prynovel Chapter 142 Stormy Times
Chapter 142 Stormy Times
Chapter 142 Stormy Times
In just three days, Chu Xuan's reputation spread throughout the entire outer sect.
That day, after Chu Xuan finished slaughtering the strange beasts and reaping a wave of essence points, he had just returned to his residence when there was a hurried knocking on the door.
"Senior Brother Chu! Senior Brother Chu! This is wonderful news!"
Zhang Cheng rushed in, his face beaming with excitement, and exclaimed, "You've made it onto the popularity charts!"
"oh!"
Chu Xuan responded, but there was no excitement on his face.
The Ranking of Heroes is a list of the most talented individuals in the outer sect. It's unclear who compiled it, but it includes almost all the top talents from the outer sect. No one questions its fairness.
Since Chu Xuan has already broken through to the Gang Jin level, it is not surprising that he can be listed on the Fengyun Ranking.
"How many?" Chu Xuan asked.
"The twenty-seventh!"
Zhang Cheng said indignantly, "I don't know who ranked this list, it's so unfair! Several outer disciples who broke through to the Gang Jin level this year were ranked in the top twenty, but you, Senior Brother, are only ranked twenty-seventh."
2
Twenty-seven?
Chu Xuan was also somewhat surprised.
Although he didn't want to be too flashy, this ranking was clearly too low!
"What's the reason given on the popularity ranking?" Chu Xuan asked.
Zhang Cheng said, "The higher-ups said that you likely broke through to the Transformation Realm before even entering the sect, so your talent isn't that monstrous. Therefore—that's why..."
"I see!"
Chu Xuan suddenly realized.
The people who made this ranking are indeed skilled; they even guessed that he had already broken through to the Transformation Realm before he even entered the sect.
Of course, the reason he is ranked so low is because his cultivation technique, the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Force, is not included, nor is his current progress towards the minor completion of the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Force.
Otherwise, his ranking would be enough to squeeze into the top ten, or even the top five!
But that would be too flashy.
Especially the Eight Desolate Prison Suppression Technique; as far as he knew, no one in the entire outer sect except him had mastered it.
As for the inner sect, there probably aren't any!
Once he is exposed, even if he becomes a prominent figure in the Xuan Yang Sect, his outstanding talent will also make him a target in the eyes of some people!
"Okay, I got it!"
Chu Xuan waved his hand, "I need to stabilize my cultivation level recently. Keep an eye on the Hundred Beast Garden for me, and also keep out any loiterers. As for your monthly salary, it will double starting this month!"
"Thank you very much, Senior Brother Chu!"
Zhang Cheng immediately beamed with joy, patting his chest and assuring everyone, "Senior Brother Chu, don't worry, I will definitely keep a close eye on the Hundred Beasts Garden, and nothing will go wrong!"
Chu Xuan is now the head of the entire Beast Garden. If he were to oversee things, wouldn't that mean he would also become the head steward of the Beast Garden?
This is more impressive than many managers!
Go!
Chu Xuan waved his hand.
in the afternoon.
Just as Chu Xuan was about to go into seclusion, Zhang Cheng came running over again.
We have guests visiting!
In the past few days, Chu Xuan has been receiving a constant stream of visitors. He has been entertaining them one after another, and his face is getting tired of smiling. Only then did he ask Zhang Cheng to stop the visitors.
This time, Zhang Cheng couldn't stop him.
Because the person who came was an acquaintance of Chu Xuan.
Liu Chengzhi and Wen Wan arrived together.
I don't know if it was pre-arranged or if we just bumped into each other on the street.
"Junior Brother Chu, congratulations! You've climbed to twenty-seventh on the Popularity Ranking, surpassing me by a huge margin!" Wen Wan said with a smile, carrying a gift in her hand.
Liu Chengzhi, also carrying gifts, wore a wry smile: "Junior Brother Chu, you really tricked me!"
A few days ago, when Chu Xuan went to Wanbaolou to choose a Gangjin cultivation method, he was told that it was a bit far from Gangjin!
Unexpectedly, it really is—a bit far!
He broke through in just a few days?!
If he had known earlier that Chu Xuan had such talent, he would have definitely tried to recruit Chu Xuan into the Liu family's camp!
As for any kind of marriage alliance, it doesn't matter!
After the news of Chu Xuan's breakthrough to the Gang Jin realm spread, it quickly reached the Liu family's ears. He was severely scolded by his elders, who practically spit on him.
Fortunately, Liu Chengzhi did not turn against Chu Xuan after Chu Xuan refused, and they even had a good personal relationship.
Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be able to keep his position at Wanbaolou!
