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After filling their stomachs with sumptuous food and fine wine, the figures who represented the top echelons of Twilight City gathered together with a cup of wine in hand to have a leisurely talk.

“Hmm, there seems to be such a thing now that you talk about it. The higher tier Aura of Divinity is harder to tame, but at the same time, it is much purer and harnesses greater power. It can better temper one’s divine energy, thus forging a strong foundation for future breakthroughs.”

“I heard that the higher tier Auras of Divinity are refined by the Nine God Monarchs personally, so it harnesses their power. As such, those whose constitutions or cultivation techniques are at odds with the powers of the God Monarchs won’t be able to assimilate it. As such, only a small handful of the top-notch geniuses will be able to do so.”

“It has been forty years since the receding of spiritual energy occurred, and the Celestial Mountain has opened for 79 times to date. But to date, only three people have been able to induce the sounding of the Bells of Conferred Kings!”

“Now that I think about it, they appear to be all disciples of the Heaven Subjugation Monarch too...”

“I wonder if the Bells of Conferred Kings would sound this time around...”

“That’s unlikely to be the case. So far, those who have been able to become Conferred God Kings so far are those who possess superior bloodlines. In other words, a cultivator’s fate is already decided at his birth. This is not something that diligence can make up for!”

“Bloodline determines everything. Without a sufficiently powerful bloodline, no matter how talented one is, one’s accomplishment will still be capped...”

The discussions swiftly reduced to a couple of sighs of lamentation.

Hearing their words, Zhang Xuan turned to Wu Fangqing and asked doubtfully, “Is bloodline really that important to a cultivator?”

“Of course!” Wu Fangqing replied frankly. “Through his talent, a series of fortuitous encounters, and diligence, there’s still a chance for ordinary cultivators to become a Celestial God. However, all those prove to be insufficient for one to become a God King. The hurdle is simply too high. In terms of probability, the chances of a person with a strong bloodline becoming a God King is a hundred times higher than that of other cultivators. As far as I know, of the hundred or so God Kings of the Nine Skies, the only ones who managed to reach the level of God King without relying on their bloodline are the Heaven Subjugation Monarch and three of his disciples!”

“The disciples of the Heaven Subjugation Monarch?”

“That’s right. I heard that his disciples are from the lower world, but other than that, there’s not much information about them. There are simply too many secrets surrounding the Heaven Subjugation Monarch that are yet to be unraveled, “Wu Fangqing remarked.

If anyone else were to speak about a God Monarch in such a manner, he would have already been berated for his rudeness. If Zhang Xuan was really the descendant of a God Monarch, there was a good chance that he would have felt strongly about this matter.

In a sense, Wu Fangqing intentionally phrased things in that manner in order to test the latter’s reaction.

But unexpectedly, the latter simply nodded quietly with no particular expression on his face. It was really hard to read the thoughts that were in his mind.

There was a brief moment of silence before Zhang Xuan asked once more, “If I may ask, what difference does the tier of the Aura of Divinity make?”

All along, he thought that the Aura of Divinity he received on the Azure would be the same as what that was on the Firmament. He didn’t think that it could be differentiated into multiple tiers.

“Hmm...Frankly speaking, I don’t really know either. I would say that it’s more of hearsay in the Firmament. There have always been rumors that the Aura of Divinity is differentiated into multiple tiers, and only those who boast the greatest of talents would be able to obtain the highest tier Aura of Divinity, paving their way to greatness...” Wu Fangqing replied contemplatively before chuckling softly.

“But in the end, these are just nothing more than rumors. There’s no need to take them for real...”

While Wu Fangqing was speaking, the door on the square right in front of the City Lord Manor suddenly jolted, and a silhouette emerged from it.

“Someone has already returned from the Celestial Mountain? Doesn’t the trial typically take a day at the very minimum?” Zhang Xuan asked in confusion.

This abrupt situation induced Zhang Xuan to rise to their feet and walk to the courtyard to take a closer look.

On the other hand, the rest of the crowd in the hall didn’t seem to be surprised by such a development.

“The Celestial Mountain is indeed open for a day, and within this period of time, those who have yet to reach godhood can continue scouring the grounds to look for the Aura of Divinity. However, those who have succeeded will be instantly teleported back to where they came from,” Wu Fangqing explained.

