https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-128-The-Way-of-Primordial-Spirits-a-True-Dragon-Emerges/12575464/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-130-You-Know-the-Great-Vastness-Shocking-Sword-Too-/12575468/
Chapter 129: The Divine Might of Sanqing Mountain, and the Idea of Fairness
Chapter 129: The Divine Might of Sanqing Mountain, and the Idea of Fairness
Gu An, Ye Lan, and Wu Jue spent their days leisurely, enjoying the battles of the Golden List Assembly while partaking in drinks and fruits. Their own matches weren't scheduled until later, so they were free to spectate and indulge in the excitement.
Ye Lan and Wu Jue had also grown more comfortable with each other, and the initial awkwardness between them had faded.
It was only on the fifth day that Wu Jue's turn to participate arrived.
Taking advantage of his absence, Ye Lan curiously asked, "Senior Brother, who is his master? He seems rather extraordinary."
With her extensive experience, she could recognize Wu Jue's exceptional nature.
After his multiple epiphanies, Wu Jue's demeanor had transformed. Even with his ordinary appearance and plain clothing, there was an unforgettable air of grandeur about him.
"His master is dead. He's been an orphan since he was young. I became his only friend, and we hit it off instantly. For the past five years, I deliberately avoided visiting him, which is why he was so angry," Gu An replied.
Upon hearing this, Ye Lan felt a mix of sympathy and amusement.
She sighed, "Senior Brother, you're quite something..."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing," Ye Lan replied.
Her gaze shifted towards the massive light screen in the sky, and Gu An followed her eyes.
The two combatants within the screen were no ordinary individuals. One was a young Daoist clad in a green robe, and the other was a battle-armored man wielding a long weapon.
With a single glance, Gu An could tell that their cultivation levels were higher than those of the previous fighters.
The green-robed Daoist was likely in the Transformation God Realm, while the battle-armored man was a Crossing Void Realm cultivator.
Both were under five hundred years old, undoubtedly top geniuses.
Reaching the Golden Core Realm and beyond was not simply a matter of investing resources.
Just when they expected an exciting battle to unfold, the green-robed Daoist lifted his hand, forming a seal. He unleashed a 'Dao' character that radiated green light, measuring a hundred meters in both length and width. It resembled a towering mountain as it crashed into the battle-armored man with incredible speed, causing him to spit blood and fly backward, losing his ability to continue the fight.
Although the battle-armored man was suppressed to the Transformation God Realm, the swiftness of his defeat still surprised Gu An.
With his discerning eye, he could see that the green-robed Daoist's Dao seal had already attained the profundity of divine might.
A single move to defeat the enemy—this stirred an uproar throughout the city!
"The winner is Xuan Miao, a True Man from Sanqing Mountain of the Chen Tang Dynasty!"
The voice of an elder resonated from within the light screen, imprinting the name of the green-robed Daoist in everyone's minds.
Ye Lan exclaimed, "Sanqing Mountain, they truly are formidable. I've witnessed their might before on the Nine Abyss Road. Sanqing Mountain is the number one sect in the Chen Tang Dynasty. They don't have many disciples, but each one is exceptional. It's said that Sanqing Mountain has produced Celestial Immortals before, but I don't know if it's true."
Gu An silently noted the name of the sect, acknowledging the profound depth of Sanqing Mountain's Daoist traditions, as evidenced by Xuan Miao's impressive Dao seal.
An hour later...
It was finally Wu Jue's turn to showcase his abilities.
The battles at the Foundation Establishment Realm weren't as exaggerated as Xuan Miao's performance, so many people weren't expecting much.
However, when Wu Jue threw his first punch, the earth-shattering might of his strike instantly captured the attention of everyone in the city.
His punch was like the sun bursting forth, the fist wind scorching hot, making it difficult for his opponent to defend.
Each of Wu Jue's punches was filled with a powerful sense of force, exuding an aura of dominance.
After eight punches, his opponent knelt on the ground, unable to stop the flow of blood from his mouth.
"The winner is Wu Jue from Tai Xuan Gate of the Tai Cang Dynasty!"
A buzz of discussions filled the city as people began to talk about Wu Jue.
