Sensation in Tianjiao City

The crowd had yet to recover from the shock of Chen Chang'an's test results, but his words forced them to face the harsh reality.

They lost!

Utterly and completely!

Chen Chang'an becoming the Grand Elder of the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect was clearly no accident.

But why had the higher-ups ordered them to find an opportunity to humiliate him?

Could it be that even those venerable ancestors had no idea just how powerful Chen Chang'an truly was?

A combat power of one million—and that might not even be his limit.

This was undeniably the strength of an Immortal Emperor!

Across the entire Flowing Cloud Domain, how many people, even if you combined everyone, could reach such a level—let alone those under thirty thousand years old?

Immortal Emperors weren’t unheard of, but the strongest in the Flowing Cloud Domain only reached the fifth level of Immortal Emperor cultivation.

Could it be that Chen Chang'an, at just ten thousand years old, already possessed strength rivaling the mightiest in the Flowing Cloud Domain?

What kind of monster was this?!

Silence.

Everyone fell silent, unable to imagine what awaited them next.

This wasn’t just about losing face—it might even lead to severe punishment, possibly even expulsion from their factions.

"What’s wrong?"

"Weren’t you all shouting so boldly earlier? Now you’re scared?"

"Trying to back out like cowards?" Chen Chang'an sneered.

"I lost. I admit it."

"It’s just three days of shouting in the streets, right?"

"I’ll do it. A real man keeps his word—worst case, I’ll just stay indoors afterward and never show my face again."

"What do we do? I don’t want the humiliation, and I definitely don’t want to be cast out by my family."

"Backing out is the real disgrace. We made the bet—we should own up to it. What’s there to be afraid of?"

"Exactly! We can’t let him look down on us."

"Let’s go. I’ll fulfill the bet now—who’s coming with me?"

"Count me in."

"Me too. A real man owns up to his actions!"

"Fine, I’ll go as well."

In what felt like no time at all, the once-crowded testing hall had nearly emptied.

Watching them, Chen Chang'an nodded in approval. At least they had backbone—just not much brains.

"Da Huang, are we really letting them shout for three days?"

"Isn’t this punishment a bit… underwhelming?"

Da Huang gave Chen Chang'an a puzzled look.

"You don’t get it at all."

"Is this really about punishing them?"

"They’re just pawns, acting on someone else’s orders."

"I’m making them shout for the ears of those pulling the strings."

"How else will those schemers fly into a rage?"

"When people get angry, they act recklessly."

"And that’s when we’ll make our real profit."

"After following me for so long, how have you not picked up any of my brilliance?" Chen Chang'an sighed in disappointment.

Da Huang chuckled awkwardly. This time, he really hadn’t kept up with Chen Chang'an’s thinking.

Meanwhile, the Sky Proud City was in an uproar.

A group of people marched through the streets, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"My Blazing Flame Immortal Sect is worthless compared to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect!"

"My Zhang Clan is worthless compared to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect!"

"My Jade Flower Palace is worthless compared to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect!"

"My Howling Heaven Palace is worthless compared to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect!"

"My Limitless Hall is worthless compared to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect!"

"My—"

Bystanders gaped in disbelief, wondering if these people had lost their minds.

"Are they trying to get themselves killed? Why are they saying this?"

"Damn, isn’t that Iron Marshal Tie? What’s he doing?"

"They’ve gone mad—completely insane!"

"Disgraceful! What nonsense are you shouting? Who told you to do this?!"

Sky Proud City wasn’t just home to outstanding disciples—it also housed representatives of major factions, some of whom held elder positions.

Witnessing this spectacle, their faces burned with fury. This was humiliation on an unprecedented scale.

With the entire city watching, word would spread across the Flowing Cloud Domain, making them the laughingstock of the realm.

"Cao Heng! Shut your mouth! What are you doing?!"

"Have you not embarrassed us enough?!"

"Forgive me, Elder. A bet’s a bet—we lost."

"A bet? What kind of bet?!"

With no choice, Cao Heng explained everything. Once finished, he resumed his punishment.

But the revelation of what had happened was far more explosive than the spectacle itself.

"The Grand Elder of the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect… only ten thousand years old… with a combat power of one million?"

"True or not? What does that even mean? Does anyone know?"

"Who would’ve thought the high-level testing stone had an upper limit—one million is its cap?"

"This is my first time hearing about it. Terrifying. This Grand Elder must be the first to ever max out the test."

"People used to mock the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect for making a fifth-level Golden Immortal their Grand Elder, calling them fools. Turns out, they were the smart ones all along."

"No kidding. Who could’ve imagined he’d be a peerless genius among peerless geniuses?"

"This is insane!"

"Does this mean the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect will become the Flowing Cloud Domain’s top power in the future?"

"The Limitless Hall’s dominance is looking shaky."

"Future? Haven’t you heard? One million was just the test’s limit—not Chen Chang'an’s."

"He might already be that strong now."

"Holy hell, what kind of freak is he? How does someone cultivate like that in ten thousand years?"

"A ten-thousand-year-old fifth-level Golden Immortal isn’t unheard of, but that kind of combat power? That’s just absurd."

Compared to the shock of Chen Chang'an’s strength, the spectacle of the punishment quickly faded into the background.

Within hours, the news had spread to every corner of Sky Proud City.

"HAHAHAHA!"

"This feels amazing!"

"Absolutely incredible!"

"As expected of our Nine Clouds Immortal Sect’s Grand Elder!"

"Sir… you’re just ridiculously strong."

When Chen Chang'an returned to the Nine Clouds Immortal Sect’s quarters, the grins on everyone’s faces could’ve outshone a field of blooming chrysanthemums.

"No more sending people to follow me?"

"No, no, of course not! With your strength, why would we?"

"Not worried I’ll embarrass you all now?"

"Grand Elder… we would never think that way."

"Really?"

"Absolutely!"