After listening to Liu Chengzhi's complaints, Chu Xuan laughed and cupped his hands in invitation, saying, "Senior Sister Wen, Senior Brother Liu, please come in."
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After chatting for a while, the topic returned to Chu Xuan's breakthrough to the Gang Jin realm.
Chu Xuan smiled and said, "Speaking of which, I have to thank Senior Brother Liu. If it weren't for the cultivation method you helped me choose, I wouldn't have been able to break through the bottleneck so quickly."
Liu Chengzhi's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Junior Brother Chu, you're not practicing the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Technique, are you?"
"Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Force?"
Wen Wan exclaimed in alarm, "Junior Brother Chu, you absolutely mustn't cultivate this technique!"
"What's wrong?"
Chu Xuan asked in surprise.
Wen Wan's reaction seems a bit too much.
Wen Wan said in a solemn voice, "You should all know that Elder Su Qianqiu accepted me as a disciple!"
Both of them were speechless for a moment.
We already knew that you had become Elder Su Qianqiu's disciple!
You don't need to say it every time.
Seeing their expressions, Wen Wan smiled awkwardly and said, "Sorry! I'm used to it, I'm used to it!"
Then, she said seriously, "Although I haven't become an inner disciple yet, I'm almost there. After I break through, Elder Su will accept me as a formal disciple! Ahem—to get down to business. What I mean is, I can now freely enter and leave Greenwood Peak, and I can also learn some inside information."
As she spoke, her expression turned serious: "Do you know why Elder Su was so eager to use the Marrow Cleansing Lotus Root? It wasn't that he wanted to refine pills to prolong his life, but rather that he wanted to refine a batch of Myriad Manifestations Returning to Origin Pills to prolong the life of his grandson!"
Chu Xuan listened, but didn't feel anything.
Liu Chengzhi's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "Senior Sister Wen, the grandson of Elder Su you mentioned, could it be Su Changqing, who is seventh on the Wind and Cloud Ranking? He's only in his early twenties, how could he possibly need—life extension?"
Su Changqing?
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
He recognized the name!
Ranked seventh on the Popularity Ranking, he is rumored to be a genius with eight-form root bones, possessing extraordinary talent. He is said to be second only to the top-ranked prodigy with nine-form root bones, and is also a prominent figure in the outer sect!
Unexpectedly, the other party turned out to be Su Qianqiu's grandson.
Wen Wan nodded and said, "That's right! It's Su Changqing! I only found out that Su Changqing was actually Elder Su's grandson after I became Elder Su's disciple!"
Su Changqing is very talented. It is said that his physical constitution is only slightly inferior to that of the person ranked first on the Fengyun Ranking. His physical constitution is close to the Nine Forms, and Elder Su has high hopes for him.
Su Changqing was also very arrogant. After breaking through to the Gang Jin level, he chose the Eight Desolate Prison Suppression Technique. As a result, his physical body almost collapsed. If Elder Su hadn't discovered it in time and used a lot of spiritual medicine to give him a medicinal bath to help stabilize his body, and then used the Marrow Cleansing Lotus to refine the Myriad Manifestations Returning to Origin Pill to help him condense his Gang Qi, this guy would probably have exploded!
Now, although Su Changqing has mastered the Eight Desolate Prison Suppressing Force, he dares not use it at all. The Prison Suppressing Force is too domineering; his physical body simply cannot withstand it. If he were to fight someone, he might explode before even killing the other person.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chengzhi couldn't help but sigh.
The Eight Desolate Prison Suppression Technique truly lives up to its reputation as the most difficult technique to cultivate among the Gang Jin (罡劲) techniques; even a prodigy like Su Changqing failed to master it!
Upon hearing this, Chu Xuan also became alert.
Fortunately, he didn't reveal the Eight Desolations Suppressing Prison Technique!
Even a prodigy like Su Changqing failed. If he were to be exposed, he would inevitably be thrust into the limelight!
"Thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister!" Chu Xuan quickly clasped his hands in thanks.
This news was extremely important to him!
Wen Wan probably took a considerable risk by revealing the secret of Qingmu Peak in order to remind him.
"Oh, it's alright! Anyway, Su Changqing has almost recovered now, which isn't exactly a secret within the inner sect."
"Just don't gossip, lest you upset Su Changqing," Wen Wan said casually, waving her hand.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Wen Wan and her companion said their goodbyes and left.
Chu Xuan personally saw the two out and asked Liu Chengzhi to help him find a manual for the Gang Jin technique.
These were, of course, just excuses. What he really needed was a cultivation technique that looked similar to the Eight Desolations Suppressing Prison Technique, so that at least he could cover it up a bit.
