Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 137 List of Talents

It was six o'clock in the evening, and it was still bright outside.

The gatekeeper, Yang Tielin, hesitated, as he should have been off work by now.

The Nine Limits of Heaven is merely a secret realm containing only the energy bodies of exotic beasts undergoing trials. These beasts are embedded deep within the realm by the Sword Saint, and even a Martial King might not be able to find them.

There are only about thirty Martial Kings in the Alliance. Even if some of them became followers of the Demon God, it's impossible for them to come here to snatch a Level 7 Beast Energy Core.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Tielin would definitely lock himself in and go out to find a place to have a few drinks, or perhaps meet up with a young woman for a chat, before returning home in the middle of the night to sleep and rest.

But not today, Gao Wu still hasn't come out! That kid went in at nine in the morning and has been inside for a full nine hours!

Yang Tielin was also afraid that Gao Wu had died inside, so he sent two signals via pager, but both were turned off by the other side. Clearly, Gao Wu was still alive.

But the kid still hadn't come out, which made Yang Tielin a little worried. Waiting a few more hours wouldn't be a problem.

The problem is that a person's energy is limited; how could they possibly endure nine hours in the Nine Limits of Heaven? After all, combat is incredibly taxing. Did Gao Wu just sleep inside?

Just as Yang Tielin was considering whether to use the pager again, Gao Wu came out. He complained wearily, "Uncle Yang, there's not even any food inside..."

"Uh, I've never seen anyone stay in there for so long."

Yang Tielin looked Gao Wu up and down. He saw that Gao Wu's combat uniform was torn in many places, but he was fine. He just looked weak and listless, as if he was starving.

He couldn't help but ask, "Were you sleeping in there?"

"Uncle Yang, we're not that unreliable!"

Gao Wu sighed again: "That giant tiger energy body has changed a lot, especially in the seventh level. Its speed has reached 100 meters per second, and its body has grown scales, making it extremely resilient and formidable. I've tried many times, but I still can't get past it..."

"You've made it to the seventh level?!" Yang Tielin exclaimed in surprise. This kid, this kid is really good at showing off, but he's also really capable!

Reaching level 7 on the first attempt at entering the Nine Limits of Heaven is likely a first in the history of the Nine Limits of Heaven.

"It's nothing, is it?" Gao Wu said dismissively. He thought he could clear the game in one go, but reality taught him a lesson.

He lightly dusted off his collar: "Your clothes are all dirty. Your cultivation level is still not high enough."

The legendary reputation of Tianji Jiuxian is well-deserved.

Yang Tielin gave a thumbs up: "You're really good at pretending!"

"Hahaha, you figured it out..." Gao Wu laughed. He found Yang Tielin quite interesting, so he spoke more casually.

Yang Tielin laughed too, saying that the kid was disrespectful but quite amusing.

There are many skilled experts, but truly interesting people are rare. Yang Tielin is a man of wide experience, and few people can inspire such a strong sense of novelty and interest in him. Yet, he sees this very rare quality in Gao Wu.

Based on his life experience, he believes that when making friends, one should choose two types of people: those who are capable and those who are interesting.

Capable friends can help you solve problems and bring tangible benefits. Interesting friends can provide emotional value and help you resolve various emotional issues.

As a powerful martial arts master, Yang Tielin can solve most problems on his own. What he needs more are interesting friends who can bring novelty and inspire his positive emotions.

Just like many people have fair-weather friends who seem useless and just freeload off others. However, if these fair-weather friends can provide some emotional value, that's enough.

It's not that people who are intelligent, capable, wealthy, powerful, loyal, reliable, generous, understanding, and fun-loving don't exist; the problem is, such people have plenty of friends, so why would you be their friend?

Yang Tielin simply found Gao Wu pleasing to the eye and quite interesting, so he naturally treated Gao Wu differently.

Goodbye, Uncle Yang.

Gao Wu waved his hand and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you from getting off work. It's so late. Let me treat you to dinner to make up for my mistake."

Although Yang Tielin admired Gao Wu, he wasn't so unreliable as to ask Gao Wu to treat him on their first meeting. "No need, maybe next time."

