"Boom!"

Like a thunderclap, Chen Yuan instantly reached the summit, becoming the first to do so. Following closely behind was Zuo Chengzong, his body radiating with lightning.

It was as if all the lightning had converged, forcefully breaking through the restraints of the Heavenly Ladder with immense power, ascending just half a step behind Chen Yuan. Though seemingly similar,

any martial artist with even a slight degree of accomplishment could see who was ahead and who was behind.

And Chen Yuan was clearly the one in front!

The martial artists below erupted in an uproar. This was practically their first comparison, and a victor had emerged. Someone exclaimed:

"It seems Zuo Chengzong is still a bit inferior to Chen Yuan."

"Indeed, Chen Yuan truly surpasses all other talents," another said, his face filled with astonishment.

They had all clearly witnessed the moment Chen Yuan and the others started their ascent, almost half a step behind the other Dragon Potential List talents. Yet, the final outcome was that Chen Yuan had reached the top first.

How could they not be filled with awe?

Although they were merely spectators, they could still sense the terror of the Heavenly Ladder by observing the martial artists with fractured bones and blood-soaked bodies. In contrast, Chen Yuan and Zuo Chengzong appeared to be strolling through a leisurely garden.

It was clear they were opponents on a completely different level.

"Chen Yuan has a good chance of reaching the top!"

"You all are exaggerating too much. Who says Zuo Chengzong is necessarily inferior to Chen Yuan? He was only slightly behind just now. What can such a small difference prove?"

"True, true."

"Chen Yuan may be strong, but he might not necessarily defeat Zuo Chengzong."

The lightning emanating from Zuo Chengzong gradually dissipated, revealing his true face. He turned towards Chen Yuan and said softly:

"Brother Chen, your methods are truly remarkable."

"Just some minor tricks. Brother Zuo's lightning techniques are truly extraordinary."

"Just some minor tricks, nothing compared to Brother Chen."

As the two were speaking, Wei Wuyai, the third, also caught up. At this moment, he had revealed many of his skills, his eyes flashing with demonic light, his demonic pupils displaying their power.

Streams of demonic energy covered his entire body, resembling ancient formation patterns.

"The three of you truly live up to your reputations as the four pillars of the current Dragon Potential List. In just a short moment, you have reached the top of the Heavenly Ladder." Fang Hongtai, the Grand Master of the Ascending Immortal Pavilion, slowly descended from the void.

"Greetings, Senior Fang."

"Greetings, Senior Fang."

Chen Yuan cupped his fists and bowed.

They held a high degree of respect for the Grand Master of the Ascending Immortal Pavilion.

"Please, dispense with the formalities."

Fang Hongtai was very amiable, not putting on any airs.

"May I ask why City Lord Ye is using the Heavenly Ladder for selection this time?" Zuo Chengzong asked in a deep voice, seemingly puzzled.

From his experience climbing the Heavenly Ladder, he could sense a significant issue. It seemed that most people wouldn't be able to reach the top within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

This would eliminate a large number of people.

"The City Lord's divine power is unfathomable. This old man dare not speculate." Fang Hongtai replied with a smile, not answering directly.

In truth, he wasn't deliberately being evasive. He genuinely didn't know what Ye Xiangnan was thinking. As the second on the Supreme List, a figure of the unparalleled True Lord level,

Ye Xiangnan was close to reaching the legendary Sixth Realm.

Even he couldn't meet him easily.

As they were speaking, the fourth person to reach the top of the Heavenly Ladder appeared. Unexpectedly, it wasn't Xuan Ming, one of the four pillars of the Dragon Potential List, but Dao Xuansheng of Biyou Palace, whose presence had been relatively low throughout.

He had been on the Dragon Potential List for quite some time, almost as long as Zuo Chengzong, but he rarely appeared in the Jianghu, and his battle records were even fewer.

Therefore, his ranking had always been low.

His reaching the top in fourth place was quite unexpected.

The fifth to reach the top was Xuan Ming.

The sixth to reach the top was Bai Changqing of Mount Shu. As he was about to reach the top from the last step, the sound of his sword resonated, and even from a great distance,

many could feel its sharpness.

