Cultivation: I Have a Skill Level Panel

Gu Yun, of course, was unaware that Xiao Chen had defeated Song Fuchuan and ascended to the Profound Celestial List.

Not long before, he had gone to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall to accept a mission to slay the Dark Blood Tiger, a True Martial Seventh Layer Demon Beast. He was also taking the opportunity to relax and enjoy the magnificent scenery along the way.

At this very moment, above the drifting white clouds, a brilliant sun rose on the horizon. Its boundless rays illuminated every corner of the world!!

Gu Yun, transformed into a streak of lightning, soared across the sky. He was heading at extreme speed toward the Wanyou Mountain Range, a vast distance from the gates of the Profound Celestial Sect. From afar, he looked like a bolt of thunder tearing through the firmament, gone in a flash!

...

While Gu Yun was away from the Sect, the news of Xiao Chen earning a place on the Profound Celestial List sent shockwaves through the Inner Sect, leaving countless disciples stunned!

A year ago, the then-unknown Gu Yun had been challenging the Profound Celestial Trial Tower.

He had instantly killed Mad Demon Xu Biao!

He had instantly killed Song Fuchuan of the Profound Celestial List!!

He had even clashed with Qin Xuan, the top-tier expert ranked nineteenth on the Profound Celestial List!!

And Gu Yun was merely a disciple who had joined the Inner Sect a few years prior, not yet thirty years old. This was how his reputation had instantly skyrocketed, making him a famed prodigy known to all in the Inner Sect!

And now, the equally young Xiao Chen had defeated Song Fuchuan, claiming the ninety-ninth spot on the Profound Celestial List!

He had instantly become the most talked-about prodigy of the day!!

「Sect's Marketplace」

Within the Lingqiong Tavern,

Li Xingyue sat by a window on the third floor, gazing at the cultivators coming and going outside.

Some wore white robes, their faces resolute, with longswords strapped to their backs.

Others were dressed in black and yellow Daoist Robes, carrying wine gourds.

A few True Martial Realm cultivators even streaked past as rays of light!

"Sigh!"

'When will it ever be my turn!'

Li Xingyue drained the cup of Jade Brew he was holding in one go.

It was as if he wasn't drinking wine, but loneliness itself. Emptiness!

He just couldn't believe the latest news. 'How could my good friend Xiao Chen be so powerful, decisively defeating Song Fuchuan to ascend the Profound Celestial List!'

'Is this still the Xiao Chen I know?'

'I've been cultivating so hard this past year, and I finally broke through to the True Martial Realm Third Layer.'

'Among all the disciples who joined the Inner Sect with me, my progress is already exceptional, putting me at the very top of our cohort.'

'I came to this tavern to celebrate my breakthrough,'

'but now, this tastes like bitter wine!'

'This isn't right. My friend accomplished something amazing.'

'Shouldn't I be happy for him? Why am I feeling like this?'

'Is it just because I'm too desperate to improve?!'

Upstairs in the tavern,

a cacophony of voices filled the air.

"Hey, have you heard?

Senior Brother Song actually lost to a disciple who's only been in the Inner Sect for six years!"

"GASP! Only six years in the Inner Sect? Th-that's impossible! Isn't everyone on the Profound Celestial List a formidable powerhouse at the True Martial Eighth Layer at a minimum? In that short amount of time, I couldn't even break through a single Small Realm. How could someone cross so many?" a tall, thin cultivator exclaimed in shock.

"Why would that be impossible? Have you heard of Senior Brother Gu?"

"Of course!

Who hasn't heard of the famous Senior Brother Gu, with his Heaven-Reaching Thunder Technique and Wushuang Saber Technique!"

"I heard that Xiao Chen joined the Inner Sect in the same cohort as Senior Brother Gu.

Back then, neither of them even made it into the top ten of the Outer Sect.

But now they've made a complete comeback! Their strength has surpassed the top ten from their year by leagues, and they've both earned spots on the Profound Celestial List, becoming two of the hundred strongest disciples in the entire Inner Sect!!"

"So, between those two prodigies, who do you think is stronger?!"

"Is there even a need to ask?

It's definitely Senior Brother Gu! He commands the Thunder that pervades the heavens and earth and wields a Sword Momentum that can shatter the void!"

"But I heard that Xiao Chen possesses two incredibly rare Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fires: the Frost Cold Spiritual Fire and the Cyan Lotus Water and Fire!

