Lin Xuan expressed his thanks.
If the other party hadn't mentioned it, he truly wouldn't have known any of this.
He had only been in the sect for a short time, less than two months.
And it had been barely ten days since he entered the inner sect.
He was still not very familiar with the various rules of the sect.
He also hadn't expected that within the inner sect, there were such regulations regarding the Strength Ranking.
The strong are revered; as long as a Strength Ranking disciple loses, they would be replaced.
Regardless of the victor's cultivation level, status, or identity.
Lin Xuan took the Strength Ranking token and the booklet, giving them a rough look.
The Strength Ranking token was silver-edged with a black body, heavy in texture, and of decent quality.
On the front, the word "Strength Ranking" was engraved, while the back bore the large characters "Twenty-Eight," representing the rank.
As for the booklet, it recorded the various disciples on the Strength Ranking along with some related introductions.
Then, Lin Xuan stored them in his storage ring, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
Not to mention anything else, the status of a Strength Ranking disciple was second only to that of a true disciple among all the disciples of Flowing Cloud Sect.
Even inner sect elders at the Spirit Opening Realm dared not underestimate it.
Moreover, there were various welfare benefits.
Lin Xuan was quite satisfied.
He hadn't anticipated that this betting battle would yield such an unexpected gain.
At the same time, after learning some of the Strength Ranking rules,
Lin Xuan also came up with a few ideas for earning cultivation resources.
However, it wasn't convenient to implement them just yet.
He would wait for a while and decide based on the situation.
The surrounding disciples, seeing this, immediately burst into commotion.
"That's right, the inner sect Strength Ranking has such a rule!"
"Yeah, if Elder Chen hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten."
"There's no helping it. Although this rule does exist, in the past, no disciple had ever successfully challenged a Strength Ranking senior brother—no, even those who dared to initiate a challenge were few.
After all, to be on the Strength Ranking, one had to be at least a top expert at the peak of the Condensation Rotation Realm; even ordinary peak Condensation Rotation cultivators might not last a few moves.
Other inner sect disciples, ordinary inner sect disciples, and inner sect elites couldn't possibly be a match for a Strength Ranking senior brother.
So naturally, they dared not issue a challenge.
The authority of the Strength Ranking senior brothers was thus established.
Over time, many people subconsciously overlooked this rule."
"True, if it weren't for Senior Brother Lin being such a freak, this rule would never have been put to use!"
"From now on, Senior Brother Lin Xuan is no longer an ordinary inner sect disciple but has leaped straight to become a Strength Ranking expert, surpassing the inner sect elites!"
"Does that mean Senior Brother Lin Xuan has set another record?"
"Another? I've lost count of how many records Senior Brother Lin Xuan has set, and it's been less than two months!"
"Too monstrous!"
"..."
The disciples talked among themselves, sighing and marveling.
They were even more stunned by Lin Xuan's terrifying talent.
This once again earned Lin Xuan a wave of energy points.
Lin Xuan nodded slightly.
Listening to the discussions around him, he finally understood why Elder Chen had hesitated when addressing Hu Yuanhua earlier, and why Hu Yuanhua had been momentarily stunned.
Because although this rule existed, under normal circumstances, it was completely unenforceable.
Thus, it had been overlooked.
Hu Yuanhua, as a Strength Ranking disciple, hadn't paid attention either.
He hadn't recalled it from the start.
It was only after Elder Chen's reminder that he understood.
Lin Xuan didn't mind this.
On the contrary, he was quite pleased.
He had set yet another new record.
Once word spread, even more energy points would come in.
Lin Xuan naturally wouldn't dwell on those details.
Then, Lin Xuan thanked them again.
He then walked out of the arena.
The disciples all voluntarily stepped aside, clearing a wide path.
They looked at Lin Xuan with awe in their eyes.
The strength Lin Xuan had displayed now placed him among the top of the inner sect, worthy of their respect.
Before long, Lin Xuan's figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Only then did the crowd withdraw their gazes.
Looking at the largely destroyed arena, the shock in their hearts had yet to subside.
After a brief uproar, they dispersed one by one.
Everything that had happened at the arena today was a major event, enough to shake the entire sect.
They were all eager to spread the news.
A few minutes later, only a few referee stewards remained on the field.
They looked at the arena, riddled with cracks, exchanged glances, and their eyes were filled with bitter smiles.
With the arena in this state, the original betting battles could no longer proceed.
There was no need for them to stay either.
So they also left.
They had to report this situation to the higher-ups.
Compared to the rumors spread by the disciples, the words of these stewards carried more weight.
At the same time, it was their duty.
They would discuss how to repair the arena and other related matters.
As for Lin Xuan, the culprit who destroyed the arena, he naturally wouldn't face any punishment.
Once the sect's higher-ups learned of this, they would instead greatly reward Lin Xuan and value him even more.
Because in this battle, Lin Xuan's displayed talent was several times stronger than before.
In fact, no one in the entire sect could compare.
So they wouldn't punish Lin Xuan over an arena.
Soon, the arena was empty.
Occasionally, passing disciples who saw the scene at the arena stood frozen in place, utterly shocked.
In a pavilion several thousand meters east of the arena,
By the window stood a white-robed elder and a middle-aged figure with a deep, steady aura.
They were Wang Xufeng, who had given Lin Xuan the "Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art" in the Martial Arts Pavilion, and the sect leader of Flowing Cloud Sect.
Both were looking in the direction of the arena, their gazes profound.
"Is this the power of the 'Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art'? To allow a Qi Transformation Layer 7 cultivator to unleash such strength!"
The sect leader murmured solemnly.
"No, it's because Lin Xuan is the one using it that it has such power.
Far surpassing others, including myself.
Moreover, in just a few days, he has cultivated the 'Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art' to this level.
Lin Xuan's talent far exceeds mine as well.
I suspect Lin Xuan is the number one genius of our Flowing Cloud Sect—no, of the entire Cangyuan Kingdom."
Wang Xufeng replied, his expression tinged with both surprise and a hint of worry.
"Yes, Lin Xuan's talent is extraordinary, surpassing all martial artists in Cangyuan Kingdom.
But so what?
Once you cultivate the 'Golden Scale Barbarian Elephant Art,' there's no turning back!"
The sect leader sighed, casting a deep look at Wang Xufeng.
Such a monstrous genius, who even had the potential to become the first true prodigy of Flowing Cloud Sect, had been wasted like this.
He too felt a pang of heartache.
Seeing this, Wang Xufeng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained:
"Sect leader, Lin Xuan's talent is unparalleled, far beyond those before him and myself. Perhaps he can break that shackle?"
"Let's hope so!"
The sect leader let out a long sigh, then turned to Wang Xufeng and said coldly:
"Since Lin Xuan has become a Strength Ranking disciple, increase his cultivation resource supply to five times, and continue that until he becomes a true disciple.
As compensation.
But the sect will only provide three times the amount; you'll cover the other two times.
This is your doing, so you have to pay some price, don't you?"
"Yes, sect leader."
Wang Xufeng gave a bitter smile and said no more.