Seeing that Yang Tielin did not refuse outright, Gao Wu continued, "Regarding the Nine Limits of Heaven, I still have many questions I would like to ask Uncle Yang. Uncle Yang, please give me a chance..."

Seeing Gao Wu's enthusiasm and sincerity, Yang Tielin nodded: "Alright, then have something to eat."

The most important thing when hosting a dinner party is to respect the guests' opinions, not to make arrangements arbitrarily based on one's own assumptions.

Gao Wu originally wanted to go to Jinhua Garden, but Yang Tielin disagreed and chose a barbecue stall outside the West Gate instead. Gao Wu tried to persuade him a couple of times, but seeing that Yang Tielin wasn't being polite, he didn't insist.

As soon as the two came out of Tianji Tower, Gao Wu's phone started ringing incessantly. He glanced at it and saw that Song Yunkun, Zhou Qingyun, and Shang Qingjun had all sent him messages via Fetion.

They all basically said one thing: they've already gotten in touch with the management department and will be promoting the video extensively.

This matter is a bit complicated, and we can't directly link it to the "King of Youth" event. However, just leveraging some popularity is enough.

Song Yunkun mainly emphasized the special nature of this matter, stressed the need for caution, and emphasized the stance that Gao Wu should demonstrate.

Finally, he suggested changing the event to "King of Youth" and removing "Northern State," which would be more grand and attract more attention.

Zhou Qingyun offered many specific suggestions, mainly regarding business promotion. Shang Qingjun was both surprised and delighted, but more surprised than delighted.

Zhou Hongying also sent a message via Fetion, filled with congratulations, showing great excitement and joy.

As for Song Mingyue, she simply sent a text message asking when Gao Wu would be back for dinner...

Whether it's extreme good or extreme bad, it will have a profound impact on the human spirit. Many people, unable to adapt to such drastic changes, suffer a decline in their moral character and willpower...

Gao Wu first replied to Shang Qingjun's message, then told Song Mingyue that he had made plans to have dinner and asked her to eat by herself. After chatting and laughing with Zhou Hongying for a while, he replied to Song Yunkun, expressing his agreement with his suggestion.

Finally, Zhou Qingyun replied politely with two words: "Received."

Anhui University is enormous, and Gao Wu, despite being there for several days, has only visited a very limited area. He followed Yang Tielin on the school-arranged shuttle bus to the West Gate, only to discover that outside the gate was a commercial street, mostly lined with small restaurants and barbecue stalls, as well as some general merchandise stores, fruit shops, small internet cafes, and so on…

The smoky aroma of barbecued meat, the fragrance of food and drinks from small restaurants, mixed with the noise of people and cars, and the chaotic yet dense crowds of pedestrians, made Gao Wu feel very relaxed and comfortable on the bustling street.

This is what is meant by the everyday life of ordinary people.

When Gao Wu was a child, he often played and frolicked on such long streets. Occasionally, when he had enough spare change, he and his friends would buy a couple of meat skewers and a bottle of cola, eating as they walked. The rich aroma of the meat combined with the refreshing, fizzy cola was truly blissful...

"Eating by the roadside?" Gao Wu noticed that many people were staring at him, but he didn't pay any attention.

The video went viral in the public domain; it would be strange if no one recognized him. After all, he's so dazzling!
Yang Tielin also noticed this. Gao Wu was indeed eye-catching. Putting aside everything else, his tall and slender figure made him stand out from the crowd.

Even if Gao Wu is not famous, his physique and appearance are enough to attract attention.

"Old Lin, let's find a room inside." Yang Tielin greeted the barbecue owner familiarly and led Gao Wu into a small private room.

The private rooms in the barbecue restaurant were just partitioned with synthetic wood panels; the rooms were very small, and the tables and chairs were greasy.

Gao Wu didn't seem to mind and plopped down on the table, which pleased Yang Tielin. Eating at such a small stall was a risky affair.

Yang Tielin didn't need Gao Wu to say anything; he took the initiative to call people over and ordered a lot of barbecue skewers and drinks.

The grilled skewers were really good, which was exactly what Gao Wu expected. Yang Tielin, a martial arts master, always comes here to eat, so it must be delicious.

To his surprise, there were even meat skewers made from high-grade exotic beasts, and the quality of the beasts was quite high.

