99: Chapter 99 Burning Heaven

Chu Changsheng tapped his fingertips lightly against the sandalwood table. A crisp "clack" sound echoed, like jade falling into a cold pool, the reverberations lingering.

His gaze swept over the two names on the scroll that were deeply intertwined with the princes, and finally, like a cold star falling into a pool, it locked steadily onto Qian Wanguan, who stood bowed in attendance.

His voice was as calm as water from the depths of a thousand-year cold pool, without a ripple, yet it carried an unquestionable weight: "And the third?"

Qian Wanguan looked up abruptly, two beams of sharp light instantly bursting from his eyes.

He hurriedly bowed further and stepped closer, the hem of his brocade robe brushing against the polished floor, creating a faint, hurried rustling sound.

He deliberately lowered his voice, even his breathing becoming cautious, as if every word he was about to speak hid a heaven-shaking secret: "Replying to Your Majesty, this third person... is truly special. She is neither a direct descendant of a family with a century-old Legacy, nor a Personal Disciple of an immortal Dao lineage, but comes from a... small Dynasty that has long been half-buried by the dust of time—the 'Liuyun Dynasty'."

"Oh?"

Jian Tanghuang, who had been standing still as a pine, finally showed a change in expression. Her slender eyebrows arched slightly, and a clear surprise flashed in her phoenix eyes: "A Cultivator from a declining small Dynasty managed to squeeze into the top three of the core competition zone? This Hundred Dynasties War has hidden some... unexpected characters."

"Fairy Jian, you are unaware."

A complex emotion surfaced on Qian Wanguan's face. He raised a hand to wipe away a thin layer of sweat that had quietly seeped from his forehead, his tone becoming increasingly solemn: "This woman is named 'Yun Zhi', and her age... is frighteningly young—not yet forty. Yet her cultivation... is completely unfathomable."

"Unfathomable?"

Chu Changsheng's lowered eyelids lifted slightly, his brow arching almost imperceptibly. The movement of his fingertips rubbing the gilded edge of the scroll stopped abruptly.

To be able to fight into the top three in the core competition zone, where experts were as numerous as clouds and the fighting was fierce, yet her cultivation Realm could not be detected even by Qian Wanguan, who was well-informed and had eyes everywhere? That is... rare.

"Exactly!"

Qian Wanguan nodded heavily, his face sinking a bit, his tone adding a rare gravity: "To this day, no one knows her specific Realm, and even less has anyone seen her... true appearance when going all out."

"Just think, the Liuyun Dynasty has long lacked Secret Realms or blessed lands rich in Spiritual Qi, and they cannot even scrape together a few decent Cultivation Techniques. By all logic, it should be impossible to raise such a person."

"Yet she suddenly appeared, fighting all the way from the outer qualifiers into the core zone. Not a single opponent she encountered could withstand three moves under her hand. From head to toe, she is wrapped in a layer of... impenetrable fog."

"Even those old men from the Great Xia Ministry of Rites, who are arrogant and accustomed to seeing Prodigies, only gave her a four-word evaluation—'Unfathomable'."

He paused, leaned forward another half-inch, and lowered his voice even further, as if afraid of being heard by the invisible wind outside the hall: "Moreover, subordinates have reported that this Yun Zhi has always acted alone. She has neither attached herself to any prince of Great Wu, nor has she sought refuge with any faction in the Southern Territory."

"Now, many people are secretly speculating that she must have obtained the complete Legacy of some ancient powerhouse, or stumbled upon a heaven-defying Opportunity. Otherwise... there is simply no way to explain this sudden, overwhelming strength."

"Under forty, unfathomable..."

Chu Changsheng's fingertips landed back on the unfurled scroll, his pads gently brushing over the two characters "Yun Zhi". A faint, almost playful look of inquiry flashed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved into a subtle arc: "This is interesting."

This Hundred Dynasties War is... much more interesting than he had initially expected.

The top two are either attached to a prince's command or are being pushed forward by the forces behind them. Yet this third person is like a stone suddenly thrown into muddy water—her origin is a mystery, her purpose is a mystery, yet she has forcibly disrupted the originally clear chessboard.

"It seems this game is... even livelier than I imagined."

Chu Changsheng slowly lifted his hand and rolled the scroll back up. The ivory ends collided, emitting a crisp "click" sound. The smile in his eyes deepened quietly.

Qian Wanguan was still chattering away, reporting the list of the top ten one by one, his tone full of awe: "...Ranked fourth is the Young Valley Master of 'Lieyang Valley', Fen Tian. He is forty-one this year and is already at the Golden Core Late Stage. He has practiced the 'Great Sun Burning Heaven Technique' to a state of perfection. It is said that he can draw upon the essence fire of the Nine Heavens' blazing sun, capable of not only burning the Physical Body but also scorching through a Cultivator's Divine Soul. It is tyrannical and peerless."

"Fifth is the Saintess of the 'Wandu Sect', Fairy Mo Ying, forty-nine years old, having been stuck at the Peak of the Golden Core Late Stage for many years. She is most skilled in using poison. Her life-bound wondrous poison, the 'Heart-Eroding Gu', is colorless and odorless. Once it enters the body, even a Golden Core Cultivator can hardly be saved. To this day... I have not heard of anyone who can cure it..."

