Thanks To My Unlimited Investment, I'm Admired By All Races - Xianxia

Chapter 181: A Core Disciple of the Profound Sun Holy Land?

The Great Zhou Empire.

The Golden Sun Sect.

This was once a mighty sect—so powerful, in fact, that during its prime, it stood toe-to-toe with the Profound Sun Sect. But times had changed. Over the years, the Profound Sun Sect had risen to prominence and transformed into the prestigious Profound Sun Holy Land, while the Golden Sun Sect... had begun to decline.

Still, even in its weakened state, the Golden Sun Sect remained a dominant force within a hundred-thousand-mile radius—undisputed and unshaken.

The sect’s territory was vast, spanning thousands of miles. It was said to be home to 108 main peaks, each supposedly guarded by an elder who had reached the Life and Death Realm.

Of course, that was what the sect claimed.

Few outsiders truly believed it.

After all, Life and Death Realm cultivators weren’t weeds you could just find by the roadside. It wasn’t a level people reached casually.

The idea that the Golden Sun Sect had over a hundred of them?

Yeah, no one really bought that.

Still... no one had ever dared to verify it either.

Today, outside the Golden Sun Sect’s mountain gate, a massive crowd had gathered. There were ordinary folks in the mix, but many wore luxurious robes, clearly of noble or wealthy background. They crowded the mountain path, shoulder to shoulder.

Despite their differences, they all had one thing in common—each group had brought along one or more teenage boys and girls.

Their goal was clear.

They had come for the Golden Sun Sect’s annual disciple recruitment ceremony!

"I heard they’re only accepting 2,000 outer disciples this year," someone whispered along the path.

The words caused a ripple of unease in the crowd.

"What? Only 2,000? Don’t they usually take at least 3,000 every year?"

"You’re not wrong," someone else chimed in. "In the past, they recruited in large numbers because they were desperate to find new talent. The sect’s future was uncertain, so they hoped to strike gold with a few hidden geniuses."

"But after decades of this, they’ve built up a bloated outer sect—almost 200,000 disciples! Yet barely any of them ever became inner disciples. Most were just average. So now, the sect has tightened the criteria. They don’t want to waste resources on mediocrity anymore."

"More importantly... I heard the Golden Sun Sect has produced a genius!"

"And rumor has it, this genius’s potential might rival even that of the Profound Sun Holy Son!"

The crowd gasped.

Everyone had heard of the Holy Son of Profound Sun, Li Xun. His fame had spread far and wide, though admittedly, the Profound Sun Holy Land had done a good job of promoting him behind the scenes.

By now, anyone involved in cultivation—or hoping to get into it—knew his name.

Fame, however, could be a double-edged sword.

If you didn’t have the strength or a powerful faction backing you, fame just made you a bigger target. After all, you only became famous by stepping over other people and making enemies along the way.

But... if you did have a strong backing?

Then fame brought fortune. It could draw countless young cultivators to your side, eager to learn under a legendary name.

"Wait, wait. You’re telling me a sect like the Golden Sun Sect actually produced someone on par with the Profound Sun Holy Son? You do know that guy single handedly entered the Great Chu Dynasty and slaughtered several Life and Death Realm experts, right?

"I heard he’s killed at least a dozen marquises from the Great Chu—one of them was even the Champion Marquis, who possessed the Ketu Divine Physique! That’s not someone just any so-called genius can compare to."

"Exactly! The Profound Sun Holy Son himself has the Scarlet Flame Divine Body! You think just anyone can be mentioned in the same breath as him?"

"You guys are behind on the news," someone in the crowd said, lowering their voice. "Just a few days ago, I heard the Profound Sun Holy Son killed a Duke from the Great Chu Dynasty. Do you know what that means? A Duke is a Divine Palace Realm expert—someone who, in the Golden Sun Sect, would be at the level of a Grand Elder!"

"Maybe the Golden Sun Sect is just trying to ride the coattails of Profound Sun’s fame..."

"Shh! Quiet!" someone hissed. "This is the Golden Sun Sect’s front gate! If they hear us talking about the Profound Sun Holy Son like this, you can kiss your chances of getting into the sect goodbye!"

With those words, the noisy crowd immediately fell silent.

Just then—

A streak of azure divine light shot through the sky, slicing through the clouds from a distant horizon. In the blink of an eye, it landed right in front of the Golden Sun Sect’s mountain gate before anyone could even register what had happened.

As the divine light faded, a young man stood revealed.

He wore a flowing robe of soft lavender, embroidered with drifting cloud patterns. It was elegant and regal, yet there was something ethereal about him—like he didn’t quite belong to this mortal world.

"Wait... that outfit—he’s a core disciple of the Profound Sun Holy Land!"

Someone in the crowd recognized the robe immediately, and the words sent a chill down many spines.

"A core disciple... from the Profound Sun Holy Land?!"

Gasps swept through the crowd.

In recent months, Profound Sun had become a name everyone feared and admired. Just half a year ago, the Profound Sun Holy Master personally led a strike against the Beast Taming Sect, utterly annihilating it.

With the Beast Taming Sect’s resources absorbed—including its techniques, treasures, and spirit beasts—the Profound Sun Holy Land experienced a massive surge in power, stepping up to an entirely new level.

Rumor had it that even their internal rules had changed.

Most notably, only cultivators at the peak of the Profound Elixir Realm could even qualify to take the core disciple entrance test!

That level of difficulty would be insane for other sects—but not for Profound Sun.

After all, they had doubled the resources and benefits for every disciple, whether outer, inner, or core. With so many resources funneled into training, the future of the Holy Land was brighter than ever.

A stronger sect attracted more talent. More talent meant more power. It was a perfect feedback loop. At this rate, any sect that could once match Profound Sun might not even see its shadow in a few centuries.

Many among the crowd dreamed of joining the Profound Sun Holy Land, but for ordinary people here... the Holy Land was simply too far away. Most would live and die without ever setting foot near it.

So now, with a real core disciple standing right in front of them, many couldn’t help but tremble with excitement.

The arrival of this young man meant one thing:

His cultivation was at least at the peak of the Profound Elixir Realm, and maybe even higher—possibly a Divine Power Realm expert!

"But... why would a core disciple from Profound Sun come here?"

The same question echoed in many hearts.

At that moment, two outer disciples stationed at the Golden Sun Sect’s gate exchanged a quick glance before stepping forward. They bowed deeply to the newcomer and spoke with great respect:

"Honored Senior Brother from the Profound Sun Holy Land, may we ask what business brings you to our humble sect?"

Profound Sun’s power had grown overwhelming. Within the entire Great Zhou Empire, no sect dared challenge it anymore. The last one that tried—the Beast Taming Sect—had been wiped from the map.

Even their cultivation manuals were now considered branch techniques of the Profound Sun Holy Land.

The Golden Sun Sect had no interest in sharing that fate.

The young man’s eyes gleamed as he replied in a calm, steady voice:

"Tell Ye Qingyu... that someone named Ye Han has come to fulfill the three-year promise."

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