Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Yuan Shuheng never imagined that he would suffer such a crushing defeat at the hands of an ascended cultivator.

He was exceptionally talented and had Elder Yuan's dedicated guidance, so he never lacked cultivation resources.

He established his foundation at twenty, formed his core at eighty-three, reached the Nascent Soul stage at two hundred and forty-six, and transformed into a deity at six hundred and ninety-two. He has always been the pride of the Tai Xuan Sect.

Yuan Shuheng also possesses an extremely rare Thunder Spirit Root, and the cultivation technique he practices is the "Purple Sky Breaking Evil Technique" bestowed upon him by Master Fu.

It directly targets the late stage of the Integration Realm and has the potential to reach the Mahayana Realm. It is a top-tier cultivation technique in the Tai Xuan Sect.

Whether sparring with fellow disciples or traveling abroad, he rarely encountered an opponent and was invincible.

However, Han Xuan only took half an hour to break through the Thunder River that Yuan Shuheng had painstakingly condensed.

Other disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect also disapproved of Han Xuan, a mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, being directly taken in by Elder Yuan, and repeatedly provoked him.

The Tai Xuan Sect never forbids its disciples from fighting, but private fights are strictly prohibited, and killing each other is strictly forbidden. Otherwise, they will be severely punished, and in severe cases, they will be killed on the spot.

Within the Tai Xuan Sect, there is a "Heavenly Ranking," which is divided into four rankings based on cultivation level: "Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow," corresponding to the four realms of Deity Transformation, Nascent Soul, Core Formation, and Foundation Establishment.

This list was personally set up by Master Fu, and every disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect will be listed on it, with each disciple ranked according to their contribution to the sect.

Cultivators only seek to improve their cultivation and elevate their realm, not to distinguish between superior and inferior cultivators.

However, those who rank high on the Heavenly Ranking will receive rewards from their sect, including magical treasures, spiritual materials, pills, and spirit stones, allowing them to progress rapidly in their cultivation.

Those ranked lower will only receive the most basic cultivation resources, and their cultivation speed will be as slow as a tortoise.

Cultivators with powerful backgrounds like Yuan Shuheng are somewhat better off, but for those disciples with poor aptitude and no teachers to rely on, the ranking on the Tongtian Ranking is crucial to their cultivation progress, so they attach great importance to it.

Even Yuan Shuheng cannot completely ignore the rankings on the Tongtian List.

He cultivated the "Purple Sky Breaking Evil Technique" after following Elder Yuan in conquering other worlds during his Nascent Soul stage, making great contributions and ranking first on the Earth Ranking, which earned him the sect's reward.

Even Elder Yuan couldn't produce such a top-tier thunder-based cultivation technique.

The Heavenly Ranking does not consider aptitude or background, but only cultivation level, strength, and contributions to the sect.

If Yuan Shuheng wanted to obtain this cultivation technique, he could only fight fiercely against the alien races, and at most he could only get some help from his father.

Inspired by the Heavenly Ranking, all the disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect strive to be the best and serve the sect.

Besides conquering other worlds, disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect can also improve their ranking on the Tongtian Ranking through battles with each other.

Opportunities to conquer other worlds are not always available, and the sects and families in the spirit world are as numerous as stars, intricate and complex, so the Tai Xuan Sect cannot continue to expand indefinitely.

There aren't that many sect missions to allow nearly 200,000 disciples to increase their sect contribution.

The battles between disciples can not only increase their combat experience and demonstrate their strength, but also serve as a means to improve their ranking on the Heavenly Ranking.

After Han Xuan joined the Tai Xuan Sect, he made no contributions to the sect and never fought with other disciples, so he naturally ranked last on the Heavenly Ranking.

However, after defeating Yuan Shuheng, Han Xuan's ranking on the Tongtian Ranking rose by dozens of places, even surpassing several mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Yuan Shuheng cultivates the Thunder Dao Technique, possessing violent supernatural powers. His magical treasure, the Bronze Mirror, is incredibly powerful, rarely matched by any disciple in the early stages of the Nascent Soul realm.

