Li Chuan returned to his courtyard.
The gate closed, shutting out the noise beyond.
He sat at the table, his fingers tapping absently against its surface as he sorted through his situation.
Only two months remained before the Vajra Sect selection.
Passing the selection would not be difficult for him.
He now had two forms of True Gang at his command.
Even against the eight hundred Heavenly Prodigies of the Thirteen Prefectures, he would not fall by the wayside.
The problem was what came afterward.
Wang Ling!
At Emerald Mist Ridge, Li Chuan had not revealed his true identity to him, but Zhou Zelin's provocation had already directed most of Wang Ling's hatred toward him.
Wang Ling believed that if Li Chuan had not delayed Wang Xiao with that sneak attack,
Wang Xiao would have taken the Sun-Day Red Gold Sand and escaped unscathed, never running into what happened afterward.
He would never let the death of his younger brother go.
Mid Gang Force.
A man ranked among the top ten of the eight hundred Heavenly Prodigies.
Li Chuan narrowed his eyes.
Every minor realm of Gang Force was separated by a chasm. Worse, Wang Ling had spent years at the middle stage, and there was no telling how many trump cards he held.
Fighting him to the death now would be far too risky.
Li Chuan needed to raise his strength another step within two months.
He ran through his options.
Only two things could boost his strength quickly.
First, push the Golden Bell Shield into the Extreme Realm and greatly increase his power.
Second, advance the River-Burning Blade Technique to Major Mastery.
He waved a hand and summoned the Primordial Jade Record.
A screen of light unfolded, lines of text appearing across it.
``` [Technique: Golden Bell Shield