Chapter 138: Heavenly Xuan List
The Gathering Xuan Tower was located at the very center of the Inner Palace. From any position within the Inner Palace, one could see it at a glance, so Yun Che had no need for anyone's guidance and easily found the entrance to the Gathering Xuan Tower.
The profound energy within the Inner Palace was already exceptionally dense, but the moment he stepped into the Gathering Xuan Tower, a surge of profound energy several times richer than the outside air washed over him, causing Yun Che's fifty-four mysterious gates to excitedly open on their own.
"Beneath this Gathering Xuan Tower, there really is a natural profound vein. No wonder it became the site of a nation's imperial clan mystic palace. If a sect were to establish itself here, within three hundred years it would grow from a small sect into a mighty and renowned great sect," Mo Li remarked.
Sima Du had told Yun Che yesterday that his cultivation room was number 101, the first room on the tenth floor. Just as Yun Che was about to move forward, he suddenly noticed that the wall to his right was densely covered with names floating on its surface. Each name bore a thick aura of profound force, obviously sustained by profound energy and changeable at any time.
"Heavenly... Xuan... List?" Looking at the three large characters at the top, Yun Che's spirits lifted. He turned sideways and began to carefully study the names on the wall. Exactly one hundred names appeared on this wall—the one hundred disciples of the Inner Palace, also the universally known Inner Palace Heavenly Xuan List of the Cangfeng Mystic Palace.
Yun Che scanned from the bottom upward, letting his gaze pass over each name. These one hundred individuals were the super-elite among countless elites of the Cangfeng Mystic Palace, the beings that all mystic palace disciples looked up to. Even throughout the entire Cangfeng Imperial City, they were figures of great renown.
Although there were a hundred people, their profound force levels were distributed very densely. From the hundredth to the seventy-eighth place, all were at the eighth level of the True Xuan Realm. From the seventy-seventh to the forty-first place, all were at the ninth level of the True Xuan Realm. From the fortieth to the fourth place, all were at the tenth level of the True Xuan Realm.
At the seventy-third place, Yun Che found Murong Yi's name:
Murong Yi: twenty years old, ninth level of True Xuan Realm.
At the thirty-ninth place, Yun Che found Sima Du's name:
Sima Du: twenty years old, tenth level of True Xuan Realm.
The ages of these two determined that this was their final year at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace. Among these one hundred Inner Palace disciples, ages were mostly concentrated between nineteen and twenty. After all, under equal conditions, profound force strength was proportional to age. From the hundredth place down to the fourth, only two were younger than nineteen, both eighteen years old, ranking at the ninety-sixth and ninety-ninth positions respectively—the precarious bottom of the Heavenly Xuan List, where they could be overtaken by newcomers at any moment.
Yun Che's focus settled on the top three.
Third place: Fang Feilong, twenty years old, first level of Spirit Xuan Realm.
Second place: Feng Bufan, twenty years old, first level of Spirit Xuan Realm.
From the third place upward, the strength suddenly leaped to an entirely new level, crossing from the True Xuan Realm into the Spirit Xuan Realm. Although in terms of rank it was only one level higher than the tenth level of True Xuan Realm below, the gap between major realms made this difference in strength far from simple.
When he looked at the first place, Yun Che's gaze lingered for a long time:
First place: Fen Juechen, seventeen years old, second level of Spirit Xuan Realm.
Yun Che: "!!!!"
Staring at the name that topped the Inner Palace Heavenly Xuan List, Yun Che's eyes churned violently. What shocked him was not that this person had surpassed the second and third places by a full level, but... Fen Juechen's age was only seventeen!
He was the only person on the entire Heavenly Xuan List under eighteen, and he was actually the number one spot on this list!
Seventeen years old, second level of Spirit Xuan Realm!
What astonishing talent, what monstrous genius, could reach the Spirit Xuan Realm at the age of seventeen! Although his profound force level was only one level higher than the second and third places, his incredible age clearly proved that his talent far outstripped the second and third places by several streets. Xiao Luocheng of New Moon City, recognized as the number one genius at sixteen years old and the tenth level of the Xuan Entry Realm, was not even fit to carry his sandals before him.
Wait... Fen Juechen... Fen?
Yun Che's brow twitched slightly. As far as he knew, the surname "Fen" was unique to the Fen Tian Gate; only members of the Fen Tian Gate used "Fen" as their surname. But how could someone from the Fen Tian Gate enter the Cangfeng Mystic Palace? The Fen Tian Gate's inherited arts, foundation, resources—everything far surpassed the Cangfeng Mystic Palace. Not to mention that disciples of such transcendent sects were bound for life and could never betray their sect. Even if the Cangfeng Mystic Palace actively invited them, disciples of the Fen Tian Gate wouldn't even spare a glance at the Cangfeng Mystic Palace.
Could it be that the surname "Fen" was not exclusive to the Fen Tian Gate?
Just then, two people walked side by side into the entrance of the Gathering Xuan Tower. The one on the right wore a white robe, his face handsome yet tinged with femininity, his eyes half-lidded, his gaze lazy yet carrying a chill. When he saw Yun Che, he let out a frivolous whistle: "Whew! Look what we have here—a fresh face. Little brother, are you new here?"
