The Grand Elder hurriedly said, “Of course I have confidence in you—you’re Lan Xiang’s son. Come with me.” Before Lan Ge could ask anything further, a gentle cyan glow wrapped around him and Fa Hua, lifting them as they were swept toward the rear mountain of the Royal Palace.
Lan Ge instinctively looked down. Everything within the palace seemed unchanged, just as he remembered it. Every courtyard stirred something deep within him.
Do I really have the right to return?
The Grand Elder seemed anxious, Fa Hua’s voice echoed in his mind.
Anxious? Lan Ge asked, puzzled.
Yes. When he saw us, it showed for a moment. He covered it quickly, but that brief slip felt genuine.
What would he have to be anxious about? Lan Ge frowned. You’re not suggesting something’s wrong with him, are you? That’s impossible. He practically raised my father. Without him, my father would never have become king. He’s given his entire life to the Blue Domain—there’s no way there’s anything wrong.
His emotions grew more heated. To him, the Grand Elder was like a grandfather. Their closeness was precisely why he could be so informal around him.
I’m not saying there’s something wrong, Fa Hua replied calmly. Only that he may be hiding something. That’s just my intuition.
Lan Ge fell silent for a moment, brows drawn together. Hiding something…? Something in the palace? He shook his head. Forget it. I trust him. Even if there is something, it’s not something I need to know right now. First, I’ll win the Grand Competition. Then I’ll become Lord of Thunder City. Everything else can wait.
Fair enough, Fa Hua replied.
Thunder City, Royal Palace.
“So he was sent away by the Grand Elder?” Xiang Yun pressed a hand to her chest, letting out a long breath of relief. Then she couldn’t help complaining, “What kind of situation is this? Our son finally comes home, and I can’t even hug him or show him any affection. We can’t even acknowledge him. This Grand Elder really is something else…”
Lan Xiang coughed lightly. “It’s already come to this. We stick to the plan. When the time comes, he’ll understand—and he might even be moved. A family reunion is still a happy thing. I never thought that boy would really reach Ninth Rank. Looks like someone’s there to carry things forward. Hah! My son—Ninth Rank. My son’s back!”
Xiang Yun glanced at him skeptically. “Are you sure the Grand Elder’s plan will work? What if it backfires?”
Lan Xiang’s tone turned firm. “Trust in family. I trust my son.”
Xiang Yun’s lips twitched. “You didn’t hesitate when you were setting him up, though.”
Lan Xiang shot her a look. “Oh? And you weren’t acting your part? Who was it that kicked him straight into the Elemental Sea back then?”
“Don’t bring that up again!” she snapped. “Can’t you let it go? Lan Xiang, are you trying to die? Don’t even think about getting into my bed tonight.”
“My dear, I was wrong…”
The Thunder City Grand Competition continued at full pace. The first round concluded faster than expected, finishing in just a day and a half and determining the top forty-nine.
To Lan Ge’s surprise, his luck seemed absurdly good. In the second round, he drew the only bye and advanced directly into the top twenty-five.
Third round draw.
“Bye—Number sixty-seven.”
Lan Ge blinked. Another bye? One was already rare, but two in a row even felt strange to him.
He turned to Fa Hua. “Do you believe in luck?”
Fa Hua nodded. “I believe you don’t have any.”
Lan Ge burst out laughing. “Then you’re wrong! Two byes in a row—have you ever seen that? This might be the first time in the competition’s history. Winning without fighting—I’m already in the top thirteen.”
“Try getting a third,” Fa Hua said.
“If I do, will you admit I’ve got real luck?”
“I’ll admit the whole thing is rigged.”
Fortunately, a third bye never came. In the next round, Lan Ge faced an Eighth-Rank opponent. Ninth Rank versus Eighth Rank—and as a Blessed One, he won without much effort, advancing into the top seven.
In that same round, the one who received the bye was the contestant they had been watching all along—Number 58.
Lan Ge had observed all of No. 58’s matches. He never revealed his Elemental Clouds, and none of his fights lasted long. The only certainty was that his Lightning Element control was extraordinarily refined.
Lan Ge had asked the Grand Elder about him, but the answer was simple: the man had no issues and was indeed from Thunder City.
In the Demon Domain’s Ancestral Court, nearly twenty humanoid figures sat within a vast hall thousands of meters in scale. Massive skeletons lined the interior, each radiating terrifying auras, some so large they seemed to hold up the ceiling itself.
On one side sat Tianmo Dan, Tianmo Hao, and the other Heavenly Devils. Opposite them were the great demons and nymphs, nearly indistinguishable from humans aside from subtle differences.
“Have you reached a decision?” Tianmo Dan asked.
“We refuse,” the white-haired elder replied calmly. Yet the moment he spoke, the hall itself seemed to resonate, and the expressions of the Eight Heavenly Devils darkened.
“Have you thought this through?”
“We have. It is you who think too much. Tell your Devil God—if you want what belongs to the Demon Domain, come take it yourselves.”
“Very well. Then we take our leave.”
Their purpose had already been achieved.
“Can you sense the Peerless Pearl?” Tianmo Dan asked.
“Yes. It has returned toward the Blue Domain.”
“Then that will be our next destination.”
Back at the competition, an explosion rang out as Lan Ge’s opponent was blasted from the arena.
The tournament had entered its final stage. Luck had long since left him, but at the Ninth Rank, strength alone was enough. Match after match, Lan Ge advanced until he stood in the finals.
His opponent was Number 58.
“I don’t think you can beat him,” Fa Hua said calmly.
“Stop jinxing me,” Lan Ge replied irritably.
“I’m serious. He’s beyond simple Elemental Heart control. He may already be touching the Laws of Lightning.”
Lan Ge froze. “The Laws? That’s God-level power.”
Fa Hua nodded. “We felt it when I became the Divine Envoy of Wisdom. A fragment of Law. If you want to win, don’t use Lightning against him.”
Lan Ge frowned. “I didn’t expect you to rate him this highly.”
“You’ve felt it too.”
Lan Ge nodded slowly. “Then I’ll go all out.”
That fleeting contact with Law had changed him. It deepened his understanding—but none of his opponents had been strong enough to push him further.
Now, finally, he had one.
Perhaps this would be his chance.
At last, the final day of the Thunder City Grand Competition arrived.