Chapter Sixty-Five: Yang Yan's Test!

Once Sun Zhixin enters the Azure Profound Sect and receives proper cultivation using the sect’s resources, her future achievements in alchemy or artifact forging will undoubtedly be remarkable. For a sect to flourish and grow, aside from constantly absorbing new talent with exceptional gifts, its greatest support comes from elixirs and magical treasures.

A bottleneck in cultivation can hinder a practitioner for months or even years, but at such times, a single pill crafted by an alchemist can resolve the issue effortlessly. Similarly, possessing a high-grade magical weapon can transform an otherwise ordinary cultivator, granting them the ability to challenge those above their rank. It is clear, then, just how crucial high-ranking alchemists and artifact smiths are to any power or sect.

Under the dazzling aura of such a prodigy, the previously outstanding young geniuses now seemed lackluster. Many young masters from various factions had hoped, after the assessment, to use their family influence to nurture connections with the Sun family, and perhaps even forge a union with Sun Zhixin. But now, their fantasies were utterly shattered, simply because her brilliance was too blinding. Such a phoenix-like talent would soar to the highest heavens—what could they possibly offer to win her favor? Their third-grade innate spiritual bodies? They would only embarrass themselves.

With a sigh, many felt a sense of defeat and inferiority rising in their hearts.

"I never imagined she possessed a sixth-grade innate fire body. No wonder during the clan competitions, my water-type spiritual power was no match for her," Yang Yan mused, marveling at Sun Zhixin’s innate gifts. Then a thought struck him: "If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean the faint blue spiritual power within me is at least sixth-grade?"

He was startled. In his previous bout with Sun Zhixin, when he used that faint blue spiritual power, he had suppressed her fierce fire-type power. If his reasoning was correct, that blue power was truly formidable.

"Hey, I’m heading up!" Suddenly, Liu Zhengqing nudged Yang Yan with his arm and strode confidently onto the stage. Despite his casual demeanor, Yang Yan noticed a hint of nervousness.

"Is this guy’s aloofness all an act?" Yang Yan wondered, silently.

He estimated Liu Zhengqing’s talent must be no less than fourth-grade. In the clan competitions, Yang Yan had only narrowly defeated him—their duel was a true battle of equals and far more talked about in Jinhuan City than Yang Yan’s almost farcical contest with Sun Zhixin.

As expected, after a surge of powerful golden light erupted from the crystal stone, six golden characters appeared: "Fifth-grade innate gold body!"

This caused another wave of exclamations in the crowd. But compared to Sun Zhixin’s previous awe-inspiring display, the audience seemed somewhat numb; the commotion wasn’t as great as when the first fifth-grade talent appeared.

Yang Yan smiled, intending to congratulate Liu Zhengqing, but noticed the latter wasn’t particularly pleased—he seemed dissatisfied with the result. Yang Yan had also observed that Liu Zhengqing often carried an air of loneliness, melancholy, even pain, as if a great mountain pressed down upon him.

Swallowing his words of congratulations, Yang Yan simply patted Liu Zhengqing on the shoulder. Though he was full of questions, he didn’t ask. He knew Liu Zhengqing’s pride well enough—if he didn’t wish to speak, no amount of questioning would make him open up.

Before Liu Zhengqing went up, Yang Yan’s old rival Xu Shaoguang from the Xu family had already taken the innate spiritual body test, revealing a "Fourth-grade innate fire body." While such talent was considered excellent among the candidates, it no longer impressed Yang Yan.

Among the Xu family’s younger generation, cultivators like Xu Shaoguang could no longer threaten Yang Yan. He now had loftier goals—such as defeating Xu Hongfei, who had once forced him to the brink of death.

Though he looked down on Xu Shaoguang's abilities, Yang Yan was very interested in his fate. Whenever he thought of the grievances suffered by Ziling, a cold murderous intent would well up within him. Even before participating in this selection, he had resolved to leave Xu Shaoguang forever in the "Hundred Hunters Arena."

"Next!" Elder Lin’s voice sounded again, and all eyes turned to Yang Yan.

Recently, Yang Yan’s name was the most prominent in Jinhuan City. Once a useless youth, he had risen from the depths to become a legend, an exemplar among the younger generation of the city’s cultivation world. Naturally, people were intensely interested in this "legendary youth," and even factions in neighboring cities had heard of him.

Thus, at this moment, Yang Yan was undoubtedly the center of attention.

He took a long breath, clearing his mind of all distractions. Under the gaze of the crowd, he walked calmly toward the stone platform.

"Let’s begin," Elder Li said with a smile, nodding at Yang Yan. Elder Lin, beside him, also looked on expectantly, eager to see what kind of talent this oft-mentioned prodigy truly possessed.

The crowd’s eyes converged on Yang Yan, including the previously unfriendly Cold Moon Sky from the Jade Sword Pavilion, Sun Zhixin with her furrowed brows, and the fearful Xu Shaoguang.

Finally, Yang Yan placed his hands on the crystal stone. The vast water-type spiritual power within his energy sea surged forth, flowing continuously into the crystal. A pale white light began to intensify, then slowed in growth. Compared to previous tests, it would likely settle at "Fourth-grade innate spiritual body."

"Fourth-grade? Perhaps once the water-type spiritual core within me is perfected, the grade will rise higher," Yang Yan thought to himself.

His water-type spiritual core was not innate like those of other cultivators, but self-created through the cultivation method "Nine Nether Lunar Technique." Its grade was not fixed—it could be improved as the core approached perfection.

"Let’s try that faint blue spiritual power," Yang Yan mused, curious about its grade.

With that thought, he drew ten strands of the faint blue spiritual power from his energy sea and channeled them into the crystal through his hands.