The seventh to reach the top was Wei Wuque, the son of the Prince of Northern Liang.

His speed had been consistent, only showing some difficulty on the final level. The eighth to reach the top was Yu Qingyan.

As for Gu He, the first of the top ten on the Dragon Potential List to ascend the Heavenly Ladder, he ranked ninth.

Even so, he had endured countless hardships. Though they couldn't feel it, everyone could see his difficulty. Cracks had even begun to appear on his body.

His flesh was soaked with blood.

The tenth to reach the top was an unfamiliar man, previously ranked nineteenth, also a high-achieving disciple from one of the Five Surnames and Seven Sects.

As for Chen Yuan's good brothers, Shangguan Yu and Zhang Xuan, they had now reached the ninth level, but each step they took was extremely difficult, as if they were enduring immense pain.

At this moment, only one-fifth of the incense stick at the top of the Heavenly Ladder remained.

And most of these top-tier Jianghu talents on the Dragon Potential List were still on the Heavenly Ladder, some even far from reaching the eighth level.

One could imagine just how terrifying the Heavenly Ladder was.

It completely assessed a person's potential and strength; combat power... wasn't a factor!

Time passed second by second. More than ten figures had already stood at the top of the Heavenly Ladder. Zhang Xuan and Shangguan Yu finally mustered their strength and reached the top just before the incense stick was about to burn out.

Fang Hongtai stroked his beard and said in a deep voice:

"The incense has burned out. An incense stick's worth of time has passed. Heroes, please step down."

At this moment, there were still more than thirty people on the Heavenly Ladder, making up the majority of those on the Dragon Potential List. Their eyes were filled with unwillingness, their lips bitten, and traces of blood trickled out.

"Senior Fang, please give us another chance!"

"Yes, I came all the way here, how can I leave like this?"

"Please, Senior Fang, have mercy!"

Such voices rose and fell, begging incessantly.

They truly couldn't bear to return like this. Most of them hadn't come solely for the Ascending Immortal Fruit. Anyone with a clear head knew the gap between them and the top ten on the Dragon Potential List.

Their intention was to spar with experts of a similar level, to hone themselves, and to have something to say in the future, that they had only missed the mark by a hair's breadth and had already done their best.

But what could they say now?

They couldn't even pass the first level, and they would inevitably become a laughingstock.

Fang Hongtai remained unmoved. With a wave of his hand, the immense pressure on the Heavenly Ladder instantly dissipated:

"This matter is not something this old man can decide. Heroes, please rest first."

After saying this, he ignored the pleas from below, turned to look at Chen Yuan and the others, and said in a deep voice:

"The Heavenly Ladder is only the first level. What follows is the real Ascending Immortal Battle!"

The Heavenly Ladder had sifted out those with insufficient strength and potential, and the remaining ones were the true dragons. Only a few could make it onto the Dragon Potential List, and even now, there were only fourteen people in total.

Most of these people were closing their eyes, breathing, and refining pills.

They had already begun to prepare for the Ascending Immortal Battle and naturally had no shortage of such treasures.

"May I ask, Senior, what are the rules of this battle?"

Fang Hongtai waved his hand, and fourteen prayer mats flew out from his sleeves, suspended in the void, with large numbers indicating their rankings. He said in a deep voice:

"The previous arena battles were too boring. This time, we will change the rules. These rankings are determined by the order in which you reached the top of the Heavenly Ladder, which you naturally understand.

You may sit on the prayer mats and challenge others in order. If you are unwilling to fight, the prayer mats will switch places. If you win, you can take their place."

"Hmm... Is a group battle allowed?"

"No, unless the challenged party agrees."

Chen Yuan inadvertently glanced at Gu He and asked in a deep voice:

"What if one accidentally loses control?"

"Life and death are at your own risk!"

Chen Yuan nodded slightly, then stepped forward and sat on the prayer mat ranked first, looking ahead. At this moment, he wasn't climbing upward, but simply had to hold his position until the end, and the Ascending Immortal Fruit would naturally be his.

