"That girl Jie Ranqing truly is remarkable—she's a monster on a completely different level."
"It wasn't just her mastery of barrier arts; her martial cultivation talent was unmatched in that era. If she had been allowed to grow normally, this vast world of martial cultivation would have been hers to rule."
"With the opening of the Era of the Gods, she might emerge from seclusion as well. If she does, the Seven Realms Sacred Palace will gain yet another top-tier powerhouse, and their status is sure to rise even further. They might even unite the entire world of martial cultivation under their banner."
Gongsong Wentian let out a sigh of admiration. Clearly, this junior, Jie Ranqing, was someone even he regarded with wariness.
"Of course Jie Ranqing is remarkable—after all, even I admit she's impressive. But as far as martial cultivation talent goes, she isn't the strongest, is she?" Xia Xingchen said.
"You mean you've seen someone even stronger than Jie Ranqing?" Gongsong Wentian asked.
Xia Xingchen hesitated for a moment, then smiled and let the matter go. "Probably not."
As she spoke, she casually glanced at her wrist—pale, delicate, and perfectly clean.
But when she looked at it herself, a flicker of unease surfaced in her eyes.
She knew what was there. It was a secret that could never be spoken of, which was why she had never told anyone.
And this unspeakable secret was the mark left behind by someone whose martial cultivation talent surpassed even Jie Ranqing's.
That man—she would never forget him for as long as she lived. Even if she forgot Jie Ranqing, she would never forget that man.
"Xingchen, what's wrong?" Gongsong Wentian suddenly asked. He had apparently noticed something off about her.
"Nothing's wrong." Fearing she might be found out, Xia Xingchen quickly put on a smile and changed the subject. "Lord Wentian, do you really think Qin Xuan won't be able to claim the throne at this Summit of the Nine Heavens?"
"I already told you—the younger generation across all the major powers aren't pushovers. Those two from the Seven Realms Sacred Palace and the Immortal Sea Fish Clan are absurdly powerful. When it comes to facing them, I honestly don't have much confidence in Qin Xuan."
"Besides, setting aside the strongest juniors of the Nine Heavens' dominant powers, that little girl from the Bloodline Starfield is ferocious as well. Her growth rate was incredibly fast before, and then she suddenly vanished—she probably went into seclusion."
"If she's also invited to the summit this time, I'm genuinely worried Qin Xuan might not even make the top three," Gongsong Wentian said.
"Lord Wentian, don't deflate our own morale like that! Qin Xuan isn't that weak," Xia Xingchen said.
"Qin Xuan isn't weak, of course, but..." Gongsong Wentian trailed off, then chuckled. "Fine, there is still a chance."
"Now that's more like it."
"Oh, and Lord Wentian—what exactly did the investigation into the Era of the Gods uncover? Why do you say that even winning the title of strongest junior at the Nine Heavens doesn't necessarily mean one is the person prophesied in the Era of the Gods?"
"Why don't you tell me too?" Xia Xingchen asked curiously.
"Go ask the Sect Master—I wouldn't dare speak of it," Gongsong Wentian laughed.
"Tch~"
"If you won't say it, then the Sect Master certainly won't either."
Xia Xingchen pouted, looking every bit the adorable little girl throwing a playful tantrum—a stark contrast to the fierce, intimidating demeanor she had shown when facing down Mo Wuxiang.
But Gongsong Wentian had long grown accustomed to this act and was utterly immune to it.
...
At the end of the fourth passage, Chu Feng was still there, seated cross-legged, comprehending the Dao of Martial Cultivation.
Though the Dao of Martial Cultivation at the passage's end was the most concentrated, it was still quite faint in absolute terms.
Most others might not even be able to perceive it, let alone comprehend it.
So even for Chu Feng, it required considerable time to achieve comprehension.
"Chu Feng, taking so long like this—won't it affect your results?" Her Majesty said with some concern.
"This kind of result doesn't matter. There's no reward anyway. As long as I can enter the Ancient Realm, that's enough," Chu Feng said.
"You're really pushing yourself too hard. This Dao of Martial Cultivation is so faint, yet you refuse to let it go—you insist on comprehending every last bit of it," Her Majesty said.
"It's free, so might as well take it all."
Chu Feng smiled as he spoke, but he didn't voice his true thoughts.
He had a premonition that the trial of the Ancient Realm wouldn't be so simple. And if he wanted to compete, the difficulty would be immense.
Leaving aside Bai Yunqing, Jia Chengying of the Alchemy Dao Immortal Sect was already a formidable opponent.
And beyond Jia Chengying, the two from the Firmament Immortal Sect and the Azure Moon Divine Hall were utterly unfathomable—though they were certainly above Chu Feng in strength.
Even with Her Majesty at his side, her current power likely wasn't enough to match them.
That was why Chu Feng was working so hard, unwilling to miss any opportunity to grow stronger.
But then—
"Egg, I've figured out the reason," Chu Feng suddenly said.
"Figured out what reason?" Her Majesty asked, somewhat puzzled.
"My breakthrough difficulty is increasing. Whether it's the martial power accumulation required or the opportunity for breakthrough—both are getting harder," Chu Feng said.
"That can actually change?" Her Majesty was surprised.
"Normally, it shouldn't. At first, I thought my observations weren't thorough enough and I'd made a misjudgment. But now I can confirm—it really is getting harder."
"I've fully comprehended all the Dao of Martial Cultivation here, but after doing so, the breakthrough opportunity has actually become even harder to grasp," Chu Feng said.
"Then why would that be?" Her Majesty asked.
"It might be related to the Path of Specialization," Chu Feng said.
"Wait—the Path of Specialization made your breakthrough harder? Isn't that just screwing you over?" Her Majesty was somewhat indignant. According to what that woman had said, the Path of Specialization should have been beneficial to Chu Feng. How had it turned into an obstacle?
"It may be a bad thing, but it might also be a good thing," Chu Feng said.
"Then if you hadn't comprehended the Dao of Martial Cultivation here, would the difficulty not have increased?" Her Majesty wanted to pinpoint the cause.
"I'm not sure. Either way, I feel that... this time, finding a breakthrough might require a new approach. But I haven't figured out that approach yet."
"Forget it. Let's head out for now." Chu Feng was feeling a headache coming on. With that, he rose to his feet and walked toward the barrier gate.
But the moment he stepped through the barrier gate, he felt a peculiar restrictive force pressing down on him.