While Lan An and his wives savored peaceful days in the Spirit Realm Pearl, the outside world was rocked by an earthquake sweeping the Vietnam Dragon Star.
Over countless years, in the brutal Cultivation World, countless forces rose and fell—old bamboo died, new shoots grew. The fall of a force was commonplace, but the destruction of a Ninth-Grade force was an entirely different matter, carrying profound significance.
On the entire Star, Ninth-Grade forces could be counted on one hand. With millennia of legacy, producing generations of prodigies and peak cultivators, their overall strength was terrifying beyond dispute.
Destroying a Ninth-Grade force was as hard as ascending to the heavens.
Yet now, the White Sand Dynasty, a renowned Ninth-Grade force on the Yellow Sand Continent, rivaling the likes of the Fire Underworld Sect, Pill Valley, Ice Mysterious Empire, Heavenly Mountain Immortal Realm, Sea Palace, and Elf Female Kingdom, had been obliterated.
This news was an atomic bomb, detonating across every corner, more shocking than a Transcending Tribulation cultivator's appearance.
What drew attention was the mastermind behind this fall—a rising storm in the Cultivation World, the one who provoked four Transcending Tribulation experts: Lan An.
His name, barely settled after the Sea Continent uproar, now stood atop the waves again. What made countless men green with envy was that he'd secretly founded a force called the Harem, gathering only stunning fairies renowned across the world, leaving men sleepless with jealousy and breaking countless hearts.
Whether it was the Twin Moon Fairy, Hundred Faces Fairy, or Elegant Ice Fairy, they were dream lovers of most men on the continent. Yet now, they were all claimed, serving one husband together.
How could they not be jealous?
That was the men's reaction. As for the young maidens of the Cultivation World, seeing Lan An's domineering aura through the Shadow Recording Jade, their hearts stirred, many tossing in sleepless longing, secretly hanging his portrait in their chambers, burning with ambition.
A peerless man, strikingly handsome, with unmatched charisma, backed by a Transcending Tribulation master, possessing strength, looks, and background, and above all, a romantic heart.
Such a man was lethal poison to every woman. No wonder Lan An became the dream lover of countless maidens. In no time, most genius maidens on the Vietnam Dragon Star saw joining the Harem as an honor.
As if this wasn't enough to boil the Cultivation World, the Multi-Treasure Pavilion dropped another bombshell:
The new Golden List was released.
Instantly, two seismic shocks engulfed the Cultivation World, sparking endless discussions and igniting sects. The new Golden List meant new prodigies would emerge, old names might be ousted, and rankings could shift.
The new Golden List expanded by 11 slots, from 69 to 80, reflecting the surge of peerless geniuses on the Star.
First, Rank 64, Lin Qing, had vanished entirely, eliminated from the list.
Lin Qing, from the Lin Clan of the Ice Mysterious Empire, admired Bing Lan Xi. He once suppressed his cultivation to fight Lan An but shamelessly restored it at the last moment, only to be shattered by a strike from Qin Meng Ying's protective technique.
Though the Lin Clan rebuilt his body, it was only at Spirit Transformation level, forcing Lin Qing to abandon his Void Refinement cultivation and restart, a fact the Multi-Treasure Pavilion uncovered, removing him first.
The second to be eliminated was Rank 33, Chen Jue from the Sea Continent, who ambushed Lan An to rob and kill him. Lan An used the Immovable Bell to leave him near death, followed by the Poison Human's toxic gas, his fate unknown.
The next three eliminations shocked the world: Yu Chen (Rank 25), Bai Yang (Rank 24), and Bai Lie (Rank 22), all killed by Lan An.
Besides these, others were removed, new names appeared, and some climbed higher.
What stunned the world was that most ousted Golden List geniuses fell to Lan An, while many new prodigies were women from his Harem.
After review by the Multi-Treasure Pavilion elders and reclusive experts, new titles and rankings formed the new Golden List:
Golden List Rank 35: Moon Night Fairy – Liu Shi Qin, from Ice Heaven Continent, Liu Clan Head, Harem member, Early Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 34: Bird Master Fairy – Xiao Shi, Lan An's battle pet, Harem member, Early Sixth-Grade.
Golden List Rank 33: Purple Sun Fairy – Yan Hong Lian, from Ice Heaven Continent, Harem member, Early Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 25: Array Flower Fairy – Hua Yu Feng, Hundred Flowers Sect Saintess, Harem member, Mid Sixth-Grade Array Master.
Golden List Rank 24: Water Ice Fairy – Ji Bing, Harem member, Mid Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 23: Sea Prince – Hai Fei Yun, Sea Palace Young Master, Mid Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 22: Swift Sword Fairy – Mu Zi Yin, Harem member, Mid Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 21: Ji Young Emperor, from Heavenly Mechanism Temple, Mid Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 20: Dark Shadow Fairy – Wu Ji, from Multi-Treasure Pavilion, Mid Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 18: Elegant Ice Fairy – Ji Ya, Harem member, Late Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 16: Hundred Faces Fairy – Qin Meng Ying, Holy Spirit Academy Instructor, Harem member, Late Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 15: Spirit Goose Fairy – Ya Lian Nga, Elf Female Kingdom General, Harem member, Late Void Refinement.
"Even Ya Lian A joined the Harem?" The crowd was stunned. This was highly secretive, yet the Multi-Treasure Pavilion uncovered it.
Not too surprising, though—Wu San Niang publicly took Ya Lian Nga under her wing at the Holy Spirit Academy. Her joining wasn't shocking.
