Chen Yuan was aware of the noise and commotion outside, but he never spoke out. What was there to say? The Potential Dragon Ranking was just a ranking.

At most, it could only bring some fame.

Besides that, there was nothing. It couldn't bring him any substantial benefits and would only intensify the killing intent of those hostile to him.

So, being second on the Potential Dragon Ranking, or even first, didn't matter.

Moreover, it was a shared first place.

Not a true first.

Besides him, the others didn't seem to care either.

The Ascension Battle was about to begin, and that would be the true test of strength.

He had also seen the news about Zuo Chengzong. Being able to kill a veteran Dan Realm grandmaster meant that his strength was at least on par with his own.

As for who was superior, it remained to be seen.

Besides Zuo Chengzong, Wei Wuyai, Dao Xuansheng, and Xuan Ming were all formidable opponents.

Chen Yuan was confident, but never arrogant, never thinking that everyone was inferior to him. After all, although he had taken shortcuts relying on opportunities, those martial artists had all cultivated step by step through hard work.

Plus, with their powerful backgrounds, whose methods were stronger was indeed an unknown question.

He had caught up with their progress by relying on his "cheat" of sorts and diligent cultivation, so how could he underestimate them?

Of course, he wouldn't belittle himself either.

Compared to that, looking at all the martial artists below the Dan Realm, there were really few who could be his opponents. Therefore, he was looking forward to the upcoming Ascension Battle.

To fight, he would fight all the heroes in the world.

To win, he would win with unmatched dominance!

While the outside world was buzzing, discussing who was stronger between the so-called "Potential Dragon Duo," Chen Yuan and Shen Yanshu were nearing their time of parting.

She was, after all, a disciple of the Goddess Palace, bound by palace rules, and couldn't act recklessly.

Of course, she wasn't really afraid of anything. As long as she could be with Chen Yuan, nothing else mattered!

The main reason was that Chen Yuan needed to prepare to return to secluded cultivation. He had obtained the Transformation Divine Lotus for some time now, and his cultivation had increased significantly, but it wasn't enough.

He needed to cultivate diligently for another month or so.

A few days of carefree time was enough; Chen Yuan wouldn't let it wear down his fighting spirit. When he reached the pinnacle of martial arts, he would have plenty of time to be carefree.

During these few days, with Chen Yuan's help, Shen Yanshu successfully converted the Gang Qi in her Dantian into Xiantian True Essence, formally entering the Tongxuan Realm.

If she had some achievements, it wouldn't be difficult for her to be listed on the Potential Dragon Ranking.

At a certain intersection, Chen Yuan and Shen Yanshu faced each other, smiling at each other. Shen Yanshu said:

"Thank you for your help these past few days, Brother Chen."

"It's nothing. Cultivation is a win-win situation for both of us."

Although Shen Yanshu benefited the most due to her lower cultivation level, Chen Yuan wasn't without help. In fact, it was even faster than cultivating alone.

In any case, Shen Yanshu possessed the Phoenix Marrow Spiritual Body, which was a top-grade "furnace," naturally bringing him considerable help.

"I'll come find you in a while."

"After the Ascension Battle, perhaps?"

Chen Yuan replied.

"Alright, then I'll wish Brother Chen a triumphant return, completely seizing the top spot on the Potential Dragon Ranking and suppressing all heroes." Shen Yanshu's face was filled with smiles.

Anyone could tell that she was in very good spirits.

"Then I'll take your good words in advance."

"Mmm."

Shen Yanshu gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and nodded slightly.

Chen Yuan looked at the smiling Shen Yanshu, his eyes moved, and he suddenly asked:

"Why do you smile so much?"

Since he met Shen Yanshu, she seemed to always have a faint smile on her face. It was only this time that he asked out of a sudden impulse.

"My mother told me that women who smile a lot have good luck," Shen Yanshu blinked her eyes.

Chen Yuan opened his mouth and couldn't help but say:

"Your mother's not quite right."

"How so?"

"Because people with really bad luck can't smile at all."

Shen Yanshu covered her mouth and chuckled, saying:

"A twisted logic."

"Alright, I've accompanied you for a thousand miles, but there must be a parting. Miss Shen, until we meet again."

"Brother Chen, farewell!"

Shen Yanshu restrained her smile and clasped her fist in salute.

Chen Yuan returned the salute, and then the two turned around and flew away.

Flying over a hundred meters, Shen Yanshu suddenly turned back, freezing in place, looking at Chen Yuan's receding figure, her eyes filled with melancholy.