As soon as he moved, the others began to flicker, each taking their place on the arena. The martial artists watching below began to stir excitedly.

Compared to that, it was naturally more exciting for them to watch the clashes between the top experts on the Dragon Potential List.

Fang Hongtai also sat cross-legged in the void, quietly watching the situation in the void. Before the real Ascending Immortal Battle began, the Core Formation Grandmasters and even the Transformation Yang True Lords of Invincible City also began to appear.

The first was naturally the Sky Imprisoning Demon Lord, Song Zhilun.

After that, True Lords from the Gu family, Sword Immortals from Mount Shu, and True Lord-level experts from other top forces or immortal sects also began to appear, most of them Core Formation Grandmasters.

Roughly counting, there were more than ten, including experts from the Wind and Cloud List.

As for Transformation Yang True Lords, there were only a few.

Most of the people present had experts behind them protecting them. Even the Shangguan Clan had someone come, but it wasn't a True Lord, but a Grandmaster.

The Shangguan Clan only had one True Lord on the surface and naturally had to guard the clan's base.

The first challenger was Xu Jing of the Lingxiao Sect, a former top ten expert on the Dragon Potential List. He was the last to reach the top of the Heavenly Ladder, ranked last.

He challenged none other than Zhang Xuan!

The Ascending Immortal Battle began. Zhang Xuan and Xu Jing engaged in a great battle, which was quite fierce. However, because Zhang Xuan was still a bit away from the Heavenly Palace Realm, his cultivation was a bit lower than Xu Jing's.

In the end, he could only regretfully be defeated and ranked last.

"Brother Zhang, you are too kind!"

Xu Jing cupped his fists.

He understood that in terms of potential, he was not as good as Zhang Xuan, otherwise he would not have lagged behind at the end. But the most important thing in the Ascending Immortal Battle was strength.

"Brother Xu's strength is extraordinary. We will fight again another day."

"Good!"

Neither of them made any harsh remarks. With no previous grudges, they would generally hold back a bit, unless they were forced to do so.

After Zhang Xuan and Xu Jing took their seats, Shangguan Yu stood up and pointed directly at Gu He in the void, saying:

"Gu He, do you dare to fight!"

Their rankings in the process of climbing the Heavenly Ladder were not much different, so Shangguan Yu also wanted to fight him. His previous opponent, Yun Han, had died at Chen Yuan's hands.

The only one he had a feud with among the five great clans was Gu He.

Of course, the deeper reason was that he felt Gu He was hostile to Chen Yuan. Old and new grudges combined, it was time to settle the score.

Gu He curled his lips into a cold smile:

"Based on you!"

"Based on me."

Sneering, Gu He stared at Shangguan Yu:

"Alright, then I will fulfill your wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu He took a step forward. With no referee present, the battle immediately began. A long sword rose from behind him, and sword energy soared, rushing directly towards Shangguan Yu.

The opponent's response was a long spear sweeping across, and two iron rods like things were combined into one behind him. The spear tip flashed with cold light, and it pierced out like a dragon.

"Boom!!!"

Heat waves swept through the void, and Yuan Qi collided.

Gu He's swordsmanship was extraordinary, even no less than Bai Changqing's in Chen Yuan's eyes. It turned into sword energy dragons in the void, while Shangguan Yu wielded the long spear with a wide-open and close style.

"Primal Sword!"

Gu He formed a seal with his hands, and a phantom spirit sword burst out instantly.

Shangguan Yu roared:

"Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!"

A green bird instantly condensed, colliding with the phantom spirit sword.

This was about the first time Chen Yuan had seen Shangguan Yu in action. His strength was indeed extraordinary, and it was normal for him to have been on the top ten of the Dragon Potential List before. He had few opponents of the same rank.

But he was obviously much weaker than Gu He. The situation, which had been evenly matched for only ten breaths, turned sharply downwards.

Gu He did not probe or hold back.

As soon as he made a move, he attacked with all his strength. He knew that Shangguan Yu was not his opponent, but he obviously wasn't aiming for Shangguan Yu, but for Chen Yuan.

