At the very least, only experts on Oakes' level were qualified to become Loran's guard.
This time, choosing to travel on foot toward the Netherworld's interplanar teleportation array was meant to be a trial for Loran. At the same time, Locke also hoped to see whether he could discover any talents worth nurturing and cultivate them into experts capable of protecting Loran.
Locke didn't expect to be lucky enough to encounter the Paragons from his memories, but divine beasts or special lifeforms with powerful bodies were still worth hoping for.
In particular, divine beasts or special lifeforms capable of strengthening their bodies to the level of a Sovereign artifact were among the targets Locke was searching for.
There was no helping it. Although Ryan and Rockpeak had caused Locke to lower his expectations regarding Sovereign Emissaries, he still wasn't willing to accept just anyone.
Triple-element soul mutants > Paragons > Dual-element soul mutants > Divine beasts or special lifeforms whose bodies could reach the level of Sovereign artifacts.
Those were Locke's expectations for Sovereign Emissaries.
Any lower than that, and Locke would rather leave the position vacant than choose someone unsuitable.
If not for past ties, he would never have made exceptions for Ryan and Rockpeak.
Returning to the matter at hand, Little Black cautiously glanced at the Young Master's father from the corner of his eye.
Under normal circumstances, the Young Master's mother rarely said much.
However, whenever she made a decision, the Young Master's father never contradicted her. Instead, he approved of it and immediately put it into action.
"Little turtle, what I want to know is how An'an ended up entering the Battle Arena."
"Madam, spare me!"
Hearing Lilia's question, Little Black nearly jumped out of his skin and immediately knelt in midair.
"After we completed our registration as probationary Fiends at the Fiend Castle, the Young Master said he wanted to find somewhere fun to go. We saw that there were many people gathered here, so we came over."
"Then, while we were lining up, the Young Master noticed some people entering through another passageway and followed them in."
"Before leaving, the Young Master even told me that whichever of us entered first should save a seat for the other..."
Facing Lilia, Little Black didn't dare tell even the slightest lie. He immediately recounted everything that had happened between himself and Loran.
Fortunately, he had enough tact not to mention that Loran often claimed he was merely an accident.
Otherwise, once Loran finished his Battle Arena match, what awaited him would likely be the heavy "love" of both Locke and Lilia.
"That child is far too reckless."
After hearing Little Black's explanation, Lilia shook her head.
In this world, aside from Sovereigns, perhaps only Paragons truly possessed the ability to ignore all dangers.
For someone like Loran to charge into an unknown place based purely on curiosity, without investigating or gathering information beforehand, was absolutely the fastest way to get himself killed.
Although Lilia had extremely high expectations for Loran, she didn't believe that within the next few hundred thousand years his strength would reach a level comparable to a Paragon.
In other words, for at least the next million years, this aspect of his personality would bring him into many dangerous situations.
"Alright, Lilia."
"We don't know what An'an will become in the future, but right now, with us protecting him, he does have the right to be this willful."
Locke patted Lilia's hand and sighed.
"Back then, I often imagined how reassuring it would have been if, while wandering the Divine Planes and Higher Planes, I had a powerful elder protecting me."
"Now, we're the elders protecting An'an's growth."
"Of course, having powerful elders watching over you can be reassuring, but it can also easily lead to complacency in cultivation."
"So, we can protect An'an from the shadows, but we can't let him know about it. Sometimes, we even need to create a few dangers for him ourselves so he understands the importance of strength."
Kneeling in midair, Little Black lowered his head even further, feeling deeply ashamed.
He had just learned many things extremely important to his Young Master, yet he didn't dare reveal any of them.
"I'm sorry, Young Master."
"Please forgive me."
"After all, as Master says, it's all for your own good..."
...
"Everyone, our next participant is Lord 'Sea Emperor'!"
"He is also the only brave challenger in this Battle Arena event who, as a Demigod, has chosen to challenge a God!"
"Now, let us welcome Lord 'Sea Emperor' with a round of enthusiastic applause!"
"Ohhhhh!"
"Sea Emperor!"
"Sea Emperor!"
"Sea Emperor!"
As the referee made the announcement, the spectators throughout the Battle Arena shouted Loran's title in unison.
For those who loved watching matches in the Battle Arena, what they enjoyed most was seeing the weak challenge the strong.
And if the weaker challenger actually won, it would excite them even more.
Most of these people had either advanced by refining divine sparks or had already lost any possibility of progressing further.
Since they no longer had futures of their own, they projected their dreams onto others.
The stars of the Battle Arena were their spiritual pillars.
As for whether the weaker challengers had entered willingly, they didn't care.
