20: Chapter 20 First Arrival at Zhongchi

You have a premonition that if you can cultivate here, you will definitely break through to the Nascent Soul stage within three years.

Zhao Shuyue is also filled with emotion, as this is the ancestral land of the Zhao family. Afterward, you follow them into the territory of the Zhao family in Middle Pond.

Together, you go to meet the current head of the Zhao family, Zhao Yan, who is also Zhao Shuyue's father!

You cannot perceive this person's cultivation level; you only feel that he is more powerful than anyone you have ever met, even Daoist Baiyun cannot compare to him.

After some heartfelt family reunion, Zhao Yan is very gratified by Zhao Shuyue's return. This is because Zhao Shuyue's older brother, Zhao Wenshan, had already been selected by the Luoyu Dynasty to leave the Spirit Ruins Realm during the last Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races.

However, Zhao Wenshan's talent is exceptionally high; he possesses the Eternal Heavenly Origin Sacred Body. Although you do not know the power of this constitution, judging by the fact that Zhao Wenshan can actually maintain contact with the Zhao family in the Spirit Ruins Realm every year, it is evident that this constitution is extremely rare even in the Upper Realm.

That is why the Luoyu Dynasty cultivates Zhao Wenshan so heavily; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to allow him to maintain contact with his original family in the Spirit Ruins Realm.

Of course, on the other hand, it is also a method for the Luoyu Dynasty to keep Zhao Wenshan stable. Only by letting Zhao Wenshan know that the Luoyu Dynasty will not burn bridges after crossing will he be more loyal to the Luoyu Dynasty.

Afterward, you are taken to a guest room by a servant to rest, and you learn from the servant that Zhao Yan has a total of three sons. Besides Zhao Wenshan and Zhao Shuyue, the fourth son, Zhao Zongren, was born to him and a concubine.

Besides that, there is also a third daughter, Zhao Jiaojiao. If Zhao Shuyue had not returned, the position of family head would have been passed to Zhao Zongren after the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races.

You have no intention of getting involved in the Zhao family's domestic affairs; you only care about how you can quickly break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

The Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races will not start for more than a year, and you want to take advantage of this time to step into the Nascent Soul stage.

You are definitely going to the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races; this is your only opportunity to understand the Upper Realm. Even if it means joining the Luoyu Dynasty, you can just treat it as scouting the path for your future self.

Fortunately, Zhao Shuyue secured quite a lot of cultivation resources for you. Although you only asked him to bring you to Middle Pond, he still considers you his good friend. There is no other reason, simply because you truly have the capital to be his friend.

Your status as a Fifth-Order Array Master makes you a target for competition among all the major powers throughout Middle Pond, not to mention the Nine-Turn Golden Core and your status as a Third-Order Alchemist.

In the following time, you keep a low profile in the Zhao family and cultivate diligently. In fact, you are already very close to the Nascent Soul stage, you are just missing an opportunity to break through.

However, this bottleneck has been blocking you, so you have no choice but to continue refining your Alchemy and Array cultivation.

Not long after, you finally thoroughly understand the Ancient Inheritance of Great Emperor Wudan and step into the rank of a Fourth-Order Alchemist.

Unable to break through to the Nascent Soul stage for a long time, you decide to go out and gain experience, searching for the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

After bidding farewell to Zhao Shuyue, you leave the Zhao family. You do not have much time, because the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races will begin in one year.

However, during your training, you actually encounter an unexpected acquaintance in a town at the foot of a mountain range called Cuiping Mountain: Lan Xingbi.

"Ah? This isn't right, is it?"

Chen Yuan is a bit confused.

If he remembers correctly, this Lan Xingbi seems to be a prodigy from that Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden, right?

The Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden is located in the Sea Palace Archipelago on the other side of the Western Regions. How could Lan Xingbi appear in Middle Pond?

One must know that he was only able to get to Middle Pond by borrowing the Zhao family's teleportation array. The strength of the Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden is not even as good as the Heavenly Sword Dao Palace; it is definitely impossible for them to have such a teleportation array.

"How did he get to Middle Pond? Could it be that there is a Lan family among the Eight Great Families of Zhongchi?"

Chen Yuan is completely baffled and has no choice but to continue looking at the simulator.

Seeing Lan Xingbi, you are shocked and completely unable to understand how he could appear here. However, Lan Xingbi clearly does not recognize you, and his current cultivation has only just stepped into the Golden Core stage.

Seeing him, you are reminded of your partner, Bai Weixi, whom you have not yet met. You wonder if the Sea Clan managed to obtain the Ancient Inheritance this time without your appearance?

You return to your old ways and follow Lan Xingbi. You want to see what his purpose is for coming to Middle Pond; could it be that he is also here to participate in the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races?

However, you underestimate Lan Xingbi's vigilance. After you follow him into Cuiping Mountain, he actually attacks you directly.

You steadily catch his attack, and just as you are about to speak, you are interrupted by him. He questions why you were able to follow him into Middle Pond and warns you that if you continue to disguise yourself as others and follow him, the Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden will definitely not let you go.

You are a bit stunned, but hearing him say this, it is clear he has mistaken you for someone else's disguise. You do not refute him, because you want to trick him into revealing how he actually came to Middle Pond.

However, he uses some kind of magical treasure and disappears right in front of you. No matter how you search, you cannot find his aura.

You have no choice but to leave. It seems that next time, it will be necessary to see what secrets this Yin Yang Spirit Sea Garden has.

One year later, you return to the Zhao family with regret. During this year of training, you did not find the opportunity to break through, but you did broaden your horizons.

Middle Pond is not only larger in area than the Western Regions, but the number of Spirit Transformation powers is also countless.

You know that Middle Pond is far more powerful than the Western Regions. In Middle Pond, you basically have not seen anyone from the Upper Realm. Even if there are, they do not have as much hostility toward cultivators of the Spirit Ruins Realm as in the Western Regions.

Moreover, even for cultivators of the same realm, their strength in Middle Pond exceeds those in the Western Regions. You do not know why this is, and can only attribute it to the fact that the spiritual energy here is purer.

Upon learning that your advancement failed, Zhao Shuyue comforts you, saying that there are plenty of opportunities in the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races, and you still have many chances to break through. Under Zhao Yan's cultivation this year, Zhao Shuyue has more or less gained control of the Zhao family and can already be considered the Young Family Head of the Zhao family.

You are surprised to learn that the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races is actually a secret realm. You ask what kind of competition this Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races actually is.

Zhao Shuyue explains to you that the secret realm of the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races is opened by the Luoyu Dynasty, and it contains numerous opportunities and resources. Everyone just needs to use a token to capture the 'Benevolent Souls' in the secret realm, and the top ten with the highest numbers will win.

However, naturally, one can also rob others, so in the Great Competition of Ten Thousand Races, teaming up is the best method.

Zhao Shuyue has also long since found companions, which are his good friends from the other major families. Each of them is a top-tier prodigy in Middle Pond and definitely will not hold you back.

And as a Fifth-Order Array Master, you can conquer others without even needing the Nine-Turn Golden Core.

At this moment, you think of Lan Xingbi again, and you ask Zhao Shuyue if there is a Lan family among the Eight Great Families of Zhongchi. Zhao Shuyue's answer is naturally no, which makes you even more confused.

Could it be that Lan Xingbi actually swam over from the Erosion Abyss outside the Sea Palace Archipelago?