Everyone in the Jianghu knew that Shangguan Yu and Chen Yuan were on good terms. He hated Chen Yuan in his heart, but knew that he was not strong enough, so he vented all his anger on Shangguan Yu.

In fact, even if Shangguan Yu didn't challenge him, he would have used words to squeeze the other party, forcing him to challenge him.

The humiliation Chen Yuan had given him on the roof of the Ascending Immortal Tower, and the words that Yu Qingyan had deeply hurt him, had long been remembered by him, thinking that one day he would have to pay them back.

But it was not a good thing to suppress this anger in his heart, it had to be vented.

Shangguan Yu was the person he used to vent his anger.

In the void, the two sides clashed head-on, and the sword light covered a hundred zhang around. The endless methods of the two sides made the martial artists watching below exclaim with excitement.

After a hundred breaths of fighting, Shangguan Yu's breath began to weaken, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He flickered his eyes, wanting to retreat. Seeing this, Gu He smiled coldly:

"Do you dare to provoke me with such a little skill? What a waste. I heard that you have a nice-looking sister. I wonder... if Gu goes to propose marriage, will your father agree?"

"You're courting death!"

Shangguan Yu was instantly enraged. Shangguan Hong was born from the same mother as him and had a deep relationship with him. Naturally, he hoped that she would have a good home, but this guy Gu He was obviously not.

He must pay the price in blood for insulting him like this.

"Shocking God Thorn!"

Shangguan Yu roared and used his trump card, and the Qi and blood all over his body began to gather. A phantom image of a cyan spear condensed behind him, as high as ten zhang.

It was exuding a terrifying power, and the surrounding heaven and earth Yuan Qi quickly began to gather.

Gu He curled his lips into a cold smile, seemingly disdainful, but a solemn look flashed in his eyes. He pinched his sword fingers, and the top-grade spirit sword in the void began to transform.

One divided into two, two divided into four, four divided into eight, eight divided into sixteen, and in the blink of an eye, it was a sky full of sword energy.

"Fall!"

"Kill!"

Endless sword energy rushed down, and a long spear faced everything head-on.

"Boom!!!"

The sound of explosions echoed in the void. Under the convergence of various sword energy, the long spear condensed by Shangguan Yu shattered directly, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of old blood.

But Gu He did not intend to let him go. A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and with a flick of his sword fingers, the remaining sword energy rushed directly to Shangguan Yu.

The body-protecting Gang Qi was shattered, and streams of sword energy cut out streaks of blood on Shangguan Yu's body. Some of the ethereal sword energy even directly penetrated him,

Under the mismatch of strength, victory or defeat could be determined in the blink of an eye.

Shangguan Yu's strength was still a little bit weaker after all.

"Pfft!"

Shangguan Yu's left chest was pierced by sword energy, and the flesh was visible to the bone. His body was like broken porcelain, and streaks of blood gushed out from his body. Zhang Xuan frowned and looked at Chen Yuan.

Shangguan Hong, who was watching below, couldn't help but shout, "Brother."

But she didn't dare to do anything because there were rules for the Ascending Immortal Battle. If she dared to intervene directly, Fang Hongtai would definitely not sit idly by. Moreover, he had said before that life and death were at your own risk.

The Core Formation Grandmaster of the Shangguan Clan couldn't help but sternly said:

"Gu He, if you dare to kill, my Shangguan Clan will never end with your Gu family!"

Although the Shangguan Clan was not as good as the Gu family, it was still a top force no matter what, and the difference would not be too great. They could endure ordinary small things.

But if the direct son of the Shangguan Clan was killed, it was absolutely impossible to endure it.

Otherwise, they would not be able to gain a foothold in the Jianghu at all!

The Transformation Yang True Lord of the Gu family sneered:

"The Shangguan family's tone is not small. This seat wants to see how your Shangguan Clan will never end with my Gu family."

Gu He above ignored it and the sword energy fell with a bang, seriously injuring Shangguan Yu.

Chen Yuan, who was sitting at the top, narrowed his eyes without saying anything.

Zuo Chengzong and Wei Wuyai on the side took a deep look at Chen Yuan and continued to watch the situation in the arena.

