As Elder Meng moved on to discuss the various cultivation ranks, Zhao Dazhu leaned slightly toward Li Fengyuan, his eyes still fixed on the glowing characters in the air.
"One day," Zhao muttered under his breath, "I'm going to become a Grandmaster. Stand tall as one of the true pillars of Liangzhuo."
Li Fengyuan glanced sideways, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
"Grandmaster, huh?" he said softly. "I can make that happen for you within a year."
Zhao Dazhu snorted without even looking at him.
Since Li Fengyuan was willing to treat him as a brother, he didn't mind returning the favor.
"Big words, Li Fengyuan. If only it were as easy as you say."
A Grandmaster—the true pillar of Liangzhuo City—was someone who could make great contributions to the city.
For many, reaching that stage was as difficult as climbing the stairs to heaven.
Countless commoners tried their best in hopes of becoming nobles, but less than 0.001 percent ever succeeded.
Li Fengyuan only chuckled.
(If only you knew, Dazhu… if only you knew that the Grandmasters and so-called legendary Lords were nothing more than helpless children before me.)
There was no need to explain it to Zhao Dazhu. He would see it for himself soon enough.
Around them, the murmur of voices picked up again as Elder Meng's lecture sank into eager minds.
"Master…" one boy whispered, almost reverently. "If I could even become a Master, my family would celebrate for a month."
"My dream's simpler," another girl said, her eyes shining. "I just want to reach Three-Star Warrior and join the City Guard. Protect Liangzhuo from beasts."
Then, a sharp, confident voice cut through the chatter.
"Hmph! You're all aiming too low."
All eyes turned toward the back of the classroom.
A tall youth in fine silk robes, his black hair tied with a gold clasp, leaned casually against his desk.
His features were handsome in a sharp, practiced way, and his bearing exuded effortless superiority.
"I will reach the so-called Legendary Sage Stage," he declared, "and when I do, I will personally wipe every demon beast from the borders of Liangzhuo."
Such words, from anyone else, would have drawn ridicule or at least skeptical smirks.
But this was Han Zixuan—a direct descendant of the Han Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.
A genius among geniuses!
Han Zixuan was said to have a Saint-grade talent—one of the rarest in the entire city.
In Liangzhuo, a cultivator's potential was measured by the Talent Appraisal Stone, a far rarer and more precious artifact than the Qi Testing Stone.
When one placed their hand upon it, light would appear—its color determining their innate aptitude.
Talent Ranks (measured by the Talent Appraisal Stone):
Mortal-grade (Gray): The slowest cultivation speed; most struggle to progress.
Earth-grade (Green): Slightly faster than Mortal-grade, but still requires great effort.
Sky-grade (Blue): Noticeably faster cultivation than common peers.
Heaven-grade (Gold): Exceptional cultivation speed, far surpassing the majority.
Saint-grade (Purple): Extremely rare; cultivation speed many times that of ordinary talents.
Immortal-grade (Crimson): Incredibly rare; cultivation speed bordering on the impossible.
Divine-grade (White): The pinnacle of talent—cultivation speed unmatched in recorded history.
And Han Zixuan, with his Saint-grade talent, was considered one of the brightest hopes of his generation.
Li Fengyuan's gaze lingered on him for a moment, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
(Oh, I remember that in Liangzhuo City, people still think those colors in the stone really represent one's talent.)
In reality, there were many subtle details to observe in the Talent Stone—things most overlooked.
But rather than an important one, people would rather focus on probably the most useless one.
He remembered how, in his previous life, he had only been rated as Mortal-grade.
It was one of the reasons he had given up on cultivation at a young age.
While he cultivated for an hour, someone else could train for ten minutes and gain better results. So he saw no point in trying.
Well, that was a lie!
The real reason, of course, was that he simply hadn't wanted to. Even if he'd been born with Divine-grade talent, he might not have cultivated seriously.
Perhaps he would have trained a little, just to show off, but nothing like devoting himself to protecting Liangzhuo City.
Han Zixuan, for his part, likely didn't believe his own lofty words either. He was only saying them to impress the classmates.
(I remember that he was one of the first to run when the Demon Beast Invasion started.)
Even as a Warrior, he hadn't looked back—while some commoners, mere Disciples, had risked their lives to help others escape.
Li Fengyuan couldn't complain, though; at the time, he himself had been of no use and had to be dragged away.
Regrets!
The room rippled with whispers, especially from the girls' side.
"Sage Stage…!" one girl breathed, her cheeks flushed. "He's so bold… and he's got the talent to back it up."
"I heard his talent test lit up the Talent Appraisal Stone for a full minute," another murmured, eyes sparkling.
"Pure purple light. Saint-grade… a future Lord for sure."
"If only I could marry someone like Han Zixuan," a bolder voice sighed. "I'd follow him to the ends of the continent."
A few giggles broke out among them, though none dared speak too loudly—Han Zixuan's ears were sharp, and he thrived on hearing such praise.
"Not only handsome," one girl added in a whisper just loud enough to carry, "but noble-born, strong, and destined to be a hero. Imagine walking beside him when he becomes a Lord—everyone in the city would bow to you."
Han Zixuan tilted his head slightly at the flurry of adoration, the faintest smirk touching his lips as if it were nothing more than his due.
Li Fengyuan caught Zhao Dazhu rolling his eyes.
"That guy… too full of himself," Zhao muttered under his breath.
"Does he think that just because he's slightly better-looking, heaven will bless him? What Sage Stage? Everyone knows that even those with Immortal-grade talent have failed to reach it. And he believes he can do it with Saint-grade talent?"
Zhao's words were full of contempt.
Li Fengyuan chuckled.
"Do you believe he can't because of his talent?"
He asked.
Zhao Dazhu shook his head.
"If it were a matter of talent, I wouldn't argue. But there's no way a vain show-off like him, who only cares about appearances, actually cultivates properly."
Indeed, in his previous life, with his talent and resources, reaching the Master Stage would have been easy for Han Zixuan—and yet he had still been stuck at the Warrior Stage.
Zhao Dazhu knew him well enough to predict his future.
"Hahaha… Indeed, Young Master Han might be able to do so," Elder Meng said with a polite smile.
"With your talent, there's no one stopping you from reaching the Legendary Sage Stage."
Even if Han Zixuan disrupted the class, he was from a Great Clan.
Moreover, Elder Meng believed the young man to be the most talented student present.
So not only did he not scold him for disrupting the class, but he even complimented him.