The heavenly tribulation finally ended after six minutes of aggressive thunderstorms. Lightning continued to crackle across the sky before fading away completely. The true-form Qilin was devastated, his massive body covered in burns and deep wounds from taking the full brunt of attacks meant for Li Fang Ren.
"Young one, let's end this here for today. I concede," the Qilin said, his voice hoarse and pained.
Li Fang Ren looked up at the wounded beast and laughed loudly.
"Hahahah, you come here completely unannounced, use that kid as a puppet to take the blame, and the moment things get difficult you want to run? Hehe, quite the funny fellow you are."
The Qilin's voice became desperate and angry at the same time.
"What do you want then? Name your price and we can resolve this matter peacefully."
"Didn't I say earlier? I'm going to slay a Qilin just like my father did. Well, you are technically human in this form, but it doesn't really matter to me."
His anger was rising now, boiling beneath the surface from everything that had happened. The puppet control, the assassination attempt, even Yunling's enslavement—it all came crashing down on him at once.
The Qilin sensed the killing intent and released his full aura throughout the area. Everyone at the banquet felt the sinister pressure washing over them like a tidal wave.
"Youngster of lower ranks, bow down before me."
A few guards started to run forward to support Li Fang Ren, seeing him barely standing under the pressure of the aura.
"Wait," Li Juntian's voice rang out stopping them in their tracks.
The guards hesitated, confused about why the patriarch would hold them back in such a situation.
Juntian pointed upward toward the sky.
A roaring voice echoed across the entire realm, shaking the very foundations of the earth.
"How dare a mere enchanter attack my clan and cause such destruction?"
The guards looked at each other in shock and relief.
"That... that voice is... the Sixteenth Ancestor!"
As the ancestor's spirit qi filled the area, the true-form Qilin immediately tried to escape, but a yellow flash of light cut straight through two of his hind legs. The Qilin crashed down, unable to flee.
Li Fang Ren felt a smile spread across his face as he recognized the figure appearing before him. It was the Sixteenth Ancestor, holding Mo Zhu by his hair in one hand while the other hand glowed with concentrated finger qi.
"You should have just left quietly, but you dared to cause more trouble on my clan's sacred day," the ancestor said coldly.
What happened next was a blur of movements. The ancestor and the true-form Qilin clashed in the air, their power levels so far apart that the Qilin had no chance of victory. After five intense minutes of combat, the ancestor ended it by slicing his finger qi directly through the Qilin's neck, severing it completely.
The ancestor flew down toward Li Juntian.
"Juntian!"
"Yes, Lord Ancestor," Li Juntian responded.
"Let's roast this creature for our guests. Although it's not fully aged, a Qilin is still a Qilin. Such meat is extremely rare and precious."
This wasn't a cannibalistic act. Many high-realm Qilin clansmen with enough qi could transform into Qilin forms, but there were also those blessed at birth with the ability to change forms naturally. The Qilin they'd just killed was one such being.
The guests at the banquet erupted in shock at the order.
"Are we actually allowed to eat such precious meat?"
"Won't the Qilin clan hunt us down for this?"
"Haha, did you see their prowess? The difference in strength is like heaven and earth. They won't dare retaliate."
The Sixteenth Ancestor walked up to the main podium and raised his hand for silence. When the crowd quieted, he began to announce something that would change everything.
"I think you might have heard the rumors, but after seeing such battles, you can all understand why we entrusted the Zeroth Principle to an infant. This technique only appears once every hundred years, and only one person in the entire realm can bear it. Seeing him defeat the prince of the Qilin clan along with a near-fully-formed Qilin member proves he is worthy enough to carry the Li family name and all it represents."
Some people already knew this was true, while others had only heard it as a rumor. But having the Sixteenth Ancestor confirm it made it official and undeniable.
"To give such a technique to a child?"
"So it is actually true then!"
"After all, he does possess the ancient sacred physique that broke heavenly restrictions."
"Come to think of it, the last known Immortal Emperor was also from the Li clan. Maybe this boy could also..."
Some clansmen glared at Li Fang Ren with barely concealed jealousy and envy. The gulf between them and him was only growing wider with each passing moment.
The ancestor threw Mo Zhu's limp body directly toward Li Fang Ren.
"This child has some refined essence within him from his relic fusion. Extract it and make it your own. It will strengthen your body further."
Li Fang Ren's face went completely pale at the order. The implication was clear—he had to absorb the essence core from a dead cultivator, something that required significant effort and focus, but as an earthian it seemed wrong.
"After that, come see me," the ancestor added before vanishing.
Hours passed as the meat from the Qilin was prepared and served to the guests.
People ate it like it was the most exquisite delicacy they'd ever tasted, which it probably was. The energy contained within Qilin meat was incredibly potent and nourishing.
Li Fang Ren sat on the roof of one of the estate buildings, looking out at the night sky with Ling Feng beside him. His expression was troubled and contemplative.
"Why are you sighing so much?" Ling Feng asked while sitting down next to him.
