Chapter 753 401: Speedrun 3

However, after the Celestial Tribulation arrived, Yang An never encountered his Heart Demon. He simply broke through to the next Cultivation Level after a swirl of chaos inexplicably dissipated, which left him a little puzzled.

It was as if the Celestial Tribulation hadn't even happened; there was no difference at all.

'Did the Celestial Dao interfere again?'

'But it was just a minor tribulation for breaking through from Qi Cultivation to Foundation Establishment. I could have easily passed it myself. Why would the Celestial Dao interfere in such a trivial matter?'

If it wasn't the Celestial Dao, the only other reason Yang An could think of was that he either had no Heart Demon, or his Heart Demon was simply unable to appear.

Generally speaking, a Heart Demon is what a Cultivator fears most.

The only one who could make Yang An feel fear and dread was Old Life Crane.

It was mainly because he'd been tricked by that old man so many times he was practically developing PTSD, forcing him to be constantly on guard against his schemes.

'That's probably the key.'

'Old Life Crane is from the Origin Realm, not Earth. So the Celestial Tribulation couldn't generate his image and manifest him as a Heart Demon for my trial?'

"So, you little punk, what's your plan now?"

Bow Lady asked the same old question.

Yang An grinned without a moment's hesitation. "Continuing the speedrun, of course."

Since he had decided to speedrun from the very beginning, Yang An had no intention of changing his mind or slowing down.

Just becoming an Official Disciple wasn't enough; that status wouldn't get him access to the secrets of the upper echelons.

And so, over the next few days, something astonishing happened in the Official Disciple Area.

A certain disciple, who had become an Official Disciple by challenging his way up and breaking precedent, had barely entered the Official Disciple Area before he began relentlessly challenging the strongest among their ranks.

To everyone's shock, the strongest disciple—who had already reached Late Stage Foundation Establishment and was just a step away from the Golden Core realm—was swiftly defeated at his hands.

With a single punch, he not only shattered the Magical Treasure that disciple had spent a long time refining, but also knocked him to the ground, unable to get back up. It was an effortless victory.

When this news broke, the entire Official Disciple Area was left in shock.

What was even more astonishing was that this disciple, named Yang An, had only joined a few days prior. In such a short time, he had gone from an Entry-Level Disciple to an Official Disciple, and now had even become the strongest among them. It was simply unbelievable.

Of course, there was no shortage of people who, unaware of the circumstances, came to challenge him. But the result was always the same. Dozens of people challenged Yang An in succession, even employing a gauntlet strategy, but in the end, every one of them was defeated by a single punch.

News that a powerhouse had arrived among the disciples, undefeated and peerless, quickly spread throughout Emei Mansion, even alarming the Elders.

On this day, less than ten days after entering Emei Mansion, he was already preparing to advance to the next stage—either becoming a Steward within the mansion or accepting an external assignment as a City God somewhere.

Yang An had no desire to become an externally assigned City God. It would mean leaving Emei Mansion right after he had worked so hard to get in, which would put his plans on hold. That was not what he wanted.

He only wanted to become a Steward, to remain within Emei Mansion and continue climbing to a higher position.

On this very day, as Yang An was preparing to use his Spirit Charm to break through to the Golden Core realm and attempt to reforge his physical body, a visitor arrived outside his immortal cave.

The visitor was a Direct Disciple of one of the Emei Mansion Elders, and also a Steward. He had come to deliver a message to Yang An.

In recent days, Yang An had become the focus of rumors throughout Emei Mansion, alarming many Elders who were now quite interested in him.

The man first congratulated Yang An, praising his outstanding talent for both cultivation and combat and expressing a desire for friendly relations, before finally stating his purpose.

One of Emei Mansion's Elders, the renowned Elder Chang Wang, wished to take him as a Direct Disciple.

To be taken under the wing of an Elder and become a Direct Disciple was something all Immortal Mansion Disciples dreamed of but could rarely achieve. No other benefits were needed; no one would refuse such an offer.

After all, becoming a Direct Disciple meant access to an allocation of cultivation resources that was on a completely different level from that of an Official Disciple.

But, to the visitor's surprise, Yang An refused. He didn't even seem to give it a moment's thought, offering only a single sentence in response:

"I don't want to be anyone's disciple."

That single sentence not only rejected the messenger, but also every other Elder who had taken an interest in him.

The visitor was stunned, his expression quickly turning cold. He couldn't help but sneer at Yang An's audacity.

If Yang An had only refused his master's offer, it might have been excusable; perhaps he had a different Elder in mind. But to reject everyone with a single sentence—that was just audacious and utterly foolish.

"In that case, I wish you great success in your cultivation and a swift rise through the ranks, Junior Brother. We'll be seeing more of each other."

Leaving this sarcastic remark hanging in the air, the man turned and left on the spot.

Yang An paid him no mind and offered no reply. After the man left, he sealed the entrance to his immortal cave, for he was now ready to break through to the Golden Core realm and reforge his physical body.