4513 Hu Ming Yue, the Envoy of the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion



In the morning.

Duan Ling Tian was anticipating good news before he departed from the Duan clan. Alas, he found out that Duan You Wei, the pillar of the Duan clan, had fallen yesterday.

After breaking the news to Duan Ling Tian, Duan Bing; the Clan Leader of the Duan clan, reminded, "For now, only the high-ranking members of the Duan clan are aware of this. You're the only one among the Revered Elders who's aware of this. Please keep this matter a secret. The Duan clan needs time to prepare for the repercussions that will come after the old ancestor's death."

Duan Bing continued to say, "We decided to tell you about this due to your relationship with the old ancestor. Please don't blame yourself. Even if the old ancestor didn't go to the God Defying World with you, it was only a matter of time before the Fu clan made a move against the old ancestor. You should focus on the Realm of Origin. The Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion might even grant your wish if you perform brilliantly. You don't need to worry about the Duan clan. We're not pushovers after all."

…

Duan Bing's words continued to echo in Duan Ling Tian's mind even after he left the Duan clan with the envoy of the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion. He was silent as he boarded the flying ship with another two Revered Elders.

This time, Duan Ling Tian did not bring Tan Xiu Teng with him. He would send for Tan Xiu Teng if he successfully joined the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion. Before leaving the Duan clan, he had offered to lift the Heaven Vault's Blood Oath so Tan Xiu Teng could leave. However, Tan Xiu Teng declined the offer. After following Duan Ling Tian, he gained many things that he could only dream of in the past after all. As such, he was willing to wait and continue to serve Duan Ling Tian.

The envoy of the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion was a middle-aged man dressed in a long white robe. After boarding the flying ship, he sat cross-legged across from the Duan Ling Tian and the others.

At this time, one of the Duan clan's Revered Elders, a young man dressed in a long green robe who was sitting next to Duan Ling Tian, greeted Duan Ling Tian and said enthusiastically, "Grand Revered Elder, I heard that you've comprehended the Sword Dao to the sixth stage! Can you give me some advice regarding the Sword Dao when it's convenient for you?"

Duan Ling Tian was pulled back to his senses by the green-clad young man's voice. He looked at the green-clad young man and nodded silently.

"Thank you, Grand Revered Elder! By the way, I don't think I've told you, but my name is Xue Ao," the green-clad young man said. Then, he smiled apologetically before he continued to say, "I apologize for interrupting your thoughts. I'll leave you alone for now."

Xue Ao could tell he had interrupted Duan Ling Tian's thoughts earlier, but he could not help himself. He had joined the Duan clan later, but he had heard that the Grand Revered Elder of the Duan clan was very close to becoming a peerless top advanced Supreme God. He knew such a person was rare even in a saint-rank force like the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion. He was a prodigy as well, but Duan Ling Tian was in a completely different league.

The other Revered Elder of the Duan clan was a middle-aged man dressed in a long black robe. He placed a seemingly ordinary sword, which emitted a faint Divine Energy, across his lap as he sat cross-legged. 

Xue Ao turned to the middle-aged man and said casually, "Revered Elder Lan Ming, what are you doing? I remember you used a prime divine artifact when we sparred previously, not an ordinary sword…

Lan Ming, the middle-aged man, opened his eyes. He looked at Xue Aoa and said, "Revered Elder Xue Ao, even before I had a prime divine artifact, this sword had been with me for a long time. When I was still weak, I obtained this sword from the legacy I inherited from a sword cultivator. Thanks to this sword, my Sword Dao managed to surpass that of that sword cultivator. This sword could be considered my mentor and the source of my inspiration. As such, whenever I comprehended the Sword Dao, I'd bring it out. Alas, as time passed, I became less and less inspired by it. Perhaps, it won't be long before it lies in a corner of my spatial ring covered in dust…"

Lan Ming's words at the end were a metaphor. After all, not a speck of dust could get into a spatial ring.

"How remarkable! It seems like everyone has different ways of comprehending the Sword Dao. As for me, I rely on my imagination to comprehend the Sword Dao. However, the foundation of my Sword Dao came from my elder," Xue Ao said with a smile, "Rather similar to you, my Sword Dao has also surpassed that of my elder. It seems like it's a case of the student surpassing the master for both of us."

Xue Ao paused and glanced at Duan Ling Tian, who was sitting cross-legged, before he lowered his voice and said in a hushed tone, "The Grand Revered Elder must have surpassed his master more than both of us did…"

Lan Ming nodded in agreement. "There's no doubt about it. After all, the Grand Revered Elder has comprehended the Sword Dao to the sixth stage."

At this time, Duan Ling Tian, who overheard the duo's conversation, opened his eyes. He said to them, "No, you're wrong. I haven't surpassed my master's Sword Dao. My master should've comprehended the Sword Dao to the seventh stage at least."

Xue Ao and Lan Ming's eyes widened in shock and disbelief upon hearing Duan Ling Tian's words.

At the same time, the envoy of the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed until now, suddenly opened his eyes and rose to his feet. In just a blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Duan Ling Tian and asked, "Revered Elder Ling Tian, is what you said true?"

Duan Ling Tian nodded as he replied, "Yes. I have no reason to lie. When my Sword Dao was at the fourth stage, my master's Sword Dao was already at my current stage."

Duan Ling Tian had always admired his master, Feng Qing Yang. Thanks to his various fortuitous encounters, his cultivation base was higher than that of Feng Qing Yang. However, his Sword Dao had always been behind Feng Qing Yang. In the past, whenever he thought that his Sword Dao had surpassed that of his master, he would quickly be disabused of that notion when they met.

The envoy's tone turned more polite as he continued to ask, "Based on my knowledge, there are only two Saints who comprehended the Sword Dao to the seventh stage. May I know who your master is?"

Duan Ling Tian shook his head. "My master is neither one of the two Saints…"

The envoy speculated inwardly, 'If that's the case, his master must be a reclusive Saint…"

Following that, the envoy said amiably, "Revered Elder Ling Tian, if you perform brilliantly in the Realm of Origin, the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion definitely won't mistreat you."

"Thank you for the reminder, senior. I'll do my very best," Duan Ling Tian replied.

"My name is Hu Ming Yue. You can address me as Brother Hu. Who knows? Perhaps, you'll be joining the Jade Tide Heavenly Mansion soon," Hu Ming Yue said with a smile.

This was the first time Duan Ling Tian and the other two heard of Hu Ming Yue's name.