Su Han was in closed-door cultivation, but the Tian Luo Saint chose a different path. While everyone was nervously awaiting the life-and-death duel, the Tian Luo Saint departed from the Tian Luo Net Holy Land. He went to the Ye Family, one of the Four Great Imperial Clans, to challenge Ye Lingyin, who was ranked second on the Prodigy Rankings.

Ye Lingyin was an Emperor’s Daughter who possessed the Heavenly Sound Holy Body, ranked 208th on the Special Physique Rankings. She had already reached the Great Accomplishment stage, and her innate talent and strength were beyond question. Moreover, Ye Lingyin was hailed as the number one beauty of the Eastern Region, with innumerable admirers.

It was said that Ye Lingyin had also broken through to the Supreme Realm, but she had never publicly displayed her strength, so no one knew how powerful she truly was. But as the second-ranked prodigy, her strength was certainly not to be underestimated. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

When news that the Tian Luo Saint was challenging Ye Lingyin spread, countless people were incensed. Ye Lingyin was a goddess in their hearts, so the vast majority of public opinion was on her side. The battle itself took place within the Ye Family’s estate, hidden from public view, but the outcome was clear: the Tian Luo Saint had won.

"Ah, my goddess actually lost! My heart aches for her. She must be so heartbroken. I wish I could offer her a shoulder to cry on."

"Get lost! As if Goddess Ye would want your shoulder. If she needed one, it would be mine! But still... Goddess Ye actually lost. Does this mean the Tian Luo Saint will move up in the next Prodigy Rankings update, becoming second only to Chu Feng?"

"Just how strong is the Tian Luo Saint? He defeated Goddess Ye right after his breakthrough. At this rate, Su Han’s chances of winning the life-and-death duel a month from now are practically nonexistent."

Ye Lingyin’s defeat sent massive waves through the public. No one had expected her to lose to the Tian Luo Saint. An Imperial Clan was far more powerful than a Holy Land in terms of both bloodline and resources. Yet, the Tian Luo Saint, in his capacity as a Saint Heir, had successively defeated the Imperial Children, suppressing the prodigies of the Ye, Xiao, and Lin families. Only Chu Feng of the Chu Clan remained above him. This alone showed how terrifying the Tian Luo Saint’s innate talent was. A person like him was qualified to contend with Chu Feng for the title of the Eastern Region’s number one.

Indeed, after leaving the Ye Family, the Tian Luo Saint did not return to the Tian Luo Net Holy Land. Instead, he went to the Chu Family to challenge Chu Feng. Countless onlookers eagerly watched, wanting to see if the Tian Luo Saint could defy the heavens and pull Chu Feng from his throne as the Eastern Region’s number one. Unfortunately, Chu Feng was not in his ancestral land, so the Tian Luo Saint’s trip was for naught. However, this did not diminish his prestige in the slightest.

"The Tian Luo Saint defeated Goddess Ye, which proves his Combat Power has reached a terrifying level. He might actually be able to defeat Chu Feng and take the number one spot!"

"It’s a shame we couldn’t enter the Ye Family to witness that great battle. Otherwise, we would know just how strong the Tian Luo Saint really is."

"The Tian Luo Saint and Chu Feng haven’t fought yet, so anything is possible. But I think the Saint must have been confident enough to issue a challenge. Sigh, what a shame."

Since the Tian Luo Saint and Chu Feng had not fought, the outcome was pure speculation, which sparked all sorts of fantasies among the people. Chu Feng’s talent and strength were beyond doubt; otherwise, he couldn’t have held the top spot on the Prodigy Rankings for so long. The Tian Luo Saint, however, had risen like a dark horse. Immediately after his breakthrough, he defeated Ye Lingyin and even moved to challenge Chu Feng, which showed he possessed a certain degree of confidence. These two were the top prodigies of the Eastern Region’s younger generation. The fact they had not yet battled left countless people feeling regretful.

However, the Tian Luo Saint used these two challenges to elevate his prestige to a terrifying height. For a time, the entire Eastern Region was abuzz with talk of him. As for the life-and-death duel at Holy Meteor Mountain a month away, many had already begun to mourn for Su Han in advance. Although Su Han was the year’s biggest dark horse, the Tian Luo Saint’s sudden rise suggested his overall Combat Power was superior. The gap between them seemed immense, so the duel was expected to be a completely one-sided affair.

I must continue to challenge others and temper my will to fight!

His trip to the Chu Family had come up empty, but the Tian Luo Saint had no intention of stopping. He planned to continue his challenges, defeating his peers one by one to forge an invincible will to fight.

For his next stop, the Tian Luo Saint went to the Xiao Family to challenge their Imperial Son, Xiao Tianming. Xiao Tianming had always wanted to defeat the Tian Luo Saint to prove himself, so he naturally did not refuse the challenge. Soon, the two engaged in a fair duel on the Xiao Family’s ancestral grounds. Although Xiao Tianming had also broken through to the Supreme Realm, he was still no match for the Tian Luo Saint and was ultimately defeated and injured. With that, the Tian Luo Saint’s prestige climbed even higher.

"He’s already been to the Chu, Ye, and Xiao Families. The Tian Luo Saint’s next stop must be the Lin Family, right?"

Countless people waited in eager anticipation, their eyes following the Tian Luo Saint’s every move. The strongest powers in the Eastern Region were the Four Great Imperial Clans. Now that the Tian Luo Saint had visited three of them, he would not miss the last one. The Lin Family’s Emperor’s Daughter, Lin Miaomiao, kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public. She was not ranked high on the Prodigy Rankings, but no one dared to underestimate her. After all, as an Emperor’s Daughter of an Imperial Clan, her innate talent and strength were bound to be extraordinary.

The Tian Luo Saint and Lin Miaomiao also engaged in a great battle. Lin Miaomiao’s strength surprised everyone; she actually managed to leave the Tian Luo Saint covered in wounds. In the end, however, the Tian Luo Saint’s skills proved slightly superior, and he secured a narrow victory.

Thus, the Tian Luo Saint had challenged all Four Great Imperial Clans. Aside from Chu Feng, whom he had not yet fought, all the other Imperial Sons and Daughters had become his defeated foes.

The other prodigies are too weak. Challenging them would be meaningless!

Beyond the Four Great Imperial Clans, there were also the other nine Holy Lands, as well as the Myriad Treasures Pavilion and the Demon Slayer Sect. But the Tian Luo Saint simply shook his head, looking down on their prodigies and considering them unworthy of a challenge.

However, he did not stop there. Instead, he began challenging some of the older, more established experts. Although these veterans lacked the innate talent of the younger prodigies, their combat experience, fighting will, and battle tactics were far more refined. In the same Realm, an older expert was often just as strong as a young prodigy. But the Tian Luo Saint was not challenging them on equal footing; he was challenging those in higher Realms, traveling from place to place to face one renowned veteran after another.

Soon, news spread that the Tian Luo Saint was succeeding in his challenges, defeating one veteran after another. The entire Eastern Region was shaken. Wherever he went, he would challenge an established expert, and every single time, he emerged victorious.

In the month leading up to his duel with Su Han, the Tian Luo Saint constantly sought out challenges to temper himself. His battle record grew more and more brilliant. His prestige even began to eclipse that of Chu Feng, making him seem like the potential number one figure in the Eastern Region.

Countless people mourned for Su Han, certain that he was doomed to be defeated in the battle at Holy Meteor Mountain.

While the outside world was in an uproar, inside the Seven Stars Sect, Su Han’s cultivation had reached a critical juncture.