Before going into seclusion, Zhao Ling had personally given Zhao Wuji a sound-transmission token that could reach a thousand miles. As long as Zhao Wuji sent a message through it, Zhao Ling would immediately sense it.
Over the years, Zhao Wuji had never once used this token, afraid it would disturb his father's breakthrough.
For both father and son.
Zhao Ling's breakthrough into Mahayana was more important than anything else. That was the highest priority. This time, when he wanted to deal with Lin Ya, Zhao Wuji had been willing to spend half his fortune to invite Li Heng's help, but he still hadn't thought of troubling his father.
But now… Li Heng had died so miserably. Zhao Wuji truly feared he would be the next.
After sending the message, Zhao Wuji still felt uneasy.
He worried whether his father was at the critical moment of breaking through, and whether he would be disturbed.
He also worried that if his father was immersed in the breakthrough and didn't see the message, then by the time he emerged, Zhao Wuji's life might already be gone.
While Zhao Wuji was still anxious.
The token suddenly lit up the next instant. The communication connected.
From within came Zhao Ling's deep voice, carrying boundless joy, "Wuji? Truly, you and I father and son share the same heart! I just broke through to Mahayana, and I immediately received your message!"
Zhao Wuji's eyes lit up at once.
What?
His father, after so many years in seclusion, had finally broken past the bottleneck of Tribulation Crossing Stage and stepped into Mahayana!
"Father! That's wonderful news!" Zhao Wuji couldn't help but cry out with joy.
That's Mahayana!
Although there were great differences even among those in Mahayana.
This realm itself was already that of the strongest under Heaven.
Even within Qingxiao Pavilion, a Mahayana cultivator could wield considerable authority!
Zhao Ling's mood was excellent. Laughing, he said, "After years of accumulation, I finally broke through! Wuji, prepare yourself to come to Qingxiao Pavilion. With my cultivation now, I should obtain the position of Elder. At that time, when I bring you into Qingxiao Pavilion, no one will object."
The Holy Lands demanded extremely high standards for disciples.
If one was not yet Mahayana, even to accept a disciple required passing the sect's test.
Zhao Ling had thought of directly taking Zhao Wuji under him to cultivate in Qingxiao Pavilion. After all, compared with the outside world, the resources there were on an entirely different level.
But Zhao Wuji's talent was simply too weak. He could not even reach the lowest threshold for being accepted as a disciple by a Holy Land.
And compared with the other three Holy Lands, Qingxiao Pavilion's rules were even stricter, sometimes to the point of being utterly inhuman. Therefore, Zhao Wuji could only remain unrelated to Qingxiao Pavilion for the time being.
Later, Zhao Ling had painstakingly arranged for Zhao Wuji to join a mid-tier sect in the Canglan Kingdom nearby.
Zhao Wuji didn't need that sect's resources or techniques. Those, his father would provide.
But with Zhao Wuji's aptitude, he could only hope to reign supreme in a mid-tier sect.
If he had been placed in an upper-tier sect, he would never be able to fully suppress others.
Zhao Ling doted on his son. He only wanted Zhao Wuji to live as he pleased, never suffering any grievances.
Originally.
In a small place like Tianxing Sect, wasn't the position of Sect Master easily in reach?
Yet who would've thought that even with all the resources Zhao Ling had poured into him, within Tianxing Sect there was still one called Lin Ya, who firmly pressed Zhao Wuji down.
Even those few meddlesome Grand Elders of Tianxing Sect seemed to favor Lin Ya as Sect Master.
His son was forced to live beneath another in such a small, mid-tier sect?
This, Zhao Ling absolutely could not accept.
And so.
It was simple. Lin Ya was gravely injured, robbed of any chance to advance further.
Zhao Ling also knew the Grand Elders surely suspected him of being behind it.
But what could they do?
Even so, Zhao Ling didn't want to push them too far. He instructed Zhao Wuji, Lin Ya was already a cripple. There was no need to strike again. Just slowly wear him down, and then use the rules to force him out.
As far as Zhao Ling was concerned, Lin Ya's matter was a trifle.
Tianxing Sect was too small. It's only a place for Wuji to amuse himself.
Wuji's true goal should be to follow his father into Qingxiao Pavilion!
Now that Zhao Ling broke through to Mahayana, he would have more say within the sect. When it came to taking disciples, he would no longer need to go through the sect's tests.
So, all these years of seclusion were not just for himself, they were also for Zhao Wuji.
The higher one's cultivation, the harder it was to leave behind descendants. Zhao Wuji had been born when Zhao Ling first stepped upon the path of cultivation. Afterwards, he might very well remain Zhao Ling's only blood relative.
For this son, he's like any father of the mortal world, planning everything, worrying about everything, only hoping his son could go a little further.
And now!
He had finally succeeded.
He's already in Mahayana Stage!
He could now directly take Zhao Wuji into Qingxiao Pavilion.
Zhao Ling's mood was very good.
Zhao Wuji, after his initial joy, gave a bitter smile, "Father, I'm afraid… I can't leave."
"? What do you mean?" Zhao Ling was stunned. He quickly said, "Are you resenting me for not contacting you all these years? Wuji, I did it so I could break through sooner and bring you to Qingxiao Pavilion! Once you come, I'll personally guide you. Later, when father and son are both Mahayana, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Zhao Wuji shook his head, his voice even more bitter, "How could I not understand Father's devotion? It's just… I've run into a bit of trouble here."
Hearing that, Zhao Ling only felt lighter, "Trouble? Your troubles are nothing but small clowns jumping about. Don't worry, I'll come in person. While bringing you to Qingxiao Pavilion, I'll conveniently wipe out those clowns."
After reaching Mahayana, Zhao Ling's confidence surged.
What could Zhao Wuji possibly have encountered? There's nothing that he couldn't crush with a single finger.
But Zhao Wuji's expression only grew more bitter. He said quietly, "It's like this. One of the 'troubles' seems to be the Sect Master of Kunlun Sword Sect, along with his chief disciple, Cang Li."
Zhao Ling: "???"
He instinctively rubbed his ears.
What the hell?
Did he mishear something?
The Sect Master of Kunlun Sword Sect?
How could Zhao Wuji possibly provoke such a person?
In theory, he shouldn't even have the chance to meet someone of that level.
Zhao Ling was about to ask if his son was saying nonsense.
But Zhao Wuji took a deep breath and said, "There's also someone calling himself Qing Yun, suspected to be a Ninth-Rank Alchemist."
Qing Yun…
Zhao Ling was dumbfounded again.
If it was really that Qing Yun, there was no need to say "suspected."
One of the three great Ninth-Rank Alchemists of Xuandan Sect, renowned throughout the cultivation world.
"And another one, though she seems a bit less famous. Likely a senior from Beast Taming Sect, her Dao name appears to be Liuli," Zhao Wuji said honestly.
At this point, he dared not hide a single thing, afraid his father wouldn't grasp the severity of the situation.
Zhao Ling clutched his chest.
Liuli…
Wasn't that Beast Taming Sect's most gifted Mahayana Beast Tamer?
The path others needed thousands of years to tread.
It was said she had taken only five hundred years to break into Mahayana, setting a record at the time.
And now, who knew how many years had passed since then.
Her current strength could be summed up in one word:
Unfathomable.
Zhao Ling's voice trembled, "So… how did you manage to provoke all of them at the same time???"
Did his son have some bizarre talent?
Even he himself would find it extremely difficult to offend so many great figures at once, unless he had gone mad and deliberately provoked them!
But Zhao Wuji wasn't that stupid, was he?!