75: The Pavilion Master's Joy and the Lord of Dongshan's Regret

On the square, teachers and Disciples were shocked, exclaiming in disbelief.

However, in front of the willpower stone pillar, after stepping into the first 500 meters, Lin Yi had truly reached his absolute limit.

"Boom!"

A terrifying impact of willpower poured into his mind. Under this incredibly fearsome impact, Lin Yi felt a buzzing in his head, as if something had rapidly undergone a transformation.

Immediately after, without a shred of strength to resist, he fell unconscious with a "thud."

"Quick! Lin Yi fainted! Hurry and save him!"

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

...Seeing this scene, teachers and Disciples cried out in alarm.

Along with these cries, the news that Tianshan Pavilion Disciple Lin Yi had charged into the first 500 meters of the willpower stone pillar upon entering the pavilion spread like a hurricane, centered on the snow-covered square where the pillar stood... Tianshan Pavilion, mountain peak.

This was a world of true ice and snow. In the sky, countless snowflakes danced; on the ground, whistling astral winds roared, destroying everything and churning up piles of snow, turning the entire world pure white.

Yet, amidst this pure white, a small cabin built entirely of purple-brown wood stood quietly, appearing extremely eye-catching in this world of ice and snow.

Suddenly—

"Whoosh!"

In the frozen landscape, a black "lightning bolt" suddenly streaked across the small snowy path connecting the peak to the base of the mountain, finally landing before the purple-brown wooden cabin and transforming into an extraordinary young man dressed in black.

"Senior Martial Uncle Liu, your martial nephew has come to report an important matter."

Before the purple-brown wooden cabin, the man in black bowed respectfully.

"Oh, an important matter?"

Hearing this, a light sound of surprise came from within the cabin:

"Martial Nephew Zhang, what is it? Even you, a Vice Pavilion Master, cannot handle it and had to come here specifically to inform me?"

"Haha, could it be that our Tianshan Pavilion has produced another Innate seed?"

At this point, the voice inside the cabin chuckled slightly.

An "Innate seed" generally referred to a peerless Prodigy who, with proper cultivation, had at least a fifty percent chance of reaching the Innate realm.

Such prodigies were extremely rare even in the Tianshan Pavilion, appearing once every ten years on average.

Eight years ago, Tianshan Pavilion had produced the Heaven-Defying Jiang Hanhan, who swept through all opposition upon entry; three years ago, it had produced Xu Ze, who flourished late and eventually caught up.

Another one now? Even he found it hard to believe his own words.

However, as soon as the voice in the cabin fell silent, the man in black outside nodded solemnly and replied:

"Reporting to Senior Martial Uncle, our Tianshan Pavilion has indeed produced an Innate seed. Furthermore, this Innate seed not only has the potential for the Innate realm, but his chances are much greater than Xu Ze's!"

"Because today, immediately after entering the pavilion, he was led by Wang Yu to challenge the willpower stone pillar, and on his first try, he reached the first 500 meters!"

"What! The first 500 meters of the willpower stone pillar!"

Hearing this, the voice inside the cabin couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Reaching the first 500 meters of the willpower stone pillar upon entry was a clear sign of Innate potential! Even in the Tianshan Pavilion, such a Heaven-Defying Prodigy was a once-in-a-century occurrence!

As long as such a Prodigy did not perish in the future, they had at least an eighty to ninety percent chance of becoming an Innate, and might even reach his level or even surpass him!

"Zhang Lun, are you certain this is true?"

Thinking of this, the voice in the cabin became incredibly solemn, even addressing the black-robed man outside by his full name.

"Senior Martial Uncle Liu, it is true!"

The man in black quickly added:

"I have personally confirmed this. Moreover, when that Prodigy Disciple was challenging the willpower stone pillar, over a hundred Disciples and teachers were present to witness it."

"Unless those hundred-plus Disciples and teachers conspired to deceive me, this cannot possibly be false!"

"Haha! Good! Good! Good!"

The voice inside the cabin burst into laughter, excitedly repeating "good" three times.

