Lin Yun’s resource requirements had grown even more immense. He had just run a small experiment; now, a single Qi Essence Pill didn’t even cause a ripple inside his body.

"No reaction..." As the Qi Essence Pill entered his system, Lin Yun felt absolutely nothing.

He swallowed ten Qi Essence Pills in a row, yet the effect of all ten felt no different from when he used to take just one.

’This is such a rip-off. Other people take three days to refine a single Qi Essence Pill, but I need ten in one day?’ A bitter feeling washed over him. At this rate, his consumption of Qi Essence Pills would be terrifying.

’Money... resources...’ he lamented with a pained expression. His strength had certainly increased, but the difficulty of his future cultivation path had also been raised to a whole new level.

’Dammit, whatever! If worst comes to worst, I’ll just wait until I break through to the Primordial Ocean Realm and rob the Royal Family blind!’ Lin Yun cursed fiercely, venting his frustration.

Robbing the Yanhuang Royal Family? If anyone else heard that, it would be a crime punishable by beheading. For thousands of years, no one had ever dared to target the Yanhuang Royal Family.

His breakthrough complete, Lin Yun took Little Ape and headed back to the Capital City. He had rushed off without a word, so he figured Wangcai must be extremely worried by now.

Before long, Lin Yun reached the gates of the Capital City. He entered without issue and once again made his way to the Wang Family estate. This time, he barely had to state his purpose before the two Royal Guards at the gate respectfully ushered him inside.

It was no wonder. The man was practically a God of Slaughter; what Royal Guard would dare get on his bad side? Trembling with fear, the guard led Lin Yun all the way to the courtyard belonging to Wangcai and his father.

"Young Master Lin, this humble one will take his leave here. I’ll be heading back now," the guard said, giving Lin Yun an awkward, fawning smile. Without even waiting for a reply, he turned and fled.

Just being in Lin Yun’s presence for a minute made the man feel a chill run down his spine. It couldn’t be helped. The story of Lin Yun’s deeds at the Wang Family estate had spread like wildfire, and through countless retellings, it had been embellished into an earth-shattering, awe-inspiring legend.

In the words of the Royal Guards, Lin Yun was a God of Slaughter, a demon who killed without batting an eye.

Paying the guard’s behavior no mind, Lin Yun stepped into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw Wangcai. Li Ji and Chen Xin were there as well.

"Young Master Lin, you’re finally back! You scared me to death! We searched nearly the entire Capital City and still couldn’t find you." Wangcai was the first to run up to him.

Sensing Wangcai’s genuine concern, Lin Yun gave a faint smile. He didn’t offer a detailed explanation; after all, the fact that he had faced Celestial Punishment while only in the Qi Sea Realm was far too shocking. It was best to keep it to himself.

"I ran into a bit of a snag during my breakthrough, but I’m fine now," Lin Yun said, offering a vague excuse.

Knowing Lin Yun didn’t want to elaborate, the three of them didn’t press the issue. They pulled him over to a stone bench in the courtyard, where Chen Xin was the first to speak, her expression grave.

"Lin Shan, you can’t participate in the Yanhuang List! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is?"

Chen Xin’s words were serious, her tone laced with anger. Unsure what was going on, Lin Yun could only look to Wangcai, wondering why Chen Xin was so worked up.

When Lin Yun’s gaze fell on him, Wangcai just shrugged helplessly, as if to say he was an innocent bystander.

"Don’t look at Wangcai. I just finished yelling at him. What a selfish man. I’m telling you, Lin Shan, you absolutely cannot compete in the Yanhuang List."

"Why not?" Lin Yun asked.

"You...!" Lin Yun’s question was like pouring oil on a fire. Chen Xin’s anger flared, and she practically roared at him.

"Do you have any idea how strong and dangerous the people on the Yanhuang List are? You have to sign a Life and Death Contract just to challenge them! First, you have to get through the qualifying rounds to become a candidate. Then, you have to defeat ten other candidates just to earn the right to challenge someone on the List! Do you get that?"

"Every single one of the ten people on the Yanhuang List is considered invincible within the Qi Sea Realm! Even an expert at the Early Stage of the Primordial Ocean Realm wouldn’t be confident in defeating them. And you, who are only at the Early Stage of the Qi Sea Realm, want to challenge the Yanhuang List? That’s suicide!"

Chen Xin spoke in a rush, her face flushing red by the time she finished. It was clear she was genuinely worried about Lin Yun.

You couldn’t really blame her. There were tens of thousands of Martial Artists in Yanhuang Country, at least eighty or a hundred thousand at the Qi Sea Realm. Yet, there were only ten names on the Yanhuang List. It was no exaggeration to call those ten individuals invincible within the Qi Sea Realm.

They were the most elite geniuses in all of Yanhuang Country. Even those at the Early Stage of the Primordial Ocean Realm weren’t certain of victory against them.

For Lin Yun, who had just broken through to the Qi Sea Realm, to challenge the Yanhuang List now was, in Chen Xin’s eyes, an absolute death wish. There was no way he could survive.

Despite Chen Xin’s scolding, Lin Yun knew she was just worried about him, so he wasn’t the least bit angry. As for Wangcai, one look at him suggested he had already been thoroughly chewed out by her.

Not daring to speak, Wangcai simply kept his head down in silence.

"Chen Xin, sit down for a moment." Lin Yun smiled faintly, gesturing for her to calm down.

"Chen Xin, we’re all friends here. When a friend is in trouble, shouldn’t we help them? Don’t worry so much. If it comes to it and I’m outmatched, I’ll naturally concede..."

Lin Yun tried to placate her. At first, Chen Xin absolutely refused to budge. Only after he repeatedly promised to concede immediately if he was outmatched did she finally, and very reluctantly, agree.

With Chen Xin placated, the next step was to learn about the rules of the Yanhuang List.

The rules were actually quite simple. First, of course, was registration. After registering, a challenger had to undergo a trial of ten battles on the Yanhuang List’s fighting stage. The opponents in these ten trials could be other registrants or individuals arranged by the Royal Family, but none would be over thirty years old.

Winning all ten battles would earn one the title of "Yanhuang List Candidate." However, to actually challenge someone on the Yanhuang List, you then had to defeat ten other candidates.

Only after defeating ten Yanhuang List Candidates could one apply to challenge a member of the Yanhuang List. The challenger was also free to pick their opponent from the List.

"Young Master Lin, you mustn’t underestimate the candidates," Li Ji warned. "They all possess considerable Combat Power. You could say they’re the young elites second only to those on the Yanhuang List itself."

"I’m aware," Lin Yun said. "According to the rules, I can’t lose a single match before I challenge the List. If I fail once, I have to start all over from the beginning, correct?"

"That’s right. It has to be a winning streak. If you lose even one match along the way, you have to start over," Wangcai confirmed.

After hearing the rules, Lin Yun’s interest in the ten so-called "invincible" Qi Sea Realm geniuses on the List grew even stronger. With such demanding conditions, anyone who managed to fight their way onto the Yanhuang List could be no weakling.

Lin Yun was eager to see for himself what the ten young geniuses who stood at the very peak of Yanhuang Country were like.