Predetermined?

Chu Yuan felt a twinge of reluctance to shatter this joyous atmosphere.

Only he knew that the guardian Xiang Ning spoke of... was likely already dead.

When he had flown over the Sky Pit and probed with his divine sense, he had seen the martial artist atop the giant beast toying with a medal.

Beneath the beast lay half a tattered military uniform.

The guardian had come from the military and possessed no small amount of skill; he had discovered the anomaly in the Blood Abyss immediately and gone to investigate.

Unfortunately, his combat power was insufficient, leading to a death that left not a single ripple.

The trial-takers outside hadn't even felt a trace of the aftermath of the battle.

Tian Tian looked over, puzzled; she did not know if Chu Yuan was aware of this information.

If things were truly as Xiang Ning claimed, they would have no need to worry, let alone set up any formations... after all, there was someone to back them up.

However, she saw Chu Yuan give her an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

A faint voice transmitted directly into Tian Tian's ears: "The guardian he mentioned is already dead."

Tian Tian's expression stiffened; she glanced around, only to realize that no one else seemed to have heard the news.

"Stop looking around, it's just a small trick for manipulating energy. Go collect the materials quickly."

Since the crowd's panic had just been pacified, Tian Tian quickly concocted a narrative.

She could say that the guardian expert might only be hunting the powerful exotic beasts, and that they still needed to face those already within the trial zone themselves; she happened to know a set of formations...

"Not bad, buddy. Even at a time like this, you're still winking at the pretty girl." Xiang Ning had approached at some point.

By now, more and more people were returning one after another.

In the thirty-six prefectures of Great Qin, it was only natural that Yunan Prefecture was not the only one with martial arts families like the Li Family.

Consequently, the number of Internal Breath Realm martial artists on the Stone Platform gradually increased, and the crowd no longer focused solely on those who had returned first.

Chu Yuan glanced at him; he had originally intended to ignore him, but on second thought, he asked, "Are you cultivating the Essence Tempering Technique?"

"Of course." Xiang Ning was taken aback, not expecting Chu Yuan's topic to jump so abruptly.

"Do you know of any other techniques?"

"...What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you have any techniques on you that are of a higher grade than the Essence Tempering Technique?" Chu Yuan's gaze fell upon Xiang Ning's hand, and his pupils constricted.

On the middle finger of his left hand, he was wearing a pitch-black, archaic ring that didn't match his temperament in the slightest!

A Storage Ring!?

As expected of a wealthy brat...

"I do... or maybe I don't?" Xiang Ning drew out his tone, his expression strange: "What are you trying to do?"

"I'll trade you with Martial Arts Pills." Chu Yuan pulled out a Blood Pill and a Spirit Nourishing Pill.

He had originally intended to rob Li Ji, but since Xiang Ning had come over first...

"Pfft, what kind of pills haven't I seen... Wait, I really haven't seen these!" Xiang Ning's brows twitched as he took the Blood Pill, placing it in his palm to feel it carefully; he couldn't help but feel shocked by the vast life essence contained within.

He came from a noble background, possessed extraordinary knowledge, and had a sharp eye.

The essay he had once written, My Father, the Legion Commander, had even won first place in the Divine Capital Elementary School Essay Competition.

He discovered that what this pill contained was not merely blood, energy, or other postnatal external objects; there was something deeper...

Xiang Ning vaguely sensed that using this kind of Martial Arts Pill for cultivation would be an immense waste!

Its true purpose should be healing—healing the kind of damage that affected one's very foundation; perhaps even... extending one's lifespan!

"What kind of pill is this?" Xiang Ning probed, casually joking: "Why does it feel like I'm holding a Fifth Realm martial artist in my hand?"

Chu Yuan almost laughed out loud, coughing twice in a hurry: "A Blood Pill; the other one is called a Spirit Nourishing Pill. The Spirit Nourishing Pill can enhance mental power! How about it? Two pills for one of your family techniques?"

Xiang Ning hurriedly picked up the Spirit Nourishing Pill to observe it, his heart feeling strange once again.

Enhancing mental power? A total waste of a heavenly treasure...

"Listen, buddy, your pills are good, but they are ultimately just consumables. You want to trade two pills for my family's technique..."

Under his divine sense, no subtle expression on Xiang Ning's face could escape him. Chu Yuan suddenly withdrew the pills, smiling as if he were not smiling: "Forget it then."

"Hey~!" Xiang Ning's hands went empty, and he let out an instinctive cry.

He then hurriedly added, "Come on, buddy! I didn't say no... why don't you add a little more?

Just one! A Blood Pill or a Spirit Nourishing Pill would work!

Just one is fine, I'm begging you, buddy..."

Chu Yuan's Blood Pills and Spirit Nourishing Pills didn't just blow in on the wind; they were the fruits of his hard labor and painstaking efforts.

Therefore, he ultimately did not agree to Xiang Ning's request to raise the price, successfully trading for a copy of the Gold Essence Technique!

According to Xiang Ning, this was a cultivation technique he had planned to start practicing only after the college entrance exams, and its grade was definitely not low.

Things like cultivation techniques might seem worthless at first glance, as one copy can be transcribed into countless others.

But that only applies to low-level techniques like the Essence Tempering Technique.

For slightly higher-level techniques, Great Qin's control is extremely strict, and they are not allowed to be spread casually.

For instance, if you exchange for a technique, you can learn it yourself, or exchange it for someone else;

But you cannot teach it to others after you have learned it yourself.

Once discovered, both parties will face punishment.

As for even higher-level techniques, there are no restrictions at all, because top-tier techniques can generally only be practiced using the original copy...

"Buddy, buddy, if you can pull out treasures of this level, how could you be short on techniques?" Xiang Ning asked curiously.

"Do you still have business here?" Chu Yuan struck a pose as if he were about to begin cultivation.

"Wait, you're planning to practice a new technique right here?" Xiang Ning asked, stunned.

He then seemed to recall something: "Buddy, you aren't thinking about the Martial God Record, the reward for first place, are you?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"Sigh~" Xiang Ning slapped his thigh and leaned in closer, whispering mysteriously, "Buddy, let me tell you something, but don't tell anyone else;

This first-place spot was already decided behind closed doors!

Even if you practice your new technique until you sprout flowers, you won't be able to get the Martial God Record!"

"Decided behind closed doors?"

"Yeah, I heard a big shot wanted to pave the way for their descendant;

That's why they convinced the Martial Suppression Bureau to put up the Martial God Record as a reward!

It's just that they couldn't give it directly for fear of causing controversy... so they held this Secret Realm trial!

They went through all this trouble just to serve this one dish!

You tell me, could that treasure possibly end up in your hands?"

The more Chu Yuan listened, the stranger his expression became. How was this completely different from what he had heard in the principal's office?

Rumors... do they mutate this quickly?

"If that's the case, then why did you come?"

"Sigh~ I was planning to find out who that bastard is and figure out a way to mess with him!" Xiang Ning said, somewhat unwillingly. "It's a pity... before I could find him, this whole mess happened in the Secret Realm..."