Everyone was stunned by this dark horse that had suddenly burst onto the scene, with no mind left to watch the comprehensive ranking of the disciples who had cleared and ascended through the Divine Wood Realm displayed on the scroll afterward.
The crowd in the square buzzed with discussion, while above the square, the Guiyuan Sect elders who had concealed their auras all wore grave expressions.
After this secret realm competition ended, they had discovered during their inventory of the realm that the terrifying pressure on the Divine Tree's tenth floor had vanished...
The secret realm's tenth floor had always been an excellent place for the great cultivation sects to lead their beloved disciples and juniors in training. From this day onward, it was gone for good.
Not many people had reached the tenth floor.
There had been barely more than twenty of them. Yet they had no way of knowing which disciple had destroyed this ancient trial ground.
One of the somewhat younger elders thought for a moment before speaking. "Senior brothers, since we know every disciple who entered the tenth floor, why not question them one by one?"
He Wuwei, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, opened them at those words. His gaze fell upon the elder as he slowly said, "The Divine Wood Secret Realm has always belonged to the entire cultivation world, not to our Guiyuan Sect alone. In what capacity would we question the juniors? And what decency would there be in bullying the weak with our strength? Enough. It has been over ten thousand years; it was all a predetermined fate. Let it be..."
Having said that, He Wuwei rode away on his Azure Phoenix.
The remaining elders looked at one another and departed in turn. Only two elders seated atop a great white tiger remained behind. They stayed where they were, looking down at the black-robed young man sprawled limply in his chair as they whispered among themselves.
"So first place really went to that little Golden Core?"
"Truly bizarre. I thought he was just talking big."
"The Immortal Residence actually gave up Elder He and chose him? Emmmm... That really is a little absurd."
The Joint Grand Tournament had completely drawn to a close.
The results of this competition spread throughout the cultivation world through countless channels. The outstanding achievements of the four disciples suddenly made the name of the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect ring loud across the cultivation world.
After resting at the inn for two days, Chu Zeming prepared to lead his junior brothers back to the sect.
Outside the inn, the spirit beast carriage was already prepared.
Before they could set off, Chu Zeming heard a crisp, haughty voice. "Hey, I heard you took first place this time."
Chu Zeming raised his eyes and saw the Guiyuan Sect's eldest young lady standing not far away in a pale blue flowing-sleeved firefly-patterned dress, a jade flute tucked at her waist as she spoke to him.
Chu Zeming gestured for everyone to board the carriage, then turned his gaze toward Yan Xin.
"Is something the matter?"
His tone was as calm as still water.
Yan Xin pouted and said, "I know I was wrong. After I went back that day, Father scolded me and confined me for several days. I came today to apologize to you!"
Chu Zeming lifted his brows and smiled. "I don't lower myself to a little girl's level."
Yan Xin gave a huff, her face flushing slightly as she turned away awkwardly. "I'm not a little girl. I'm already fifteen."
Chu Zeming neither agreed nor disagreed.
She had not even reached the age of full criminal responsibility. If she was not a little girl, then what was she?
With a wave of his hand, Chu Zeming prepared to board the carriage.
Yan Xin suddenly called out again, "Um! Do you want to stay in the Guiyuan Sect? I can ask Father to accept you as a direct disciple..."
Chu Zeming paused halfway onto the carriage, then turned and smiled at Yan Xin. "No need. I prefer my own sect."
Although Ling Yunzi was not much to speak of, Chu Zeming had no plans to change sects for the time being.
"Ungrateful fool." Yan Xin was somewhat angered. She stamped her foot and left.
Xuan Mo stood beside Chu Zeming, his gaze unfriendly as he watched the Guiyuan Sect's eldest young lady leave in a huff. Frowning, he said, "Senior Brother, does... Yan Xin like you?"
Chu Zeming froze at that.
