Sudden Change

Great Emperor Potential, also known as Heavenly Saint Aptitude, was the strongest talent below immortals prior to the Dharma Ending Era, the aptitude with the greatest possibility of achieving immortality.

Lingzhou Yue had once been suspected by the world of possessing Heavenly Saint Aptitude, yet she forcefully squashed this conjecture with her exceptional laziness.

It was said that throughout the entire True Spirit Continent, undiscovered or still living individuals with Heavenly Saint Aptitude numbered no more than ten!

Even Ye Fan, blessed with destiny, still harbored a certain distance from true Heavenly Saint Aptitude.

Suddenly!

Like an aged tree bursting into bloom in a fraction of a second, a spark of the fire of life flashed within Qian Junzi's deep as an abyss, dark as an endless night, withered pupils.

The firelight flickered, gradually sinking into darkness, and Qian Junzi slowly closed his eyes, his wrinkle-strewn mouth curving into an imperceptible smile.

And then.

Inside the Great Desolate Pagoda.

Xiao Ran instantly reached the Great Circle of Qi Refining, the absolute peak! This was a hidden tier that was not only impossible to reach in the Dharma Ending Era, but one that no one had ever attained even in the Golden Era.

This was no Heavenly Saint Aptitude, nor was it the higher-tier Immortal Body, but rather the Heavenly Dao Potential that rose above all living beings!

In short, a god.

It was Xiao Ran's first time practicing Qi Refining, and he didn't quite know how to do it, feeling his body merge with heaven and earth and following the Dao of nature as his entire being floated up.

Transparent! That was the only word he could think of.

After previously mastering the Art of Resonance, he had also felt that heaven and earth were transparent.

Yet restricted by mortal divine sense, his perception range had been too short, unlike the current feeling of blending like fish and water with heaven and earth and all things.

Was this... spiritual power? He could sense the spiritual energy misting and flowing through all things in heaven and earth, could detect the bone structure and spiritual quality of all living beings, and even the emotional fluctuations deep within their souls.

This sensation was just like Zhao Zhongxiang's magnetic voice ringing in his ears.

Spring returns and the earth comes to life; with the arrival of the damp rainy season, torrential rain falls upon the parched land, and all things begin to stir...

Xiao Ran's hair cascaded loose, his face glowing with a ruddy hue, as if banishing the darkness within the pagoda.

As his Dantian formed walls and his Qi Sea was born, a moist ripple rapidly diffused, penetrating the black tower and enveloping the entire Sword Plaza and Main Peak in an extremely tenuous shroud.

It even spread to the Mountain-Guarding Grand Array hidden in the air, causing the surface of the array to bloom with a primarily pale-cyan multicolored light that covered the entire Zongzhi Mountain Range in a semi-circular dome.

The feeling it gave people was as if... a celestial phenomenon had descended! Boyun, True Person Moxia, and Huangfu Qun, who were currently repairing and maintaining the Mountain-Guarding Grand Array, all raised their heads in unison at this moment, their divine senses sweeping outward--

Someone is practicing Qi Refining!

Coming from the Sword Plaza!

Inside the black tower!

...Xiao Ran! He is practicing Qi Refining after three days of entering the sect?

The three were startled, Xiao Ran's words from the Elder Council ringing abruptly in their ears--

"Master finding me in the vast sea of people was no accident, but rather her discerning eye seeing something that others could not see... This matter is of utmost importance and I cannot yet speak of it, but it has already drawn the attention of the humanoid wraith, showing that it is utterly crucial and may relate to the future trajectory of the entire Dharma Ending Era."

So he hadn't been boasting after all!

And the quality of this Qi Refining... Could it be the legendary Heavenly Saint Aptitude?

At the Main Peak array core.

A faint smile appeared on Boyun's cloud-like, delicate and gentle face.

"Interesting. To the sect, I wonder if this is a blessing, or..."

At the Sword-Tempering Mountain array core.

True Person Moxia polished the stone wall array core, his aged pupils deep and thoughtful.

"Heavenly Saint Aptitude... No wonder he could guide my sword hedge. If Junior Nephew Xiao entered my Sword Tempering Mountain, this old man wouldn't have to watch that scoundrel every day. Pity he entered Sword-Wielding Mountain and follows Lingzhou Yue in wielding the sword; I fear it will be dangerous."

