"Ian! You're here!"
Seeing Ian arrive, Daisy Ding's pretty face lit up with joy as she threw herself into his arms.
"Thank you, Brother Song!"
Darren Dai let out a sigh of relief and hurried off with his group, tails between their legs.
"Okay! I'll listen to you!" Daisy nodded sweetly.
Travis Yuleman called out.
When they saw Ian and Daisy holding hands so affectionately, the three girls' expressions changed slightly.
"Daisy, don't you know Senior Brother Dai likes you?"
One of the girls strode forward and spoke to Daisy.
"So what? I only like Ian!"
Daisy replied resolutely.
The girl gave Ian a contemptuous look. "Senior Brother Dai is about to take the Inner Sect assessment and will soon become an Inner Sect disciple. Your Ian is just a newly admitted disciple—how can he compare to Senior Brother Dai? If you become Dao partners with Senior Brother Dai, your cultivation path will be smooth sailing!"
Daisy sneered, "If Senior Brother Dai is so great, why don't you go be with him? In my heart, Ian is the best, the most outstanding!"
Hearing Daisy's words, Vivian Zhou was fuming. "Daisy, you're completely clueless!"
He spent a whole year there, reading through more than a million volumes.
Reading refines the mind.
It also deepens one's grasp of the Dao. Ian felt that these million books helped him immensely, making his cultivation state even more harmonious and rounded.
"What did you say?" Vivian Zhou asked in disbelief.
Ian smiled to himself and muttered.
"Fine, fine! Ian Song, I'll remember this! Just wait and see!" Vivian snapped.
...
After arriving in the town at the foot of the mountain, Ian and Daisy stayed for three days before heading back up.
At the same time, Ian considered bringing his wife and children over from the Borderlands, since this place was much better for their cultivation.
But just as the two stepped out of the courtyard, they found a crowd waiting outside. At the front stood someone in the distinctive dark robe of a Yu King Palace Inner Sect disciple, followed by a group of Outer Sect lackeys—including the three girls who had threatened him three days ago.
Darren Dai was tall and handsome, standing proudly. Now that he was an Inner Sect disciple, he hadn't expected that right after joining, he'd hear the news that the girl he fancied was with another Outer Sect disciple.
This made him very unhappy, so he decided to teach that Outer Sect disciple named Ian Song a lesson.
"Junior Sister Daisy, if you could choose again right now, would you pick me or him?"
Darren stepped forward, his dark robe fluttering without wind, giving him an air of elegance.
So, he stepped out of his courtyard and headed straight for the Inner Sect Assessment Hall.
"I still choose Ian, because I never even considered choosing you!"
Daisy ignored Vivian and replied to Darren, her tone firm and decisive.
Instantly, Darren's gentle expression darkened with a hint of coldness.
"Brother Song, why are you only now taking the exam?"
"Heh."
Ian just smiled indifferently.
"Ian Song, I'll give you a chance—quit Yu King Palace on your own, or I'll make life impossible for you!" Darren said coldly.
"Scram!"
Ian slowly spat out the word.
"No, it's just that the Inner Sect assessment is something I can finish anytime. There's no need to rush," Ian replied with a relaxed laugh.
Yara pouted, but deep down she had to admit Ian was probably telling the truth.
The other candidates nearby snickered, thinking Ian was just bragging.
Ian ignored their sarcasm and asked Yvette if she wanted to go first. When she invited him, he stepped into the assessment array.
Ian raised his hand, and the seven or eight attackers were all sent flying back.
Then Ian slapped out with his palm—smack! Darren Dai was sent flying by a single slap.
"Focus on your cultivation. Stop pretending to be impressive!"
Ian spoke again.
"Brother Song, you're awesome!"
At that moment, Travis Yuleman strode over, also dressed in Inner Sect robes.
His strength was already comparable to late Tribulation stage; passing the Inner Sect assessment was a breeze for him.
"Congratulations, Brother Travis, on joining the Inner Sect!"
Ian smiled.
