“Yuntian, you have indeed not disappointed this old man.”
The head of the Gongsun family stroked his beard. His aged face creased deeply, his smile full of pride.
After all, compared to others, they were the ones who most hoped that Gongsun Yuntian could break the record set by Daohui.
Now, although the record had not yet been broken, he had triggered a phenomenon.
Once this news spread, it would inevitably elevate Gongsun Yuntian’s status in the eyes of the world.
Moreover, the time limit for the record was still far from reached. Since the phenomenon had already been triggered at this point, it meant that Guntian Yuntian’s emergence was about to happen soon.
Not only the head of the Gongsun family, but almost everyone present felt that Gongsun Yuntian breaking Daohui’s record was practically a certainty.
However, the situation that people had imagined did not occur.
The phenomenon had already appeared for a full two hours. Less than half a stick of incense remained before Daohui’s record time, yet Gongsun Yuntian still had not appeared.
If Gongsun Yuntian did not emerge within that half stick of incense, then Daohui’s record would remain unbroken.
“Family Head.”
Because they were too anxious, many from the Gongsun family turned their eyes towards the family head.
As the boundary spirit family of the Nine Souls Heavenly River, they possessed much information that outsiders did not. From the very beginning, they knew that the Black Fiend Old Demon would open the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace.
Thus, they had prepared long in advance. Their goal was precisely to break Daohui’s record.
Originally, according to their preparations, breaking Daohui’s record should have been straightforward. Yet as time ticked away, they began to panic.
Buzz.
Suddenly, a boundary gate emerged.
Immediately after, a figure stepped out from it.
That person was none other than the long-awaited Gongsun Yuntian.
“Yuntian, well done.”
Seeing Gongsun Yuntian step out, some from the Gongsun family could not conceal their excitement. Many even cheered loudly.
Even the family head and the elders let out a long sigh of relief.
They had truly been nervous earlier, but fortunately, they had succeeded. Gongsun Yuntian had not let them down.
As for Gongsun Yuntian, his first reaction upon emerging was also one of tension. He anxiously scanned his surroundings, as if searching for a certain figure.
Only after searching and failing to find his target did he turn to the family head.
“Family Head, am I the first?”
Gongsun Yuntian asked this question without much confidence.
“Yuntian, do you even need to ask? You are undoubtedly the first.”
“Not only are you the first, you are also the fastest junior in history to emerge from the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace.”
The family head said to Gongsun Yuntian.
“Yuntian, I told you, with your talent, you would certainly break Daohui’s record.”
Just as the family head finished speaking, voices rang out from behind Gongsun Yuntian.
Immediately afterwards, six figures emerged one after another from the boundary gate.
Once all six had stepped out, the boundary gate closed at once.
These six were naturally the other six geniuses from the Gongsun family.
At this point, all seven geniuses from the Gongsun family who had entered the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace had emerged.
The five who ranked ahead were also the strongest five among the seven.
But everyone understood that, apart from Gongsun Yuntian, the actual ranking no longer mattered.
After all, there were no longer any outsiders competing with their Gongsun family.
No matter who ultimately won, the one who would claim the beauty at this marriage recruitment contest would be someone from their Gongsun family.
“Family Head, if Yuntian had not insisted on helping us, he could have emerged even faster.”
Several geniuses from the Gongsun family said.
“This old man knows Yuntian’s character. He has always treated fame lightly. What he values most is brotherhood.”
The family head could not stop smiling.
Not only had Gongsun Yuntian broken Daohui’s record, but the other six geniuses from the Gongsun family had broken it as well.
Once this news spread, the Gongsun family would surely become renowned far and wide. For him, that was already enough.
Yet no one noticed that, when the family head praised Gongsun Yuntian for valuing brotherhood, the expressions of two among the six geniuses standing behind him grew rather strange.
These two were precisely the ones who had fought Chu Feng, been brutally beaten by him, and later released.
“Lord Black Fiend, what is that object?”
Gongsun Yuntian pointed at the sphere of light atop the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace, bright as a miniature sun, and asked.
He had noticed this sphere long ago.
At first, however, he had been concerned about Chu Feng. He feared Chu Feng might have emerged ahead of him.
Only after confirming that Chu Feng had not come out earlier did he breathe a sigh of relief. Then he turned his attention to the sphere.
“Young friend Yuntian, is that not precisely the phenomenon you triggered?”