Ye Lan was stunned. She knew Wu Jue was extraordinary, but she hadn't expected him to be this formidable.
A smile tugged at Gu An's lips as he watched, knowing that Wu Jue's legendary journey was about to begin.
The Setting Sun Fist was seemingly ordinary, but Wu Jue had honed it to perfection, even showing signs of advancement beyond its original form.
It seemed that epiphanies could enhance one's understanding of martial arts!
...
In the afternoon, within the Third Medicine Valley...
Gu An and Lu Baitian met in the pavilion, and after not seeing each other for a few months, Lu Baitian exuded a vibrant and cheerful aura.
He opened his right hand, revealing a pearl that appeared in his palm. With a smile, he said, "This is an exquisite magic weapon, the Thousand Shadow Pearl. For the next two days, refine and assimilate it so that you can use it during the month-end assembly."
Gu An took the Thousand Shadow Pearl, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement as he asked, "Do you still want me to keep winning?"
During the Golden List Assembly these past few days, there had already been cultivators who relied on magic weapons to emerge victorious. According to the rules, each cultivator was only allowed to bring one magic weapon or a set of array formations to ensure relative fairness. Sword cultivators, blade cultivators, array cultivators, and others were all required to use magic weapons, and forcibly prohibiting them would be unfair to these specialized paths.
Even with the restriction of a single magic weapon, there had already been cases of cultivators winning due to their reliance on such tools, sparking discussions and criticisms among the various cities.
Lu Baitian laughed, "I've already planned out your opponents and the timing of your battles. There's still time. I'm not expecting you to become famous throughout the world, but if you can make it into the top five hundred, it will lay a good foundation."
With the gathering of geniuses from the Nine Dynasties, those in the top five hundred would undoubtedly be the cream of the crop.
Gu An had initially intended to participate casually, but he never expected Lu Baitian to pull such a move.
"Sect Master, fairness... Don't forget those two words," Gu An reminded him helplessly.
Lu Baitian's methods were simply too unscrupulous!
However, upon further thought, he himself had been like this in the past, even going so far as to use such a bizarre cultivation technique.
Unconcerned, Lu Baitian said, "How is this unfair? Those sect disciples all rely on their family resources. I'm giving you a magic weapon, and they have their elders aiding them. As for arranging your opponents, I'm just making your luck a little better. It doesn't harm your opponents, and the final victory still depends on your own strength."
Gu An toyed with the Thousand Shadow Pearl, feeling hesitant.
"As long as you make it into the top five hundred, I'll reward you with a sixth-grade spirit tree!" Lu Baitian said solemnly.
Gu An heard this and immediately grasped the Thousand Shadow Pearl, saying, "Alas, in that case, I can only do my best."
Lu Baitian stood up and laughed, "Alright, go ahead and refine the restriction on it. I've already refined the most difficult part, so the rest should be a breeze for you."
Then, he left the pavilion.
Gu An didn't see him out but instead stared at the Thousand Shadow Pearl in his hand, deep in thought.
...
The Golden List Assembly was set to continue for several months, and with Gu An tending to the Medicine Valley, he couldn't watch the battles every day. Ye Lan and Wu Jue also had to prepare for their own matches.
It wasn't until the end of the month that Gu An finally faced his opponent. The Golden List Token he had exchanged for was a magical artifact specifically used for sending messages. Early in the morning, the token transmitted a message, instructing him to wait at a designated location.
There were teleportation formations in the outer city for the Golden List Assembly, so it was easy to find.
After teleporting to the venue, Gu An patiently waited.
The venue was a spacious valley divided into two halves: one for waiting and the other for duels. The dueling area spanned several li in length and width, surrounded by mountains with isolation formations.
"Gu An, you're participating too? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up?" A light laughter drew his attention.
Without turning his head, Gu An knew it was Shen Zhen approaching him.
"Yeah, just giving it a shot," Gu An replied calmly.
