Haotian City's Number One Prodigy

Three days later, Purple Frost Mountain Range.

The mountain range stretched for over a thousand miles, its peaks—some rising two or three thousand meters above sea level—blanketed in frost.

A species of purple tree grew there, tinting the frost violet. That was how the range got its name.

Usually, the mountains were deserted. But these past few days, they had been unusually lively, crowded with cultivators from far and wide.

The reason, naturally, was that the Giant Spirit Secret Realm opened here.

Whoosh!

A sharp beam of sword light plunged from the sky. A white-robed youth of extraordinary bearing drifted gracefully to the ground.

But he didn't look ahead. Instead, he glanced at the silent young woman beside him.

"Master, you can't enter anyway. There's no need for you to come all this way!"

Dongfang Xuetong extended the pale, slender middle finger of her right hand and lightly tapped Xiao Yao between the brows. She said, exasperated, "I'll feel more at ease waiting here!"

Xiao Yao's heart sank, and he fell silent.

He'd said that because he didn't want to interfere with his master's cultivation.

But now it seemed that if she didn't come here, it would interfere with her cultivation instead.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A string of sharp, rapid sounds tore through the sky, like someone speeding in a car.

Looking closely, Xiao Yao saw a young man in black robes, mouth curled in a smug grin, his face brimming with pride. He looked quite the dashing figure.

Xiao Yao shrugged and paid no further attention to the cultivator racing through the sky.

He gazed into the distance. With the aid of his Heavenly Spirit Eyes, he spotted Lin Shan not far away.

That guy's my peer, and he's the Lin Family's Young Clan Leader.

Normally, to avoid dying young, he shouldn't be taking part in this Giant Spirit Secret Realm. Could there be more to this time's secret realm than meets the eye?

Without hesitation, Xiao Yao immediately sent a Spiritual Sense transmission to First Elder Xiao Wei.

"Is there anything different about this Giant Spirit Secret Realm compared to previous years?"

Xiao Wei's voice quickly came through. "Reporting to Master, unlike the previous two Giant Spirit Secret Realms, this one will reveal the legendary Immortal Palace. It's said that whoever ascends to the Immortal Palace can obtain its inheritance."

"Why didn't you tell me about this before?" Xiao Yao demanded sharply.

Xiao Wei hurriedly explained, "Master, I wanted to tell you at the time, but you never gave me the chance."

"Didn't you know that if you don't have a chance, you make one?" Xiao Yao barked coldly, though inwardly he was delighted.

No wonder so many people in my previous life liked being the boss.

Yelling at subordinates really is satisfying!

Then, abruptly changing the subject, Xiao Yao asked, "Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

"Reporting to Master, according to the inside information I received, ascending to the Immortal Palace requires exceptional cultivation talent and aptitude. That's why all Eight Great Families of Xuanzhou City have brought out their younger generations this time," Xiao Wei replied.

No wonder Lin Shan came to the Giant Spirit Secret Realm this time!

After understanding the whole story, Xiao Yao said, "That's all. Go back to whatever you were doing."

Xiao Wei let out a long breath. The moment the transmission ended, he realized he was drenched in cold sweat.

It wasn't that he was overreacting. Xiao Yao held his life and death in his hands; a single displeased look, and Xiao Wei could lose his head.

At the same time, Xiao Yao noticed that the black-robed cultivator he'd seen earlier was standing in front of the Lin Family's people.

"I am Xi Qing, currently Haotian City's number one prodigy in the Sea Opening Realm. I've long heard that Lin Zhuo of the Lin Family is Xuanzhou City's number one prodigy in the Sea Opening Realm. I've come to seek his guidance!"

Xiao Yao knew the name Lin Zhuo well.

He'd heard it ever since he was born.

Lin Zhuo possessed a Saint tier bloodline, the Heavenly Martial Body. Though not as extraordinary as Ye Feng's Primordial Sacred Body, it was still an exceptionally powerful Saint tier bloodline.

What's more, no one in Lin Zhuo's generation had been born with talent as heaven-defying as Ye Feng's.

Thus, ever since Lin Zhuo began cultivating, no one his age within a ten-thousand-mile radius of Xuanzhou City—not even cultivators at the same realm—had been his match.

