Chapter 220: Atop the Prodigy Rankings
Soon, Lu Xiaoyao and Lu Qingyun set off back toward their respective sects.
It was just that this time, without a mighty being to lead the way, the two of them spent a full month before making it back from the Azure Heaven Secret Realm to the Primordial Sect and the Ancient Wood Sect.
The Primordial Sect.
Upon returning to the Primordial Sect, Ye Wushuang came running before Xu Long with great fanfare.
"Sect Master, good news, good news!"
In the main hall, Xu Long was holding a meeting with the sect's elders.
Seeing Ye Wushuang come barging in like this, Xu Long knit his brows.
"As a Direct Disciple, charging in so recklessly — what kind of conduct is that?"
"By the way, what's this good news?"
"Ahem — well, the thing is, the Holy Son has broken through to Immortal King."
Ye Wushuang made himself calm down before speaking.
"Immortal King? And here I thought it was something serious. Wait — what did you say? The Holy Son has broken through to Immortal King?"
Xu Long's face was the picture of nonchalance, but he quickly came to his senses and spoke again in disbelief.
And once he got a definite answer from Ye Wushuang, Xu Long could no longer sit still.
"Hahaha — as expected, this is a great blessing for our Primordial Sect!"
"Pass down the word — our Primordial Sect will hold a grand feast for three years to celebrate the Holy Son's breakthrough to Immortal King!"
Under normal circumstances, Xu Long would naturally have chosen to keep Ye Wushuang's news under wraps — after all, a tree that towers above the forest is bound to be broken by the wind.
But he knew full well what a terrifying existence stood behind the Holy Son, so he meant to make Lu Xiaoyao's name ring out.
And on the other side, the same scene was playing out within the Ancient Wood Sect.
A Peak True Immortal under two hundred years old would be treated like a prized treasure and put on a pedestal anywhere.
So upon learning the news, Gu Qingyuan likewise meant to hold a three-year feast for Lu Qingyun, inviting guests from all around.
Meanwhile, in the Thirty-Second Heaven of the Immortal Realm.
Within the Tianji Pavilion.
The Pavilion Master of the Tianji Pavilion abruptly opened his eyes, gazing at the mirror before him with a look of disbelief.
"Is this for real?"
It was a mirror carrying an ancient aura, engraved with tens of thousands of minute, ancient runes.
Names surfaced one after another upon the mirror's face, each name followed by an age and a cultivation realm.
And this was the Tianji Pavilion Master's supreme treasure: the Heavenly Dao Treasure Mirror.
The Pavilion Master needed only to pour Immortal Power into it, and the Heavenly Dao Treasure Mirror could survey the entire Immortal Realm for the foremost prodigies — those under ten thousand years old, ranking at the top in cultivation and strength — and list the top one hundred.
This was precisely why the Prodigy Rankings the Tianji Pavilion published had never stirred the slightest dispute in the Immortal Realm.
The reason the Tianji Pavilion Master was shocked was that he'd seen the number-one name on the Prodigy Rankings had changed.
But in the end, he chose to trust the Heavenly Dao Treasure Mirror — after all, he'd used it for so long without it ever once going wrong.
And soon, a brand-new Prodigy Rankings was issued by the Tianji Pavilion to the great forces of the Immortal Realm.
In the Wild Heaven Sect, after Li Daoyi finished reporting his gains from the Azure Heaven Secret Realm this time to the Sect Master and the others, he brought up the matter of Lu Xiaoyao.
"Oh? He actually beat you at the same realm?"
Li Zhantian, Sect Master of the Wild Heaven Sect, was somewhat surprised — after all, he knew Li Daoyi's pride; rarely did he ever show himself outmatched.
Li Daoyi nodded.
"Mm. So, Sect Master, would you happen to know of a force called the Primordial Sect?"
"The Primordial Sect? Never heard of it."
Li Zhantian shook his head without hesitation — after all, as a Late Immortal Emperor, it was perfectly normal for him not to know of a small force like the Primordial Sect.
Hearing this, Li Daoyi looked a touch crestfallen, but it was gone in a flash.
If all else failed, he could go to the Tianji Pavilion to dig up some information — after all, Lu Xiaoyao was very much to his taste.
And just then, an elder came hurrying in from outside.
"Sect Master, this is bad."
"Haven't I told you that no matter the time you're to stay composed? What could possibly leave you in such a state?"
Li Zhantian knit his brows, his tone tinged with displeasure.
Sensing the Sect Master's aura, the elder hurriedly made himself calm down and took out the Prodigy Rankings list the Tianji Pavilion had published.
Taking the Prodigy Rankings, when he saw that his own Holy Son had been knocked down, Li Zhantian was instantly thrown off balance.
"What — someone's actually more terrifying than you, Daoyi?!"
Off to the side, hearing this, Li Daoyi's face changed slightly as well; clearly he hadn't imagined anyone in the Immortal Realm had surpassed him.
And taking the list from the Sect Master's hand, when he saw the name on it, Li Daoyi's pupils contracted sharply, and he nearly shrieked aloud.
"What?! An Immortal King under two hundred years old? He's actually under two hundred!"
He even thought he'd misread it, and rubbed his eyes hard. Only after confirming the name really was Lu Xiaoyao did his heart, hanging in suspense, finally sink dead.
A wry, bitter look came over his face.
He'd originally assumed Lu Xiaoyao hadn't made the Prodigy Rankings because his age had exceeded ten thousand years — but it turned out it was because his age was too young, so the Prodigy Rankings hadn't registered him.
Off to the side, Li Zhantian's heart was likewise thrown into great disquiet, and he spoke to Li Daoyi.
"Daoyi, you said the other party was from the Primordial Sect, didn't you?"
"Mm."
"In that case, you'll go to the Primordial Sect on behalf of our Wild Heaven Sect and congratulate him on topping the Prodigy Rankings."
Li Zhantian waved a hand and took out a storage ring, handing it to Li Daoyi — within it was an exceedingly valuable congratulatory gift.
An Immortal King not even two hundred years old was absolutely worth their Wild Heaven Sect befriending.
"By the way, while you're at it, also go to the sect of the prodigy ranked third, and congratulate them on making the Prodigy Rankings."
Li Zhantian had naturally noticed that the number-three spot on the Prodigy Rankings had changed too — a Peak True Immortal a little over a hundred years old, likewise worth befriending.
"Understood, Sect Master."
Li Zhantian drew a deep breath and quickly steadied the shock within.
He could afford to lose. Lu Xiaoyao's talent was the most terrifying he'd ever seen; at the same realm, he might well not be Lu Xiaoyao's match.
But now, his loss came down to the fact that Lu Xiaoyao's realm had already surpassed his own.
"Still, no matter. Soon enough I'll return to the top of the Prodigy Rankings — for I am a Chaos Body!"
Li Daoyi drew a deep breath and cheered himself on.
It was just that he didn't know how monstrously gifted Lu Xiaoyao really was — in the days to come, he'd only be crushed all the more thoroughly by Lu Xiaoyao.