"Ryan Ling, reporting!" Right now, Ryan didn't dare show even a hint of arrogance—what he wanted was right inside, and no matter what, he was getting it today. This would have a huge impact on his future prospects, and even the fate of all Ruins Sect!
Ryan knew perfectly well—if he could get his hands on that Primeval Heavenwood branch, he'd flip the whole Nine‑Dragon Gate chessboard. Right now, Nine‑Dragon Gate's power was way stronger than Ruins Sect, and Ryan had a hunch they were gearing up for something big. If that went down, Ruins Sect's doomsday might be just around the corner!
And he was pretty sure all the Ruins Sect higher‑ups knew it too. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have bent the rules today and let both Ryan and Arthur Shentu into Celestial Hall at the same time. Clearly, they sensed a huge crisis coming, and getting a few more powerhouse disciples was obviously a good thing!
"Alright, identity confirmed. Go on in!" The gatekeeper glanced over and instantly confirmed Ryan's identity.
"Elder Harold, I'm heading in!" Ryan turned to say goodbye to Elder Harold Hong.
"Go on, I hope you achieve greatness!" Elder Harold Hong patted Ryan's shoulder, clearly holding high hopes for him.
Ryan didn’t hesitate—he strode straight inside.
But just then, a voice suddenly rang out: "Elder Shentu is here! All you nobodies, clear out!"
As the words landed, an insanely arrogant guy strutted over, his gaze sweeping across everyone like he owned the place. Obviously, this was none other than Arthur Shentu.
"Move!" Arthur Shentu didn’t give Ryan even a shred of respect, stepping up to shove him aside without hesitation.
At this moment, the Celestial Hall gatekeeper was clearly annoyed and barked, "Identity verification required before entry!"
Verify, my ass! Get out of my way, or I'll skin you alive! Arthur Shentu obviously didn't care about him, speaking with extreme arrogance.
"You?" The gatekeeper was clearly even more annoyed now.
"You what?" Arthur Shentu still didn't take him seriously, sounding even more arrogant.
Forget it, let him go in first! Elder Harold Hong saw things turning ugly and immediately tried to play peacemaker.
The gatekeeper knew full well it wasn't worth arguing with someone like that, so he didn't say another word. The doors to Celestial Hall swung open with a booming sound.
"Smart move!" Arthur Shentu smirked and swaggered right in.
Ryan, seriously, don't start anything with him—keep the peace! Elder Harold Hong clearly wasn't reassured, so he repeated his warning to Ryan.
Got it! Ryan nodded. He was a bit annoyed too, but right now finding the Primeval Heavenwood branch was way more important.
But just as Ryan was about to step into Celestial Hall, the gatekeeper suddenly called out to him, lowering his voice: "Kid, once you're inside, don't get distracted by all the scenery—remember, only the northwest corner has treasure!"
"Thank you, senior!" Ryan's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He'd been wondering how to quickly find the Primeval Heavenwood branch—Celestial Hall was huge, and without a tip, searching would be tough. Worse, if Arthur Shentu grabbed the Heavenwood spot first, that'd be a disaster!
The gatekeeper's tip clearly pointed Ryan in the right direction—no need to guess, the Primeval Heavenwood branch had to be in the northwest corner!
Ryan didn’t hesitate for a second—he headed straight into Celestial Hall, eyes locked on the northwest corner!
Compared to the other spots, the northwest corner was especially barren—nowhere near as rich in spiritual energy as the rest. Normally, even Ryan wouldn’t pick it first; he’d go for somewhere better.
But since the gatekeeper gave him the tip, Ryan instantly used his Heaven-Eye and the Primeval Heavenwood’s aura to probe that corner!
At first, nothing much changed. But as Ryan pushed deeper with the aura, a burst of super-familiar, super-rich energy exploded out—no doubt, it was the power of the Primeval Heavenwood branch. Even though the aura was intense, Arthur Shentu didn’t notice a thing; only Ryan felt it!
“Kid, these spots are mine now. If you dare step in, I’ll break your legs!” Arthur Shentu suddenly shouted—he’d gotten in early and grabbed the best spots, packed with spiritual energy, perfect for a breakthrough.
But Ryan wasn’t here for a breakthrough—he didn’t bother fighting Arthur over the spots. If Arthur thought he was clever, let him keep thinking that. Ryan just headed for the northwest corner.
Ryan’s move looked totally natural—no one guessed the spot he was driven to was actually the best place.
“Smart move!” Arthur Shentu thought he’d won as Ryan headed for the barren northwest corner, feeling smug. Then he closed his eyes and started his breakthrough attempt.
Ryan didn’t even glance at him. He sat down, carefully sealed off all the space around him—he didn’t want Arthur Shentu to notice anything.
Idiot, with your skills, you’re just trying for a lousy Heavenly Immortal breakthrough. Like I care! Arthur Shentu clearly didn’t take Ryan seriously—at this point, Ryan wasn’t his match.
Ryan didn’t argue—he quietly released the Primeval Heavenwood’s aura, then started digging into the ground, bit by bit, to pull out the buried branch and fuse it with his own Heavenwood. That was his real goal!
But the process was super complicated—it could only be done in total silence!
So Ryan sealed himself off completely—no one could see what he was up to inside.
Meanwhile, the fact that the sect’s two strongest disciples had entered Celestial Hall got the attention of the top brass. Some Supreme Elders even swept their senses inside, curious to see who’d come out on top. From the way things started, many already had their answer.
Looks like experience wins out—Arthur Shentu’s not just strong, he’s got sharp instincts. That northwest corner is a dead end; training there’s no better than outside. The Sect Master’s good intentions were wasted!
Exactly. And did you see? That kid’s not even training—who knows what he’s doing in there. Total waste of a slot.
Forget it, two tigers can’t share a mountain. Maybe this kid’s just biding his time—he knows he’s not as strong as Arthur Shentu, so he’s playing the weakling. That shows some smarts!
Smarts only get you so far. Hiding like that, he’ll never amount to much—he’s bound to end up mediocre.
Seeing Ryan like this, all the Supreme Elders were clearly disappointed.
They focused on Arthur Shentu instead—not only was he young, but he had incredible potential, the strongest of all the disciples, and the only one who could break into the Heavenly Immortal Realm. If he succeeded, he’d qualify to become a Supreme Elder. The elders were planning a grand formation that needed one more expert, and Arthur Shentu was their best bet.
But just as all the Supreme Elders were about to write Ryan off, he was undergoing a massive transformation—he’d found the real Primeval Heavenwood branch, and a surge of power was flooding into him…
...