Tang Yan listened in stunned disbelief. Those two wretched-looking old men actually held such status?

"R-really?"

"How could it be false? So many people dream of becoming Elder Zhen's disciple but lack the qualifications. Yet you, fresh into the academy, were immediately recruited by him. Truly, comparing oneself to others only leads to frustration," Fang Xuan laughed.

"Don't worry, you will all find your own Fated Chances," Tang Yan comforted them.

The group chatted as they walked, returning to their dormitory before long.

Seeing everyone return safely, Du Shu let out a long sigh of relief.

"Du Shu, do you have any idea how incredible Tang Yan is?" Fang Xuan, who shared the closest bond with Du Shu, shouted the moment he walked through the door.

"What? Did he pull down the number one expert on the Heaven Ranking?" Du Shu blinked.

"Get lost! Why don't you go take down the number one on the Heaven Ranking?" Glaring at Du Shu, Fang Xuan eagerly explained, "Tang Yan subdued Sun Xiaolong in just a few exchanges on the arena! He slapped him dozens of times! The sound was so crisp and sharp, it echoed endlessly across the Rookie Zone..."

Fang Xuan embellished the tale as he recounted it. Hearing this, Du Shu felt immensely satisfied, a warm current stirring in his chest.

"Brother Tang, thank you," Du Shu said, looking at Tang Yan with profound gratitude.

"We are brothers-we rise together and fall together. What is there to thank me for?" Tang Yan laughed.

"Du Shu, you're already moved by that? I haven't even gotten to the explosive part! Tang Yan didn't just beat Sun Xiaolong, he gave Qin Sheng a thrashing too!" Fang Xuan added, stoking the fire.

"The head of the Victory Gang?" Du Shu's eyes widened.

"Obviously! If it weren't him, why would I even bring up the name?" Fang Xuan confirmed.

Du Shu's lips trembled, too excited to speak. He only knew that the humiliation he had suffered today had been repaid by Tang Yan many times over!

"Ah, the Azure Dragon Academy is filled with countless geniuses. It truly makes one despair!" Wan Fei sighed with emotion.

Yu Juechen deeply agreed, slumping into a chair and chiming in, "Indeed. Those monsters are more dazzling than the sun. What meaning is there in our struggles, when we are nothing but faint starlight?"

They were all young, with many shared sentiments. After venting their frustrations for a while, the conversation drifted toward more fanciful topics.

Tang Yan listened quietly for a while, letting out an inward sigh.

Fang Xuan and the others had no clear anchor points for their lives.

With their paths so poorly defined, they were destined to wander blindly. By the time they truly woke up, they would already be left far in the dust by the geniuses of their generation.

Since there was time, he might as well help them sort out their thoughts.

"Everyone, what are your personal ideals?" Tang Yan interjected at the right moment.

"Our own ideals?" They exchanged confused glances.

In all their years, hardly anyone had ever asked them this question.

"Yes. Not the doctrines forced upon you by your elders, and not the standards measured by secular society. Simply your own, personal ideals," Tang Yan elaborated.

After a long silence, Yu Juechen asked in return, "Tang Yan, what is your ideal?"

"To pursue the pinnacle of the Alchemy Dao, and to lead the way in its development!" Tang Yan answered without concealing a thing, his voice sharp and full of drive.

Hearing this, everyone stared blankly. They had never imagined Tang Yan's ambitions were so grand.

With Tang Yan opening the floodgates, the others felt their hearts stir.

Lying on his bed, Du Shu was the first to speak. "Actually, back in Qing City, my ancestors didn't rise through martial prowess. Back then, the Du Clan was far from being the sole dominant power.

"Our clan rose through commerce. They poured in countless fortunes just to barely establish a foothold in the city.

"After several generations of hard work, the Du Clan's wealth grew. We purchased massive amounts of cultivation resources, slowly nurtured our own martial experts, and eventually secured our position as the overlords of Qing City.

"Even though this world reveres martial strength above all else, deep in my heart, I love the path of commerce.

"Go ahead and laugh if you want, but my ideal is to earn so much wealth that even a Heaven Rank expert wouldn't be able to refuse my price!"

The others were somewhat taken aback. They never expected that Du Shu, who had always cultivated so diligently, harbored such a hidden desire.

It was, undeniably, a shocking ideal.

Having boldly spoken his heart, Du Shu felt as if a heavy mountain had been lifted from his chest. His entire body immediately felt lighter.

Seeing Du Shu's candor, the rest of the group threw away their own hesitations.

