When Ling Han filed his request with the Academy, numerous forces in the Imperial Capital all received notifications.
"What? He's actually leaving the Academy at a time like this? Moreover, he's even leaving the Imperial Capital?"
"Is he seeking death?"
"The Luo Clan and Zhao Clan will definitely seek revenge!"
"He'll face certain death once he leaves the Imperial Capital!"
"Indeed! No matter how prodigious he is, he's still only at the medium extreme of the Mountain River Tier. His battle prowess definitely can't exceed the consummate level, and far too many people are able to suppress him."
"Does he think he can do as he pleases just because the Ninth King supports him?"
"Although he's a prodigy, he's far too stupid."
"Mm-hm, being a cultivation prodigy has nothing to do with whether one is socially adept or not. This kind of prodigy… There's no point investing in him. He can only cause trouble, and he doesn't know when to advance or retreat, either!"
All of a sudden, the various forces that wanted to recruit Ling Han all chose to retreat.
They had already been cautious to begin with as Ling Han had offended Zhao Lun, after all. If they really recruited him, they would face the risk of offending the Zhao Clan. Now that Ling Han was acting so rashly, they could only shake their heads in disappointment.
If they recruited Ling Han, it was entirely possible that he would bring great calamity upon them and destroy their entire clan before he even grew to become much.
***
Luo Clan Residence.
"That brat actually left the Imperial Capital?" Luo Hongdao faltered momentarily. He was almost unable to believe that someone could be so stupid. However, he immediately started laughing, and he said, "He's truly asking for death!
"Go, send someone to kill him. The assassins from the Dark Night Hall are far too unreliable. It's already been so long, yet they still haven't managed to kill this small cultivator at the Mountain River Tier. Since he's traveling so far away, be sure to clean the scene up properly. It can't have anything to do with us.
"Heh, it's 100,000 True Origin Stones, after all. There's no point in giving it to others for nothing.
"Most importantly, remember to retrieve the Crimson Ground Locking Net. The clan sacrificed a lot to forge it, and we definitely can't have it fall into someone else's hands!"
***
Zhao Lun sat upright as he listened to Zuo Xiao's and Fan Yong's reports.
A cold smile tugged at his lips, and he said, "Father privately obtained some Mountain River Stones for me. He even gave me a Nine Darkness Divine Pill. I'm going to cultivate in seclusion, and when I exit, I'll have reached the peak stage of the consummate level.
"When the time comes, I'll break through to the Sun Moon Tier and become the youngest elite at the Sun Moon Tier in the history of the Majestic Empire!
"So, I'll hand the task of killing that ant to you two!
"As you command, Young Master!" Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong both went down on one knee as they respectfully accepted Zhao Lun's command.
Even though Zhao Lun had been greatly humiliated, they still didn't dare show even the tiniest ounce of disrespect, as they knew that he wasn't inferior to Ling Han. They were naturally more optimistic about Zhao Lun's prospects. He was the son of a Great General, while Ling Han was merely an ant from a small world. Was there even any comparison at all?
The Ninth King was still young, and she was still at an age where her temperament would fluctuate greatly. Her having a favorable impression of Ling Han now didn't mean that she would have a favorable impression of him in the future. In any case, Zhao Lun was still the only child of Great General Zhao, right?
Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong were both stunned by Zhao Lun's words. Zhao Lun was bravely marching forward after suffering utter humiliation, and if he could truly break through to the Sun Moon Tier, he would definitely become the most dazzling prodigy in the entire Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire.
This step was far too hard to take. At least 90% of Immortal level cultivators in the Chaotic Stars Majestic Empire were at the Mountain River Tier. However, only less than one in 10,000 would eventually succeed in breaking through to the Sun Moon Tier!
Zhao Lun was less than 1,000 years old right now; one's head would go numb at the thought of him advancing to the Sun Moon Tier. Just how bright was his future going to be?
Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong both sighed in astonishment. Although their talents were slightly inferior to Zhao Lun's, they were still two-star geniuses who were closing in on three stars. However, the gulf between them became far more evident when looking at how fast their cultivation levels rose. They were already over 20,000 years old right now, yet their cultivation level was still only at the high extreme.
