Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

The young man looked entirely unperturbed, as if the insult flung had hit cotton. He maintained his slight smile and didn't deign to give those coarse words a hint of a reaction. The surrounding crowd was somewhat impressed, but the majority who knew of the young man's origins had pity flit through their eyes. 

The beautiful young maiden beside him with an alluring scent and air remained similarly undisturbed, but those who were perceptive could see that deep within her sky blue eyes was an icy-chill as wintry and dangerous as a raging blizzard. 

The youth who spoke felt a shiver down his spine. He snorted, ignoring the young man and woman.

Bam!

On the platforms, a figure was sent violently off the stage and into the crowd. The Soaring Sword Disciple beneath the Man banner had a calm grin on his face, the disdain within his eyes was apparent.

The figure that tumbled out was a youth, his age no more than fifteen, and had a well-shaped fit body, but at the moment, his chest had a palm print that seemed to press into his torso. His chest cavity had been crushed, his heart area was completely collapsed. Blood seeped from the sides of his lips, and his breathing had ceased. Despite that, his eyes were wide open and radiating profound anger and regret.

He was dead.

Gasp!

A wave of deep inhales that was chilly and frightening resounded. Those who were impacted by the body had fear crawl throughout their entire soul.

"Isn't...isn't that Han Weiyu?" A young girl said with a trembling voice. It was only then did people recognize who this young man who had once been lively and filled with endless potential was. 

"Han Weiyu! He...he was killed by a single hit?! Wasn't his cultivation at the late-Qi Cyclone Realm?" A heavy gulp sounded from an elderly woman, a wave of shock and quaking occurred in her voice. 

Han Weiyu was a fifteen year old genius who reached the late-Qi Cyclone Realm. A well-known figure who was the Young Clan Lord of the Han Clan, one of the second-tier clans in Meteorite City. The thought of his death due to the weakest platform trial left many hearts quivering without end, especially potential challengers.

The Soaring Sword Sect's male youth standing beneath the Man banner chuckled coldly. "I'm in the mid-Qi Cyclone Realm. If you can't even withstand a single palm from me with a higher cultivation base, what right do you have to continue living? Your continued living would be a waste of resources and air." Those harsh words caused a hushed clamor to roar to life within the crowd. Unfortunately, no one had enough courage to do anything or rebuke the young man.

In fact, Han Weiyu's father who was also the clan leader of the Han Clan could only lifelessly walk towards his son's corpse and grab its slowly declining temperature and soulless flesh. He seemed willing to cry yet no tears emerged. 

Just one move! 

A single moment and his son's life ended.

His aura grew unstable. A mid-Essence Formation Realm aura erupted, causing swirling waves of essence and qi to appear around him. Those bloodshot eyes turned towards the young man who claimed his son's life. His killing intent was palpable!

Shiing!

A sharp sword light flashed and zipped through the crowd. It was created by sword qi and swiped across Han Weiyu father's neck. A red line and a choked gasp later, a gush of blood escaped from his neck and his head slanted unnaturally.

Thud!

The father and son died this day.

A bright shine of horrified light erupted from the eyes of the vast majority in the crowd and they stepped back in fear and terror. The death of the son was depressing yet reasonable, but the decapitation of the father was unexpected and horrifying.

The middle-aged Elder from the Soaring Sword Sect had two outstretched fingers pointed, a faint glimmer of sword qi at its tips.  "Anyone who steps onto the platforms is fighting for a chance at a grander future. If their life ends, then that's due to their weakness and lack of fortune. And, I will not allow any killing intent to be aroused and directed at the disciples of my sect. Therefore, resolve yourself." He indifferently said before lowering his finger and resumed inspecting the young children.

At that point, many had already realized that those who were older than five were fighting an uphill battle, betting their lives and future. It caused many to rethink their dreams and confidence.

Yet, the young man and young woman remained calm. The young man silently waited. There were still individuals participating and challenging the platforms despite the abrupt death. As long as one was careful and considered their cultivation, they could exit the platform alive to continue their dreams, but many were overestimating themselves and would never be able to dream again.

The youth who insulted the young man said, "Long Wulin, I'll show you what it means to be a genius." He coldly scoffed as he took a few steps forward, bravely striding towards the Earth banner. The expert there had a cultivation at the late-Qi Cyclone Realm, and exuded a naturally sharp aura. 

"Long Bailin is making his move!" A young woman exclaimed with excitement and hints of fanaticism. Long Bailin was a member of the Long Clan and the ruling clan of Meteorite City. He was regarded as the number one talent in the Long Clan.

Furthermore, Long Wulin was his cousin. They stemmed from the same family line, the 'lin' family within the clan. In Presba, the naming sense of Lycahs(Race) was different from the norm. Their structure was Clan, Name->Family Line(Combined). Therefore, Long Bailin was from the Long Clan, of the Lin Bloodline, and named Bai. This was an aspect of their cultural traditions, a way to proudly pinpoint and bear one's origins.

Long Wulin passively looked onwards without a hint of fluctuation on his facial expression, but the light in his eyes had oddly shifted. 

Chump!

Yan Zaizen ate a green apple, his legs dangled from the rooftops of a building as he looked at the clamor and commotion. Beside him was a platter of fruits, cooked meat, and wine. It was enough to feed ten fully grown men, yet barely any remained. 

"The Soaring Sword Sect…" He calmly mused. In his youth, Presba had five great sects and two of them were the Solitary Sword Sect and Soaring Cloud Sect. The naming sense brought him to thinking of these two sects. He remembered how he had killed the upper echelon of the Soaring Cloud Sect for revenge against his first and only Master, Han Genji.

"What if they merged after thousands of years?" He couldn't help but chuckle softly as he bit down to devour another hefty portion of the succulent apple. 

"Unfortunately, I don't have my full soul cultivation, otherwise I could easily scan everyone's memories and get a clear glimpse of the history and situation. Its kind of feels weird acting as a spectator." The abrupt sense of his current state of powerlessness and limited capabilities dawned in his heart, causing him to wryly chuckle to himself. When he roamed the heavens, he was an explorer and had many proactive adventures.

Perhaps one day, he could resume that tale.

For now, he should focus on completing his Herculean Physique, merging the Regalia of the Heavens into his body, reaching the second level of the technique. At that point, he could roam the world freely and easily gather resources to recultivate his soul strength. 

"Haaaa…" he sighed, "That young man, his name's Long Wulin? Hm, I feel abnormally connected to him somehow. Could the story of myself and Yan Jinzen be playing again?" He pouted his lips when he recalled that cousin of his who was killed by the woman he pursued. Ya Qinqan was both a beautiful dream and a deadly thorn.

However, it seemed there were faint differences. The dream of a woman was clearly already on Long Wulin's side. Unless Yan Zaizen was the Long Bailin in this situation? Is that why the Long Bailin felt the need to insult and belittle, even show-up, Long Wulin?

Well, when Yan Zaizen considered himself, he was definitely not a genius of any kind. Regardless, he did feel a hint of a familiar feeling from Long Wulin's body, so perhaps they had something in common. 

Maybe he was the success story? If Ya Qinqan had chosen him due to his kind actions of giving everything he had to her and then his talents were unearthed later on, this could've been a possibility, no? 

He froze.

His amber-gold eyes shifted to inspect Long Wulin's body. 

Could it be…?

Just as he was about to take further observational action, a low whine was released beside him, causing him to nearly start and shoot out of his thoughts. He turned his head to discover a small white bundle of fur nuzzling beside his platter of food.