Not long after they saw the two off, another guest arrived.
This time, Zhang Cheng didn't dare to stop them, and he didn't even have the courage to ask them to wait while he went to report!
Because the one who arrived was an inner disciple!
"Is Junior Brother Chu here?"
A deep, resonant voice rang out from outside the door.
Chu Xuan pushed open the door and saw a tall, handsome young man standing in the doorway. His face looked somewhat familiar to Chu Xuan.
Zhang Cheng stood to the side, barely daring to breathe, looking so aggrieved he was about to cry.
"My name is Chu Xuan. May I ask who you are, Senior Brother?"
Chu Xuan cupped his hands and asked, already having a guess in his mind based on the other person's appearance.
"I am Tao Ran!"
Tao Ran smiled and looked at Chu Xuan, saying, "You're also from Qingshan City! Speaking of which, we have some history! My younger brother, Tao Ping, also studies martial arts at the Lu Family Martial Arts School. He should be your second senior brother, right?"
really!
Chu Xuan understood.
To be honest, he does have some connection with Tao Ran.
Tao Ping had once invited him to join the Tao family, on the condition that he serve Tao Ran for three years after joining, but Chu Xuan refused.
"It's Senior Brother Tao! Nice to meet you!"
Chu Xuan quickly cupped his hands in invitation for Tao Ran to come in.
After entering the house, Tao Ran didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "Junior Brother Chu, I've come to invite you to join the Qingcheng Society!"
"Qingcheng Society?"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
"That's right! It's the Qingcheng Society, our own organization in Qingshan City! All its members are martial artists from Qingshan City!"
Tao Ran nodded and said, "Junior Brother Chu has been in Xuan Yang Sect for some time now. He should understand how difficult it is to gain a foothold in Xuan Yang Sect without a background!"
Joining those powerful families, to put it nicely, is being worshipped; to put it bluntly, it's nothing more than being a beast of burden! You'll be exhausted from running around, your cultivation will be delayed, and your life will be uncertain from day to day!
My purpose in establishing the Qingcheng Association is to allow the martial artists from Qingshan City to band together and support each other! Only by uniting can we better establish ourselves in the Xuan Yang Sect.
Tao Ran spoke with great passion, saying that when one place is in trouble, help comes from all directions.
Chu Xuan, however, listened with little interest.
To be honest, he didn't have a deep understanding of how difficult it was for outer disciples to establish themselves.
This is also related to the fact that he came to this animal park after he became a disciple.
Although we have faced several life-or-death crises, overall we have been relatively safe.
As for Tao Ran's invitation, he showed little interest.
If Tao Ran had come earlier, he might have actually joined, but now that he's the manager of the Hundred Beasts Garden, there's naturally no need for him to join.
On the contrary, after joining, I'm afraid quite a few people will try to get his help through connections!
Of course, he didn't believe that this so-called Qingcheng would be any better.
Do you really think Tao Ran is doing charity?
"Thank you for your kind invitation, Senior Brother, but I have no plans to join any organization for the time being," Chu Xuan politely declined.
Tao Ran frowned slightly upon hearing this, but still nodded and said, "Junior Brother, you might as well reconsider. The members of the Qingcheng Society are all our own people from Qingshan City. We all know each other well."
"I'll consider it."
Chu Xuan nodded.
"Alright, I won't bother you any longer."
Tao Ran understood what was going on when he saw Chu Xuan's attitude.
He felt a pang of regret!
It's important to know that Chu Xuan is not only the twenty-seventh ranked genius on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, but also in charge of the entire Hundred Beast Garden.
As far as he knew, Chu Xuan held the positions of supervisor of seven animal parks!
If they joined the Qingcheng Society, the members there would at least be three or four managerial positions, right?
Unfortunately, it's useless to pray to Buddha only when you're not doing it regularly! Now that Chu Xuan has established himself in the outer sect, why would he need the Qingcheng Society?
"Tao Ping is a piece of trash!"
Tao Ran cursed inwardly, wishing he could rush back to Qingshan City right now and give Tao Ping a good beating.
He hadn't recruited Chu Xuan before mainly because Chu Xuan's performance wasn't outstanding, and Tao Ping had also mentioned in his letter that Chu Xuan's talent was average and not worth winning over!
Otherwise, why would he have waited until now!
Tao Ran really wanted to drag Tao Ping over and let him see for himself that this was the "useless person with limited talent" he had mentioned in his letter!
It was evening.
Lin Chong and Lu Xiaoshuang, supporting each other, appeared at the mountain gate.
Both of them were disheveled, their clothes were full of holes, and they had many wounds on their bodies.
