First Place

Forget the other sects being green with envy—even the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect's own disciples were utterly astonished.

They stared at the three bottles of Spiritual Marrow laid on the ground. There was not the slightest thrill of slapping the other sects in the face; instead, they found themselves wondering... could these be fakes?

Yet the rich aura, so refreshing that everyone nearby felt their spirits lift, told them plainly—these were real.

"Little Junior Brother, where did you get Spiritual Marrow?"

"The Sect Master must have given it to him. The Sect Master dotes on Little Junior Brother so much."

"He must have been afraid Little Junior Brother would get hurt during the tournament..."

Yue Lian rose to his feet and smiled shyly at them. "I found it by chance in a cave when I was wandering alone in the past. Is it very precious?"

"Hiss..." The cultivators from other sects around them, who had been straining their ears to listen to the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect disciples, instantly turned into sour lemons.

More than precious!

This stuff was exceedingly precious!

Who was this person? How could he be so good-looking and so outrageously lucky?

"Little Junior Brother, this is extremely rare, a treasure that appears but once in an age. You... should keep it for yourself. It may save your life someday," one of the senior brothers suddenly said.

The others also chimed in, their expressions grave.

Only Chu Zeming remained relatively calm. He cast an extremely slight glance at the Spiritual Marrow and said sourly, "Since he gave it to you, just take it."

"But this... isn't it a little too valuable?"

Yue Lian said, "It's fine. I have plenty more."

Everyone who heard that was instantly left in disarray amid the wind.

Rich beyond all humanity...

Chu Zeming was sour too.

He knew that Spiritual Marrow was nothing to Yue Lian. He had even more miscellaneous things on him, every single one a treasure. Not only that, but the divine dragon hidden in his sleeve—the one that would become incomparably powerful and dominate heaven and earth in the future—would scare a whole crowd to death if anyone heard of it.

After hearing Yue Lian's words, the others stopped refusing.

They carefully placed the three bottles of Spiritual Marrow in the very center. As they received the jealous, envious gazes of the surrounding sects, they held their heads high and straightened their backs.

So what if we're a third-rate sect? We're not shabby at all.

We have Spiritual Marrow. Three bottles!

You don't~~

Their smug airs, relying on the Spiritual Marrow to throw their weight around, infuriated the other sects at the entrance to the secret realm.

Trial disciples continuously emerged from the Divine Wood Realm, their bodies stained with blood and their faces covered in dust.

But none of them were Xuan Mo and the others.

One sect after another waited for their own disciples before departing. As time slipped away, the once bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder entrance to the secret realm gradually emptied, until fewer than thirty sects remained.

The later it became, the happier the sects that had not withdrawn were.

If their fellow disciples had not emerged, it meant they had reached higher levels and had a chance to obtain more advanced secret treasures. Even if they failed to seize a treasure, it would not be shameful.

After all, among the ten levels of the Divine Wood Realm, cultivators capable of ascending to the higher levels deserved the respect and admiration of every disciple in their sect. They would also win the sect a good reputation and lay a solid foundation for the sect's future grand recruitment event before the entire cultivation world.

Late at night.

Another cultivator withdrew from the Divine Wood Realm. He had lost an arm, yet when he looked at the fellow disciples waiting for him, a smile appeared on his face as he said with difficulty, "The eighth level, I obtained..."

Not far away, the injured disciple's fellow disciples immediately helped him into their sect's Spirit-Gathering Array, treating his wounds and feeding him medicine.

Chu Zeming had originally been sitting cross-legged in meditation. Hearing the commotion, he abruptly opened his eyes. As he looked at the disciple who had emerged from the eighth level of the Divine Wood Realm, a rare trace of worry appeared on his calm face.

He wondered how Xuan Mo and the others were doing inside.

Drip—

A cold raindrop fell from the sky and struck Chu Zeming's face.

It was raining.

"Senior Brother, it's raining. Be careful not to catch a chill." The voice was gentle and pleasant.

Chu Zeming looked up and, sure enough, saw Yue Lian. At some point, he had come to stand beside him, holding an oil-paper umbrella he knew not where he had gotten. Two mandarin ducks playing in water had even been meticulously painted on its canopy.

Chu Zeming: "..."

What a lunatic.

Too lazy to look at Yue Lian, Chu Zeming directly raised his hand and set up a barrier, shutting out the rain above his head.

The rain was gone...

Yue Lian looked blankly overhead, then put away the oil-paper umbrella with a face full of regret.

The rain came down heavily. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the pitch-black night sky, while wild winds raged.

Chu Zeming was in no mood to cultivate, so he kept his eyes open and watched the entrance to the secret realm ahead. Suddenly, three figures appeared at the secret realm's location, and his gaze narrowed slightly.

Lightning flared, and Chu Zeming saw three people drenched in blood.

The next second, he flashed over and appeared before them.

