54: Chapter 54 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Part Two)

Yun Mengyao was still sipping her tea, clearly believing that Chu Shi was merely speaking "angry words."

Just a moment ago, she had used a soft voice to egg Li Hao on to come over and show off.

Ostensibly, she was congratulating him on measuring a superior sword bone, but in reality, she was hoping the two would continue to fight over her until they were battered and bruised.

This way she could continue to play both sides, squeezing every bit of value out of them.

But Chu Shi's sudden letting go completely shattered the trap she had so carefully laid.

Yun Mengyao knew clearly that she was just a girl from a minor family with mediocre talent.

Whether it was the top-tier Chu family or the deeply rooted Li family, it was impossible for her to become their legitimate wife.

Even if both of them were illegitimate sons.

Only by keeping these two well-matched young masters on a string and making them compete for her favor could she leverage the influence of both families to carve out a path for herself.

She didn't want to be a concubine for someone else and spend her whole life living at the mercy of others.

Li Hao had a straightforward personality; he was a stubborn one-track mind.

Without Chu Shi as a rival, in less than three months, his novelty towards her would completely vanish.

And those little tricks she used to manipulate men would never be enough to keep Li Hao tied down.

But at this moment, Chu Shi had no interest in caring about her petty, shameful schemes.

He looked at the two people still blocking his path, his brows furrowed, and a hint of impatience welled up in his eyes.

He raised his hand and casually shoved, pushing Li Hao, who was still in high spirits, to the side, then turned sideways to avoid Yun Mengyao, who was about to open her mouth to plead with him to stay.

Without stopping his pace, he walked straight towards the altar in the center of the plaza.

"Move aside, don't block me from measuring my talent."

That light, airy sentence felt like a stone crashing into Yun Mengyao's heart.

She froze in place, watching Chu Shi's back as he walked away without a hint of reluctance, her meticulously painted pretty face turning from pale to green.

Her nails, painted with henna, dug deeply into her palms, and her eyes churned with unhidden resentment and panic.

Chu Shi stepped onto the altar, ignoring the various gazes cast from below.

There was mockery, curiosity, and malicious intent waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

His expression was calm as he raised his hand and gently pressed it against the cold, heavy Spirit Measurement Stele.

The moment his palm touched the stele, a deafening hum suddenly exploded!

Blinding purple light erupted from the base of the stele, like a surging tide, and in an instant, it shot to the very top of the stele.

It completely overwhelmed the deep blue spiritual light that Li Hao had left just moments before.

The entire plaza was instantly enveloped in this vast purple radiance, and the spirit patterns on the stele lit up frantically, flowing endlessly as if they had come alive.

A line of gold-stamped characters slowly emerged in the center of the stele, the strokes vigorous and so dazzling that people couldn't open their eyes:

[Root Bone: Top-grade Root Bone!]

There was a deathly silence below the stage.

Immediately after, deafening exclamations erupted.

"Top-grade Root Bone! How many years has it been since Canglan State produced a Top-grade Root Bone?"

"The Chu family's third young master? Isn't it said that he isn't favored and has mediocre talent?"

"This is crazy, this is crazy! What kind of incredible luck have we stumbled upon today!"

But it wasn't over yet!

The moment the words "Top-grade Root Bone" completely settled, a heat so intense it scorched the air erupted from within Chu Shi's body.

The air around him was scorched until it distorted, and golden flames, like living creatures, flowed and coiled around his body, reflecting the light from the stele.

Heatwaves spread down from the altar, and the disciples in the front row even subconsciously took two steps back.

The Spirit Measurement Stele trembled violently again, causing the entire altar to shake slightly.

A second line of gilded characters followed closely, slowly emerging on the stele:

[Innate Physique: Blazing Sun Body!]

At this, even the elders of the various sects, who were sitting high up on the altar and originally holding teacups to watch the show, could no longer sit still.

The screeching sound of chairs scraping against the floor rang out one after another as over a dozen high-level sect members stood up in unison.

