoughts from her; she knew that he wanted to bring them closer through this little joke.
"Yes." Tianming nodded.
Lan Yun placed her hands on her legs and straightened her back, accentuating her perky breasts. She was certainly smarter than Demoness Yin. Although she seemed cold and unapproachable, she used little tricks to show off her beauty and figure, tantalizing the young men while prohibiting contact with the opposite sex. When the time came, she wouldnât even have to make the first move. All she would have to do was beckon them and theyâd immediately pounce on her like beasts.
"Be specific. What do you want?" Lan Yun said. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Tianming thought for a moment and said, "I want the Myriadpath Sourcespring."
"The Myriadpath Sourcespring?" A solemn expression formed on Lan Yunâs face. "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"That isnât surprising. All outer mundi disciples come here for the same thing, but youâre the only one whoâll admit it." She stared at him, her voice sinking. "My advice to you is this: donât overestimate yourself. Everyone wants the Myriadpath Sourcespring, which makes it almost impossible to obtain, more so than ordered manna. In Myriadpath Valley, merit can be exchanged for anything except that. Thereâs thousands of people who want it, so you have to be better than them to even stand a chance. Youâd have to be a supreme genius to stand above thousands of Myriadpath Valley disciples.... Do you think you are?"
"I... I donât know yet,â Tianming admitted.
"It doesn't matter. Youâll understand when you hit a wall," Lan Yun coldly said. The woman changed her tune faster than turning the page of a book. Being told she was beautiful had made her happy, but she grew icy as soon as they spoke about his ambitions. The entire courtyard was infected by her cold demeanor.
"Li Tianming, do you know what your biggest weakness and disadvantage is?" Lan Yun asked.
"Iâm a tainted beastmaster with fragmented totems...." Tianming knew that was what she wanted to hear.
"Yes! It seems youâre self-aware. So even if you can defeat a seventh-level cosmic cartographer, a core disciple of Myriadpath Valley at your age, youâll always be despised and remain at the bottom. Myriadpath Valleyâs entire system was built upon a chain of contempt!
"As far as disciples are concerned, the disciples of the top ancient houses look down on those from the ordinary ancient houses, and they look down on ordinary gold myriathpath ring disciples, who look down on black myriadpath ring disciples! To the inner valley disciples, those wearing black myriadpath rings are outsiders and country bumpkins whoâve come to snatch their resources. And the outer mundi disciples despise you for being a mongrel. Do you understand? There are some who jokingly call this place âScorn Valleyâ," Lan Yun explained.
"I understand, but itâs still horrible. I must be the only one whoâs despised by all of Myriadpath Valley," Tianming said with a wry smile.
"Youâre right. Thereâs no point pretending to be optimistic. Itâs just a fact. Itâs a mark on you thatâll never disappear. Even your three senior brothers were confused and disgusted when they saw your hands. Did you notice that?" Lan Yun bluntly said.
"I did." Tianming nodded.
"Everyone in Myriadpath Valley, and most of the people in the Million Mundi believe that tainted beastmasters have little potential. Even if you quickly progress in the early stages due to special circumstances and youâre stronger than your peers here, theyâll remind you time and again that you will soon be surpassed and eventually fall to the bottom!" Lan Yun said, intensifying her voice.
It wasnât easy to accept, but Tianming couldn't argue against it. However, before he could say anything, Lan Yun continued, "I see that you have many tricks. You have lifebound beasts, totems, and wonders, but your lifebound beasts are joined to your bodyâthey don't even have their own physical form. You have many totems, but theyâre all fragmented. You look like an all-rounder when you fight, so you must be very proud, right?"
Tianming shook his head. "No."
"Thatâs good. You may seem accomplished in every area right now, but youâll end up failing at all of them the further up you go. After all, humans have limited energy and Myriadpath Valley is filled with people who are more talented than you. They specialize in one thing, whether itâs lifebound beasts, totems, or wonders. Theyâll eventually succeed at whatever it is they focus on while you struggle to juggle everything. You have to learn to let go." Lan Yun didnât sound like she was joking. From the tone of her voice, it seemed that she was guiding Tianming based on her knowledge and experience.
"Yes, youâre right. I understand." Tianming didnât want to argue with her, as it was pointless.
"How many orders do you possess?" Lan Yun asked.
"Eight..." Tianming replied without hesitation.
"My goodness!" Lan Yun palmed her forehead, rolling her eyes as she continued, "Youâre the most greedy cultivator Iâve ever seen. If you want to grow stronger, you have to learn to give up certain cultivation methods and orders and specialize in one."
"Iâll think about it and make a choice,â Tianming said.
"Alright."
Lan Yun seemed to take him for his word. She thought Tianmingâs style of cultivation was outrageous; although he had many tricks and techniques and made quick progress, wouldnât his cultivation level be even higher if he focused on just one method and order? Skipping levels sounded impressive, but it was also a disadvantage if one was perpetually stuck at a lower level and had to leapfrog all the time.
"Youâve taken first place on the Skyward Ranking. Itâs recorded on the myriadpath ring. Huang Daolie failed to kill you, so he can't change that fact. Once youâve settled down, youâll go to a place called the Heavensource Starriver to receive your reward. What you want is ordered manna, right?" Lan Yun asked, her voice cold.
"Yes, Master." Tianming nodded, taking note of the place. Although he didnât know how to get there, Li Fan did.
"Alright then. From now on, youâre to focus on cultivating and familiarizing yourself with Myriadpath Valley. Go to your senior brothers if you have any questions and build a good relationship with them. If you want to leave, it's best you go with them. Donât give the Huang House an opportunity to kill you. I donât have time to keep an eye on you," Lan Yun said. It was rare for her to talk so much. She certainly hadnât said as much to her other disciples the first time they met.
"Yes!" Tianming nodded again.
"One last thingâ" Lan Yun stood up in front of Tianming and a frosty chill rushed toward him. "You said that you want the Myriadpath Sourcespring?" Lan Yun asked.