The Spirit Sea Gold Rankings stood on one of the mountains in the Dao Martial Department.
The mountain was a thousand feet tall and was aptly named Spirit Sea Peak.
After making his decision, Lin Xun immediately headed toward it.
“He’s really going to attack the rankings!”
Shi Yu, Ning Meng, and the others finally realized that Lin Xun wasn’t joking and hurriedly followed.
They were very curious to find out what ranking Lin Xun would obtain with his current strength.
There were two methods to leave one’s name on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings.
The first method was pretty much common knowledge: a competition was organized every year to decide the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings.
This was usually the most standard method.
The second method was a solo attempt at attacking the rankings. However, it required a sizable payment of points. Moreover, the process was also extremely particular and stringent.Normally speaking, very few students would opt for the second method. Firstly, the points required were too high, and secondly, the difficulty was too great.
Let alone ordinary students, even the top heaven prides would not select the second method.
However, Lin Xun was now intending to use the second method!
“Eh? Isn’t that Lin Xun? To think he hasn’t left yet. Could he be intending to attack the rankings at Spirit Sea Peak?”
Along the way, several Dao Martial Department students were astonished when they saw Lin Xun heading toward Spirit Sea Peak.
“He really can keep going huh? He just stirred up such a huge commotion and he’s now going to attack the rankings? How far does he intend to go?”
“How hateful. He’s too arrogant. Weren’t the duels in the arena enough? Why is he still going to Spirit Sea Peak? He’s basically looking down on the Dao Martial Department!”
“That might not be the case. Even the fifth-ranked Lan Yu lost to him. From this, it’s clear that he’ll definitely have a spot on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings.”
“However, he’s making a solo attempt, and the test requirements will be exceedingly stringent. It’ll be hard for him to find any success.”
“Go, let’s take a look!”
The discussions led to a sizable commotion that drew numerous students to Spirit Sea Peak.
After witnessing the earlier duels, these students’ attitudes toward Lin Xun had changed substantially.
No matter how reluctant they were, they had to admit that Lin Xun was a martial genius who possessed combat power that surpassed their imagination.
In fact, he would be a top-tier expert even in the Dao Martial Department.
However, this was not the same as acknowledging Lin Xun. They still believed that he was too arrogant, overbearing, and had a questionable character!
Hence, the students felt provoked upon realizing that Lin Xun might be attempting to attack the rankings, so they followed him with complicated and hostile feelings.
They wanted to see how long he could keep this up!
……
Spirit Sea Peak.
When Lin Xun arrived, he felt an ancient aura smother him. The peak was not tall or beautiful, but it was filled with the vicissitudes of time as if it had stood here for countless eons.
It was rumored that the peak had indeed survived from ancient times and contained a mysterious power. It had been refined by the principal through supreme methods and shifted to this location.
A single stone tablet stood atop the peak. It was more than a hundred feet tall and was entirely pitch-black. Boundless, brilliant golden light filled the air, dying the sky in a golden, sacred glow.
Imprinted on the stone tablet were the names of one hundred students. Each name represented a heaven pride of the Dao Martial Department.
For the Dao Martial Department students, it was undoubtedly a huge honor to have a place on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings.
It represented a certain identity, fame, and status!
After ascending the mountain, Lin Xun soon arrived before the old stone tablet.
“I’ve heard that this stone tablet was once a supreme treasure of an ancient sect and could evaluate a cultivator’s combat power, talent, and potential. It is an object of unexplainable wonder and innumerable supreme heaven prides have left their names on it since Qinglu Academy was founded thousands of years ago.”
Shi Yu sighed deeply.
A supreme treasure that had existed since ancient times. It was easy to imagine how extraordinary the stone tablet was.
“Oh? Someone else is here?”
Lin Xun suddenly noticed a man in white seated before the stone tablet. He faced the tablet with his back toward everyone, making it such they could only see his back.
His black hair was draped over his shoulders, and his back was as straight as a spear. His entire body was bathed in a layer of faint illusory golden light that resonated with the light from the stone tablet. If no one paid attention, it would be very difficult to discover his existence.
Someone had chosen to attack the rankings before Lin Xun?
Shi Yu, Ning Meng, Ye Xiaoqi, and Gong Ming could not help but be taken aback, especially when they saw the white-clothed man’s back. It felt as if they were not looking at a person but a spiritual entity that was in perfect harmony with the world. He gave off an indescribable presence that made their hearts palpitate.
Who is he?
Their pupils abruptly shrank.
A complete aura that is in harmony with the world. He’s already giving off faint imago power and is no ordinary individual.
