# Chapter 124: Inner Palace Heavenly Xuan List
"You... you!" Murong Ye covered his red and swollen right cheek, his entire body trembling. Since childhood, he had grown up amidst flattery and reverence. Even here at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, though only a mid-tier outer palace disciple, his father was after all the City Lord of New Moon City, and his cousin was an inner palace disciple. Thus, his status in the outer palace was by no means low, and those who curried favor with him were as numerous as carp crossing a river... He had never suffered such humiliation!
And the person who had humiliated him was also the one who had "obtained" Lan Xueruo, the very woman he dreamed of obtaining.
"You will regret this... It won't be long before I make you regret ever being born into this world!" Murong Ye climbed up from the ground, shrieking venomously, then staggered away like a defeated dog.
"Feel free to try." Yun Che watched Murong Ye's retreating back and gave a cold, silent smirk.
"Yun Che, you... this was far too reckless of you." Qin Wushang walked over, scolding him.
"He drew his sword to kill me. I merely disfigured him—that was already merciful enough." Yun Che replied calmly.
"Ah..." Qin Wushang's eyes flickered with uncertainty, his expression extremely complex. He let out a long sigh, unsure whether he was sighing about Yun Che beating up Murong Ye, or sighing that he had actually "slept with" Lan Xueruo. "Murong Ye relies on his identity as the son of the New Moon City Lord, always arrogant and self-important. Even here at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, he has bullied others more than once, so this lesson is well deserved. However, he has a cousin here named Murong Yi, who is the son of the Northern Pacification Marshal of the Cangfeng Empire. Murong Ye's father being appointed as New Moon City Lord is also related to this Northern Pacification Marshal. If that identity isn't weighty enough, then there's another identity that makes even me wary... Murong Yi is currently an inner palace disciple!"
"Inner... Inner Palace?" Yun Che hadn't reacted much, but Xia Yuanba trembled all over at the words "Inner Palace," his face turning pale.
"So what if he's from the Inner Palace?" Yun Che said expressionlessly.
"Heh heh, you're new to the Cangfeng Imperial City, so it's understandable that you don't know. If you stay here a few more days, you'll understand just how terrifying a concept the Inner Palace is. Let me give you a few numbers." Qin Wushang spoke slowly. "The entry threshold for the Cangfeng Mystic Palace is extremely high. Being able to enter the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, even just the Outer Palace, makes one a genius-level figure elsewhere. Within the empire, there are tens of millions of young profound practitioners who dream of entering the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, yet the Cangfeng Mystic Palace currently has only a little over fifty thousand disciples. Among them, fifty-four thousand are in the Outer Palace, three thousand in the Middle Palace, and the Inner Palace has just one hundred."
"Only one hundred?" Yun Che showed a hint of surprise.
"That's right. Disciples who can enter the Inner Palace are all the most exceptional geniuses among geniuses—those destined to become great masters or heroes in the future, figures whom even the imperial family must treat with courtesy. The list of one hundred names in the Inner Palace is called the 'Heavenly Xuan List,' ranked by the strength of their profound energy. Those who make it onto this list are Inner Palace disciples. To enter the list, one must challenge and defeat any one person on it. If the challenge is successful, they take that person's place on the Heavenly Xuan List, and the last-placed person is kicked off the list and out of the Inner Palace."
"Every disciple on the Heavenly Xuan List enjoys immense fame and prestige within the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, even throughout the Cangfeng Imperial City. Murong Yi is not only on the Heavenly Xuan List, but he's not at the bottom either—he currently ranks seventy-third. Add to that his identity as the son of the Northern Pacification Marshal, and no one in the Cangfeng Mystic Palace dares to provoke him."
"Murong Yi's temper isn't the best. If Murong Ye goes to find him, Murong Yi might actually take action, and when that happens, no one will be able to protect you."
Qin Wushang said this, but in his heart, he knew that if such a thing really happened, Lan Xueruo would surely send someone to intervene... because if Murong Yi truly made a move against Yun Che, it would be like a tiger swatting a grasshopper... even though Yun Che had already shown astonishing growth.
"Let him come. I've never been afraid of anyone." Yun Che shrugged, completely indifferent.
"Brother-in-law, Inner Palace people are really incredibly strong! The weakest profound practitioners on the Heavenly Xuan List are at the True Xuan Realm, Level 8! The top three are already at the Spirit Xuan Realm. If Murong Ye really does bring that cousin of his from the Heavenly Xuan List, then... then..." Xia Yuanba said worriedly.
The weakest at True Xuan Realm, Level 8... Yun Che's brow furrowed deeply. The age limit for disciples at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, like all its branch academies, was fifteen to twenty. Anyone over twenty must leave the Cangfeng Mystic Palace forever unless they stay on as a staff member. So, the hundred people on the Heavenly Xuan List were naturally all under twenty. To have reached True Xuan Realm, Level 8 at that age was unimaginable whether in Liu Yun City or New Moon City. And those three at the Spirit Xuan Realm were even more astonishing. His grandfather Xiao Lie was nearly sixty years old and the strongest in Liu Yun City, yet he was only at the Spirit Xuan Realm!
The level of a city nakedly represented the level of its profound strength. In Liu Yun City, sixteen-year-old Xia Qingyue, at the Initial Xuan Realm, Level 10, was recognized as the number one genius of the younger generation. In New Moon City, the top young genius was Xiao Luocheng, also sixteen, but already at the Xuan Entry Realm, Level 10.