In her eyes, Chen Yuan was like this figure, flying further and further away....

Shen Yanshu cheered herself up, determined to cultivate diligently. One day, she would be able to help Chen Yuan, and never again be like she was at Luoxiantai, only able to watch Chen Yuan fight alone.

......

......

It took a very short time for Chen Yuan to finally return to Qingzhou. He concealed his tracks, hid his identity, and headed towards Tangshan Prefecture. During his journey,

The secret realm from before had been thoroughly searched, but nothing of value was found. Some said that Chen Yuan had completely plundered it.

Others said that there shouldn't have been anything inside in the first place. Chen Yuan couldn't possibly have any great magical power like the Sumeru mustard seed, so how could he have plundered all the treasures in the entire secret realm?

Later, it even attracted the attention of a Huayang True Person. After searching through it, that True Person didn't notice anything and said that it should just be an abandoned secret realm.

These words dispelled the covetousness of many people towards Chen Yuan.

As the saying goes, wealth moves people's hearts. The wealth of an entire secret realm was definitely not a small number. Even Huayang True Persons would be tempted. At their level,

Ordinary spiritual pills could no longer increase their cultivation.

Only precious natural treasures could do that. Therefore, Huayang True Persons were indispensable when secret realms opened.

Although Chen Yuan had Jiang He backing him on the surface, and possibly a Huayang True Person protecting him in secret, it still made many people covet him and want to take a gamble.

After returning to Qingzhou, Chen Yuan went straight to Tangshan Prefecture, not choosing Qingzhou City. He didn't need any guidance or opportunities now. The only best path in front of him was to seclude himself and digest the power brought by the Transformation Divine Lotus, thereby raising his cultivation to the peak of the Tongxuan Realm.

Furthermore, Qingzhou City wasn't safe.

He had already broken off relations with the Qingyun Sword Sect and completely intensified the conflict. Last time, if it wasn't for Xiao Yunshēng's fear of Jiang He, it definitely wouldn't have ended well.

He wouldn't place all his hopes on others.

For safety's sake, it was best to secretly return to Tangshan Prefecture.

On the way back to Tangshan Prefecture, Chen Yuan met Zhang Xuan again. The two sat and chatted for a while. The other party congratulated him, even though it was a shared first place.

But it was still first, wasn't it?

Looking at the world, there were only ten people every hundred years.

And those who could reach the top of the Potential Dragon Ranking would not have low achievements in the future. At the very least, they could become Dan Realm grandmasters, and a significant portion of them could shatter their Dan and become gods.

Joining the ranks of Huayang True Persons.

The more powerful True Sovereigns had mostly won the honor of being first on the Potential Dragon Ranking when they were young. It could be said that being first on the Potential Dragon Ranking didn't necessarily guarantee becoming a True Sovereign.

But most True Sovereigns were once first on the Potential Dragon Ranking.

In addition to congratulating him, Zhang Xuan also revealed a piece of news that Chen Yuan's achievement of topping the Potential Dragon Ranking had already reached the ears of Emperor Jingtai.

The other party had probably already sent the reward to Tangshan Prefecture.

It was a pity that if Chen Yuan was a military general, he would probably be ennobled this time. However, because he was a member of the Sky Survey Division, Jingtai's reward wouldn't be too great.

It was probably just an encouragement.

Because Emperor Jingtai was now somewhat wary of the power wielded by the Sky Survey Division and was slowly weakening its power, transferring some of its authority to an office led by eunuchs that he had created a few years ago.

This office was not what Chen Yuan knew as the East Depot, West Depot, or Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But an office called the Imperial Supervisory Division.

The name made it clear that this was an office specifically for the Emperor to monitor officials. In recent years, its power had grown increasingly high, highly valued by Jingtai, and all its superiors were strong eunuchs from inside the Imperial Palace.

Also known as the Imperial Depot, the chief eunuch was also called the Depot Director.

When mentioning this office, Zhang Xuan's words were filled with disdain, even expressing a trace of dissatisfaction with the Emperor. Those sitting in certain positions consider certain problems.

Zhang Xuan's father was one of the four Divine Envoys of the Sky Survey Division, holding high authority. As a vested interest, how could he be happy that the Emperor had established another office to check and balance the Sky Survey Division?

During the conversation, Zhang Xuan told Chen Yuan that his father was very interested in Chen Yuan, even highly valued him, and wanted to meet him if there was an opportunity in the future.