Their gazes were locked tightly onto Chu Shi in the center of the altar, their faces full of unconcealable shock, as well as unmasked greed and eagerness.

Especially the red-robed elder sitting in the very center, representing the top-tier Great Sun Holy Land; his eyes were shining like two blazing suns.

The aura around his body surged uncontrollably, and he almost flew down from his seat on the spot.

Blazing Sun Body! This was simply the supreme physique tailor-made for their Great Sun Holy Land!

Paired with a Top-grade Root Bone, as long as this child doesn't perish prematurely, his future will at the very least be a Martial Monarch of the Yinsui Realm.

He might even have the chance to undergo multiple blood exchanges, step into the mid-stage of the Silver Marrow Realm, and become a titan of the region!

"Good! Good! Good!"

The red-robed elder exclaimed "good" three times in a row.

Before his voice had even faded, his figure flashed and he appeared directly on the altar.

He didn't give the other sects any chance to speak up and compete; he raised his hand and pressed down on the still-trembling Spirit Measurement Stele.

His thick, powerful blood energy carried his voice across the entire plaza, resounding with authority:

"This child is fated with my Great Sun Holy Land! Today, he enters the Inner Sect Disciple rank of my Great Sun Holy Land; no one is to compete with me for him!"

The plaza fell instantly silent.

No one dared to compete with the Holy Land for a recruit, and even less dared to disrespect the Great Sun Holy Land.

Li Hao stood at the very front of the crowd, the smile on his face long gone, his entire body frozen in place, completely stunned.

He had thought that by testing for a full-value superior root bone, plus his Innate Sword Bone, his overall aptitude was top-grade.

He had already locked in the top spot for this recruiting ceremony and was destined to be the most dazzling star in Canglan State in the future.

Yet he hadn't expected that his childhood friend, Chu Shi, would pull out a trump card.

A Top-grade Root Bone, plus a Blazing Sun Body, and being named and accepted on the spot by a top-tier Holy Land—this was a scenario he wouldn't even dare to dream of.

For a moment, his heart was filled with mixed feelings, and he truly felt a sense of powerlessness, like the phrase "Why must there be a Hao if there is a Shi?"

Meanwhile, not far away, Yun Mengyao's face was as pale as paper.

She stumbled, her body swaying slightly, and only managed to stand steady by holding onto the railing beside her.

She never imagined that Chu Shi, who she had played in the palm of her hand and summoned or dismissed at will, would possess such heaven-defying talent.

Just moments ago, when Chu Shi said "I won't fight for it anymore," she had sneered in her heart, certain that it was just his angry talk.

She had even planned how she would manipulate him once he turned back to beg her, making him pay a greater price.

But now, Chu Shi had risen to the heavens in one step, so dazzling that even looking up at him felt blinding.

Now, even if that really was just angry talk, she was destined to never be able to get within half a step of him again.

With such talent, the Chu family would certainly not let him be as they had before.

Her little tricks, in the face of such an absolute gap, were as laughable as a clown.

Regret, like a poisonous snake, gnawed fiercely at her heart. Yet from beginning to end, Chu Shi didn't even spare her a single extra glance.

The red-robed elder, fearing someone would intercept him if he were a step late, shielded Chu Shi behind him, even exempting him from the subsequent procedures of the ceremony.

He grabbed Chu Shi's wrist, his tone incredibly kind: "Nephew Chu, I am Zhang Lie, responsible for the recruitment of the Great Sun Holy Land in Canglan State. You can just call me Elder Zhang."

"You don't need to worry about the trivial matters of today's ceremony. I have already secured a spot for you as an Inner Sect Disciple and will personally guarantee it for you…"

As Zhang Lie spoke, he took out a jade token carved with a Golden Crow totem from his storage bag and shoved it into Chu Shi's hand.

"This is your identity token; keep it safe. Go back to your manor today and rest well, and pack your bags. Tomorrow at the Chen hour, gather at the airport in the east of the city, and we will take the Holy Land's Spirit Pattern Flying Boat to return."