“Lord Xuanyuan, you came here too, I see.”
Tang Zhan tipped his head downwards to nod at one of the incoming groups of people.
“Haha, it’d be impossible for me not to come for something like this…the Tang has gained one more Mid-stage Soul King I see, you’ve my congratulations…
The newcomer was an elderly man in gold robes and gray beard. His face was wrinkled, but the expression on it was of solemn dignity. At a glance, the elder looked very kind but also powerful with a strong amount of pressure radiating from his person to a significant enough degree that even Early-stage Soul Kings such as Tang Qianchi dared not to look at him in the eyes.
He was the lord-mayor of Mo City, Xuanyuan Hong. He was also known as Marquis Xuanyuan and was younger than Tang Zhan enough to be considered to be of the younger generation. His strength was of relatively equal levels to Tang Zhan though and was thus considered with him to be equals as a genius.
By his side were a few other elders from the Tianhun School. They were there to protect and safeguard Mo City and were of equal strengths to Tang Qianchi. To his right was a handsome young man whose feet were glowing a bright light, symbolizing that he wasn’t a Soul King but a Soul Exalt. Bai Yunfei would’ve recognized this man if he saw him. This was the one he once met a long time ago, Xuanyuan Jie, the son of the lord-mayor.
“You’re mistaken, lord Xuanyuan. The one who’s advancing this time isn’t from the Tang…” Tang Zhan had a friendly smile on his face as he regarded the younger male as he would with someone else from his generation.
“Oh? An outsider?” Xuanyuan Hong was taken aback, “Who is it then?”
“A student of the Crafting School, his name is Bai Yunfei.”
“Bai Yunfei?” An eyebrow rose up on Xuanyuan Hong’s face, “The very same one from the rumors? Why’s he advancing here in your home?”
Then a look of shock crossed his face, “One moment now…Bai Yunfei?! If my memory serves me correctly, that Bai Yunfei was only a Soul Exalt when he crafted that heaven-tier soul armament a small while ago. Are you saying he’s the one advancing? This is the aura of a Mid-stage Soul King, how could that possibly be Bai Yunfei?!”
“Truth be told,” The smile on Tang Zhan’s face widened, “I couldn’t believe it myself. But that is what it is. This Bai Yunfei…is not your ordinary youngster…each and everything he has done so far has been hard to believe in.”
“It really is him?” Xuanyuan Hong stared off towards where the stream of elemental energy was being sucked into the spatial tear. “He’s made his name a while ago, and now he’s becoming a Mid-stage Soul King. This has to be the crowning achievement for the most talented youngster of the next generation. This Bai Yunfei…just how is he capable of all these things?”
“The elemental fire is decreasing!!”
Someone who had been watching the spectacle closely called out. Everyone else turned to verify the scene for themselves.
Indeed, the stream of elemental fire was distinctively lesser than before, but it was still at a level of output comparable to the other three streams of energy.
“It’s only lessening? Is he not done advancing? What are the other three elements still converging for?”
Several people noticed that something was amiss. The elemental fire might’ve been decreasing, but the other elements were still going strong.
Several of the more stronger figures, such as Tang Zhan, perked up as if they had suddenly realized something.
“Yan Lin, I remember…Bai Yunfei’s soulbeast bird had an affinity for fire, thunder, wind, and wood, correct?”
Tang Wei had been watching the spectacle as well, though he wasn’t standing with Tang Zhan or any of the other Tang members. He and Yan Lin were both standing on top of a small roof to watch the streams of energy go by.
“Yes.” Yan Lin nodded a little absent-mindedly. “So you noticed it too? It’s not just Bai Yunfei that’s advancing. The earlier burst of elemental energy was far too much for just one person. That…soulbeast partner of Bai Yunfei has to be advancing as well!!”
……
“How…noisy.”
As everyone was chattering with one another about the reasons why there was still so much elemental energy in the area, the faint voice of an elderly sounded spoke out over the entire courtyard.
It was practically a whisper, but not a single person in the courtyard could say they didn’t hear it. Several people froze up at once, especially the Soul Kings who looked like they had suddenly been dunked in cold ice. All of the Soul Kings looked extremely shocked in fact!
“Father!!” Even Tang Zhan himself spoke out in shock.
Xuanyuan Hong’s eyes were wide open in astonishment. Respectfully, he spoke, “Pa—patriarch Tang…”
Someone that even Xuanyuan was speaking so reverently to? Who was this person?
And Tang Zhan called him ‘father’...was this Tang Xinyun’s great great grandfather then?!