Yu Juechen pondered for a moment before speaking. "My ideal is to become the guardian deity of my sect. I don't want to bother with mundane sect affairs, but as long as I stand, no one will dare lay a finger on the Rakshasa Sect!"

"I want to hold absolute authority and command the masses." Fang Xuan's eyes gleamed fiercely for a second before dimming in dejection. "But compared to true geniuses, I fall short. Without absolute power, how can I make anyone submit? In the end, I'll probably just return to Fang City and inherit my father's position."

"My ideal is to uncover the true essence of martial arts and create my very own school of techniques! But unravelling the mysteries of martial arts takes a tremendous amount of time, and I worry it will drag down my cultivation progress," Wan Fei admitted, speaking from the heart.

Everyone felt a deep sense of admiration upon hearing her words. For a girl to possess such an obsessive drive to explore the martial path was rare.

Finally, all eyes fell upon Lin Dongxue.

Lin Dongxue's pretty face flushed a faint pink. After a long pause, she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, "I want to find a good husband, and accompany him as we roam the ends of the earth with our swords."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Naturally, their teasing only made Lin Dongxue's face turn an even deeper shade of red.

Tang Yan looked at Lin Dongxue with a touch of amusement. This girl had a simple, pure heart-a true romantic. If the man of her dreams painted a grand vision for her, she would throw herself into it without a second thought.

Once everyone had shared their aspirations, Tang Yan asked another question. "If the conditions allowed it, would you be willing to strive for those ideals holding absolutely nothing back?"

Most of their dreams aligned well enough with their current circumstances, so they nodded one after the other. Only Du Shu hesitated.

Tang Yan didn't press him, waiting quietly for his answer.

He understood the pressure weighing on Du Shu's chest. Among the younger generation of Qing City, Du Shu's martial talent was quite high, and his clan had placed heavy expectations upon him.

He was not walking his path alone; he carried too many burdens on his shoulders.

It took a long while before Du Shu finally sighed. "It's just not realistic. I'm merely a mortal man, unable to break free from the constraints of the secular world. If I truly abandoned martial arts for commerce, my elders would break my legs."

"What if I could guarantee that you will step into the Heaven Rank before the age of forty?" Tang Yan asked, a sharp light gleaming in his eyes.

Du Shu's body shuddered. Reach the Heaven Rank before forty? I must be dreaming!

Just reaching the Heaven Rank before death would be a miracle. But before forty? It was unthinkable!

"If such a miracle were actually possible, I'd embark on the path of commerce right this second!" Du Shu smiled bitterly. "But in the end, it's nothing more than a dream."

"Heaven Rank experts can be built purely through Pills.

"You already possess decent martial talent. Supplemented with high-grade Pills, stepping into the Heaven Rank will be as easy as turning over your hand.

"I might lack many talents, but I do possess some insights into the Alchemy Dao. Give me enough time, and I guarantee you will break through to the Heaven Rank!"

Tang Yan's voice carried an overpowering sense of confidence, a certainty that slowly infected Du Shu.

"Are you serious?" Du Shu asked solemnly.

"I am," Tang Yan nodded.

Du Shu's chest grew hot. Only after a long pause did he reply, "I believe you!"

Tang Yan wasn't surprised by the answer. The only reason Du Shu hadn't embraced the path of commerce was out of duty to his clan.

Seeing the hesitant expressions on Fang Xuan and the others' faces, Tang Yan smiled. "Are you thinking of advising Du Shu to reconsider?

"Your vision is simply too narrow. There are Three thousand Great Daos, and countless ways to Prove the Dao.

"If the wealth he controlled through commerce was vast enough to dictate the flow of resources across the entire world, what under the heavens would be impossible for him to achieve?"

Hearing this, their mouths fell open slightly.

A fervent light slowly filled Du Shu's eyes.

He didn't doubt whether Tang Yan was just spinning him a fantasy.

The reason was simple-his own clan had risen to power strictly through wealth.

"Tang Yan, since we're all brothers, why don't we just form a faction of our own!" Fang Xuan suddenly proposed.

"There's strength in numbers. Having a foundation will allow us to push each other toward success. Take Du Shu, for example. He would only need to focus on generating wealth; he wouldn't have to worry about safety or defense.

"I can take charge of our basic affairs and manage our resources.

"You three can devote yourselves completely to your respective paths. As for everything behind the scenes, you can leave it all to me.

"As long as we unite our strength, I firmly believe we can all achieve our ideals much faster. What do you guys think?"