"Young Master, the rewards I received, aside from cultivation progress, include an Emperor-tier cultivation method and an Emperor-tier martial skill."
"But I feel they aren’t particularly suited for me—not as good as the cultivation method I’ve been practicing."
"Chang'an Brother, mine is the same."
"However, this cultivation method seems slightly better than the one from our Gu Family."
"Should I cultivate this reward instead?"
Rewards of cultivation methods and martial skills?
Chen Chang'an pondered carefully, sensing something amiss.
If these were gifts from the Heavenly Dao, why weren’t they tailored to the individual?
Even if customization wasn’t possible, shouldn’t the rewards at least be somewhat compatible?
Gu Xian'er’s rewards were excellent, but they didn’t match her at all. As for Gu Fengyao’s, they were merely better than the Gu Family’s methods—nothing more.
"If they don’t suit you, don’t cultivate them."
"Fengyao, your family’s cultivation method is more suitable for you. There’s no need to switch midway."
"Just keep the rewards for now," Chen Chang'an said after some thought.
"Young Master, do you suspect there’s something wrong with these rewards?" Gu Xian'er asked, puzzled.
"It’s hard to say, but I just feel…"
"Something isn’t right."
Chen Chang'an couldn’t explain why, but the rewards gave him an uneasy feeling.
Still, since he couldn’t pinpoint the issue, the safest course was to advise against cultivating them.
Yet, another thought nagged at him. His master, Mu Yunyao, had once been a peerless genius who emerged victorious from the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings.
Were the cultivation methods she passed down to him also rewards from those rankings?
"Forget it. I’ll ask Master when I get the chance."
Though both might be Heavenly Dao-bestowed cultivation methods, the two gave Chen Chang'an entirely different impressions.
"What about Chen Yunxuan and the others?"
"Should we warn them as well?" Gu Xian'er asked.
"They likely won’t recklessly cultivate them."
"But Wu Mingdao…"
Chen Chang'an wasn’t worried about Chen Yunxuan and the other two, but Wu Mingdao was another matter.
Still, even if he wanted to warn him, it was probably too late. Fortune or misfortune—it would all come down to individual destiny. Best to let things take their course.
"The Man Ranking has ended. Does that mean the Earth Ranking will begin?"
"Yes, the Earth Ranking should be starting."
"The Man Ranking tested talent and cultivation speed."
"What will the Earth Ranking focus on?"
With the Man Ranking concluded, the five hundred most talented individuals in the Tai Xuan Realm had emerged, now eligible to compete in the Earth Ranking.
But few in the entire Tai Xuan Realm knew what the Earth Ranking entailed.
Though some did.
"The Earth Ranking begins!"
"Rules are as follows!"
Just as the crowd buzzed with discussion, the Earth Ranking was announced.
"Aside from the five hundred Man Ranking qualifiers,"
"All individuals in the Tai Xuan Realm aged thirty to one hundred may participate."
Huh?
What’s going on?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition among the five hundred Man Ranking participants? Why were more people being added?
This rule left many bewildered, but those previously barred by age restrictions now rejoiced.
"Hahahaha!"
"I thought I’d missed my chance with the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings, but it seems there’s still hope."
"I can join the Earth Ranking! Hahaha, I can join the Earth Ranking!"
"Damn, I’m exactly ninety-nine. With my strength, who could possibly rival me in the Earth Ranking?"
Excitement—pure excitement!
Yet many from the Man Ranking grew uneasy.
In the Tai Xuan Realm, the number of individuals aged thirty to one hundred likely far exceeded those under thirty.
Among them were countless experts, as every generation produced its share of geniuses. They hadn’t died—they’d simply aged out of the Man Ranking.
"In three years, atop Mount Taihua, the Earth Ranking Challenge will commence."
"Strength will be tested; combat prowess reigns supreme."
"The top fifty will advance."
Three years? Mount Taihua?
The Earth Ranking’s rules stunned many. No one had expected it to be a tournament-style challenge.
In other words, a battle royale?
Only the last fifty standing would qualify?
The Tai Xuan Realm had countless individuals aged thirty to one hundred. How long would this take?
This would be an unprecedented spectacle. Could Mount Taihua even accommodate so many people?
"This… doesn’t match my understanding of the Earth Ranking."
"If I recall correctly, the last Earth Ranking was limited to Man Ranking victors, wasn’t it?"
"Exactly. That’s how I remember it too. But this time, they’ve added those aged thirty to one hundred."
"Is it to increase the difficulty?"
"Hard to say, but with so many participants, Mount Taihua might not hold them all."
Though vast, Mount Taihua’s capacity was now in question.
"Wait, three years from now?"
"By then, I’ll be over a hundred. Can I still participate?"
"Damn it, false hope? Why not start now? We’re ready to head to Mount Taihua immediately."
"Ah, might as well try my luck then. Maybe they’ll make an exception."
The rules clearly stated that aside from the five hundred Man Ranking participants, those aged thirty to one hundred could join.
But it didn’t specify whether "one hundred" referred to the current age or three years later, leaving those on the borderline anxious.
"Three years."
"It seems this is to give the Man Ranking participants time to grow," Chen Chang'an remarked with a faint smile.
"But three years might not be enough to bridge the gap."
"Progress slows in the later stages."
"Time alone can’t easily close the disparity."
"Just within our Gu Family, there are many under a hundred who’ve reached the Supreme Realm."
"Let alone the entire Tai Xuan Realm?"
"The gap between the Cave Void Realm and the Supreme Realm is still considerable," Gu Fengyao said, frowning.
They were geniuses, but others weren’t all mediocrities.
Gu Fengyao knew well that the previous generation’s two prodigies in the Gu Family had reached the peak of the Supreme Realm by their nineties.
They just hadn’t yet touched the threshold of the Immortal Realm.
But who could say for sure that no one in the Tai Xuan Realm under a hundred had reached the Immortal Realm?
True prodigies were never in short supply—they just rarely made themselves known.
In a realm as vast as Tai Xuan, news didn’t travel easily.
"It seems the Heaven Ranking will be the true battleground for the strongest."
"As for the Earth Ranking…"
"Consider it a participation trophy."
"The top fifty—I believe you’ll all make it," Chen Chang'an said with a light chuckle.
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