Now, he had even earned the title of Xuanzhou City's number one prodigy in the Sea Opening Realm.

Xiao Yao knew it was only a title, but it still carried prestige.

Still, compared to his own title as the Great Emperor's Direct Disciple, Xuanzhou City's number one prodigy in the Sea Opening Realm didn't carry much weight.

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

A sharp-browed young man in a purple brocade robe strode forward. Each step made the ground tremble.

Unparalleled might burst from his body. He fixed his blazing gaze on Xi Qing and said, "The Giant Spirit Secret Realm is about to open. If you and I get injured, won't others reap the benefits?"

"You can't hurt me!" Xi Qing replied with a confident grin.

Lin Zhuo understood that Xi Qing had come looking for a fight. If he refused, Xi Qing would keep pestering him.

Confident in his own strength, Lin Zhuo stopped trying to dissuade him and took up a fighting stance. "Then let's begin!"

Whoosh!

Xi Qing vanished from Lin Zhuo's sight.

Lin Zhuo scanned the area, but couldn't find him no matter where he looked.

How is this possible? Is he really that fast?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, Xi Qing appeared right in front of him. Lin Zhuo immediately unleashed the Sea Splitting Tier Spell, Exploding Tiger Fist!

Roar!

A tiger's roar rang out, but before the fist could strike Xi Qing, Lin Zhuo was sent flying. He smashed through ten towering trees before finally coming to a stop.

Lin Zhuo's aura was gone. Blood spilled from his mouth, his eyes were sunken, and his face was ashen. He looked as if he were dead.

"Brother Lin Zhuo lost?" Lin Shan, the Lin Family's Young Clan Leader, stared in a daze.

Fortunately, the Lin Family's current Clan Leader reacted in time. He rushed to Lin Zhuo's side and fed him a Dao Beginning Tier healing pill.

After seeing Lin Zhuo's aura recover slightly, he turned toward Xi Qing and snapped, "What do you mean by this?"

"He can't take a hit. I thought Xuanzhou City's number one prodigy in the Sea Opening Realm would be strong, but he's complete trash!" Xi Qing taunted him brazenly, acting as if he had no fear of the Lin Family Clan Leader's retaliation.

The Lin Family Clan Leader's face darkened. He appeared in front of Xi Qing in an instant and was about to raise his clenched right fist when he sensed a terrifying killing intent.

At that moment, an old man draped in a purple-gold cloak appeared. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he warned, "I can't stand by and watch an elder bully a junior."

"Master, this number one prodigy in Xuanzhou City's Sea Opening Realm isn't much to speak of!" Xi Qing complained.

The old man chuckled softly. "Looks like they've fallen on hard times these past years. Back in my day, the number one prodigy in Xuanzhou City's Sea Opening Realm, from my generation, was the real deal."

"May I ask who you're referring to, senior?" the Lin Family's current Clan Leader asked curiously.

The old man didn't hide it. "Xiao Ran!"

"It was him!" The Lin Family's current Clan Leader's eyes widened.

Over the past century, Xiao Ran, the current Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, had unquestionably been an unparalleled prodigy in Xuanzhou City—and even across the Southern Wilderness Domain.

Xiao Yao's mouth twitched. He was speechless.

I came to watch the show, and it ended up being about my father. What a ridiculous turn of events!

Still, nine years ago, his father had been young, strong, and handsome.

But this old man looked like he was about to be laid in a coffin. Were they really from the same generation?

"I've heard Xiao Ran has a son, who should be quite strong too. Do any of you know where he is?"

In response to the old man's question, Lin Zhuo answered, "I don't know, but his son only began cultivating a month ago. He definitely won't be a match for your disciple."

[System notification: Host, if not now, when?]

"Show off? What for?" Xiao Yao muttered.

[System notification: Host, showboating blows like the wind and stays ever at our side. As a transmigrator with a system, how could you forget this ancestral teaching?]

"I'm not interested in showing off."

In truth, Xiao Yao wasn't uninterested. He was worried that revealing his strength too soon would make him a target.

[System notification: The host's desire to show off is insufficient. System task issued: Defeat Xi Qing. Upon completion, you will receive the Phenomenon: Chaos Seed Green Lotus!]