5: Chapter 5 Talent Surpassing the Heavenly Rank

Zhao Ruoan extended his right hand and slowly pressed it against the cold zixiao spirit-testing stone.

Hum—

A deep rumble resounded.

As if thrown into a volcanic crater filled with tens of thousands of tons of explosives, the inside of the zixiao spirit-testing stone was instantly swallowed by a blinding, pure white light.

That light was overwhelmingly domineering, completely beyond what a purple crystal could bear.

Crack.

A tiny crack appeared on the surface of the crystal stone.

Immediately following was a second, then a third...

The cracks spread frantically like a spiderweb.

The smile on Sect Master Yan Jingxuan's face froze.

He wanted to retrieve the spirit-testing stone as fast as he could, but it was already too late.

Boom!

A loud explosion rang out.

Right before everyone's eyes, that priceless High Grade Magical Artifact, the zixiao spirit-testing stone—sufficient to serve as a small Sect's town-protecting treasure—exploded into dust.

The powder drifted everywhere like purple snowflakes, falling softly.

The whole venue fell into a dead silence.

Thousands of newly recruited Disciple stood with their mouths wide open, utterly dumbfounded.

The several Grand Elder were equally full of disbelief.

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan was completely petrified, staring blankly at the pile of purple powder on the ground as his heart bled.

"My precious treasure!"

"What a waste, such a massive waste!"

"This was the zixiao spirit-testing stone!"

"Holy... Holy crap, it blew up?"

No one knew who stammered out that sentence first, breaking the eerie silence.

"Can a spirit-testing stone... even explode?"

"Is this guy for real? Having Heaven-Defying Comprehension Ability is one thing, but he shattered the stone during the talent test?"

"This isn't even a matter of being formidable or not—he's simply not human!"

"It's over. I was thinking of catching up to him, but now he's directly in another dimension."

The square buzzed with noisy discussions, and every gaze directed at Zhao Ruoan was filled with inexpressible awe.

Zhao Ruoan himself was also bewildered.

He had only operated the Great Dao Scripture within his body according to what Sect Master Yan Jingxuan said.

Yet the moment that faint warm current touched the spirit-testing stone, the stone seemed as if it had seen a ghost and exploded on its own.

Don't try to pin this on me.

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan finally snapped out of his grief over losing his Magic Treasure. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.

He walked over to the pile of powder, squatted down to pinch a bit, and carefully sensed the residual aura.

A moment later, he stood up and spoke in a dreamlike tone.

"The limit of the zixiao spirit-testing stone is detecting Heaven Rank talent..."

His voice rang out clearly in everyone's ears.

"There is only one explanation for it shattering."

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan's body trembled slightly with excitement.

"His talent surpasses Heaven Rank!"

Surpassing Heaven Rank!

The moment those four words were uttered, everyone froze again.

Yellow, Profound, Earth, Heaven.

These were the universally recognized talent Rank tiers in the mortal world.

Heaven Rank was already as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, a rare sight in a thousand years, capable of supporting the Luck of a top Sect.

What lay beyond Heaven Rank?

Was it Spirit Rank? Or... the Immortal Rank that only existed in myths of the Upper Realm?

No one dared to think further.

The way those Grand Elder looked at Yun Qinghan was no longer mere envy; it was outright, unadulterated jealousy.

She really hit the jackpot!

This old woman must have hit eight lifetimes of dog shit Luck when stepping out today!

"So that's how it is."

Yun Qinghan, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke up again.

There seemed to be a subtle ripple of emotion in her voice.

She didn't look at anyone else, merely saying to Zhao Ruoan,

"Let us go."

As her words fell, a gentle force enveloped Zhao Ruoan. Feeling a sensation of weightlessness under his feet, he hovered into the air uncontrollably.

Her sleeves fluttering, Yun Qinghan carried him off into a streak of light, flying toward the deepest sea of clouds in Qingxuan Sect.

Leaving behind the Sect's higher-ups stranded bewildered on the square, and thousands of new Disciple questioning their life choices.

...

This was Zhao Ruoan's first time flying.

The fierce wind was blocked outside by an invisible barrier, allowing him to clearly overlook the entire Qingxuan Sect below.