At the Discipline Hall array core, a gloomy face looked as stern as if carved by a blade.

Huangfu Qun let out a long sigh.

"Elder Lingzhou is wise behind a foolish facade. It seems this old man has misunderstood her."

Hundred Herbs Peak, beside Purple Maple Cliff.

True Person Yinyue, who was currently refining medicine for the sect master, also discovered the array anomaly, but because she was not personally operating it, she failed to notice Xiao Ran dozens of miles away.

Yet she quickly received word from Boyun.

Xiao Ran had reached Qi Refining! A trace of shock flashed across her charming, tender pupils.

"How could the Balanced Five-Elements Endowment physique practice Qi Refining? Without a Heaven Tier Flood Dragon Qi-Transformation Pill, unless combined with Yue'er's Tidal Physique... It couldn't be this fast, could it?"

Main Peak, Sword Plaza.

Everyone raised their heads to stare at the multicolored firmament.

A celestial phenomenon descends... A divine child is bound to be born! Plum Rain Sword Array, Underworld Fist, Nine Dragons Great Desolate Pagoda... Is it Ye Fan?

Morning winds whipped past and multicolored lights rippled as Ye Fan hung imposingly above the black tower, detecting a trace of anomaly inside it.

"How is this possible!"

The next moment, the black tower began to tremble imperceptibly.

Ye Fan immediately executed hand incantations and channeled his power to resist this tremor.

Yet it was of no use at all...

The trembling gradually intensified, turning into a violent shake in the blink of an eye! By the time the crowd realized something was wrong, the Nine Dragons Great Desolate Pagoda shattered amidst a twisting, revolving, deafening roar, dismembered, and vanished into thin air in the span of a breath.

What is happening?

The crowd turned their gazes uniformly in that direction.

Xiao Ran stood upon the broken walls and ruins at the base of the tower, his hair disheveled as his cyan robes and thousands of strands of black hair fluttered wildly, his entire body covered in a faint spiritual pressure.

Qi Refining!

Uncle-Master Xiao has reached Qi Refining inside the tower? The crowd drew

in cold breaths, too shocked to speak.

Three days to Qi Refining!

What kind of monstrous talent was this! No wonder he could defeat two Qi Refining disciples in succession and remain unscathed amid Ye Fan's violent punch...

Just what kind of discernment and teaching standard did the Sword-Wielding Elder possess?

If she does not teach, so be it; once she teaches, she startles the world! We wronged the Sword-Wielding Elder...

In the air.

Ye Fan looked down from above, his eyes splitting with rage.

This is too bizarre! Even if you have extraordinary talent and achieve Qi Refining on the battlefield, there is no reason you could break my Nine Dragons Great Desolate Pagoda... This fellow is too freakish!

Without a second thought, Ye Fan immediately manipulated his sword.

"Eight Directions Demon Slaying Sword Array!"

Eight sword beams diffused from eight sword bodies, piercing the heavens and connecting to the earth in an instant, illuminating the Sword Plaza as if it were pitch-black night.

The eight swords orbited, lifting up a towering spiritual pressure that pressed down upon Xiao Ran, rendering him unable to move.

The eight swords fell in unison, stabbing straight at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran's body stood like a giant bronze bell, unmoving.

He merely raised a hand to draw the sword at his waist, pulling it out halfway before snapping it back into its scabbard.

In the fleeting fraction of a second, a sword Qi quietly slashed out, shooting straight up into the firmament.

At first hearing, the sword sound was faint, humming like a mosquito, drowned out by the sound of the wind.

In the blink of an eye, it whistled as it tore through the void, swiftly carrying howling gales in its wake.

Listening again, the clanging sword resonance shook the heavens and pierced through space.

Ye Fan's pupils froze; it was already too late.

A space sword tremor cracked open within his Qi Sea!

Connected to it, the Dantian walls instantly shattered!

"Pfft--"

A mouthful of fresh blood spilled across the vast sky, and Ye Fan's body went limp, crashing heavily to the ground and landing within the ruins before Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran walked past him, speaking with casual lightness: "You were trying to kill me just now, weren't you?"

"You--"

Ye Fan's ribs were broken entirely and his internal organs shattered, yet he still forcefully channeled his power using a secret art to stabilize his Dantian, avoiding a drop in his cultivation level.