Many disciples in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm have also been defeated by him.

Han Xuan was able to defeat him, so his ranking naturally improved very quickly.

But the more he showed off, the more dissatisfied he became with the other true disciples.

There are rumors that he was able to defeat Yuan Shuheng because he was given a magical treasure by a Mongol elder, and even the story of Yuan Shuheng's defeat is somewhat exaggerated.

Elder Yuan was paving the way for Han Xuan, even going so far as to have Yuan Shuheng deliberately lose so that Han Xuan could establish his authority.

Such a ridiculous speculation has managed to spread, which means there must be someone behind it fueling the flames.

However, this also led many of Han Xuan's true disciples to underestimate his strength and come to challenge him.

Han Xuan showed no mercy, defeating thirty-seven true disciples from the eleven peaks in succession, and his reputation soared.

There are many restrictions on disciples' duels, one of which is that those with higher cultivation levels cannot challenge those with lower cultivation levels.

These thirty-seven true disciples were all early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and their performance was far inferior to Yuan Shuheng's. They were all defeated after only a few rounds.

When one's cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul stage, one's true essence is profound. A single battle can often last for several days and nights, or even ten days to half a month, before a victor can be determined.

Only when the difference in strength between the two sides is extremely large will they not be able to last even a few rounds.

After this incident, no true disciple dared to underestimate Han Xuan.

But he was still not satisfied, so he took the initiative to challenge the mid-stage Nascent Soul disciples of each peak, starting with the Feather Transformation Peak.

Over the course of several years, Han Xuan defeated nineteen mid-stage Nascent Soul disciples, significantly improving his ranking on the Heavenly Ranking.

Since joining the Tai Xuan Sect, he has not completed a single sect mission, yet he has entered the top 100 of the Tongtian Ranking, which is unprecedented since the establishment of the Tai Xuan Sect.

Han Xuan's reputation spread throughout the entire Tai Xuan Sect. Even the elders of the various peaks knew that Elder Yuan had recently taken in a brilliant and talented ascended cultivator.

Having experienced so many battles, Han Xuan's magical treasures and supernatural abilities have become well-known. He is actually a sword cultivator, but he is quite different from other sword cultivators.

He wields thirty-six green bamboo flying swords, transforming reality into illusion, moving swiftly and freely, and can even set up sword formations. Overthrowing superiors is also a piece of cake for him.

Yuan Shuheng said, "Senior Brother Han specializes in swordsmanship, but he is not an ordinary swordsman."

"His swordsmanship is unpredictable and unfathomable. He can set up a sword formation by himself, with towering trees turning into swords into threads, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion."

“Yuan used to think highly of himself and never paid attention to others.”

"It wasn't until I met Senior Brother Han that I realized there are always people more capable than me, and I dared not be arrogant or conceited in the slightest again."

"Afterwards, when Senior Brother Han conquered the other world, he displayed great divine power and, with his early Nascent Soul cultivation, killed a high-level demon general."

"Over the past two thousand years, countless alien demon generals and Nascent Soul cultivators have died at the hands of Senior Brother Han."

Chen Yuan listened to Yuan Shuheng's high praise for Han Xuan and nodded inwardly.

Although Han Xuan acted ostentatiously, displaying his supernatural powers and magical treasures to others, it was all for the sake of the sect's rewards.

However, according to Yuan Shuheng, the disciples ranked high on the Tongtian Ranking receive extremely generous rewards, enough to drive even Nascent Soul cultivators crazy. No wonder Han Xuan is so flamboyant.

On the path of cultivation, one must seize every moment. If there is an opportunity to improve one's cultivation, one should not hesitate in the slightest.

Han Xuan was an ascended cultivator, so he must know how difficult cultivation is. With Elder Yuan as his backer, it's perfectly normal for him to make this choice.

The other disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect were certainly unwilling to fall behind, fearing that if their ranking on the Tongtian Ranking was lower than others, they would receive fewer cultivation resources.

