https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-244-Pressure-from-the-Sword-Sage-of-the-Guiding-Path/12811723/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-246-Heavenly-Immortals-Are-They-That-Strong-/12811755/
Chapter 245: Are You Really at the Qi Practitioner Level?
Chapter 245: Are You Really at the Qi Practitioner Level?
The competition for the top thirty in the Heavenly List Assembly grew even more intense. At this stage, opponents of the same realm required a significant amount of time to determine a winner, unless there was a significant difference in minor realms.
Days passed.
More and more cultivators came to observe the battles at the Tai Xuan Sect, and the entire cultivation world buzzed with talk of the Heavenly List Assembly. Those who shone in the assembly became renowned figures, admired by countless cultivators.
Half a month later, the Heavenly List Assembly was down to fifteen participants. Dai Qiao of the Tai Xuan Sect once again advanced without a fight, successfully making it to the top fifteen, which sparked much discussion among the cultivators.
Everyone could see that the Tai Xuan Sect was protecting Dai Qiao, but given that Dai Qiao's family, the Qiao Clan, came from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, many dared not openly question him.
Li Ya also successfully advanced to the top fifteen, but his condition was worrying. The intense magical duels had left his physical body continuously injured, and the battles between ordinary spirits and celestial spirits often damaged his soul as well.
Everything has its pros and cons. Gu An did not offer Li Ya much assistance; he needed Li Ya to respect and fear the power far beyond his own.
Regardless, the Tai Xuan Sect had succeeded, as none of the top fifteen participants were from the Azure Heaven Sect. Apart from the Tai Xuan Sect, the best rank from the Three Dynasties Sects was twenty-ninth, held by a Dao Lord from the Azure Heaven Sect.
With two cultivators from the Tai Xuan Sect in the top fifteen, the sect's status in the Three Dynasties cultivation world was firmly established.
Ten more days passed, and only eight cultivators remained in the competition for the top spot. The Tai Xuan Sect held two of these positions: Li Ya, who had a divine spirit fighting on his behalf, and Dai Qiao, who advanced without a fight.
In the quarter-finals, Dai Qiao fell in the first battle, placing eighth.
Li Ya, with the help of the Divine City, advanced to the semi-finals but ultimately stopped at fourth place. His energy was depleted, and he fainted in the array after summoning the divine soul ghosts.
The Tai Xuan Sect disciples were not disappointed; they admired Li Ya instead. At just over a hundred years old, he had taken on the honor and disgrace of the entire sect, and reaching the fourth place in the Heavenly List Assembly was a commendable achievement.
During the previous Golden List Assembly, Li Ya had encountered An Hao early and failed to make it into the top five hundred. This time, securing third place, Gu An felt he should have no regrets.
As Gu An had guessed, the final contenders for the top spot were the Yellow Robe Immortal Lord and Yan Qitian.
Their battle lasted for three days and three nights, ultimately ending with Yan Qitian's concession.
The Tai Xuan Sect remained bustling with activity, the taxes from various resource transactions bringing smiles to the sect's higher-ups. The first Heavenly List Assembly was a resounding success, and with such a lineup, other sects couldn't even hope to follow suit.
It wasn't until autumn that the Tai Xuan Sect finally returned to calm.
Before leaving, Li Ya visited Gu An, and the two talked for two hours before Li Ya departed with a carefree demeanor.
This time, he had indeed become a hero, stealing the limelight in the Three Dynasties cultivation world. His fame surpassed even that of the Yellow Robe Immortal Lord and Yan Qitian, not only because he was one of their own but also due to his age and legendary experiences.
These matters were of little concern to Gu An. The Heavenly List Assembly was just a minor episode for him. What truly made him happy was the Tai Xuan Sect's acquisition of the storage bag before the Heaven-Cleaving Axe. It was the highest-grade storage bag, containing an enormous amount of spirit stones. After the tally, he felt the Tai Xuan Sect had not cheated him and had shown genuine sincerity.
The disappearance of that storage bag also delighted the Tai Xuan Sect's higher-ups, making them believe the sect's relationship with the Dao Supporting Sword Respected One had grown even closer.
