Chapter 2253 - Disappointed
Chapter 2253 Disappointed
Duan Ling Tian got up from the bed and left the room. He finally exited his closed-door cultivation!
“Daddy! Daddy!”
Duan Ling Tian heard an excited squeal as soon as he opened the room door. He saw his daughter, Duan Si Ling, running toward him with open arms. The excitement was apparent on her adorable little face.
“Si Ling.” Duan Ling Tian bent down to catch Duan Si Ling who lunged at him and carried her.
At this point, Duan Si Ling was already ten years old. However, she was still very innocent due to her lack of contact with other kids her age. She was like a princess before Duan Ling Tian, and to Duan Ling Tian, she was his one and only little princess!
“Daddy… Why do I feel like you’re a little different?” Duan Si Ling blinked her eyes innocently as she sized Duan Ling Tian up. She could see the difference in his aura.
Before Duan Ling Tian entered the closed-door cultivation, his cultivation base was merely at the Sixth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. His bearing and aura had changed drastically now that he had broken through to the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage.
Although Duan Si Ling had yet to officially start cultivating, she was very sensitive to the changes in Duan Ling Tian due to her black Innate Spiritual Root. Naturally, she did not know what aura was, she only knew that her father felt different to her.
Duan Ling Tian patted Duan Si Ling’s head affectionately and said with a smile, “Daddy has had a breakthrough.”
Duan Si Ling’s eyes lit up when she heard Duan Ling Tian’s words. “Wah! Daddy is amazing! This means daddy has broken through to the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage, the Heaven-Defying Form! Does this mean you’re an immortal now?”
Previously, Duan Ling Tian had told Duan Si Ling that his cultivation base was at the Sixth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage and some facts about the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage, the Heaven-Defying Form. For this reason, he was not surprised when he heard her words. He only nodded with a smile on his face.
However, Duan Si Ling looked downcast when she saw Duan Ling Tian nodding as though something was bothering her.
“What’s wrong?” Duan Ling Tian asked in surprise. It was his first time seeing his daughter acting this way. He was baffled.
“Daddy… Si Ling wants to start cultivating too,” Duan Si Ling pouted adorably and said, “Si Ling wants to be an immortal too. Otherwise, Si Ling will grow old and die. Daddy will be very bored if that happens… Si Ling wants to accompany daddy.”
When Duan Ling Tian heard his daughter’s words, his heart felt warm. He said with a smile, “Si Ling can cultivate, but daddy has to ask for mummy’s permission first, okay? If she agrees to it, we can start cultivating!”
“Daddy, mummy has agreed to it. She told me to wait until you come out from closed-door cultivation so you can teach me,” Duan Si Ling said.
“Well, we still have to inform your mother about it,” Duan Ling Tian said affectionately as he patted Duan Si Ling’s head.
As soon as Duan Ling Tian finished speaking, a soft voice that was laced with surprise rang in the air. “Brother Tian, you’re done?”
A beautiful lady walked out of the room next to Duan Ling Tian’s room.
It was Ke’er. She had heard movements out in the yard and had come out to take a look.
“Yes.” When Duan Ling Tian saw Ke’er, the look in his eyes turned gentle. The look in his eyes seemed capable of melting the hardest of hearts.
“Mummy, daddy promised to teach me how to cultivate,” Duan Si Ling cried out excitedly as she waved at Ke’er.
Before Ke’er could respond, Duan Ling Tian said, “Since Si Ling is about ten years old now, it should be fine if she starts cultivating. However, the final decision is yours to make. If you agree with it, then, I’ll teach her to cultivate. If you think she’s still too young, we can revisit this idea in two years.”
Duan Si Ling was stunned when she heard Duan Ling Tian’s words. When she regained her senses, her eyes were brimming with tears. “Daddy, what are you saying? I thought you’ve promised me?”
“I did promise you, but I also said mummy has to agree to it first… If mummy doesn’t agree, I wouldn’t dare to teach you at all.” Duan Ling Tian felt slightly sorry when he saw the tears in Duan Si Ling’s eyes. He quickly smiled at her and patted her head.