However, if it were Chen Yuan, he certainly wouldn't be so ostentatious. His cultivation technique is too unique, so he should try to show it off as little as possible in front of others to avoid attracting disaster.

Chen Yuan praised, "Fellow Daoist Han is indeed a genius. As fellow ascended cultivators, it would be a great pleasure for me to sit down and discuss the Dao with him."

When Lin Huai and Qi Xuan heard about Han Xuan's deeds, they felt awe and longing in their eyes.

Han Xuan is merely a true disciple of the Huayu Peak lineage of the Tai Xuan Sect, yet he possesses such strength.

Above him are cultivators at the Void Refinement stage, elders at the Integration stage, and even sect leaders at the Mahayana stage.

Tai Xuan Sect is just one of the eighty-four Mahayana sects in the Spirit Realm. How many powerful beings exist in the vast and boundless Spirit Realm?
The two looked back at the Xuanli Realm, where the dragon people had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, and it suddenly seemed so small and cramped.

Even renowned cultivators at the Cloud Ascension Realm and those at the Dragon Transformation Realm whose fame spread throughout the Xuanli Realm pale in comparison to the Tai Xuan Sect, finding it difficult to inspire even the slightest awe.

The group then descended into the light of their escape and arrived at the top of the stone mountain, where they sat down to meditate and regulate their breathing to recover their true energy.

The exchange between Chen Yuan and the other three was extremely brief, and their true energy was not greatly depleted.

However, in this Xuanli Realm, there is no spiritual energy in the world, and one can only rely on spirit stones and pills to replenish it, so one cannot be careless in the slightest.

Yuan Shuheng's purple thunder dragon was broken by Chen Yuan, causing his primordial spirit to tremble and his injuries to be quite severe. His true essence was also greatly depleted, and he took a healing pill.

He then asked Senior Brother Song to set up a spirit-gathering array and took out seven top-grade spirit stones to restore his true essence, which was quite extravagant.

The two senior brothers' magical artifacts were slightly damaged, and they carefully tended to them.

But the crowd didn't have to wait long. Several hours later, two groups of Tai Xuan Sect disciples arrived one after another.

Senior Brother Song did not make a move, and since he had not consumed much of his true essence, he did not meditate or cultivate.

Chen Yuan had now fully recovered his true essence. After a conversation with Senior Brother Song, he inquired about the identities of the disciples from the three peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect who had entered the Xuan Li Realm, as well as the names and strengths of the cultivators from the Chong Hua Sect, Xuan Ji Sect, and Wei Family.

Like Yuan Shuheng, Senior Brother Song still had some doubts about Chen Yuan's identity, but he wasn't particularly wary of him.

Chen Yuan showed mercy, sparing the lives of the four and allowing them to heal their wounds without any unusual behavior, indicating that he had no malicious intent.

Whether what he said is true or false, as long as we can join forces to deal with the demon race, everything else can be put aside.

Upon seeing Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Hu arrive, the two stood up together to greet them.

Each of these two groups of Tai Xuan Sect disciples was accompanied by a Dragon Man at the Cloud Ascension Realm.

The disciples of Huayu Peak have no right to interfere in how the disciples of the other two peaks and the cultivators of the three sects act.

However, under Han Xuan's influence, the disciples of Huayu Peak do not treat dragon people, who are alien races, roughly.

Instead, they used a combination of kindness and severity to make them willingly serve the Tai Xuan Sect.

These two dragonmen are the chieftains of two tribes, whose strength is similar to that of the Cangyun tribe.

They were all intimidated by the strength of Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Sister Hu, and then, after being lured by favors and benefits, they willingly joined the human race.

Everyone was surprised to see Chen Yuan, a complete stranger. They only refrained from showing hostility because of the presence of Senior Brother Song, Yuan Shuheng, and the other three, but their eyes still betrayed suspicion.

After separating from the others, Senior Brother Song persuaded Qi Xuan to join forces, then rescued Lin Huai, fought Chen Yuan, and recounted in detail how they became friends after their fight.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and they scrutinized Chen Yuan closely, their eyes filled with even deeper doubt.

