"Haha, don't worry, no one will prosper if I don't."

Chen Chen laughed out loud a few times and went back to his room.

As soon as he entered his room, the communication token lit up. Chen Chen took it out and took a look, only to see that he had received a message from his master Xiao Wuyou. There was only one short sentence.

"Disciple, I have successfully broken through to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

The sentence was short but the meaning was extraordinary.

If he reached the early Nascent Soul stage, it would not be difficult for the Wuxin Clan to kill him, but now that he was at the middle stage of Nascent Soul, it would be a tall order.

If Xiao Wuyou was really ruthless and gave up the Tianyun Clan to create trouble for the Wuxin Clan, the Wuxin Clan would get a huge headache too.

In short, it was a status of cultivation that would be enough to intimidate the Wuxin Clan.

Hence, after reading the message, Chen Chen revealed a heartened smile. 'Master didn't let those heavenly treasures go to waste after all.'

...

As time passed, the day gradually turned bright.

The prosperous kingdoms in the nation spontaneously gathered at the field of the capital.

Everyone paid attention to the Ranking Battle of the 36 clans because it concerned the State of Jin.

On this day, everything else in the capital seemed insignificant, as all eyes were fixed on the Ranking Battle.

At this moment, 36 high platforms had been erected around the capital's arena. Behind each high platform, there was a flag with the name of each clan written on it.

The clans were arranged around the arena, from the Wuxin Clan which was in first place, to the Divine Blade Clan which was in the 36th place. The scene was grand and solemn.

"May I invite the successors of the 36 Clans to ascend the stage!"

At noontime, a Golden Core elder stood in the middle of the arena and yelled loudly. His voice spread throughout the area around him that was within a thousand-meter-radius, shaking the hearts and souls of the people like a big bell.

Hearing this voice, a line of people appeared at the entrance of the arena, who were the successors of the 36 clans.

Seeing the grand atmosphere, the successors felt extremely depressed as they had somber expressions. The battle concerned the ranking of the clans. They were considered to have shouldered the burden of fighting for the future of their clans and they were extremely pressurized.

A moment later, the successors of the clans returned to the high platform of their respective clans and looked at the huge ring in the center of the arena.

Chen Chen leaned on the seat belonging to the Tianyun Clan and scrutinized the group of successors.

Some of the successors looked calm while some seemed to be stepping on eggshells, such as You Lanxin of the Youshui Clan who would look at him pleadingly from time to time helplessly.

Since she was outside, her unreliable Senior Brother was probably the only person she could rely on.

"Don't worry."

Chen Chen smiled and gestured.

He had seen You Lanxin's sincerity in the past few days and he naturally wouldn't go back on his word.

When You Lanxin saw Chen Chen's gesture, she finally relaxed a little and began to look at the successors of the other clans in the distance.

"The successors of the other 18 clans, please come on stage!"

The Golden Core elder's voice sounded again but this time, it was much softer.

Compared to the successors of the 36 clans that were sitting on the platform and looking down from above, the ones of the 18 clans had no choice but to sit below and gather together in an undignified manner.

Nevertheless, the auras of the successors of the 18 clans were as cold as ice and their paces were firm.

As they walked together, they formed a domineering aura and strode into the territory of the 36 clans.

Staring at the 36 people who were passing by, Chen Chen asked the system, "Besides me, who is the strongest person within a 30 meter radius nearby?"

"The person in black 10 meters diagonally towards your left below you."

The system's answer was brief and concise.

Chen Chen followed the system's guidance and saw a black figure at the end of the crowd.

That made him a little surprised.

Reason being that person was only at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and was not ranked high among the elites. He was probably at the same level as You Lanxin.

However, the system wouldn't lie, so the only explanation was that the person had hidden his strength.

Moreover, he had hidden a great portion of it!

Strength was not something that could be judged easily. It concerned various factors that included equipment, status of cultivation, battle experience, and many others.

However, the system did not mention it. In other words, that person was definitely the strongest, and even Qi Bufan who was ranked first, could not compare to him.

