Chapter : 9
From the viewing seat, both Qing Feng and Ji Yuyue looked at the result of Qing Tian and sighed.
For others, it might be a good thing, but for them it actually is very bad.
Earlier, when they were forcing Qing Tian to cultivate, Qing Tian denied cultivating, saying that they would protect Qing Tian forever.
But now, looking at his result, Qing Feng was not calm, because he knew if Qing Tian really got his talent back and started to cultivate, the image of the Qing Clan would surely be ruined.
And the reason is simple, you are focusing on talent, and your other son, whose bloodline was devoured by his brother of the same time, you didn't focus on him.
And now you wanted him to cultivate, or do you not want him to threaten the reputation of the Qing Clan.
And not only other people, even some people of the clan will take advantage of it and may shake the position of the Patriarch.
Ji Yuyue lowered her eyes, her face was pale.
She had not looked at Qing Tian directly for two years, not since that day….. the accident that had torn one son's future apart while granting the another son glory of the everything, while he is darkness.
In her heart, she had told herself it was necessary, to mainly focusing on Qing Long, and he was the only way to preserve both child and clan.
But now, watching Qing Tian's calm figure, the guilt pressed against her like an invisible mountain.
To her, Qing Long was the only child she could dare to love openly.
And to look upon Qing Tian was to look upon her own failure as a mother.
Qing Feng reached out and clasped her hand beneath the sleeves of their robes.
"Yuyue… we must prepare. His rise will not be welcomed. Not by the clan, not by the elders, we cant let him shine."
Her lips trembled. For the first time in years, her gaze drifted toward the boy who once clung to her robes, calling her name with innocence and warmth.
But now, Qing Tian no longer looked their way.
His eyes were closed again, calm, distant, as though the world beyond himself held no meaning to him, like everything is the illusion.
He didn't want variables in destiny.
Especially after being told by Elder Yun that his child, Qing Long, could be their hope, he had absolutely focused on his elder son, Qing Long.
In the Arena
This time, the battle was between a 10 year old child, who had reached the realm of the Extreme Foundation Realm, and whose combat power was around 50,000 kg of force.
However, in front of that child stood another child of about 8 years old, that was Qing Long.
"Brother Qing Xie, I hope you should give up. I don't want to beat you in vain."
"You should have known that I have already reached the realm of the Peak Extreme, and now I have already condensed the three Spiritual Core Realm. Even if you give your best, you won't stand a chance against me. It's better to give up, right?" Qing Long did not take action immediately, but rather spoke and said to Qing Xie.
After hearing what Qing Long said about his realm, the mouth of Qing Xie twitched. He knew that he didn't even stand a chance against this 8-year-old child.
Earlier he had wanted to fight, but after hearing the request of Qing Long personally, he had no choice but to give face to Qing Long and admit defeat.
"Elder, I, Qing Xie, admit defeat." Qing Xie turned toward the referee, who was responsible for the result, and admitted defeat.
The referee was silent for a while, not knowing what to say. This was the first time he had ever experienced someone admitting defeat in the competition.
Then he looked in the direction of the elder seats.
And from the elders, he also got approval to let Qing Long win.
"This match, disciple number 55 versus 55, Qing Long wins."
Soon after, the entire first round of the competition was completed.
And the situation for the second round was the same: the qualified disciples who had reached the second stage would still choose the token again and fight against the others.
This time, Qing Tian got token number 5.
And the competition went on.
But this time, Qing Tian's luck was not good.
He directly met a 9 year old genius who had reached 70,000 kg of force, and was about to step into the realm of Spiritual Condensation. Qing Tian was brutally defeated by him.
In the middle of the arena, blood came out from Qing Tian's mouth. He laughed, and then looked at the elders' area. The calm gaze of Qing Tian at Ji Yuyue and Qing Feng made them flush.
After being defeated, he did not stay there, but looked at his brother one last time and then left for his own courtyard.
In the Courtyard
He came inside his room, changed his clothes, and returned to normal.
Then suddenly, a man with blue skin appeared in front of Qing Tian and asked.
