Chapter 18: Kunlun City

Advancing further into the maze, Li Tianlan was certain that the maze he was in was a replica of the one that had almost driven him crazy in Beijiang.

This should be the simplified version of the maze in Beijiang.

The entrance and the starting routes are exactly the same in terms of size and direction. However, in the middle portion, Li Tianlan discovered astutely that the confusing branches were all disappeared and replaced by a straight path ahead. In this case, the interior of the complicated maze became many times simpler.

Having stayed in the Beijiang maze for nearly a year and a half, he could almost find the exit of the maze even if with his eyes closed.

Thus, without those confusing branched paths in this simplified maze, all the paths in the entire maze became tremendously clear in his mind.

It was their fortieth minute in the maze.

Thirty-five walls were broken.

Even though Li Tianlan still had strength, he stopped destroying the walls.

Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng followed closely behind, with Wang Yuetong and Yu Qingyan even further back.

Now that Li Tianlan had stopped, the four also halted in their steps and looked at each other.

At this moment, the thirty-five walls behind them were completely broken. Even though this process didn’t take long, the completely identical paths of the maze and their many twists and turns within had confused even Wang Yuetong, who knew more about the maze than anyone else. Needless to say, everyone else was stupefied.

“Tianlan?”

After waiting for a while, Li Baitian called out subconsciously for the motionless Li Tianlan.

“This way.”

Standing in the middle of the path, Li Tianlan ordered slowly while pointing to his right.

Out of the five present, or even including the freshmen behind him, Li Tianlan was definitely the only one who was sure of his position. Thus he was convinced that the exit of the maze will appear before everyone’s eyes once the wall in front fall. However, after calculating the time remaining, he gave up such an aggressive move that was actually dumb.

The maze was diamond-shaped. Going forward from the entrance, there was more space and thus lesser opportunity to meet other freshmen. However, nearer the exit, there was less room for the maze, with only a few paths left. Hence, it was more likely for them to meet other freshmen and to start fights.

Li Tianlan never dared to look down on the intellect of others. They had been in the maze for about fifty minutes now. Given the fact that the maze was not as confusing as he had imagined, those who are smart, or lucky, or calculative, would already be very near the exit.

The first few groups that arrived near the exit would definitely be the strongest of the freshmen. What could happen when groups of proud, competitive and yet capable people meet each other?

Li Tianlan did not mind maintaining a high profile. But that doesn’t mean being stupid.

Zhuang Huayang had clearly explained that they had five hours to maneuver across the maze and the forest, which meant that the maze was only the first half of the maneuver. In their first maneuver since entering the school, no one would mind saving their combat capability and energy towards the end. Li Tianlan would be glad to avoid conflict at the exit now.

He didn’t mind being high profile, but he cared more about his grade points. As long as the result was satisfying for him, the process didn’t matter.

Therefore, he chose a path that was the furthest rather than the nearest from the exit. If they did not rush, they would take at least 10 minutes to reach the exit.

The five figures turned a corner in the maze and disappeared.

After they left, the freshmen who followed the five hesitated and spread apart. Some left in the opposite direction while some still followed Li Tianlan. They have no idea of their position in the maze and could only rely on their instincts.

Those who followed Li Tianlan had the most accurate instincts but the slight hesitation made them lose their opportunity. When they turned the corner with Li Tianlan, the five had already disappeared, with three similar looking paths in front of them.

…

“Congratulations, Senior brother Tianlan! Your Wind and Thunder Veins was the fortune of Zhongzhou State. I am certain that you will be another invincible figure in Zhongzhou State after a few years. Even now, you impress little girls like me.”

Wang Yuetong walked passed Li Baitian and Ning Qiancheng in the empty passage to directly talk to Li Tianlan.

She was very close to Li Tianlan but made no contact with his body, maintaining a distance that was unnoticeable. The two walked side by side, with Wang Yuetong tilting her head to look at Li Tianlan. Her bubbly eyes were filled with admiration and envy, but one could not tell if it was sincere.

“How did sister Yuetong know that I possess Wind and Thunder Veins?”

Li Tianlan glanced at her and asked with a gentle smile.

Arrogance.

Aura of arrogance.

Within such a close distance, Wang Yuetong finally felt the hidden emotions under Li Tianlan’s facade of calmness. It was condescension that looked down on all women on earth. His casual glance just now made Wang Yuetong frustrated.

An unusual emotion rose in Wang Yuetong’s heart. She bit her ruby lips and smiled even sweeter.

She was the type of woman whose mere smile and glance can charm and seduce plenty of men and women. To get to know Li Tianlan, her bright smile now created a strange sense of youth seduction in the entire passageway. “Are you testing me, senior brother? I have Wind Vein and I’m especially sensitive to speed. Coincidentally, I have a brother with Wind and Thunder Veins. Your moves are exactly like his. Thus, I am sure from my first sight of you.”

“Oh?”

Li Tianlan raised his eyebrows and looked straight at Wang Yuetong. Those with Wind Vein were natural assassins and could move with extreme speed and agility. If they did not die, they could almost definitely reach the peak of Thunder-shocking Realm, or even become invincible. Such talent was truly impressive.

However, her brother interested him more.

