The Sunbird had stopped, floating in the air. The two Kui serpents were being held back by Tuoba Tao and the others, while Yang Chen calmly underwent his breakthrough on the Sunbird's back.
"Rumble!"
Thunderous roars echoed through the void as Yang Chen's aura grew increasingly terrifying. The golden light surrounding him intensified, and the imagery of the Blazing Sun World became clearer.
With every breath, dense energy entered and exited his nostrils, imbuing him with the presence of an ancient beast.
"Yang Xuan, your younger brother possesses the potential for high-tier cultivation. His current aura makes me feel a pressure from my bloodline," the Sunbird said, its tone filled with shock. It regretted its actions, for it still had a drop of ancestral essence blood. If it had given both drops earlier, perhaps it could have left a better impression on Yang Chen.
But it was too late. If it were to offer it now, it wouldn't be an act of assistance, but rather an offense.
Yang Xuan's eyes were filled with excitement and joy. This was the happiest moment he had experienced in days. His younger brother had the potential for high-tier cultivation. Even before reaching the intermediate tier, he possessed such a formidable foundation. If he were to break through, wouldn't he instantly surpass all the younger generation?
"Brother, I still have some treasures here. Absorb them all!" Yang Xuan gritted his teeth and said, waving his hand to produce a fruit that resembled an infant, golden liquid contained within a special vessel, and a sacred herb that exuded an alluring medicinal fragrance upon its appearance.
"Hiss! Yang Xuan, you've truly spared no expense for your brother." The Sunbird couldn't help but be astonished. These three items were of great use even to Yang Xuan himself, making his breakthrough significantly easier than others. Yet, now, Yang Xuan was giving them all to Yang Chen.
"Brother, it's enough. These are what you prepared for yourself. You'll need them if you advance to the sixth tier in the future." Yang Chen's gaze was fervent. Although he deeply desired them, he restrained himself. He knew how much hardship his brother had endured to collect these three items, and thus, he felt guilty accepting them.
"It's fine, take them all. While these items are important, they are far less significant than your future achievements. Moreover, once you are accepted as a disciple by the World Lord, will I lack such treasures?" Yang Xuan said with an air of magnanimity.
"Brother!" Yang Chen was deeply moved. He raised his hand, and the three items flew into his mouth.
Concurrently, Li Xiaotian, employing the same tactic, brought all three items to himself.
"This prodigal son! How can my belongings be used so carelessly?" Li Xiaotian pouted, displeased with Yang Xuan's secrecy. The latter had two spatial rings; one was snatched by him in the open, but he never expected Yang Xuan to have hidden another.
However, it was fortunate that these items were not wasted and had fallen into his possession. Li Xiaotian thought, opening his mouth and swallowing the herb brimming with medicinal fragrance.
"Rumble!"
Instantly, Li Xiaotian's body erupted in a brilliant light, as if he were a rare treasure. His eyes widened, filled with excitement. The efficacy of this herb was no less than that of the previous exotic fruit!
Good stuff! Good stuff! Li Xiaotian mused, but he didn't forget to leave some benefits for Yang Chen. With a thought, he continued to expel impurities from his body, allowing them to be absorbed by Yang Chen.
"Brother! I feel like I'm about to break through!" Yang Chen let out a low roar, his eyes flashing with brilliance, his voice filled with excitement.
"Break through with all your might. Leave everything else to me!" Yang Xuan said, his mind alert, surveying their surroundings.
At the same time, Tuoba Tao and the others, who were entangled with the Kui serpents in the distance, wore expressions of shock. Yang Xuan's breakthrough was truly astounding, creating a greater stir than their own advancements to the fourth tier.
"If nothing unexpected happens, this young man will surely have a place in the Western Region in the future! The rankings of the Blazing Sun World are likely to change," Tuoba Tao muttered, feeling a twinge of envy.
He was from the Demon God Realm and inherently looked down upon all beings from worlds outside the God Realm, including the twelve supreme worlds. In his eyes, these twelve supreme worlds were merely the hired hands of their God Realm.
Beside him, the five young cultivators from the Blazing Sun World wore grim expressions. The more powerful Yang Xuan became, the stronger the influence behind him would grow within the Blazing Sun World, and the forces behind them would inevitably face suppression in the future.
Their eyes flickered, and they were tempted to deliberately allow a Kui serpent to pass through. However, they quickly dismissed the idea, realizing the severe consequences if their intentional actions were discovered by the World Lord, which would lead to their utter annihilation. They could only inwardly pray for some mishap during Yang Xuan's breakthrough.
"Boom!"
On the Sunbird's back, Yang Chen unleashed a sky-piercing aura. He stood up, a golden phantom appearing behind him, his hands supporting the heavens, his feet planted firmly on the ground.
"Today, Yang Chen of the Blazing Sun World will advance to the intermediate tier. Upon entering the intermediate tier, I shall be invincible among my peers!"
Yang Chen roared, his demeanor confident and imposing, exuding a kingly aura.
"Good! Haha, good!"
Yang Xuan, standing beside him, laughed heartily, his face brimming with excitement.
In the distance, Tuoba Tao and the others wore slightly displeased expressions. Invincible among peers? This statement implicitly included them. Although they were at the fifth tier, given the foundation Yang Chen had displayed, his advancement to the fifth tier was merely a matter of time.
"I, Yang Chen, have cultivated for a thousand years and am now advancing to the intermediate tier. From this moment forward, I shall be the number one genius of the Blazing Sun World!"
"Unprecedented and unparalleled!"
"I shall be invincible in this world!"
Yang Chen roared, his heart surging with emotion. It was close; he was on the verge of breaking through. He eagerly anticipated his combat power after the breakthrough. He wondered if any low-tier cultivator in the Blazing Sun World had ever experienced such a scene upon advancing to the intermediate tier.
"Brother, in the future, the family will be proud of you, and the Blazing Sun World will also be proud of you!" Yang Xuan shouted, ecstatic and filled with pride. If only this were not the Blazing Sun World, otherwise, his younger brother's breakthrough would undoubtedly attract the attention of all factions in the world, and perhaps even the World Lord would descend. This was a day of immense honor for his family!
"Break!"
With a furious roar, Yang Chen's aura surged several times over. He had broken through!
Instantly, the heavens and earth churned with wind and clouds, and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Beside him, Yang Xuan laughed with immense excitement, and the Sunbird's heart was also thrilled; its investment had paid off!
In the distance, the five powerful cultivators from the Blazing Sun World displayed looks of dejection. It was too late; Yang Chen had already broken through, and everything had become a reality. Concurrently, the other low-tier cultivators of the Blazing Sun World looked upon Yang Chen with envy and reverence.
"Hahaha, hmm?"
Yang Chen roared with laughter. His first impulse after the breakthrough was to send his divine sense into the Great Dao space, to experience the sensation of being an intermediate-tier powerhouse. However, as soon as his divine sense entered the Great Dao space, he froze, his expression hardening. This was because he saw someone he could never have imagined.
Li Yuntian, shrouded in radiant light, smiled warmly upon sensing Yang Chen's divine sense.
"You've arrived, little brother. You are very good. A good person!"