"Haha! Heaven bless my Heavenly Mountain Sect! Heaven truly blesses my Heavenly Mountain Sect!"

"Not only did it grant my Heavenly Mountain Sect a Jiang Hanhan eight years ago, who will likely become a pillar of our Sect, but now it has granted another peerless Prodigy second only to Jiang Hanhan?"

"Haha! Heaven has truly been kind to my Heavenly Mountain Sect! Zhang Lun, what is this boy's name?"

"Lin Yi!"

The man in black replied with a solemn expression:

"The Disciple's name is Lin Yi! He comes from the Guangling Martial Academy in Guangling Prefecture, Dongshan Prefecture, and has also studied at the Dongshan Martial Academy."

"His ability to reach this stage is largely thanks to the contributions of both the Dongshan Martial Academy and the Guangling Martial Academy."

"Good! Dongshan Martial Academy! Guangling Martial Academy! These are academies that have rendered great service to my Heavenly Mountain Sect!"

The voice in the cabin laughed heartily:

"Pass down the order: double the Disciple cultivation funds allocated to Dongshan Martial Academy this year, and quintuple the funds for Guangling Martial Academy!"

"Furthermore, grant Guangling Martial Academy three slots for Disciples to enter the Heavenly Mountain Sect for cultivation without examination, as a reward for these two academies producing such a Heaven-Defying Prodigy!"

"As for Lin Yi's reward, I will decide after discussing it with the Sect Master!"

"Yes, Senior Martial Uncle!"

The man in black nodded slightly, bowed again, and vanished like a bolt of black "lightning"... Dongshan Prefecture, the central City Lord's Manor, inside a luxuriously decorated and magnificent secret room.

A middle-aged man with black hair and a black robe, possessing a square and dignified face, sat on a prayer mat with his eyes closed, Cultivating.

Powerful blood Qi erupted from his body, causing the surrounding Void Realm to tremble slightly.

Suddenly—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Prefecture Lord, an urgent letter just arrived from the Sect. This subordinate did not dare to open it without permission. Please have a look, Prefecture Lord."

"Hmm? An urgent letter?"

The man in black frowned slightly, then spoke calmly:

"Bring it in!"

"Yes!"

As soon as he spoke, the door to the secret room opened with a creak. A figure wrapped in a black robe slowly entered and respectfully handed a black-wax-sealed secret letter to the man in black with both hands.

The man in black took the letter and tore it open with a "rip," pulling out a sheet of paper.

Upon seeing the contents, the man in black was instantly stunned:

"What! Lin Yi of Dongshan Prefecture, with Heaven-Defying talent, charged into the first 500 meters of the willpower stone pillar yesterday upon entering Tianshan Pavilion! He broke numerous records and became the most peerless Prodigy in the Heavenly Mountain Sect in a hundred years, second only to Jiang Hanhan, with a high probability of Breakthrough to the Innate realm in the future!"

"This... that little fellow, how is this possible!"

Clutching the letter, looking at the description of Lin Yi and the merciless rebukes and curses from the Chi Family Supreme Elder, Chi Longyue's eyes glazed over, unable to believe it for a long time.

Simultaneously, an overwhelming wave of regret surged from the depths of his heart.

This was a regret that had never appeared even when Lin Yi realized Limit Breaking and showed First Rank potential.

Because Innate and First Rank were two completely different levels of power.

The former possessed a long lifespan and immense strength, practically a demigod of the mortal world!

While the latter was the limit for ordinary Martial Artists and held a high status, it was nothing compared to an Innate powerhouse!

Chi Longyue could have been the savior of a future Innate at his most desperate moment, earning his gratitude for a lifetime!

But now, not only was everything gone, he might even have earned the resentment of a future Innate.

In this regard, he was not even as good as the Lin Family.

Because the Lin Family had at least sent a gift to mend relations when Lin Yi realized Limit Breaking.

Yet he, Chi Longyue, due to his background in the Innate Chi Family and his own pride as a First Rank powerhouse, had ignored Lin Yi at that time.

It's over!

Now, everything is over!