"Xiao Tian, I already told you, your father used his power to let you meet higher ranked contestants. Don't you feel angry? Why are they being partial to you?"
"Didn't you say I am hated by the heavens and will always be hated from the very beginning of my life? Not to mention my bloodline, talent, and physique. Even now, their love is gone, and the most important thing for any being, their destiny, has also been taken away."
"Yeah, my luck, my destiny, everything has been taken by my brother. What can I do here? I don't have the strength, and in the end, the only wrong person here is myself."
"I don't have the strength to fight against them, and I lost. I can't cry for that."
"And not to mention, this was all taught by you yourself. How can I not follow the teachings of yours, in my life?"
"No matter who stands in front of me, once they harm me and have the intention to kill me, then that person is my enemy. But there is also a limit to everything. As long as they can't kill me, I will still love them as my parents. I can't hate them."
He shook his head and calmly replied to Brother Lan.
There was a pause for a second among Qing Tian's words, there were faint, faint words, and steady, but they were lies too.
Qing Tian was pale, dressed in his blood stained robes, but no matter how the hue of his face, or the darkness of his robes stained and soothed his complexion, the steadiness in his darkened eyes remained calm and still.
In that moment of pain and discontent, defeat had no power or control over his heart, whether he fought to resist or submit was of no matter.
Brother Lan had a faint smile on the corners of his lips; however, he could not be sure exactly how he could tell.
Brother Lan's blue skin was awash with moonlight, and he did not seem like a mortal nor immortal, but the coolness of his being gave warmth to the moment.
"Xiao Tian," he said gentler than a child, "most children your age would scream, would yell and curse, would blame the very heavens you however, you... you take everything even pain as if it were your friend. Don't you fear that this calm may someday become chains?"
Qing Tian shook his head. "If anger was strength, I'd have burned the heavens, already. But it is not!? Anger causes blindness, patience shall become clarity? If the heavens do not want me, I will walk without them!?
Lan chuckled softly, tilting his head. "Without heaven? Without fate? You really think you can find your own way?"
"I don't have to think about it, All I have to do is keep walking. Even if I never reach the end, at least I will make my own path and walk upon it. And i don't have desire to leave my name in the history, i like to anynomus." replied Qing Tian to brother Lan.
For a moment, there was silence between them, eventually being filled by the sounds of leaves fluttering, inside of the courtyard.
Haha...He laughed at his words.
Brother Lan regarded the boy's thin body and how, despite his small hands trembling slightly as he gripped and released them, he cast the sadness down deep inside of him but wore it behind layers of resolve.
Lan's voice became a whispering lullaby. "Then listen closely, Xiao Tian. When you are hated, do not despair. Hate is simply proof of being bright enough to be noticed. When you are rejected, do not cry. Rejection is only a chance to stand without leaning on another. And when even fate has turned against you... remember this; fate fears the one who disrupts its plans."
Qing Tian slowly lifted his head, his calm eyes reflecting the faint starlight. "Brother Lan… sometimes, when I listen to you, it feels like you've seen all of this before and nothing can blind you."
Lan laughed lightly, his voice carrying a playful tone that veiled its depth. "Perhaps I have. Or perhaps I simply know what happens when one refuses to bow to anyone. However, there is also reason, where people should bow or not. So tell me, Xiao Tian, if one day the heavens themselves stand before you and demand your submission want to destroy you, what will you do?"
Qing Tian's answer came without moment and hesitation after hearing, what brother Lan has asked.
"Then I will look at the heavens the same way, I looked at the elders today in the. Calm. Unshaken. And if they try to kill me… I will fight, even if it costs me my last breath."
After a long time, Brother Lan's gaze softened with the smile on his face, and touched by something more than amusement, pride, quiet and profound.
He reached out, ruffling Qing Tian's hair as if he were still the innocent child of two years ago.
"Good," he whispered slowly to Qng Tian, his eyes glimmering with a light that seemed to transcend time itself.
"That is the answer I was waiting for."
"Remember it, Xiao Tian. Hold it close. One day… if there is will and against your will, it will shake even the heavens themselves."
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[End of the chapter, 9!!]