Zhang Xuan widened in realization.

“Hahaha, it‘s my son! It has only been two hours, but he has already managed to reach godhood!” a middle-aged man amidst the crowd burst into hearty laughter as he walked out of the courtyard as well.

Even if the cultivator started out at the mountain peak, it was still an impressive feat to be able to acquire the Aura of Divinity within two hours and successfully make a breakthrough. This, in itself, was proof of the cultivator’s talent.

This result would be recorded down, and it would influence one’s overall standing on the ranking boards.

“Congratulations! With such a talented son, I reckon that the Hu Clan is bound to rise to great heights in the future!”

“Old Brother Hu Xu, after much contemplation, I think that it would still be best to partner with you for the business we have discussed previously. Even though we have never worked together before, I have heard much about how you do things, and I must say that I feel at ease leaving things to you!”

“Brother Hu, your son and daughter are already of marriageable age. Why don’t you settle this matter quickly?”

The crowd quickly gathered around the middle-aged man, Hu Xu, with heated gazes.

The very feat of acquiring the Aura of Divinity and successfully making a breakthrough within two hours was enough to place Hu Xu’s son at the peak of Twilight City in terms of talent. Without a doubt, the young man would achieve great things in the future.

This was the best chance for them to get close to Hu Xu, or else the latter could become a figure way beyond their reach soon.

Hu Xu tilted his chin up proudly as he replied to the questions of the crowd patiently with a gleeful smile on his face. It was the typical look of a parent after hearing that his son had gotten into a prestigious university.

After settling the passionate crowd around him, Hu Xu turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan and sneered disdainfully.

It was true that his son had lost Zhang Xuan’s students earlier, but it seemed like the tables had turned around. His son had already achieved a breakthrough, but what about the other party’s students?

They were still struggling on the Celestial Mountain!

In the end, despite the superior strength they possessed, their potential was severely lacking. Just the fact that they were still at Semi-Divinity realm despite their age spoke loudly about this. They might be powerful amongst their peers at the moment, but their achievements were already capped.

“Young Master Zhang Xuan, it seems like my son was lucky to succeed ahead of your disciples... I look forward to finding out how long it will take for your disciples to reach godhood too,” Hu Xu walked up and said in a mocking tone.

It was only human nature for a parent to brag about his child’s accomplishments. How boring it would be if everyone simply lived humbly in the world!

Given that he had just been humiliated further, he wanted to repay the favor back to Zhang Xuan.

On the other hand, Zhang Xuan frowned slightly upon hearing Hu Xu’s words.

It was not that he felt insulted by Hu Xu’s provocations, but he couldn’t help but think that something was amiss about this matter. Given the cultivation technique he had imparted to his disciples, they should be able to achieve a breakthrough within less than an hour after obtaining the Aura of Divinity.

But even after the passing of so much time, not a single one of his disciples had returned yet. Could it be that... they had encountered some sort of danger?

But that shouldn’t be!

He was still rather confident in the abilities of Zhao Ya and the others.

Even Sun Qiang was able to deal with dozens of the Semi-Divinity realm cultivators here earlier, so there was even less of a chance that Zhao Ya and the others would face any danger on the Celestial Mountain!

“I reckon that they have been delayed by some matters,” Zhang Xuan replied.

This was the only explanation he could think of at the moment.

Due to the severance in space between the Celestial Mountain and the rest of the world, he was unable to sense whether the Heaven’s Path zhenqi he had infused into the God Essence Pills he had given them had been used or not.

“Delayed? Hahaha! I pray that Young Master Zhang Xuan’s disciples will be able to overcome whatever problems they are facing at the moment then...” the middle-aged man replied smugly as he raised his head even higher than before.

So what if your disciples are more powerful than the average Semi-Divinity?

As long as they weren’t able to reach godhood, they would be no different from trash!

Hu!

While the middle-aged man was still skipping around the courtyard gleefully, the door in the middle of the square jolted once more. This time around, it was a group of twelve people.

Zhang Xuan quickly scanned their faces, but none of them were the ones he was looking out for.

“Young Master Zhang Xuan, it appears that my child has returned as well.”