Lin Chong, in particular, was deathly pale, his chest was slightly sunken, and one of his arms was twisted into an abnormal arc, swinging back and forth in the air with his steps.
Both of them were carrying huge packages, looking like they had made a good haul, but there was no smile on their faces!
Behind him, Sun Nianxi was nowhere to be seen!
Upon arriving at the outer gate, Lu Xiaoshuang finally spoke, "Shall we hand over the mission first, or go back first?"
"Let's hand over the mission first, I'm not going to die yet!"
Lin Chong's eyes were red, and he spoke in a hoarse voice.
Lu Xiaoshuang nodded without saying anything more, and helped Lin Chong head straight for the mission hall.
Soon, the two arrived at the Mission Hall, where many outer disciples were queuing up to hand over their missions.
These people looked almost exactly like the two of them. After months of living outdoors, they were all disheveled and covered in old and new wounds.
Some were all smiles, chatting with their companions about their harvest. Others, like them, had somber faces and remained silent.
Lu Xiaoshuang and Lin Chong stood silently in line at the back.
"Senior Sister Lu————"
At this moment, inside the mission hall, a female disciple in charge of mission settlement saw Lu Xiaoshuang and her eyes lit up. She quickly left the disciple who was handling the mission handover aside and ran over.
"Senior Sister Lu, are you here to hand over your mission? Why are you queuing up here? Please come in quickly, I'll process your request right away," the female disciple said enthusiastically.
"Huh? Me?"
Lu Xiaoshuang looked surprised and said, "Senior sister, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
She recognized the female disciple in front of her. In the past few times when she came to hand over tasks, she was always arrogant and looked down on everyone.
I've never really looked at them properly, let alone been so enthusiastic about them now.
I heard that the other party has gotten close to a senior brother who ranks over seventy on the popularity list, which is why no one dares to mess with them. The disciples who come to hand over their tasks are all all smiles and trying to curry favor.
"No mistake, no mistake! Aren't you Senior Sister Lu Xiaoshuang?" the female disciple said with a beaming smile. "We've met several times before! Senior Sister Lu, please come in, I'll get things done for you right away!"
Without saying a word, she pulled the bewildered Lu Xiaoshuang inside.
"Wang Yao, what do you mean? We've been queuing here for so long, why are you letting them cut in line?"
"Exactly! Everyone's in line, why are they cutting in line?"
The outer disciples queuing nearby immediately started making a fuss.
Lu Xiaoshuang said somewhat awkwardly, "Senior Sister Wang, perhaps I should go back and queue up?"
"Senior Sister Lu, how can I be worthy of being called Senior Sister? Just call me Wang Yao!"
Wang Yao quickly pulled Lu Xiaoshuang back, and when she turned to look at the shouting disciples, her face immediately turned cold. She put her hands on her hips and sneered, "On what grounds? Because Senior Sister Lu and Senior Brother Chu Xuan are from the same sect! Because Senior Sister Lu's father is Senior Brother Chu Xuan's master! Is that reason enough?"
"Which Senior Brother Chu Xuan? Could it be Chu Xuan, who's ranked twenty-seventh on the Popularity Ranking?"
"Nonsense! Who else could it be but him! He's a prominent figure in the outer sect now. Not only has he broken through to the Gang Jin realm and ranked twenty-seventh on the Popularity Ranking, but he's also managing the entire Hundred Beast Garden on behalf of Senior Brother Tong Hao! He's easily in the top five of this year's new disciples!"
"She's actually Senior Brother Chu Xuan's senior sister—"
A series of exclamations immediately erupted at the scene. The outer disciples, who had previously looked dissatisfied, were now all terrified and dared not utter another sound.
At this moment, Lu Xiaoshuang and Lin Chong were both dumbfounded.
Chu Xuan? Gang Jin? Ranked twenty-seven on the Wind and Cloud Ranking? In charge of the Hundred Beasts Garden?
Did they really only leave a little over a month ago?
Why does this outer gate feel so unfamiliar?
Seeing the expressions on Lu Xiaoshuang's and Lu Xiaoshuang's faces, Wang Yao immediately smiled and explained, "Senior Sister Lu, you've just returned from a mission, so you probably don't know about Senior Brother Chu's situation yet. He's already—"
After hearing Wang Yao's story, the two of them were dumbfounded!
Chu Xuan actually broke through to the Gang Jin realm and is ranked twenty-seventh on the Fengyun Ranking?!
A moment later, Lin Chong came to his senses, his eyes bloodshot. He frantically pounded his head, then threw his head back and cried out, "I killed my junior sister!"