The Black Fiend Old Demon asked in return.
“I triggered it?”
Gongsun Yuntian was somewhat surprised.
He had been able to emerge so quickly not only because he had used the summoning heart jade to harness the power within the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace.
He also owed much to the six brothers behind him.
Though those six brothers appeared to be smiling warmly on the surface, in reality they were extremely weakened.
They had just claimed that Gongsun Yuntian had helped them by bringing them out together, but that was a lie.
The truth was that they had exhausted themselves helping Gongsun Yuntian set up the formation to leave the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace. In doing so, they had suffered enormous depletion, possibly even harming their future prospects.
Yet they had no choice. They all knew Gongsun Yuntian’s status within the Gongsun family. Even if it cost them their future, they had to accept it. Not only accept it, but praise Gongsun Yuntian.
Otherwise, their lives might be forfeit.
After all, the earlier incident where Gongsun Yuntian had demanded that Chu Feng kill those two fellow clansmen was still fresh in their minds.
Moreover, this was not merely Gongsun Yuntian’s personal wish. It was also the family head’s intention. Assisting Gongsun Yuntian with the formation had been a task assigned to them by the Gongsun family.
Precisely because he understood the true circumstances, Gongsun Yuntian was rather puzzled.
In his recollection, he did not seem to have triggered any phenomenon.
“Could it be that young friend Yuntian does not know how he triggered the phenomenon?”
Seeing that even Gongsun Yuntian appeared unaware, some of the boundary spirit masters present also began to ask.
“The Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace is unpredictable. Even this old man cannot fully comprehend it. It is normal that young friend Yuntian did not notice.”
“But tell me, if this phenomenon was not triggered by young friend Yuntian, then who else could it be?”
The Black Fiend Old Demon said.
Since even he had spoken thus, others found it hard to voice doubt. Instead, they became even more convinced that Gongsun Yuntian had triggered the phenomenon.
“Young friends, come over to this old man.”
The Black Fiend Old Demon beckoned to Gongsun Yuntian and the others.
Once they approached, the Black Fiend Old Demon stood up and actually took out a measuring ruler, carefully measuring the bodies of all seven.
“Although this marriage recruitment contest has not yet concluded, since all of you young friends have managed to break the record set by Daohui, it is cause for celebration.”
“This old man intends to personally craft a gift for each of you.”
After saying this, the Black Fiend Old Demon began to set up a formation.
Once the formation was activated, the boundary spirit masters present quickly discerned his intention.
The Black Fiend Old Demon was going to tailor boundary spirit robes for the seven from the Gongsun family.
The Black Fiend Old Demon was one of the strongest boundary spirit masters in the entire Nine Souls Heavenly River.
The materials he now produced were moreover rare treasures.
It could be said that some of these materials were not even possessed by the Gongsun family.
With the Black Fiend Old Demon’s skill, crafting boundary spirit robes could be completed in an instant.
Yet he was now working very slowly, naturally because he sought perfection.
After completing the boundary spirit robes, the Black Fiend Old Demon even added his unique seal to them.
Just this seal alone made them immensely valuable.
This left the geniuses of the Gongsun family exceptionally excited.
It took a full four hours before the Black Fiend Old Demon finally finished crafting the seven boundary spirit robes.
Of course, there were differences among the seven robes. The finest one was prepared for Gongsun Yuntian. That single robe alone had taken the Black Fiend Old Demon a full three hours.
Even Gongsun Yuntian was deeply moved by the quality of this robe.
“Thank you, Lord Black Fiend.”
Once the boundary spirit robes were in hand, Gongsun Yuntian and the others bowed deeply in unison.
“No need for thanks. This is what you deserve. In the future, you must not slacken. You still need to cultivate diligently and never betray the talent you possess.”
“Your mission is not merely to make the Gongsun family famous throughout the Nine Souls Heavenly River, but to make the Nine Souls Heavenly River renowned across the vast martial cultivation world.”
These words from the Black Fiend Old Demon revealed his high expectations for these juniors.
“We will not disappoint Lord Black Fiend.”
At this moment, the geniuses of the Gongsun family, including Gongsun Yuntian, were filled with fervour. After all, they had received recognition from the Black Fiend Old Demon himself.
Such acknowledgement would greatly enhance their reputation.
Buzz.
Just then, the space outside the Thousand Transformations Illusion Palace twisted once more, and another boundary gate appeared.