Here in the Cangfeng Empire's capital, there were people under twenty who had actually reached the Spirit Xuan Realm... and True Xuan Realm, Level 8 was only the minimum threshold to enter the Cangfeng Mystic Palace's Inner Palace.
"By the way, I haven't even asked you yet, boy! Your profound strength has actually reached Xuan Entry Realm, Level 10! In just a month and a half, even if you were eating immortal pills, you couldn't have advanced this fast! Did you use something like a Profound Lock Pearl to deliberately hide your strength before?" Thinking back to Yun Che's massive rank-skipping challenge at the New Moon Mystic Palace, Qin Wushang found it increasingly likely.
Yun Che neither confirmed nor denied, directly changing the subject: "Mansion Master Qin, what's the procedure for entering the Cangfeng Mystic Palace?"
Seeing that Yun Che didn't want to answer, Qin Wushang stopped asking and said, "I'm no longer a Mansion Master now. Just call me Mentor Qin, or call me by name directly. The Cangfeng Mystic Palace has strict rules. Entering it always requires passing an assessment, but as a mentor, I do have two or three opportunities to bend the rules each year. I originally planned to arrange for you to enter the Outer Palace directly, but with your current profound strength, that's no longer necessary."
"You've arrived at a very opportune time. Today is the last day of the annual new disciple recruitment assessment for the Cangfeng Mystic Palace. Although registration has already ended, slipping you in as an additional candidate will be easy. If you pass the assessment, you can legitimately enter the Cangfeng Mystic Palace's Outer Palace, which saves a lot of trouble compared to me arranging it directly. And I believe you'd prefer this method." Qin Wushang stroked his long beard and said with a chuckle.
Xia Yuanba nodded along: "That's right, that's right! This entry assessment lasts ten days, and today is the last day. Brother-in-law is at Xuan Entry Realm, Level 10, so he'll definitely pass. And since Brother-in-law is young, even in the Outer Palace, that's quite remarkable."
After saying this, Xia Yuanba's expression suddenly dimmed... His own profound strength was only at Initial Xuan Realm, Level 6. Such strength was barely passable in Liu Yun City, but here in the Cangfeng Imperial City, it was nothing. Brought into the palace by Qin Wushang, he had spent his days yearning for news of Yun Che while sweeping the Outer Palace Mystic Pavilion every day, enduring countless stares of surprise and contempt... Yes, everyone looked at him as if he were a low-level waste. And his profound strength truly was considered waste-level in the Cangfeng Mystic Palace. As for entering the Outer Palace of the Cangfeng Mystic Palace to cultivate profound arts... that was something he didn't even dare to hope for.
"Of course, no problem." Yun Che nodded without hesitation. Between passing the assessment and "going through the back door," he would naturally choose the former. He glanced at Xia Yuanba and said, "Mentor Qin, since you have a few opportunities to bend the rules, how about using the one originally intended for me on Yuanba instead?"
"Ah?" Xia Yuanba's expression immediately became excited.
"Well..." Qin Wushang hesitated. It wasn't that he was being stingy, but Xia Yuanba's profound strength was simply too low—far, far below even the minimum threshold for the Outer Palace. He did have opportunities to bend the rules, but they were meant for those at least at the Xuan Entry Realm, close to the minimum standard. Someone at the Initial Xuan Realm entering the Cangfeng Mystic Palace... that was practically a joke. It would very likely provoke strong opposition from other mentors and vice palace masters.
However, Xia Yuanba had a pure heart, and Qin Wushang genuinely liked him. Plus, this was a request from Yun Che...
He gritted his teeth, looked at Yun Che with an extremely strange expression, and spoke in an even stranger tone: "Yun Che, you brat... answer me one question first. Did you really... *ahem, ahem*... sleep together with Xueruo?"
"Yes, what's so unusual about that?" Yun Che said with an innocent face.
Qin Wushang's facial features all twitched in unison. He swallowed hard and said, "Fine! I also like Yuanba as a kid. After you pass the assessment, I'll arrange for him to enter the Outer Palace directly. But I should warn you—the Cangfeng Mystic Palace has all kinds of disciples. Yuanba's strength is too low, so he'll likely face a lot of bullying..."
"He won't." Yun Che shook his head, a faint smile on his face, his voice calm yet carrying a hint of cold sharpness: "I won't let anyone bully Yuanba."
"Re... really? Can I really join the Cangfeng Mystic Palace?" Xia Yuanba's eyes lit up, his joy making him fidget and babble. Entering the New Moon Mystic Palace had already filled him with happiness, but joining this highest Mystic Palace that countless profound practitioners dreamed of—something he had never even dared to dream of—was now a massive blessing suddenly descending from the heavens.
"Hahahaha, I wouldn't deceive you youngsters." Seeing Xia Yuanba's joyful expression, Qin Wushang's mood improved, and he laughed heartily. Then he extended his hand, holding a Sound Transmission Jade: "Here, Yun Che, brat. Record my sound transmission imprint. If anything comes up in the future, you can transmit to me anytime."
"Uh..." Yun Che awkwardly scratched his head: "I don't have a Sound Transmission Jade yet."
"Oh." Qin Wushang withdrew his hand. "I'll have someone prepare one for you in a few days. Now, follow me to the Central Plaza of the Mystic Palace. With your current age and profound strength, passing the entry assessment will be no problem. Perhaps in the next year or two, you might even have a chance to charge directly into the Middle Palace. When that happens, you'll have a considerable status here in the Cangfeng Imperial City."
[One more chapter, coming around three or four...]