Chapter 291: Pride of the Heavens Clash, Xu Yan's Unbeaten Path

Chapter 291: Pride of the Heavens Clash, Xu Yan's Unbeaten Path

Xin Mengrou's figure disappeared into the clouds, but she also revealed a piece of information: there was a divine bridge that could be summoned early with the help of the Superlative Spirit Sect.

The three masters of the Thousand Martial Hall had extremely gloomy expressions on their faces. Wu Tiannan's strength had caught them off guard.

Killing him would be incredibly difficult.

Back then, he had the Martial Arts Institute to hold him back, but now that he was alone, without any attachments, he posed a significant threat to them.

Even with the full might of the Superlative Spirit Sect, they might not be able to slay him.

If they enraged him, the sect would face terrible retribution. Not just the disciples, but even the strongest among them who had refined the heavenly mandate would be slain.

"Isn't it wonderful to let the young geniuses of our sects clash? After all, is the Superlative Spirit Sect afraid of rogue cultivators?" Fu Tianhai said slowly.

"Fu Tianhai, and you dare to speak so casually when your Cloud Sky Azure Sea City is also part of the Superlative Spirit Sect?" Master Lei Yun glared at him.

"My Azure Sea City is different from yours. We are located in the Azure Sea, not within the Eighteen States, and we don't oppress rogue cultivators like your sect does," Fu Tianhai retorted.

"In our Azure Sea City, only talent and strength matter. We don't discriminate based on background," he added with a sneer.

"Hmph!" Master Lei Yun scowled, letting out a cold hum.

"Speaking of which, it's almost time for the sect tournament, right? It's just a matter of including the Alliance in the Superlative Spirit Sect's tournament. If the sect is capable, then defeat all the participants from the Alliance," Fu Tianhai suggested with a smile.

"In that case, there won't be any geniuses from the Alliance climbing the divine bridge."

"What do you think? If we really want to fight, it's unlikely that the Great Zhou will intervene since they are not the Superlative Spirit Sect. You three alone can't stop him, no matter how much of your foundation you use," Fu Tianhai continued, turning to the Master of the Thousand Martial Hall.

"It's about time for the geniuses of the Thousand Martial Hall to descend the mountain and challenge the geniuses of the Superlative Spirit Sect, isn't it? I wonder how many geniuses your Thousand Martial Hall has this generation and if they can dominate the martial arts scene?"

"The geniuses of my Azure Sea City are waiting for the young talents of your Thousand Martial Hall."

Wu Tiannan, holding a book in his hand, had lost his previous majestic demeanor and now resembled a gentle teacher. He gently tapped the pages of his book with a ruler as he awaited the decision of the three masters.

"Very well, then. Let the young ones fight it out. We shall see how many geniuses your Alliance has and how many you, Wu Tiannan, can nurture," the Master of the Thousand Martial Hall said with a cold smile.

"That's settled, then." Wu Tiannan revealed a smile. "Pride of the Heavens Clash, what a wonderful atmosphere for martial arts. Old fellows, let's not interfere. Let everything be done according to the rules."

"Victory and defeat, life and death—these are all matters for the young ones," he continued, his gaze turning sharp. "However, let me make this clear: for every elder that interferes, for every act of bullying the weak, for every genius of the Alliance that is killed, I will slay three of yours in return.

"Let's see who among you can stop me and who can protect your geniuses!"

The three masters' expressions turned grim. Wu Tiannan had truly let go of all restraints, even going so far as to directly make such a declaration. He was not as cautious as he had been back at the Martial Arts Institute.

And it was precisely because of this that Wu Tiannan posed such a formidable threat.

"Hmph! Then let the young ones fight it out, and we shall stay out of it!" Master Lei Yun coldly retorted.

"Your Lei Yun Mountain Villa still has some credibility. The Thousand Martial Hall is the most shameless, and I don't trust them much. I'll be keeping an eye on them," Wu Tiannan said with a smile.

