Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 465: Chapter 206: Purple Light

Just as Chen Qing was lost in thought, the selection in the Celestial Treasure Tower finally drew to a close.

As the last batch of disciples were teleported out, either elated or dejected, the rankings on the Celestial Treasure Stele became final. One hundred names shone brilliantly, representing the ultimate outcome of the selection.

Atop the high platform, Elder Deng Ziheng’s gaze swept over the crowd below, their faces a mix of emotions. He slowly began to speak, his calm yet clear voice carrying across the entire plaza:

"The Xu Wang Mountain Hundred Sects talent selection has now come to a successful conclusion."

"The one hundred names on the Celestial Treasure Stele are those who have earned the qualification to enter Xu Wang Mountain and cultivate. Congratulations, you brilliant talents. Your gifts, character, and perseverance have been validated. I hope that after entering Xu Wang Mountain, you will train diligently and without pause, achieving greatness swiftly. Do not disappoint the Sect’s nurturing, nor the expectations of the Sects that stand behind you."

"As for those who did not make the list, there is no need for despair. The path of Martial Arts is long and arduous; a single victory or defeat does not define a hero. The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect welcomes all talents, and other opportunities will arise in the future. This experience is, for you, a precious trial. I hope you can use it to better understand yourselves and continue to forge ahead."

His words were balanced and serene, acknowledging the winners while comforting those who had failed, perfectly displaying the magnanimity of a great Sect.

Instantly, the plaza became a scene of two different worlds.

The one hundred selected disciples and their respective Sects were naturally jubilant and overcome with excitement.

This was especially true for the smaller Sects whose disciples had been chosen; their Elders’ faces were alight with unconcealed joy. This meant a reduction in their tribute payments for the next five, or even ten, years—a massive boon of resources sufficient to change their Sect’s very destiny!

At a rough glance, over ninety percent of the nearly one hundred Sects present had at least one disciple selected. The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s methods were truly masterful; in this way, they had cleverly bound their own interests more tightly to those of the numerous Sects under their banner.

In the crowd, Shi Ziyi and Fang Rui exchanged a glance, both sharing a helpless, bitter smile.

They had given it their all, but in the end, they had fallen just short and failed to rank among the top one hundred. It seemed the heavy burden of revitalizing the Xuanjia Sect would have to wait for another opportunity.

Nie Shanshan gazed at the stele and let out a soft sigh. The complex emotions in her cool eyes gradually settled.

’To do one’s best and have no regrets... perhaps this is what that feels like.’

Xiao Bieli also let out a long breath. His rank was finalized at ninety-eight, having just scraped by to catch the last train. But right now, he felt little joy, only a bone-deep relief that bordered on exhaustion.

Yan Yaoyang had also failed. He stared at the stele, his fist tightening before slowly unclenching. It ended with a soft sigh as he accepted his reality.

Just then, Deng Ziheng’s voice rang out again: "Furthermore, for all disciples who answered the Upper Sect’s call to participate in this selection, regardless of the outcome, the Upper Sect has prepared a small gift as a token of encouragement and appreciation."

The moment he said this, another stir ran through the plaza. The Late-stage Embracing Pill disciples, many of whom had come just for the experience, were especially delighted.

Li Wang’s gloomy mood from his failure instantly brightened. He couldn’t help but exclaim happily, "The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect is so generous! Truly befitting a great Sect that rules the Three Paths!"

Indeed, with so many people present, a gift for each of them—even a "small" one—would be no ordinary item, given the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s profound resources and grand style. It was undoubtedly an unexpected windfall.

Afterward, Deng Ziheng announced the details for the Xu Wang Mountain entry ceremony, which would be held in three days on Guest Welcoming Peak. He then declared that everyone was free to disperse.

The crowd began to disperse, and just then, the representatives from Celestial Treasure City’s major Noble Families, who had long been waiting on the periphery, sprang into action.

Their targets were clear. They walked straight toward the most dazzling geniuses of the selection.

He Shuang, Wu Anren, and the other top-ten prodigies were immediately swarmed. Praise and invitations were endless. Some representatives, even those from thousand-year-old Noble Families, handed over formal invitations to banquets, causing the surrounding crowd to gasp in amazement.

As an exceptionally young Astral Force genius ranked twenty-ninth, Chen Qing naturally also became a target for the many Noble Families vying to build connections.

In an instant, seven or eight invitations were presented to him.

Seeing this, Li Wang couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy.

Zhu Yu glanced at the pile of invitations before Chen Qing, then at the mere two or three in front of himself. He gave a carefree laugh and said self-deprecatingly to Shen Xiuyong beside him, "Ai, what can I say? My reputation for taking a fourth concubine just a few months ago precedes me."

Shen Xiuyong heard this and couldn’t help but tease, "Brother Zhu, you are as vigorous as a dragon and as dashing as they come. You are truly the envy of our generation."

The group shared a light laugh, which helped to diffuse some of the tension from the competition.

The intentions of these Noble Families were obvious. Most of them had taken notice of these geniuses’ potential and wanted to bind them to their family’s interests through marriage alliances, thereby consolidating and enhancing their own influence within Celestial Treasure City and even the greater Land of the Three Paths.

Chen Qing was not only young but also unmarried, making him a particularly hot commodity in the eyes of some Noble Families.

Back in Yunlin Prefecture, the minor clans and sects had merely scraped by, completely dependent on others for survival. But here in Celestial Treasure City, the ones seeking to build ties were truly powerful Noble Families with deep roots, and they were proposing formal marriage alliances on equal footing.

With foundations built over hundreds, or even thousands, of years, these Noble Families entrenched in Celestial Treasure City possessed resources, connections, and influence in no way inferior to the Wutai Sect. Some were even more ancient and profound, their strength not to be underestimated.

The thousand-year-old Noble Families, in particular, had foundations so profound as to be staggering.

Not far away, Granny Hanzhuang watched Chen Qing, surrounded by several invitations, and saw the unconcealable joy on the faces of the Wutai Sect’s Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.