Fantasy: Starting with a bowl, you can exchange it for endless cultivation.

As for the desolate state...

Many people witnessed the battle between Gu Chen and He Teng in person.

So although they felt that the Surveillance Department might have overrated Gu Chen this time, they didn't pay too much attention to it.

At least he really has that kind of ability.

Meanwhile, the forces and cultivators from other states of Kyushu saw Gu Chen's ranking.

I found it hard to believe.

Is it too exaggerated to say that someone at the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm has the combat strength of someone at the mid-stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm?

It's acceptable to challenge someone who is one or two minor realms above their level.

The Divine Dynasty boasts countless geniuses.

There is always a small group of people with special physiques, special bloodlines, or innate sword hearts or special techniques who can fight one or two minor realms above their level.

But jumping directly to a whole new realm is too pretentious, isn't it?

"Isn't the Inspection Department being too biased towards Gu Chen, praising him so highly? Aren't they afraid he'll fall hard if challenged?"

"A mid-stage True Essence Realm cultivator dares to boast of invincible defense against early-stage Breakthrough Realm cultivators, and his combat strength is at the mid-stage Breakthrough Realm? The Surveillance Department actually dared to publish this! Why don't they rank this Gu Chen at the top of the Prodigy Ranking!"

"Yes, there's definitely something fishy going on. There's no point in deliberately praising him like this. Once he challenges Gu Chen, the higher he's been pushed up now, the harder he'll be thrown off!"

They hadn't witnessed firsthand the scene where Gu Chen, with his mid-stage True Essence Realm cultivation, defeated He Teng, who was at the early stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm.

They would never believe it.

This contradicts their understanding of common sense.

The difference between the Breaking Aperture Realm and the True Essence Realm is significant.

It's very difficult to overcome.

For example, a prodigy in the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm has great strength in fighting opponents of higher levels, and can defeat opponents two minor realms above him.

He can defeat a True Yuan Realm Perfection Realm cultivator while being in the mid-stage of the True Yuan Realm, but he cannot defeat a True Yuan Realm Breakthrough Realm cultivator while being in the perfect stage of the True Yuan Realm.

Because the difference between major realms is incomparable to the difference between minor realms within the same realm; a difference of one major realm results in a qualitative leap in strength.

This is actually common sense.

If Gu Chen's true realm is not the fifth-grade Sea Transformation Realm.

If his true level is only the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm, then even if he has mastered all the techniques and martial arts he currently possesses, it would be meaningless.

It would be very difficult for him to defeat He Teng, who was in the early stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm.

Because his internal energy reserves were insufficient, and his physical strength did not support him in using the sixth-grade martial art, the Breaking Illusion Blade.

He simply couldn't withstand the drain from the power of the Breaking Illusion Blade and its intent.

Not to mention he kept using the Breaking Illusion Blade to chase and slash at He Teng.

"I estimate that Gu Chen is probably only at the peak of the True Essence Realm, let alone the Breaking Aperture Realm. He's going to be in trouble."

Gu Chen, on his second appearance on the list, jumped over 250 places and entered the top 250.

There will surely be many talented individuals eager to improve themselves who will challenge him.

Let's test his true abilities.

If he is not strong enough.

He'll definitely be exposed, and then he'll lose even more face.

The higher he is praised now, the harder he will fall when he is defeated.

Meanwhile, Gu Chen...

I know absolutely nothing about this.

Regarding the rankings on the list of prodigies.

He wasn't interested.

He also didn't want anyone to disturb his normal days of accumulating silver and improving his cultivation.

If he knew that his ranking on the list of prodigies had improved again.

And they may soon face challenges from a group of exceptional talents.

He will no longer allow people to challenge him for free as before.

You can challenge him now.

One person gave him tens of thousands of taels of silver first.

No money, no discussion.

Being challenged by these geniuses is a thankless and arduous task.

Winning wouldn't do him any good, since he didn't care about such empty titles. At most, it would just boost his reputation, making it easier for him to get promoted in the future.

However, this will draw more attention to him and increase the risk of his secrets being exposed.

If he loses, he will be severely criticized by these people, who will use public opinion to belittle him, saying that the Supervisory Department deliberately elevates him, flatters him, and engages in underhanded operations, which will be detrimental to his reputation and also to the reputation of his master.

This kind of thing.

From now on, we'll need to collect money to fight.

If we can earn some silver from this.

It can also be open-sourced for him.

Now that he's a fifth-rank official, he's already wasting a lot of money.

He reached the fourth rank.

The pills used for cultivation cost five thousand taels each. He needs seventy or eighty pills to break through a minor realm, which is close to four hundred thousand taels of silver.

Making money through multiple channels is the only way to make a living.

at this time.

Central Plains, Mad Blade Palace.

On a martial arts training ground.

