Just as Zhang Menglong had imagined, after this day, no one ever came looking for trouble with him again.

The three Dao Realm experts from the Hong Yun Empire—one was severely defeated and is likely to disappear for a long time, probably already having left this country. As for the other two, under Qi Congyun's warning, they also dared not take any retaliatory actions, unless they sought help from their former sects. But whether they would be willing to help is another matter.

As for the young people, even less dared to cause him any trouble.

Sparring?

Even Lin Yuan, long regarded as the ceiling, admitted that he was slightly inferior. If others still sought Zhang Menglong for sparring, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? It's not easy for everyone to accumulate fortune, there's no need to just give it away like that.

For most people, it doesn't matter who takes first place. What's important is whether they can make it into the top 100,000, whether they have a chance to become a disciple of a superpower, and even if it's just an outer sect disciple, it's already enough to bring glory to their ancestors.

The hotel they were staying at was destroyed in their battle, but Zhang Menglong didn't need to worry about having nowhere to stay. He now owns a bunch of hotels and can stay wherever he likes!

Picking a comfortable hotel at random, Zhang Menglong then went into seclusion. The Cold Marrow Jade Dew he had obtained earlier was not yet used up, so he had to make the most of the remaining time!

However, Zhang Menglong didn't know that during this time, he had replaced Lin Yuan, becoming another legend. The streets and alleys were abuzz with talk about him, and everyone was searching for this so-called Ritian Empire.

It's important to know that the participants of this exam came from all over, covering almost the entire continent. Even in remote places, there are always people who know about it, but no one had ever heard of the Ritian Empire, adding a layer of mystery to Zhang Menglong's identity.

However, where there's a will, there's a way; Zhang Menglong's identity was unearthed on the fifth day.

It turns out he is from a family within the Yanlan Empire, a Fourth Grade Kingdom, and not long ago, he was just a waste! Only after a meteor strike did he transform overnight into a genius, not only mastering Alchemy and Artifact Refining but also becoming extraordinarily talented in Martial Dao!

His real name was also dug out; he wasn't called Gu Tianle at all, but Gu Xiao!

Zhang Menglong quickly became the center of attention, with many people taking this news back, causing many empires and organizations to be eager to move. The probability of Zhang Menglong being valued as a core figure by a superpower was too high, and in the future, he would surely be outstanding, making connections with him might even create ties of kinship.

Of course, there were also those who held grudges against Zhang Menglong, but they didn't dare take revenge on the Yanlan Empire or the Gu Family right now. If Zhang Menglong rose to power, they'd be the first to suffer!

However, if Zhang Menglong met with an accident, one could imagine how many people's wrath would target the Yanlan Empire. For those giants, the demise of a small Fourth Grade Empire would be nothing but a word.

...

In the palace of the Yanlan Empire, Emperor Yan Tianyao, the ministers, and key figures of the Guardian families were all gathered here, including Gu Xiao's father, Gu Cong!

Gu Cong was actually puzzled. He had been executing very dangerous and important tasks on the border of the Yanlan Empire. The overall situation in the Yanlan Empire wasn't very good, with several empire forces around harboring ill intentions and creating skirmishes now and then, affecting the relations between countries.

The Yanlan Empire has always been committed to peace, but even the most patient person has a limit. Especially after the recent small-scale invasion incidents, the Yanlan Empire was very dissatisfied and sent Guardian Gu Cong along with another Guardian to conduct a decapitation operation.

However, the enemy's strength was formidable, and they hadn't got a suitable opportunity because their goal required a swift killing move without leaving any clues or evidence for the opponent to exploit.

Unexpectedly, after waiting for so long without an opportunity, all harassment suddenly ceased a few days ago, and they even sent an envoy with generous gifts to apologize directly at the capital of the Yanlan Empire!

This whole set of operations left the Yanlan Empire dumbfounded; no one knew what exactly had happened.

However, on the second day, another message reached the Yanlan Empire. Those who went to participate in the superpower selection weren't only Zhang Menglong from the Yanlan Empire; some families had managed to obtain two Heavenly Pride Orders by some means, and those people brought back news that a very formidable young person had recently appeared in the Hong Yun Empire.

This young man defeated the top person on the Heavenly Pride list and even made some Dao Realm experts from the Hong Yun Empire suffer losses, gaining favor from a Sunset Sect Elder, nearly securing a spot!

This young man was called Gu Tianle, but later they found out it was just an alias; he's actually the former waste of the Gu family, Gu Xiao!

"What? Gu Xiao ranked first on the Heavenly Pride list of the super sect? How is this possible?" As Gu Xiao's father, Gu Cong knew very well his capabilities. He had just returned to the Yanlan Empire and didn't know what shocking events had happened here recently.

"My dear Gu Cong," said Yan Tianyao, "You've been on a mission during this time, so you may not know. Your family's Gu Xiao is completely different from before. He not only excels in Alchemy and Artifact Refining but also has an astonishing Gift, unrivaled among the young generation of the Yanlan Empire!"

"But…" Gu Cong couldn't understand, did the meteorite not make him foolish but instead open up his meridians? Suddenly becoming a cultivation genius was conceivable, but how do you explain his mastery of Alchemy and Artifact Refining Techniques?

"Lan Xin, you've truly found yourself a good husband!" The other princesses of the Royal Family wore envious expressions. If Gu Xiao could join a superpower, even as just an apprentice disciple, the Yanlan Empire would receive ample rewards, enough to elevate the Yanlan Empire to another level, restoring it to its former glory.

If he became an outer sect disciple, those sects would bestow even more grace. If, by chance, he catches the eye of an Elder and becomes an Inner Sect Disciple or even a Core Disciple… someday, the Yanlan Empire may also become a Ninth Grade Empire! That would truly bring glory to the family!

"I always knew this kid could do it!" Qing Kong laughed heartily, "I knew he was extraordinary, but didn't expect him to be this impressive. I heard that one only needs to rank in the top 100,000 on the Heavenly Pride list to have a chance of being selected, and he directly reached first place. My goodness!"

"Indeed, he is the pride of our entire Yanlan Empire," laughed Yan Tianyao, "Those surrounding empires that once eyed us now probably got the news too, and they each became downright subservient. Even the largest Seventh Grade dynasty nearby offered goodwill, proposing to marry their princess!"

"And that's not all," the Finance Minister was still frantically calculating, "The gifts we received these two days have overflowed our treasury; it seems we need to expand a bigger treasury!"

...

While the court continued their chatter, Gu Cong walked alone to the door, gazing at a forty-five-degree angle into the sky, tears welling up in his eyes as he envisioned his wife's profile.

"My lady… it must be you blessing our Xiao'er from the heavens, right?"