The old man’s thin figure stood above the river of time with his hands behind his back, his murky eyes seemingly capable of gazing into the true secrets at the river’s end.
The old man slowly said in a worldly voice, “Since time immemorial, only the most talented heaven prides of each era have had the opportunity to see this place. The imprints of the figures you’ve seen are the one hundred strongest and most famous youngsters for the past several thousand years.”
“Their names have been imprinted here. Only when a heaven pride stronger than any one of them appears will that person shake their results and erase them from the Spirit Sea Overall Rankings.”
Lin Xun silently listened as he gazed into the distance where golden figures stood on the river like proud suns.
He had already guessed this. However, he did not understand why he had that near-death experience earlier.
“When you can see the name which represents a figure, it means that your current accomplishments have surpassed that heaven pride. If you cannot, it means that your rank is below them.”
Lin Xun suddenly recalled that he had seen Gu Yunting’s figure and name. Moreover, he knew that the other party was ranked sixty-four.
However, Lin Xun had been unable to see the person in front of Gu Yunting. According to the old man, wouldn’t it mean that he was ranked sixty-fourth on the Spirit Sea Overall Rankings?
If that were the case, wouldn’t Gu Yunting be pushed back to sixty-fifth?
“But you are different from them.”The old man suddenly changed the topic as his murky eyes looked at Lin Xun. In that moment, he felt as if all of his secrets were being revealed, making him feel rather uncomfortable.
“Please enlighten me, elder.”
Lin Xun took a deep breath.
“Given your talent and potential, if the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet was allowed to sense everything, your rank would not be this low.”
The old man withdrew his gaze. “However, your body rejected the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet’s power and did not allow it to sense all of your talent and foundations!”
It was an earth-shattering revelation!
Lin Xun turned rigid as it dawned upon him that the mysterious force that had flowed into his body earlier was from the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet.
It was easy to guess what this ‘Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet’ was. It was the tablet that contained the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings and the Spirit Sea Overall Rankings.
It was rumored that the tablet originated from a certain ancient sect and was a highly mysterious treasure. The Qinglu Academy Principal had subsequently used his supreme power to refine the tablet and shifted it here.
Lin Xun could not fathom why the Omega Door had resisted the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet’s power.
After some silence, the old man made a baffling remark, “This might be fate.”
Lin Xun was bewildered but only pursed his lips in silence. He would never reveal a secret like the Omega Door.
“You might not know this, but ascending the Spirit Sea Overall Rankings and leaving your name is equivalent to obtaining an amazing opportunity. You would have been allowed to enter the Ancient Wasteland Domain and become a core successor of a mysterious sect.”
The old man revealed a secret that shook Lin Xun’s heart. It was indeed a rare opportunity. For cultivators, it was no different from a future that was filled with hope!
According to the old man, the heaven prides on the Spirit Sea Overall Rankings had probably already left for the mysterious sect to continue their cultivation journey.
Moreover, they were even treated as core disciples!
Lin Xun could not help but ask, “Dare I ask which mysterious sect they went to?”
“Heaven Axis Holy Land.”
The old man gave a name. There was a slightly peculiar expression on his face as he continued, “Even in the Ancient Wasteland Domain, it is an extremely prestigious powerhouse faction. It is rumored that the sect has produced true Eternals: immortals who are as glorious as the sun and moon and possess longevity that spans across entire ages!”
Eternals!
Lin Xun inwardly gasped. Along his cultivation journey, he had gradually come to understand the difficulty and ungraspable nature of the cultivation path. Long life was something that was even more unrealistic than a dream, and no one had ever witnessed it.
However, it appeared that there were rumors of ‘Eternals’ in the Heaven Axis Holy Land of the Ancient Wasteland Domain. It was honestly an astonishing revelation.
Although these were merely rumors, they showed the greatness of Heaven Axis Holy Land’s wealth and history!
“It’s a pity that your destiny does not seem to lie with Heaven Axis Holy Land.”
Although the old man said this, there was no hint of pity in his voice.
This stunned Lin Xun. He could keenly sense that the old man seemed to be very gratified by the appearance of an ‘unknown variable’ like him.
After a long silence, the old man suddenly sighed softly as he looked at Lin Xun and said, “Little one, you have far too many secrets that even I cannot unravel. It is difficult to say whether this is a blessing or misfortune. However, there is one thing I am certain of. If you have the chance to enter the Ancient Wasteland Domain one day, do not come into contact with anyone from Heaven Axis Holy Land. It will only be a disaster for you.”
Lin Xun’s heart shuddered. Disaster? Could it have something to do with the Omega Door’s rejection of the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet’s power?
Lin Xun had an inkling that his conjuncture was correct although he did not know why. There were still too many things he didn’t understand.
“You will understand when the time is ripe. However, you need not worry about this for the time being while you are still in the Ziyao Empire.”
