After seeing off the Fifth Elder, Lin Xuan turned and returned to the pavilion. He casually sat down in the main hall and examined the storage ring the Fifth Elder had given him. The steward, Zhou Yun, stood respectfully to the side, waiting. He hadn’t expected that even the Fifth Elder, a top-tier figure in the sect, would personally deliver cultivation resources to Lin Xuan. Such treatment was something even the top-ranked disciple on the Leaderboard had never enjoyed. It seemed the sect valued Lin Xuan far more than he had imagined. As his steward, sharing in both losses and gains, Zhou Yun felt inwardly pleased and showed even more deference outwardly.
Lin Xuan ignored Zhou Yun, took out the storage ring, and infused it with true energy. He saw a space of several dozen cubic meters containing a booklet, a large number of jade bottles filled with pills, and various precious spiritual herbs. Lin Xuan’s expression shifted slightly. His vision had already broadened, and he recognized these pills and herbs. They were all highly effective for the Condensing Rotation stage’s cultivation and strength. But he hadn’t expected so many. If sold, they’d probably be worth tens of thousands of spirit stones, right? With such abundant resources supplied monthly, the treatment of Leaderboard disciples was incredibly generous. Lin Xuan felt a slight shock.
Then, he took out the small booklet and flipped through it. This was the Leaderboard roster that had come with Hu Yuanhua’s token earlier, but it was clearly more updated. Soon, Lin Xuan found his name in it. “Leaderboard Ranking: Twenty-eighth: Lin Xuan! Cultivation: Qi Transformation Stage, Seventh Layer! Battle Record: Severely injured former twenty-eighth-ranked Hu Yuanhua with two palm strikes! Introduction: Proficient in fist techniques, palm techniques, sword techniques, etc., with immense strength; suspected of cultivating a powerful body-tempering martial art, and has comprehended at least ten percent sword intent! Estimate: Combat power may approach the top ten of the Leaderboard!” Lin Xuan looked at the description of himself and smiled faintly. This matched his performance well enough. He continued flipping through the rest. Before long, he had finished reading it all. He also learned some rules of the Leaderboard and understood why the resource supply was so generous.
Typically, a Leaderboard disciple’s monthly resource supply was roughly equivalent to two thousand spirit stones. That was no small amount—converted to contribution points, it exceeded ten thousand. Ordinary inner disciples would need a considerable time and many completed tasks to earn that much. Yet Leaderboard disciples received it monthly without doing anything. This showed how much the sect valued them. As for his share, it was five times that of other Leaderboard disciples ranked after tenth, which was why it seemed so abundant. It was likely the sect recognized his potential and specially allocated resources to him. Lin Xuan naturally accepted this gladly. He had been worried about insufficient cultivation resources, and this was just right.
Afterward, Lin Xuan put away the storage ring, stood up, and walked outside. “You don’t need to follow me. Spruce up the courtyard with some flowers and plants,” he said, thinking he might stay here for a while. He instructed Zhou Yun and then left the small yard, strolling around the Leaderboard area. This area was shrouded in faint, misty spiritual energy clouds, like a legendary immortal realm, truly incomparable to other zones. Though there were only thirty-six pavilions, it covered a much larger area than the region housing hundreds of ordinary inner disciples. Lin Xuan wandered around to take in the sights. Naturally, this drew the attention of other Leaderboard disciples in their pavilions, who came out to observe him upon hearing the news. But Lin Xuan paid them no mind.
Unknowingly, he reached the area of the top ten. But all the pavilions were locked up, as if empty. This included the ninth pavilion belonging to Wu Jie, which he had specifically noted. They were probably all out training. After all, for the top ten on the Leaderboard, the sect’s resource supply was no longer enough for their cultivation needs. Lin Xuan had originally planned to copy some treasures from the top ten while out strolling. Since none were around, he wandered a bit more and then turned back to his pavilion. Of course, by checking his attribute panel, he noticed a few who were present. But since they showed no intention of engaging with him, he wasn’t about to force himself on them. The other Leaderboard disciples watching Lin Xuan were inwardly shaken. They hadn’t expected him to be so bold as to venture into the top ten’s territory. The top ten had considerable pride. Unless invited or recognized, anyone approaching would be met with hostility, even provoking an attack. Yet Lin Xuan, a new Leaderboard disciple, showed no fear at all. This exceeded their expectations. Moreover, not all of the top ten were absent—for instance, Wu Jie, ranked ninth, and Zhang Feiyan, ranked fifth, were remembered to be in their pavilions. But they made no move against Lin Xuan’s wandering. Especially Wu Jie, who had a significant grudge with Lin Xuan, showed no reaction. Clearly, they were wary of him. It seemed Lin Xuan might be even more fearsome than the rumors suggested. The disciples were all greatly unsettled.
Lin Xuan paid no attention to these Leaderboard disciples. Returning to his pavilion, he went straight to the cultivation chamber and sat cross-legged. This time, he had copied many treasures from the Fifth Elder, enough for a boost. There was no time to waste. Immediately, with a thought, he chose to use them. A warm current, like a small stream, appeared within his body, surging everywhere and being rapidly absorbed. Lin Xuan’s aura slowly grew. Half an hour later, he successfully absorbed and integrated this batch of treasures. He glanced at his attribute panel, spent some time using energy points to merge various martial arts, and then showed a satisfied expression. Taking out spirit stones, he continued his secluded cultivation.
Time slowly passed. Unbeknownst to him, another four days went by. In the cultivation chamber, a surging aura like ocean waves spread gently, causing the air to crackle. On the cushion, Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes and looked into the void before him: *Swish!* “Divine Copy System. Host: Lin Xuan. Realm: Qi Transformation Stage, Peak. Talent: Spirit-grade cultivation talent, Supreme-grade talents (Speed, Strength, Alchemy), Extreme-grade talents (Blade Dao, Sword Dao), Extreme-grade attribute talents (Sharp Gold, Gale, Crimson Fire, Verdant Wood), Upper-grade attribute talents (Thick Earth, Heavy Water), Mid-grade attribute talents (Frost Ice, Lightning). Martial Arts: Golden Scale Brute Elephant Art (Unknown, Incomplete, Entry Level), Primordial Chaos Art (Seventh-rank Mid-grade, Minor Mastery), Sunrise Blade Technique (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Windfire Sky-Shaking Sword Art (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Overwhelming Fist (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Ten-Thousandfold Surging Wave Palm (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Sky-Rending Leg (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Shadow-Tracing Art (Seventh-rank Low-grade, Grand Mastery), Flame Manipulation Art (Sixth-rank Low-grade, Minor Mastery). Intent: Forty percent Blade Intent, Forty percent Sword Intent, Forty percent Wind Intent, Twenty percent Metal Intent, Thirty percent Fire Intent, Twenty percent Earth Intent, Ten percent Wood Intent. Energy Points: 634,000. Portable Space: 199.”