Invincible Beyond Heavens: Cultivating With A Broken EXP System

Although everyone had already learned of the outcome through Zhang Lang’s words, Li Yun’s victory appeared anything but glorious.

At that moment, Li Yun’s black hair was in complete disarray, his clothes were torn apart, and his exposed body was covered in ugly wounds from which blood continued to flow. His condition looked miserable, almost like a demonic figure that had just crawled out from a sea of blood.

Even so, not a single person present mocked him. On the contrary, every gaze directed toward Li Yun was filled with deep awe. Even the usually arrogant Ling Chong looked at him no differently.

This was a world where strength commanded respect. No matter how humble one’s appearance might be, true power would earn admiration wherever one went. Without strength, however, even someone who ruled over a nation would likely be ignored.

Although the injuries covering Li Yun’s body looked severe, they meant little to someone with such a powerful physical body. These wounds were merely the aftermath of the final clash and the violent qi storm produced when their attacks collided.

Li Yun circulated his three cultivation arts to stabilize his condition, then cupped his hands toward Zhang Lang and spoke with humility.

“My victory was nothing more than a matter of luck by one or two moves. Moreover, Senior Brother Zhang Lang did not truly fight with all his strength. If he had, I would never have been his opponent.”

Those words were the truth. While Zhang Lang had also suffered injuries, they were minor, and he still retained enough strength to continue fighting.

Li Yun, on the other hand, had not been gravely injured, yet the qi within his body was almost completely exhausted. Even after using his strongest technique, the Nine Sun Heaven Chasing Arrow, this was the best result he could achieve against Zhang Lang. If the battle had continued, defeat would have been inevitable.

Had this been a true battle of life and death, Li Yun might have lost his life then and there.

“Heh.”

Zhang Lang smiled faintly and said nothing further. He then took out a Martial Ascension token and tossed it toward Li Yun.

“According to the rules of the trial, since you won, each of us must give you fifty thousand contribution points. Take it.”

Following his lead, Ling Chong and the others reluctantly took out their own Martial Ascension tokens and threw them toward Li Yun as well. Although they were unwilling, the rules of Martial Ascension Gate were absolute, and none of them dared to violate them.

“Thank you very much, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters.”

Li Yun accepted the contribution points without any hesitation and absorbed them directly into his own Martial Ascension token.

There were more than twenty disciples of Martial Ascension Gate present, each contributing fifty thousand points, which added up to over one million contribution points. Combined with what he already possessed, his total now reached one million three hundred thousand contribution points.

In addition to that, he still had a large number of demon cores stored in his storage ring. If he exchanged those as well, his contribution points would soar to an astonishing one million five hundred thousand.

“This time, first place in the Eternal Sky Secret Realm will definitely belong to me,” Li Yun thought as a confident smile curved his lips.

“Very well. You have passed the second round of the trial and received your contribution points. There is nothing left for us to do here, so we will take our leave. We shall meet again within Martial Ascension Gate in the future,” Zhang Lang said. He retrieved his Martial Ascension token, cupped his hands politely toward Li Yun, and bid him farewell before leading the others away from this place.

“I should leave as well.”

After Zhang Lang and the other disciples of Martial Ascension Gate departed, Li Yun also made his move. His figure turned into a streak of light as he shot toward the exit of the Eternal Sky Secret Realm.

…

Martial Ascension City.

On the vast public square, countless figures had gathered, all of their gazes fixed on two focal points at the center of the plaza.

One was the spatial black hole suspended above the square. It resembled a gateway through time and space and continuously emitted a mysterious glow. This was clearly the entrance and exit of the Eternal Sky Secret Realm.

The other was an enormous black stone tablet that towered into the air. Its surface was densely engraved with countless names, each followed by a series of numbers.

This tablet was the official New Disciples Ranking.

Everyone who had entered the Eternal Sky Secret Realm was listed upon it, and the numbers beside their names represented the contribution points they had earned.

At this moment, the crowd was filled with mixed emotions. Some faces were bright with joy, while others were clouded with disappointment.

Those who were happy had obtained at least fifty thousand contribution points and met the requirements. Those who were disappointed had failed to reach the standard and therefore lost their qualification to become disciples of Martial Ascension Gate.

“Who do you think will take first place on this year’s official New Disciples Ranking?” someone suddenly asked.

“It has to be Ye Beichen,” another person replied confidently. “The fact that he secured first place on the unofficial New Disciples Ranking already proves his strength. He was able to suppress everyone in the Eternal Sky Secret Realm, so the top spot on the official ranking should naturally belong to him as well.”

“That may not be the case,” someone else countered. “Ye Beichen is indeed powerful, but Lu Changsan and Zhu Ximen are also geniuses. Even though they are slightly weaker than Ye Beichen, the official New Disciples Ranking is decided by contribution points rather than pure strength. They might still have a chance to compete with him.”

“Then we will just have to wait and see,” the first speaker said with a displeased snort.

“Someone is coming out.”

In the middle of the lively discussion, a sudden shout rang through the square. Instantly, countless gazes shifted toward the spatial black hole suspended within the air.

Buzz. Buzz.

The spatial black hole began to vibrate as streams of light flowed across its surface. Moments later, under the focused attention of the crowd, a graceful figure slowly stepped out from within.

That figure was none other than Han Lingxue.

Whoosh.

The instant Han Lingxue appeared, the massive black stone tablet that had been standing silently suddenly shook violently. A noble golden light surged forth from within the tablet and enveloped a single engraved name on its surface.

That name belonged to Han Lingxue.

Bathed in golden radiance, Han Lingxue’s name trembled as a powerful and mysterious force erupted. In an instant, it swept aside all the names ranked above it, forcibly carving a path forward. Like an arrow released from a bow, it shot upward with unstoppable momentum and seized the top position on the ranking.

As the golden light faded, Han Lingxue’s name reappeared, but its color had changed. It was no longer the ordinary white script, but a striking shade of purple gold.

To distinguish the top three, the official New Disciples Ranking displayed their names in different colors. First place was shown in purple gold, second place in gold, and third place in silver.