The first to arrive was Lan Yunzhu. She smiled happily after seeing Li Qiye: “Wow, Uncle, I didn't expect that you were hiding so many beauties here!”
“What is this about hiding? I'm clearly doing it in the open. That's why I told you, your looks alone can barely qualify to be my bed-warming maid.” Li Qiye said flatly.
“Less daydreaming!” Yunzhu coquettishly blurted while clawing at him like a young girl. Of course, Li Qiye was unperturbed.
Yunzhu was the hottest topic in Sacred Nether at the moment, the goddess in so many young experts' mind, the lover in their dream. Alas, she was only a jovial and normal girl before him.
“Since you are here, get ready.” Li Qiye said.
“Yes, I will follow you wherever.” Yunzhu answered directly this time without putting up a show.
Long Jingxian and Jian Wushuang came right after to the sect. Wushuang was always quiet but Jingxian immediately chattered it up.
“Ugly Qiye, I'll suppress you now!” This was her greeting towards him.
“You alone? Too inexperienced and weak.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head.
Jingxian didn't refute and immediately opened her fate palaces. Twelve appeared neatly above her head, full of authority and immortal energy.
Anyone else would be shocked at this sight due to the rarity of this achievement even across the long trek of time.
Li Qiye wasn't surprised at all and nodded: “Hmm, you're finally successful with the twelve palaces. But it is still not enough. Your dao foundation is steady while leaving no room for criticism. More polishing will make it more perfect.”
Li Qiye expected this because she had a natural Immortal Fate. Such a peerless constitution was even rarer than twelve palaces.
After starting over, Jingxian indeed worked hard and her effort didn't betray her. She broke through her own limits and obtained the twelve palaces.
“Hmph, are you going to die just by praising me a little bit?” Jingxian unhappily said: “It wasn't easy for me to cultivate them since you told me to destroy my foundation back then to start over. Do you know how painful this was? I suffered so much, not being able to leave the house…”
She hastily complained due to her dissatisfaction with his reaction. Of course, it was indeed harder for her since she already had eleven palaces in the past. Others would never want to start over given that situation.
“Hmm, amazing indeed. Keep trying, maybe you will become a second monster just like Immortal Emperor Jiao Heng.” Li Qiye nodded and smiled.
“Hmph, you're not even trying.” She was still annoyed with his lackluster and half-hearted praise and snorted. However, her mood changed quickly and she smiled to ask: “But I'm a benevolent person anyway and won't hold it against you. Tell me, are there any fun places in Mortal Emperor so I can go have some fun? It's been a while.”
Li Qiye glanced dismissively at her: “Fun? It's about time to go up above. All of you need to work harder. Shuangyan's group is practicing the Immortal Emperor Slaughtering Formation right now, all of you will join them. Your talents will be helpful and everyone will be participating in the future to control this formation.”
Li Shuangyan has always been interested in formations. She was quite gifted in this aspect so he left her in charge and told the rest of the girls to help.
“More cultivation…” Jingxian scowled after hearing this.
Li Qiye replied: “You think we're going up there to sightseeing? If you want to be an ant, fine, since all ants are similar anyway regardless of the location. But if you want to stand at the peak, that place is even crueler than the nine worlds. Even emperors are hunted up there. In that place, they still keep on training to be stronger, so why can't you do the same?”
“Got it, fine, we'll go so you can stop yapping like an old woman.” She still agreed despite showing some reluctance.
“Watch her.” Li Qiye told Jian Wushuang. This girl was arrogant but she was much more mature compared to Jingxian who only wanted to play.
Wushuang simply nodded. Next was Ming Yexue who stepped forward.
She spoke softly before Li Qiye: “Are we really going up there? The elders from the beastworld are worried. Rumor has it that only emperors can go up there.”
This wasn't just a personal trip for her because the entire beastworld was going to follow her too with Li Qiye.
“That's the past, no longer the case now.” Li Qiye said flatly: “If I have agreed with those old geezers, then I have absolute confidence and have prepared well enough. But the question is, is your Bi'an Beastworld ready? What you will face is much more complicated up there.”
“We're ready.” She nodded: “Of course, I can't guess how strong our opponents will be, but our beastworld will accept all challenges under our best state. The elders said that this is our only chance so we'll go all out!”
“Very well. Tell them that it won't just be the pressure from emperors and gods. There will be many existences who want a bite of something as useful as the beastworld in the tenth world.” Li Qiye said slowly.
“I understand.” She nodded seriously. The elders have told her that the tenth world was a place always surging forward with great momentum on top of being merciless.
She left after several days at Cleansing Incense because she was different from Jian Wushuang and the others. She was responsible for the beastworld too so she had more to prepare.
With the arrival of the girls, Li Qiye began his plan to go up to the tenth world. He sent a message to the Bloodbull Godfiend's group as well.
The first to come was the South Emperor, Gu Guo. He gave the feeling of returning to the origin this time to be part of nature. Others would find it difficult to spot him standing there.
“That's an eonic genius for you, your cultivation has risen considerably this time. It would be difficult for you to not become an Immortal Monarch with such talents and dao heart.” Li Qiye had to praise.
Gu Guo smiled naturally without any trace of complacency: “It is thanks to your guidance, sacred teacher. Without it, I would only be searching blindly in the dark.”
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “Without your talents and determination, my guidance wouldn't have necessarily been useful.”
Gu Guo replied: “You are surely going all out this time. I heard the weapons above are different than the ones in our nine worlds. Should I change my weapon?”
Li Qiye explained: “They are different indeed but your Sky Piercer is different. It's not a conventional soulbound true treasure. You can just bring it, no need to change. There are still similarities between the worlds. A few weapons from the nine worlds are still usable and completely unaffected, such as the Declivity-Mountain Bell and Heaven Sealing Pentagate.
“That's good.” Gu Guo said: “I've used this weapon for more than half my life and I love it. It would be difficult adapting to a new one.”
Li Qiye smiled: “Get ready to go all out. With your talents, you will be the first among us to become an Immortal Monarch. No one is more qualified than you to seize the Heaven's Will. Let the geniuses in the tenth world see the style of a peerless genius from the nine. Take down their arrogance.”
“Thank you for your blessing, sacred teacher. I will not disappoint you.” Gu Guo remained composed and smiled.
“An eonic genius is not just in name. With enough perseverance and sticking to the right path, your future will be boundless. It is a shame that most of you are too arrogant, thinking that your talent alone is enough to sweep through everything. Such brittleness… that's the reason why so many of your peers have fallen.” Li Qiye commented.
Gu Guo sighed after hearing this. This was the case for him too, in the past.
Who wouldn't be arrogant being an eonic genius? At this particular level, any youth would look at others with disdain and thought that they wouldn't need to rely on anyone.