Chapter 260 - 258: First Rise to Fame

After Luo Tian left, the place instantly exploded into an uproar.

"Holy cow, 32,000 Points! He shot straight into the top three!"

"This has to be fake, right? Or am I hallucinating? A new disciple who just entered the Upper Sect, with a Cultivation at only the Fifth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, actually got 32,000 Points in the Survival Grotto Heaven, the one with the highest death rate!"

"Unbelievable! How on earth did he do it? Did he discover a loophole in the Survival Grotto Heaven?"

A mix of shocked exclamations and suspicious doubts filled the air, throwing the scene into chaos.

Many veteran disciples found it difficult to break 30,000 Points on their first trial.

Yet Luo Tian, a newly promoted Upper Sect Disciple, got 32,000 Points on his very first try.

With the understanding gained this time, plus the tempering from the trial itself, his scores in the next two trials would only increase, not decrease. This was the case for the vast majority of disciples in the past.

That meant Luo Tian had an excellent chance of breaking 100,000 Points!

One hundred thousand Points was a major threshold that would attract the attention of the sect’s upper echelons and come with generous rewards.

’He actually scored higher than me...’

Ning Xin was shaken to the core, unable to calm herself for a long time.

She had chosen to enter the Survival Grotto Heaven with Luo Tian originally to look out for him, hoping he wouldn’t get too fixated on Points and put himself in danger.

When she couldn’t find him inside the Survival Grotto Heaven, she had even been a little worried.

But in the end, Luo Tian’s score was much higher than hers.

One had to remember there was a gap of three Small Realms between their Cultivation levels.

’That kid... he must have found a loophole in the Survival Grotto Heaven!’

Li Zhiyun, standing in a corner, was intensely skeptical.

Ning Xin’s strength was a cut above Li Zhiyun’s. And yet, Ning Xin’s score had been surpassed by Luo Tian.

Li Zhiyun had always believed Luo Tian got into the Upper Sect through connections and had no real substance. He considered himself several times more outstanding than Luo Tian.

Now, he was dealt a heavy blow.

...

After returning to his residence, Luo Tian immediately entered the Cultivation Secret Room.

The moment he activated his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body, an invisible, Powerful Aura pulsed out, and the clothes frozen solid on his body disintegrated into a pile of ice shards.

Luo Tian paid it no mind, activating his Nether Dragon Divine Vein to begin dispelling the chill within his body.

After a long while, the cold was driven out, and Luo Tian changed into a fresh set of clothes.

’The Celestial Furnace Treasure Body improved a little again in that desperate situation.’

Luo Tian assessed his physique and came to this conclusion, a pleased look on his face.

The trial in the Survival Grotto Heaven this time had led to a significant improvement in his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body, saving him a great deal of time he would have spent in arduous closed-door Cultivation.

Besides, scoring 32,000 Points on his first try meant his score would only be higher in subsequent trials. Reaching 100,000 Points would be no problem.

’The Four Grotto Heavens truly are a great opportunity!’

Luo Tian was glad he hadn’t missed it.

If he hadn’t gone all out back then and taken the Ten Thousand Spirits Blood-devouring Pill, he might still be in the Lower Sect right now, lagging far behind where he was today.

’The third Grotto Heaven is called the Heart Demon Grotto Heaven.’

’According to what I heard from Senior Sister Ning, this Grotto Heaven is mainly a test of one’s Spiritual Will and mental weaknesses. Its difficulty is above that of the Slaughter Grotto Heaven and the Survival Grotto Heaven.’

Luo Tian mused slowly.

The order in which the Four Grotto Heavens opened was also a ranking of their difficulty.

It was said that the Fourth Grotto Heaven was ridiculously difficult; even the Ten Core Disciples would find it tricky.

’How should I prepare for the upcoming Heart Demon Grotto Heaven?’

Luo Tian frowned slightly, having no clear answer.

He himself wasn’t sure how strong his Spiritual Will was, or how big the gap was compared to those elite Upper Sect Disciples.

’However, I cultivate the Celestial Destiny Creation Technique, which is a Cultivation Method that directly targets the Soul. It’s closely related to Spiritual Will, so it shouldn’t be a big problem!’