He counted on his fat fingers, calling out those famous names and terrifying cultivation levels one by one. By the end, he couldn't help but sigh heavily: "Your Majesty, which of these people hasn't spent decades in bitter cultivation, experiencing life-and-death trials, just to barely touch the threshold of the Golden Core Late Stage? Even the youngest, Fen Tian, is already forty-one. Like that Yun Zhi... to break into the top three before forty, let alone seeing it, I, Old Qian, have never even... heard of such a thing!"

Jian Tanghuang frowned tighter and tighter as she listened, her jade fingers subconsciously gripping her fiery red skirt, her tone carrying undisguised disdain: "A bunch of old things who are nearly three hundred years old combined, fighting us juniors for first place? If they really win, won't they be afraid of being laughed at... for having no grace when word gets out?"

"Fairy, you are unaware."

Qian Wanguan shook his head with a bitter smile, his voice softening with a touch of helplessness: "The Hundred Dynasties War does not limit age; as long as one has not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, anyone of any age can participate. Among these people, some have been stuck at the Golden Core Realm for ten or twenty years, wanting to use the heaven-shaking Opportunity of the war to make a dash for Nascent Soul; others are supported by factions that want to rely on them to compete for the Dynasty's Luck and solidify their status. They can't even care about their cultivation Breakthroughs, so how could they care about... whether their age looks good?"

Chu Changsheng listened quietly the whole time. His fingertips tapped lightly on the polished sandalwood table, the "clack, clack" sounds slowly dispersing in the empty hall, as if silently weighing the various states of the human heart and the complexities of the world.

Suddenly, he asked. His voice carried a touch of nonchalance, yet it possessed a power that could pierce through skin and reach the heart: "Among these people, how many are truly... fighting for the Dao?"

Qian Wanguan was stunned, then immediately reacted, a sheepish look appearing on his face as he raised a hand to scratch his sparse scalp: "This... mostly it's for the abundant resources promised by their Sects, or to gain a loud reputation and bring honor to their ancestors. Otherwise, it's running errands and risking their lives for the forces behind them... Someone like Yun Zhi, who acts alone and seems to be only for the sake of proving her own Dao, I'm afraid in the entire top ten... she is the only one."

"In that case, this Yun Zhi is truly an... anomaly."

The tapping of Chu Changsheng's fingertips stopped. The smile in his eyes, however, rippled out like a stone cast into a lake, slowly spreading, becoming deeper and richer.

He lifted his eyes to look at the three people, Xuanyuan Zhanxian, standing side-by-side not far away. His tone carried a touch of undisguised playfulness: "One Nangong Tianlong whose Physical Body can hard-resist a Magic Treasure, one Li Chengsi with a transparent Sword Heart and untraceable sword techniques, and another, Yun Zhi, who is so mysterious that people cannot fathom her..."

"This core competition zone has truly become... a place where hidden tigers and crouching dragons reside."

His gaze slowly swept over Xuanyuan Zhanxian's calm, abyss-like side profile, brushed past Jian Tanghuang's eager, bright eyes, and finally landed on Chu Zhanxiao's upright figure, which was taut like a bow and ready to launch. As he spoke slowly, his tone quietly added a touch of deep expectation: "Now, you three... finally have true opponents."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian gripped the silver-white spear in his hand tightly. The spear body vibrated slightly, the tassel snapping in the air. His eyes instantly ignited with a Battle Intent as fiery as molten lava, his voice clanging like iron striking stone: "It is only good if the opponents are interesting! If it were all smooth sailing, without even a single person who could fight, it wouldn't show the drive on the path of cultivation, and there would be no... joy in Breakthroughs!"

Jian Tanghuang also slowly drew half of her long sword. The cold sword light illuminated her clear, water-like eyes. She nodded gently, her tone carrying undisguised anticipation: "To have such opponents, it saves a lot of... boring effort."

Chu Zhanxiao was even more direct. His fists hanging at his sides clenched quietly, his knuckles turning pale from the force, and the pale golden Qi and blood power on his arms flowed slowly like molten lava. Deep in his eyes was full of eagerness and the sharp edge of wanting to fight.

"Very well, as long as you have this spirit."

Chu Changsheng watched the identical, scorching light in the eyes of the three, the smile at the corners of his mouth deepening. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he raised his hand to gently rub his brow, his tone adding a touch of pure curiosity: "By the way, what exactly is the reward for first place in this Hundred Dynasties War?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Wanguan first took a deep breath. He raised his hand to carefully smooth out the expensive brocade lapels of his robe, his fingertips passing over every crease with the utmost solemnity—as if every word he was about to utter needed to be received with the most devout and reverent posture.

A layer of solemnity and awe, bordering on pilgrimage, gradually spread across his face. Even his voice was subconsciously lowered, as if afraid that a slightly heavier breath would disturb the heaven-shaking weight that could overturn a Dynasty carried behind that reward: "Replying to Your Majesty, this time for the Hundred Dynasties War, His Majesty of the Great Wu Dynasty... has truly spared no expense! There are two rewards for the champion—"

"First, one 'Creation Golden Core'."

"Second, one can enter the core Forbidden Ground area of the 'Imperial Treasury' and personally... choose any one treasure!"

"Creation Golden Core?!"

Jian Tanghuang suddenly widened her phoenix eyes. Her slender hand involuntarily gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist, her knuckles turning pale from the force. Her tone was full of incredulous shock: "Could it be that legendary... seven-grade supreme Spirit Pill that can help a Golden Core Cultivator achieve a perfect Nascent Soul, increase the chance of breaking through by thirty percent out of thin air, and even solidify the Dao foundation and elevate the quality of the Nascent Soul?!"