It was because they received far, far fewer cultivation resources than Zhao Lun that the difference between theirs and Zhao Lun's talent had been magnified so immensely.
"Although that ant is only at the medium extreme, he possesses a powerful spiritual secret technique. These two jade seals can defend against 100 or so spiritual attacks; take them with you." Zhao Lun tossed two jade seals toward his followers.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong were both overjoyed.
When it came to God Tools, those that were related to the divine sense were the rarest. Meanwhile, those that were used for offensive purposes were even rarer, most being used for defensive purposes. Even so, God Tools that were used to defend against spiritual attacks were still immensely valuable as they could only be refined by great elites at the Heavenly Body Tier.
Zhao Lun pondered for a moment, and he still felt that their chance of success wasn't high enough. He retrieved a sword, and said, "I'll bestow you two with this Purple Moon Crescent Sword as well. My father has carved nine divine patterns on it, and once activated, it can unleash a battle prowess on par with cultivators at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier."
Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong had still been a little anxious before. After all, Ling Han possessed the Crimson Ground Locking Net, meaning he could render one of them immobile, and thus allow himself to complete an insta-kill. However, this sword filled them with confidence again.
So what if Ling Han possessed the Crimson Ground Locking Net? They would directly cut it into pieces!
"Understood! We'll definitely do Young Master proud!" they answered confidently.
***
Shui Yanyu came to find Ling Han, and they left the Imperial Capital together.
After exiting the city gates, Ling Han stood in the distance and gazed at the ancient city. All kinds of emotions swirled in his mind.
Although he hadn't stood out too much in the Imperial Capital, there had always been a nagging pressure that reminded him of his identity as a hostage. Now that he was finally able to leave, this feeling of pressure was instantly replaced with a feeling of relaxation.
He had indeed left once before, but that time was different as there had been a Ding Li'an watching over them. He had been like a prisoner let out for fresh air. He had only been able to head to the Heavenly Sea Mystery Realm, and whether he traveled or stopped had not been up to him to decide.
"Wife, it's only the two of us now." Ling Han smiled, and said, "Perhaps you can give me a passionate kiss or something?"
Shui Yanyu rolled her eyes, and said, "Now that we've left the Imperial Capital, dangers lurk around every corner. Can't you be a little more serious?"
"Fine, fine, I'll be serious." Ling Han retrieved the Cloud Piercing Shuttle, and then said, "Wife, after you!"
Shui Yanyu didn't correct how Ling Han referred to her. His face was as thick as a city wall, and she was happy with this title as well.
Xiu!
Ling Han activated the Cloud Piercing Shuttle after they both entered the God Tool. The sleek and beautiful shuttle instantly sliced through space at a tremendously quick speed. Only when it became a tiny black dot in the distance did the deafening roar of a sonic boom finally travel over.
It was incredibly hard to break the sound barrier in the Immortal Realm, and only very few elites at the Sun Moon Tier could achieve this feat.
The tailing forces all humphed heavily upon seeing the shuttle disappear into the distance.
"There's no need to hurry. Their destination is definitely the Star Sea. We can assassinate them when we get there!"
The shuttle was insanely quick as it sped through space.
Shui Yanyu's eyes were looking straight ahead, yet her beautiful face was flushing redder and redder with each passing second. She finally couldn't contain herself, and scolded, "I'll chop your hands off if they keep messing around!"
Ling Han chuckled, but didn't retract his hands. Instead, he hugged Shui Yanyu over, and said, "Wife, I love it when your mouth says no but your body says yes."
"Pervert!" Shui Yanyu's face was flushed red with embarrassment.
"You really need to learn some new vocabulary. You call me the same thing over and over again, and I've almost become tired of listening to it!"
"Mmm—"
Shui Yanyu was just about to retort, yet her ruby lips had already been sealed by Ling Han's kiss. The words in her mouth instantly melted into a seductive moan. At the same time, her jade-like arms involuntarily wrapped around Ling Han's neck, her enchantingly beautiful eyes becoming misty like water.This means extremely shameless.