So far, Luo Tian had never seen any other Cultivation Method for the Soul.

Perhaps the Yunxiao Sect had one, but Luo Tian just hadn’t come across it.

Luo Tian couldn’t think of any way to prepare for the Heart Demon Grotto Heaven in advance, other than cultivating the Creation Technique.

「Five days later.」

"Luo Tian!"

A shout came from outside the courtyard.

’Xiao Feng?’

Luo Tian’s Spiritual Sense extended out, getting a clear look at the visitor.

Opening the door, Luo Tian smiled faintly. "As a new Upper Sect Disciple, you’re supposed to call me Senior Brother, you know?"

Another month had passed since Luo Tian’s last promotion.

This time, Xiao Feng had successfully secured a spot as an Upper Sect Disciple.

"..."

Xiao Feng’s face was expressionless. He didn’t feel like talking.

"I’m here to pay you back!"

Xiao Feng took out a box containing a total of two thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

This was what he had lost in a bet with Luo Tian.

"Not bad. You keep your word."

Luo Tian smiled and took the two thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

He had been dirt poor before. After winning three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins from Li Zhiyun, and adding these two thousand, he suddenly had five thousand Spiritual Essence Coins.

’Making money is all about betting!’ Luo Tian couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

So, he asked tentatively, "Xiao Feng, how about we make another bet? Let’s bet on our results in the Four Grotto Heavens..."

Five thousand Spiritual Essence Coins wasn’t a lot. Luo Tian still owed Cheng Wanli three thousand.

Besides, Xiao Feng was a man of good character who knew how to accept a loss.

"No betting! Absolutely not!"

Xiao Feng’s attitude was resolute and firm. He immediately left.

He would never bet with Luo Tian again.

If he hadn’t lost so many Spiritual Essence Coins from betting, his progress in Martial Arts might have been faster, and he could have entered the Upper Sect last month.

’After I quit betting, I’ll definitely be able to catch up to him!’

Xiao Feng resolved firmly in his heart.

He was still in time to participate in the opportunity of the Four Grotto Heavens.

Xiao Feng also had some understanding of the Four Grotto Heavens. Currently, only the Slaughter Grotto Heaven and the Survival Grotto Heaven were open.

Xiao Feng felt that in these two Grotto Heavens, he had a chance of aiming for 20,000 Points.

Once the trials of the Four Grotto Heavens were completely over, he believed he would have made great progress and would be able to catch up to Luo Tian.

He hadn’t gone far when he overheard two veteran disciples talking.

"For real? That disciple who just entered the Upper Sect not long ago got 32,000 Points on his first run in the Survival Grotto Heaven!"

"His name is Luo Tian, right?"

"That’s right!"

After the two veteran disciples left, Xiao Feng stood frozen on the spot.

He knew just how difficult it was to get 32,000 Points and what that number represented.

Xiao Feng couldn’t believe it. How on earth had Luo Tian managed that?

’Good thing I didn’t make that bet. I almost fell right into his trap...’

...

After watching Xiao Feng leave, Luo Tian headed for Artifact Refining Peak.

He was a man who kept his word. Now that he had enough Spiritual Essence Coins, he went to repay his debt.

"Here are three thousand Spiritual Essence Coins!"

Luo Tian took a large box out of his Storage Ring.

Cheng Wanli was slightly surprised. Luo Tian was able to repay the money in such a short time.

"How were your results in the Survival Grotto Heaven? Even with the Upper Grade Defense Treasure Artifact I forged for you, it must have been tough, right? I told you before, getting 100,000 Points is im—"

Cheng Wanli asked with a faint smile.

He estimated that Luo Tian would have trouble even reaching 20,000 Points.

Even with the Upper Grade Defensive Treasure Armor he forged, Luo Tian would at most score around twenty-two or twenty-three thousand.

"It was alright. Just 32,000 Points!"

Luo Tian suddenly interjected.

The smile on Cheng Wanli’s face froze instantly. He was tongue-tied and speechless.

"Brother Luo, a man must be honest. You can’t lie about your score!"

Cheng Wanli recovered and stared intently at Luo Tian.

Luo Tian’s score was simply too far from his own estimate to be believable, which was why Cheng Wanli was so deeply suspicious.