Chen Yuan naturally agreed with pleasure, saying that he would pay his respects to the Divine Envoy if there was a chance.

After a conversation, both host and guest were happy.

Zhang Xuan didn't try to keep Chen Yuan. He already knew that Chen Yuan was about to prepare for the Ascension Battle, and this return was for seclusion, to check for omissions and make up for deficiencies.

Before leaving, Chen Yuan asked Zhang Xuan about the current situation of the Shen family.

According to him, it was not bad, at least much better than before. Shen Yanshu's father was now considered a staunch government faction and had received considerable support.

Zhang Xuan had even specially met with him a few times, making Shen's father feel overwhelmed by the honor.

Besides these, Chen Yuan also learned about some other situations in Nanling Prefecture. Overall, it was still very stable. Both Changle Gang and Shenxiao Hall were very stable.

Wei Xin and Shi Yunlong had not acted recklessly.

Originally, Chen Yuan had planned to go to Shenxiao Hall and catch up with Wei Xin, but after thinking about the urgency of time, he decided against it. Their friendship wasn't that deep.

It wasn't worth making a special trip.

He wasn't worth a special trip for, but Wei Xin didn't think so. During the days when Chen Yuan was away, Wei Xin specially went to Tangshan Prefecture, originally planning to meet Chen Yuan.

But he was rejected by Madam Xu. After that, Wei Xin discussed with Han Yu and Du Ming and formally reached an alliance, exchanging information and resources. With the help of Shenxiao Hall,

Taking advantage of the advantage of Yun River, Chen Yuan's subordinate forces developed rapidly.

Of course, he didn't know any of this yet. He learned about the situation from Madam Xu's mouth when he returned to Tangshan Prefecture later.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Xuan, the rest of the journey was very fast. Flying through the air, it only took a short day for him to return to Tangshan Prefecture.

He didn't alarm too many people.

Besides Han Yu, Du Ming, Liu ZhengSong, and his close aides like Yue Shan, no one knew that Chen Yuan, the figure who was being talked about so much outside, had returned to Tangshan.

It's worth mentioning that because Chen Yuan topped the Potential Dragon Ranking, the storytellers in Tangshan Prefecture wrote about him in great detail, shaping Chen Yuan even stronger.

Even Li Suqing's record of startling several grandmasters with one word was attributed to Chen Yuan.

They said that he was a rare powerhouse in the world, and even the powerful Dan Realm grandmasters could only bow before him, creating a terrifying record that had never been seen before and would never be seen again.

They said that he shook the world and moved the Jianghu.

One saber suppressed Qingzhou, and all geniuses were overshadowed by Chen Yuan's brilliance.

Mmm....

This sentence wasn't wrong. Now, when mentioning the young talents of Qingzhou, the first person everyone thought of was Chen Yuan. Besides him,

If you were to mention any other talents, you would have to think hard.

Compared to other prefectures, Qingzhou was indeed not outstanding.

There was no immortal-level martial arts sacred ground, no powerful force, just an ordinary prefecture among the thirteen prefectures of Great Jin. Originally, it could produce grain,

But now, due to the drought, it had also been suppressed by the nearby Shu Prefecture and Yun Prefecture.

Han Yu and others secretly met Chen Yuan and reported some of the recent situations in detail. Overall, it was improving for the better, and the sphere of influence had expanded to several nearby prefectures.

It was also from their mouths that Chen Yuan learned about Wei Xin and Shenxiao Hall.

After encouraging them, Chen Yuan warned them to temporarily block the news of his return to Tangshan Prefecture and not to disturb outsiders. He wanted to seriously seclude himself and cultivate for a period of time.

Han Yu and others said they understood, reported everything, and then quietly retreated, leaving the place to Madam Xu.

After not seeing each other for more than a month, Madam Xu was still beautiful and moving....

The situation he learned from her mouth was no different from what Han Yu and others said. Chen Yuan was also temporarily relieved and came to a secret room specially built for him by Madam Xu.

This was what Chen Yuan had instructed before he went to Qingzhou City, asking Madam Xu to supervise the construction of a secret room and find formation masters to carve formations inside, in order to maximize the utilization rate of essence crystals.

Facts proved that she did a good job.

After rewarding her, Chen Yuan hurriedly went into seclusion. This time, he would not come out until he had completely stacked his cultivation to the Tongxuan peak!

......

......

Time flies, years pass by.