"Aren't we just like beasts in the end? The strong eat the strong type. We kill and get killed. Such is the nature of this world."
His voice lacked its usual lightness.
Ling Feng turned to look at him with understanding.
"You talk as if you're not from this world."
"Haha... maybe I'm not," Li Fang Ren replied with a slight smile.
She smiled back at him.
"If you're discontent with such laws and the way the world works, you should become a supreme, or better yet, reach the emperor realm. Then you can change these laws yourself and create something better."
"Huff."
A sudden vision crossed Ling Feng's mind without warning. She saw an immortal emperor sitting on a throne with millions of subordinates bowing down before him. The vision was so clear and vivid that she gasped. The image came from just looking at the young boy sitting beside her, and it shook her to her core.
She came out of the vision gasping heavily, holding her head as if it might split open.
"What happened? You suddenly went quiet."
"No... nothing. It was just a passing dizzy spell."
Fang Ren didn't push further and simply left to begin refining the essence core he'd received. He returned to his chambers and started the absorption process.
The tribulations had been specifically for his physique strengthening, not his cultivation advancement, due to the Qilin nature of the energy. Golden light erupted throughout his entire chamber as he refined the essence.
People at the banquet who could sense such energy noticed it immediately.
"Golden sacred qi, is the young master undergoing physical tribulations again?"
An hour passed.
Fang Ren's breathing became heavier as his body underwent a complete transformation. His hair grew longer, his muscles refined and became more defined, and his overall height increased by a lot. His frame became more angular and powerful.
The final wave of tribulation energy was fiercely opposed by his own qi, and when the two forces clashed, they shattered the tribulation clouds completely, dispersing them into the night sky.
The clansmen who were watching from outside couldn't help but comment.
"He actually completed the entire refinement in just one night. No, it was only one hour!"
"Haha, which celestial being would dare to fall against such a prodigy?"
"A significant shift is going to take place in the upper realms. Mark my words, this child will shake the very foundations of cultivation itself."
Fang Ren stood up, his new body felt incredibly powerful. His movements were smooth as he stretched.
"It seems the new bone absorbed most of the energy I gathered. Well, that's no problem. I need to gather more ancient treasures to further nourish this body," he said to himself.
Ling Feng entered his chambers with a white robe in her hands.
"Sir, I brought you fresh clothes," she said as she handed him the robe.
"You're right on time."
Once he was dressed in the white robe, he turned to Ling Feng with determination in his eyes.
"I plan to roam around and find some treasures after joining the clan's designated sect and attaining some respectable power. Help me find some necessary locations. You're coming with me too, of course."
He then decided it was time to visit the ancestor as requested.
Inside the ancestor's grand hall, Fang Ren bent low in a greeting.
"Sir Ancestor, you had called for me."
The Sixteenth Ancestor stood up from his flying lotus and looked down at his grandson with pride evident in his ancient eyes.
"Hoho, stand proud, child. Such an aura and even that growth spurt. You're truly befitting of an emperor."
The ancestor came down from his flying lotus and approached Li Fang Ren.
"If you were to ascend to the emperor rank one day, what would you do with such power?"
"Of course, I would rule the realms. Maybe even have some fun while at it," Fang Ren replied confidently.
The ancestor stroked his long beard.
"Hmm, still a rather childlike answer for someone with your potential."
"Well, if that got boring, I would train others to ascend and we will have the greatest war the world has ever seen. Hell, we might even try to take over other realms too," he continued with his eyes gleaming with ambition.
The ancestor smirked while continuing to touch his beard.
"Cocky kid. There are thousands of other realms beyond this one, did you know that?"
"Isn't that more fun then? If I became an emperor, I shall make an era that will shake the past and astonish the future. An era that no one will ever forget."
If the system reward messages are correct, then there would be a day when I would get smartphones, internet, electricity, and all those modern things.
His ambitions extended far beyond what anyone else could imagine.
The ancestor nodded slowly, seeming to accept this answer.
"Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Now, listen carefully. You are to leave for the Eternal Nights Sect in one month. Remember, even though it's an affiliated sect of our clan, you will enroll there as a commoner. I want you to learn how to avoid fights at all costs. Vow to me that you will avoid any and every sort of fight as much as possible."
"Why? Why can't I just fight normally?"
"You fool, one whiff of your power and the entire Qilin clan would come rushing there. Let alone the sect, half the continent would be completely razed to the ground. That's why we're sending you away and why I'm asking you to keep a very, very low profile. It's only for about ten to twenty years."
"Yeah right, ten to twenty years as if it's like taking a dump five times."
The ancestor ignored his complaint and moved on to the next matter.
"As a parting gift and also for the upcoming tournament, would you like to learn the Celestial Light Bending Technique?"
Fang Ren was instantly shocked. The old man was actually asking if he wanted to learn his special secret technique.
"Isn't this the one you and father used to kill that last true Qilin from the past war?"
The ancestor nodded, leaving the decision entirely up to his grandson whether he wanted it or not.