He stood there and thought for a while, then slowly but firmly shook his head. "It isn't affection. I hit her; she probably hates me too much to like me. I took first place this time, so perhaps she listened to her father, saw my potential and aptitude, and wanted to recruit me into their sect."
Xuan Mo wanted to say that some people only got more excited the more you hit them.
But then he heard Chu Zeming add, "Besides, I don't like little girls who don't know any better."
Swallowing the words at his lips, Xuan Mo changed his response. "Senior Brother is wise."
Inside the carriage, Yue Lian, who had been pricking up his ears to listen to the people outside, silently breathed a sigh of relief.
He did not like little girls, so he surely liked big boys.
Sitting on the "bed" Senior Brother had specially prepared just for him in the main hall, Yue Lian felt extremely pleased.
At this time, none of the disciples had yet returned to their own rooms.
Because Yue Lian had previously given them Spiritual Marrow, they had formed a fixed impression of their little junior brother as beautiful and kind-hearted. Seeing him sitting alone on the rickety chair-bed, they all felt somewhat guilty. Wu Qi was just about to go over and ask whether he wanted to switch rooms, with Wu Qi sleeping in the hall, when he saw Yue Lian very consciously lie down on the bed, pull the blanket over himself, and softly hum a tune.
The disciples: "..."
He seemed to be enjoying it very much.
They had better not disturb their little junior brother.
The Cracked Four-Legged Beast then pulled the luxurious carriage into motion, dragging a long trail through the clouds in the sky... This time, the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect had achieved excellent results, and everyone was in high spirits on the journey home.
News traveled faster than people.
Before Chu Zeming and his group reached the sect, the sect had already learned of the tournament results through other channels.
Inside a secret hall somewhere in the sect, Ling Yunzi and the elders sat high above as they listened to a disciple report the information they had received.
As he heard the disciple announce the names of those who had obtained rankings one by one, a faint smile appeared on Ling Yunzi's cold and proud face.
The divination he had sought before the ancestral hall had indeed been true. Ever since Yue Lian entered the sect, the sect's fortune had gradually improved. Ten people had gone to participate in the Joint Grand Tournament, and four had earned rankings. Not to mention that two had reached the Divine Tree's tenth floor and cleared the entire Divine Wood Realm in less than ten days.
Ling Yunzi felt that it was all thanks to him bringing Yue Lian back to the sect.
In previous years, this would have been something they would not even dare dream of.
Qin Elder did not know what the sect master was thinking. He looked happily at the elders beside him, unable to contain his excitement.
"Four, four! Zeming even took first place! Wonderful!"
"This generation of disciples has limitless prospects!"
"Senior Brother Qin, you won't need to worry about our sect's upcoming recruitment ceremony having no disciples anymore, hahaha..."
While the elders conversed happily, a disciple entered from outside the hall. "Reporting to Sect Master and Elders, the senior brothers have returned from Cangzhou and are now waiting in the main hall."
"Let us go."
Upon hearing this, Ling Yunzi rose first, and only then did the others follow.
Inside the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect's main hall.
Chu Zeming and his nine junior brothers had already been waiting for quite some time.
Voices carried over from afar. Ling Yunzi, dressed in white, his expression cold and aloof like a flower blooming atop a lofty peak, approached from outside the hall with the elders.
Ling Yunzi merely swept a faint glance over everyone before his gaze landed on Yue Lian.
"Lian'er, you worked hard. Were you injured?"
Ling Yunzi seemed not to regard anyone else as worthy of notice, with only Yue Lian in his heart. Qin Elder, following behind him, stiffened, anger immediately rising within him. Yet for the sake of appearances, he did not flare up on the spot.
Suppressing his dissatisfaction with the sect master, Qin Elder stepped around Ling Yunzi and came to the other disciples. He forcefully patted their shoulders. "Worthy of being the future pillars of our Nine-Clear Haoran Sect! Those who did not earn rankings in this tournament need not be sad either. The other elders and I have prepared some rewards for you. They may not be particularly precious, but they represent our heartfelt intentions. Strive to do even better next time, and learn from your senior brother!"