In the dark world, it was rare to have anyone with Wind Vein or Thunder Vein, and having both Wind and Thunder Veins were even rarer, with one of such individuals appearing every hundred years. However, he heard the news of another one with Wind and Thunder Veins just after he arrived at Sky Academy, making him skeptical about the rarity of Wind and Thunder Veins.

“How old is your brother? What realm is he in?”

Wang Yuetong snorted her petite delicate nose. This simple action made her incredibly cute as her smile brightened when she mentioned her brother, giving off a sense of pride. It was apparent that she had a good relationship with her brother. “He is 23 this year and is at the peak level of Fire-flaming Realm, entering the Thunder-shocking Realm. My brother had never tasted defeat fighting those in the same realm as him. No one in our generation is his opponent!”

Li Tianlan’s pupils contracted slowly. A 23-years-old young man at Thunder-shocking Realm with Wind and Thunder Veins was a brilliant talent regardless of time and era. If he could develop himself further upon graduation from Sky Academy and achieving his goal, Wang Yuetong’s brother would definitely be the toughest rival he would have to face.

“Sure, I agree that Wang Shengxiao has the potential to be invincible. But it’s surely an exaggeration to say that he had no opponents in our generation?”

Li Baitian’s sarcastic tone rang behind Li Tianlan.

Wang Yuetong’s pretty eyes squinted and then she turned around. The beautifully seductive youth suddenly gave off a strong prideful and antagonistic vibe. “What? Are you not convinced? Do you think you are capable of fighting my brother?”

“There is no need to be angry, Ms. Yuetong. I am merely stating a fact. Naturally, I am not your brother’s opponent. However, if he is really invincible amongst our generation, surely he would not be ranked together with another prodigy as the top of the ‘Top 10 Young Masters List’?”

Li Baitian seemed to be wary of Wang Yuetong as he explained with a bitter smile.

“Hmpt, it’s merely a stupid rank made by some boring guy. My brother naturally does not care about that ranking. The only reason why Gu Hanshan is ranked together with my brother is that he didn’t provoke my brother. Or he would have been dead a long time ago.”

Pride was all over Wang Yuetong’s face.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Li Tianlan tried to subtly change the topic. He laughed and asked, “You have been talking about the ‘Top 10 Young Masters List’. I have never heard about that list before, can anyone explain the list for me?”

“Qingyan, you explain.”

Wang Yuetong pulled Yu Qingyan over and asked her to explain. Regardless of whether Li Tianlan knew the rankings, three of the five present here were on the list then, making Yu Qingyan the only neutral party present. If anyone else were to explain, they could easily lie about their rankings or show off. From Wang Yuetong’s perspective, Li Baitian had the potential to do just that.

“Huh? I only know this from random rumors. I am not entirely sure either.”

Yu Qingyan’s pretty face turned red with embarrassment. Her huge puppy eyes blinked helplessly as she became flustered under the attention of the rest.

“Don’t worry. Just say what you heard.”

Wang Yuetong touched Yu Qingyan’s hair and laughed.

“Yep, I just asked casually, wondering the top prodigies and talents of Zhongzhou State.”

Li Tianlan smiled and nodded to Yu Qingyan.

Yu Qingyan’s face reddened once more and walked beside Li Tianlan, whispering, “Top 10 Young Masters List’ is a ranking focused on prodigies below 25 years of age. This ranking changes every year and is not official. However, it is well-known and acknowledged by many.”

Li Tianlan nodded as he approved on the choice of 25 years-old. In Martial Arts, 25 years-old is a barrier to many. One’s achievement in the future largely depends on their ability to cross into Fire-flaming Realm from Ice-condensing Realm. Of course, there were always examples in any era whose talent only showed after this age, but the examples are so scarce that they are not representative at all.

“The top spot on the rank goes to Wang Shengxiao, heir to the Wang family. He has Wind and Thunder Veins and is almost invincible amongst those in his realm. At age of 23, he is already an expert of half-step Thunder-shocking Realm.”

“Sharing the first place with Wang Shengxiao is the young master of Kunlun City, Gu Hanshan. He has the King’s Heart and is of a similar realm and capability as Wang Shengxiao.”

Yu Qingyan silently glanced at Wang Yuetong when speaking as she was afraid of provoking Sister Yuetong. However, Wang Yuetong was calm and did not seem to be dissatisfied.

“Kunlun City?”

Li Tianlan raised his brows and murmured with confusion and a tinge of coldness that even he himself did not notice.

Kunlun, Gu as the surname, Gu Yunxia.

At this moment, inspiration seemed to have exploded in Li Tianlan’s mind as a surge of complex emotions filled his heart.

“Yes, Kunlun City, now the center of power for Zhongzhou State Special Warfare System. Out of the current four Invincible Realm experts of Zhongzhou State, two of them reside in Kunlun City.”

Yu Qingyan replied obediently.

“Two Invincible Realm experts? Do they all bear the surname Gu?”

The coldness in Li Tianlan’s eyes flashed past immediately as his mouth twitched uncontrollably. He then asked stiffly.

The center of power for Special Warfare System, Kunlun City.

Frustration rose in Li Tianlan’s heart as he mocked himself.

Many years ago, Zhongzhou State never had a Kunlun City. Even if it did exist, it was not the power center for Zhongzhou State Special Warfare System.

Back then, there was only a single core to Zhongzhou State Special Warfare System. That was the Li family.

His Kunlun Li family!

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