Golden List Rank 14: Hundred Young Master – Bai Xiao Sheng, Hundred Spirit Academy Young Master, Peak Void Refinement.
He dropped from Rank 8 to 14 despite cultivation progress.
Ranks 13, 12, and 11 were replaced by former Ranks 6, 7, and 9.
Golden List Rank 10: Monstrous Prodigy – Lan An, Harem Master, Late Spirit Transformation, Late Fifth-Turn Body Cultivator.
The crowd's expressions turned odd. His title was audacious, but none dared object. Reaching Top 10 at Spirit Transformation was monstrously fitting.
His feats, seen through the Shadow Recording Jade, left no doubts about his strength.
Trying to stay calm, they read on:
Golden List Rank 9: Twin Moon Fairy – Yan Yue Qi, Harem member, Peak Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 8: Green Robe Swordmaster – Qin Tian, Half-Step Integration.
Golden List Rank 7: Water Desolate Fairy – Yan Ruo Xue, Hundred Flowers Sect Saintess, Harem member, Peak Void Refinement.
Golden List Rank 6: Star Fairy – Bai Su Mei, Harem member, Early Seventh-Grade.
Golden List Rank 5: Treasure Dragon Fairy – Tian Ye Yao, Multi-Treasure Pavilion Saintess, Early Integration.
Golden List Rank 4: Tyrant Strength Dragon Lord, New Dragon Clan Chief on Dark Origin Continent, Mid Seventh-Grade.
Golden List Rank 3: Poison Human, Mid Integration.
The crowd gasped. The Poison Human, recently emerged, was already Mid Integration, under 500 years old. The Multi-Treasure Pavilion revealed little, not even gender, only cultivation and title.
Golden List Rank 2: Heavenly Assassin, Seven Kills Sect assassin, Late Integration.
Golden List Rank 1: Demon, Peak Integration.
The crowd inhaled deeply. The top-ranked Demon had reached Peak Integration, a future Transcending Tribulation prospect not far off.
Pity the Demon's identity was too mysterious, untouchable even for those seeking to curry favor with a future Transcending Tribulation expert.
"What era is this? Prodigies emerge endlessly. The last Golden List wasn't long ago, yet new peerless geniuses appear, and old ones have grown leaps and bounds. The Golden List's quality keeps rising!" A Seventh-Grade sect's ancestor, tears streaming, sighed at the waves surpassing the old.
The Golden List's quality was evident. The top five all advanced in cultivation, even pushing down the Multi-Treasure Pavilion Saintess and Tyrant Strength Dragon Lord by a rank due to the Poison Human's rise.
The Multi-Treasure Pavilion's impartiality was clear, not inflating their Saintess's rank for prestige.
Pity for those like Bai Xiao Sheng and Qin Tian, whose ranks fell despite cultivation gains, outshone by monstrous newcomers.
Lan An sat on the Palace Tree, eyes fixed on the new Golden List Hua Qing Zhu bought him.
Yan Die Qing and Li Zhu Luan hadn't reached Void Refinement, and their combat wasn't as monstrous as his, so the Multi-Treasure Pavilion didn't list them, as he'd expected.
But one name sharpened his gaze, a faint killing intent flickering.
Golden List Rank 17: Demon Hero – Lan Yu, Late Void Refinement.
"Interesting…" Lan An muttered, closing his eyes.
Sea Rainbow Sect…
From a secret chamber, a stunning figure emerged, her smoky hair flowing like clouds, her proud, exquisite face framed by alluring purple lips. Holding the razor-sharp Thunder Spear, her back straight, a Thunder Qilin phantom roared above her, dominating the heavens.
Thunder Qilin Tyrant Spear Art…
Her Late Void Refinement aura, freshly broken through, still fluctuated.
"Young Mistress, the latest news on the Young Master!" A stream of water materialized into a cute maid, respectfully offering a Shadow Recording Jade and the new Golden List.
The beauty with the spear studied it, her eyes glowing with pride at her man's achievements.
"Husband, I want to be by your side…" Her purple lips murmured, longing for him despite their temporary separation.
She memorized the Harem's women on the Golden List, then saw her own name:
Golden List Rank 19: Water Spirit Fairy – Shui Niang Qing, Sea Rainbow Sect Leader, Late Void Refinement.
"The Multi-Treasure Pavilion is truly formidable. My breakthrough was top secret, yet they knew?"
She smirked, her mature beauty stunning the maid, time seeming to freeze.
Elf Island…
"Mother, Brother Lan An is so amazing!" Ya Er bounced joyfully, wishing to rush to him and act coy, smiling brightly at her mother.
"Indeed, but trouble may await him," the noble Elf Queen's melodious voice trembled slightly.
Her face veiled, her expression hidden, her aura restrained to the extreme. Yet a keen observer would notice her cultivation nearing a breakthrough, just a step from Peak Integration, thanks to the Natural Heavenly Heart Lan An gifted her, its cultivation boost astounding.
"What trouble? He's so strong, who'd dare?" Ya Er asked, puzzled.
"Haha, his wives took so many Golden List spots, dropping others' ranks drastically. Those geniuses won't accept it and will challenge Lan An and the Harem sooner or later!" The Elf Queen said calmly.
She understood the new Golden List's implications. Geniuses, ousted by a group of women, their ranks plummeting, would feel indignant.
Ya Er pondered, then giggled confidently,
"Hmph, if they dare, Brother Lan An will kick them all away!"