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At the Xuantian Branch, before Tianmu Mountain, an Immortal Cave had been built upon the peak, from where one could overlook the scenery of the entire Xuantian Branch for thousands of miles.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Tu Fang respectfully said to Ling Yunzi, "Sect Leader."

Ling Yunzi stood in front of the Immortal Cave, looking out over the entire Xuantian Branch, and asked, "How is the situation recently?"

"The situation is very good, unexpectedly good. This time, a total of seventeen Core Disciples have passed," Tu Fang said with some excitement.

One must know that in previous years, only two or three Core Disciples could pass. According to historical records, the most that had ever passed was only six people. That there were so many this time was truly exciting.

"And four people have awakened their Ancestral Runes," Tu Fang added.

"Oh, that is indeed good news." Ling Yunzi's eyes lit up; clearly, this news made him very happy.

With their Ancestral Runes awakened, their cultivation speed would be extremely fast, far surpassing their peers. They would absolutely be Geniuses among Geniuses.

"Right, how is that Long Chen?" Ling Yunzi asked.

Tu Fang smiled bitterly and said, "If I had to use one word to describe him, it could only be 'terrifying'."

A jade plaque appeared in Tu Fang's hand. As he channeled Spiritual Qi into it, the entire scene of Long Chen's fierce battle with Gui Sha appeared before them.

Not only was the scene of the fierce battle with Gui Sha there, but everything regarding Long Chen's conflict with the Law Enforcement Team in front of the Xuantian Pavilion was also recorded within.

Ling Yunzi nodded, unable to help but sigh with emotion, "Using the word 'terrifying' to describe him is truly not wrong at all. He is worthy of being a legendary existence. That is absolute invincibility within the same Realm; even if he has just had a Breakthrough, he can still sweep through his generation!"

"Cough, cough…" Just after finishing, Ling Yunzi suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit, and fresh blood actually overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

Tu Fang was shocked, "Sect Leader…"

"It is no matter. I underestimated the backlash force of the Heavenly Dao. Hehe, but everything is worth it," Ling Yunzi said with a smile, a look of pride appearing on his Face.

Perhaps since ancient times, only he had the qualifications and the courage to dare to confirm the existence of an anomaly!

Tu Fang, however, was shocked in his heart. Ling Yunzi was already a mighty expert who had stepped into the Innate Realm. Just by guessing Long Chen's identity and saying the two words "anomaly" to confirm it, he had suffered such a great backlash. It was truly too terrifying.

"There is a matter that concerns me greatly," Tu Fang said.

"What do you mean?" Ling Yunzi asked.

"I have discovered that Elder Sun's Dao Heart is impure; he must have developed greed, and I am somewhat at a loss on how to resolve it. After all, Elder Sun has been in the Branch for over a hundred years. He can be considered a veteran-level expert, has participated in major battles several times, and can be considered a contributor to the Branch…" Tu Fang sighed.

"What do you want to say?" Ling Yunzi smiled slightly.

"I want to say that he might have malicious intentions toward Long Chen, and I do not know if I should stop him?" Tu Fang probed.

"Why should you stop him?" Ling Yunzi asked.

"Ah? If I don't stop him, Long Chen he…"

"It is unnecessary. You only need to do your own job well; let everything take its natural course," Ling Yunzi said.

"But this is very disadvantageous for Long Chen," Tu Fang said with some difficulty. After all, he was upright and could not stand to see such dirty business happening.

"Tu Fang, do you know? The reason a peerless expert can become an expert is that they are absolutely inseparable from one thing," Ling Yunzi said.

Tu Fang was stunned and asked, "What thing?"

"A whetstone," Ling Yunzi looked into the distance and slowly spat out the three words.

Tu Fang's heart jolted, and he immediately understood Ling Yunzi's meaning, but he shook his head and smiled bitterly, "For Long Chen, this whetstone is a bit too big."

Ling Yunzi smiled slightly, "Tu Fang, I understand your character. I know that you also really like that child Long Chen. This kid possesses a bearing that makes people submit, and a charm that makes people willing to follow him to the death. However, he is different from others; he is not walking the path that normal people walk. Such a path will either be destroyed under the Heavenly Dao or overturn the entire world. If you truly wish him well, do not interfere with his growth. This will not only fail to help him, but it will also incur great Karma, which is not a good thing."

Overturn the entire world? Tu Fang's heart tightened, and at the same time, a feeling of extreme terror surged up.

That feeling of terror did not come from anywhere else, but from his own heart. He could not help but look up at the sky.

"Not bad, your sensitivity to the Heavenly Dao is becoming more and more acute. You are getting closer and closer to the Innate Realm. Congratulations," Ling Yunzi smiled.

"Thank you for the reminder, Sect Leader. Tu Fang understands what to do," Tu Fang said respectfully.

Ling Yunzi nodded, his gaze looking into the distance, as he secretly thought: To be able to witness the rise of an anomaly with one's own eyes, what an honor that is.

…

After Tu Fang left, Long Chen felt extremely uncomfortable being watched like that, so he prepared to enter the Xuantian Pavilion with Tang Waner.

"Brother Long, please stay your steps."

Suddenly, two people walked over. The Aura on their bodies was extremely powerful, and the people around them did not dare to get too close to them.

Because everyone had just advanced to the Tendon Tempering Realm, their Aura was violent and could not be controlled freely, so they could only let it radiate.

Long Chen was stunned. No way, right? He had just finished a fight, and was this about to start again? Was there no time for a halftime break?

"Brother Long, do not misunderstand. Just now, seeing Brother Long's matchless Divine Power and a bearing that makes people submit, we wanted to get to know Brother Long," one of the men with thick eyebrows said.

