Grand Ancestor Xuanwei stayed in Myriad Law City for several more months, but Li Shuang never returned.
Her last glimmer of hope vanished.
After such a long absence, Li had most likely perished.
The world of cultivation was indeed this cruel.
Even a peerless genius, before fully maturing, was nothing.
Grand Ancestor Xuanwei sighed with a touch of melancholy.
Alas, alas.
If Li had indeed perished, and the Supreme Spiritual Root had lost its master without timely intervention, it would have long since vanished from the world.
This time, she had sacrificed a clone for nothing.
Grand Ancestor Xuanwei left Myriad Law City, filled with resentment. She went into seclusion to cultivate another clone.
The two-year period was drawing to a close, with only one month remaining.
The Soul Golden Altar was about to open!
One month in advance.
Near the gates of Myriad Law City, a golden roll appeared.
Currently, there wasn't a single word on the roll.
People had gathered early beneath the city gates, their eyes filled with anticipation.
The opening of the Soul Golden Altar was a major event in the Soul Prison.
One month prior, the City Lord would post the roll in advance.
All eligible young geniuses would appear on this roll.
Based on the amount of soul points, there would be a ranking.
This ranking, to a large extent, also represented strength!
Normally, new talents emerged constantly, making it difficult to consistently hold the top spot.
However, Youlan, who was number one on the Genius Roll, had broken this norm.
Excluding this time, she had already held the top spot for three consecutive times.
This time.
There seemed to be no surprises either.
"The roll is about to be released. I wonder how many people will participate in the Soul Golden Altar this time."
"No matter how many, the first place will definitely be Youlan."
"True. The second and third places change every year, though."
"The roll isn't out yet, but I'm already excited."
The Soul Golden Altar was only open to those under a hundred years old who had accumulated over thirty thousand soul points within the past seven years.
This matter actually had little to do with most people; it was a competition for young geniuses.
However.
The City Lord of Myriad Law City paid special attention to the growth of these young geniuses.
Therefore.
Every time the Soul Golden Altar opened, Myriad Law City would begin its warm-up a month in advance.
When the Soul Golden Altar officially opened, the scene there would be directly projected into Myriad Law City via a water screen.
During that time.
The entire Soul Prison, except for the Soul Golden Altar, would be closed.
With nothing else to do, watching the live broadcast on the water screen was their only entertainment.
The City Lord would also set up some mini-games, such as guessing who could enter the second level. Those who guessed correctly could win some small rewards.
Both entertaining and offering practical benefits, these mini-games were very popular.
To win the City Lord's rewards, everyone paid close attention to this list, hoping to discover a dark horse.
If they bet on a dark horse, the reward would be much better than betting on a popular favorite.
Amidst the lively atmosphere.
Suddenly.
Someone exclaimed, "Look! The roll is out!"
A dense array of names refreshed in an instant.
"927!"
"There are 927 names now! Based on previous situations, those who hope to participate will make a full sprint in the last month, and the number of spots will increase again."
"The final number of people entering the altar will probably be similar to previous years, still over a thousand."
At the top of the golden roll.
The name Youlan shimmered with golden light.
No one was surprised.
"First place is still Youlan, as expected. This should also be Youlan's last time participating in the Soul Golden Altar. By the time the altar opens next, she should already be over a hundred years old."
"By then, she'll be climbing the Powerhouse Roll."
"Dominating the Genius Roll for thirty years, Youlan is indeed a terrifying woman."
"The top ten are all familiar faces. It's just the top ten on the Genius Roll rotating among themselves."
"Even the darkest dark horse can't make it into the top ten. Let's see if there are any new faces in the top hundred."
Everyone looked and discussed.
Suddenly.
A somewhat puzzled voice rang out, "Who is this person ranked exactly at a hundred? Li??"
Two years had passed.
Li Shuang, who had once caused a small stir, had slowly faded from everyone's memory.
Her name suddenly appearing made everyone pause.
Li?
Was there such a person on the Genius Roll?
They didn't seem to have heard of her.
"Li?" A man's voice suddenly became sharp: "She's not dead?"
The man stared intently at Li's name.
The golden roll couldn't be wrong; anyone on the list must still be alive!
It had been almost two years!
Even the Grand Ancestor had given up.
But now.
This name had suddenly popped up.
Everyone looked at the man with some confusion, but the man had no intention of explaining. His figure immediately vanished from Myriad Law City.
He had to go see the Grand Ancestor immediately!
The man left.
Others also gradually remembered.
"I do have some impression of this name. Two years ago, she cleared five Great Dao Mountains in one go, causing a small stir. Some high-ranking sects also extended invitations to her. But this person refused all sect invitations and entered the Soul Prison at the Golden Core stage."
"But... this isn't right! This Li is a newcomer, only arrived in Myriad Law City two years ago. And her current points are... eighty-seven thousand! Are you saying she accumulated so many points in just two years?"
The scene suddenly fell silent.
Two years...
Eighty-seven thousand points?
Did this Li ever rest?
She must have been killing soul beasts in the Soul Prison all this time, right?
This wasn't just a matter of perseverance; staying in the Soul Prison continuously required capital!
Either.
She had enough Qingguo.
Or.
The soul cultivation technique she practiced was astonishingly powerful.
Which one was Li?
"Two years, eighty-seven thousand soul points. What if... she had seven years?"
One person said, then looked at the top of the roll with a dazed expression.
"Youlan: Two hundred thousand soul points."
Below Youlan, the second place only had one hundred and fifty thousand.
If this Li had seven years, and could maintain such efficient point accumulation...
Wouldn't she... be able to surpass Youlan?
Surpass Youlan?
This thought flashed through their minds, then was immediately dismissed by everyone.
How could an unknown newcomer possibly surpass Youlan!
Her soul points might be due to some fortuitous encounter.
But how could such encounters happen every time?
Only Youlan's consistently stable strength could firmly secure the top spot.
"So. Where is this Li? Has she returned to Myriad Law City yet?"
Among a crowd of familiar faces, a rare new face appeared, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
In the crowd.
Many people were asking about Li's whereabouts.
Myriad Law City.
At the city gate.
Li Shuang walked in, looking somewhat weary, but her eyes were astonishingly bright.
Two years!
A full two years!
She finally saw the normal sky again.