As time passed.

The atmosphere in the town gradually returned to normal.

Li Yun's challenge on the top of the Flying Goose Tower excited the local Martial Artists of the Eastern Cloud Continent for a few days, then gradually subsided.

After all, no excitement lasts forever.

More people's attention was still focused on the Cloud Dragon Zen Temple, as that was the truly maddening fated opportunity; obtaining it could create a legend of ascending to the heavens in a single step.

And soon.

Half a month had passed.

On this day—

Thousands of Martial Artists surged towards Pingding Mountain, and with those who had arrived early and were waiting on Pingding Mountain, the Martial Artists on the entire Pingding Mountain were densely packed, at least exceeding one hundred thousand.

It completely squeezed the originally quite spacious Pingding Mountain, leaving no room to even place a foot.

Pairs of eyes all watched the ancient Stone Gate on the cliff wall.

That Stone Gate seemed to sense the desire bursting forth from the eyes of the more than one hundred thousand Martial Artists outside the door; when the time reached a certain juncture.

The Stone Gate suddenly shook violently!

In the shocked gazes of over one hundred thousand Martial Artists, the Stone Gate rumbled open.

"Haha... The Stone Gate is open, charge!"

"First come, first served, the fated opportunity is mine!"

For a time, countless Martial Artists frantically rushed towards the Stone Gate.

The fastest were not those hidden Celestial Supremes, but Soaring Sky Realm masters.

It wasn't that those Celestial Supremes weren't anxious, but rather they could control their emotions better and clearly knew that this kind of fated opportunity snatching was absolutely not something one could get just by being fast and entering first.

Being anxious had no meaning.

On the contrary, they were more willing to calmly observe first, hoping to discover some more wondrous mysteries.

However, a surprising accident occurred.

When those Soaring Sky Realm masters, who were faster than everyone else and rushed to the very front, reached the front of the Stone Gate, they were actually blocked by a powerful force surging out from within the Stone Gate.

No matter how hard those Soaring Sky Realm Martial Artists tried, they were always unable to break through this layer of power's obstruction.

They were so anxious, each one like an ant on a hot pan.

To the extent that even the Celestial Supremes couldn't help themselves, they appeared to check, and only then did they reach a despairing conclusion.

This Stone Gate had restrictions on the strength of entrants.

This was a very mysterious and powerful rule restriction.

It stipulated that the cultivation of the Martial Artists entering it must be below the Spirit Cocoon Realm.

This kind of rule restriction, even the Divine Powers mastered by Celestial Supremes, could not forcibly break it.

This meant.

Spirit Cocoon Realm, Soaring Sky Realm, and Celestial Supremes were all unable to enter the Stone Gate to compete for the fated opportunity of the Cloud Dragon Zen Temple.

"Damn it—"

"How could this be?"

"What kind of broken ancient supreme treasure is this, why would it have such restrictions?"

The treasure mountain was clearly right in front of them, yet they couldn't enter.

This restriction simply broke the defense of those masters above the Spirit Cocoon Realm; some anxious people were so angry they cursed on the spot.

However, the rules were thus.

Cursing further had no effect and could not change any outcome.

With no other choice.

Those hidden Celestial Supremes could only come forward, spread the news of the rule restriction, and expel those who couldn't enter the Stone Gate but were still blocking the front of the Stone Gate.

Only then did those Transcendent Realm and below Martial Artists swarm in.

After tens of thousands of Martial Artists surged into the Stone Gate like a tide, Pingding Mountain quickly returned to peace, leaving only those Martial Artists who couldn't enter but were unwilling to leave just like that, waiting outside for the final result.

...

It was at this moment that Li Yun unhurriedly walked out of the quiet room.

Outside the quiet room, there was no one else.

Only Gu Xiaoxian was still waiting for him, protecting him.

"Eh... Uncle Gu, why are you still here? Calculating the time, the Stone Gate of the Cloud Dragon Zen Temple should be opening soon, right?"

Gu Xiaoxian chuckled and scolded, "Aren't I waiting for you, kid? Once you went into seclusion, you practically forgot about the outside world. If I didn't wait for you, who would be responsible for your safety?"

Then, he revealed a smile uglier than crying.

"However, it's also fortunate I didn't go to Pingding Mountain, otherwise I would have been angered to death!"

"What happened?"

"That broken Stone Gate actually has restrictions; if your cultivation exceeds the Transcendent Realm, you can't enter. That kind of restriction, even if a Celestial Supreme personally takes action and bombards it with Divine Power, cannot change it in the slightest!"

"What? Above the Transcendent Realm can't enter? Does that include the Transcendent Realm?"

Li Yun's heart couldn't help but tighten.

He chose to come out at this time naturally because he also wanted to enter that Stone Gate to investigate; if he couldn't get in due to cultivation restrictions, he would also be heartbroken.

"The Transcendent Realm is not included. Why are you asking this... Hmm? You kid, you couldn't have already reverted to Innate, could you?"

Gu Xiaoxian suddenly reacted.

His eyes stared intently at Li Yun, and sure enough, he felt the aura fluctuations emanating from Li Yun's Innate True Qi.

His expression immediately changed repeatedly.

He was surprised, excited, shocked, and finally filled with sighs...

"You kid!"

"I'm truly completely convinced. If I calculate carefully, you're only just 17 years old, right... You haven't even been in the Heavenly Martial Sect for half a year, yet you've already reached the Transcendent Realm."

"Having stepped into the Three Innate Realms, you kid can be considered to have truly stepped onto the Martial Dao and can truly be called a Martial Dao expert."

"With your cultivation efficiency."

"I'm afraid it won't take two or three years to catch up to my Realm. By then, you might not even be twenty years old..."

"Before the age of twenty, you'll be qualified to charge towards the Celestial Human Realm!"

"You will definitely shock the entire Mystic Moon Kingdom, which is much stronger than your challenge against the outer continent's Martial Dao geniuses at Flying Goose Tower..."

At this moment.

Gu Xiaoxian suddenly had the feeling of having painstakingly raised a junior and finally seeing them become successful. He was truly both comforted and satisfied, and also felt a sense of loss that he might soon be surpassed by the junior.

His mood could be said to be very complex.

Li Yun was also somewhat moved by his emotions.

Thinking about it, it was true.

In his previous life, when reading novels, after those transmigrators transmigrated, they finally managed to join a Sect, finally had a chance to stand out, but were always inexplicably suppressed by the Sect elders.

But he didn't.

From the very beginning, he received the attention and care of Zhang Cong, Gu Xiaoxian, and even Sect Leader Chen Jiuxu.

In his heart, he had long sincerely regarded Gu Xiaoxian and the others as elders.

Especially Gu Xiaoxian.

The address "Uncle Gu" was called with sincerity.

It was precisely because of this that a thought suddenly arose in Li Yun's heart.

He had always been the one receiving the protection of Gu Xiaoxian and the others, so was there any way he could help them in return?

This thought suddenly popped out and couldn't be stopped.

It also made him can't help but think of the Tao Te Ching.

Since even that eight-hundred-year-old old hag from White Emperor City was so fanatical about the Tao Te Ching, could he also use it to help Gu Xiaoxian and Chen Jiuxu?