Fu Tianhai, trying to smooth things over, said, "Alright, alright. The old fellows of the Thousand Martial Hall may have been shameless in the past, but the current Master of the Thousand Martial Hall is not so despicable. He still has some credibility.

"Although they occasionally engage in some underhanded tactics, they are not detrimental to the grand scheme of things. They haven't resorted to things like ambushes, deception, rape, and plunder..."

The Master of the Thousand Martial Hall's face turned purple with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "Fu Tianhai!"

Fu Tianhai gave an awkward smile but quickly straightened his expression and said, "Master of the Thousand Martial Hall, you should still rein in your people and follow the rules!"

"Hmph!" came the cold reply from the Master of the Thousand Martial Hall.

...

The great war between the Alliance and the Superlative Spirit Sect temporarily came to a close, and the matter of the Pride of the Heavens Clash was brought up once more. Both sides agreed to let the battle between their respective geniuses decide the outcome and the ownership of the land.

It would be similar to the Pride of the Heavens Clash of the past, where the geniuses under the age of thirty could fight freely, but their protectors and elders were not allowed to interfere or join the battle, nor were they allowed to bully the weak.

Moreover, this Pride of the Heavens Clash was not limited to just the Alliance and the Superlative Spirit Sect. Geniuses from all over the Spirit Realm could participate.

Those who ranked among the top ten geniuses would receive generous rewards and a mysterious great opportunity!

The Pride of the Heavens Clash would last for ten years.

With the re-initiation of the Pride of the Heavens Clash, some sects within the Superlative Spirit Sect increased their efforts to nurture their geniuses and began recruiting rogue cultivator geniuses to represent the sect in the battles, offering them the chance to be cultivated by the Superlative Spirit Sect.

In an instant, it seemed like rogue cultivator geniuses across the realm had been presented with an opportunity to change their fate.

Due to the Superlative Spirit Sect's dominance and the deeply rooted belief in their rule over the Spirit Realm, many rogue cultivators with exceptional talent chose to join the sect, seeing it as a chance to rise from the bottom to the top.

As for the Alliance, there wasn't much movement, and no news of any geniuses emerged.

However, the names of the top geniuses from the Superlative Spirit Sect's aristocratic families began to spread, becoming familiar to all and building up the hype for the Pride of the Heavens Clash.

Only the names of the Superlative Spirit Sect's geniuses remained unknown.

Instead, the names of geniuses from subordinate sects started to surface.

For example, Cai Yunhong of the Cangyun Dynasty, a subordinate of Lei Yun Mountain Villa, possessed the first of the Ten Great Divine Bodies—the Divine Power Body—and had reached the Refine Divine Realm.

Another was Yu Changfeng, the top genius of the Sword Collection Peak, a subordinate of the Thousand Martial Hall, who had also reached the Refine Divine Realm.

There were also the Three Great Experts of the Triple Extremity Pavilion, a subordinate of the Thousand Martial Hall: Wu Tu, Lu Yi, and Bao Sheng, masters of the sword, spear, and fist, respectively.

It was clear that the Superlative Spirit Sect was building up hype, and some of the older martial artists found themselves reminiscing about the past, about the era of the Pride of the Heavens Clash.

They also recalled the times when sects would hold tournaments to compete against each other.

Soon after, a geniuses' ranking emerged, listing the top thousand geniuses in the Spirit Realm. However, the ranking was devoid of names.

To climb the ranking, geniuses had to defeat other geniuses, and those defeated had to be in the Refine Divine Realm.

Those below the Refine Divine Realm were not qualified to participate in the Pride of the Heavens Clash.

The situation in the Spirit Realm was changing too quickly. From the great war between the Alliance and the Superlative Spirit Sect, to the emergence of powerful beings who fought relentlessly, to the sudden ceasefire and the initiation of the Pride of the Heavens Clash, all of this had happened in a short span of time.

