The Top Prodigy: Meng Xiaohui

Back in the Tai Xuan Realm, the combat power ratings of Chen Yunxuan and the others had already left many people astonished.

At the time, Chen Chang'an believed that the assessment of combat power was likely an evaluation of potential based on cultivation realm and actual strength.

Chen Yunxuan's ninety-nine-star rating should have represented his potential. But now, seeing Yun Zhilan's test results, Chen Chang'an began to think that this combat power rating might not be about potential at all—it could very well be a genuine assessment of actual fighting strength.

The combat power of a peak Golden Immortal Realm expert could reach nearly one hundred thousand stars—what a staggering gap!

"Brother Shen, how much do you know about this combat power assessment?"

"What level does Yun Zhilan's rating roughly fall into?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Well... I’ve heard a little about this combat power assessment, but I’m not too familiar with it."

"All I know is that an average Golden Immortal’s combat power usually ranges between ten thousand to twenty thousand stars. Stronger ones might reach twenty thousand to forty thousand."

"That’s all I’ve heard—anything beyond that, I wouldn’t know."

"But Yun Zhilan’s ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine stars… that must be terrifying."

And indeed, it was terrifying. That much was clear from the stunned expressions of those around them.

"So, this combat power rating represents a person’s true strength, is that it?"

"Exactly. It’s their actual power."

At this moment, Yun Zhilan looked at his test results, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He was more than pleased with this rating.

"Young Master Yun, who would have thought that in just a thousand years, your strength has already reached such heights?"

"Even Meng Xiaohui back in the day didn’t achieve such a combat power rating, did he?"

At the mention of Meng Xiaohui’s name, Yun Zhilan’s expression flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Meng Xiaohui of the Meng Clan—the undisputed number one on the Heavenly Pride Ranking of the Xuan Tian Domain.

In the eyes of all, he was the unrivaled top genius of his generation, and quite possibly the most promising candidate in millions of years to break through to the Immortal King Realm.

After all, the Xuan Tian Domain had not seen an Immortal King-level expert emerge for a very long time.

"Young Master Yun, are you aiming for a spot in the top ten of the Heavenly Pride Ranking this time?"

"Young Master Yun…"

The crowd around him watched with excitement. After all, Yun Zhilan’s previous ranking on the Heavenly Pride Ranking had only been fifteenth. Yet in just a thousand years, he had elevated his strength to such an extent.

"My goal is the number one spot on the Heavenly Pride Ranking," Yun Zhilan said with a faint smile.

Number one?

Surpassing Meng Xiaohui?

But Meng Xiaohui had dominated the top position for thousands of years. No one knew just how strong he had become by now.

Since he had long secured the first rank, he no longer returned to retake the test. Even if Yun Zhilan could surpass him now, it didn’t necessarily mean Meng Xiaohui was weaker.

Regardless of whether Yun Zhilan could achieve it or not, the onlookers were thrilled. The Heavenly Pride City hadn’t seen such an exciting event in a long time.

A battle for the top rank—this was the kind of spectacle that would stir anyone’s blood.

"Everyone, I won’t linger here and disrupt your testing any further."

"Tomorrow, I will head to the Heavenly Pride Tower to challenge for the number one spot on the ranking."

Yun Zhilan was in high spirits, so he chatted a bit more with the onlookers, eager to have more people witness his rise to prominence.

Whether it was him or the Yun family, they had been suppressed by the Meng family for far too long. Now that he finally had a chance to shine, why would he choose to stay low-key?

After Yun Zhilan left, Chen Chang'an suddenly asked with curiosity, "If you don’t take the test, can you not enter the Tower of Heavenly Pride?"

"Brother, is this your first time in the City of Heavenly Pride?"

"Let me tell you, the gates of the Tower of Heavenly Pride only open for those who have passed the test. If you haven’t been tested, you can’t enter."

"As for why that is, I’m not sure myself."

"Oh?"

"Is it because of a barrier that only allows those who meet the criteria to pass?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"There’s no barrier. It’s just strange—those who don’t meet the standards or haven’t been tested simply can’t push open the tower’s doors."

"It’s eerie."

"Rumor has it that the Towers of Heavenly Pride in every region were built by supreme powerhouses. As for how strong those powerhouses were, well, we small fries wouldn’t know."

"The Tower of Heavenly Pride and the Heavenly Pride Ranking appeared almost simultaneously. In the Primordial Immortal Realm, they’ve likely existed for over ten million years now."

For the Primordial Immortal Realm, ten million years wasn’t an exceptionally long time. However, Chen Chang'an was more curious—was the Heavenly Pride Pavilion the same?

"What about the Heavenly Pride Pavilion?"

"The Heavenly Pride Pavilion? I don’t know much about that. It’s shrouded in mystery."

"But I’ve heard that the reason the Heavenly Pride Pavilion remains neutral is because it isn’t a force from the Profound Heaven Domain. Of course, these are just rumors—no way to verify their truth."

"I see. Thanks for the info."

"No problem."

At that moment, Chen Chang'an noticed Sun Niantang had also appeared in the testing hall. Sun Niantang spotted Chen Chang'an as well and even shot him a challenging glance.

"Is Sun Niantang here to take the test?"

"I’d like to see where his confidence comes from," Chen Chang'an remarked with a faint smile.

Sun Niantang strode confidently to the testing monument and placed his hand on it.

Unlike the commotion seen during tests in the Supreme Profound Realm, here, the monument showed no significant reaction—not even a tremor.

This was true for both Sun Niantang and Yun Zhilan earlier. Even Yun Zhilan’s astonishing results had only caused the monument’s glow to brighten slightly.

As for Sun Niantang…

"Name: Sun Niantang, Age: 28,956 years, Cultivation: Golden Immortal Realm (Third Level), Combat Power: 19,785 Stars—Unqualified."

Seeing the results, Sun Niantang was stunned.

Impossible!

This couldn’t be happening!

How could he have failed? How could he be unqualified?

Sun Niantang couldn’t accept the outcome. The memory of his earlier confidence only made him feel utterly humiliated.

"Pfft!"

"I thought he was something special. Turns out, this is all he’s got?"

"And he claimed he was qualified? With these results?" Da Huang couldn’t help but laugh and mock.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Even if I’m not qualified, I’m still better than a damn dog like you!"

Da Huang’s laughter only infuriated Sun Niantang further. Fine if others mocked him, but even a dog dared to laugh at him?

"Better than me?"

"If I were to take the test, you'd be nothing in comparison,"

"You think you're worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as me?" Da Huang shot Sun Niantang a disdainful glance.

"Aren't you a demon beast?"

"Who said demon beasts can't take the test?"

"If you've got the guts, give it a try," Sun Niantang sneered.

Huh?

Demon beasts can take the test?