Chapter 442 - 440: The Centennial Grand Competition
"Changchuan, you... are truly remarkable!"
When Shen Changchuan came to pay his respects, Master Wandering Dragon looked at him, his gaze incredibly complex.
After a long moment, he finally nodded and spoke with approval.
Master Wandering Dragon had, of course, heard the rumors circulating outside.
A twenty-something at the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer... even he himself hadn’t been that formidable in his youth.
And to top it off, he had just advanced to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer, yet he was able to slay an old-generation Demon Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Late Stage?
This fact made his heart tremble once again, even though Shen Changchuan had already shocked him several times over the years.
As an experienced cultivator, he knew full well the gap between the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer and the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Late Stage.
Even he admitted that when he had advanced to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer, he could not have accomplished such a thing!
If he had been given several years, or even a decade, to stabilize his Realm, polish his Cultivation, and master a Tier Two Top Level magic technique or two, he might have been able to fight an ordinary Eighth Layer Cultivator when he was at the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer.
But,
it would have been absolutely impossible to do what Shen Changchuan did—
slaying a veteran demon at the Soul Emergence Eighth Layer Late Stage immediately after advancing!
Advancing from the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer in just three years—such a rapid rate of improvement in his Cultivation Realm...
was already shocking enough.
But for his strength to have grown just as rapidly, allowing him to maintain the ability to challenge and even slay experts of higher Realms,
was nothing short of astounding!
"Perhaps, in the future, you may even surpass me!"
Master Wandering Dragon gazed intently at Shen Changchuan and sighed with heartfelt emotion.
"Master, you flatter me. Any success I have today is thanks to your guidance and support."
"I would never dare make such an arrogant claim of surpassing you."
Shen Changchuan’s expression grew serious. He bowed respectfully with cupped hands and replied humbly.
And this was not merely empty humility.
His achievements over the past three years were, in large part, thanks to Master Wandering Dragon’s personal instruction and the vast amount of resources he had provided.
Three years ago, perhaps because Shen Changchuan’s performance was so outstanding, his importance in Master Wandering Dragon’s eyes had soared. He came to be seen as the future of the Dragon Cloud Sect, and for the first few months, Master Wandering Dragon gave him nearly constant, one-on-one instruction.
Even when the battle at Broken Soul Mountain flared up again, forcing Master Wandering Dragon to the front lines where he could not leave, he would still frequently send Communication Talismans to inquire about Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation progress and guide him through any bottlenecks or mistakes he encountered.
The benefits of being taught by an expert at the Divine Travel Peak Realm, who could offer guidance from such a superior perspective, were immense!
This undoubtedly smoothed Shen Changchuan’s path forward from the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer,
allowing him to proceed without encountering any major hurdles,
and laying the foundation for his rapid breakthroughs!
And that wasn’t all.
Later,
on the grounds that Shen Changchuan had contributed the Gu-controlling Secret Technique and broken the Gu Dao methods of the Demon Dao’s followers, Master Wandering Dragon backed him with a massive amount of Cultivation Resources.
Seeing this, the other major powers of the Tian Nan Domain also rewarded him generously.
After all, Shen Changchuan’s Gu-controlling Secret Technique had proven effective, and he had even shared it with them.
Thus, for Shen Changchuan, who already had a clear and unobstructed understanding of the cultivation path from the Soul Emergence Fourth Layer to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer,
this infusion of abundant Cultivation Resources naturally allowed his Cultivation Realm to soar.
Ultimately, this was how he advanced to the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer in just three short years.
It was safe to say that Master Wandering Dragon’s help played a significant role in Shen Changchuan’s accomplishments.
His success wasn’t due to his own efforts alone.
"If I can one day reach the Divine Travel Realm, I will be more than satisfied. I dare not hope for more!"
Shen Changchuan sighed, his mind filled with memories of his master’s care over the past three years.
’Once I advance to the Divine Travel Realm, I won’t have it this good anymore.’
’Besides, the Path of Immortal Cultivation only gets harder the further one goes.’
’Even with my progress bar panel as my ace in the hole, I can’t say for certain that I’ll ever break through the Divine Travel Realm and reach the Profound Pill Realm, let alone reach the very end of the Path of Immortal Cultivation.’
’A goal like that is too distant and illusory, something I can only fantasize about occasionally.’
’In reality,’
’I have to focus on the present.’
"Within the Yuqing Immortal Sect, there are many with more Cultivation Resources and better training than you. But to accomplish what you have... looking across the entire Yuqing Immortal Sect, even across all the Thirty-Six Small Domains of the Southern Great Domain, those who can compare to you are few and far between!"
Master Wandering Dragon shook his head, his voice tinged with wonder.
He then seemed to recall something. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally said:
"There’s a certain opportunity within the Immortal Sect related to advancing to the Divine Travel Realm... At first, I thought the timing was unlucky for you, Changchuan, so I wasn’t going to mention it."
"But now, it seems you might have a chance to contend for that great opportunity yourself."
"However, this opportunity is tied to the Immortal Sect’s grand strategy and comes with considerable, life-threatening danger. I wonder, Changchuan, are you willing to take the gamble?"
Master Wandering Dragon looked at Shen Changchuan and asked earnestly.
"Master, what exactly is this opportunity you speak of?"
Shen Changchuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he thought for a moment before cautiously asking for more information.
Master Wandering Dragon nodded in approval upon seeing this.
He couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of deep satisfaction with his young disciple.
’Excellent!’
’His achievements haven’t gone to his head.’
’Even when faced with immense benefits, he isn’t blinded by greed.’
’Instead, he cautiously considers the risks first.’
Master Wandering Dragon didn’t know how far Shen Changchuan would ultimately go, but he was certain of one thing: Shen Changchuan would live a long life.
The thoughts flashed through his mind.
"This opportunity is the Immortal Sect’s centennial Grand Competition."
"Every hundred years, the Immortal Sect holds a great competition. The participants must be under two hundred years old, below the Divine Travel Realm, and be either Disciples of our Immortal Sect or from one of our subordinate sects."
"It is a grand event for the entire Thirty-Six Small Domains. The final ten contestants will receive a great opportunity that aids in advancing to the Divine Travel Realm!"
Master Wandering Dragon held nothing back, explaining the situation directly.
"In previous years, it was safer. They were arena battles, watched over by elders and masters, so the danger was manageable."
"But this time is different. For certain reasons, our Immortal Sect will be conducting the assessment jointly with Immortal Sects from other great domains, Divine Dynasties, and Great Immortal Cultivation Families. As a result, the danger is drastically higher—one could even lose their life!"
"But, for all the danger, the rewards this time are also incredibly generous."
"If you can place in the top ten of this centennial competition, the Immortal Sect will award you three different great opportunities to aid your advancement to the Divine Travel Realm, ensuring your chance of a successful breakthrough is over eighty percent!"
"And that is a reward previously reserved only for the first-place winner."