And from the announcement of the Pride of the Heavens Clash to the Superlative Spirit Sect's hype campaign and the subsequent release of the geniuses' ranking, less than half a month had passed.

As for Meng Chong, his physical martial arts and unparalleled defense would make it extremely difficult for the geniuses of the Spirit Realm to harm him.

Furthermore, in the midst of battle, they would undoubtedly be able to enhance their strength rapidly and breakthrough to the second level of the Unbeatable Golden Body.

Fang Hao was also exceptionally talented, and his War-forged Divine Body would have no issues facing the geniuses of the Spirit Realm. Once he unleashed his unique Heaven's Wonder Formation, even the geniuses of the Spirit Realm would likely be left bewildered and overwhelmed.

"If Su Lingxiu joins as well, my disciples will undoubtedly occupy the top four spots on the genius rankings," Li Xuan mused with a smile.

As for the rules of the Pride of the Heavens Clash, bullying those weaker was not allowed, and protectors or elders from their respective sects were prohibited from interfering or taking part. It remained to be seen if the Spirit Sect would abide by these rules.

However, the Superlative Spirit Sect had, to some extent, compromised by initiating the Pride of the Heavens Clash, and there must have been some underlying reasons for this decision.

Xu Yan and the others were thrilled by the news. They had been preparing to challenge the geniuses of the Spirit Realm, and now the Pride of the Heavens Clash had been announced, along with the release of the genius rankings.

"The Triple Extremity Pavilion, a top-tier sect under the Thousand Martial Hall, specializes in the three ultimate disciplines of knife, spear, and fist. It's the perfect place for me to hone my knife techniques. I want to face off against Wu Tu's knife skills and Bao Sheng's fist techniques," Meng Chong said excitedly as he scratched his head.

"The Sword Collection Peak, another sect under the Thousand Martial Hall, is renowned for its sword techniques. I'll challenge Yu Changfeng first," Xu Yan added, his face lit up with excitement.

He couldn't wait to face off against Yu Changfeng and show the Sword Collection Peak what true swordsmanship was all about!

Fang Hao was in the final critical stage of refining his unique treasure box.

With a loud rumble, the treasure box emitted a radiant light.

Fang Hao infused several drops of his essence blood into the box, and on its surface, there appeared a pattern—a replica of the unique Heavenly Wonder Pattern within his body.

"Absorb!"

At Fang Hao's excited command, the treasure box instantly shrunk and transformed into a beam of light that disappeared into his body.

"Success!"

Fang Hao's face was filled with excitement.

Refining this unique treasure box had consumed an enormous amount of his time and energy, and he had also used up a significant portion of the treasures from the Jade Divine Sect and the Su family.

Especially some of the rare materials, which were almost entirely depleted.

But it was all worth it.

Moon Elder and Little Moon stared in astonishment, wondering what kind of technique he had used to refine such a spiritual artifact and how it could be incorporated into his body.

"Moon Elder, as the grand elder of the Jade Alliance, if you need any weapons, just let me know," Fang Hao said with a smile, turning to Moon Elder.

Moon Elder had already pledged his allegiance to Fang Hao, protecting him and earning a high position within the Jade Alliance, even at the headquarters.

"Thank you, Alliance Master!" Moon Elder said, his voice filled with excitement. "The Crescent Blade I used to wield was damaged, so I'd like to refine a new one."

He proceeded to describe the Crescent Blade.

"No problem," Fang Hao nodded. This Crescent Blade was a pair, and refining it would not be difficult for him. Moreover, the grade of the weapon would far surpass Moon Elder's previous blade.

Its power would also be far greater, transcending the capabilities of typical spiritual artifacts in the Spirit Realm.

After all, the spiritual artifacts refined by Fang Hao were in a league of their own compared to those of the Spirit Realm.

"I want one too! I want one too!" Little Moon exclaimed excitedly. She pulled out a pile of refining materials from her storage bag and said, "I have these materials for refining."

"Sure, no problem!" Fang Hao readily agreed.

