Blue of the Cloud: Brother Chen, You're So Kind

Chen Chang'an had just finished his cultivation session when Shen Yunfei came to confront him with accusations.

Seeing the banner in Shen Yunfei's hand and the long list of names, Chen Chang'an smiled and said, "I used them."

"I was worried that the resources these people gave you might be problematic, so I tested them for you first."

"Hmm, not bad. These people are fairly honest—none of the resources they sent had any issues."

"I left some for you. Look at how stingy you're being."

With that, Chen Chang'an tossed a spatial ring to Shen Yunfei. After all, among these people, Shen Yunfei had received the most investments, so leaving him nothing would have been unreasonable.

Shen Yunfei inspected the resources inside the spatial ring and nodded in satisfaction.

"Wait a minute!"

"Is this all you're giving me?"

"How much did you take for yourself?"

"Chen Chang'an, can you at least act like a decent person?" Shen Yunfei said angrily.

"Fine. Then first, return everything you've eaten, drunk, and borrowed from me all this time, and I'll give you back the resources."

Chen Chang'an's words immediately shut Shen Yunfei up. Return them? With what?

How many resources would it take to fill the hole left by those 100,000 top-grade immortal spirit stones?

"Look, I was just joking with you. Why so serious?"

"You're too rigid—no sense of humor at all," Shen Yunfei said with a forced laugh.

"That kid Yun Zhilan—still hasn't come out yet?"

"Counting the time, it's been over a year, right?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Yeah, about a year and three months. At this rate... Yun Zhilan might actually be aiming for first place this time," Shen Yunfei mused.

"Difficult."

"Meng Xiaohui also entered the Heavenly Pride Tower after you. His strength surpasses Yun Zhilan's."

Meng Xiaohui?

Hearing this, Shen Yunfei was stunned. Since Meng Xiaohui had appeared only after they entered the Heavenly Pride Tower, he hadn't known about this.

"So, does that mean first place still belongs to Meng Xiaohui?" Shen Yunfei said helplessly.

"Not necessarily."

"Don't forget—I haven't participated yet," Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.

"I thought you weren’t planning to."

Chen Chang'an's absence from the Heavenly Pride Tower had led Shen Yunfei to assume he had no interest in the rankings.

But now, it seemed he did intend to enter.

"When are you going?" Shen Yunfei asked curiously.

"Hmm... whenever I feel like it."

"Alright, I’ll go with you then. I’m really curious to see what kind of results you’ll achieve."

"By the way, there’s something else I’ve been wondering about. Can you clear it up for me?"

Seeing Shen Yunfei’s inquisitive gaze, Chen Chang'an was puzzled. What could he be curious about?

"Go ahead."

"Da Huang... does he always sit like that when cultivating?"

"Back straight, sitting more rigidly than I do?"

"Is his body structure even built for that?"

When Shen Yunfei returned and saw Da Huang in the middle of cultivation, he was baffled. A dog sitting that properly—was it really necessary?

"Personal preference. Why do you care so much?"

"Let them keep cultivating. They’ll probably take a while longer."

"Aren’t you joining them?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Nah, no rush. Breakthroughs in cultivation don’t happen overnight."

"You think everyone’s as freakish as you?"

"From True Immortal Realm First Layer to True Immortal Realm Peak in just a year?"

"I’ve never seen anything like it," Shen Yunfei sighed.

"Fine. Since there’s nothing else, let’s head to the Heavenly Pride Tower."

"Sure."

Just as Chen Chang'an and Shen Yunfei were about to leave for the Heavenly Pride Tower, the tower itself was in an uproar.

The Heavenly Pride Rankings had updated—and this time, two names appeared simultaneously.

First place and second place!

"First Place: Meng Xiaohui, Cleared Floors: 50, Time Taken: 1 year, 3 months, 5 days."

"Second Place: Yun Zhilan, Cleared Floors: 49, Time Taken: 1 year, 3 months, 6 days."

The update sent waves of excitement through the crowd. One had cleared 50 floors, the other 49—both had achieved unprecedented results.

Especially Meng Xiaohui, who had broken through the 50th floor, earning the right to compete in a higher-tier Heavenly Pride Ranking!

For the first time in the history of the Profound Heaven Domain’s Heavenly Pride Rankings, someone had attained this qualification!

Though Yun Zhilan hadn’t reached the 50th floor, his strength was nothing to scoff at. After all, he still had time to push further.

"Meng Xiaohui actually did it!"

"Yeah, looks like the Meng family is about to produce a true prodigy who’ll soar to greatness."

"From now on, the Meng family’s position in the Profound Heaven Domain will be unshakable."

"But Yun Zhilan isn’t far behind. Given time, he might not be that much weaker than Meng Xiaohui."

"A single step is still a gap. At their level, catching up isn’t easy. He’s a monster, but Meng Xiaohui is one too!"

"Ah, I envy their talent."

"Envy is pointless. Some are born to stand above the rest, while the rest of us are destined for mediocrity."

As the crowd buzzed with discussion, Meng Xiaohui and Yun Zhilan emerged from the Heavenly Pride Tower at the same time.

Their eyes met—Yun Zhilan looked surprised, while Meng Xiaohui wore a confident smirk.

"With me here, you’ll never take first place," Meng Xiaohui declared.

"I’m only 23,000 years old—younger than you. Don’t celebrate too soon," Yun Zhilan shot back without backing down.

"Hmph."

"You’ll be stuck in the Profound Heaven Domain, while I’ll soon leave to compete in a higher-tier Heavenly Pride Ranking."

"You’ll never catch up to me." With a cold snort, Meng Xiaohui turned and walked away.

Meng Xiaohui was already over 28,000 years old. In a little over a thousand years, he’d turn 30,000—losing his eligibility for the rankings.

Yun Zhilan wasn’t bothered by his words. He still had over 6,000 years left. Surpassing Meng Xiaohui was only a matter of time.

"Brother Yun, congratulations on securing second place in the rankings."

Just then, Chen Chang'an and Shen Yunfei approached.

Seeing them, Yun Zhilan smiled. "No need to tease me. I was so confident about taking first place, but now..."

He laughed at himself, but no one mocked him for coming in second. His strength had already proven he was capable of claiming the top spot.

After all, Yun Zhilan had surpassed Meng Xiaohui’s achievements at the same age—a fact no one could ignore.

"By the way, take these."

"They’re all yours."

Chen Chang'an tossed Yun Zhilan a spatial ring, leaving him puzzled.

When he saw what was inside, his eyes widened in shock. "Brother Chen, what’s the meaning of this?"

"Pulled in some investments for you. Been holding onto them this whole time."

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhilan was utterly shocked. Never had he imagined that Chen Chang'an would still be willing to help him.

"Brother Chen, you... you're truly kind!"