Shangguan Yu took out a sealed method from his arms and annihilated the surging sword energy. He used his last bit of strength and shouted:

"I admit defeat!"

The rules of the Ascending Immortal Battle were indeed that life and death were at your own risk, but that was only limited to life and death battles where the difference was not great. If you accidentally missed, it was also normal.

But generally, if one party admitted defeat, the other party would not continue to attack.

Sure enough, after Shangguan Yu shouted this, Fang Hongtai, who had always been self-possessed, waved his hand, and a powerful force directly protected Shangguan Yu.

Gu He looked down at Shangguan Yu, glanced at Chen Yuan inadvertently, and smiled:

"Brother Shangguan, you are too kind."

Shangguan Yu's face was gloomy and his breath was very weak. He quickly took out a pill and sent it into his mouth to suppress his injuries without answering.

The situation in the field was silent for a moment. Gu He chuckled and turned back to sit down directly.

Chen Yuan's eyes were still calm, as if it had nothing to do with him.

After Gu He stepped down, Bai Changqing slowly got up and looked at Chen Yuan and said:

"Brother Chen, it's been several months since the last battle, and Bai wants to fight again."

Only the first place on the Dragon Potential List could get the Ascending Immortal Fruit, and the other rankings were not very useful. Bai Changqing didn't value these false names, he just wanted to fight Chen Yuan.

"You are not my opponent."

"I hope Brother Chen will accept the challenge." Bai Changqing clasped his fists.

Chen Yuan's eyes were slightly closed and he turned to Gu He:

"Chen knows that you have resentment in your heart, so I will give you a chance today. Join hands with Bai Changqing, and Chen will accept the challenge."

Hearing this, Gu He's face sank instantly. Chen Yuan was completely insulting him now, probably also to avenge Shangguan Yu, so naturally he couldn't accept the challenge, and said coldly:

"To deal with you, why do I need to join hands with Brother Bai? If you want to fight, we can fight another day."

Yu Qingyan's ears moved, and after hesitating for a moment, she also said:

"Brother Chen, since Young Master Gu doesn't want to fight, why bother to invite him? Young Master Gu just fought with Young Master Shangguan, and I guess he hasn't recovered yet. Moreover, Brother Chen is ranked first, so how can Young Master Gu be an opponent? I think... it's not appropriate. If you really want to fight, how about I fight you for Young Master Gu?"

"You...."

Gu He's face turned blue and white for a while. Chen Yuan invited him to fight, and he naturally refused, but Yu Qingyan's words directly put him on the fire. What did she mean that he was not an opponent?

What did she mean that Yu Qingyan would fight for him?

If it spread out, how would he face Yu Qingyan and the Jianghu's discussions in the future?

But Chen Yuan was indeed a formidable enemy. He knew that he was not an opponent, and thinking of this, he hesitated for a moment, holding a Dan Talisman that was the pinnacle of a Grandmaster's strike in his hand.

He thought to himself:

"Even if I am not an opponent, it is not a problem to hold on for a while. At worst, I will directly admit defeat after a few encounters. Losing to him will not damage my reputation."

"If I win by luck...."

"Why do I need Fairy Yu to fight? Since Envoy Chen is so arrogant, then Gu will take action to fight. I only hope that Envoy Chen will not regret it."

"It's just a competition, what is there to regret?"

"Okay, then Gu will fight you!"

Gu He accepted the challenge, and Chen Yuan curled his lips into a cold smile and a subtle killing intent. The opportunity... was finally coming!

Bai Changqing stood in the void and faced Chen Yuan directly:

"Brother Chen, please!"

Gu He smiled faintly:

"I have long heard that Envoy Chen has extraordinary skills, and today Gu must see it for himself."

Chen Yuan showed a warm smile:

"You, come together!"

——————

It's a bit late, a big chapter of 5,600 words is presented. I haven't been in a state these days, and my body is a bit uncomfortable, and I have a bit of diarrhea.

Also, don't raise books, chasing after the book is the motivation for Little Stone to update more.

If everyone doesn't read, Little Stone doesn't have enough motivation!