Duan Ling Tian still felt guilty about the fact that Ke’er had to bring their daughter up on her own. For this reason, he thought it was important to listen to Ke’er’s opinion first before he made any decision. Moreover, even if she did not raise their daughter on her own, it was still not right for Duan Ling Tian to make a decision without discussing it with Ke’er. As the mother of his daughter, she had the right to her own opinions as well. After all, their daughter belonged to both of them.
“Mummy…” After listening to Duan Ling Tian, Duan Si Ling instantly turned to look at Ke’er. She knew the decision lay with her mother. She said with a pout, “You can’t go back on your words. You’ve already promised me!”
At this time, Ke’er was standing next to Duan Ling Tian and their daughter. She said, “Brother Tian, we’ll do what you think is best.” It seemed as though she was willing to go along with whatever decision Duan Ling Tian made. His words had shown her how much he cared and respected her. It warmed her heart immensely.
That was how they decided Duan Si Ling would begin cultivating.
Duan Ling Tian finally remembered something important and asked Ke’er, “Ke’er, how many days have passed since I went into closed-door cultivation?”
“Twenty days,” Ke’er replied.
“Only twenty days?” Duan Ling Tian’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He thought at least twenty five days had passed. He did not expect only twenty days had gone by. After finding out how much time had passed, he said again to Ke’er, “Ke’er, I’m going out for a while. It’ll take an hour at most,”
Duan Ling Tian played with his daughter for a while before he passed his daughter to Ke’er and left the inn that was owned by the Human-Devil clan’s Crimson Blaze Palace.
Duan Ling Tian only left the inn because he wanted to test his current strength! He wanted to see how much stronger he had gotten now that he had broken through to the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage, the Heaven Defying Form. There was no point in making any guesses. The best way was to directly test his strength!
After leaving the inn, Duan Ling Tian left the Human-Devil Saint City as well. After fifteen minutes, he arrived at an empty desert. As he hovered in the sky, he extended his Divine Consciousness and found no signs of life. Even the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy was fairly thin here.
Let’s start with my Sun Saint Origin…’ With just a thought, Duan Ling Tian’s Sun Saint Origin began to churn in his body before it flowed to his 99 Saint Veins. It did not take long before it surged out of his body. It was extremely powerful. It felt as though a raging beast had awoken inside Duan Ling Tian’s body!
The number of Saint Veins one possessed was connected to the speed one mobilized the force in one’s body. The more Saint Veins one had, the fast one would be able to mobilize one’s Saint Origin.
However, compared to the Devata Realm, cultivators from the mundane realm relied less on their Saint Veins because their strength was too weak. In Devata Realms, Saint Veins were known as Heavenly Veins!
“Elementary Devouring Tactic!” Duan Ling Tian instantly cast the assist-type Divine Ability, the Elementary Devouring Tactic, after he mobilized his Sun Saint Origin and began to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy in his surroundings.
Duan Ling Tian changed location once he finished absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy around him. He could choose to stay, but the speed of absorption would be greatly reduced. His absorption speed would be faster if he moved to a place where there were more Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy.
Duan Ling Tian continued to change places a few times to absorb the Heaven and Earth Spirit Energy!
After about a dozen breaths, Duan Ling Tian finally raised his Sun Saint Origin to its limit. When he discovered the limit, he was disappointed.
“It’s the same as before… Could this be the bottleneck or obstacle before passing the Heavenly Tribulation? Elder Huo seemed to have mentioned something about this before…” Duan Ling Tian muttered under his breath.
Duan Ling Tian’s Sun Saint Origin was the same as before when he had not broken through to the Seventh Form of the Saint Celestial Stage. He did not get weaker nor did he get stronger. It was as though his strength had plateaued.
Duan Ling Tian smiled bitterly as he thought to himself, ‘Previously Elder Huo had said the strength of powerhouses at the Ninth Form of the Saint Celestial Stage would plateau before they pass the Heavenly Tribulation. They could only break through it if they pass the Heavenly Tribulation!’