Lin Xun’s heart violently shook. He could sense that the man in white was similar to him and had also reached the perfect peak of the Spirit Sea stage. He was definitely an unrivaled genius!
The unique superior aura he possessed was stronger than any other top younger generation expert Lin Xun had encountered!
Who is he?
Was there such a person in the Dao Martial Department?
“My god, are my eyes deceiving me? That’s Senior Brother Gu Yunting!”
“Is it really him? Shouldn’t Senior Brother Gu Yunting be in secluded cultivation? Why has he appeared here? Could he be attacking the rankings?”
An uproar suddenly sounded from behind them, originating from the Dao Martial Department students who had followed Lin Xun. They had originally come to investigate exactly what Lin Xun was up to, but were utterly shocked when they saw the white-clothed man.
Several students revealed almost fanatical looks of adoration, especially some of the female students.
Lin Xun could not help but ask in a low voice, “Gu Yunting?”
Shi Yu covertly pointed at the stone tablet and transmitted, “Look at second place.”
Lin Xun followed his finger and immediately saw the name Gu Yunting in second place.
“Gu Yunting is no ordinary person. It’s rumored that when he was born, golden light descended from the heavens, transformed into a flame that merged into his body, and ultimately evolved into the Dao Fire Golden Body talent! It’s a rare, famous, and terrifying talent even in ancient times!”
Shi Yu swiftly transmitted. There was a sliver of unconcealable excitement in his tone, “He has cultivated in Qinglu Academy since young and was personally taught by one of the old monsters in the academy. He has always lived in nearly complete seclusion and almost never has contact with the outside world, making him extremely mysterious. Despite this, there is no doubt that he is a unique and supreme existence among the younger generation.”
Lin Xun was astonished by this information. Sure enough, there would always be no lack of amazing heaven prides in this world, and Gu Yunting was undeniably one of them.
Even Lin Xun had heard of the Dao Fire Golden Body talent Gu Yunting possessed because it was honestly far too powerful. Legend claimed that at the pinnacle, the body would become akin to impenetrable grand dao true gold. Moreover, the wielder would be able to control dao fire and display inconceivable terrifying power.
Lin Xun could not help but be taken aback when his gaze moved up to the first spot on the stone tablet. Just earlier, he and Shi Yu had been discussing this very individual ― Zhao Wenjing!
Lin Xun could not help but ask, “Could Zhao Jingwen be stronger than Gu Yunting?”
“That was Gu Yunting’s ranking five years ago. He’s been in secluded cultivation for the past five years and has not attacked the rankings since. It was only last year that Zhao Jingwen finally managed to surpass him and climb up to number one.”
Shi Yu had evidently heard many things about Gu Yunting and answered easily, “Imagine, Gu Yunting has been in secluded cultivation for the past five years and yet only Zhao Jingwen has been able to shake his position. This shows how amazing Gu Yunting is.”
I see.
Only then did Lin Xun understand. His gaze changed when he looked at Gu Yunting’s figure again.
Dao Fire Golden Body?
What grade was this talent? How did it compare to the Grand Abyss Heaven Devourer?
Soon after, Lin Xun shook his head.
In his view, a talent was ultimately only a talent. In addition, each talent had its own unique abilities and strengths. It would be silly to lump them all together as the power of each talent would still hinge upon the user.
“Senior Brother Gu Yunting’s cultivation has clearly become even more unfathomable. He’s obviously here to retake his first-place position!”
“Yeah, after disappearing for five years, he’ll definitely astonish everyone after remerging!”
“What a pity. Given Senior Brother Gu Yunting’s foundations, if he had participated in the empress’ birthday celebration, he would have long been selected by those otherworld experts and been sent to those mysterious ancient sects.”
“Heh heh, things are going to become interesting. Wasn’t Lin Xun also intending to attack the rankings? He’s destined to be completely suppressed by Senior Brother Gu Yunting!”
More and more Dao Martial Department students arrived and they excitedly talked about Gu Yunting in low voices.
Anyone could see that Gu Yunting enjoyed a special status in the Dao Martial Department. He was absolutely an existence that everyone had their attention on.
“Hmph, how can you compare Lin Xun to Senior Brother Gu Yunting? That’s offensive to Senior Brother Gu Yunting!”
“Agreed. Before someone like Senior Brother Gu Yunting, Lin Xun is merely an arrogant little clown.”
There was also a portion of students who were ridiculing Lin Xun by comparing him to Gu Yunting.
Shi Yu, Ning Meng, Ye Xiaoqi, and Gong Ming frowned and were just about to rebut when the white-clothed man suddenly stood up. Dream-like golden light pulsed around his body, giving him an air of superiority.
Everyone’s gazes were instantly drawn toward him!