Chapter 23: The Two Geniuses of the Inner Sect!
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
The aptitude of Gu Yang’s body was truly lacking.
After three days of cultivation, there had been almost no improvement, even after practicing the Pure Origin Technique.
Still, he didn’t dwell on it.
Once he entered the Liuyang Mystic Realm, perhaps he would come across some rare elixirs that could alter his physique.
That would solve everything.
With that thought, Gu Yang changed into a lighter set of clothes and stepped out of his secluded courtyard, heading straight toward the Martial Pavilion.
Compared to usual, the Martial Pavilion was clearly more crowded today.
Many inner sect disciples had gathered, most of them loitering outside the entrance, craning their necks to peek inside curiously.
“I heard the Liuyang Mystic Realm opens today.”
“Yeah, and only inner sect disciples at the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering Realm or higher can enter!”
“So we’ll get to see our sect’s top geniuses today!?” ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel_fіre.net
“I’m so excited. If only I could participate too…”
“Wake up. Even if the sect let you go, would you dare? That place is full of deadly traps. Anyone weak would be walking straight to their death.”
“…I was just saying.”
A flurry of chatter came from nearby, and Gu Yang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. There are really this many people, huh.
Thankfully, the entrance was wide enough, so he moved forward and stepped into the Martial Pavilion.
His appearance immediately drew quite a few glances from the inner sect disciples.
They looked shocked, and some even revealed gloating expressions.
A third-stage Qi Gathering Realm dares to enter? Just wait till he gets kicked out.
Inside the Martial Pavilion, a number of inner sect disciples had already gathered, most of them were indeed above the seventh stage of the Qi Gathering Realm.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Among the crowd stood Ding Hao, who had once clashed with Gu Yang and seemed to have recently broken through to the fifth stage. He was here too.
The sect had set the seventh-stage requirement mainly to reduce casualties.
As long as a disciple had the strength of a seventh-stage practitioner, they were allowed to join.
Fighting across realms was permitted as well.
Just as Gu Yang stepped inside, the elder guarding the Pavilion, who had been chatting with others, immediately spotted him.
“Gu Yang, over here,” he called.
Gu Yang nodded and approached slowly.
“He’s the genius you were talking about?”
The moment Gu Yang arrived, a middle-aged man standing beside the Pavilion Elder sized him up with interest before speaking with a chuckle.
“That’s right,” the Pavilion Elder replied. “Gu Yang, this is Elder Yin Xiangtian from the inner sect. He’ll be leading you into the Liuyang Mystic Realm.”
Gu Yang gave a slight bow. “Greetings, Elder Yin.”
“Indeed the third stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. Not bad.”
“You’ve only been in the inner sect for less than a month, and you’ve progressed this much. Truly impressive talent.”
Elder Yin nodded in approval, but a flicker of doubt crossed his expression.
“However… even with talent, are you sure you want to enter the Liuyang Mystic Realm? That place is riddled with dangers. If you’re not capable, you won’t make it out alive.”
Elder Yin had only recently emerged from seclusion, so he hadn’t heard the rumors about Gu Yang and knew nothing of his strength.
Before Gu Yang could respond, the Pavilion Elder chuckled and explained, “Old Yin, don’t underestimate Gu Yang. When he first stepped into the Qi Gathering Realm, he already defeated Ding Hao, who, mind you, is now qualified to enter. So what makes you think Gu Yang isn’t?”
Elder Yin looked at Gu Yang in mild surprise.
Gu Yang gave a small nod.
“In that case, there’s no issue then.”
With the Pavilion Elder personally vouching for him, and no objections from Gu Yang himself, Elder Yin had no reason to object.
He promptly recorded Gu Yang’s name on the list.
“Once inside, give it your all,” the Pavilion Elder reminded him.
Gu Yang nodded solemnly.
He then joined the crowd of inner sect disciples.
As soon as Gu Yang arrived, many of them looked surprised. Most seemed to guess who he was.
To be greeted so warmly by two elders, who else could it be but the now-famous Gu Yang?
Even so, most disciples looked at him with curious, slightly amused expressions.
They didn’t take him too seriously.
After all, most of them were seventh stage or higher geniuses. Defeating someone like Ding Hao, whom they barely considered competition, was hardly noteworthy.
Still, they didn’t mock or belittle Gu Yang either.
Doing so would only lower their own status.
Gu Yang didn’t mind. He simply stood still, eyes closed, quietly waiting.
Not long after, a few more inner sect disciples arrived to register.
And their arrival instantly stirred up the entire crowd.
“Hss, Look! It’s Zhao Yu!”
“It really is! The number one of the inner sect, Zhao Yu, has finally arrived!”
“Rumor has it he’s already reached the tenth stage of the Qi Gathering Realm and is one step away from the True Condensation Realm. Is it true?”
“Duh! Zhao Yu reached the tenth stage ages ago! He’s likely aiming to break into the True Condensation Realm during this mystic realm trip.”
“The aura around him is insane. No wonder he’s number one.”
“Of course. Zhao Yu once killed a True Condensation cultivator while still in the Qi Gathering Realm! No one in his realm can match him!”
Exclamations rippled through the crowd as a young man in a light blue robe slowly stepped into the Martial Pavilion.
This was none other than the number one inner sect genius, Zhao Yu.
He walked calmly up to Elder Yin, exchanged a few polite words, then sat down at random without engaging with anyone else.
His presence alone caused the surrounding disciples to become tense and cautious in their demeanor.
Hearing the noise, Gu Yang glanced over at Zhao Yu, curious, then quickly looked away.
At the same moment, Zhao Yu also gave Gu Yang a glance, seeming rather intrigued.
Before long, another figure arrived at the Pavilion.
Each step he took sent tremors through the floor, boom, boom, an overwhelming presence that immediately caused an uproar.
“The second-ranked inner sect genius, second only to Zhao Yu!”
“I heard he’s specialized in body refinement. His strength is terrifying, one punch could even force Zhao Yu to retreat!”
“No joke. Li Shan’s physique is scarier than most beasts! He once punched a beast of the same realm to death. Brutal!”
“I also heard that he and Zhao Yu don’t get along.”
“Eh, probably just different factions. I doubt they’ll fight. Everyone’s here for resources this time.”
While they whispered, the burly Li Shan strode up to Elder Yin, chatted briefly, then moved to sit beside Zhao Yu.
He let out a cold chuckle and looked over the gathered disciples.
“This Liuyang Mystic Realm trip will be dangerous,” he said. “If anyone wants to join my team, I’ll offer you protection. In return, I’ll take a portion of whatever resources you earn. Anyone interested?”