Chapter 361: Chapter 361

"Fang Ruo, what's wrong?" Jing Yi sensed the abnormality of the disciple beside her and asked.

Standing next to Jing Yi, the woman called Fang Ruo shook her head slightly. "It's nothing..."

Jing Yi was naturally beautiful, and every time she made an appearance, she would inevitably draw the attention of the people around her. So, when Ding Fan had looked straight over here just now, she took it as something normal.

Jing Yi looked around, and at this moment, quite a few people were glancing over here, obviously attracted by Jing Yi's beauty.

Jing Yi immediately understood the reason for Fang Ruo's abnormality.

"Fang Ruo, you just need to stay true to your heart," Jing Yi said indifferently.

Fang Ruo nodded. "Yes, Master..."

"This time, although the Gu poison that's severely harmed your Junior Sister Ruoran has been completely driven out, the damage to her heart meridians is quite severe. At the Longxi Auction, we must help your Junior Sister secure the Comforting Grass. We, as master and disciple, should act cautiously in all things and avoid any unnecessary complications."

Although Jing Yi and Fang Ruo didn't speak loudly, every word reached Ding Fan's ears without missing a beat. Hearing that the Gu poison in Ruoran's body had indeed been healed, Ding Fan finally felt at ease.

However, upon hearing that driving out the Gu poison had damaged Ruoran's heart meridians, Ding Fan became anxious again. Whether a martial cultivator or cultivator of the mystical arts, damage to the heart meridians could have a tremendous impact on future cultivation.

Indeed, to heal Ruoran's heart meridians, the Comforting Grass might well be the only solution.

But, such Comforting Grass was exceedingly precious even in the Cultivation World, and it would probably be very difficult to obtain on Earth. Ding Fan didn't hold much hope for Jing Yi and Fang Ruo's chances of obtaining it.

"After we've eaten, we need to go and test the Stele. If you can secure a spot among the top ten on the Stele, our chances of acquiring the Comforting Grass at the auction will be much higher," Jing Yi said.

Upon hearing Jing Yi's words, Ding Fan paused slightly, realizing that leaving one's name on the Stele might come with certain advantages during the auction.

With that in mind, Ding Fan couldn't help but want to give it a try as well. After all, with so many strong competitors gathering, he wasn't sure he could obtain the Comforting Grass.

At this time, having finished their meal, Ding Fan and his companions left directly. When Ding Fan left the restaurant, he deliberately avoided Jing Yi and Fang Ruo, not wanting them to notice him.

Leaving the Huikeju Restaurant, Ding Fan and his company inquired about the way to the Stele.

The location of the Stele was not far from the small town; Ding Fan and the other two rented a carriage and headed for the Stele.

After about forty minutes, the carriage entered a forest and finally arrived at a valley. Here, the driver would not go any further.

After paying the fare, the three walked into the valley.

"That Nalan Xiong is truly the greatest of all time, with an Inner Strength of Human Character Eighth Rank, and at the age of just twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his cultivation is simply monstrous."

"What's so monstrous about that? He's a core disciple of the Primordial Sect, and with the resources of a Great Gate Sect at his disposal..."...

Just as Ding Fan and his companions were about to enter the valley, several people walked out in groups, their dejected expressions indicating that their attempt at the Stele had been fruitless.

The name Nalan Xiong spoken by these people, however, stuck in Ding Fan's memory. From their conversation, this person seemed to be exceedingly formidable.

The trio walked deeper into the valley and soon came upon a stele next to a waterfall.

This stele was as tall as a fifteen-story building, and although it was made of stone, it had a very ancient Mysterious Iron color which made it feel extremely solid.

Ding Fan took a look at the Stele.

On one side of the Stele were many names, arranged from low to high. Ding Fan looked all the way to the top and saw a name that stood out: Nalan Xiong.

It seemed that this person had achieved the best score on the Stele.

As Ding Fan was examining the Stele, there were exclamations from below it.

Looking towards the noise, Ding Fan saw an elder in his sixties leap into the air. As the elder reached a certain height, he suddenly swung out with fierce punches, the force of his blows causing sounds like the roaring of dragons and tigers in the valley.

The onlookers burst into cheers.

Ding Fan couldn't help but focus intensely. The Elder in front of him was the first person Ding Fan had seen since his rebirth whose cultivation could be said to be Grade Two Earth Level.

Considering that Ye Qingyun was only at third grade Earth Level, and this man surpassed him by two grades, his terrifying strength was evident.

This trip to Longxi would indeed be a gathering of eminent masters, a veritable den of dragons and tigers!

"God Character First Rank!"

