278: Tenth rank?

Fang Bai didn't have to wait long before Old Man Wan arrived.

The old fellow strolled leisurely, looking like an elderly man out for a walk.

"Old man!"

Fang Bai's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly waved his hand.

Old Man Wan's gaze fell upon him as he smiled slightly. "Well? Did you gain anything from this trip?"

Fang Bai chuckled. "It was alright."

Having followed Ancestor Pei on this journey, his strength had improved, making it a truly worthwhile trip.

Old Man Wan sized Fang Bai up and then nodded slightly. "Acceptable."

Fang Bai raised an eyebrow. He didn't know exactly what the old man meant, but being praised by such a big shot meant he was pretty badass.

"Old man, I have an audacious request."

Fang Bai said suddenly.

Old Man Wan followed up, "In that case, don't bother asking."

Fang Bai's expression stiffened.

Holy crap? I was just being polite! You're actually taking me seriously?

Old Man Wan said with a beaming smile, "Do you want this demon god corpse?"

Fang Bai nodded hurriedly. "Yes, yes, yes!"

As expected of the old man, he's sharp!

Old Man Wan shook his head slightly. "No."

"Why?"

Old Man Wan said slowly, "Someone needs it more than you. Little fellow, don't be dissatisfied yet. Your talent is unique, and your path to power is different from others. You have your own destiny; these external objects aren't suitable for you."

Fang Bai's lip twitched. "Then aren't you just taking advantage of this gap to subject me to moral blackmail?"

Just because you know I get stronger by killing demons, you think I don't need resources, right?

Is he freaking messing with me?

I should flip the table and quit!

Old Man Wan smiled. "What if I request it as your teacher?"

Fang Bai froze, then his eyes lit up. "Are you admitting to being my teacher?"

Although he had called him teacher in front of everyone before just to find a backer, and they didn't actually have such a deep bond, now that the other party had actively nodded, the nature of it was different!

Old Man Wan nodded slightly. "It's not impossible."

Fang Bai said excitedly, "Then can I drop your name when I'm out in the future?"

Old Man Wan was silent for a moment, then laughed. "Sure."

The silence was a doubt regarding Fang Bai's character; the agreement was confidence in his own strength.

In this world, was there any trouble he couldn't settle?

None!

As long as Fang Bai didn't do anything atrocious, he could cover for him.

Fang Bai immediately beamed with joy. This way, he wasn't losing out; he was making a huge profit!

The demon god corpse wasn't his to begin with, so it didn't matter if he got it or not, but being able to acknowledge the world's strongest expert as his teacher was truly a massive win!

He should have his teacher take him for a tour of the Demon Realm when there's a chance in the future.

With him and Old Man Wan together, who in the world could be their opponent?

Old Man Wan smiled, and with a casual wave of his hand, the demon god corpse disappeared.

Then he looked at Fang Bai and said, "You are still the Chief Instructor of the Guardian Alliance. Your position remains unchanged, so you still need to worry about your duties."

Fang Bai's lip twitched. "Huh? Isn't it already over?"

Old Man Wan said slowly, "The Authorities are short-staffed lately. Fill in for now."

Fang Bai: ...Dammit! Why do I feel like I'm being set up?

"Fine."

Having accepted benefits, he felt too embarrassed to refuse.

Old Man Wan nodded slightly and then said, "Walk with me?"

Fang Bai nodded. He knew these big shots had a habit of taking their subordinates for aimless walks and then feeding them chicken soup for the soul.

The two of them strolled through the Blood Ghoul Strange Space.

Old Man Wan suddenly asked, "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Fang Bai's expression shifted, and he said, "I heard from that Old Geezer Pei that during the Spiritual Qi Recovery Era, there was a big shot named the White Emperor?"

Hearing this, Old Man Wan's body stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. He nodded slowly. "Yes."

Fang Bai asked curiously, "So what exactly was his background? What realm did his strength reach? The Tenth Rank?"

Old Man Wan shook his head. "He was indeed a remarkable figure. In the primordial era, if he hadn't led the human race to resist the invasion of the Demon Ancestor, Blue Star would have long since become the territory of the demon race."

"But as for his origin, no one actually knows where he came from. However, his talent was so terrifying that it exceeded human limits. Many people bestowed titles upon him like the Man of Destiny, the Son of Fortune, the Incarnation of the Heavenly Dao, and so on."

Fang Bai raised an eyebrow. "So those terms originated from him?"

Dammit, why does it feel like this White Emperor was also a cheater?

Could he be a fellow transmigrator?

Old Man Wan looked at him and said, "He was certainly fearsome, but in terms of talent, he was actually a bit inferior compared to you."

Fang Bai immediately got excited. "Oh? So you're saying my talent is even higher than his?"

Old Man Wan nodded slightly. "That is the case."

Fang Bai was instantly delighted. "Sure enough, I am the second White Emperor of the future!"

Old Man Wan gave him a deep look but said nothing.

"Then what level did his strength reach?"

Old Man Wan shook his head. "I don't know. We aren't from the same era, and we've never fought. Perhaps those demon gods of the demon race know something."

Fang Bai frowned. He looked at Old Man Wan suspiciously, feeling like the old man was hiding something from him.

"Teacher, in this world, is there really a Tenth Rank?"

Old Man Wan smiled. "There is."

Fang Bai took a deep breath. "Just how strong is the Tenth Rank?"

Old Man Wan said meaningfully, "An expert beyond your cognition. The Tenth Rank is the ultimate peak of a civilization. As of now, it seems no one has been able to reach that realm."

"Does that include you?"

Fang Bai grinned. "I thought you had already reached the Tenth Rank, Teacher."

Old Man Wan shook his head and laughed. "The Tenth Rank is not as easy as you imagine. Of course, I can tell you that if there is an expert in this world closest to the Tenth Rank, that person would be me."

Fang Bai wasn't surprised to hear this.

The old man was so powerful that even the Space Demon God was no match for him; he had clearly already surpassed the ordinary Ninth Rank.

Perhaps the old man was equivalent to a Ninth-Rank Extreme Realm existence.

Knowing the old man's background, Fang Bai now had a sense of where things stood.

His fighting spirit surged. Fang Bai felt that he had a complete chance to surpass everyone!

As long as he killed demon beasts, he could become stronger!

He only needed to go on a killing spree against demon beasts. The Eighth-Rank Extreme Realm, the Ninth Rank, even the legendary Tenth Rank—he had a chance at all of them!

Old Man Wan smiled gratifiedly. "Little fellow, from what I can see, your potential is the greatest. You are also the hope of humanity. Keep it up!"

Fang Bai nodded. "I will!"

Old Man Wan cast his gaze into the distance and said pensively, "Unfortunately, our time is running out."

Fang Bai was taken aback, then asked, "Is the demon race unable to hold back anymore?"

Old Man Wan nodded slightly. "They lost their patience long ago. If I hadn't been suppressing them, the great war between the humans and demons would have started already."

Fang Bai said quickly, "With your strength, Old Man Wan, suppressing them continuously should be a breeze, right?"

Old Man Wan shook his head. "The human race also needs to be reborn through fire!"

Fang Bai's eyelid twitched. Why did he feel like this old man was a bit of a psycho?