Chapter 4007: Picking Xuancheng

Yunlang City, a secluded manor.

Cao Mingjing sat in a stone pavilion as Cao Yufeng reported to him.

"A human-form true spirit, cultivating both dharma and body, and an immortal artifact master!"

Cao Mingjing nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Ancestor Mingjing," Cao Yufeng said, "the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple’s strength is indeed considerable. If Fellow Daoist Wang’s claims are true, a 30% success rate is quite high." From the Cao family's perspective, a Golden Immortal cultivator with a 30% success rate in refining mid-grade Chaos Armor is worth recruiting, and granting him a Mystic City would be a small price.

"Refining it three times and succeeding once also yields a 30% success rate," Cao Mingjing dismissed, "but if his subsequent attempts to refine mid-grade Chaos Armor fail, it drops to 10%. Such situations are not uncommon; I’ve seen plenty of Golden Immortal cultivators who exaggerate their abilities." The Cao family had similar cases. Unless Wang Changsheng could refine three sets of mid-grade Chaos Armor out of ten attempts, not to mention the beast hides, where would he acquire enough Primal Stones to fuel ten refining sessions?

Cao Yufeng took out a red disc, cast a spell, and a look of surprise appeared in her beautiful eyes. "Ancestor Mingjing," she exclaimed, "Fellow Daoist Wang has achieved minor mastery of the laws! He ascended to the Golden Immortal stage less than 50,000 years ago, and he has already passed the first two rounds. The five-colored Chaos Beasts at the Golden Immortal stage are no match for him; he’s now fighting the Chaos Beasts with his physical body and brute strength."

"That fast?" Cao Mingjing was surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "The Qi family is an in-law of the Wang family, correct? Instruct our clansmen controlling the Yunlang Tower to go easy. If Qi Shuting attempts the challenge, lower the difficulty slightly so she can achieve a relatively good ranking. Do it discreetly, so no one notices." Giving Wang Changsheng an easy pass would invite gossip, especially since he is quite close to Cao Yuanxing.

Cao Yufeng acknowledged, cast a spell on the disc, and made a series of gestures.

On the bluestone plaza, Murong Zhengxian and others watched Wang Changsheng challenging the tower, their brows deeply furrowed.

They had never expected Wang Changsheng to reach the third round.

The third round involved three five-colored Chaos Beasts at the early Golden Immortal stage, besieging Wang Changsheng, who handled them with ease. Other Golden Immortal cultivators also began their challenges, wearing mid-grade Chaos Armor. While a single early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beast was no match for them, they quickly passed the first round, but the second round proved difficult.

"It seems even the third round won’t pose a challenge for Fellow Daoist Wang," Murong Zhengxian marveled, his face full of admiration. "He has already dealt with one five-colored Chaos Beast, and the remaining two are no match for him. Tsk tsk, clearing three rounds consecutively with just physical strength and brute force is truly rare."

"With Fellow Daoist Wang’s strength, he could probably even engage a six-colored Chaos Beast in physical combat if he wore mid-grade Chaos Armor, couldn't he?" Bai Xin said, her face full of envy. "Madam Jin, I truly envy your Nine Immortal Sect."

Sowing discord, blatant discord. Jin Yulan’s delicate brows furrowed, but she said nothing.

As Murong Zhengxian had expected, Wang Changsheng smoothly cleared the third round. The fourth round featured four early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts. Most other challengers stopped at the second round; even with minor mastery of laws, it wasn't easy to severely wound Golden Immortal-stage Chaos Beasts. While their mid-grade Chaos Armor made them resilient, their brute strength couldn't compare to Wang Changsheng's. Facing attacks from multiple early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts, they were simply no match, especially in a solo challenge.

"Oh, who is that?" Bai Xin exclaimed in surprise. "Another strength cultivator!"

On the second level of Yunlang Tower, a brawny man in a red shirt, wielding a red long staff, attacked two early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts.

"I know that person," Feng Chuchu said. "That’s Fellow Daoist Xun Yan, an ancestor of the Tianyue Clan. It appears he has also cultivated into a true spirit, daring to engage early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts in physical combat." She then looked at a slightly pale elderly woman in a green robe and chuckled, "Madam Xu, your Azure Cloud Palace’s affiliated forces are truly abundant with talent!"

