The sudden change in the Heavenly Pride Rankings naturally drew everyone's attention, but no one expected the one who made it onto the list would be Yun Qingluan!
It wasn’t that they looked down on Yun Qingluan—in fact, most of them didn’t even have the right to look down on her.
But everyone knew Yun Qingluan’s test results. With her cultivation level and combat power, it should have been impossible for her to make it onto the Heavenly Pride Rankings.
Yun Qingluan had barely met the minimum requirements, still far from the level needed to rank.
And yet…
"Rank 47: Yun Qingluan, Cleared: Sixth Floor, Time Taken: Thirty-two Days."
Not only had Yun Qingluan made it onto the rankings, but she had also secured the 47th spot, not just the 50th.
"Did the difficulty of the Heavenly Pride Tower decrease?"
"How is that possible? If that were the case, why didn’t others who attempted it make the rankings?"
"But Yun Qingluan’s combat power was barely over twenty thousand. How could she clear the sixth floor in just thirty-two days?"
"Could it be that… during those thirty-two days, Yun Qingluan’s strength improved?"
"Seriously? Isn’t that too fast?"
"Well, she’s a Golden Immortal at just a hundred and thirty-five years old. Fast progress isn’t that unusual, right?"
"That’s true. But since the rankings have updated, this must be her limit for now."
"Right, she probably plans to leave the Heavenly Pride Tower and won’t attempt the seventh floor."
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Yun Qingluan emerged from the tower.
Only a month had passed, but when everyone saw her again, they could sense a drastic change in her demeanor.
Before entering the tower, Yun Qingluan had carried an aloof, untouchable aura—her cold elegance kept others at a distance, yet her presence wasn’t aggressive, merely serene.
But now, though her elegance remained, her aura had sharpened.
The battles within the tower had tempered her, making her more formidable, her presence now carrying an edge that made her seem even more unapproachable.
The moment she stepped out, Yun Qingluan searched for Chen Chang'an. When she didn’t find him, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face before she quietly returned to the Heavenly Pride Inn.
"You’re back."
"Your month in the Heavenly Pride Tower seems to have been fruitful?"
Chen Chang'an had already noticed the changes in her the moment she returned.
As an Extreme Yin Saint Body, Yun Qingluan’s talent was undeniable. Moreover, she had always been highly perceptive—though her previous physical condition had kept her from cultivation until now.
"Master, I made it onto the rankings."
Onto the rankings?
Chen Chang'an was slightly surprised. His original intention had only been to let her gain experience and temper herself in the tower. He hadn’t expected her to bring him such an unexpected achievement.
"What rank?"
"Forty-seventh. But if I had more time, I could have climbed higher." Yun Qingluan spoke nervously, unsure if her performance would satisfy her master.
"You did well."
"Better than I expected."
His words eased her tension, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Master, my time in the tower gave me many insights. I’d like to go into seclusion to cultivate."
"Good. Take these resources—use them as you see fit."
Chen Chang'an had amassed quite a stockpile of resources lately and handed a portion to her without hesitation.
Yun Qingluan didn’t refuse. After accepting the spatial ring from him, she asked, "Master, are Da Huang and Xiao Yao cultivating?"
"Yes, both of them are in seclusion."
"And… what about you?"
"Me?"
"You focus on your cultivation. I’ll enter seclusion soon as well."
"Yes."
Chen Chang'an hadn’t fully immersed himself in cultivation these past days—after all, people kept coming to deliver resources every few days.
But now, nearly everyone on his list had sent their promised resources, including those from the City Lord’s estate.
Still, one thing puzzled him, so he summoned Chu Xiao.
"Young Master Chen, what can I do for you?" Chu Xiao asked with a smile.
"It’s been a month. During this time, you’ve frequently brought food and wine."
"But not once have you asked for payment."
"You haven’t charged for the meals, nor for the lodging."
"Why is that?"
Chen Chang'an wasn’t blind to the Heavenly Pride Inn’s preferential treatment. The inn had always operated on a strict pay-as-you-go basis—no debts, no favors.
"Ah, so that’s what this is about."
"Young Master Chen, you’ve already received an investment from the City Lord’s estate, and the Heavenly Pride Inn is part of that arrangement."
"In other words, you don’t need to pay for anything here."
"All expenses are covered by the City Lord’s investment."
An investment from the City Lord’s estate? Was the Heavenly Pride Inn footing the bill, or had the City Lord separately compensated them?
"What’s the relationship between the City Lord’s estate and the Heavenly Pride Inn?" Chen Chang'an pressed.
"Young Master Chen, I’m just a servant here. Some matters… aren’t for me to discuss."
"Was there anything else you needed?"
"No, that’s all. You may go."
"Very well. If you need anything, just call for me."
After Chu Xiao left, Chen Chang'an frowned. If the man refused to speak, then the connection between the two factions was likely more complicated than it seemed.
"Never mind. Time to cultivate."
With resources in hand, Chen Chang'an saw no reason to delay and threw himself into cultivation.
Three months passed in the blink of an eye. With Chen Chang'an and his companions fully immersed in cultivation, the Heavenly Pride City gradually quieted down, the chatter about them fading.
Meanwhile, Shen Yunfei had successfully climbed the Heavenly Pride Rankings, securing an impressive 20th place.
But what baffled him was—why had no one approached him?
Why hadn’t a single investor sought him out?
People merely greeted him politely, nodding with perfunctory smiles.
Shen Yunfei had no idea that while he was inside the Heavenly Pride Tower, Chen Chang'an had sold him off—again—for an exorbitant price.
After Shen Yunfei’s ranking, the Heavenly Pride Rankings fell silent once more, and the city returned to its usual calm.
"Whew!"
"Never thought this round of cultivation would take me a full year."
Spending an entire year solely on cultivation was a first for Chen Chang'an, but the results were satisfying.
"Peak True Immortal Realm. Just one step away from breaking through to the Golden Immortal Realm."
"These resources… don’t last long."
Chen Chang'an sighed helplessly. The amount of energy he needed for breakthroughs was absurd. Even with all the resources he had swindled, more than half were already gone.
"Chen Chang'an, care to explain what this means?"
"Where are the things?"
"Where are the resources?"
"Lost them?"
nce】【Lighthearted Comedy】【Ultimate Gentleman's Novel】【Viewer Discretion Advised for Under 16】 The mightiest human hero, Sharen Morian, is resurrected after a thousand years by his wife—the Demon King. This is not your typical hero-vs-demon-king tale.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