As long as such matches existed, they would cheer for them enthusiastically.
"Hmph. At least these people have decent judgment."
High above the Battle Arena, Lilia's expression softened somewhat when she heard the crowd cheering for Loran.
Locke, however, couldn't help but laugh.
The fact that Loran had chosen the title "Sea Emperor" left him feeling both amused and helpless.
Although he and Lilia concealed themselves as Saint-level beings while traveling, they were never stubborn when it came to educating Loran.
In particular, the first Water Laws Profound Mystery Loran had comprehended upon becoming a Deity was the Profound Mystery of Water Elemental Waves.
To deepen Loran's understanding of that Profound Mystery, Locke frequently brought him to the Nethersea through instantaneous movement, creating ten-thousand-meter tidal waves.
He used those demonstrations to teach Loran that even when two people comprehended the same Law, the difference in application could result in power disparities hundreds or thousands of times greater.
Because of this, Loran had likely taken his father's teachings as a goal.
He dreamed of one day casually raising ten-thousand-meter tidal waves just like his father and becoming the undisputed emperor of the Water Laws.
The moment Loran stepped onto the Battle Arena platform, the spectators were stunned.
Although the powerful divine aura surrounding him made it obvious that he was a Deity, his appearance was that of a five- or six-year-old child.
It was simply impossible to associate him with the word "expert."
Furthermore, after stepping onto the platform, he looked around curiously in every direction.
It was immediately obvious to everyone that this little fellow was participating in the Battle Arena for the very first time.
"Who let this kid enter through the participant's passage?"
"Is the person responsible for registration an idiot? This little brat can't even be a hundred years old. How could they trick a child into joining a Battle Arena match? And as a Demigod challenging a God no less!"
"What exactly are the people running this arena thinking?"
"Hello, everyone!"
"I'm Sea Emperor! The one who will become the strongest Water Laws expert in existence!"
Standing on the Battle Arena platform under the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators, Loran felt thoroughly exhilarated.
Immediately, he waved toward all sides of the arena and loudly proclaimed his ambition.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"
"Sea Emperor, just for having the courage to say that in front of so many people, I'm betting my entire fortune on you!"
If an older person had made such a declaration, they would have been mocked for overestimating themselves.
But when those words came from a child like Loran, everyone simply regarded it as lofty ambition.
Many people were reminded of their own childhoods.
After all, anyone who managed to become a Deity had once been a genius.
Across the countless living beings of the Material Planes, very few reached the Saint-level.
Even fewer became Deities.
Just because they had become ordinary after arriving in the Divine Planes and Higher Planes didn't mean they had never experienced moments of brilliance.
"Hahaha, thank you! Thank you!"
Having his dream acknowledged made Loran beam with happiness as he thanked the spectators supporting him.
After the interaction with the audience ended, the referee spoke once more.
"Alright, everyone."
"Next, please welcome our challenger, the holder of a record of three victories and seven defeats in the Battle Arena—'Soaring Goose Blade'!"
"'Soaring Goose Blade'? My opponent is a blade expert?"
Hearing the title announced by the referee, Loran's heart tightened.
Although he had never fought a God-level opponent before, he had heard his father explain battles between Deities.
In the Coiling Dragon Universe, the ultimate destination of cultivation was the Laws.
Whether cultivating martial arts or magic, all beings advanced step by step toward the Laws—approaching them, touching them, comprehending them, and ultimately mastering them.
Someone like him, born a Deity, already belonged to the highest stage of "mastering the Laws."
Saint-level experts in the Material Planes, Divine Planes, and Higher Planes cultivated by comprehending the natural forces of heaven and earth, borrowing those forces, and gradually reaching the point where they could control them.
Those natural forces were simply another name used by people who didn't yet understand the Laws.
Deities who had cultivated step by step in that manner could usually unleash several times the power of the Laws they wielded.
As for Loran, when he had first been born, although he already stood at the highest stage of "mastering the Laws," he had only been capable of releasing the power of the Laws themselves.
Over the past dozen years, under Locke's personal guidance and instruction, Loran still hadn't comprehended another Water Laws Profound Mystery.
However, his application of the Profound Mystery of Water Elemental Waves had reached an impressive level.
Compared to when he had just been born, his comprehension of the Profound Mystery remained unchanged.
Yet his current strength was nearly ten times greater than it had been back then.
Because of his own experiences, Loran felt that anyone who used a title ending in "Blade" must possess extraordinary mastery over weapons.
After all, according to his father, his own spear techniques were no better than a child playing around and had been criticized as utterly worthless.
(End of Chapter)
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