"What's there to congratulate? You're even stronger than me. If you took the Inner Sect assessment, you'd have become an Inner Sect disciple ages ago!" Travis said, pursing his lips.
Hearing this, Darren and the others were stunned.
Travis's reputation had soared lately—he joined the Outer Sect, took the Inner Sect assessment in less than ten days, passed immediately, and then began a spree of challenges. So far, he hadn't lost a single match in the Inner Sect.
But now Travis was saying Ian was even stronger than him, which meant Ian was at least late Tribulation level.
In other words, Darren had kicked an iron plate.
At the same time, Travis was a bit resentful—if Ian was so strong, why stay in the Outer Sect pretending to be weak? Was playing dumb that much fun?
As for Vivian Zhou and the others, they were speechless. Their eyes toward Daisy were now full of envy and jealousy. So Ian Song was actually this powerful.
"Senior Brother Song, I didn't recognize greatness when I saw it. I know I was wrong—please forgive me!"
The next moment, Darren stood up, bowed, and apologized, the five bright red finger marks still clear on his face.
"Get lost!"
Ian Song waved his hand, thoroughly uninterested in arguing with an early Tribulation cultivator.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Song!"
Darren Dai breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led his group away in disgrace.
"Come on, Brother Song, let's go have a drink!"
Travis Yuleman said.
...
That night, inside his courtyard, Ian Song sat cross-legged on his bed, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He had already completed the immortal-grade version of the Eternal Codex; with enough Qi Luck, he could reach the peak of the Immortal realm.
The Immortal realm is divided into Human Immortal, Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal, Golden Immortal, Grand Luo Immortal, Profound Immortal, and Ancestral Immortal.
But to fully fuse the Codex up to peak Ancestral Immortal, the required Qi Luck was astronomical—hundreds of trillions. Even exterminating the entire Da Yu Empire wouldn't be enough to gather it.
Moreover, he felt that even though he had created the Eternal Codex, his understanding of the Dao laws was still shallow. He couldn't just leap straight to Ancestral Immortal; he had to master each realm thoroughly before advancing.
Yu King Palace was the number one sect in Da Yu Empire, with countless scriptures stored inside. This would help him comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, so starting the next day, Ian buried himself in the Outer Sect Scripture Hall.
He spent a whole year there, finishing more than a million volumes.
Reading refines the mind.
It also deepens one's grasp of the Dao. Ian felt that these million books helped him immensely, making his cultivation state even more harmonious.
"Since that's the case, it's time to raise my cultivation again!"
Ian smiled to himself.
Fusing up to Heavenly Immortal required only a hundred billion Qi Luck.
He had more than enough Qi Luck for that.
The next moment, he felt a surge of power flood into his body, rapidly boosting his cultivation.
One month.
Two months.
Three months.
Half a year later, Ian exhaled a heavy breath of turbid air.
He did it!
He had reached early Heavenly Immortal.
"Now, it's finally time to join the Inner Sect!"
So, he left his courtyard and headed straight for the Inner Sect Assessment Hall.
The Inner Sect exam was difficult even for early Tribulation cultivators.
When he arrived, he saw Yvette Yan was also there, preparing to take the Inner Sect assessment.
The assessment was conducted inside an illusion realm, where candidates had to defeat three early Tribulation opponents.
"Senior Brother Song, why are you only now taking the exam?"
Yvette asked curiously. Travis Yuleman had joined the Inner Sect long ago, but Ian, who was even stronger, was only now joining.
"I know, is it because of Daisy?"
Yara Qin, who had come to watch Yvette's assessment, chimed in.
"No, it's just that the Inner Sect assessment is something I can complete anytime. There's no need to rush." Ian replied with a light laugh.
"Tch!" Yara pouted, but she had to admit Ian was probably telling the truth.
The other candidates nearby couldn't help but snicker, thinking Ian was just boasting.
Ian ignored their sarcasm and asked Yvette if she wanted to go first. At her invitation, he stepped into the assessment array.