Another person, who looked slightly thin and weak, but whose Aura was still domineering, interjected: "Especially your fearless Aura, Brother Long, it is truly admirable. Although in the Branch, everyone is a competitor, this does not prevent us from becoming friends. Even if we cannot be friends, having such a strong opponent like you is also a good thing."

Although that person looked thin and weak, the heroic spirit in his bones was undiminished, which made one feel comfortable listening to him.

Long Chen smiled slightly, "The two brothers flatter me. If it hadn't been for Elder Tu Fang's intervention, I would have already been beaten like a dog."

The two of them laughed. Long Chen's combat power was strong, but he spoke with sincerity and had not a shred of pretension or arrogance, which made people feel very comfortable.

"Let me introduce ourselves. I am Song Mingyuan, and he is Li Qi," the thick-browed man said.

Long Chen laughed, "I won't say those meaningless words like 'long-admired' or 'nice to meet you'; it makes one's teeth ache to hear them. Anyway, you already know my name."

Song Mingyuan and Li Qi couldn't help but laugh. Long Chen's way of speaking was very interesting; it was humorous without losing poise, and it was very relaxed to talk to him.

"Come, let me grandly introduce you. This is our Heaven and Earth Alliance's big boss… er, I mean, the President of the Heaven and Earth Alliance, the Martial Forest's number one beauty, Young Miss Tang Waner."

Long Chen introduced Tang Waner to the two. His mouth twisted, almost letting out "big boss" again, but fortunately, he corrected it at the end.

Tang Waner's Face couldn't help but turn a little red. She was not good at greeting strangers, but she could only bite the bullet and say, "Hello."

"Young Miss Tang Waner's great name is truly like thunder in the ears. Awakening your Ancestral Runes during the assessment is truly enviable," Li Qi said very politely.

At first, they didn't know who this young girl was, but later, when Tang Waner used a huge wind blade to fight the Law Enforcement expert, exposing her powerful Runic power, they immediately recognized Tang Waner.

"Young Miss Tang Waner, with Brother Long Chen's help, the Heaven and Earth Alliance will inevitably be the standout among all the factions," Song Mingyuan said.

Long Chen and Tang Waner exchanged pleasantries with them for a while, learning that Song Mingyuan's faction was called the Brotherhood, and Li Qi's faction was called the White Cloud Pavilion.

Both sides inquired about the mountain peaks where the other was located, agreeing that when they had the chance, they must visit. The two then invited Long Chen to come over for a drink when he was free.

After a few polite words, Li Qi, very adept at reading the situation, made an excuse that he had something to do back home, and left with Song Mingyuan.

Because they had already finished collecting their benefits and exchanged for the things they needed, there was no need for them to linger here any longer.

Only then did Long Chen and Tang Waner walk into the Xuantian Pavilion. After entering the Xuantian Pavilion, Long Chen marveled at how vast it was.

It turned out that after entering the front gate, the stairs actually extended all the way underground. Just inside the entrance was a large hall where many people were queuing up, watching a person in front busily registering something. This must be the place where benefits were distributed.

However, Long Chen discovered that not far from where the benefits were being distributed, there was another similar counter, but there was not a single person there, only a woman sitting there quietly.

Long Chen and Tang Waner walked over. Tang Waner handed her Nameplate to the woman and said, "Big sister, is this where we collect benefits?"

The woman looked at the Nameplate and nodded to Tang Waner, "That's correct. According to the Branch rules, you can collect one hundred Spirit Stones and fifty thousand points here. Additionally, as a Guild President, you can collect one hundred thousand Guild benefit funds here, for a total of one hundred and fifty thousand points and one hundred Spirit Stones."

Long Chen's mouth opened wide enough to fit a goose egg. An Outer Sect Disciple's monthly benefit was one Spirit Stone and five hundred points.

An Inner Sect Disciple received three Spirit Stones and two thousand points, but a Core Disciple actually had benefits of one hundred Spirit Stones and fifty thousand points. This gap was simply too large.

Although he didn't know what points could be used for, he could guess that points were the circulating currency within the Branch, and the kind that would never depreciate.

No wonder Tang Waner had supported him so desperately to seize the spot of a Core Disciple back then. The difference was simply too great.

At the same time, he felt remorseful, and even went as far as to greet the eighteen generations of Gui Sha's ancestors by name. That bastard was too wicked.

Tang Waner quickly received a bag of Spirit Stones, which contained one hundred shiny Spirit Stones neatly packed inside.

Those were Spirit Stones! They were crystals of Spiritual Qi that had been nurtured within the earth for hundreds of thousands of years, containing terrifying Spiritual Qi. In the outside world, they were simply priceless treasures.

Tang Waner happily put the Spirit Stones into her ring. At the same time, a groove on the back of her Nameplate lit up, like dancing fluorescent light, and a few numbers flashed on it.

The Nameplate was not only a symbol of status but also a tool for storing points. It was somewhat similar to the crystal cards of the outside world, from which one could directly swipe points, or freely transfer them, and it didn't charge any transaction fees.

"Big sister, I would also like to collect my benefits, thank you," Long Chen also very politely handed over his Nameplate.

The woman glanced at Long Chen indifferently and said, "This place only exchanges benefits for Core Disciples and Guild benefits. You need to go queue up over there."

Long Chen wore a bitter Face and glanced at the queue that was almost endless. He wanted to get close to the woman to see if he could get some special treatment, but she didn't pay him any attention at all and began to close her eyes to rest.

Tang Waner was secretly laughing on the side, gloating over his misfortune. Long Chen was so angry he rolled his eyes. He had lost too much Face. Long Chen couldn't help but be furious, and then, honestly went to line up.

After more than an hour, Long Chen finally received his meager wages, and then followed Tang Waner down to the next level, where it was the place for shopping.

Just as he entered the first level, Long Chen heard a familiar voice and couldn't help but be happy.