"Good! Very good!" Su Baolian roared happily, his laughter spreading as he immediately rose. "I have even heard of your rumors! I thought I was the only one from the Star Wilderness."

  Su Baolian stepped forward, his aura feeling heavy and wild. Yet, his blatant and hot-blooded nature was as if he were a massive stone that would crash into anyone who blocked his path. He stopped in front of Zhi Xuan, his smile widening, and extended his hand for a handshake.

  "I come from the Southern Star Valley," Su Baolian said, rudely grasping Zhi Xuan's hand and shaking it hard. "You must know it, right? Southern Star Valley!"

  Zhi Xuan, whose physical exhaustion still pierced to the bone, felt Su Baolian's grip like a pair of celestial iron clamps. His strained muscles were immediately forced to rub painfully. Instead of feeling honored, Zhi Xuan only felt a strong urge to immediately pull his hand away and throw Su Baolian into his turbulent sea of consciousness.

  Su Baolian's rough and pure laughter echoed throughout the Jade Pavilion. The previously angry Consciousness Transformation geniuses now stared at the scene with total bewilderment. Su Baolian, the most brutal Blood Transformation cultivator from the wilderness, was celebrating his meeting with Zhi Xuan, another Blood Transformation cultivator who had just robbed a Great Beast core.

  "Southern Star Valley," Zhi Xuan repeated flatly. He held his breath, trying to channel a little essence into his hand, hoping to reduce the pressure of Su Baolian's grip. "I remember. It is a few hundred li from Star village."

  Zhi Xuan certainly knew the Southern Star Valley, a place only a few hundred li from Star village. As a child, he had heard that the Southern Star Valley was a place of strong hunters filled with the wild instincts of beasts. It was even rumored that many of them mixed their blood with the blood of wild beasts to strengthen their bodies.

  "Green Sky, Floating Sheep," Zhi Xuan suddenly said. He wanted to confirm that Su Baolian was indeed from the Southern Star Valley. If he knew the meaning of those words, then Su Baolian truly originated from there.

  Zhi Xuan did not utter ancient words or secret sect mantras. He spoke a secret code word he had heard as a child from a frightened merchant crossing the Star Wilderness territory. His expression when uttering the phrase remained cold, but in his heart, he hoped Su Baolian would give a sane response and allow his bones to breathe.

  Su Baolian's grip, which was like the hold of a drunken Ape King, suddenly loosened. Su Baolian's wild eyes, which had been filled with suppressed battle spirit, now radiated genuine shock.

  "Heavens! You... you know those words?!" Su Baolian roared, his laughter now turning into a hoarse, almost hysterical sound. He clapped Zhi Xuan's shoulder with force equal to a God King's hammer.

  THWACK!

  Zhi Xuan felt the residue of his Black Jade essence churning and had to restrain himself from coughing up spiritual blood again. He had survived the impact of a Soul Artifact, but not the hospitality of a Blood Transformation cultivator from the wilderness.

  Su Baolian nodded, his eyes tearing up as if he had just met a lost relative from the Great Desolate era. He immediately pulled Zhi Xuan into a brutal bear hug.

  "That is the Ancient Secret Code to ask for the highest discount at the Southern Star Valley Black Market!" Su Baolian whispered dramatically, although his volume was equivalent to thunder splitting the sky. "It means: 'Give me the best price, or I will tear you apart like a sheep floating in the sky!'"

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes for a moment, his pale face now on the verge of total defeat. He had just used a black market discount code as an ancient secret code in front of the geniuses of the Southern Continent.

  In the corner of the pavilion, Fei Sheng—an elegant cultivator who upheld balance and aesthetics—staggered back one step, his jade fan slipping from his hand and falling to the ground with a heartbreaking click. His facial expression was a mixture of horror and despair.

  Feng Yi, on the other hand, covered her face with one hand. Her Phoenix Fire aura, which had been aggressive, now flickered with embarrassment. She did not know whether to laugh or stab the two foolish cultivators.

  Mei Hua, the anchor of innocence, hugged Zhi Xuan's leg tightly. As if protecting Zhi Xuan with her pure innocence, yet this action drew Su Baolian's attention, who immediately released his hug from Zhi Xuan.

