266: Chapter 266 The Second and Third

Above the high platform, the Grand Elder, whose aura was the most boundless, finally could not sit idly by.

He slowly raised his hand and gently pressed downwards.

An invisible yet vast power instantly enveloped the entire arena. Li Yunyi, who was frantically attacking, suddenly froze, unable to move.

Even the strange light of recovery around him seemed to stagnate for a moment.

Li Xingchen felt the pressure around him lighten. He gasped for air and retreated a few steps, looking at the restrained Li Yunyi with a complicated expression.

“The competition is suspended.”

The Grand Elder’s voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority, reverberating across the plaza.

His gaze, like lightning, swept over Li Yunyi on the arena and Li Muchen, whose expressions varied, below the platform.

“Li Muchen, Li Yunyi, step forward.”

As his voice fell, a gentle yet irresistible force brought Li Muchen and Li Yunyi together to the front of the high platform, facing the solemn clan Elders.

Countless gazes instantly focused on the two of them.

Li Muchen’s heart tightened, knowing that the most crucial moment had arrived.

He quickly glanced at Li Yunyi beside him, who had empty eyes like a marionette, and his mind raced.

He absolutely could not expose Su Mo’s existence!

Otherwise, he and Li Yunyi would immediately transform from rising Geniuses into pathetic Puppets under control, and their fate would be imaginable.

Having finally achieved his current results with this immortal body, he absolutely could not lose it.

Having made up his mind, Li Muchen immediately showed a perfectly natural blankness and a hint of unease on his face, bowing respectfully:

“Disciple Li Muchen pays his respects to all Elders.”

The Grand Elder’s profound gaze fell upon Li Muchen, as if wanting to see through him.

“Muchen, where does this... astonishing recovery power on you and Yunyi come from?”

Li Muchen took a deep breath and, following his prepared speech, replied with a tone of uncertainty and recollection:

“Replying to the Grand Elder, Disciple and Clan Brother Yunyi... the two of us accidentally stumbled into an ancient ruin within the Origin Secret Realm.

Inside, we seemed to have triggered some unknown Restriction and were enveloped by a grey light... after which, we fell unconscious.”

He paused, then continued:

“When we woke up, we found that our bodies seemed to have undergone some change. Any injury could heal itself extremely quickly, and immortal essence consumption could also recover rapidly.

As for the specific reason, Disciple... Disciple does not know either. It’s as if we naturally possessed this ability, without any special feeling or Cultivation Technique Legacy.”

He attributed everything to a vague Opportunity in the Secret Realm, which was the most common and difficult-to-verify explanation.

The Grand Elder frowned upon hearing this, not immediately believing it.

He extended a warm finger and pointed at Li Muchen’s glabella from a distance.

A gentle yet incomparably pure and vast immortal essence instantly surged into Li Muchen’s body, probing his Meridians, immortal body, and Divine Soul Origin... Li Muchen was extremely nervous, but on the surface, he maintained that blank expression, relaxing his body and offering no resistance.

A moment later, the Grand Elder withdrew his finger, a rare trace of genuine doubt appearing in his eyes.

He murmured:

“Strange... the immortal body, Divine Soul, Bloodline... all are normal, no different from an ordinary person. The source of that recovery power seems to be everywhere, yet also seems to not exist at all...”

He then repeated the process, examining Li Yunyi’s condition, with the same result.

Li Yunyi’s body was empty, and no source of special power could be found either.

Another Elder, the Second Elder, who was more irritable, could not help but speak:

“Big Brother, can’t you find the root cause? Could it be... truly favored by heaven and earth, Awakening some special Physique that none of us have ever heard of?”

“Physique?”

This word made the eyes of all the Elders present light up.

Indeed, in the Major Thousand Worlds, there is nothing new under the sun.

There are always some lucky individuals who can awaken various inconceivable Innate Physiques.

Just then, the Third Elder, who usually immersed himself in studying ancient texts and was the most knowledgeable, stroked his beard and pondered for a long time before slowly speaking with some uncertainty:

“Big Brother, everyone... I once saw a vague record in an extremely ancient Incomplete Manual. It described a legendary Physique called the Indestructible Dao Body.”

“According to the record, those with this Physique have an incorruptible Physical Body, an undying Divine Soul, endless vitality, and are almost eternal.

Even the heaviest Dao injuries can recover in an instant. Its manifestations seem to have some... similarities to the current state of Muchen and Yunyi?”

“Indestructible Dao Body?!”

These four words exploded like a thunderclap on the high platform.

All the Elders, including the Grand Elder, showed expressions of extreme shock and disbelief.

A Dao Body! And it was the legendary Indestructible Dao Body!

If this were true, wouldn’t the Li Clan Immortal Family have simultaneously gained two peerless Prodigies with supreme Dao Bodies?!

What Heaven-Defying Luck was this?!

For a time, all the Elders’ gazes towards Li Muchen and Li Yunyi became incredibly fervent and complex.

Li Muchen lowered his head, but secretly let out a long sigh of relief.

Indestructible Dao Body? This reason was simply perfect!

He should be temporarily safe.

Above the high platform, the Grand Elder was the quickest to recover from the shock.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his turbulent emotions, and quickly exchanged glances with the other Elders, seeing the determination in each other’s eyes.

This matter must not be leaked.

The Grand Elder stepped forward, looked at Li Muchen and the other, and announced in a gentle tone:

“Muchen, Yunyi, you two possess extraordinary Talent and boundless potential. After our discussion, for this coming-of-age ceremony assessment, you two will be ranked second and third, how about it?”

This ranking was clearly to avoid attracting too much attention.

The true top-ranked Li Xingchen, although his aptitude was equally astonishing, was undoubtedly inferior to the legendary Indestructible Dao Body.

Placing him first was, in a sense, a form of cover.

The Grand Elder paused, then continued:

“However, the Family’s rewards will be issued to both of you at double the top-ranked standard. You must remember that a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Your Physiques concern the Family’s future and must not be easily leaked, to prevent malicious individuals from coveting them. But the Family will never mistreat any Genius Disciple!”

“Thank you, Grand Elder! Thank you, Elders!”

Li Yunyi was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bowed in thanks, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

He seemed to already see countless Cultivation resources and supreme Cultivation Techniques beckoning him.

On the side of the high platform, Li Xingchen, who was supposed to be the absolute focus of today, had a calm expression at this moment.

Listening to the Grand Elder’s arrangements and seeing the two previously unknown branch Family Disciples instantly receive treatment equal to, or even subtly surpassing, his own, his heart was incredibly gloomy.

“Indestructible Dao Body...”

His profound gaze slowly swept over Li Muchen and Li Yunyi, carrying scrutiny and a hint of imperceptible coldness,

“How could mere branch Family Disciples possess such Heaven-Defying Opportunity that even I have never heard of?”

The Second Elder was his great-grandfather and had already told him about this matter.