Martial Peak
chapter-4155-30041322

Chapter 4155 – Grandmaster Ma Fan

The Proprietress seemed to be walking down memory lane as she said slowly, “About 1,000 years ago, there was a man who was just as gifted as you. He attempted to directly ascend to the High-Rank and in fact, he had encountered countless opportunities and was extremely lucky, so he managed to condense six Element Powers, leaving him just one step away from achieving his goal.”

“What happened then?” Yang Kai turned to look at her.

“Then…” The Proprietress let out a breath, “For some reasons that were beyond his control, he could only become a Fifth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master.”

Yang Kai frowned, “You mean, the last resource that he absorbed was in the Fifth Order?”

In response, the Proprietress gently nodded.

In order to ascend to the Open Heaven Realm, a cultivator had to condense Yin, Yang, and Five Elements into their Dao Seal; however, as for how far one could go, it depended on the lowest Order Element they absorbed. Just like filling a barrel with water, it all depended on the shortest plank to determine how much water could be held. It didn’t matter if the planks were taller as that did not change the maximum capacity of the barrel.

Yang Kai didn’t understand why that man gave up on such a bright future. He was bound to be a Seventh-Order Open Heaven Realm Master, but he ended up becoming a Fifth-Order one. Perhaps there were reasons that he had no control over; otherwise, no one would be willing to make such a decision.

“Where is that man now?” Yang Kai asked.

The Proprietress slowly shook her head.

Seeing that, Yang Kai realised that this man must be dead.

She went on to say, “So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, your biggest obstacle isn’t how difficult it is to look for High-Rank resources, but the Cave-Heavens and Paradises!”

Yang Kai felt his heart sinking. If it was just as the Proprietress had said, things would become tricky. It had been a long time since these Cave-Heavens and Paradises established themselves in the 3,000 Worlds, so their heritage was shocking. Anyone that had been targeted by them would never live a peaceful life again. There was no doubt that they would relentlessly suppress such a person.

“What if I can join one of the Cave Heavens or Paradises?” The idea suddenly sprang into Yang Kai’s mind. Perhaps he could make use of a top great force’s power to resist such pressure.

The Proprietress chuckled, “There are Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises. Which one do you want to join? If you manage to join one, the other hundred and seven top forces will never agree to it. Which great force would be willing to resist such pressure for you?”

Yang Kai furrowed his brow, “Is there anyone in this world who can directly break through to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm?”

“Yes.” The Proprietress nodded, “The disciples nurtured by the Cave-Heavens and Paradises from birth have such a chance, but you aren’t one of them. Besides the fact that it is extremely hard to look for Seventh-Order resources, rarely anyone in this world has a good enough aptitude to directly ascend to the High-Rank.”

A furious Yang Kai bellowed, “It’s not fair that they have a chance to ascend to the High-Rank while others can’t!”

“So, if you want to directly ascend to the High-Rank Open Heaven Realm, the road ahead for you will be paved with obstacles and danger. You might even have to go against the entire world.”

Yang Kai asked, “Are you trying to tell me to lower my expectations?”

The Proprietress slowly shook her head, “You will have to choose your own path. Regardless of what decision you make, I will not interfere in it. I’m just telling you the threats you’ll face.”

1,000 years ago, she had done everything she could to persuade that person to curb his ambitions, but the result was a complete tragedy. Now, 1,000 years later, history seemed to be repeating itself, and this time, she would not make the same mistake.

Yang Kai lowered his head.

For the remaining journey, the Proprietress seemed to have lost interest in talking and appeared to be engulfed in an atmosphere of sorrow. As such, the trip became a silent one.

One day, after passing through several Great Territories, the pair suddenly stopped at a certain point in the void.

The Proprietress fished out a Universe Chart and took a glance at it before looking around and muttering, “It should be around here.”

Following that, she took out a jade and infused her energy into it. After that, she hurled the jade away, whereupon it turned into a ray of light and shot forward. As though the ray of light had crashed into something, it shattered. As they were engulfed in the dazzling light, a portal came into Yang Kai’s sight.

He arched his brow, knowing that there was a hidden space over there and the jade was the key to open it.

This kind of concealment technique was extraordinary. Even a Sixth-Order Open Heaven Realm Master like the Proprietress couldn’t see through it as she had to rely on this special jade.

It reminded Yang Kai of the Nine Heavenly Layers. If the Grand Array was completed, Void Land could also completely disappear.

At that instant, he secretly felt fortunate that he had made such a decision. What the Proprietress had told him made him realise that he would be faced with endless trouble in the future, and he might drag Void Land into it as well. With the Nine Heavenly Layers, it could at least protect Void Land.

“Hm, who is it that has come to visit? So troublesome!” An aged voice was suddenly heard coming from beyond the portal. It was apparent that he was an elderly man, and his voice could arouse a sense of dreariness.

Yang Kai was stunned as he found the owner of this place interesting. He didn’t even pretend to be amiable. Feeling troubled, he would directly say it out loud. It seemed that he wasn’t afraid of offending anyone.

However, it seemed that the Proprietress was already used to this as she said with a smile, “Grandmaster Ma Fan, it’s me. Please open the door.”