"I exist here as a wild boar, a level five exotic beast, whose meat is rich in fat, making it especially suitable for grilling."

Yang Tielin said, "Although this thing is level five, it's the weakest among level five monsters, but its meat is delicious. In the future, when you go to the Dragon Claw Peak Secret Realm, try to find this thing to kill..."

Gao Wu asked, "The Dragon Claw Peak Secret Realm is full of low-level exotic beasts. Where can we find a level five one like this?"

The preliminary round of the Qilin Cup takes place in the Dragon Claw Peak Secret Realm, where even level one beasts are few and far between. In his opinion, the resources there are probably insufficient to support level five beasts.

"You need to go deep into the secret realm. Once you see the great river, you'll basically find all sorts of high-level exotic beasts."

Yang Tielin looked at Gao Wu and said, "This year's trial will definitely take us to the Dragon Claw Peak Secret Realm, so you need to be careful."

"Trial results will be included in the Elite List, and the entire Anjing Martial Arts Academy will participate in the ranking. Whoever ranks low will be embarrassed."

Yang Tielin smiled at Gao Wu: "Students under the age of twenty will all participate in the competition. Yan Shanyue, Ye Chang'an, and Wang Ye will all be there. Don't embarrass Qinglong Academy."

"The List of Talented Individuals..." Gao Wu thought the name was incredibly corny and didn't know how to complain about it.

"To put it simply, being in the top ten is the mark of a true talent. In reality, only the top one hundred will be ranked and have their points calculated."

Yang Tielin explained, "The Governor's Office invests a lot of resources every year and awards prizes according to the rankings. The school also allocates resources based on individual performance. This is the most important competition at the beginning of the new semester, so you should take it seriously."

“I did my best.” Gao Wu then asked, “Uncle Yang, how did these three perform in the Ninth Limit of Heaven?”

"We're all stuck on level six right now. You're still in the lead," Yang Tielin said with a smile.

It was precisely because Gao Wu demonstrated sufficient strength that he was worthy of Gao Wu's attention and allowed him to make an exception and drink with a child he had just met.

Gao Wu then asked about the Nine Limits of Heaven, and Yang Tielin answered all his questions without reservation.

There are some tricks and shortcuts in the Nine Limits of Heaven, but they are insignificant. To pass the level, you still need sufficient strength.

The two drank a lot of wine, and Yang Tielin was already three-tenths drunk. But Gao Wu's eyes were bright and he seemed very clear-headed, which surprised Yang Tielin. This kid's physique was stronger than his.

"Uncle Yang, I'll be going to the Heavenly Tower to complete the challenges these next few days. I'd like to make a reservation first..."

Gao Wu escorted Yang Tielin back to Tianji Tower, making an appointment with Yang Tielin before leaving.

"No problem." Yang Tielin waved his hand, indicating that it was a small matter.

Gao Wu returned to Changqing Garden after 11 p.m. and saw Song Mingyue reading a book as soon as he entered the living room.

"I'm going to rest." Song Mingyue was relieved to see Gao Wu return, and she picked up her book to leave.

But Gao Wu grabbed her hand and stopped her, saying, "It's alright, let's chat. How's your studies with Master Lu going?"

"My master is proficient in the Heavenly Serpent Technique and also possesses the spiritual legacy left by a grandmaster."

Song Mingyue said softly, "I have benefited greatly from studying for so long."

She asked, "How many levels of the Nine Limits of Heaven have you passed?"

"Reaching the seventh level shouldn't be a problem. Give me a few days and I should be able to pass it," Gao Wu said confidently.

He had just read the Book of Immeasurable Merit, and in just one day, his merits had already accumulated to more than seven million.

If this level of popularity is maintained for two or three days, it will surely accumulate millions of merits.

Let him try to activate other divine spells with severe injuries first. If that doesn't work, he can upgrade the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Spell, which will be enough for him to pass the Nine Limits of Heaven...

Actually, Tianji Jiuxian isn't in a hurry. In a few days, it will be the Elite Ranking Trial, which involves the allocation of top-level resources and an adventure into the Dragon Claw Peak Secret Realm. That's the important thing!
(End of this chapter)