  "Whose child is this, Brother Zhi?!" Su Baolian roared, his eyes now radiating a tenderness that sharply contrasted with his wild aura. He crouched down, ignoring the mocking and shocked looks from the other geniuses. "She is so cute! Is she your child? I did not know you were married!"

  Zhi Xuan, who could finally breathe without feeling his bones cracking, immediately corrected him.

  "She is Mei Hua; she is not my child, but my adopted sister. And I am not married!" Zhi Xuan replied, his tone flat and cold. He felt himself nearing the limits of sanity. In front of so many watching geniuses, he had just been accused of being married and having a child.

  Su Baolian scratched his head, covered with coarse hair, his steel-like aura melting in front of Mei Hua.

  "Oh! Adopted sister! Of course! She is so cute, like... like that little monkey statue!"

  Su Baolian pointed to the small monkey statue in Mei Hua's hand. His thick face showed genuine admiration. "Is that a Protection Talisman? Such a strong Ancient Wood aura!"

  Mei Hua giggled lightly. "No, Uncle Baolian! This is Little Monkey! Big Brother Zhi Xuan gave it to me!" She did not hesitate to call Su Baolian "Uncle," an honor Su Baolian received with a beaming face, ignoring the fact that Su Baolian might only be five or six years older than Zhi Xuan.

  Zhi Xuan closed his eyes again, letting his Black Jade essence spin as slowly as possible, trying to find a thread of serenity amidst this ridiculous chaos.

  Su Baolian, a Blood Transformation cultivator who was his equal, whom he had imagined as a cold and calculating silent ally from the wilderness, turned out to be a source of impulsive disaster with a high level of violence and zero social awareness.

  Suddenly, Su Baolian stood up. His face, which had been full of tenderness, returned to a celestial steel mask filled with wild calculations. He stared at Disciple Ling, who was still holding a brush pen over the jade formation.

  "Senior Brother Ling! Quickly check my beast cores!" Su Baolian roared, his voice returning to the volume of a God King's Thunder. He walked toward the registration desk with heavy steps, as if every step was the Law of Earth.

  Disciple Ling, who had just witnessed the drama of the black market discount code and the marriage accusation, was barely able to contain an emotional explosion on his face. He had to exert his entire Five Element cultivation just to remain calm.

  "Very well, Junior Su," Disciple Ling said, trying hard to sound neutral. "Your acquisitions?"

  Su Baolian grinned widely, channeling his Blood Transformation essence into his storage bag. The bag, made of thick Spiritual Beast skin, looked unreasonably bloated.

  "I did not manage to find any Golden Azure Kings!" Su Baolian roared in a tone that sounded both proud and sad. He slammed the bag onto the jade formation with a force that made the pavilion slightly tremble. "But I have this! The most stubborn Organ Transformation Beast cores I have ever seen!"

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  Beast cores began pouring out of the bag, not two or three, but dozens, no hundreds! The cores were stained with dried spiritual blood, and some even had fragments of flesh still clinging to them—a deeply inelegant and brutal sight.

  The geniuses in the pavilion, who had been silenced by shock, now gasped again, this time because of the astonishing number. Organ Transformation Cores continued to pour out, forming a large, unhygienic pile on the jade formation.

  "Total... one hundred Organ Transformation Cores," muttered Disciple Ling, his eyes widening as he counted the scattered Cores. His face was pale. "One hundred... no Consciousness Transformation Cores?"

  "None!" Su Baolian replied, proudly. "I killed them all with my bare hands and my knife! That is my foundation! These cores are the result of true Blood Transformation hard work!"

  Silence fell over the pavilion. The geniuses who thought Su Baolian was a threat because of his brutal aura now realized that the man was just a beast maniac. Although he failed to get a Consciousness Transformation Core, one hundred Organ Transformation Cores was a massive number, showing extraordinary combat power and resilience in the Secret Realm.

  Disciple Ling, the usually calm Five Element cultivator, now looked like a jade statue that had just been hit by a spiritual attack. His wide eyes stared at the blood-stained pile of Organ Transformation Cores forming a small mound on his jade formation.

