I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

"The Netherworld Palace, the Nine Nether Sect, You Wuying... The Old Man of Yin Bones has indeed pledged allegiance to him." Qin Yuan noted down the name. Judging from the description, this person is vicious and has a powerful background; he is a troublesome figure who needs to be guarded against.

Continuing to browse, those ranked tenth to fiftieth were mostly geniuses from various sects at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage or those newly entering the Divine Transformation stage. Among them were many names Qin Yuan had seen in intelligence reports, including even "Xiang Tian of the Overlord Sect." The jade slip also mentioned several suddenly rising, mysteriously originating rogue cultivators, marked as "dark horses."

Overall, this grand gathering of geniuses was indeed a constellation of stars, with countless powerful figures. There were no fewer than twenty Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and countless others at the peak of the Core Formation stage. Winning first place would be extremely difficult.

Qin Yuan withdrew from the section on rankings. The jade slip also included some interesting anecdotes or events that had recently occurred in Tianxuan City related to the Grand Gathering of Prodigies. For example, two geniuses clashed over a treasure in the city's market and were suppressed by the city lord's enforcement team; a small ancient ruin was discovered outside the city, sparking a wave of exploration; and some envoys from the five major sects had arrived and were staying in specific areas of the inner city.

These pieces of information may seem trivial, but they can sometimes be pieced together to reveal some useful intelligence.

Just as Qin Yuan was slowly digesting this information, and the waiter brought up the fragrant spiritual tea and several exquisite pastries, the old storyteller on the wooden platform in the center of the hall was at the most exciting part of his tale:

"...Then, facing the fiery dragons filling the sky, Li Han simply blew out a breath! In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color, and everything froze! The 'Great Fire Formation,' which was said to burn down the eight wastelands, was extinguished by his single breath of cold air! Truly..."

The old man spoke with great enthusiasm, spitting as he gestured, and the audience listened with rapt attention.

Suddenly, the old man's voice stopped abruptly, his waving arm froze in mid-air, his eyes stared straight at the direction of the inn's entrance, and the exaggerated expression on his face solidified, gradually being replaced by a look of astonishment and a faint fear.

His abrupt pause immediately drew the attention of the audience. Many followed his gaze and looked towards the door.

The noisy hall seemed to have been muted, and the noise quickly subsided.

The inn's carved wooden door was gently pushed open, and a handsome young man dressed in a black robe embroidered with intricate ghostly patterns walked in slowly.

His face was fair, almost transparent, but his lips were eerily red, and his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, as if they could suck away a person's soul.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips, seemingly elegant, yet exuding a chilling, venomous aura. It was You Wuying!

Behind him followed two men. On the left was an old man with a sullen, sinister aura, and a meek, submissive demeanor. On the right was a tall, imposing guard with a black iron mask, carrying two swords on his back, exuding a strong aura of bloodlust; his cultivation had clearly reached the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm!

"It's...it's the Netherworld Young Master of the Nine Nether Sect!" Someone in the crowd recognized You Wuying and exclaimed in a low voice, their voice trembling noticeably.

"Why would he come to a place like this?"

"Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind?"

"Look, isn't that the Old Man of Yin Bones behind him? That old devil is here too!"

"They went that way...it's the new guy!"

Whispers spread rapidly like ripples on water, and everyone's eyes unconsciously followed You Wuying's footsteps, finally settling on Qin Yuan, who was sitting alone in the corner, looking down at the jade slip.

You Wuying ignored the awe, fear, and curiosity that were directed at her from all around her and walked straight to Qin Yuan's table.

Qin Yuan seemed oblivious, or rather, completely unconcerned. He picked up the spirit tea, took a small sip, his gaze still fixed on the light screen projected from the jade slip, as if the person before him were nothing more than air.

You Wuying's smile deepened. He didn't speak immediately, but instead looked Qin Yuan up and down with the gaze of someone examining a work of art, lingering for a moment on his calm and composed profile.

"It seems," You Wuying finally spoke, her voice as soft as fine silk gliding across ice, gentle yet carrying a chilling edge, "that you are very confident in yourself."

Qin Yuan put down his teacup and finally raised his head. His gaze calmly met You Wuying's deep eyes, without the slightest evasion or emotional fluctuation, as if he were looking at a stone or a piece of wood.

"I have a little confidence," Qin Yuan said calmly.

"Oh?" You Wuying raised an eyebrow, seemingly finding it amusing. He extended his right hand, his fingers long and slender, his nails neatly trimmed yet gleaming with a faint black sheen. His fingers gently pressed on Qin Yuan's table, on a low-grade spirit stone that Qin Yuan had taken out when paying the bill and had not yet put away.

This spirit stone is crystal clear and full of spiritual energy.

You Wuying's fingers did not apply force, but simply covered it lightly.

A strange thing happened.

That incredibly hard, superior-grade spirit stone, impervious to ordinary flying swords, under You Wuying's fingers, turned gray and lost its luster at a visible speed, like weathered sand, with fine cracks appearing on its surface, and then...

"puff."

With a soft sound, the entire spirit stone turned into a small clump of fine, even gray powder without any fluctuation of spiritual energy. It fell from You Wuying's fingers and piled up on the table, forming a small ash heap.

The entire process was silent and without any obvious external release of spiritual power; it was purely a testament to the exquisite control of one's own power!

"hiss--!"

A collective gasp filled the hall!

All the cultivators who witnessed this scene, whether they were Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivators, showed expressions of horror! Many Nascent Soul cultivators could shatter a low-grade spirit stone, but to do it so effortlessly, without making a sound, and to turn the spirit stone into such uniform powder required an astonishing level of control over power!

Moreover, You Wuying was clearly not using brute force, but some kind of strange supernatural power, which means that he can not only "shatter" but also "corrode"!

"Such terrifying control!"

"As expected of the Young Master of the Netherworld! His control over the power of the Netherworld is simply divine!"

"That kid's in for it. The Netherworld Young Master is clearly here to cause trouble!"

"He seemed pretty calm just now, but his legs must be shaking by now, right?"

The discussion resumed, but this time, almost everyone spoke with awe for You Wuying and either sympathy or schadenfreude for Qin Yuan.

The old man with the Yin Bone stood behind You Wuying, a chilling, smug smile playing on his lips. The guard carrying two swords on his back had eyes like venomous snakes, fixed intently on Qin Yuan.

You Wuying withdrew her hand, lightly flicked off non-existent dust, and looked at Qin Yuan with a leisurely air, as if trying to find a trace of panic or anger on his face.