Chapter 201

Chapter 201: Just a Drop of Blood!

Ye Tianming appeared on a challenge stage. The moment he landed on it, an elder appeared not far in front of him.

The elder opened his palm, and a token flew to Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming was a little puzzled.

The elder said, “This is the ‘Space-Time Token.’ If you lose, it will disappear on its own. If you win, whenever someone challenges you in the future, this token will notify you. No matter where you are, you can appear here instantly. If you fail to respond to two consecutive challenges, it will be treated as an automatic forfeit.”

Ye Tianming smiled and said, “I see.”

With that, he put the token away.

The elder said, “The current champion has been notified. Please wait a moment.”

Ye Tianming nodded. “Alright.”

His words had barely fallen when a voice rang out from the arena, “Someone’s challenging me? Ha! Come on then!”

As the voice faded, a man appeared on the stage. He looked fairly young, around his twenties, dressed in a light black robe with both hands clasped behind his back, exuding an overbearing presence.

The elder said, “Begin.”

With that, he stepped aside.

The man looked Ye Tianming over and smiled. “What’s your name? Where are you from?”

Ye Tianming said, “Ye Tianming. The Real World.”

“The Real World?”

The man furrowed his brow and thought for a moment, then said, “Sounds a little familiar. Has any powerful figure ever come from your world?”

Ye Tianming said, “The Lord of Reality.”

The man was briefly stunned, then broke into a smile. “The Lord of Reality? I’ve heard of him. So he came from the Real World — no wonder it sounded so familiar.”

Ye Tianming smiled and said, “What about you? What’s your name?”

The man smiled and said, “Defeat me, and you’ll have earned the right to know my name.”

Ye Tianming nodded. “Then I’ll have to go all out.”

The man laughed heartily. “Give it your best shot.”

Ye Tianming said, “Alright.”

With that, he drew the Tianming Sword directly. In the next instant, he transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished from where he stood.

With this one strike, a towering sword force instantly enveloped the entire arena. And the moment that sword force appeared, the force of the next strike was already arriving.

No holding back!

Not holding back at all — from the very first move, it was the “Invincible Fist” path of Zongwu.

The moment that man saw the sword force of Ye Tianming’s first strike, his mind went completely blank.

By the time Ye Tianming unleashed his fifth strike —

Boom!

With a thunderous explosion, the man was sent flying backward and slammed heavily into the barrier of the challenge stage, causing the entire barrier to shudder violently.

Instant defeat!

The man was stunned.

Ye Tianming was stunned too. He turned to look at the elder not far away, and asked with some confusion, “That weak?”

The man: “???”

The elder stared at Ye Tianming and said nothing.

Ye Tianming looked at the man. “Are you… okay?”

The man’s physical body had already been shattered, leaving only his soul. He swallowed hard. “Bro, you’re… this strong?”

Ye Tianming said with some confusion, “The senior who brought me here said that everyone who comes here is the most monstrous genius in the universe, and told me to go all out… I barely used even 10% of my strength just now. How did you go down already?”

The man’s expression froze. “What the hell… big bro, are you trying to kick me while I’m down?”

Ye Tianming: “…….”

At that moment, the elder suddenly appeared in the arena. He stared at Ye Tianming. “You are at the Dao Establishment realm.”

Ye Tianming nodded.

The elder asked, “Why didn’t you say so at the start?”

Ye Tianming said, “You didn’t ask either…….”

After staring at Ye Tianming for a moment, the elder said, “You need to go somewhere else. Go play in the high-tier bracket.”

Ye Tianming instinctively asked, “This is the low-tier bracket?”

The man lying on the ground: “…….”

The elder’s mouth twitched slightly. “Go up.”

Ye Tianming said, “Oh, oh… alright!”

With that, he looked at the man lying on the ground. “Can I take his storage ring?”

What the hell?

The man lying on the ground immediately shuddered.

The elder stared at Ye Tianming. “There’s no rule against it.”

Ye Tianming walked toward the man and gave an awkward smile. “Brother, I’m a little short on cash…….”

The man said in a low voice, “Don’t do this. There’s never been any robbery here.”

Ye Tianming said earnestly, “I really am a little short on cash.”

The man: “…….”

Ye Tianming said solemnly, “Give it to me, and I won’t hit you again.”

The man’s expression froze. Damn it, I’m already like this, and you’re still thinking about hitting me?

Are you actually broke or just pretending?

He had his doubts.

The reason he doubted was that anyone who could come here absolutely had a powerful force backing them, and money was definitely not something they lacked.

Seeing that Ye Tianming was genuinely showing signs of making a move, the man quickly took out his storage ring and tossed it to Ye Tianming. “Take it, take it!”

Ye Tianming caught the storage ring and glanced inside. His eyes immediately lit up — there were actually over a million True Star Core Crystals inside. Each True Star Core Crystal could be exchanged for a hundred ordinary Star Core Crystals, and on top of that, True Star Core Crystals were extremely rare in the Real World, currently only available for exchange at the Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

Ye Tianming looked at the man and said sincerely, “Brother, you’re really loaded.”

The man: “…….”

