61: Chapter 61 The Golden Road

Chu Feng's heart couldn't help but quicken its pace.

Before the update, the treasury had never been open to him for items at the treasure level; those were like things from another world.

This change was clearly not just superficial, but a substantive transformation!

He focused his mind and looked closely:

“Xuan Sea Leaf—Mystic-Grade Treasure. Exchange requirement: 200,000 contribution points, Earth-Grade True Disciple authority.”

“Yellow Crystal Fire—Yellow-Grade Treasure. Exchange requirement: 100,000 contribution points, Earth-Grade True Disciple authority.”

“Yellow Fox Bloodline—Yellow-Grade Treasure. Exchange requirement: 100,000 contribution points, Earth-Grade True Disciple authority.”

...

Item by item, one after another.

There was the “Earth Vein Spirit Milk” that could cleanse the Meridians, the “Nascent Formation Pill” that could assist in a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, and even a “Legacy” that recorded rare Divine Ability seeds... A dazzling array that made his heart pound with desire.

However, the more he looked, the more Chu Feng's initial excitement gradually cooled, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness.

These treasure-grade resources, even at the lowest “Yellow-Grade,” required contribution points in the tens of thousands, with a starting price of 100,000!

And that was just the threshold.

The “Earth-Grade True Disciple authority” that followed was like a bucket of cold water, dousing most of the fiery expectations he had just ignited.

He was currently only a “Yellow-Grade” True Disciple, and his contribution points were far from enough.

It was like a starving man suddenly seeing a royal feast, only to be told he must first become a nobleman to be eligible to use his chopsticks; that feeling of something being within sight but out of reach was truly agonizing.

“Sigh...”

Chu Feng let out a silent sigh.

He exited the [Treasury] and returned to the narrow jade token room that symbolized his current status.

“In any case, I can finally see a glimmer of hope!”

Before, he didn't even know where the door was; now, at least he knew the path and could see the goal clearly.

Contributions could be saved up slowly, and authority could be raised through hard work; it was better than fumbling blindly.

After a brief adjustment, his attention turned toward the [Ranking].

Since the treasures in the treasury were temporarily out of reach, this newly released Ranking might hold another secret.

Spiritual light gathered on the wall once again, forming a second door.

Chu Feng pushed the door open and entered, and the scene before him changed once more.

This was a void space, with only two giant scrolls floating right in the center.

The one on the left was surrounded by purple mist, noble and mysterious, with the words “ascending dragon ranking” written in Daoist runes above it; the one on the right shone with golden light and was full of vigor—the “hidden dragon ranking.”

Between the two Rankings, countless tiny golden characters floated like flowing water, detailing the Ranking rules.

Chu Feng focused on reading, and his mind gradually became clear.

The [ascending dragon ranking] was for all True Disciples of the Duobao Sect; regardless of how long they had been in the Sect, as long as they passed a specific “Trial Assessment,” they could be ranked based on their results.

But this Ranking only recorded the top two hundred, making the competition extremely fierce.

The [hidden dragon ranking], on the other hand, was specifically for new True Disciples like him who had been in the Sect for no more than fifty years; it also required a Trial Assessment, but only took the top fifty, serving as a relatively independent platform for newcomers to showcase themselves and compete.

Just as he was digesting this information, the golden characters between the two Rankings suddenly rippled like water, refreshing the content.

Chu Feng quickly focused his gaze.

The newly appeared paragraph focused on the Ranking's reward mechanism.

“...The ascending dragon ranking and hidden dragon ranking are established by the Sect to motivate and temper the True Disciples.”

“Every half year, those on the Rankings will receive corresponding treasure resources based on their rank. It is hoped that all Disciples will cultivate unceasingly, climb to the peaks, and not fail the high expectations of the Sect...”

His gaze quickly skipped the motivational words at the beginning and locked firmly onto the specific reward list displayed at the end.

[ascending dragon ranking]:

First Place Reward—One bottle of Heavenly Immortal Brew.

Second Place Reward—One Heavenly Spirit Flower.

Third Place Reward—One Heavenly Heart Fruit.

Fourth to Tenth... Rewards decrease in order, but every single one is an Earth-Grade or even near Heaven-Grade rare spiritual item.

[hidden dragon ranking]:

First Place Reward—One Earth Heart Fruit.

Second Place Reward—One portion of Mystic Tiger Bloodline.

Third Place Reward—One Xuan Sea Leaf.

Fourth to Tenth... mostly Mystic-Grade precious resources as well.

“This... is this for real?!”

Chu Feng subconsciously rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.

He steadied his mind and read through it again from beginning to end, word by word, several times, especially confirming the terms “Heavenly Immortal Brew,” “Heavenly Spirit Flower,” and “Heavenly Heart Fruit” repeatedly.

Heaven-Grade Treasures!

Those were items of legend!

Their value far exceeded ordinary “Nascent formation wonders.”

For Golden Core Cultivators, Heaven And Earth Treasures that could increase the chance of forming a Nascent Soul were already the stuff of dreams.

But these things—they were Heaven-Grade treasures that could improve the quality of the Nascent Soul itself!

Even if these top-tier rewards could only be obtained once per person and could not be claimed repeatedly, if one could consistently stay at the top, they could be converted proportionally into a massive amount of contributions to exchange for anything else needed in the treasury!

Although the rewards of the hidden dragon ranking were not as earth-shattering as the ascending dragon ranking, the “Earth Heart Fruit,” “Mystic Tiger Bloodline,” “Xuan Sea Leaf”... every one of these was a treasure that could solidify the Dao foundation, significantly boost strength, or even change one's Aptitude!

If he could get his hands on them, the Foundation Establishment realm would be like walking on level ground, and his future path of the Dao would be much smoother and broader.

Why had he been so meticulous, constantly improving his talisman-making skills?

Wasn't it precisely to obtain better resources and higher status, so as to go further on this long immortal path?

And now, a golden road seemed to be laid out right before his eyes!

These treasures that were once far out of reach were actually presented in such a direct way as “Ranking rewards”!

An indescribable surge of heat instantly rushed to his head.

Chu Feng felt his breathing become slightly hurried.

All caution and calmness were shaken at this moment by the impact of this immense temptation.

“Climb the Rankings! I must climb the Rankings!”

This thought spread through his heart like wildfire, becoming incredibly intense.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately exited the Ranking space and rushed toward the door marked [Trial Assessment].

He pushed open the door of trials.

Inside the door was not the martial arena or Secret Realm he had imagined, but a hazy mist.

An ethereal and indifferent voice, seemingly as emotionless as the Heavenly Dao, rang out directly in his consciousness:

“The Trial Assessment is not yet open, please wait patiently.”

“...”

His full heart of excitement and urgency was chilled to the bone by this sudden bucket of cold water.

Chu Feng froze at the doorway.

It was just like a delivery man leaving a package at the door.

His Divine Sense completely withdrew from the true disciple jade token, returning to his Physical Body in the quiet room.

Chu Feng opened his eyes; the room was silent, with only the faint sound of the wind coming from outside the window.

He lifted the teapot and poured himself another cup of hot spiritual tea.

The rewards for the top three on the Rankings were certainly enticing, but thinking about it calmly, the difficulty of actually seizing them would likely be beyond imagination.