Chapter 66

Of course, he said he didn’t mind.

In truth, Gu Yang hadn’t made any outrageous demands. He simply asked for a few spirit stones.

“That’s all you want?”

Chu Liuyun blinked in surprise at Gu Yang’s words. Just spirit stones? No cultivation techniques, martial arts, or pills?

He furrowed his brows slightly, then generously tossed Gu Yang a storage ring.

“There are a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones inside. Consider it a personal reward. In addition, there’s a mid-tier Earth-grade cultivation technique, a mid-tier Earth-grade sword technique, and a mid-tier Earth-grade fist technique. Train well and break through to the Core Formation Realm soon!”

Even Chu Liuyun couldn’t help but marvel at Gu Yang’s talent. Because of that, he had no intention of holding back…he planned to nurture Gu Yang with full force.

Gu Yang accepted the storage ring, his expression tinged with astonishment.

Whoa… that’s generous.

Three mid-tier Earth-grade techniques? Although he currently cultivated top-tier Earth-grade techniques…and even possessed a pseudo-Heaven-grade sword technique…Gu Yang believed that the more techniques he had, the better.

Naturally, he didn’t hold back. But he still cupped his hands sincerely toward Chu Liuyun. “Thank you, Sect Master.”

“Mhm. You must be exhausted from the True Disciple Tournament. Go rest.”

Chu Liuyun waved his hand. Gu Yang didn’t linger and left immediately.

Once Gu Yang departed, Chu Liuyun’s expression darkened.

“Grand Elder, is what you said earlier true?”

He referred, of course, to the incident where Xue Wujian of Baiyang Sect had hired someone to assassinate Gu Yang.

Li Tianming nodded without hesitation. “It’s true. If Gu Yang hadn’t unleashed forty percent sword intent, that guy’s plan might’ve actually succeeded!”

“Hmph!”

“Baiyang Sect has always acted arrogantly and recklessly!”

“And now they’ve set their sights on our sect’s prodigy…”

“This is intolerable!”

“So, Sect Master, what do you plan to do?”

As time passed, Gu Yang’s name spread throughout Haonan Province. People began calling him the number one prodigy of the province…his strength crushed all peers.

Meanwhile, the Baixiao Pavilion sent investigators to document Gu Yang’s abilities and talent in full.

Eventually…

The Talent Roll was released!

Gu Yang’s name appeared at rank thirty!

A line of commentary accompanied it:

【Gu Yang, True Disciple of Liuyun Sect in Haonan Province. Only seventeen years old. At the third level of the Essence Condensation Realm, yet commands forty percent fist intent and forty percent sword intent. His body refinement has reached mastery, and his strength is extraordinary. Capable of slaying a fourth-level Core Formation cultivator across realms. After careful evaluation, ranked thirtieth on the Talent Roll.】

The Talent Roll didn’t just cover Haonan Province…it spanned the entire Chu Nation!

Countless prodigies watched the list. Any change was immediately noticed.

And this time, the change was massive.

A completely unknown name had suddenly landed at rank thirty.

Naturally, it drew countless eyes.

“Hm? A newcomer? Third-level Essence Condensation? From Haonan Province?”

In a lavish palace within Chu Nation, a young man in ornate robes stood with his hands behind his back. The Talent Roll floated before him.

He raised an eyebrow at Gu Yang’s sudden appearance.

“Interesting. That remote corner of Haonan Province actually produced such a prodigy.”

“Challenging second-level Core Formation cultivators with Essence Condensation level three?”

His gaze flickered with curiosity…then shifted to disappointment.

Too bad his cultivation is too low. If it were higher… it might’ve been more exciting.

With a flick of his hand, he tossed the Talent Roll aside.

Similar reactions echoed across Chu Nation.

People were shocked…not by Gu Yang’s talent, but by his origin.

He came from Haonan Province!

Among Chu Nation’s sixteen provinces, Haonan ranked at the very bottom.

Most prodigies on the Talent Roll hailed from elite provinces or the imperial capital. Talents from bottom-tier provinces rarely had a chance to make the list.

Haonan Province had never produced a single Talent Roll entry…until now.

The Talent Roll compiled the top hundred young prodigies across Chu Nation.

And Chu Nation was vast.

Its prodigies were countless…monstrous, terrifying, and ever more extreme.

To select a hundred from such a pool… that was the Talent Roll.

For ordinary provinces, breaking into the list was a pipe dream.

But now…

Gu Yang had done it.

His rise to rank thirty shook all of Chu Nation.

Haonan Province had produced a Talent Roll prodigy.

It was historic.

Back in Haonan Province…

The region had already erupted in celebration.

“From zero to one…a breakthrough!”

“Haonan Province finally has a prodigy on the Talent Roll!”

“Gu Yang is incredible! Third-level Essence Condensation and he can slay fourth-level Core Formation cultivators? That’s insane!”

“Hiss… No kidding! He also made history by becoming the first to grasp forty percent fist intent and sword intent!”

“First place in the True Disciple Tournament…well deserved!”

“Gu Yang is Haonan Province’s number one prodigy!”

Countless disciples and citizens of Haonan Province cheered with excitement.

In a secluded courtyard of Liuyun Sect…

Gu Yang stared at the Talent Roll.

“So I really made it.”

He felt a bit surprised…not that he made the list, but at his ranking.

Only thirtieth?

He glanced at the prodigies ranked above him.

His gaze sharpened.

Core Formation Realm.

A string of Core Formation cultivators.

And the oldest among them was only thirty.

Tsk tsk…

Gu Yang couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

This Talent Roll… really lives up to its name.

Among the top thirty, he was the only one still in the Essence Condensation Realm.

It made his placement feel… a little strange.

He shook his head and set the Talent Roll aside.

“Three months until the Purple Moon Secret Realm opens.”

His eyes narrowed.

The Sect Master had mentioned it recently.

The Purple Moon Secret Realm was a super-secret realm controlled by the Chu royal family…its treasures were unimaginably rich.

Compared to it, the Liuyang Secret Realm was laughable.

The Purple Moon Secret Realm opened once every ten years.

And he had arrived just in time.

“But I’ve got three months… I need to prepare and raise my cultivation.”

With that thought, Gu Yang focused his mind, sat cross-legged, and activated the Divine Gang Technique.

He began cultivating.

And this cultivation…

Lasted a full month.

A month later, Gu Yang exhaled a long breath, his eyes flashing with emotion.

Damn… breaking through to Core Formation is ridiculously hard.

After a month of nonstop cultivation, his realm still hovered at the peak of Essence Condensation level ten…no progress.

To avoid suspicion, he had already raised his apparent cultivation to level six.

Three levels in a month…still reasonable.

But the bottleneck to Core Formation remained.

It frustrated him.

Looks like breaking through purely on my own might be impossible.

Gu Yang sighed inwardly.

His talent was undeniable.

But when faced with a bottleneck caused by his own aptitude, he could only stare helplessly.

Of course, there was another way…to find herbs or spirit medicines that could help him break through.

Inside his room…

Gu Yang pondered his next move when a knock sounded at the door.

Knock knock.

“Junior Brother Gu, are you home?”

Gu Yang paused.

Liu Tianxiang?

What did he want?

They had chatted a few times during the True Disciple Tournament and could be considered half-friends.

But they didn’t interact much otherwise.

So Gu Yang felt curious and puzzled.