"Fellow Daoist Xun cannot compare to Fellow Daoist Wang, who achieved minor mastery of laws within tens of thousands of years of reaching the Golden Immortal stage," the elderly woman in the green robe said dismissively. This was Xu Deng, a mid-Golden Immortal from Azure Cloud Palace. The Azure Cloud Palace was currently in decline, its situation far more severe than that of the Nine Immortal Sect.

"No matter how formidable Fellow Daoist Wang is, he is still only an early Golden Immortal," Jin Yulan said with a chuckle. "Strength cultivators are not invincible; lightning techniques and soul treasures all restrain them. If Fellow Daoist Xun advances further and cultivates to the late Golden Immortal stage, the Azure Cloud Palace’s strength would increase significantly."

Xu Qing snorted coldly, saying nothing.

"Oh, a sword cultivator using a sword array—that's quite rare," Zhang Yilei mused, his gaze fixed on the first level of Yunlang Tower. He watched a fair-faced young woman in a red dress controlling nine shimmering red flying swords, attacking a beast-shaped five-colored Chaos Beast.

From time to time, the nine red flying swords unleashed thick red arcs of electricity, striking the five-colored Chaos Beast, causing it to grimace and wail repeatedly.

"Red Lotus Immortal Lightning! Flying swords refined from Red Lotus Thunderwood!" Jin Yulan exclaimed in surprise.

Red Lotus Thunderwood is a rare type of thunderwood, typically used to refine lightning-attribute immortal artifacts. It can release Red Lotus Immortal Lightning, which is highly destructive to physical bodies and very effective against Chaos Beasts. While Five-Element attribute immortal artifacts struggle to severely wound Golden Immortal-stage Chaos Beasts, lightning-attribute immortal artifacts are immensely powerful and highly valued by immortals.

"That's the Scarlet Lotus Immortal from Seven Hues Palace," Feng Chuchu explained. "I heard that Seven Hues True Monarch, the founder of Seven Hues Palace, ascended from the lower realm and brought their entire sect with them to the immortal world. It’s a case of 'one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.'"

Seven Hues Palace is an affiliated force of the Murong family, with a legacy spanning over two million years. When Seven Hues True Monarch ascended with the entire sect, they landed in the Murong family’s territory and began serving them. Under the Murong family’s patronage, Seven Hues Palace has developed remarkably well, boasting no fewer than three Golden Immortal cultivators. The Murong family's own development momentum is strong, so they are not concerned about any threat from Seven Hues Palace. If Seven Hues Palace were also granted a Mystic City, the Murong family’s strength would further increase. No power remains prosperous forever; new forces constantly rise, while established ones decline.

"Fellow Daoist Wang has reached the fifth round!" Zhang Yilei exclaimed, a mix of surprise and delight on his face.

This time, Wang Changsheng faced five early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts. He had already donned his mid-grade Chaos Armor. Without using the Marrow Aperture Art and Soul Laws, he couldn't defeat five early Golden Immortal five-colored Chaos Beasts. He merely needed to entangle them for a while, staying in the fifth round for as long as possible.

After a short while, Wang Changsheng flew out of Yunlang Tower. He had cleared four rounds consecutively, stopping at the fifth. The opposing Golden Immortal cultivators' faces were filled with apprehension.

Qi Shuting and others attempted the challenge sequentially. After most of the day, the challenges concluded, and Wang Changsheng rightfully secured first place, primarily due to being a true spirit with minor mastery of laws. Other challengers were either not true spirits, unable to defeat multiple Golden Immortal-stage Chaos Beasts in a short time, or had not achieved minor mastery of laws.

Qi Shuting passed the first round, and in the second round, she used several single-use treasures, such as the Seven-Star Soul Extinguishing Pearl, to barely clear it, stopping at the third round.

Xun Yan passed the first round and killed one five-colored Chaos Beast in the second, but was then injured by another.

Murong Zhengxian cleared three rounds consecutively, using numerous single-use treasures like the Five Thunder Pearl and the Seven-Star Soul Extinguishing Pearl, stopping at the fourth round.

"Fellow Daoist Wang," Cao Yuanxing said, taking out a golden disc that shimmered with light and handing it to Wang Changsheng, "here is information on twenty-one Mystic Cities, including their area, location, and cultivation resources. The number of Yellow Cities attached to each Mystic City varies. Please make your selection."

Wang Changsheng nodded, took the golden disc, and began to examine it.