Chapter 86: The Celestial Origin Finance Card

On the Heavenly Path, two figures—one tall, one short—walked away from the “Heavenly Origin Manor” pavilion, their silhouettes receding into the distance. Under the sunlight, a pure silver gleam flashed in the hand of one; if one observed closely, they would see the words “Tianming” etched within the glow.

“Seven hundred thousand? I wonder how much experience I’ll gain this time,” Tianming murmured, playing with the platinum card in his hand.

Of the eighty-eight thousand Yuan Stones won from his wager, Tianming kept his promise and gave Hengcheng eighteen thousand. Though Hengcheng had only given him one thousand, Tianming felt that, considering how Hengcheng always stood up for him, even fifty thousand would not be too much.

After some inquiries, Tianming learned that the Heavenly Evolution Sect really did have a storage institution akin to a bank; they simply called their cards “Heavenly Origin Cards.” He applied for a bronze card and left ten thousand on it. Hengcheng had a gold card. The two of them were treated with unprecedented respect. The card hierarchy was roughly: Black Iron, Bronze, Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Diamond, Supreme, and the limited “Heavenly Sovereign” card.

But Tianming did not store all his Yuan Stones in the card. He withdrew sixty thousand and placed them in his dimensional space. His reasoning was simple: he wanted to transform these Yuan Stones into experience using the Universal Dora, so he could advance to the Spiritual Void Realm or even higher.

Of course, if Tianming wanted to absorb all that experience now, he could—but that would surely astound the world, and the goodwill of others might turn to malice. After all, human nature is fickle; precautions are always wise.

“Tian Bro!”

Just then, Hengcheng paused, his expression troubled as he looked down at the gold card in his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Tianming, catching the change, turned and gazed at Hengcheng in surprise. Seeing where Hengcheng’s gaze landed, Tianming immediately understood. “Don’t feel guilty—the extra Yuan Stones are your interest.”

“Tian Bro, thank you!” Hengcheng said sincerely, clutching the gold card. He didn’t really understand what “interest” was, but he knew that Tianming’s act meant he was regarded as a brother.

“No need to thank me. I promised to help you onto the road to wealth, and I always keep my word!” Tianming shook his head, speaking as he walked slowly ahead.

Hengcheng, moved by his words, nodded and hurried to follow, remaining silent. Though he said nothing, his actions spoke volumes. In his heart, he vowed: from today onwards, he would follow Tian Bro above all others.

The sky was still pale, not yet dark, but a bright, full moon was already rising gently, soft as gauze. The clouds floated lightly, the breeze was mild, and the moon was beautiful—it all formed a breathtaking scene.

Soon, Tianming and Hengcheng arrived at the gate of the Heavenly Pavilion. As their eyes swept over the grand edifices atop the thousand-step stairway, they found themselves lost in admiration. The moonlight poured down, mingling with the vast buildings below, gorgeous as a mortal paradise.

Everyone knows that humans possess a love of beauty, and Tianming was no exception.

Silently appreciating the view, Tianming drew a deep breath. Though they had been here before, the repeated sight never lost its grandeur and elegance. No wonder the Pavilion’s master could stand equal to the Sect Leader—a figure truly awe-inspiring.

“Let’s go,” Tianming whispered, seeing Hengcheng still dazed by the scene.

He wasn’t in a hurry, but he wanted to see when the Four Sect Gathering would begin, so he could prepare. The ranking board was in the Heavenly Lodging region, and it was at least an hour’s journey from here. Now, dusk was falling, and soon another day would dawn.

Just as Tianming stepped forward, his brow furrowed as he sensed a fragrant breeze slip past.

“Tian Bro, what’s wrong?” Hengcheng noticed Tianming’s oddity and asked, puzzled.

He looked around but saw only Hengcheng beside him. “It’s nothing,” Tianming said, shaking his head, banishing his doubts and heading toward the Heavenly Lodging region—time waits for no one.

“Not good.”

With a barely audible sigh, Tianming suddenly felt his left side lose balance. Because it happened so quickly, when he glanced back, he saw, under Hengcheng’s wide-eyed astonishment, his right side collapsing too, and he fell to the ground.

“Who’s there? Stop hiding and show yourself!” Hengcheng quickly drew a cold-glinting spear from his back.

Normally, Hengcheng was slow to react, but in moments like this, he was swift, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings as if determined to uncover the culprit. But clearly, the person responsible had no intention of revealing themselves.

“It’s her?”

Tianming lay on the ground, surprised but not panicked. He calmly analyzed the situation, as if he had realized something—an epiphany dawned.

“Brother Chu, I heard a rumor that Tianming won nearly ninety thousand Yuan Stones at the tournament!”

“What? Ninety thousand Yuan Stones—this kid can’t sit still anywhere. He didn’t even tell me. What a pity…”

“Hahaha!”

Just as Tianming began to raise his head, he saw two figures, chatting and laughing, approaching. They were familiar faces.

“Brother Chu! And Brother Sikong?”

Hengcheng had also noticed them, his face lighting up. He quickly stowed his spear and hurried over to help Tianming up. “Tian Bro?” he called, seeing Tianming rolling on the ground.

“Want to embarrass me? Dream on!” Tianming chuckled inwardly as he rolled.

He knew that when he glanced at Chu Qingchen and Sikong Shi, they had already noticed what was happening here. He guessed that the person who tripped him wanted to make him a public laughingstock—but Tianming had no intention of letting her succeed.

“By the way, Brother Sikong, I think we forgot something back at that place,” Chu Qingchen said, his token trembling slightly, giving Hengcheng a meaningful look, as if suddenly enlightened.

“Oh! You’re right, thanks for the reminder, Brother Chu,” Sikong Shi replied, stifling a laugh.

With that, Chu Qingchen and Sikong Shi turned shoulder to shoulder and vanished into the darkness. Perhaps because night had fallen, they completely ignored Tianming and Hengcheng nearby.

Hengcheng was about to greet them, but Tianming pulled him back.

Seeing Tianming’s cautious expression, Hengcheng fell silent, watching Chu Qingchen and Sikong Shi disappear before his eyes.