That was interesting.

Qi Bufan was ranked third among the elites, surpassing Ye Wusheng. Hence, he was definitely strong. Even if there was something wrong with the elites ranking, he would surely be on par with Ye Wusheng, if not only slightly inferior.

However, under such circumstances, he was defeated by the man in black. So, what exactly is the strength of this man?

Before Chen Chen thought about it, the successor in black turned around and looked in Chen Chen's direction before turning around again.

Chen Chen only saw an extremely ordinary face, but he didn't let his guard down. Instead, his expression became more serious and solemn.

"This person is so sharp but why did he hide his strength?"

Chen Chen was filled with bewilderment.

Unfortunately, he excluded himself when he used the system and the group of people were 30 meters away from him. Otherwise, Chen Chen would be able to know if he was stronger than that successor.

"Do you all have anything to say before the Ranking Battle of the 36 clans begins?"

After the successors of the 18 clans were seated, the Golden core elder in the center of the arena exclaimed in a low voice.

Everyone else fell silent upon hearing his words.

'What is there to say? They'll just showcase their abilities next then.'

However, at this moment, Chen Chen suddenly spoke.

"I have something to say!"

After he said that, all the successors turned to look at him.

"The Youshui Clan and the Tianyun Clan are united. Anyone who dares to challenge the Youshui Clan should consider the consequences!"

"Okay, I'm done. You guys continue."

After saying that, Chen Chen leaned against the seat again. He closed his eyes and ignored all the peculiar gazes that were being cast at him.

At this moment, the 50-odd successors were looking at Chen Chen who was on the platform.

Although they were divided into a number of factions, none of them were as provocative as Chen Chen!

'What does the successor of the Tianyun Clan mean by this?'

'Is this a threat to everyone present?'

'He's ranked seventh among the elites. Who gave him the confidence!?'

Only You Lanxin looked at Chen Chen with admiration. She had thought that Chen Chen would protect her, but she never thought he would be so blatant about it!

Although his method was direct, she liked it a lot.

Who would have thought that her Senior Brother Chen Chen, who spent all day hanging out in brothels, would be so reliable at critical junctures!?

"Hehe, you have nothing else to say, do you? In this case, may the Ranking Battle officially begin."

Hearing this, the Golden core elder smiled too. Seeing that no one else was speaking, he directly announced the start of the competition.

Tension arose in the arena immediately!

The dignitaries around the arena also instantly quieted down. Everyone was curious about who would fight the first battle.

No one from the 36 Clans made a single sound, as all of them were sitting peacefully on the high platform.

The successors of the 18 clans below were shuttling back and forth between the various high platforms with cold gazes in their eyes.

At this moment, one of them stood out with a menacing smile.

"I'm Zhu Zhi from Houshi Clan, I'm challenging You Lanxi, the successor of Youshui Clan!"

As soon as he said that, everyone turned to look at Chen Chen.

'The successor of Tianyun Clan has just issued a warning and someone has already come forth to challenge her. There's no respect given!'

You Lanxin's face became sullen as she turned her head to look at Chen Chen robotically with an innocent expression.

She even thought that she wouldn't have to take part in the first fight since Chen Chen had already said those words.

Chen Chen ignored him and simply looked down at Zhu Zhi of the Houshi Clan. A moment later, he chuckled.

Staring at Chen Chen, Zhu Zhi felt a little scared but she subconsciously glanced at Qi Bufan.

Qi Bufan glared at him and said coldly, "With us around, what are you afraid of?"

Hearing this, Zhu Zhi hurriedly regained her confidence and leaped forward towards the center of the ring, curling her finger at You Lanxin.

"Successor of the Youshui Clan, come down, I'm not used to looking up at others!"

You Lanxin stood on the platform distractedly.

"Senior Brother, what do I do?"

Although she was a successor, she had never seen much of the world, let alone get into fights.

"Go ahead, admit defeat if you can't beat them. Just don't get hurt."

After giving her that instruction, Chen Chen remained calm. However, a stern look flashed in his eyes.