Ling Yunzi had always been cold toward others, and the disciples had long since grown accustomed to it. Hearing Qin Elder's encouragement, they all looked delighted. Only Chu Zeming felt disdain. Too lazy to watch Ling Yunzi put on a show as he fussed over Yue Lian and showered him with attention, Chu Zeming respectfully reported the circumstances of the Joint Grand Tournament to Qin Elder before leaving the main hall alone.
Since there was no need to hurry on the return journey, coming back from Cangzhou took slightly longer than going there. With nothing to do in the carriage, Chu Zeming began meditating and cultivating, absorbing the golden light flowing through the meridians around his body—the minute portion of inherited power that had not been sealed away when it repaired his shattered body on the Divine Tree's tenth floor.
There was very little golden light, and absorbing it was exceptionally difficult. Yet with every bit he absorbed, Chu Zeming could clearly feel his cultivation level rise dramatically. Now, Chu Zeming had absorbed all the stray golden light within his body, and he was only one step away from breaking through the Jindan Peak Stage and advancing into the Nascent Soul Realm.
After leaving the main hall, Chu Zeming returned directly to his residence.
After laying down several thick layers of barriers, Chu Zeming took out the Scarlet Scale Fruits he had obtained from the Crimson Serpent Python in the Divine Wood Realm. His eyes darkened slightly, then he swallowed them all. Intense heat surged from within his dantian as the Scarlet Scale Fruits began to take effect.
Chu Zeming hesitated no longer. Borrowing that power, he closed his eyes and began directly assaulting the Nascent Soul Realm.
The transition from Golden Core to Nascent Soul was a qualitative transformation.
If a Jindan Stage cultivator was suppressed and killed, death was simply death. But a Nascent Soul Cultivator could abandon his physical body and escape with his Nascent Soul. Thus, advancing from Golden Core to Nascent Soul was extraordinarily difficult and required immense power to break through the barrier between realms.
The process was exceedingly painful. Chu Zeming felt as though his body had been cast into boiling magma. The spiritual power throughout his body had gone out of control, rampaging wildly through him. Chu Zeming gritted his teeth and endured. His fingers clenched tightly around the cold jade bed, and under the excessive force, the bed beneath him began to crack inch by inch.
The power of the Scarlet Scale Fruits gradually faded, yet although the barrier inside him was on the verge of collapse, it still showed no sign of breaking. Seeing that his advancement was about to fail, Chu Zeming's expression sank as he took out the Azure-Blue Pearl he had obtained in the Extreme Sea Secret Realm.
After absorbing the power contained within the Azure-Blue Pearl, Chu Zeming closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and began another round of assault.
After an unknown amount of time, a crisp "crack" seemed to sound beside his ears.
The teetering Nascent Soul barrier finally shattered with a thunderous crash at that moment, and the imposing presence of a Nascent Soul Realm expert spilled from Chu Zeming's body.
Perhaps because the golden light in the Divine Tree had cleansed his marrow, Chu Zeming's body did not expel any excess impurities this time. Still, he symbolically took a bath. Feeling refreshed all over, he opened the gates of his residence and suddenly saw more than a dozen law enforcement disciples waiting outside.
"Senior Brother, the sect master requests your presence in the reception hall."
Their tone was not particularly pleasant, and Chu Zeming paused slightly.
Following the law enforcement disciples to the reception hall, Chu Zeming saw Ling Yunzi seated in the place of honor, his expression as cold as ice in the twelfth lunar month. On the guest seats beside him sat more than a dozen cultivators dressed in the robes of the Heavenly Remnant Sect. At their head sat an old Scabby Head in gaudy clothes, and beside him sat the arrogant young Scabby Head, Lu Benxiong.
The moment he saw Chu Zeming enter, Ling Yunzi spoke without another word. "Kneel and apologize to Elder Lu and his son."
Before you continue