Yang Kai was dumbfounded, thinking that the owner of this place had such a weird name.

Recognising her voice, Grandmaster Ma Fan sighed, “It’s you, little girl. Haaa… So troublesome. Come in.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the portal opened up and revealed a dark passageway.

After hinting at Yang Kai to follow her, the Proprietress stepped into the passageway first. Not daring to be negligent, Yang Kai hurriedly followed her.

Right after they entered the portal, they were greeted by a dazzling light. Yang Kai narrowed his eyes, and when he made out what was in front of him a moment later, he was astounded.

He thought that the world behind the portal would look just like Void Land, but after entering this place, he realised that it was vastly different from what he had imagined.

The space seemed boundless and it was apparent that he and the Proprietress were still standing in the void. In this space, there were several dozen Stars, and every Star was surrounded by clouds. Every Star looked different, and there was a gigantic Sun Star that was emitting light and heat at their centre.

The Sun’s True Fire could be seen pulsating on the surface of the Sun Star, and the entire void was illuminated by its light. This place was just like a miniature Great Territory.

Yang Kai was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t say a word.

On the other hand, the Proprietress was already used to it as she said, “The scenery in those Cave-Heavens and Paradises are countless times more splendid than this. Moreover, this place is the ruins of a Paradise, and Grandmaster Ma Fan is the only surviving descendent of that Paradise.”

“The ruins of a Paradise?” Yang Kai was shocked.

The Proprietress explained, “Thirty-Six Cave-Heavens and Seventy-Two Paradises do not remain the same forever. The 3,000 Worlds aren’t as simple as you think.”

Yang Kai was astonished. The Cave-Heavens and Paradises were the strongest great forces in the world, so what could possibly make one disappear? Was it because of natural or man-made disasters?

Moreover, the ruins of a Paradise were already so magnificent, so what about the real Paradises? What about the Cave Heavens?

The emotions in Yang Kai’s heart undulated. Affected by the Sun Star in this place, he felt that the Golden Crow’s True Fire in his body was tempted to resonate with it.

“Let’s go,” The Proprietress took his arm and led him to a Star before landing on the ground.

Soon, Yang Kai saw the Grandmaster Ma Fan whom the Proprietress had mentioned.

He was indeed an elderly man, but his bitter expression seemed to suggest that he had lost interest in life. It was as though he was eager to kill himself to end all the trouble.

What surprised Yang Kai was that even though this elderly man looked ordinary, he was actually a High-Rank Open Heaven Realm Master.

That revelation stunned Yang Kai and he couldn’t help but admire the Proprietress for having a lot of connections as she managed to become friends with such a person.

“Junior greets Grandmaster!” The Proprietress obediently saluted. Besides the fact that she was weaker than he was, she was also much younger.

Naturally, Yang Kai also paid his respects.

Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at the Proprietress and quickly lowered them again, as though he felt that raising his eyes was also troublesome. In a languid manner, he said, “Little girl, when was the last time we met?”

With a smile, the Proprietress replied, “About 300 years ago.”

“Three hundred years…” Grandmaster Ma Fan appeared sullen as he muttered, “In other words, I’ve been sitting here for 300 years.”

At that revelation, Yang Kai felt speechless. How lazy must this elderly man be that he could sit there and do nothing for 300 years?

“Ting Yu, you’re also here,” Grandmaster Ma Fan said.

With her lips curving into a smile, the Proprietress refuted, “Old man, what’s wrong with your eyes? Take a closer look. He isn’t Ting Yu.”

“Hmm?” Grandmaster Ma Fan lifted his eyes to take a glance at Yang Kai, then he became shocked, “He really isn’t Ting Yu, but they look similar. Oh, I remember it now. Ting Yu is already gone. I guess I’m really going senile now.”

Yang Kai was startled as it wasn’t the first time he heard the name ‘Ting Yu’. When they were in the Sealing Yang Domain in the past, Yue He also called out this name.

Taking past incidents into consideration, Yang Kai had a feeling that he looked similar to this guy called Ting Yu, and to the Proprietress and Yue He, Ting Yu was someone very important.

Perhaps this person was the reason the Proprietress and Yue He had fallen out. Certainly, he couldn’t ask about it right in front of the Proprietress, so he suppressed the doubts in his heart.

“What’s the purpose of your visit this time?” Grandmaster Ma Fan asked.

The Proprietress replied, “I’ve come all the way here because I want you to refine some artifacts for me.”

“I knew it. This will be so troublesome,” Grandmaster Ma Fan didn’t conceal his displeasure.

A nonchalant Proprietress continued with a smile, “That’s because you’re one of the best Artifact Grandmasters in this world. In the entire 3,000 Worlds, fewer than 3 people are comparable to you in this field.”

Grandmaster Ma Fan snorted, “Stop your flattery, it means nothing to me.” Despite what he had said, his slightly curved lips suggested that he was pleased to hear such pleasantries.

Then, he got up as cracking sounds were heard coming from his slim figure. After a sigh, he said, “Forget it. I’ve remained seated for a long time, and it’s time to get up and do something else. Lan girl, what artifacts do you want to refine?”

Hurriedly, the Proprietress replied, “Old man, the things I want you to make are Array Artifacts, not ordinary artifacts.”