Ye Tianming put away the storage ring, then looked toward the elder. The elder said, “Follow me.”

With that, he led Ye Tianming away and the two disappeared from the spot.

Watching Ye Tianming leave, the man immediately let out a sigh of relief. “Damn it, he’s actually at Dao Establishment… what the hell, a Dao Establishment cultivator came here to fight me…….”

At that, he suddenly burst out laughing. “I, Li Tianhe, actually fought against a Dao Establishment realm powerhouse……. damn, I’m incredible!”

With that, all the dejection of his defeat vanished, and he became excited. He then turned and walked away.

This was a brag he’d be making for the rest of his life!

Ye Tianming followed the elder to a new challenge stage. This one was more than five times larger than the previous one, and it was silver in color.

The elder turned to look at Ye Tianming. “First time here?”

Ye Tianming nodded. “First time.”

The elder gave a slight nod. “Although there’s no rule against taking things here, try not to do that. Everyone who comes here has status and backing. If you can make friends through martial exchange, it can only be good for you. But if you rob people, even if you gain something in the short term, you’ll make enemies, and it won’t be worth it.”

He paused, then added, “I’m just saying this casually. Take it however you like.”

Ye Tianming gave a slight bow. “Thank you for the reminder, senior. I hadn’t thought of that. I won’t do it again.”

Seeing that Ye Tianming was so receptive, the elder’s gaze softened considerably. “I’ve selected an opponent for you who is one realm below you. The other party is also a peerless genius — don’t let your guard down.”

Ye Tianming nodded. “Understood.”

The elder nodded, then was about to leave when Ye Tianming suddenly opened his palm. The storage ring flew toward the elder. “Senior, please return this ring to that brother from earlier and pass along my apologies. I really am too broke!”

When he said he was broke, he meant it.

After reaching the Dao Establishment realm, the spirit crystals he used for cultivation could only be Star Core Crystals, and the consumption was enormous.

It was truly burning through money!

The elder glanced at Ye Tianming. “That guy’s family and faction are weak. It’s fine to take from him.”

With that, he flicked a finger, and the storage ring flew back to Ye Tianming.

Ye Tianming: “…….”

After the elder turned and left, Ye Tianming quietly waited for the defending champion to arrive.

In the midst of a vast and boundless star river, a colossal tower stood tall in the deep void of that stellar expanse. The tower reached a full million zhang in height. Its body was constructed from an unknown stone, its surface flowing with a faint starlight, as if it were one with the entire star river.

At the very top of this tower, three enormous golden ancient characters were inscribed: Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

All around, streaks of flowing light from the star river continuously flew into the great tower, while countless streaks of light also poured out from within. They interwove in an orderly fashion, dazzling and brilliant.

This was the headquarters of the Immortal Treasure Pavilion!

And currently, the most mysterious and wealthiest place in the entire universe.

On the topmost floor of this Immortal Treasure Pavilion, a woman sat by the window, holding a teacup in her hand. She gazed at the brilliant star river outside, her expression calm as still water.

The woman wore a light purple dress, her bearing graceful and noble.

Outside the door of this room, over a hundred people stood respectfully. Even with the door between them, their backs remained bowed. If they could, they would have preferred to kneel on the ground as a show of reverence.

This floor was accessible only to core members of the Yang family. No one else had the right to enter.

And this floor was permanently reserved — kept exclusively for the core members of the Yang family.

Inside the room, the woman in the light purple dress who had been gazing at the star river suddenly withdrew her gaze. She turned to look toward the doorway. The door suddenly opened, and a woman dressed in a green robe slowly walked in.

The seated woman in the purple dress rose to her feet and smiled. “You’re here.”

The woman in green walked over and sat down across from the woman in the purple dress, smiling. “You wouldn’t call me over for something ordinary. Go ahead.”

The woman in the purple dress said nothing. Instead, she took out a dossier and handed it to the woman in green. The woman in green took it and looked it over. After a moment, she said softly, “Ye Tianming… truly remarkable. To have grown to this level in such a short time.”

The woman in the purple dress gave a slight nod and said calmly, “Indeed, quite remarkable.”

The woman in green looked at the woman in purple and smiled. “What would you like me to do?”

The woman in the purple dress said, “You know.”

The woman in green was silent for a moment, then said, “This person’s talent is rare, and he is widely read. Dealing with him is indeed a bit tricky.”

The woman in the purple dress poured a cup of tea for the woman in green. “You’ll definitely find a way.”

The woman in green picked up the teacup and took a sip, then smiled. “From what the records show, this person is undeniably flawless — without a single opening. But it is precisely that perfection which is his greatest weakness. There is one method that can break him, and that is… to shatter his Dao heart!”

Shatter his Dao heart!

The woman in the purple dress narrowed her eyes slightly. After a moment, she nodded. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

With this woman making her move, how many in the world could withstand it?

The woman in green rose and walked toward the door. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back to look at the woman in the purple dress. “Doing this — will Auntie be angry?”

The woman in the purple dress asked in return, “Is Auntie closer to him, or closer to us?”

The woman in green smiled, then turned and left.

It was just a drop of blood.

Nothing more than a test subject to begin with.

How could he possibly compare to them?