Chapter 238

Chapter 238: The Golden List

Ancestor Xuan Wei stayed in Myriad Arts City for a few more months, but Li Shuang still did not come back.

Her last bit of wishful thinking faded.

After being gone for so long, Li was most likely dead.

The cultivation world is cruel like that.

Even a peerless genius is nothing before they grow up.

Ancestor Xuan Wei could not help but sigh.

Forget it.

If Li really fell, then the Supreme Spiritual Root lost its Master. Without timely care, it must have vanished between heaven and earth by now.

This time, she basically threw away a clone for nothing.

Ancestor Xuan Wei left Myriad Arts City full of resentment. She shut herself away to raise a new clone.

Of the two year deadline, only one month was left.

The Golden Soul Altar was about to open, one month early.

Near the gates of Myriad Arts City, a golden list appeared.

At first, the list had no words on it.

People waited early under the gate, eyes full of hope.

The opening of the Golden Soul Altar is a major event in the Soul Prison.

One month early, the City Lord always posts the list.

All young geniuses who meet the rules will appear on it.

They are ranked by how many Soul Points they have.

That ranking mostly shows real strength too.

Usually, new talents rise each era, so it is hard for anyone to stay the Ranking Champion for long.

But the number one on the Genius Ranking, You Lan, broke that pattern.

Counting before this time, she already kept the Ranking Champion title three times in a row.

This time, it did not seem like there would be any surprise either.

“The list is coming out soon,” someone said, then added with a grin: “I wonder how many people can join the Golden Soul Altar this time.”

“No matter how many, the first place is definitely You Lan,” another replied.

“True. Second and third change every year though,” a third said.

“The list is not even out and I am already excited,” someone laughed.

Only those under one hundred years old who also gained more than thirty thousand Soul Points within the last seven years can join the Golden Soul Altar.

Most folks are not involved. It is a contest for young geniuses.

However, the City Lord of Myriad Arts City cares a lot about how these young talents grow.

So every time the Golden Soul Altar is about to open, the city heats up a month early.

When it begins, the scene over there will be shown in Myriad Arts City through the Water Screen.

During that time, the whole Soul Prison shuts down everywhere except the Golden Soul Altar.

With nothing else to do, watching the Water Screen live show becomes everyone’s favorite thing.

The City Lord also sets up little games, like guessing who can enter the second layer. Those who guess right win small prizes.

Fun and useful, these games are very popular.

To win the City Lord’s prizes, people study the list closely, hoping to spot a dark horse.

If you bet on a dark horse and win, the reward is much better than picking the big favorite.

In the lively crowd, suddenly, someone shouted: “Look! The list is out!”

Dense rows of names flashed onto the board at once.

“927!”

“There are 927 names right now! Based on past years, during the last month, those who still have hope will sprint hard. The number will go up.”

“In the end, those who actually enter the Golden Altar should be about the same as before, still over a thousand.”

The Ranking Champion on the Golden List was the name You Lan, shining with golden light.

No one was surprised.

“First place is You Lan again. This should also be her last time at the Golden Soul Altar. Next time it opens, she will be over one hundred,” someone said.

“By then she will be climbing the Masters Ranking,” another replied.

“Ruling the Genius Ranking for thirty years, You Lan is a terrifying woman,” someone sighed.

“The top ten are the same old faces again. It is just the top ten swapping places.”

“No matter how black a dark horse is, it cannot break into the top ten. Let’s see if the top hundred has any new faces.”

People looked and talked.

Suddenly, a puzzled voice rose: “Who is the person exactly at one hundred? Li?”

Two years had passed.

The small stir caused by Li Shuang back then had faded from memory.

Her name popped up and stunned the crowd.

“Li? Is there such a person on the Genius Ranking? I feel like I have never heard of her,” someone muttered.

“Li?” a man’s voice suddenly went sharp: “She is not dead?”

He stared hard at the name.

The Golden List does not make mistakes. If someone is on it, they are alive.

It had been almost two years.

Even the Ancestor gave up.

But now, the name jumped out.

People looked at the man with confusion. He did not explain. His figure vanished from Myriad Arts City at once.

He had to go beg an audience with the Ancestor right now.

After he left, others began to remember too.

“I do recall the name. Two years ago, she rushed through five Great Dao Mountains in one go. It caused a small stir. Some High-tier Sects tried to recruit her. But she refused them all and went into the Soul Prison at the Golden Core Stage.”

“But this is wrong! She was a newcomer and only arrived in Myriad Arts City two years ago. Yet her Merit Points are eighty seven thousand. Are you saying she earned that many Merit Points in just two years?”

Silence fell.

Two years.

Eighty seven thousand Merit Points?

Did this Li ever rest?

Was she hunting Soul Beasts in the Soul Prison all the time?

This is not only about willpower. To stay in the Soul Prison nonstop, you need resources.

Either she had enough Purifying Fruit.

Or her Soul Method is incredibly strong.

Which is it for Li?

“Two years, eighty seven thousand Soul Points. Then if you gave her seven years?” someone asked softly, then glanced at the Ranking Champion.

“You Lan: two hundred thousand Soul Points.”

Below You Lan, second place only had one hundred fifty thousand.

If Li had seven years, and if she could keep earning at this high speed, would she surpass You Lan?

Surpass You Lan?

The thought flashed, then people shook their heads at once.

How could an unknown newcomer surpass You Lan?

Her Soul Points probably came from some lucky chance.

But luck does not happen every time.

Only someone like You Lan, strong and steady, can sit firmly on the throne of first place.

“So where is Li? Has she returned to Myriad Arts City?” a rare unfamiliar face asked, drawing attention.

In the crowd, many people were asking about Li’s whereabouts.

At the city gate of Myriad Arts City, Li Shuang walked in looking a bit tired. Her face was pale, but her eyes were amazingly bright.

Two years.

A full two years.

She finally saw a normal sky again.