They say his body blazes with flames that could incinerate the heavens, and his Spear Technique is simply exquisite.

The cold gleam of his spear moves first, then it strikes like a dragon!

The patrons at the tables of the Lingqiong Tavern all had their own opinions, arguing heatedly, with no one willing to back down.

Hearing this, Li Xingyue couldn't help but give a bitter smile and take another sullen gulp of wine.

'Have I really fallen that far behind?'

"Hm?!"

'What's this?!'

Suddenly, a point of light flared on his Communication Talisman. He focused his gaze; it was a message from a friend who held a high-ranking position in the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau.

[Brother Li, Demon Fiends have appeared. We need your help.]

After reading the message, Li Xingyue's mind raced for a moment before he made a decision.

He raised his hand and downed the last cup of Lingqiong Wine.

"Ahh, that's the stuff!"

The moment the words left his mouth, his figure abruptly vanished.

He transformed into a streak of meteoric sword light, soaring into the distant sky!

...

「Great Yan Dynasty, Shangjing City, Demon Suppression Bureau」

Inside the solemn and dignified Demon Suppression Bureau,

the cultivators moving about all radiated a grim, killing aura.

Inside a tall, magnificent building,

several figures were deep in discussion.

"Brother Zhao, are you confident about this mission?" asked a tall, middle-aged cultivator. He wore Silver Armor, and the several hideous scars on his face gave him a fierce appearance.

The man he addressed wore a brocade robe. His expression was placid, but he naturally exuded an air of authority.

This was Zhao Kai. He shook his head slightly.

A glint flashed in his eyes, and he spoke with firm resolve.

"The Director has given the order," Zhao Kai stated.

"Demon Fiends are running rampant, wreaking havoc upon the world.

This mission may be perilous, but it is a duty I cannot shirk!"

"Rest assured, I have already notified a prodigy from the Upper Sect to provide assistance," he added.

"I believe he will arrive shortly."

...

「Meanwhile」

Gu Yun, as a streak of lightning, crossed leagues in an instant. He was like a thunderbolt tearing through the sky, moving with incredible speed.

As he flew at extreme speed across the heavens, Gu Yun looked down upon endless vistas of mountains and forests, and great rivers that flowed on ceaselessly.

Soon after,

Gu Yun arrived, hovering in the air above the Wanyou Mountain Range. His robes whipped about in the wind and his long hair danced as his deep, dark eyes gazed down at the endless mountains below.

He saw towering peaks rising and falling in an unbroken chain, like monstrous waves blotting out the sky. They rolled on, one after another, an endless, continuous tsunami of stone.

Upon these magnificent, wave-like mountain ranges, ancient trees were everywhere. Many were so thick that it would take dozens of people with linked arms to encircle their trunks, and they blanketed the entire landscape.

What was startling was that this sea of forest was a deep, somber green.!!

Among these unbelievably massive trees, a person standing at their base would look up to see the sky completely blotted out by a canopy of giant, flourishing leaves.

Countless ancient branches, each as thick as several men's waists, intertwined above.

Below, ancient vines as thick as water buckets rooted themselves deep in the soil, forming a dense, web-like tangle!

RUSTLE RUSTLE!

From time to time, a fierce gust of wind would sweep through, and the leaves on the countless massive trees would whisper and RUSTLE!

"ROAR!"

From the depths of the endless Wanyou Mountain Range, the terrifying roars of Demon Beasts would occasionally echo, striking fear and terror into the hearts of any who heard them!!

However, to Gu Yun, all of this was like child's play—nothing to be afraid of!

The powerful aura of his True Yuan emanated from him, causing the very air to tremble.

Spiritual Martial Level and Low Tier True Martial Level Demon Beasts that sensed it were scared witless, their spirits trembling in terror!!

Forget about attacking Gu Yun; they fled as far and as fast as they could!!

Just as Gu Yun was flying over the Wanyou Mountain Range, heading deeper into its core,

"Hm?!"

'What is this?!'

Gu Yun, standing tall in the air, turned his gaze toward a deep ravine in a distant part of the mountain range, a look of surprise in his dark eyes.

He saw violent gales surging out from the Abyssal Canyon, seemingly twisting the very air around it.

He could even faintly make out terrifying, flickering spatial rifts.

The killing intent contained within was so potent that an ordinary True Martial Realm cultivator would almost certainly perish if they were caught inside!!

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