Recently, the plot of "The Secret Records of Tai Xuan" had been displeasing to him. The Gu An in the novel bullied a gentle girl, and even though it was a misunderstanding, his actions came across as overbearing, which negatively affected Gu An's impression of Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen seemed to be aware of this and didn't take his attitude to heart. Instead, she smiled and said, "If I were your opponent, I wouldn't go easy on you. But if you say something nice to me, I might consider letting you win."
"A man of valor would never tolerate being humiliated," Gu An glanced at her and coldly huffed.
Shen Zhen let out a playful laugh, bumping her shoulder against Gu An's, "Don't be angry. That book is about to end soon, and I'm getting bored of it too. After the Golden List Assembly, I plan to seclude myself for cultivation. You might not see me for decades."
Upon hearing this, Gu An's expression softened, and he asked, "Have you gained some insight from the paintings?"
"That's right, I might be on the path to enlightenment," Shen Zhen proudly smiled.
What a braggart!
Gu An started chatting casually with Shen Zhen, biding his time until his turn.
Suddenly, a female cultivator teleported into the area, and her aura immediately caught Gu An's attention.
Danhua Ghost Mother!
What's she doing here again? Does she think Tai Xuan Gate has no one left?
Coming and going as she pleases?
Gu An thought to himself, not bothering to look at the Ghost Mother.
Despite her attempts to establish him as the leader of the Ghost Mother Sect, he still harbored strong objections towards her.
There was no other choice; this woman had sent a Great Vehicle Realm Level 5 evil creature to his doorstep. If not for his ability to discern lifespans, he wouldn't have known that the Evil Emperor was still alive.
Too dangerous!
The Ghost Mother had taken over the body of another woman, seemingly using a body-snatching technique.
She didn't pay any attention to Gu An either, probably because she didn't remember him at all.
Half a shichen later, Shen Zhen emerged victorious and was teleported out of the valley.
Gu An waited for another shichen before it was finally his turn.
His opponent was weak, only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. After suppressing himself to the Core Formation Realm, Gu An performed a few dozen moves before defeating his opponent with the Thousand Shadow Pearl.
This battle was rather dull for the spectators, and only a handful of people remembered Gu An afterward.
And so, summer turned to autumn. Gu An had three duels, each a closely fought and perilous victory.
By now, there were still a thousand participants left in the tournament.
Tai Xuan Gate didn't mind the lengthy duration of the Golden List Assembly, as the various cities were raking in twice the profits from spirit stones during this period, an incredibly lucrative endeavor.
After three months of duels, a group of talented cultivators had begun to stand out. The most prominent among them was An Hao, who was unmatched and had yet to even use the Tai Cang Shocking God Sword. Instead, he relied on the magic he had learned at Tai Xuan Gate, effortlessly crushing all opponents.
Following An Hao were Lu Xian, Xuan Miao, and other talented cultivators from the various empires. Each of the Nine Empires had a representative who had made a name for themselves in the Golden List Assembly. Although Ji Xiaoyu didn't participate, other members of the Ji family displayed formidable strength.
News of the Golden List Assembly had spread throughout the Nine Empires, capturing the attention of cultivators everywhere. This also served to spread the fame of Tai Xuan Gate to the other eight empires, steadily increasing its reputation.
Within the Tai Cang Empire, the names of sects from the other eight empires had also become known, and this might have been one of the reasons for the response from other sects.
To Gu An, the Golden List Assembly was merely a pastime, and he didn't care about his ranking.
At first, he found it exciting, but as his interest waned, he focused more on his cultivation.
One day...
Rumors about the Golden List Assembly began to spread.
An Hao versus Li Ya!
Li Ya had also proven his strength and was considered a contender for the top 100. His early encounter with the current frontrunner, An Hao, naturally drew a lot of attention.
Gu An, who was in the Third Medicine Valley, heard a disciple flying overhead, shouting as they went. Intrigued, he made his way to the outer city to watch the duel.
He noticed disciples rushing towards the outer city from all directions, prompting him to sigh in admiration.
Looks like Lu Baitian has finally gotten the hang of marketing!
Gu An was also curious to see who would come out on top between Li Ya and An Hao.
Whose life path would prevail?
Both of their lives seemed like those of destined protagonists, but their journeys had taken different paths.
Third update!
(End of Chapter)
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