"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.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
