"Dream on," Chen Shijie scoffed, "Duke Tian’s rank has reached level forty-five, while you and I are only at level six. Aspiring to rise up there? You’d have to beco a duke yourself."
"Even dukes don’t necessarily have as high a rank as Duke Tian’s. It’s not like the ti of the Grand Ancestor," Zhao Xing said.
Emperor Jing was notoriously stingy! To think of rising to a rank of forty-five was as hard as ascending to heaven.
Because even being crowned a king doesn’t guarantee a rank as high as Duke Tian’s!
A rank of forty-five was just four ranks shy of the full rank of forty-nine.
Duke Tian got his rank by taking early retirent in his pri. After founding the state, he didn’t seek power and gave up many of his fiefdoms, desiring only to live like a wealthy man.
Plus, back then, the rewards for each rank were not as significant as they are now. It was only after the kingdom grew more powerful that the ranks slowly started to carry more weight.
"Too bad it can’t be inherited after death," Long Xiao said.
"If ranks could be inherited, Great Zhou’s treasury couldn’t support it," Zhao Xing said, "The purpose of ranks is that the longer you live, the greater your benefits. But after reaching rank thirty, they generally don’t grant ranks to those in power; rather, it’s the idle officials who receive more."
"Being an official ans you can’t be too rich; if you’re too rich, you don’t serve as an official," Chen Shijie nodded, "That’s the reasoning."
...
On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the Ten Thousand Skill Tower Ship under Liu Tianning set sail.
Zhao Xing sent a grassman avatar onto the ship.
The original stayed in Eighteen locust and willow courtyard, sparring with Long Xiao and Chen Shijie.
Just in case, he withdrew the high-level exploration envoy positions from these two and traded them for favors.
Now, Zhao Xing had twelve favors credited to him, while the rest were distributed by Liu Tianning.
The entire exploration group maintained the full quota of thirty mbers.
Only, Chen Shijie and Long Xiao were no longer included.
As for Xia Jing and Ji Ziyun, these two were still out on missions, occupying their positions.
Zhao Xing couldn’t persuade them to seize a good opportunity and call it enough.
Because their positions weren’t granted for nothing; they were part of a transaction with the powerful families behind Xia Jing and Ji Ziyun.
To take those positions back now would be equivalent to breaking the agreent.
"I can only wait for more people to enter, for the fighting to beco more intense, and then try persuading them again," Zhao Xing thought to himself.
"Haha, caught you! Old Chen and I tead up, and you still dare to be distracted?"
"Take this punch!"
Long Xiao suddenly appeared in front of Zhao Xing, delivering an uncompromising punch to Zhao Xing’s chest.
Zhao Xing emitted golden light, his body retreating, yet he was unhard as he faded into the Fog Concealnt.
"Damn, the kid disappeared again!" Long Xiao shook his fist, "How has his body beco so strong?"
...
While they were sparring, on the Ten Thousand Skill Tower Ship, Zhao Xing’s grassman avatar stood beside Liu Tianning.
In half a day, they arrived at the southern Crimson Lake.
On board the tower ship, there were only master and disciple; the rest were not on board.
Zhao Xing remained silent throughout, simply letting Liu Tianning carry out his actions.
On the eighteenth day of the seventh month, the Ten Thousand Skill Tower Ship arrived at a district of Crimson Lake, Lake Heart Island.
On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, after three days of fruitless searching, Liu Tianning maneuvered the tower ship to leave.
They then reached the area of Songyan Bay on the outskirts of Crimson Lake.
On the twenty-second day, they changed locations again.
In the anti, Liu Tianning also passed through the mysterious palace on the surface area known as Redwood Forest.
However, since there was a Forget Sorrow Stele in the area, he did not enter, rely passing by on the side.
Zhao Xing watched Liu Tianning zigzag around without being moved, resolved to do only this much and leave the rest to fate.
.....
The ti ca to the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month.
With no results from his continuous search, Liu Tianning stood on the Ten Thousand Skill Tower Ship with a furrowed brow.
His Primordial Soul was at the Fourth Grade Late Stage, just one step away from the Third Grade Primordial Soul Realm.
He had also consud many treasures that boosted the Primordial Soul and carried with him nurous soul-type Divine Weapons, including several of the seventh rank.
If there really was a revelation for him in this Grotto Heaven, and he had arrived at the scene from his dreams, he should have found sothing.
So why hadn’t he found anything?
Liu Tianning took out the Earth Mirror.
Inside the Hundred Soldiers Tower.
"Hum~"
Liu Tianning’s apparition appeared in Luo Hou Palace.
"Greetings, Luo Hou King."
"Tianning, what brings you here?" Luo Hou King looked at Liu Tianning.
Liu Tianning wouldn’t engage in pointless formalities. Like paying a courtesy call without a reason.
Luo Hou also disliked such pretenses, so whenever he sought out Liu Tianning or Liu Tianning sought him, it was always for a purpose.
"Luo Hou King, I request a temporary halt to the Forget Sorrow Array and Yuanfeng Formation at sixteen locations including Red Pine Forest, Seven Rift Valley, Windless Island, Yao Guang Island," Liu Tianning said.
"What is your intention?" Luo Hou King inquired.
"After consuming the heart of the Dragon Whale, I received so revelations, suggesting that sothing significant is about to happen," Liu Tianning said, "I want to conduct a thorough search of these places."
Luo Hou King thought for a mont and said, "Wait here for a while."
"Yes."
Luo Hou King closed his eyes, then at the highest floor of the Hundred Soldiers Tower, he consulted with King Heavenly Destiny.
"The Heart of Giant Whale indeed has its wonders," King Heavenly Destiny said, "The Dragon Whale competes with the universe for its essence, and after he consud the Dragon Whale’s Heart, his Primordial Soul is strong, his Earth Soul might intersect with the heavens and earth, causing so cause and effect resonance."
"But has Zhao Xing, who also consud it, had the sa premonition?"
"Liu Tianning didn’t ntion it; it seems not," Luo Hou King said, "It must be because Zhao Xing’s realm is not high enough, his Primordial Soul is far from being as powerful as Liu Tianning’s, and he hasn’t cultivated ’Derivation God Decision’."
Derivation God Decision is a top-tier Secret Technique!
The last person to cultivate it was King Heavenly Destiny.
King Heavenly Destiny reached the second level while at the Third Grade, whereas Liu Tianning achieved the first level at the Fifth Grade.
In terms of talent, Liu Tianning was slightly stronger.
It was for this reason that King Heavenly Destiny took Liu Tianning’s ideas very seriously.
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