First Place

It was no wonder the other sects were 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. Not a trace of delight at slapping the other sects in the face rose in their hearts. Instead, they felt doubtful... Was this stuff counterfeit?

Yet the rich aura, which left everyone nearby refreshed and at ease, clearly told them—this thing was real.

"Junior Brother, how did you get Spiritual Marrow?"

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

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

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

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

More than precious!

This thing was extraordinarily precious!

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

"Junior Brother, this is extremely rare, a treasure seldom seen in this world. You... should keep it for yourself. It may save your life someday," one senior brother suddenly said.

Several others nodded along, their expressions grave.

Only Chu Zeming remained relatively calm. He cast an exceedingly light glance at the Spiritual Marrow and said sourly, "Since he gave it to you, keep it."

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

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

Everyone who heard that was instantly left a mess in the wind.

Rich beyond all humanity...

Chu Zeming was jealous too.

He knew that Spiritual Marrow was nothing to Yue Lian. He had even more odds and ends on him. Every single one was a treasure. Not only that, the divine dragon hidden in his sleeve—one that would become incomparably powerful in the future and trample heaven and earth beneath its feet—would scare a whole crowd to death if revealed.

Hearing Yue Lian's words, the others stopped refusing.

They carefully placed the three bottles of Spiritual Marrow right in the very center. Under the envious, jealous gazes of the surrounding sects, they lifted their chins and puffed out their chests, their backs ramrod straight.

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

We had Spiritual Marrow. Three bottles!

You didn't~~

Their smug expressions, throwing their weight around on the strength of Spiritual Marrow, infuriated the other sects at the entrance to the secret realm.

Trial disciples continually emerged from the Divine Wood Realm, covered in blood and grime, their faces filthy and dusty.

Yet not one of them was Xuan Mo or the others.

One sect after another withdrew after receiving their own disciples. As time passed, 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 higher-grade secret treasures. Even if they failed to seize the treasures, it was no disgrace.

After all, among the ten levels of the Divine Wood Realm, cultivators capable of reaching the upper levels deserved the respect and admiration of all their sect's disciples. They would also earn their sect a fine reputation and lay a solid foundation for the sect's future disciple recruitment ceremony 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 toward the senior and junior brothers waiting for him, a smile appeared on his face. With difficulty, he said, "The eighth level. I obtained..."

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

Chu Zeming had originally been sitting on the ground in meditation. Hearing the commotion, he abruptly opened his eyes. Looking at the disciple who had emerged from the eighth level of the Divine Wood Realm, a rare trace of concern appeared on his composed 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 get soaked and catch a chill." The voice was gentle and pleasant.

Chu Zeming looked up and, sure enough, saw Yue Lian. At some unknown time, he had come to stand beside him, holding an oil-paper umbrella that he had no idea where he had gotten. Two mandarin ducks playing in water had even been delicately painted on its canopy.

Chu Zeming: "..."

Lunatic.

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

The rain was gone...

Yue Lian blankly glanced overhead, then regretfully put away the oil-paper umbrella.

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

Chu Zeming was in no mood to cultivate, so he sat with his eyes open, watching the entrance to the secret realm ahead. Suddenly, three figures appeared where the secret realm was located, and Chu Zeming's gaze narrowed slightly.

Lightning flashed, and Chu Zeming saw three people covered in blood.

The next second, he vanished in a blur and appeared before them.

All three had suffered serious injuries. They were drenched in blood, their flesh split open. Xuan Mo was injured the worst. Ling Tian was supporting him as raindrops the size of beans pelted down, washing some of the blood from his face. As though sensing something, he slowly raised his head. Then he saw the young man in black robes who had suddenly appeared before him. Xuan Mo gave a difficult smile. "Senior Brother, we reached the ninth level..."

The downpour soaked their clothes. Chu Zeming's hand, hidden within his sleeve, trembled faintly. He quietly looked at the three of them, and only after a while did a gentle smile appear on his flamboyantly beautiful face.

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

It seemed that 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 directly fainted. Wounds covered his refined, scholarly face, and his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were enduring enormous pain even in unconsciousness.

After bringing the three of them to the treatment area, Yue Lian's Spiritual Marrow showed its effects.

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

Thunder and lightning intertwined as the wind howled.

The wilderness was not suited for recuperation either, so Chu Zeming instructed everyone to pack their things and brought the injured back to Cangzhou City overnight.

Recovering divine sense was an exceedingly slow process. After arriving at the inn and properly settling the three of them, Chu Zeming instructed the remaining disciples to cultivate diligently and not disturb their rest unless necessary.

It rained continuously for the next three days.

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

In the enormous cultivation plaza, a gigantic scroll emitted a soft glow, its surface entirely blank. Countless disciples from various sects gathered around it in a dense crowd. Looking at the scroll, they whispered among themselves, their discussions unceasing.

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

"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 his match this time. He didn't get anything, and Elfkind even locked him in a cage."

"Don't talk nonsense!"

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

Nearby, Fu Hongchen, dressed all in white, also heard their whispers. His dark gaze fixed on someone at the outer edge of the crowd, sprawled "paralyzed" in a chair. Gritting his teeth, he said, "You dog bastard, I, Fu Hongchen, will never rest until one of us is dead..."

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

—What exactly had Senior Brother suffered in the secret realm...

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

He led 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 bustling around after Chu Zeming, happy to do so.

Everyone else stood while looking at the scroll.

Chu Zeming was different. He was especially impressive—he reclined in a cushioned chair.

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

He had not doted on Xuan Mo for nothing.

Watching Xuan Mo act like an utterly shameless 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 robes. Walking to Chu Zeming's side, he began fanning him.

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

Chu Zeming: "...Get lost."

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

All chatter and discussion abruptly ceased. Everyone widened their eyes and stared unblinkingly at the scroll—

Stroke by stroke, slash by slash.

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

Everyone froze.

Who was that? Never heard of him.

The scroll did not pause.

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

Xuan Mo of the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect, eighth place. Treasure obtained—Heavenly Book Without Words.

Everyone in the plaza sucked in a 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. Although they were merely the last three spots in the rankings, three people appearing all at once was far too outrageous. As a result, the names that appeared next on the scroll seemed far less dazzling.

Yet what shocked them most was still to come. After the first nine places had been written, the bolded, enlarged first place slowly appeared before everyone's eyes: Chu Zeming of the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect, first place. Secret treasure obtained—Ancient Immortal Manor.

Everyone was dumbstruck.

What the hell was this?!

Why was it this sect again?

And who the hell was this Chu Zeming?!