"Senior Brother Chen's ranking on the Prodigy Ranking has been taken by that guy named Gu Chen. What makes him so special? He's only at the mid-stage of the True Yuan Realm, yet the Surveillance Department dares to rank him ahead of our senior brother?" A disciple of the Mad Blade Hall was indignant.

"These damned imperial institutions, there's a limit to how much they can favor their own people!" a Mad Blade Hall disciple said angrily.

"These people from the Surveillance Bureau and the Night Watch Bureau seem clever, but their cleverness has backfired," a Mad Blade Hall disciple said disdainfully. "Rankings aren't secured through underhanded tactics; they're based on real combat strength. Otherwise, you're just a piece of duckweed floating on water, without any foundation."

"Senior Brother Chen, why don't we teach Gu Chen a lesson, defeat him, and give the Surveillance Department a good thrashing?" someone said, looking at Chen Xinglong.

At this moment, in the square.

Chen Xinglong sat on a stone bench, slowly wiping the long sword in his hand.

His eyes were eerily strange, with bloodshot pupils, a result of the drop of demonic dragon blood he ingested as a child.

Within him now arises the bloodline of a terrestrial immortal, a demonic dragon. Once activated, it will drive him into madness, greatly increasing his combat power, which is the origin of his Mad Blade.

"I have no interest in these empty titles!" Chen Xinglong said calmly, without stopping the wiping of his longsword.

The list of geniuses is not always authoritative.

Rankings are not based on cultivation level, but solely on combat strength.

The people in the Inspectorate aren't fools.

If they dare to operate in the shadows.

If Gu Chen is challenged and defeated afterward, they will surely lose all credibility.

They wouldn't be that stupid.

The truth is probably like this.

Gu Chen truly possesses extraordinary abilities.

As for comparison with him...

Both of them possessed combat strength at the mid-stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm.

It remains to be discussed which is stronger or weaker.

At this time.

"However," Chen Xinglong stopped wiping his longsword and changed the subject, "While I'm not interested in the rankings, I am very interested in Gu Chen. To be evaluated by the Surveillance Department as having the combat strength of a mid-stage Breaking Aperture Realm expert at the mid-stage True Yuan Realm, I'd like to test his strength."

"Senior Brother Chen is going to challenge Gu Chenyao, let's go with Senior Brother Chen!" The disciples of the Mad Blade Hall all around heard this.

Everyone became interested.

It's boring to stay in the Mad Blade Hall on ordinary days.

You can take this opportunity to go out and explore.

"Sure, everyone can go together if they want," Chen Xinglong said.

Throughout the Nine Provinces, there are quite a few geniuses who share his ideas.

Some were curious about Gu Chen, while others felt that the Surveillance Department was operating behind closed doors and was unfair.

Some people want to use his ranking to boost their reputation.

Some of them even ranked above Gu Chen, simply wanting to put Gu Chen down.

They flocked to Jiuwan City.

Within the Nine Provinces, Yuan Geng, the prodigy of the Golden Palace, one of the Seven Palaces, was the one who was knocked unconscious by Gu Chen's punch in the Western Ridge Mountains along with He Teng and others.

Now that he has broken through to the mid-stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm, he is ranked behind Chen Xinglong and Shen Qinglan.

Very dissatisfied.

He is ready to set off for Jiuwan City.

Challenge the ancient dust.

If he can defeat Gu Chen, he will prove that he is stronger than Gu Chen, Chen Xinglong, and Shen Qinglan.

Gu Chen is ranked 247th.

Chenxinglong 248.

Shen Qinglan, 249.

He ranked 250th.

Being placed in this position made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Especially the three people ahead of him, all of whom were at a lower level than him.

Zhongzhou.

Shen Qinglan from the Misty Palace was also preparing to set off for the Desolate State to challenge Gu Chen.

Her name suggests a quiet and serene nature, like an orchid, and that she doesn't compete with the outside world.

In reality, she was a very combative person.

Even Gu Chen, a person in the mid-stage of the True Yuan Realm, was ranked ahead of her by the Surveillance Department.

She was naturally unconvinced and wanted to see just how capable Gu Chen really was.

She was able to be placed ahead of the inspectors in the queue.

Lishui Mansion.

The headquarters of the Night Watch Division of a prefecture.

He Teng has just arrived to take up his new post.

Then we obtained the latest rankings of the Prodigy List.

Upon seeing Gu Chen, they were immediately relegated to 47th place, and it was by stepping over him to get to the top.

In Gu Chen's battle record column, it was clearly written that he defeated He Teng, who was in the early stage of the Breaking Aperture Realm, a month ago.

He got really angry.

As long as Gu Chen lives, his glory will endure.

The more people who see this list and Gu Chen's record, the more people he loses face.

No, he must find a way to kill Gu Chen.

He wanted Gu Chen dead, to disappear completely from this world, only then could he erase this humiliation from his life!