In the blink of an eye, nearly two months had passed. Chen Yuan still hadn't emerged from seclusion, even making Madam Xu and Han Yu a bit anxious. But they firmly remembered Chen Yuan's previous instructions.

Unless it was an emergency, they shouldn't disturb his cultivation.

They could only wait slowly and keep the surrounding area extremely closely guarded.

Two months was not long, but it wasn't short either. Under normal circumstances, nothing too big would happen in just two months.

But it was different under the premise that the Ascension Battle was about to begin.

The entire Jianghu was very restless. Every day, they could hear who had challenged whom, adding to their record. The guys who had been showing some signs before no longer hid and completely began a mad dash for the ranking.

After all, there were only fifty places in the Ascension Battle. Only those who entered the top fifty had a chance to participate in the Ascension Battle. Because of this, a huge storm was stirred up.

Except for the top three of the Potential Dragon Ranking, who remained unmoved.

From the top ten to the top fifty of the Potential Dragon Ranking, the competition was very fierce. Those geniuses who suddenly appeared or those geniuses who had hidden their strength no longer hid and tried their best to compete for the ranking.

Every day, someone was kicked off the list, and every day, someone was added to the list.

After two months of fighting, the names on the Potential Dragon Ranking hadn't been changed by more than half, but it was definitely not less than half. These people had been hiding their strength and waiting for today.

Han Yu was kicked out of the Potential Dragon Ranking, Ouyang Zhi was squeezed out of the Potential Dragon Ranking, Shangguan Yu, the great unlucky person... Chen Yuan's good brother, was also squeezed out of the top ten.

Bai Changqing squeezed down Gu He and successfully entered the top five of the Potential Dragon Ranking. Dao Xuansheng ranked sixth, and Yu Qingyan barely maintained the top ten. As for the high disciple of the Lingxiao Sect, he was squeezed out of the top ten early on.

Replaced by the hidden powerhouses of the other Five Surnames and Seven Sects.

There was also good news. Chen Yuan's old superior, Zhang Xuan, successfully entered the top twenty of the Potential Dragon Ranking, making a name for himself.

Originally, the Jianghu martial artists were still expecting Chen Yuan to make some moves in these two months and whether he would defeat Zuo Chengzong, but as more and more battle records were reported,

The focus of everyone's attention shifted to other martial artists.

In this Potential Dragon Ranking melee, only the Four Extremes of the Potential Dragon remained unmoved. At the beginning, Gu He heard that Chen Yuan had defeated Xuan Ming and wanted to spar with Xuan Ming.

But he was beaten to the point of doubting his life within a hundred breaths and left in frustration.

Later, there was the incident of Bai Changqing fighting with him.

Gu He was also squeezed into Chen Yuan's original seventh position. Even because of losing two consecutive battles, many masters who were interested in the honor of the top ten set their sights on Gu He.

Making Gu He quite angry. A single spar directly killed the other party by mistake, which eliminated some disputes.

Although he was squeezed out of the top five, it was definitely not because he was weak, but because the guys in the top five were too perverted.... This was how he explained to Yu Qingyan.

However, Yu Qingyan ignored him.

The outside world was chaotic and turbulent, but this did not shake Chen Yuan's determination to cultivate. For two months, he didn't move a step, like a sculpture in the secret room.

Diligent cultivation, diligent cultivation, and more diligent cultivation!

He was striving to hone his divine soul and spirit, slowly strengthening it through the Transformation Divine Lotus.

On this day, at noon,

Several Sky Survey Guards guarding the secret room raised their hands to wipe their sweat, looked at the blazing sun, and remained silent. They had maintained this posture for nearly two months.

They had long been used to it and were not surprised.

But just when the few people thought that today would be the same as usual, suddenly, a long roar shook them. The roar was long and continuous, and half of Tangshan Prefecture City could hear it.

More than ten Sky Survey Guards and the leading Sky Survey Envoy looked towards the direction of the secret room at the same time.

For nearly two months, this was the first time a sound had been made inside.

Inside the secret room.

Chen Yuan, who was like a sculpture, suddenly opened his eyes. The empty room generated electricity, blooming with bright light. The Divine Lotus swayed in his spiritual platform, and his Divine Soul was full, reaching a completely new level.

His aura had also completely reached the peak of the Tongxuan Realm!!!

————

Reached the peak,大佬们月票订阅支持支持，马上就要登仙战了！
(Reached the peak, Brothers, support with monthly tickets and subscriptions, the Ascension Battle is coming soon!)