Such a bizarre event is truly unbelievable.

Senior Brother Zhang asked to see the Tai Xuan Token, and Chen Yuan took it out. The group passed it around with some skepticism, but no one found any flaws, and their doubts subsided somewhat.

Like Senior Brother Song, they had only seen the Tai Xuan Token from afar and had not yet felt the profound energy contained within it.

The Tai Xuan Token was never meant for low-ranking disciples like them; it was a token for entering and exiting the sect's forbidden area. Apart from Yuan Shuheng, no one had ever come into close contact with it.

Upon hearing that Chen Yuan had killed a descendant of a true spirit and several high-ranking demon generals, everyone's expression changed again, and they looked at this person who seemed to be a fellow disciple from the lower realm with a hint of surprise.

Those who were chosen to enter the Xuanli Realm were all outstanding disciples of the Huayu Peak lineage, possessing considerable strength and having killed high-ranking demon generals.

But they only killed one or two high-level demon generals. Even the strongest senior brothers, Zhang and Hu, only had the souls of three or four high-level demon generals in their hands.

This is already extremely difficult. High-level demon generals have strong physical bodies, master all kinds of strange talents and supernatural abilities, wield spiritual treasures and divine weapons, are extremely good at prolonged battles, and are fierce and tenacious.

They had to go to great lengths to deal with a high-ranking demon general.

If one can kill three or four, one will become famous throughout the lineage.

Chen Yuan kills high-ranking demon generals as easily as taking candy from a baby. Isn't he comparable to Junior Brother Han?
Everyone greeted Chen Yuan and exchanged names.

Before long, Yuan Shuheng's injuries had mostly healed. He got up to greet him and told him about his defeat at the hands of Chen Yuan.

Out of consideration for his feelings, Senior Brother Song and Chen Yuan did not go into details, only saying that the two sides almost came to blows, but after some explanation, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

Only then did everyone realize that Yuan Shuheng had also been defeated by Chen Yuan, and had no power to fight back at all, which shocked them even more.

Chen Yuan was somewhat surprised. Logically speaking, as the son of a Nascent Soul cultivator and a prominent figure in the Huayu Peak lineage, Yuan Shuheng should have been mindful of his reputation to some extent.

However, he brought up the matter on his own initiative, not worried about losing face, which made Chen Yuan look at him with new respect.

Cultivators are extremely concerned about their reputation, especially as they age and rise in status.

Yuan Shuheng himself is quite strong, and his father is an elder in the sect, yet he can admit his defeat and speak highly of Chen Yuan, which is extremely rare.

Before long, several streaks of light flew in from afar, dazzling and imposing, breaking through the dragon's aura.

Yuan Shuheng scanned the area with his divine sense and his eyes lit up: "Senior Brother Han has arrived! Fellow Daoist Chen, please wait here for a moment. I will go and greet you."

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he smiled, "After hearing about Fellow Daoist Han from you, I have admired you greatly. How can I sit here and wait?"

Yuan Shuheng smiled and said, "That's fine then, Fellow Daoist Chen, please."

Having said that, he vanished in a flash of light and soared into the air.

Chen Yuan and the Tai Xuan Sect cultivators followed closely behind, while Qi Xuan, Long Huai, and two other dragon people at the Tengyun Realm were at the very back.

Several streaks of light stopped in front of the group, revealing a green-robed cultivator at the head, followed by several dragon-men.

Chen Yuan sized up the green-robed cultivator. He noticed that the cultivator had fair skin and an unremarkable appearance, but possessed a refined and scholarly demeanor, a calm expression, and deep, bright eyes.

The cultivators of the Tai Xuan Sect clasped their fists and bowed, greeting him in unison, "Senior Brother Han!"

The green-robed cultivator returned the greeting with clasped hands, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on Chen Yuan, a scrutinizing look in his eyes: "This fellow Daoist possesses an extraordinary bearing, which I have never seen before. May I ask your esteemed name and how you entered this Xuanli Realm?" (End of Chapter)