Leaning against a stone slab, he laughed coldly through gritted teeth.

"This disciple merely kne... knew Uncle-Master's strength, which is why I dared to strike. On the contrary, Uncle-Master concealed his cultivation, slashed my Qi Sea with a single sword, bullied the strong, and oppressed the weak. If Uncle-Master has the ability, why not accept Senior Sister Jiang's challenge?"

Concealed his cultivation?

The crowd was stunned, not knowing who to believe.

Until a clear, soft female voice drifted down from the western sky--

"Who is speaking ill of me?"

The crowd followed the sound and looked up.

They saw a petite figure dressed in green flying swiftly on a sword from the edge of the sky, hanging suspended above the Sword Plaza in the blink of an eye.

Slender legs tightly wrapped in bamboo-membrane white gauze poked out into midair, her pure and exquisite little face carrying a trace of astonishment as a pair of amorous eyes overlooked Xiao Ran below.

He reached Qi Refining just like that? Master is hiding a whole body of secrets!

"Senior Sister Jiang, you've come just in time!"

Ye Fan acted as if he had seen a savior, channeling his power to recover his breath and blood.

"Uncle-Master Xiao bullies our Inner Sect for having no one, unaware that Senior Sister Jiang is the very elite of the Inner Sect. I ask Senior Sister to uphold justice for the Inner Sect disciples."

Chuyan curled her lips, placing her hands on her hips with a look of utter disdain:

"Who is an inner sect disciple? I have already joined Sword-Wielding Mountain!"

The crowd was startled, instantly erupting into an uproar.

"Does that mean the Sword-Wielding Elder has taken a second direct disciple?"

"Or could it be... Uncle-Master Xiao was kicked out?"

Ye Fan felt something was amiss, but his blood-stained pupils still held burning anticipation.

Chuyan drifted down gracefully like a heavenly maiden scattering flowers, suddenly standing respectfully before Xiao Ran and presenting a cyan bamboo jade slip with both hands.

"This disciple's peak transfer jade slip has already been processed, and I ask Master to review it."

"..."

The entire arena fell silent.

Everyone blinked their large eyes at one another, stunned dumb for a long time without being able to speak a word.

The peerless Senior Sister Jiang had turned into Uncle-Master Xiao's disciple?

Ye Fan's brain buzzed as he instantly broke his stance, his Qi Sea scattering, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed forth as his body fell straight to the ground and began to twitch.

The two law enforcers in the air rushed over immediately, busy administering aid to save Ye Fan.

Chuyan stood obediently beside Xiao Ran, adding bricks and tiles, icing the cake for her master's prestige right under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Lin Yunzi squeezed out from the crowd, striving to maintain his consistent attitude to cover up the essence of his frantic bootlicking.

Without mentioning yesterday's matter of recommending hidden weapons to Xiao Ran at all, he bowed deeply to Xiao Ran and made a respectful obeisance: "This humble Lin has lived in vain for several centuries, yet did not expect that upon nearing the end of my years, I would actually witness such saintly aptitude as Uncle-Master's. I can die without regrets now."

Luo Sheng dropped down from the sky, arriving before Xiao Ran to bring an end to this arena match.

Exceeding the limits of what he could understand, he could only do his utmost to remain calm.

"It seems our sect has once again been blessed with a proud son of heaven; it is truly a great fortune. At yesterday's Elder Council, my master caused numerous offenses, and I hope Junior Brother Xiao will not take offense."

Xiao Ran merely said:

"It's nothing."

Just at that moment, a heaven-defying sound of rage came from behind the crowd.

"Ooh-hoo... You think you're worthy... I am the one with Heavenly Saint Aptitude, I... am the chosen one!"

The crowd turned their heads to look.

Ye Fan's eyes split with rage as golden light wrapped around his entire body, his limbs twitching as he stood on the brink of collapse or sublimation.

"Not good!"

Luo Sheng shouted in alarm:

"He is risking a forced Core Formation, stop him quickly!"

The two law enforcers were just about to seal Ye Fan's Dantian when they abruptly heard Xiao Ran shout--

"Get away from him!"

Yet it was already too late.

A white eye suddenly split open in the center of his blood-stained brow, and Ye Fan's body continuously corrupted into a pitch-black void, swiftly sucking the two Golden Core law enforcers right into it.

"--Wraith!"

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