Little Moon wanted him to refine a whip and a pair of Crescent Blades for her.

Fang Hao readily accepted the request and immediately began the refining process.

Red Cat, Jade Little Dragon, and Little Ha all gathered around, curious to watch the process.

...

Li Xuan held the jade scepter in his hand, concealed behind his back, as he strolled up the mountain next to the estate with a casual gait. Xu Yan followed closely behind him.

His disciple was about to venture into the Spirit Realm, challenging its geniuses and ascending to its peak.

For Xu Yan, this journey was not just about facing the geniuses of the Spirit Realm but also its powerful experts.

This included the strongest beings! His path to invincibility was about to begin.

Therefore, Li Xuan intended to impart to Xu Yan the knowledge of the realms beyond the Divine Intent realm, giving him a chance to comprehend them as he embarked on his journey to invincibility.

"The Divine Image realm involves manipulating the laws of heaven and earth and achieving a martial arts divine image. Beyond this realm, it is natural to be unable to transcend heaven and earth, but one can take a step further and free oneself from the constraints of heaven and earth.

"This constraint is the space of heaven and earth. By shattering space and traversing the void, one can move unhindered by the laws and pass through them without obstruction.

"This is the beginning of transcending heaven and earth and breaking free from the shackles of its laws."

After days of contemplation, Li Xuan had finally determined the realm beyond the Divine Image realm.

The Divine Image realm involved transforming martial arts laws into divine images and manipulating the laws of heaven and earth. The realm beyond it was about freeing oneself from the constraints of the space of heaven and earth, traversing its laws, and moving unhindered by them.

Shattering space, traversing the void, transcending the laws of heaven and earth, and roaming freely!

Taking a step further towards transcending heaven and earth!

The realm beyond the Divine Image realm is the Shattering Void realm!

Shattering the space of heaven and earth, traversing the void, and disregarding the resistance of its laws.

Although the Shattering Void realm does not transcend heaven and earth, it has surpassed the laws of heaven and earth and freed itself from the constraints of the space of heaven and earth. The true meaning of transcending heaven and earth is not far off.

Of course, breaking into the Shattering Void realm is no easy feat.

Li Xuan turned to the Golden Book of the Great Path to glean information about the Shattering Void realm.

Shattering Void Martial Art:

Completeness of Technique: Medium.

Smoothness of Realm Progression: Upper Medium.

Difficulty of Comprehension: High.

Difficulty of Cultivation: High+.

Just by looking at the cultivation difficulty indicated in the Golden Book of the Great Path, one could tell that achieving the Shattering Void realm was challenging, as it involved shattering space and traversing the void, disregarding the laws of heaven and earth and the constraints of its space.

However, Li Xuan had confidence in Xu Yan.

Although the cultivation difficulty was high, Xu Yan only needed to comprehend it to receive feedback from the Golden Book of the Great Path and break through to the Shattering Void realm.

And for Xu Yan, once he had comprehended it, cultivating it to perfection was merely a matter of time.

"I haven't figured out how to cultivate beyond the Shattering Void realm yet, and I can't skip too far ahead. It's easier to create subsequent martial arts realms when I've progressed further myself.

"For now, I'll impart the Divine Image realm and the Shattering Void realm. I hope Xu Yan can comprehend them before he reaches the peak of the Spirit Realm during the Pride of the Heavens Clash," Li Xuan thought to himself.

Li Xuan had already devised the martial arts for Xu Yan's cultivation beyond his current realm, but he was still working on the subsequent cultivation for Meng Chong's physical martial arts and the Unbeatable Golden Body beyond the third level.

He would have to put it off for now, as Meng Chong was still far from perfecting the third level of the Unbeatable Golden Body.

There was ample time to slowly ponder the issue of cultivating the physical martial arts beyond the current realm.

"Disciple, you're eager to face off against the geniuses of the Spirit Realm, aren't you?" Li Xuan said with a light smile.

"Yes, Master!" Xu Yan replied, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end