Continuous mountain ranges resembled the spine of a giant dragon, with tens of thousands of palaces and pavilions dotted throughout. Mist coiled around the peaks as immortal cranes flew together.

Countless streaks of light of various sizes shuttled through the mountains—those were Sect Disciple flying on swords.

What a grand, immortal sight.

Soon, they passed through layers of clouds and mist, arriving at an isolated peak floating above the sea of clouds.

This peak was breathtakingly beautiful, covered in rare flowers and exotic herbs, with Spiritual Qi so dense it almost condensed into visible mist. A seven-colored waterfall cascaded from the summit, making it look like a fairyland.

The two landed softly in front of the palace on the summit.

"This is Qinghan Peak, my sanctuary."

Yun Qinghan's voice sounded beside him.

"Besides the two of us, your three Senior Sister reside on this peak."

"Among your three Senior Sister, First Senior Sister Luo Li is still on the peak, while Second Senior Sister and Third Senior Sister are away gaining experience outside. You will meet them in time."

Having finished her explanation, Yun Qinghan called out softly toward the empty space before the hall.

"Qiuyin, Xiamo."

As soon as her voice fell, two graceful figures walked out quickly from inside the hall and bowed elegantly to Yun Qinghan.

"Greetings, Revered Master."

They were two young maidens around sixteen or seventeen years old. One wore an autumn-scented silk dress, while the other wore a light green gauze robe. They possessed fair, delicate features and slender figures.

Having grown up on Qinghan Peak since childhood, they had never seen a man from the outside world. Seeing Zhao Ruoan now, both of their pretty faces flushed with a shy blush.

"This is your Junior Martial Uncle, Zhao Ruoan. Starting today, you will be responsible for taking care of his daily life," Yun Qinghan instructed.

"Yes."

The two maidservants hurriedly turned to Zhao Ruoan and bowed respectfully: "Servants Qiuyin and Xiamo greet Junior Martial Uncle."

Their voices were crisp and pleasant, like orioles singing in a valley.

"There is no need for such formality, elder sisters."

Zhao Ruoan smiled warmly and gestured to raise them up.

His attitude was humble and polite without any air of a Genius, winning the two maidservants' favor right away.

After arranging everything, Yun Qinghan looked at Zhao Ruoan.

"You hail from the mortal world, so you likely have few worldly possessions."

As she spoke, she flipped her fair hand, and a simple bronze ring appeared in her palm.

"Take this sumeru ring as a Revered Master-Disciple greeting gift from me."

The ring automatically flew over to Zhao Ruoan.

"Simply bind it with a drop of blood. The space inside is plenty for your use."

Zhao Ruoan received the ring, a warm stream flowing through his heart.

Although his Immortal Emperor Revered Master appeared cold on the outside, she possessed a thoughtful nature, considering even such small matters on his behalf.

"Thank you, Revered Master."

He offered his sincere thanks, then bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto the ring.

The ring flashed with light, instantly establishing a Bloodline-linked connection with him.

Zhao Ruoan urged his spiritual power to probe into the sumeru ring.

The next second, his consciousness felt as though it had been drawn into a brand-new dimension.

An astonishingly vast space appeared within his perception.

Inside the space, items were stacked like small mountains.

The "mountain" on the left was entirely translucent, emitting dense waves of Spiritual Qi; it was surprisingly a pile of stacked Spirit Stones.

Scanning it briefly, Zhao Ruoan felt his scalp go numb.

The quality of these Spirit Stones far surpassed any type he had seen on the mountain gate square, each piece containing surging energy.

"These are one hundred thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, enough for you to Cultivate to the Golden Core Realm."

Yun Qinghan's voice chimed in at just the right moment.

Gulp.

Zhao Ruoan swallowed hard.

One hundred thousand... Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?

He had heard a Sect deacon introduce earlier that an Outer Sect Disciple's monthly allowance was ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

The exchange ratio between Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and Low-Grade Spirit Stones was one to one hundred.

In other words, the massive sum of wealth in his hands right now was equivalent to an Outer Sect Disciple working without eating or drinking for over eight thousand three hundred years.

Is this what a rich sugar mommy Revered Master who is a reincarnated Immortal Emperor is like?

I love it, I love it.