  One hundred Organ Transformation Cores! Although the total spiritual value might be equivalent to only four or five Consciousness Transformation Cores, the volume of killing required to reach that number was horrifying.

  "One hundred... Organ Transformation Cores," Disciple Ling repeated, his voice now sounding hoarse, a silent acknowledgment of the true madness of a wilderness cultivator. He immediately channeled his essence to clean the Beast Cores, trying to separate the disgusting blood and flesh from the pure aura of the Cores.

  Su Baolian smirked, touching his coarse beard, satisfied with the reaction he had caused. He turned, his eyes fixed on Zhi Xuan, who was now standing beside Mei Hua, trying to look as if he had no connection whatsoever to the pile of blood on the floor.

  "How about it, Brother Zhi?" Su Baolian roared. "Although I did not get an Azure King Core, these hundred Organ Cores can guarantee my position in the top ten, right? They are proof of my true Dao! A Dao built from hard work!"

  Zhi Xuan let out a very long sigh, allowing his Black Jade essence to spin once, trying to filter out the rising shame.

  "Yes, Brother Su," Zhi Xuan replied flatly. He chose his words carefully. "That number proves unmatched tenacity. It is even equivalent to four or five Consciousness Transformation cores."

  Zhi Xuan channeled his Black Jade essence to calm the turbulent aura created by Su Baolian. He ignored Fei Sheng's disbelieving stare and Feng Yi's face that was still covered by her hand. He had just praised a maniac who piled up Organ Transformation Beast corpses as proof of Dao.

  Su Baolian nodded contentedly. He did not catch the hint of sarcasm hidden in Zhi Xuan's words—he only heard the validation he wanted. He scratched his beard again, his brutal aura now receding.

  "Alright! Now it is time to rest!" Su Baolian roared. He walked back to the corner of the pavilion where he had previously sat. He took his mat, shook it harshly, scattering spiritual dust into the air, and sat cross-legged with a loud 'THWACK'.

  He crossed his arms over his chest, closed his eyes, and in a short time, his celestial steel aura began to spin, absorbing the pure essence of Pure Cloud Peak in a very rough and inelegant manner. He meditated with brutal and efficient speed, as if he were devouring prey, rather than cultivating.

  Silence returned to the Jade Pavilion, but now it was a silence filled with a new panic and madness: the madness of Su Baolian, who had turned the purpose of the Heavenly Selection into a festival of Organ Transformation Beast slaughter.

  Disciple Ling, who had finally finished cleaning the jade formation of spiritual blood residue, let out a long, heavy sigh. He recorded Su Baolian's results, and the formation flickered, placing Su Baolian in a surprising position, successfully entering the ranks of the Star King's Stairs. His brutal hard work, though inelegant, had earned recognition.

  Amidst this new silence, where the geniuses tried hard not to vomit at the sight of the Beast Cores, Zhi Xuan turned. He looked at Fei Sheng and Feng Yi, his expression returning to his calculative serenity.

  Fei Sheng, who had just picked up his jade fan, shook his head slowly, his eyes radiating deep disbelief. He immediately opened his fan and fanned himself with an exaggerated movement, as if trying to drive Su Baolian's coarse aura away from himself.

  Feng Yi lowered her hand from her face, her sharp eyes radiating an expression that could not be deciphered—a mixture of disgust at the sight of the repulsive Beast Cores and a slight, hidden respect for Su Baolian's raw power.

  "What creature is that?" Feng Yi whispered, her voice containing an unavoidable note of astonishment. "He killed one hundred Organ Transformation Beasts? That... that is a lunatic's job, even for a peak Consciousness Transformation cultivator."

  "He is a cultivator whose Dao is carved by the coarsest Law of the Jungle," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice returning to its cold and stable tone. He took the small monkey statue from Mei Hua's hand, touching it briefly to ensure the girl remained calm. "He is the embodiment of unmatched tenacity. Do not underestimate him, Sister Feng Yi."

  Zhi Xuan turned and looked at the pile of Consciousness Transformation and Organ Transformation Cores now recorded on the Jade Formation. Their acquisition—six Consciousness Transformation Cores—had placed them at the top of the Star King's Stairs, far above the geniuses who had only managed to acquire one or two Cores. With their combined total score, their team had crushed the competition.

