While He Yiming and the players were preparing, a very different scene was unfolding deep within the prosperous Tianyuan Domain , one of the most powerful regions in the Northern Spirit Realm.
In a vast and majestic sect surrounded by more than ten peaks, each crowned with towering spires, the air was thick with the presence of powerful cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Below, in the Sect Square, eight hundred disciples trained rigorously. Even the weakest among them had reached the tenth stage of Body Forging.
The sect had everything: a grand Alchemy Pavilion, a state-of-the-art Forging Hall, a vast Library filled with countless scrolls all built on a foundation of wealth and heritage. Overhead, a colossal defensive array blanketed the entire sect.
This was Zheng Yuan Sect a prestigious second-grade sect with a legacy stretching back over a hundred years.
In the main hall sat a young man, calmly listening as an old man reported to him.
Had He Yiming been present, he would have recognized that old man immediately Wang Ping, the same one who had once taken him to the Extreme Desolate Region.
"So… that kid He Yiming really went and founded a sect out there in that wasteland?" the young man chuckled with disbelief.
"Yes," Wang Ping replied coolly.
The young man was Gu Changfeng once the runner-up to He Yiming at Haotian Academy, and now the new master of Zheng Yuan Sect. While He Yiming had graduated with unmatched scores but no background, Gu Changfeng had the backing of his grandfather, the deputy dean of Haotian Academy. Thanks to that support, he was handed a fully equipped second-grade sect with over a dozen Foundation Establishment elders and a thousand disciples.
To help him dominate the upcoming sect rankings, 800 handpicked disciples had been recruited not beginners, but elite talents from smaller sects and noble clans. Some were born with spiritual bodies. Some were known as once-in-a-generation geniuses.
This was the power of connections.
By contrast, He Yiming was starting alone in a broken-down sect in one of the most perilous regions of the continent.
The difference was like heaven and earth.
"Extreme wasteland, huh? He Yiming, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Gu Changfeng sneered.
"I've heard that He Yiming chose that place deliberately," one of the elders said. "Dangerous, yes, but with risk comes opportunity. He might have gone seeking fortune in the chaos."
Gu Changfeng let out a harsh laugh and shook his head.
"You really don't understand. That place isn't called the Extreme Desolate Region for nothing.
"According to Senior Wang Ping, He Yiming's sect is surrounded by War Hunchback Beasts. Those things are strong enough to give early Spirit Vein cultivators a hard time. It usually takes three working together just to kill one."
He paused and continued, voice thick with disdain.
"Sure, He Yiming might be able to kill one but there are over a thousand in that area. Even if he somehow survives, how will he recruit disciples? Build infrastructure? Expand his sect?
"He can't."
Gu Changfeng's tone darkened.
"And that's not all. To the east lies the sea home to the Sea Race. If they discover him, he'll face endless attacks. The Sea Race doesn't stop once they've found prey. They'll drown his sect in wave after wave until nothing is left. Some of their advance troops are strong enough to wipe him out in a single move."
"To the north is the Hundred Thousand Demon Mountains. Countless beasts. Even Heavenly Pill cultivators have vanished in that place."
"To the south lies the Hell Desert. Step in without proper protection and you'll be cooked alive."
"And to the west? The Warlands. A blood-soaked territory where alien races fight without end, all of whom kill humans on sight."
Gu Changfeng leaned forward, voice like ice.
"He's surrounded on all four sides. Alone. Broke. No backers. No sect elders. Just a ruined sect and a death wish.
"He's nothing more than a bug waiting to get stepped on.
"So tell me… what are his chances?" His smile twisted.
The elders glanced at one another, uneasy.
"Sect Master, please… calm down…"
"Calm? You think I'm not calm?" Gu Changfeng snapped, veins bulging. "Do I look like I care about someone like He Yiming? He's beneath me!"
But his face said otherwise. He was seething.
"Sect Master," one elder said slowly, "you... you really hate him, don't you?"
Everyone could see it. His resentment wasn't just about cultivation. It was personal.
Wang Ping quietly observed, saying nothing. But in his mind, he scoffed.
He remembered the graduation duel, He Yiming had thoroughly outclassed Gu Changfeng, both in skill and presence. Even now, he could see it clearly: the way He Yiming and Nangong Li had stood together on the academy plaza. They had looked invincible.
And Gu Changfeng? He had been a side character. A footnote. No one even remembered he placed second.
Wang Ping sighed. The gap between them was clear. He Yiming was the real deal a cultivator who rose through merit, not nepotism.
If not for your grandfather… you wouldn't even have a sect, Gu Changfeng.
At that moment, Wang Ping cleared his throat and spat quietly to the side.
Gu Changfeng narrowed his eyes. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," Wang Ping replied smoothly. "The air here is just a bit dry."
"Hmph. Well then, Senior Wang Ping, thank you for bringing this news. Please, allow us to host you properly."
With a wave of his hand, Gu Changfeng signaled a few attendants to escort Wang Ping to a private residence.
Once he was gone, Gu Changfeng clenched his fists.
"More than two weeks left until the assessment. He Yiming… don't die before then."
He stared at the wall, eyes gleaming with fury.
"I'll show everyone that I'm the true genius. I'm the one meant to stand at the peak. Not him!"
Then, a dark thought crept into his mind.
"Maybe I should ask Grandfather to move the assessment forward. Let's see if he can survive that…"