Chapter 115: The Battle for the Top Ten—Promising Talents Favored to Shine!

The elderly man speaking was none other than the Ancestor Qingmu. Under normal circumstances at the Qingyun Dharma Assembly, he would never make an appearance.

His gaze swept across the Foundation Establishment arena, pausing briefly on Cao Xuan, the black-robed short-sword youth Qiu Qianliu, the girl in the red dress Meng Weizhi, as well as Yun Fanyou, Xiao Xuan’er, Qing Zhu, and the others.

The former was valued by the Six Great Sacred Lands for his innate sword intent talent. The latter were all gifted disciples from various sects within the Qingyun Sect of Central Continent, hopeful of leveraging this opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage and join Xian Xiangqiu in journeying to the Xuanhua Dao Sect.

Cao Xuan and the others looked up with some astonishment. They understood the top hundred in the Foundation Establishment stage, but the fact that there was also a top hundred competition for the Golden Core stage indicated a substantial number of Golden Core cultivators participating in the Qingyun Dharma Assembly—possibly tens of thousands.

For them, the people of Yunzhou, where only the sect leader Yu Qingsong of Shenlong was a Golden Core cultivator glimpsed in the distance, this was a significant disparity.

However, Cao Xuan and his companions did not realize that Ancestor Qingmu valued their Foundation Establishment arena more than the Golden Core stage.

Because among the many Golden Core participants, most were early-stage Golden Core cultivators; those in the mid-stage and above were scarce.

Compared to the Foundation Establishment stage, the cultivation resources required by Golden Core cultivators were vastly greater. Those above mid-stage were usually older, and like Bai Tianxiang, often required intense hard cultivation.

The cultivation resources rewarded at the Qingyun Dharma Assembly were simply insufficient for their needs.

Moreover, the invitation from the Xuanhua Dao Sect likely set a standard around thirty Golden Core cultivators, allowing only a modest contest.

In truth, Ancestor Qingmu harbored some personal desires as well. The Six Great Sacred Lands had come because of Xian Xiangqiu, and if they could also value some disciples from the Qingyun Sect, it would be beneficial.

Cultivation was not merely about fighting; it was about human relationships.

If the Six Great Sacred Lands all had Qingyun Sect disciples among them, it would forge lasting bonds.

Whether powerful ones like Xian Xiangqiu or weaker ones who had merely refined their spirit and transformed their gods, if the Six Great Sacred Lands contained them all, it would not be difficult for the Qingyun Sect to rise to first-rate status.

With many thoughts swirling, Ancestor Qingmu’s hands moved swiftly.

He spread his hands, and mountains and rivers immediately reversed; ten massive arenas floated in midair!

The battle of the top ten was about to commence!

Cultivators were no ordinary people and naturally did not need excessive formalities.

With another wave of his hand, four towering mountains and seven floating seats appeared around them.

The seats on the mountains, in Cao Xuan’s eyes, resembled the stands of an ancient Roman coliseum, clearly intended for spectators.

Hearing the distant rumble, he knew that nearby there was also a valley hosting the Golden Core stage’s Qingyun Dharma Assembly.

Though unclear why the seven floating seats were closer to their Foundation Establishment arena, he understood that the competition to narrow the hundreds down to the top ten was about to begin!

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Jiang Yunsheng’s heartbeat quickened as he caught the meaning behind a teammate's words.

“Big brother, you mean after battle, the spiritual energy restores automatically?”

“Boom!” Another Ink Horn Wolf fell to the ground. The teammate answered matter-of-factly, “Of course! Otherwise, why would so many come to hunt in the wilderness?”

“Making money is one thing, but improving strength is equally important, because that’s the foundation for surviving the upcoming chaos period.”

“You don’t realize, when facing the overwhelming waves of alien beasts, if your strength isn’t enough, you won’t even survive the first wave of attacks!”

He patted Jiang Yunsheng’s shoulder. “I know, it’s tough to exhaust your spiritual energy the first time, but if you endure, your body will absorb the spiritual energy in the air like a sponge, and your strength will naturally increase quickly.”

“Be grateful—the first battle is the fastest for improvement. The more you progress, the harder it is to deplete your spiritual energy, and the slower the growth.”

“I heard the Advanced Spirit Hero Academy has special Spirit Expulsion Masters who practice refining methods, but that has nothing to do with us!”

Hearing this, Jiang Yunsheng understood that Spirit Expulsion Masters indeed had specific cultivation techniques, but ordinary ones like them had none and had to rely solely on combat and self-compensation to improve.

It was somewhat like ordinary people building muscle in a gym, whereas cultivators enhanced themselves through internal cultivation.

But in his current situation, it felt like leveling up by killing monsters.

After dispatching the Ink Horn Wolf, the crystal card in his mind trembled slightly, enveloped by waves of spiritual energy that flowed into its engravings, making the humanoid patterns on it more vivid.

Reflected in reality, Jiang Yunsheng’s spirit hero form became more solid.

‘So, I wonder if this single Ink Horn Wolf was worth 4 points of spiritual energy, or if all Ink Horn Wolves are worth 4 points!’ he thought.

He had increased from 11 to 15 points of spiritual energy—still not high, but considerably stronger than an ordinary person.

He realized that the spiritual energy gained from killing Ink Horn Wolves directly raised his maximum limit, while the rest was replenished from the surrounding air.

Since it was his own body, he felt it clearly: the spiritual energy within was like a syringe, and raising the maximum limit was like pulling back the plunger, increasing its capacity, while the ambient spiritual energy was rapidly drawn in to restore his reserves.

Only two Ink Horn Wolves remained. Jiang Yunsheng raised his Spirit-Filled Spear and fired.

To him, these were all spiritual energy points. Jiang Yunsheng understood that in this world, whether it was curing his brother’s illness or simply surviving and thriving, strength was essential.

Previously, his 11 points of spiritual energy, bolstered by the spirit hero, already made him stronger than ordinary people, but the improvement was slight.

Yet after killing these Ink Horn Wolves, the gained spiritual energy steadied his hand and sharpened his vision—a comprehensive enhancement.

The Ink Horn Wolves’ speed far exceeded that of ordinary humans. Before, he could only rely on instinct, unable to clearly discern their movements.

But now, he could faintly see their motions.

“Bang!” Jiang Yunsheng fired again, hitting the belly of the Ink Horn Wolf that Uncle Reno had flipped over.

Though it was the same Spirit-Filled bullet, its power was noticeably greater this time, sending the wolf flying further.

Uncle Reno’s eyes brightened. “Well done. For your first encounter with an Ink Horn Wolf, to calmly fire and hit your target shows good combat aptitude. You have the potential to become a qualified Wilderness Hunter.”

For most Spirit Expulsion Masters, becoming a qualified Wilderness Hunter required many battles and experience accumulation.

But for someone like Jiang Yunsheng, who grasped the essentials and secured kills on his first fight, most Wilderness Hunters would consider him talented.