The Tai Xuan Sect moved quickly, and the list of participants from the Heavenly List Assembly was swiftly distributed throughout the cultivation world, and for free. Through this list, they learned about the origins and formidable cultivation levels of the Heavenly List cultivators, which silently elevated the Tai Xuan Sect's image in their hearts.
To be able to summon so many immortals for a battle, the Tai Xuan Sect was undoubtedly the first sect in the cultivation world!
In the imperial garden of the palace in Cangzhou, the capital of the Grand Azure Dynasty, Emperor Li Xuan Dao, dressed in his imperial robes, sat at a table, flipping through the Heavenly List, and softly praised, "The Tai Xuan Sect's move was ruthless. With this list, everyone in the world will believe the Tai Xuan Sect has the authority to summon immortals."
Sitting across from him was a woman, Jiang Qiong.
Behind her stood two figures, two ghost cultivators from the Thirteen Ghosts of the Nine Netherworlds. Behind Emperor Li Xuan Dao stood two Great Cultivators, one of whom was Yi Liu Yun, who had once cultivated at the Tian Ya Valley.
Jiang Qiong smiled and said, "Isn't the one who truly benefiting the Emperor himself? Prince Li Ya is now renowned throughout the world, and who doesn't know he is your son?"
Mentioning Li Ya, she felt a complex mix of emotions.
She and the Ghost Mother of the Lotus Flower had nearly risked their lives in the Divine City, only to have it claimed by a junior. How could they not feel envious and disappointed?
Most importantly, when she was the Grand Elder of the Tai Xuan Sect's Outer Sect, she had learned about Gu An's relationships. The person closest to Gu An was Li Ya.
This kid had indeed had a stroke of luck, managing to have such a fortunate senior brother.
With her and Gu An, even if he never left the valley, he would have a stable life.
Thinking of this, Jiang Qiong's lips curved into a smile.
Emperor Li Xuan Dao put down the Heavenly List and looked at Jiang Qiong, saying, "I have already thoroughly investigated the Flower Gathering Sect's strength. Even if I unify the world, it will be difficult to overthrow the Tai Xuan Sect's position."
Jiang Qiong replied, "There's no need to overthrow it; just standing firm is enough."
She had no desire to compete with the Tai Xuan Sect.
The true master of the Flower Gathering Sect was the Dao Supporting Sword Respected One. Why compete?
And Gu An was still within the TaiXuan Gate.
Li Xuandao nodded and said, "Tian Wei no longer poses a threat. If you can help us conquer the Da Jiang Dynasty, I will ensure that the Ju Hua Sect is supported during my reign, and we will shape it into a righteous image."
Li Xuandao held the Ju Hua Sect in high regard, recognizing its formidable strength.
Jiang Qiong nodded and continued to list the demands of the Ju Hua Sect, which Li Xuandao listened to patiently.
The autumn wind blew, scattering leaves that rose from the garden and drifted into the distance.
Time flew by, and years passed quickly.
A leaf fell from the sky, landing in Gu An's hand.
It was autumn once again. Gu An stood by the wooden railing, admiring the scenery of the medicinal valley.
Two years had passed since the conclusion of the Heavenly Rank Assembly, and Yan Qitian had yet to return, causing Gu An to worry.
Yang Jian suddenly approached, holding a long weapon modeled after the one wielded by Yang Jian in the Investiture of the Gods. It was called the Three-Pointed Halberd.
Over the two years, his aura had grown stronger, and even when he concealed his cultivation, he still exuded an intimidating presence.
"Master, a cultivator has arrived at the valley entrance. He calls himself Zhou Tongyou and claims to be an old acquaintance of yours," Yang Jian said, his gaze drifting toward the distance.
Zhou Tongyou was watching two servant disciples play Go, his curiosity piqued.
Gu An turned, his eyes meeting Zhou Tongyou's, and he felt a mix of emotions.
He had slain Zhou Yu, and seeing Zhou Tongyou again stirred his heart.
