"Come, Shopkeeper Ma, I toast to you!"

At the banquet table, Yang Zhengchu raised his cup with both hands, looking warmly at Ma Ning:

"This time, my success in crossing the tribulation is entirely due to your gracious assistance.

Such immense gratitude is beyond words, and in the future, should you have any requests, the Yang Family will fully commit to fulfilling them!"

Looking at the modest Yang Zhengchu, who showed no airs despite being a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, Ma Ning did not put on any airs either.

He picked up his wine cup politely and gently clinked it with Yang Zhengchu's, ensuring his cup was positioned slightly lower.

Then he drank it all in one go.

At this time, it had been over twenty hours since Yang Zhengchu had survived the Nascent Soul Tribulation. After breaking through, he did nothing but wait for the rabbits to get the equipment ready, and immediately ordered Yang Wanli to organize several tables for a celebratory feast.

Every researcher who participated in the tribulation project was invited to the banquet and not one was left out.

However, the hosting Yang Family members who were involved were relatively few in number.

Besides Yang Zhengchu and the five clan elders, only Yang Bolin and Brother Wanli attended.

As mentioned before.

Currently, the Southern Region has no Nascent Soul Great Cultivator stationed, and the Nascent Souls of Anhua City and another major city are involved in conflicts over at Yaoque.

Thus, in a sense.

Yang Zhengchu could be considered the current first person of the Southern Region on the surface.

Nevertheless, at the celebration banquet, none of the Yang Family members, including Yang Zhengchu, showed any high-level cultivator arrogance.

For example, Yang Wangcai, who had previously doubted Ma Ning several times, was now chatting warmly and laughing with Zeng Gu Cheng.

The reason for this peculiar dynamic was due to just one factor:

The Taoshu Commerce Association is truly beyond belief!

Just imagine.

How could one expect that a formidable Nascent Soul Tribulation, even an enhanced Thunder Tribulation post-spiritual energy thinning,

would be resolved so effortlessly by the Taoshu Commerce Association's means?

Even Yang Bolin, who had dealings with the rabbits, was still in a bit of a daze from the shock.

If such a thing were known by those who perished under the Ninth-Layer Core Formation Realm Thunder Tribulation over the past decades, they might just flip their coffin lids, right?

What?

The outcome of failing the Thunder Tribulation is being reduced to dust?

Oh, then never mind.

In summary.

A force capable of easily surviving a Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation must be terrifying if you think about it.

The reasoning is simple:

If the Taoshu Commerce Association can assist outsiders in crossing tribulations, then what about their own members?

According to Ma Ning.

The Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Race has a long history and a large population.

In such a group, how many Gui Cang Cultivators comparable to the power of Nascent Souls reside within?

Indeed.

The cost of a single tribulation might be high, to the point that a city of Ziqiong City's population size would expend centuries of accumulation for one crossing.

The conditions behind the Celestial Moon Mountain Range are notoriously harsh, so it is perhaps not feasible to have each Ninth-Layer Core Formation pass through as many times as possible.

But conservatively, maintaining two to three Gui Cang Body Cultivators stationed at all times for the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Race should not be difficult.

Thus it can be said.

After the dark clouds above disappeared, another towering mountain stood before the Yang Family.

For this reason, none of the Yang Family entertained the thought of killing and seizing treasures:

The five "Chubby Girl" crafts had barely flown overhead, and the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Race clearly possessed means for long-distance travel to Ziqiong City.

If they killed for treasure under such circumstances, what could Ziqiong City rely on to fend off the Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Race's retaliation?

The psychologists from the command had analyzed the situation and directly advised Ma Ning:

Feel free to indulge greatly without fear of any potential ambush at the feast.

Returning our gaze to the celebration banquet scene.

The dishes prepared by the Yang Family were exceptionally high in specification, arguably luxurious.

Some ingredients on the main table, even just a small spoonful, would likely cost tens of thousands of Huaxia currency.

If you insist on an example, local wild yellow croaker, priced at fifteen thousand per kilogram, would only be a side dish on this dining table.

In such circumstances.

Even Ma Ning, a simple person not prone to extravagant tastes, could not help but take a few extra bites.

There's a common pattern back home: after the third round of drinks and the fifth flavor of dish, substantive discussions can ensue at the dining table.

Although Damo Realm doesn't have the exact same saying, similar habits do exist.

After a round of toasts and drinks.

Ma Ning glanced lightly around, and asked Yang Zhengchu:

"Yang Clan Elder, what do you plan to do next?"

Yang Zhengchu heard the question and set down his chopsticks, contemplated for a moment, then replied:

"Shopkeeper Ma, you might not fully understand.

Ever since Yaoque was established, there has been a rule in the Central Region.

Every newly advanced Nascent Soul Cultivator must visit Yaoque once.

First, to meet and greet the other Nascent Soul Great Cultivators, symbolizing entry into that echelon.

Additionally, to discuss matters related to interest allocation.

Secondly... a debut must be made."

"A debut?"

Hearing this term.

Ma Ning subconsciously recalled the line from Chen Peisi's "Lead and Supporting Roles".

However, this thought was dismissed as just a reflex, quickly brushed aside by himself:

"What does that mean? Could you explain, Yang Clan Elder?"

Yang Zhengchu nodded slightly, and poured a cup of tea for Ma Ning:

"By debut, we mean that the new Nascent Soul Cultivator must, upon arriving at Yaoque, personally kill a magical beast without any external aids.

The rank of the beast isn't fixed; it could be a Tier Four Demon King or a Tier Three Demon General.

It could even be a Tier Two Commander or a standard Tier One magical beast.

The higher the rank of the beast killed, the higher the prestige earned.

This also increases the allocation of benefits to your family's city, among other things…"

Ma Ning then realized.

So this debut is indeed about showcasing strength.

And by 'without any external aids', it means relying solely on one's own realm, cultivation technique, and personal magical artifact to engage the beast in combat.

This requirement is understandable.

If one relies on talismans or arrays to defeat an enemy, that would seem too easy.

After all, nobody knows whether the external aid you rely on is unique or there are billions of it.

Without external help, though, the choice of opponent becomes quite subtle.

As mentioned long ago.

At equal realms, magical beasts possess slightly superior combat abilities compared to cultivators.

A newly advanced Nascent Soul Cultivator should underperform a typical Tier Four Demon King in terms of combat strength but far outmatch a Tier Three Demon General.

But as the saying goes, nothing is absolute.

If your talent is exceptional—say, having a mutated single spiritual root, or possessing powerful secret techniques or a strong personal magical artifact.

Theoretically, it's possible to battle and win.

Take the Chixian City siege battle for instance.

The elderly man in blue fought slightly lesser in power compared to the Tier Two Black Wind Serpent with awakened bloodline.

Yet he used a secret technique at the cost of his own vital blood and eventually killed the Black Wind Serpent in a single strike.

This scenario is also applicable to higher-level cultivators, making reverse-slaying theoretically possible.

If reverse-slaying succeeds, this cross-boundary kill not only brings praise of 'this child is terrifying',

but also additional practical benefits.

However, if you slay a lesser-ranked magical beast, you might not receive much recognition.

As for instances of targeting Tier Two magical beasts…

According to what Yang Zhengchu knows, nobody has ever done so since Yaoque's establishment.

Ma Ning then pondered and asked:

"Yang Clan Elder, which type of magical beast are you planning to slay?"

.........

Note:

There are two matters to mention here: First, character profiles are being written, but as they require going through previous parts slowly, it may take some time, hopefully done in a week, for free.

Secondly, seeking opinions on preferred chapter length, do you like 3,000-word chapters, or double-length 6,000-word ones?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.