Yun Che glanced sideways and was startled to see Murong Yi beside the white-robed man. Murong Yi also saw him, paused in surprise, then burst into contemptuous laughter: "Hahahaha! Who do we have here if not that little mouse who was clamoring to challenge me? Hahahaha."
"Oh?" The white-robed man turned his eyes, looking at Yun Che with increased interest. "So you're that Yun Che? Tsk, you've got a decent shell, but your brains don't seem to work so well. I wonder if your mother squashed your head when she gave birth to you."
The profound force emanating from the white-robed man was clearly stronger than Murong Yi's—not just a little, but almost on par with Sima Du. Though he had a handsome face, he gave Yun Che a very uncomfortable feeling, and his words were venomous to the extreme, making Yun Che frown and instinctively stir with killing intent.
"Feng Baiyi, watch your words!"
Sima Du walked in from the entrance of the Gathering Xuan Tower, his face filled with anger.
Feng Baiyi? Hearing this name, Yun Che quickly recalled his position on the Heavenly Xuan List... thirty-sixth place! Three ranks higher than Sima Du.
Feng Baiyi turned around and smiled at Sima Du amiably: "Oh, if it isn't Brother Sima. I heard you picked up a mouse from outside and brought it in. Tsk, you'd better keep a tight leash on it. If a mouse runs wild in the Inner Palace, it'll make us all sick to look at it. Don't you think so, Brother Murong?"
Murong Yi curled his lips and wagged his head: "Speaking of which, I bear some responsibility for this mouse sneaking into our Inner Palace. Ah, if I'd known it would come to this, I should have just crippled that mouse's legs yesterday... But since it's already come to this, Brother Sima, listen to Brother Feng here and keep your pet mouse on a tight leash. Don't let it run all over the place and spoil our eyes and our mood, hahahaha... Brother Feng, let's go."
With a contemptuous glance at Sima Du and Yun Che, Murong Yi and Feng Baiyi laughed loudly and walked into the Gathering Xuan Tower.
Sima Du let out a long breath, forcibly suppressing his anger. He walked up to Yun Che and said calmly, "Don't mind them. This Feng Baiyi has a marital connection with Murong Yi's family. They always speak with the same breath."
Yun Che smiled faintly, indicating he didn't care, then gestured at the Heavenly Xuan List with his eyes and asked with confusion, "Brother Sima, what's the story with Fen Juechen, the number one on this Heavenly Xuan List? Isn't the surname 'Fen' exclusive to the Fen Tian Gate?"
Sima Du nodded and said, "That's right. Fen Juechen is indeed a member of the Fen Tian Gate. In fact, he is the youngest son of Fen Duanhun, the current gate master of the Fen Tian Gate."
"Oh?" Yun Che turned his head, a look of surprise on his face.
"As you might guess, Fen Juechen left the Fen Tian Gate." Sima Du spoke slowly. "Fen Juechen has astonishing talent and is an undeniable genius, but he is also an extremely proud genius who cannot tolerate even the slightest defeat. Last year, he suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of his elder brother Fen Juebi, who had just emerged from seclusion, and was humiliated. In a fit of rage, he left the Fen Tian Gate, vowing never to return until he defeated Fen Juebi. Even his father's persuasion was useless. Of course, this departure was not a betrayal. As the gate master's son, there is no such thing as betrayal for him."
"Then why did he come to the Cangfeng Mystic Palace?" Yun Che asked doubtfully.
Sima Du glanced at Yun Che and said, "It seems you're not very aware of the current turbulent situation within the Cangfeng Imperial Clan."
"The Cangfeng Imperial Clan? What do they have to do with this?"
"Fen Juechen entered the Cangfeng Mystic Palace and used this Gathering Xuan Tower to aid his cultivation at the instigation of the Third Prince, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Fen Tian Gate." Sima Du sighed and explained briefly. "Currently, the Cangfeng Emperor is gravely ill, and there are rumors he has less than three years to live. The Crown Prince, Cang Lin, and the Third Prince, Cang Shuo, are contending for the throne, and have respectively allied themselves with the Xiao Sect and the Fen Tian Gate. To gain more support from the Fen Tian Gate, Cang Shuo naturally tries to show goodwill whenever possible. Well, that's it in simple terms. Anyone with eyes can see that the Cangfeng Imperial Clan, and even the entire Cangfeng Empire, is about to undergo a massive upheaval. Even this Inner Palace is gradually being drawn into changes that could happen at any moment... The second place, Feng Bufan, and the third place, Fang Feilong, have already pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince respectively. They are riding high now, so you must not provoke those two—you can't afford to."
"..." Yun Che pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case, Brother Sima, you must have received overtures from both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince as well."
Sima Du nodded. "Over the past year, I've received no fewer than a dozen invitations from both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to various banquets. I've had no choice but to tactfully decline every single one... After graduation, I won't be able to stay in the imperial city any longer. I'll probably return to New Moon City as soon as possible. If you ever enter the Inner Palace, you too will receive overtures from various sides. When that time comes, the choice will be yours to make."
"Go cultivate. Three months—not too short, not too long. Every second you seize is another shred of hope." Sima Du gave Yun Che a deep look and walked straight into the Gathering Xuan Tower.
Yun Che followed behind, all the way up to the tenth floor of the Gathering Xuan Tower. Sima Du had mentioned that Room 101 was right ahead.