Those disciples of yours were the first to enter, and they were granted a position closest to the mountain peak, which boasts of the greatest Aura of Divinity. It doesn’t make sense for them not to be out yet...”

“Are they having trouble making a breakthrough to godhood? Oh my, that would mean that they are severely lacking in potential...”

The others who had been humiliated by Zhao Ya and the others earlier also walked out with gleeful smiles on their faces.

They weren’t able to do a thing earlier because City Lord Wu was clearly shielding this young man, and their children ended up being no match for the young man’s disciples at all. As such, they were forced to swallow their grievances.

However, now that the tables were turned, how could they possibly miss out on this ideal opportunity to make a jab at that young man?

I admit that your students are incredibly powerful as Semi-Divinities, but so what? Aren’t they still lacking in talent in the end?

Compared to my talented son, they are nothing at all!

It will really be the joke of the century if they couldn’t reach godhood despite the favorable conditions they were given...

“Young Master Zhang Xuan, please pay no attention to them. Luck plays a huge part in determining whether one is able to find an Aura of Divinity or not... Perhaps, they might be the next ones to appear!” Wu Fangqing consoled awkwardly.

“It’s fine, I won’t take those words to heart,” Zhang Xuan shook his head and replied.

He had no idea why Zhao Ya and the others hadn’t returned yet, but he had faith in their capabilities. Furthermore, he even prepared five pills for them. Nothing could go wrong.

Another four more hours passed in the blink of an eye, and over 300 of the 1200 cultivators who entered the Celestial Mountain had returned. However, Zhao Ya, Sun Qiang, and the others were still nowhere to be seen.

Those words of ridicule had also slowly turned into disdain.

The fact that those youths weren’t able to make a breakthrough even after so much time had passed was concrete evidence of their lacking talent. To think that City Lord Wu actually regarded them as VIPs! How could such people be worthy of being placed on the same pedestal as them?

“Something is amiss...” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He could understand it if his students weren’t able to return within two hours; they might have faced some sort of difficulty or dilemma inside. But three hours had already passed so far, and none of them had reached godhood yet? That clearly made no sense at all!

As individuals who cultivated the simplified Heaven’s Path Divine Art, they should be able to achieve a breakthrough much faster than him and his ‘Pathos of Heaven’. There was no way they would need that much time!

So, why were they nowhere to be seen?

Worried, Zhang Xuan turned to Wu Fangqing and asked, “City Lord Wu, do you know of any way to check if a person on the Celestial Mountain is doing fine?”

“Check if a person is doing fine?” Wu Fangqing nodded, “It’s indeed possible to do so, but the cost is rather steep. Each check will require 100 Divine Coins!”

The Celestial Mountain was considered to be generally safe, but it was still possible for cultivators to face danger, whether from the natural environment or from their peers. For those who were worried, there was indeed a way to check the current condition of the candidates inside. However, it was just that it was terribly expensive to do so.

A slot only cost a Divine Coin, but each check on an individual would cost 100 Divine Coins. The difference in price was truly frightening.

Zhang Xuan nodded without any hesitation, “I would like to check on the conditions of those whom I have brought.”

He couldn’t allow anything to happen to his parents, his students, or his butler. They were the people who were closest to him in the world, and he felt like he would go on a rampage if anything were to happen to them.

“I understand. Please follow me,” Wu Fangqing nodded as he walked back into the City Lord Manor.

“Shall we follow them to take a look as well?”

“What’s there to see? It just means that his disciples haven’t made a breakthrough, that’s all there is to it!”

“He must have a lot of money to spare.”

“It doesn’t take much time to head there to take a look. If his disciples have really found an Aura of Divinity but aren’t able to make a breakthrough, that would really be a show to behold, don’t you think so?”

“I can’t deny that.”

Hearing the conversation between the two, the middle-aged men who had mocked Zhang Xuan earlier smiled in unison as they quickly followed the footsteps of those two.

They had some time on their hand anyway, and it was always a delight to see a person whose head was in the sky a moment ago being harshly tossed back to the cold, hard ground.

Navigating through the City Lord Manor, it didn’t take them too long to arrive in a narrow room.

Wu Fangqing pointed to the wall ahead of them and said, “Write down the name of the person you are checking on and place 100 Divine Coins on the pedestal over there, and the wall will reflect the condition of the person you are looking up...”