All three had suffered serious injuries. They were bloody and torn open, flesh exposed. Xuan Mo was the most severely wounded, supported by Ling Tian. Raindrops the size of beans pounded down, washing some of the blood from his face. As if sensing something, he slowly raised his head. Then he saw the young man in black robes who had suddenly appeared before him. Xuan Mo forced out a smile. "Senior Brother, we made it to the ninth level..."

The heavy rain soaked through his clothes, and the hand hidden in Chu Zeming's sleeve trembled faintly. He looked silently at the three of them. Only after a while did a gentle smile appear on his flamboyant, beautiful face.

He said, "Mm... Senior Brother is proud of you."

It seemed Xuan Mo had forced himself to remain conscious solely to hear those words from Chu Zeming. The moment Chu Zeming finished speaking, Xuan Mo could no longer hold on and immediately fainted. His refined, scholarly face was covered in wounds, his brows tightly furrowed, as though he was still enduring immense agony even in unconsciousness.

After they brought the three to the treatment area, Yue Lian's Spiritual Marrow showed its effects.

Once they drank the Spiritual Marrow, the wounds on their bodies began healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. Before long, they returned to their original state. However, while their physical injuries had healed, the damage to their divine sense would not recover so quickly.

Thunder and lightning intertwined, while the wind howled.

The wilderness was unsuitable for recuperation, so Chu Zeming instructed everyone to pack their things and led the injured back into Cangzhou City overnight.

Recovering one's divine sense was an exceedingly slow process. After arriving at the inn and settling the three properly, Zeming instructed the remaining disciples to cultivate diligently and not disturb their rest except when necessary.

It rained continuously for the next three days.

The entirety of Cangzhou City was shrouded in a hazy gloom. By the time the skies finally cleared, the Joint Grand Tournament had also reached its end—the Divine Wood Realm trial was over.

In the vast cultivation plaza, an enormous scroll emitted a soft glow, its surface completely blank. Countless disciples from countless sects gathered around it in a bustling crowd. They looked at the scroll, whispering among themselves without pause.

"Who do you think will make the top ten this time..."

"No idea. Young Master Fu, who took first place in the last Joint Grand Tournament, should be among them."

"I heard through the grapevine that Young Master Fu met a rival this time. He got nothing at all and was even locked in a cage by Elfkind."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"It's true. It was utterly humiliating..."

Nearby, Fu Hongchen, dressed in white, also heard their whispers. His gaze drifted darkly toward the outskirts of the distant crowd, where he stared fixedly at a certain person "paralyzed" in a chair. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You bastard, I, Fu Hongchen, am irreconcilable with you..."

The other Kongtong Sect disciples following Fu Hongchen shuddered when they heard their senior brother's demonic whisper, as though he wanted to kill someone.

—What exactly had Senior Brother gone through in the secret realm...

Chu Zeming had no idea someone had set their sights on him again.

He brought his junior brothers into the crowd to join the excitement.

Xuan Mo had already awakened, and his injuries had fully healed, though his body was still somewhat weak. Even so, he continued running around after Chu Zeming, waiting on him hand and foot, and he enjoyed every bit of it.

Everyone else stood to watch the scroll.

Chu Zeming was different. He was especially impressive—he lay in a soft chair.

Feeling the softness beneath him, Chu Zeming sighed with endless emotion.

He had not spoiled Xuan Mo for nothing.

Watching Xuan Mo behave so shamelessly like a lackey, Yue Lian felt that he could not lose.

He thought for a moment, then lowered his head and pulled a palm-sized little fan from his robe. He walked to Chu Zeming's side and began fanning him.

Yue Lian said softly, "Eldest Senior Brother, the weather is hot. Be careful not to suffer heatstroke. Lian'er will fan you."

Chu Zeming said, "...Get lost."

As three majestic bell chimes rang through the air, black characters began appearing on the blank scroll.

All conversation and discussion abruptly stopped. Everyone widened their eyes and stared unblinking at the scroll—

Stroke by stroke, dot by dot.

At the very bottom of the white scroll, the first name appeared: Nine-Clear Haoran Sect Wu Qi, tenth place, treasure obtained—Whirlwind Buddhist Umbrella.

Everyone froze.

Who was that? Never heard of him.

The scroll did not pause.

Nine-Clear Haoran Sect Ling Tian, ninth place, treasure obtained—Primordial Chaos Hammer.

Nine-Clear Haoran Sect Xuan Mo, eighth place, treasure obtained—Wordless Heavenly Book.

Everyone in the plaza sucked in a cold breath.

What the hell?

Was there something wrong with the scroll?

Who were these people? Why had no one heard of them!

And what kind of sect was the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect? Never heard of it!

All the cultivators began discussing it. Though they were merely the bottom three among the top ten, three people appearing all at once was far too absurd. As a result, those who appeared next on the scroll seemed far less eye-catching.

Yet what shocked them most was still to come. Once the first nine places had been written, the enlarged, bold first place slowly unfolded before everyone's eyes: Nine-Clear Haoran Sect Chu Zeming, first place, secret treasure obtained—Ancient Immortal Residence.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

What the hell!

Why was it this sect again?

And who the hell was this Chu Zeming?!