  He wasted no time on further talk about Su Baolian. His spiritual exhaustion required immediate recovery, and every moment wasted meant he was giving a chance for his newly acquired foundation to churn again.

  "Let us recover," Zhi Xuan said, his tone returning to cold, calculative authority. "Fei Sheng, make sure your Wind aura dampens the fluctuations around us. Feng Yi, deploy a gentle Fire Shield, but be ready to erupt if anyone approaches."

  Fei Sheng nodded seriously. Although he was still reeling from the black market discount code he had just heard, he knew that Zhi Xuan was the leader to follow once the immediate danger had passed. He immediately found a spot in the corner of the Jade Pavilion, far from Su Baolian's brutal aura, and sat cross-legged. His Law of Wind spread, creating a layer of vibration absorption around them.

  Feng Yi followed reluctantly. She glanced at Zhi Xuan holding the monkey doll and leading Mei Hua to a meditation mat. The coexistence of Zhi Xuan's coldness and Mei Hua's innocence was an anomaly she found too disturbing to process. She sat cross-legged, activating her Phoenix Fire Law, creating a soft Crimson Fire dome—a shield that also served as a warning; Do not approach.

  Zhi Xuan sat cross-legged on the meditation mat. He allowed Mei Hua to sit calmly between his knees, the little girl's back leaning against his chest. The Lulu doll and the small monkey statue were placed beside him. Mei Hua's body warmth and the girl's pure presence were the perfect antidote to the Devil Law and the brutal exhaustion he felt.

  He closed his eyes, ignoring the cynical and jealous stares that still flooded them from the other geniuses.

  In his sea of consciousness, the Ancient Devil Monument trembled gently, as if the Ancient Devil Ruo Xianxue was observing the chaos outside. The Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron, now hovering in his Sea of Consciousness, spun slowly, radiating a gentle Law of Spring to correct the churning Black Jade essence.

  Zhi Xuan channeled the essence of the Heavenly Samsara Wheel. He was not rushing to absorb the pure spiritual essence of Pure Cloud Peak, but focused on stabilizing his foundation. The impact of the Divine Furnace as a projectile had depleted his essence, but it also forced every meridian to tighten and solidify, a cruel tempering.

  The Laws of Winter and Summer in his Samsara Wheel spun harmoniously, completing the interrupted cycle. The Ancient Devil's control key resided at the core of his foundation, guiding the Black Jade circulation in a more efficient and powerful pattern. The pain slowly subsided, replaced by a cold serenity.

  Dawn began to break. The gentle golden light washed over Pure Cloud Peak, dispelling the cold mist and giving a soft warmth to the jade stone. Disciple Ling, who had been on guard all night, sighed in relief, channeling his essence into the Grand Jade Formation in the center of the pavilion.

  Disciple Ling bowed respectfully to Yan Shen, who appeared soundlessly from the Essence Lock Formation inside the Pavilion. Yan Shen's aura seemed to have absorbed all the serenity of Pure Cloud Peak, making him look like a true Daoist who had stepped into the realm of Transcendence.

  "Grand Elder Yan Shen," Disciple Ling said respectfully. "All acquisitions have been verified. The total qualifying Beast Cores have been recorded and ranked."

  Yan Shen nodded slowly. He stepped out onto the pavilion deck, his serene gray robe gently fluttering in the morning wind. His gaze swept over the geniuses who now rose from cultivation, their exhaustion replaced by profound nervousness.

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. His gaze was as cold and sharp as ice in mid-autumn. In his arms, Mei Hua stirred and woke up. She looked at Zhi Xuan with her innocent eyes, then yawned softly.

  "Big Brother Zhi Xuan, it is morning!" Mei Hua whispered cheerfully.

  "Yes, it is morning," Zhi Xuan replied, his voice calm. He rose, releasing Mei Hua. He felt the power of his Peak-Stage Blood Transformation—a solid and unmatched foundation—ready to face the announcement.

  Fei Sheng and Feng Yi also rose, their demeanor returning to formality. The elegant Fei Sheng and the aggressive Feng Yi. Even Su Baolian, who rose with a rough, thudding movement, now stood with a rare nervousness, his steel-like aura channeling anticipation.