Fortunately, Zhou Tongyou was unaware of this.
Gu An stepped forward, with Yang Jian following closely behind.
Thinking back to their first meeting, it had been several decades ago. At that time, Zhou Tongyou had come to the TaiXuan Gate as a guest, sweeping through all the disciples under a hundred years old. He had chanced upon Gu An’s disciple, Ye Yan, practicing with a spear and offered some pointers, which left Ye Yan bruised and battered. Gu An had to intervene.
The two had become friends after that encounter, and later, Gu An wrote The TaiXuan Immortal, in which the male secondary character was based on Zhou Tongyou.
He hadn't expected Zhou Tongyou to remember him after so many years.
Gu An soon reached Zhou Tongyou and smiled, "Zhou Daoist, it's been a long time."
Zhou Tongyou turned to face him, a smile spreading across his face.
Just like decades ago, Zhou Tongyou remained as proud and charismatic as ever, his aura of a prodigy impossible to hide.
"Since I'm at the TaiXuan Gate, how could I not come to visit you? Your medicinal valley is truly impressive, far beyond what I expected," Zhou Tongyou said with a laugh.
They began to chat.
Zhou Tongyou had come to represent the Jue Shan Sect for an exchange. He wasn't alone; a group of talented disciples had accompanied him, but he had chosen to act independently.
Zhou Tongyou thought of Gu An because, years ago, he had encountered Gu An’s disciple, Ye Yan.
"Your disciple may not have a high cultivation level, but his spear insight is truly remarkable. He has already grasped the essence of the spear," Zhou Tongyou praised Ye Yan.
Yang Jian was curious; was Ye Yan his senior brother?
But as he listened, he understood that Ye Yan was merely a servant disciple in the valley, not a true disciple of his master. He was only nominally a senior brother, not the one his master had mentioned.
His master was truly remarkable; even a casual pointer could cultivate a genius.
As the conversation drew to a close, Zhou Tongyou's gaze intensified as he looked at Gu An. "It's been years. How about we spar again? I'll suppress my cultivation to match yours, how does that sound?"
Among his peers, he had only lost to two people: one was Lu Xian, and the other was Gu An. He had lost to Gu An because he had suppressed his cultivation.
Gu An feigned hesitation.
"Suppressing cultivation? How about I take on this match on behalf of my master!" Yang Jian suddenly interjected.
Zhou Tongyou frowned, looking at Yang Jian, ready to refuse. But when he met Yang Jian's eyes, his heart inexplicably trembled.
For some reason, he was reminded of the extraordinarily talented Lu Xian from years ago.
"Fine, let me test your strength and see if you can match your master," Zhou Tongyou said with a smile, his eyes taking on a predatory gleam.
The two disciples playing Go looked up, eager to watch the spectacle.
Gu An said, "Let's find a place where we won't be disturbed."
He patted the heads of the two disciples, urging them to focus on their game.
Zhou Tongyou and Yang Jian followed Gu An. On the way, Zhou Tongyou, in the manner of an elder, inquired about Yang Jian. Learning that Yang Jian had been selected by Gu An from the servant disciples, he felt a bit relieved.
He had feared that this person was a genius Gu An had poached from a noble family.
Ordinary servant disciples couldn't possibly be geniuses; after all, the spirit root tests of major sects were reliable.
After a short while, they arrived at a forest outside the medicinal valley.
Zhou Tongyou clutched his chest, his face filled with shock as he stared at Yang Jian, who was still in a kicking stance. His eyes widened as if he were looking at a monster.
"Are you really at the Qi Condensation stage?" Zhou Tongyou couldn't help but ask.
Yang Jian retracted his leg and replied, "We didn't use any spiritual energy. The cultivation level doesn't matter, does it?"
Zhou Tongyou nearly spat blood, feeling as if his ribs were about to shatter.
How could this guy's physical strength be so strong?
After all, Zhou Tongyou was a body cultivator who had mastered the Evil-Subduing Golden Body...
In Zhou Tongyou's eyes, Yang Jian had become even more terrifying than Lu Xian!
(End of Chapter)
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