Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 464: Chapter 205: Founding Master

Chen Qing’s performance had shattered his expectations time and again. Now, having broken into the top thirty, the potential Chen Qing displayed made him feel a true sense of threat and... unease.

’This brat absolutely cannot be allowed to live!’

Ruan Wenju glanced at Liu Wu and the others.

On the stele, Chen Qing’s name had already surpassed Liu Wu’s.

The men took a deep breath. None of them spoke, but they all understood Ruan Wenju’s meaning.

After Chen Qing’s name remained on the Eighth Layer for a considerable amount of time, it finally stopped changing.

This made many people let out a soft sigh of relief.

Soon after, the Celestial Treasure Tower flashed with light, and Chen Qing’s figure was teleported out.

His steps were somewhat unsteady and his face was slightly pale. With his brow tightly furrowed, he subconsciously pressed a hand to his temple. He seemed dazed and was clearly not in good condition.

"Chen Qing!"

"Are you alright?"

Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun immediately rushed over, their concern written all over their faces.

Chu Jinyun quickly transferred a gentle wisp of Gui Water True Gang to help him stabilize his aura.

"I’m fine. I just overexerted my Heart and Spirit."

Chen Qing waved his hand.

At that moment, on the Celestial Treasure Stele, his final rank was frozen in place—twenty-ninth!

"Twenty-ninth! You kid, you ranked twenty-ninth!"

Shen Xiuyong slapped Chen Qing heavily on the shoulder in excitement, laughing heartily. He was even more thrilled than if he had achieved a good result himself.

Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun exchanged a look, both seeing immense relief and excitement in each other’s eyes.

Twenty-ninth place!

This far exceeded their most optimistic expectations!

This meant that not only had Chen Qing secured a spot in Xu Wang Mountain, but he had also ranked among the very top, guaranteeing he would receive special attention from the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect!

With his age and potential, if he received a greater share of the Upper Sect’s resources, he might even have a chance to break through to the True Essence Realm in the future!

The hopes for the Wutai Sect’s rise all rested on this young man’s shoulders!

How could they not be ecstatic?

The other sects from the Four Mansions of the Poison Swamp—the Fiery Sun Sect, the Bitaomen Sect, and the Haisa Sect—all cast shocked and complex gazes his way.

This was especially true for Zhu Yu and Kong Yian. One was ranked fifty-fourth and the other was in the seventies; they were considered elites of their mansion, yet now they had been left far behind by Chen Qing.

One had to understand that all the contestants were geniuses from the Hundred Sects. Every single step up in the rankings was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

For Chen Qing to rank as high as twenty-ninth meant he was absolutely among the front-runners!

Xiao Bieli of Cold Jade Valley looked at his own precarious rank of ninety-second, then at Chen Qing being surrounded by the members of the Wutai Sect. A mixture of complicated feelings churned within him.

Ye Qingyi was also filled with emotion. She hadn’t expected Chen Qing to be so incredible, to shine so brightly even among a gathering of geniuses from the Hundred Sects.

On a high viewing platform in the distance, Deng Ziheng and Gong Nansong had also taken in the entirety of Chen Qing’s performance.

"What a pity."

Deng Ziheng shook his head slightly. "This young man’s temperament and combat prowess are both Upper Grade. For someone so young to reach the Eighth Layer is truly rare. If he had taken one more step and entered the Ninth Layer, his potential would be evaluated completely differently. He might have been able to truly stand alongside the likes of Wu Anren and He Shuang, and contend for the qualifications of a True Inheritance."

Gong Nansong smiled and stroked his beard. "Brother Deng, your standards are a bit too high. The Eighth Layer is already exceptionally rare. At twenty-ninth place, this young man will certainly be a leader among the Inner Sect Disciples in the future. As for the position of a True Disciple? Our Celestial Treasure Upper Sect is vast and mighty, yet we currently have only the Ten Great True Disciples. Which one of them isn’t a monster among monsters? For the Hundred Sects’ selection to produce even one or two seedlings with the qualifications for True Inheritance is already a stroke of incredible fortune. How could we ask for more?"

Hearing this, Deng Ziheng chuckled and nodded. "Brother Gong is right. It was I who was being greedy. Twenty-ninth place is already excellent. We’ll have to see how far he can go inside Xu Wang Mountain."

Their gazes returned to the plaza.

Chen Qing’s brain felt like it was swelling. This wasn’t an act; it was really happening.

His consciousness had been muddled then, and his head still felt swollen and uncomfortable now. He circulated his True Astral, and while his body felt fine, his spirit was unusually exhausted, as if it had been completely drained.

’What on earth happened?’

Chen Qing’s brow was furrowed as he carefully recalled the sudden blast of purple light inside the tower. That was no ordinary test. The aura it contained was immense, and it had even caused a strange resonance deep within him.

He let out a long breath, temporarily suppressing his distracting thoughts.

He was fairly satisfied with his final rank of twenty-ninth.

After all, if he had pushed further into the first tier—the top twenty or even the top ten—he would have truly entered the highest echelons of the geniuses from the Hundred Sects. The attention and pressure he would face then would be entirely different.

Chen Qing had learned some information from Li Baichuan before, and after arriving at the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect, he had secretly investigated its internal structure.

The Ten Great True Disciples were not only heaven-sent prodigies, but more importantly, each was backed by deep, intricate backgrounds and powerful factions.

Those ten positions were incredibly secure. If someone wanted to rise, someone else would naturally be pushed down.

Chen Qing knew full well that with his current strength and rootless background, attracting too much attention too early would be like a child carrying gold through a bustling market—he would inevitably become a target for all.

His current rank both ensured he could enter Xu Wang Mountain to obtain resources and, for the time being, wouldn’t excessively touch upon sensitive nerves, making it the perfect situation for him to accumulate strength in secret.

Now, his *Eight Extremes Vajra Body* had reached the Mixed Element Realm, he had comprehended ’Momentum’ for his *Mountain Prison-Suppression Spear*, and with his other various techniques, such as the fusion of the Three True Astrals—Cyan Wood, Kun Earth, and Gui Water—within him, his power far surpassed that of an ordinary Early-stage Astral Force cultivator.

Chen Qing mused to himself, ’If I encounter a Mid-stage Astral Force expert, it shouldn’t be a major problem with my current abilities.’

’However, facing top-tier figures like He Shuang and Wu Anren, who are already at the Late-stage Astral Force and are similarly exceptionally talented with deep foundations, would still be very troublesome.’

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