The old man must have sensed Lin Xun’s worry and could not help but smile a little as his tone became gentle.
“Thank you for enlightening me, elder.”
Lin Xun cupped his hands together.
The old man warned, “Remember, do not mention today’s matter to anyone. No matter how curious you are, do not reveal a single thing. This is something you have to commit to heart.”
Lin Xun solemnly acknowledged before he suddenly asked, “Elder, may I ask for your name?”
The old man’s eyes grew deep as the night as he stared at Lin Xun, “You should have guessed it long ago. Why are you still asking?”
Lin Xun’s expression finally changed. Shock surged in his eyes as he stood there rooted to the ground.
He had indeed guessed it but never imagined that he would draw the attention of such a mysterious and ancient individual on the very same day he returned to the academy―the principal!
……
……
When Lin Xun returned to reality, he felt slightly dazed as if he had just awakened from a dream.
Although it had merely been an attempt to climb the rankings, he had somehow come across numerous secrets and even gotten to see the principal.
It made Lin Xun realize that the commotion he caused today had gone a little overboard. At the very least, he had not expected the Omega Door to repulse the Dao Spirit Ancient Tablet’s senses, which ended up causing more complications.
Heaven Axis Holy Land!
Lin Xun committed the mysterious name to memory. The ‘disaster’ mentioned by the principal made him instinctively wary.
“Eh? Has the phenomenon disappeared?”
“What happened earlier?”
Several bewildered voices sounded. It was Shi Yu, Ning Meng, the Dao Martial Department students, and the others who had also returned to their senses.
Everyone was still somewhat confused.
Evidently, they were unaware of everything that had happened earlier which was probably the principal’s handiwork.
“Haha, look. His ranking is still at fourth place on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings!”
Someone suddenly burst out into laughter upon discovering that Lin Xun’s result was still in fourth place.
“I knew it. We’ve won the bet!”
“Lin Xun, how will you keep acting arrogant now? I told you earlier that you couldn’t make it and yet you still dared to brag that you could achieve first place. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“You’ve lost, quickly hand the points over!”
The Dao Martial Department students excitedly clamored. It felt great to see Lin Xun lose the bet and make a fool of himself.
Shi Yu’s, Ning Meng’s, and the others’ expressions had become rather ugly. They could not understand why Lin Xun’s ranking had remained stuck despite such a grand phenomenon. It just didn’t make any sense.
Could something unexpected have happened?
Ning Meng loudly scolded, “What are you guys so pleased about? Can’t you see that Lin Xun is ranked fourth? Is such a result something the likes of you guys can mock?”
It was true, being ranked fourth on the Spirit Sea Gold Rankings was considered top-tier in the Dao Martial Department. Such a result was not something just anyone would possess.
Someone sneered, “Hmph, what a joke. He’s not first so he lost and that’s the truth. Did we say anything wrong?”
“Cut the crap, you were so arrogant earlier and now you’re being a sore loser? How shameful!”
The others also retorted.
Ning Meng, Shi Yu, and the others were angered but could not refute. After all, Lin Xun had lost the bet.
However, Lin Xun turned his head, smiled, and asked, “Don’t be so anxious, it’s not over yet. I recall there are still quite a number of friends who have yet to participate in our little bet, right? Since all of you believe I’ll definitely lose now, why not take part as well? Don’t worry, if I do lose, I guarantee that I will not go back on my word.”
Ning Meng’s, Shi Yu’s, and the others’ eyes brightened, realizing that Lin Xun still had something up his sleeve! It was something to look forward to.
The Dao Martial Department students were taken aback. They had not expected that Lin Xun would still be so fearless at this juncture.
They could not help but begin to doubt themselves but soon relaxed after looking at the unchanged rankings on the stone tablet.
“Trying to put up an act? I’ll take that bet!”
A young man immediately stepped forward with a sneer.
“Me too!”
The other students also followed.
It wasn’t their fault for feeling so confident. So much time had passed, but Lin Xun’s result was still unchanged. It should be almost impossible for him to stage a comeback.
Lin Xun’s smile grew wider. Without further ado, he placed his right hand on the stone tablet again.
“Are you going to attack the rankings again? What a joke!”
One of the students laughed but before he could finish, the golden light that represented Lin Xun’s result lightly flashed before it…leaped straight to the top!
It was too quick. All they saw was a flash of gold and the originally first place Zhao Jingwen fell to second place.
The originally second place Zuo Yujing fell to third…
“This…”
The Dao Martial Department students were stupefied. They had already been considering how they would split Lin Xun’s points. Who could have anticipated that such a humongous change would occur to the rankings in the blink of an eye?
The students were in disbelief and tried to rub their eyes, hoping it was a mistake. However, the reality was cruel. The first-place spot had indeed been occupied by Lin Xun’s result ― towering over all the other heaven prides like a mighty mountain!