As the Elder landed, the crowd exclaimed in amazement—having Inner Strength rise to God Character First Rank was evidently an astounding feat.

Ding Fan looked at the Stele again. At the very top, a red line appeared with a tiny scale beside it.

God Character First Rank!

Suddenly, the name Qiu Yangzi ascended to the second position on the Stele, and the last name was summarily pushed off the list.

The elder's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with the name.

"Entering the top ten makes one an esteemed guest of the auction house, with the right to purchase at the minimum price. How enviable..."

"What's the use of envy, these people are so formidable, even if we work ourselves to death, we can't break into the top ten."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

The elder named Qiu Yangzi glanced at Nalan Xiong at the top of the list, then turned and walked away.

As Qiu Yangzi left, many more people tried their luck at the stele, but their Inner Strength was quite limited, the highest reaching only the Human Character Eighth Rank.

And the last position on this ranking stele required at least an Earth Level Fifth Grade.

"These people are too amazing!" At that moment, Qi Luomei was thoroughly impressed.

Qi Luomei was naturally arrogant, rarely putting anyone in her eyes, but just under this ranking stele, she found a large number of strong individuals.

Leaving aside Qiu Yangzi, even those who failed the test probably had higher cultivation than her. Previously eager to test her own strength at the stele, she stuck out her tongue and then settled down quietly to the side to watch.

Afterward, many more tried to earn a spot, but none succeeded. Consequently, the area around the ranking stele quieted down.

Nobody succeeded, and those who tried all failed, leading to quite a few disheartened souls below.

"Second Brother, shall we go have a look?" At that moment, Cheng Bufan felt emboldened.

Ding Fan nodded; even if Cheng Bufan hadn't suggested it, he was planning on trying his luck. From what he had overheard, passing the test meant becoming an esteemed guest of the auction, being entitled to purchase treasures at the lowest price.

Such privileges were simply too tempting.

Keep in mind that many treasures at the auction fetched prices in the tens of millions, and any discount could mean saving millions.

Actually, saving money was secondary, the priority was the right to purchase first.

In the auction, everything depended on one's ability to buy, and without the right to purchase first, it was uncertain whether one could acquire a treasure, since there were too many capable individuals.

Cheng Bufan soon arrived under the ranking stele.

Because nobody had attempted for a while, the crowd couldn't help but turn their attention when someone finally tried again.

Cheng Bufan loosened up his limbs under the stele.

"Cheng Bufan, you must do your best..." The usually arrogant Qi Luomei came over and surprisingly cheered for Cheng Bufan.

A slight smile appeared on the corner of Cheng Bufan's mouth.

Without another word, Cheng Bufan took a deep breath and then leaped high into the air.

All eyes were on Cheng Bufan. Ding Fan, too, watched on, as he hadn't yet discovered Cheng Bufan's level of cultivation since they met.

Once he reached a certain height, Cheng Bufan suddenly unleashed his Inner Strength.

Cheng Bufan's Inner Strength was formidable, stirring up leaves and creating a rustling sound.

"Wow! Earth Level Sixth Rank! He made it!"

Cheng Bufan had just set foot back on the ground when the crowd burst into a cheer.

With no one succeeding for so long, and now someone had, everyone naturally joined in the celebration and congratulations.

Cheng Bufan puffed out his chest; he turned to look at the ranking stele, where a red line appeared at the Earth Level Sixth Rank. Cheng Bufan's name settled at the eighty-sixth position.

"Indeed a proud disciple of Quanzhen Xuanmen!" Qi Luomei, standing nearby, couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Cheng Bufan.

Although it was only the eighty-sixth rank, it was still an achievement not easy to come by, as many formidable individuals had failed. Cheng Bufan's success was all the more remarkable!

"Congratulations, big brother!" Ding Fan approached and said.

Cheng Bufan smiled. "It's just a rank in the eighties, nothing to congratulate. Brother, with your exceptional cultivation, if you were to try, I'm sure you'd easily take a spot in the top ten."

Qi Luomei also turned her gaze to Ding Fan.

Despite her temper, she didn't doubt Ding Fan's strength for a second, as she remembered how he had retrieved the Sect's stolen treasure all by himself.

So Qi Luomei was quite looking forward to seeing Ding Fan's result.

When the crowd heard Cheng Bufan say that Ding Fan had the strength to rise to the top ten, they all gathered around. The top ten were esteemed guests of the auction after all.

Could it be that this young man in his twenties was yet another exceptional prodigy?!

At this moment, Ding Fan calmly walked under the ranking stele, picked up a stone sphere, wrote his name on it, and placed it into the hole beneath the stele.

Then, Ding Fan moved unhurriedly to stand beneath the stele... Content orıginally comes from 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