"If you don’t believe me, you can go see for yourself."

Luo Tian shrugged.

Seeing that Luo Tian didn’t look like he was lying, Cheng Wanli didn’t press the matter.

But he was so shocked that he seemed completely out of it.

’Could it be that the difficulty of the Survival Grotto Heaven was lowered because the death rate was too high?’

Cheng Wanli felt this was highly possible.

"Maybe. You could go try it yourself."

Luo Tian wasn’t sure either.

After saying that, he slapped his forehead and said, "Oh, I forgot. You’re not an Upper Sect Disciple, just an Upper Sect Refiner. You can’t enter the Four Grotto Heavens trials."

This was true. Cheng Wanli was very young, at most two or three years older than Luo Tian, so Luo Tian sometimes mistakenly thought he was a disciple of the Yunxiao Sect.

"Who says I can’t!"

Cheng Wanli was a bit indignant.

He possessed Earth Tier Top Grade Martial Veins and had always been the most dazzling figure among his peers since childhood. Coupled with his impressive background, almost no one dared to offend him, so he had rarely suffered any setbacks.

But recently, Cheng Wanli’s proud and confident heart had been repeatedly crushed by Luo Tian.

He wanted to win one back and make Luo Tian be surprised by him for a change.

"Oh?"

Luo Tian was very curious.

He had long heard that this Master Cheng’s background was anything but simple.

A short while later, Luo Tian and Cheng Wanli arrived before the Four Great Grotto Heavens.

"Luo Tian is here? Is he going to enter a trial again?"

Luo Tian’s appearance attracted some attention.

People remembered how when he first entered the Upper Sect, no one paid any attention to a mere Fifth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm disciple, either ignoring him or offering a few words of ridicule.

"Huh? Isn’t that...?"

A veteran disciple looked at Cheng Wanli, who was with Luo Tian, and seemed to recall something.

The Survival Grotto Heaven happened to have only two people in the trial. Cheng Wanli walked straight to it and stepped into the Light Cave.

’He can really participate?’

The entrance to the Four Grotto Heavens could detect an Upper Sect Disciple’s Token; without it, one couldn’t enter.

’Could it be that Cheng Wanli, this Artifact Refiner, also has an Upper Sect Disciple’s Token?’

Luo Tian didn’t overthink it and waited quietly.

Not long after, a disheveled Cheng Wanli was teleported out.

"Cheng Wanli, 26,000 Points, ranked seventeenth!"

Cheng Wanli’s Points and rank appeared on the leaderboard behind them.

"26,000 points. Not bad!"

Luo Tian spoke honestly.

Cheng Wanli was currently at the Peak of the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, not yet at the Eighth Layer. This result was indeed excellent.

But Cheng Wanli’s face was stern, and he couldn’t say a word.

’The difficulty of the Survival Grotto Heaven hasn’t changed at all! Why did I only get 26,000 points, while that kid got 32,000?’

Cheng Wanli felt it was completely unfair.

...

「That same day.」

In Yunxiao Hall, the place where the Sect Leader usually handled various matters.

Inside the hall, on a high platform at the top of a flight of stairs, a middle-aged man in a green robe sat cross-legged in quiet meditation. Two streams of white mist flowed from his nostrils with each breath, and clouds swirled around him, exuding a powerful aura that transcended everything.

"Sect Leader!"

An old man walked in and bowed deeply.

"What is it?"

The green-robed middle-aged man’s eyes remained closed as he spoke calmly.

"Cheng Wanli, he went to participate in the Four Grotto Heavens trials," the old man reported.

"Really?"

The calm and majestic middle-aged man’s eyes snapped open, revealing a trace of delight.

"Didn’t that boy resolve to become an Artifact Refiner? Why would he go to the Four Grotto Heavens?"

The green-robed middle-aged man found it strange.

Cheng Wanli was the type of person who was difficult to sway once he had set a goal.

Back then, even the green-robed man’s earnest and patient persuasion, which nearly led to them cutting ties, couldn’t stop Cheng Wanli’s determination to become an Artifact Refiner.

"This... I’m not sure. However, Cheng Wanli went to the Four Grotto Heavens with a disciple named Luo Tian."