Urban Immortal Cultivation Supreme

"Elder, are you referring to Zhu Bufan, who was sent over from You State three years ago?" Zhu Rong softly asked.

"Of course, it's him!" Zhu Yuheng said gruffly.

"But Elder, Zhu Bufan's cultivation is truly..." Zhu Rong hesitated.

The old man suddenly raised his head, squinting his eyes and staring intently at Zhu Rong.

Zhu Rong felt as though he was being watched by a venomous snake, the hairs on his body standing on end in an instant, a chill creeping into his very bones. It was as if a massive rock was pressing on his heart; he knew that if this old man before him wanted to take his life, it would be as easy as lifting a hand. This immense psychological pressure unconsciously made Zhu Rong retreat several steps to put a safe distance between them.

Although Zhu Rong was an Eighth Rank martial artist, the inscrutably powerful Zhu Yuheng did not provoke even the slightest thought of resistance in him.

"What? You do not understand my meaning?" Zhu Yuheng's voice was cold as ice.

"Yes, I understand!" Zhu Rong wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Next up, Zhu Bufan!"

"What? Zhu Bufan, haha, him? He probably can't even climb up on this stone platform!" Zhu Wu was the first to cry out.

"Yeah! To ascend the stone platform, one needs at least the strength of Third Rank. That waste, Zhu Bufan, is just a mere First Rank. Do we need to provide him a ladder?"

"Haha..."

The crowd below erupted into chaos.

Yet Zhu Bufan himself, as if oblivious to these sneers, had a cold laugh in his heart.

"Cousin, if you can't make it, just beg your big brother. I'll be magnanimous and lend you a hand!" Zhu Wu mocked from the side.

Zhu Bufan gave him a cold glance. Facing Zhu Bufan's chilly gaze, Zhu Wu actually couldn't bear the eye contact and immediately looked away. However, soon after, a strong sense of humiliation welled up in Zhu Wu, and he glared angrily at Zhu Bufan's back.

Zhu Bufan arrived beneath the stone platform, looking at the expressions of the audience, seeming to relish in their amusement, a trace of a cold smile crossed his lips.

With a leap, he lightly tapped twice on the stone platform. His robe billowed as if he was borne aloft by white clouds, rising effortlessly, appearing extremely relaxed and comfortable.

"Floating Cloud Body Technique!"

Noticing the faint mist surrounding Zhu Bufan, some of the sharper-eyed among the crowd recognized the movement technique he employed.

For a moment, the clamor halted, the vast majority of people revealed expressions of disbelief.

With this move, Zhu Bufan made his intended level of strength crystal clear: Middle Stage, Fifth Rank.

"Impossible, how could this be?"

Seeing Zhu Bufan effortlessly ascend to the platform, displaying such strength, Zhu Wu was greatly shaken.

A Thirteenth Rank martial artist demonstrating a level of talent that was, even when compared to Zhu Wu, not an ounce inferior.

After reaching the stone platform, Zhu Bufan covertly observed the elder and noticed, despite his eyes being slightly closed, that he felt as if a pair of eyes were constantly watching him, giving him an uncomfortable feeling of a thorn in his back.

Secretly activating the Sensing Crystal in his possession, the crystal reflected the elder's Tenth Rank strength, yet the aura was erratic.

A chill went through Zhu Bufan's heart; judging by the Sensing Crystal, the elder possessed the strength of a Tenth Rank peak, and was probably one step away from crossing into the Innate ranks.

At that moment, Zhu Bufan concentrated on concealing his own aura, hiding his true realm.

"Channel all your Inner Qi and strike the stone slab with a palm!" Zhu Rong's voice became markedly harsher as he addressed Zhu Bufan.

Looking at the Jade Ink stone slab, a trace of amazement flashed through Zhu Bufan's eyes.

In front of Zhu Bufan, there were the palm prints of about a hundred and ten people on this stone slab, but now, Zhu Bufan couldn't see a single palm print on its surface.

"It is said that Jade Ink has the ability to repair itself automatically; it really is true, incredibly magical!" Zhu Bufan inwardly marveled.

Logically speaking, Jade Ink with its repairing function should be a top-tier material for Artifact Refining, but regrettably, Jade Ink is rather unstable. In high temperatures, it loses its self-repairing abilities. Therefore, although Jade Ink is precious, its use is somewhat limited, mostly as a tool to test Martial Arts Realm.

Zhu Bufan followed the instructions and left a palm print on the Jade Ink stone slab.

"Thirteen years old, Fifth Rank, passed." The Elder's voice still did not fluctuate at all, but his slightly closed eyes opened and scrutinized Zhu Bufan.

The invisible gaze felt almost tangible, as if Zhu Bufan were being completely seen through. He felt his whole body bristle and wanted to escape immediately.

The Elder assessed Zhu Bufan with an undetermined look, his mind possibly filled with innumerable thoughts. However, no trace of this showed on his face.

And Zhu Bufan stood aside, not daring to make the slightest unfounded move.

"Descend!" After a while, Zhu Yuheng finally spoke softly.

"Yes!" Zhu Bufan bowed and flipped off the stone platform.

After confirming Zhu Bufan's Fifth Rank strength, everyone's gaze towards Zhu Bufan changed.

Among the ranks of Zhu Wu's followers, those who were stronger than Zhu Bufan shot even colder glares, while those weaker than Zhu Bufan avoided meeting his eyes, darting their gazes away, especially the servile who had insulted Zhu Bufan to his face; they were even paler and hastily fled the square.

Sweeping his gaze over these people, Zhu Bufan saw their eyes filled with fear, hatred, jealousy, and he smiled slightly. Indeed, everything had changed.

This made Zhu Bufan more keenly aware of how blunt and straightforward this world was; everything depended on strength.

Without lingering, Zhu Bufan quickly left.

Back in his own room, Zhu Bufan finally relaxed a little.

This Elder who had come from You State gave Zhu Bufan a sense that something was amiss, and he had a vague premonition that his peaceful life for the past decade was about to end.

After a brief organization, he tore up the Poison Scripture and other secret texts, throwing them into the furnace, then hurriedly left with several hundred thousand pieces of silver.

...

Drunk Immortal Tower.

"Eh, isn't today a big day for the selection at the Zhu Family? How come you have the time to be here?" Seeing the suddenly appearing Zhu Bufan, Zi Yu asked curiously.

Zhu Bufan's expression was grave, "I need your help with something!"

"What is it? Tell me." Zi Yu promptly responded.

"Help me get these things; it shouldn't be difficult for you, right?" Zhu Bufan took out a piece of paper from his robes.

Zi Yu took it over and read softly, "Poison Tooth Grass, Soul Leaving Flower, Seven-Segment Centipede..."

The further down she read, the more tightly Zi Yu's brows knitted.

"Brother, these are all poisons, right? What on earth do you want to do?" Zi Yu asked with confusion.

"I can't tell you right now, but these are very important to me, and I'm in a hurry. You see, when is the soonest you can get them for me?" Zhu Bufan spoke urgently.

"Come and pick them up tomorrow at noon!" Seeing that Zhu Bufan wouldn't explain, Zi Yu did not press further, "Go wait in the private room. I'll treat you to a drink in a bit. I need to go give some instructions."