Fan Liangpeng had expected that after saying all this, the child would immediately drop to his knees, thanking him profusely and begging to be taken into the Heavenly Martial Tower. Instead, the boy—who looked no older than ten—waved his hand with an air of worldly weariness. "I know. Someone's already told me that before."
Fan Liangpeng's heart skipped a beat. Someone had said it before? Who?
The boy called Chai Shan spoke up. "Old man, let me ask you—who's the strongest person in your what's-it-called Tower?"
Old… old man! Fan Liangpeng's eye twitched. He was a Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator. At least call him "Senior," but no—he went with "old man." Boys would be boys; he chose not to make a fuss and asked with a smile, "The strongest? Naturally, that would be our Heavenly Martial Tower Master!"
"What order?"
"Sixth-Order!" Fan Liangpeng replied with pride.
"How many Sixth-Order cultivators do you have? And how many Fifth-Order?"
"Uh, Sixth-Order… just the Tower Master alone. Fifth-Order, there are about six or seven."
"Pfft!" Chai Shan curled his lip. "One Sixth-Order and six or seven Fifth-Order. Your Heavenly Martial Tower is really weak."
Such impudence from a snotty-nosed brat! Fan Liangpeng nearly cursed out loud. The Heavenly Martial Tower was a second-rate power that dominated the Heavenly Martial Domain. The very Great Domain bore their sect's name. Among all second-rate forces across the Three Thousand Worlds, even if they couldn't claim the top spot, they were at least mid-tier. Every power—large and small—in the surrounding Great Domains showed the Heavenly Martial Tower a measure of respect.
And now a ten-year-old child was calling them weak without a shred of mercy?
Fan Liangpeng's face flushed with embarrassment. He was about to launch into a proper rebuttal when Chai Shan, apparently too bored to continue the conversation, jumped down from his chair, planted his hands on his hips, and looked up at him. "Old man, go on back. I'm going to be a man who joins Lingxiao Palace. I'm not interested in your Heavenly Martial Tower."
He turned toward his parents. "Dad, Mom—don't just bring any random person home next time. It's a waste of time. I'm going out to play!"
With that, he bounced out the door.
His mother called after him, "Run slow! Don't trip!"
"I know!" Chai Shan's voice drifted back from a distance.
Fan Liangpeng sat stunned in his chair, momentarily dazed. He—a dignified Fifth-Order Open Heaven cultivator—had just been dismissed as "some random person" by a child?
The boy's father grinned sheepishly. "Elder, it seems Chai Shan isn't too keen on the idea. What do you think…"
Fan Liangpeng snapped back to his senses and cleared his throat twice to mask the awkwardness. "Your son wishes to join Lingxiao Palace—a lofty ambition indeed. It seems the Heavenly Martial Tower simply isn't meant for him. Well, since it's not meant to be, I shan't impose any further."
Once outside the small village, Fan Liangpeng looked back. Chai Shan was roughhousing with a group of children, carefree and without a worry in the world. He couldn't help but feel a pang of reflection. Had the times changed, or was the Star Boundary simply a different place?
---
In the great hall of Lingxiao Palace, Yang Kai sat upon his throne, listening as Hua Qingsi reported on the changes the Star Boundary had undergone over the years.
When he heard that quite a few powers had deposited the disciples they'd recruited from the Star Boundary with Lingxiao Palace for foster care, Yang Kai couldn't help but chuckle. "They really are resourceful."
Hua Qingsi explained, "There was simply no other choice. Apart from the various Grotto-heavens and Blessed Lands that already have their own cultivation grounds, only Great Yan has one among all the Star Boundary forces. The others have nowhere to put their disciples, so foster care is the only option. We at Lingxiao Palace, along with the other local Star Boundary powers, have been happy to accommodate them and haven't made things difficult. The cultivators placed in foster care are all treated equally."
Yang Kai nodded. "They're all warriors born of the Star Boundary. It should be this way."
Hua Qingsi sighed. "Actually, among those disciples, quite a few have exceptional talent. I have to admit—the people those powers sent to select disciples have remarkably sharp eyes."
Yang Kai smiled. "Is the Grand Steward lamenting the loss of talent?"
"Somewhat," Hua Qingsi admitted with a nod.
"No need," Yang Kai waved it off. "With the Star Boundary's World Tree providing its bounty, talented individuals will only increase here. If we tried to take them all into Lingxiao Palace, we couldn't possibly support them all, and it would only breed jealousy. The current arrangement is ideal. The great powers of the Three Thousand Worlds recruit disciples from the Star Boundary, yet they're forced to leave them in foster care with Star Boundary organizations. In essence, they're spending their own resources to cultivate talent for my Star Boundary."
Hua Qingsi's eyes lit up. "The Sect Master sees even more clearly than I."
Yang Kai chuckled. "These disciples were all born in the Star Boundary. This is their home. No matter how high their cultivation rises in the future, they'll always think of the Star Boundary."
"Indeed!" Hua Qingsi agreed with a nod.
Yang Kai then regarded Hua Qingsi with a trace of wistfulness. "So the Grand Steward ultimately achieved the Fifth-Order Open Heaven?"
Upon his return this time, Yang Kai had discovered that Hua Qingsi had already broken through to the Open Heaven Realm—Fifth-Order.
Hua Qingsi reached up to brush a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "That's where my aptitude ends. Reaching Fifth-Order is already more than enough to satisfy me."