I Am a Master Who Toys With the Mortal World

Several days later, dark clouds churned endlessly over a broad plain, muffling the sky with oppressive, thunderous rumbling.

On the plain, Wendy Lin stood alone, clad in her fitted Flamefrost Battle Armor, looking every bit like a soldier about to march onto the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Ian Song and the others stood several kilometers away.

"Master, will Little Mistress be all right?"

Stone Ling asked worriedly. She was about the same age as Wendy Lin, and after spending time together, the two girls had become extremely close.

"Don’t worry, she’ll be fine!"

Ian Song replied confidently. Although the Flamefrost Battle Armor Wendy wore didn’t even count as a proper spirit treasure, its defense was absurd—Fusion-stage experts couldn’t break through it.

Besides, to guard against any accidents, Ian had also stuffed several extra defensive artifacts on Wendy.

So, for her, a Nascent Soul tribulation was really nothing to worry about.

After half an hour of buildup, the tribulation clouds overhead grew thicker and thicker. Finally, a fist-thick bolt of green lightning crashed down from the sky, striking Wendy Lin directly.

The lightning struck so fast that Wendy Lin didn’t even have time to dodge.

Fortunately, she was wearing the Flamefrost Battle Armor, so even taking the tribulation bolt head-on, she was completely unharmed.

A second tribulation bolt followed right after, but still failed to do her any harm.

Several dozen li away.

Two figures were speeding toward the site: an old man in gray robes and a girl in a green skirt.

As he flew, the old man muttered, "Heavens help us, let’s hope that person fails their tribulation!"

"Grandpa, you’re going too far! Sure, we’re hoping to pick up a corpse, but you don’t have to curse someone to fail their tribulation!" The green-skirted girl rolled her eyes.

"What do you know? If they pass the tribulation, our trip will have been for nothing!" the old man retorted, pursing his lips.

"Tch!" The girl rolled her eyes again, too lazy to argue—she knew her grandpa wasn’t that skilled, but his twisted reasoning always won, and she’d never beaten him in a debate.

Soon, the grandfather and granddaughter arrived nearby.

When the old man saw Ian Song’s group, his face changed and he muttered, "Crap, I didn’t expect someone to beat us to this desolate place!"

"Maybe they’re friends or sectmates of the tribulation-taker?" the green-skirted girl countered.

"Impossible!"

The old man shook his head, pointing at Ian's group. "Look at their expressions—not a hint of worry. If that girl taking the tribulation was their friend or fellow disciple, how could they be so calm?"

"That actually makes sense," the girl nodded.

Boom! Boom!

The fifth and sixth tribulation bolts crashed down in quick succession, slamming into Wendy Lin.

But aside from a little smoke, she didn’t even budge.

"Heavens, what grade is that armor? Its defense is just ridiculous!" The old man stared at Wendy’s Flamefrost Battle Armor, his eyes practically glowing green.

The green-skirted girl was also stunned by the armor’s defense, thinking, If I’d had a treasure like that back then, I wouldn’t have been half-killed by my own lightning tribulation and stuck in bed for half a month.

The seventh, eighth, and ninth tribulation bolts landed in quick succession, but still didn’t harm Wendy Lin in the slightest. With that, the heavy clouds began to scatter and the sky cleared.

"That’s it?"

Wendy stared blankly at the sky. Back in her family, she’d heard elders talk about tribulation—most cultivators got badly hurt or even died, but her breakthrough was just way too easy.

At the same time, as the tribulation ended, her Golden Core shattered and began transforming into a Nascent Soul...

"Little Mistress, are you okay?"

Stone Ling darted over, grabbed Wendy’s hand, and asked with concern.

"I’m fine, Ling’er. Don’t worry." Wendy replied with a sweet smile.

Just then, Ian Song and the others walked over as well.

"Wendy, congratulations on reaching Nascent Soul!" Raina Quinn said happily.

"Thank you, Raina!"

"Congratulations, Little Mistress!" Stone Hao quickly added.

"Congrats, Little Madam!" Qin Xiaoyu chimed in with a cheeky grin.

On the other side, the old man and the green-skirted girl saw all this and instantly understood what was going on.

"Grandpa, should we leave?" the girl asked.

A look of unwillingness flashed in the old man's eyes. He pursed his lips, "We came all this way for nothing! No way, a real thief never leaves empty-handed. I’m Master Heaven-Secrets, after all—how could I leave with nothing? Come on, granddaughter, let’s go meet this bunch!"

"Grandpa, maybe we should just forget it," the girl said hesitantly.

"Trust me, you can’t go wrong! These people are walking fat sheep—if I don’t fleece them a bit, I’ll never be satisfied!"

"But they don’t look easy to mess with!" The girl’s face showed real worry.

"What’s there to be afraid of? With my famous name, they wouldn’t dare touch us!" The old man waved grandly, unconcerned, and strode toward Ian Song’s group.

Seeing this, the girl could only follow helplessly, secretly grumbling, What famous name? All your reputation is just from scamming people!

"Ahem!"

Ian Song and the others turned to see an old man and a girl in a green skirt approaching.

The old man’s hair and beard were pure white, and he stood tall and dignified. One hand stroked his silvery beard, the other held a battered banner with four crooked characters: ‘Master Heaven-Secrets.’

The green-skirted girl looked about fifteen or sixteen, roughly Stone Ling’s age. Her features were still a bit immature, but Ian could tell she’d be a real beauty once she grew up.

"Sir, young lady, do you need something?"

Ian asked with a smile. He’d noticed them as soon as they arrived, but their cultivation wasn’t high—the old man was only late Golden Core. Still, there was a faint, hidden aura about him, masking his true level so that most people couldn’t see through it.

The girl was just early Nascent Soul, no threat at all to them, so he hadn’t paid much attention.

"Can you read?" The old man raised his chin and shook the battered banner, looking proud.

"Of course," Ian replied with a smile.

"Read it out loud," the old man demanded.

"Master Heaven-Secrets!" Ian read aloud.

At once, the old man’s face lit up with pride. "Correct! I am Master Heaven-Secrets himself. Haven’t you kids heard of me?"

"Are you really that famous?" Stone Ling asked, curious.

"Such ignorance!" The old man’s face darkened. "My title as Master Heaven-Secrets is known throughout the entire Great Zhou Empire!"

"Wow, that amazing?" Stone Ling exclaimed in mock shock.

Ian, meanwhile, could only smile wryly. He’d already pegged the old man as a con artist—what Golden Core cultivator would dare claim to be famous everywhere? Even Fusion-stage experts wouldn’t say that.

"Of course!" The old man nodded haughtily at Stone Ling. "I love playing games in the mortal world and telling fortunes for those fated to meet me. But I only do three readings a day. Meeting you kids today is your lucky break—who wants to go first?"

—End of Chapter 1297—