Inside the cultivation room, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on a cushion.
With a thought, he began using the treasures he had copied from the Lin family elders on the high platform.
"Ding, congratulations, host! Your cultivation talent has improved!"
"Ding, congratulations, host! You have mastered the third-grade upper-tier martial art, Fissure Rock Fist, at a high level of proficiency!"
"Ding, congratulations, host! Your strength talent has improved!"
"..."
The cold, mechanical system notifications echoed in his ears one after another.
Lin Xuan's aura was also slowly rising.
...
Meanwhile, as Lin Xuan was in seclusion cultivating, the entire Qingyu City was shaken by him.
After the Lin family's monthly strength assessment ended, the observing martial artists sent by various major forces, as well as the commoners and rogue cultivators who had come to watch, all dispersed.
They returned to their original dwellings.
The observing martial artists from the major forces, upon returning, immediately reported the scene they had witnessed and the major news they had obtained during the Lin family's assessment.
The rogue cultivators and commoners, treating it as gossip, eagerly spread the word.
In an instant, the entire Qingyu City was stirred.
In Qingyu City, four major powers stood in a tripartite balance: the City Lord's Mansion, the Lin family, the Wu family, and the Chen family.
The top geniuses of each of these four powers were known as the Four Geniuses of Qingyu City.
These four geniuses were evenly matched in talent and strength, all at the ninth level of Body Refining.
Within their respective factions, they were absolute pinnacle existences, with no one able to shake their positions.
But the news that came today shattered this situation.
During the Lin family's monthly assessment, Lin Xuan, the young genius of the Lin family, was at the seventh level of Body Refining.
First, he one-shot Lin Lei, another young genius.
Then, he defeated Lin Hai, one of the Lin family's three geniuses at the eighth level of Body Refining, crossing a level.
Finally, he challenged Lin Yun, the Lin family's top genius.
Crossing two levels, he defeated Lin Yun in an upset, claiming the position of the Lin family's top genius and chief disciple!
This news spread, shocking everyone and leaving them in disbelief.
This included the high-ranking members of the major forces.
It must be known that Lin Yun, as one of the Four Geniuses of Qingyu City, was no ordinary ninth-level Body Refining cultivator.
He was exceptionally strong, even comparable to a weaker early-stage Acupoint Opening cultivator.
Among his peers, aside from the other three top geniuses of the major powers, he had few rivals.
Let alone being challenged across levels.
Yet now, the news was that Lin Xuan had challenged Lin Yun across two levels.
And Lin Yun had lost!
Such an outcome nearly shattered their understanding, making it impossible for them to believe.
The high-ranking members of the major forces were no exception.
Even with repeated assurances from their subordinates, they still couldn't bring themselves to believe it.
After being stunned and frozen in shock for a long time, they snapped back to reality.
The high-ranking members of the major forces, almost in unison, mobilized their subordinates and the spies they had planted in the Lin family, using every possible means to verify the truth of this news.
Qingyu City was not large, and the major forces had considerable resources.
Soon, they all received corresponding feedback.
But looking at the returned information, the high-ranking members of the major forces widened their eyes again, frozen in immense shock.
Because the information from every channel, including the spies hidden in the Lin family, unanimously confirmed that the astonishing news was true!
Lin Xuan had indeed, at the seventh level of Body Refining, crossed two levels to defeat Lin Yun, who was at the peak of Body Refining.
He had become the Lin family's new top genius and chief disciple!
The high-ranking members of the major forces, staring at the information in their hands, were deeply shaken.
If they had doubted it before and refused to believe...
Now, with so much evidence before them, even if they were unwilling to believe, they had no choice.
After the shock, the high-ranking members of the major forces, almost in unison, gazed toward the Lin family, sighing repeatedly with complex expressions.
To defeat Lin Yun, who was at the peak of Body Refining, while at the seventh level of Body Refining, crossing two levels, already proved that Lin Xuan's talent surpassed Lin Yun's.
And not by a little, but by a significant margin.
Since Lin Yun was one of the Four Geniuses of Qingyu City, on par with the top geniuses of the other three major powers, Lin Yun's talent was comparable to theirs.
By comparison, Lin Xuan's talent had clearly surpassed the original Four Geniuses of Qingyu City.
Although Lin Xuan had replaced Lin Yun as one of the new Four Geniuses, he had actually left the other three far behind.
Not only was he the foremost among the Four Geniuses, but he had also achieved the position of Qingyu City's top genius, rather than being one of the four in opposition.
Faced with this situation, the high-ranking members of the major forces were both immensely shocked and inwardly sighed.
The strongest person in Qingyu City, Lin Qiyuan, whom even the city lord feared, was in the Lin family.
Now, the top genius of Qingyu City had also appeared in the Lin family.
The implications were clear.
It seemed that Qingyu City would not remain peaceful in the future.
The balance among the four major powers had already begun to break.
As for the smaller forces, rogue cultivators, and commoners, they paid little attention to these political shifts.
But they were also stunned by the news.
After all, the pattern of the Four Geniuses had persisted for several years without change.
Now it had been broken, and completely at that.
It shook them considerably.
Of course, even if they weren't as focused as the major forces, they weren't fools. They naturally doubted the truth of the news.
The impact of this news was simply too great.
But lacking the resources of the major forces, they could only rely on their own methods or wait for time to verify it.
As time passed, the news fermented more intensely.
Yet none of the major forces, including the City Lord's Mansion and the Lin family, came forward to refute or deny it. It was as if they had tacitly accepted it.
This attitude already indicated one thing.
That astonishing news was true!
Instantly, Qingyu City was shaken once again.
The buzz around this news had reached its peak.
Even in every corner of Qingyu City, people couldn't help but discuss it during idle chats or after meals.
At this moment, Lin Xuan's popularity in Qingyu City had been elevated to the extreme.
It could almost be said that, aside from the three clan heads and the city lord of Qingyu City, no one else could compare to Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan was hailed as Qingyu City's top genius, rather than one of the original Four Geniuses.
...
Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, several days had passed.
Inside the cultivation room.
Lin Xuan finished executing a set of Overwhelming Fist, Shocking Wave Palm, and Shattering Cloud Kick, drenched in sweat that soaked his clothes.
Crack!
At that moment, a faint, crisp sound rang out.
A more powerful aura radiated from Lin Xuan, spreading in all directions.
Hoo!
Lin Xuan let out a long breath, feeling the surging energy within his body, a smile appearing in his eyes:
"Finally, I've broken through to the ninth level of Body Refining."
Five days had passed since the previous strength assessment.
He had finally reached the ninth level of Body Refining.
In terms of cultivation, he was now worthy of the title of chief disciple.