“Be at ease. Leave this place.”
The elderly voice spoke again before quickly ordering everyone to leave.
“Yes, father.”
“As you wish!”
Tang Zhan and Xuanyuan Hong bowed at once. Revealing looks of fearful respect, the two of them quickly moved to obey.
Straight away, the two started to have everyone in the courtyard disassemble from the area. And in no time at all, the courtyard was nice and quiet with nobody there.
In another section of Tang Manor stood a small quiet room with only a single candle flickering. Kneeling by the candle’s side was an elderly figure who was as shriveled and dried up as wood. Despite the relative weakness of his physique, his eyes were shining brightly with an intensity very few men could dare look at.
He looked as though he had only just woken up from a meditational slumber but was still training a bit. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes from when he was using his soulsense to scan what was going on in Bai Yunfei’s room.
“Bai Yunfei…Zi Jin has a new disciple? He’s a young one and already a Mid-stage Soul King. Fate favors him, how remarkable…”
He murmured slowly to himself. “He’s in a different dimension? The only object capable of taking in elemental energy in a new dimension like this would be…the Regalia ‘Core Stone’. Has it returned to this world after a millennia of disappearance? This youngster has a priceless future ahead of him…
“The Crafting School has new golden era coming to them if a youth like this is guiding them. I recall Qianlei saying before he and little Yun have feelings for one another? A wonderful thing…”
Nothing else was spoken after that. The elder closed his eyes and was soon back in a meditational trance.
……
Inside the Core World.
“Chirp!!”
A chirp resonated across the Core World loud enough to snap Bai Yunfei’s attention away from the Fire-tipped Spear.
“Is he done?” Bai Yunfei smiled. Collecting the Fire-tipped Spear, he flew up into the skies to take a closer look.
The Core World was now in a state where the elemental energy was a lot more sparse compared to before. Only a scant few wisps of energy remained.
A single bird was flying through the skies now, its feathers glowing the colors of the rainbow so that it looked like some kind of divine bird.
“Haha, this…this feels great!!” Xiao Qi chirped. Flapping his wings, he took off in a burst of wind to reach where Bai Yunfei was. “Haha! Yunfei, I’m a mid-stage class seven now!”
Bai Yunfei smiled. “Yeah, good job.”
“Eh? Yunfei, you advanced too?! A Mid-stage Soul King?!” Xiao Qi’s wings flapped excitedly.
“Yeah, it’s thanks to you that I became one.”
“Haha!! That’s great! We’re even stronger now! We don’t have to worry about any bad guys anymore! Hehe, take one down and knock them around! Let them see what it means to anger us! They won’t be bullying little ol’ me!!”
The excitement Xiao Qi was showing had absolutely none of the ‘grace’ that was expected from a mid-stage class seven soulbeast. Xiao Qi was flapping so excitedly that the idiom ‘hands dance and feet trip’ felt so perfect in describing him.
Bai Yunfei laughed. Xiao Qi was enjoying himself to such a great degree, and Bai Yunfei felt happy just watching him. If the path from a mid-stage to late-stage class seven soulbeast could be divvied up into ten sections, then Bai Yunfei would have to wager that Xiao Qi was at the third section. This was much better than himself who was at the first section.
“Eh?” Bai Yunfei realized something was amiss, “Xiao Qi, why haven’t you…humanized yet? Are you still not capable of it?”
Xiao Qi stopped flapping his wings to shake his head. “That…well, hehe. It’s not that I can’t, but I gave up the chance to. I used that chance to get stronger instead.”
“Gave up?!” Bai Yunfei cried out, “Why?”
Most soulbeasts were capable of humanizing upon reaching the class seven level besides the ones with very low amounts of intelligence. The ability to humanize required a certain amount of energy, however.
Take two soulbeasts identical in strength, for example.
If one soulbeast wasn’t interested in humanizing while the second did, the first soulbeast would be stronger than the second while only being able to train in its soulbeast form.
But Bai Yunfei knew just how much Xiao Qi wanted to humanize. He had been so depressed after he found out he couldn’t humanize the first time when he became a class seven soulbeast.
So to hear that Xiao Qi gave up on the chance to humanize was definitely a shocker.
A slightly embarrassed look appeared on Xiao Qi’s face. His right wing scratched at the back of its head as if hide his embarrassment.
“Well…I actually promised Xiao Bai that I’d wait for her to humanize first when she became a class seven…”
“Ah…”
Bai Yunfei was at a loss for words.