Chapter 463: The Highest
Chapter 463: The Highest
She rubbed her eyes again, scrutinizing the black immortal stele to confirm she wasn’t mistaken.
"Master, he, he..."
Yue Xi turned to Li Tiemu, pointing at the black immortal stele, her words jumbled and incomprehensible.
A difference of over three thousand places was beyond her comprehension.
Li Tiemu had anticipated their shock at Li Hao’s ranking. With a wave of his hand, he teleported them away from the square, bringing them to Li Hao’s side.
Seeing Li Hao’s figure, Yue Xi regained some composure, though her eyes still held a look of disbelief.
Murong Qingwu, after confirming her own ranking, scanned the top of the black immortal stele and noticed Li Hao’s number, staring at him with equal disbelief.
"You haven’t even entered the Tenth Wasteland yet. Once you do, you’ll have a chance to rank within the top fifteen hundred, and with more effort, you might even break into the top thousand, standing out among the elites of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty!"
Li Tiemu looked at them with a smile, his mood excellent. "Hao Tian is ranked nineteenth. Don’t spread it around to avoid causing him trouble. He’s already broken through the Tenth Wasteland, securing his qualification for the tournament."
"Broken through the Tenth Wasteland?"
Hearing Li Tiemu’s words, the two women’s eyes widened in shock. They looked at each other, too stunned to speak.
After a long while, Yue Xi regained her senses, muttering, "How is that possible..."
Murong Qingwu’s eyes were fixed on Li Hao. "To break through the Tenth Wasteland, one must surpass the power of a Tenth Tier True Immortal, right?"
"Probably."
Li Hao replied, having never faced a Tenth Tier True Immortal, he wasn’t sure if it counted.
Yue Xi, seeing Li Hao’s calm demeanor, suddenly clenched her teeth. With Li Hao’s power, if he had left a name at the Imperial Sword Cliff, it would certainly be higher than hers. She had asked him why he didn’t leave a name, and he had replied that he wasn’t interested.
Now, it seemed clear.
Perhaps he simply didn’t care for the glory.
In comparison, she felt a mix of shame and frustration.
As they were still trying to process everything, Gu Yan appeared on the square, looking even more disheveled. A patch of his scalp was peeling off, slowly healing, and the rest of his hair was frozen into icicles.
Clearly, he had put in an immense effort to endure.
Li Tiemu’s figure flickered, and he teleported Gu Yan to Li Hao’s side.
Gu Yan paid no attention to his disheveled state, not even wiping the blood from his lips. Instead, he looked up to find his own ranking.
He started from the top and quickly spotted a glaring number.
"That’s..."
Gu Yan’s pupils contracted, and he turned to look at Li Hao.
Li Hao gave him a smile.
Gu Yan looked up again, staring at the ranking, momentarily stunned.
19th place?
Li Hao’s ranking was higher than he had imagined, and even higher than his own!
His expression changed, and he took a deep breath, slowly continuing to look down the list.
Thirty, fifty, one hundred... one thousand...
His face gradually turned grim, his heart sinking into the depths, and he began to doubt his own eyes.
It wasn’t until he saw Murong Qingwu’s number in the two-thousand range that he froze, his doubts completely shattered.
His fists clenched tightly, and he continued to look down the list, soon finding his own ranking.
When he saw it, he felt a sense of relief, but his mind went blank.
It was this ranking... He felt dazed, followed by a mix of discomfort, complexity, disbelief, and sudden shock.
He didn’t continue looking, instead lifting his head to look at the 19th place again.
This time, the feeling was different.
At this moment, he realized just how unattainable that ranking was, how shocking, and how awe-inspiring.
He stared blankly, feeling as if sharp swords were piercing his body, as if he were still in the Ninth Wasteland, enduring the attacks of the Primordial Dao.
If it weren’t for Li Hao’s ascent to the Emperor Sword Mountain, this senior brother would have been nothing more than an afterthought to him.
But now, this senior brother who was previously overlooked has far surpassed him.
"This time in the Ancient Immortal Wasteland, Hao Tian performed the best among us in the Nine Depths of the Great Dream."
Li Tiemu said to the three of them, his eyes filled with joy. Apart from Li Hao's performance, he was also satisfied with the efforts of Mu Qingwu, Gu Yan, and Yue Xi. Especially Gu Yan and Yue Xi, whose realms were still relatively low, had significant room for improvement over the next three years and a chance to make a breakthrough.
His words left the three of them somewhat dazed.
None of them had expected Li Hao to shine so brightly, erupting with strength that completely surpassed their own.
As prodigies, the three of them now felt a mix of complex emotions.
"Master, you promised to have the Abyss Lord teach me swordsmanship. I would like to use this opportunity now!"
Gu Yan suddenly turned, his expression serious as he spoke to Li Tiemu.
His face was no longer numb and expressionless, but showed a ripple of emotion.
Li Tiemu noticed that he now addressed him as "Master" rather than "you", a small change, but one that conveyed a deeper respect.
This kid has been pushed to his limits... Li Tiemu's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Even if you hadn't asked, based on your performance, you will still receive personal guidance from the Abyss Lord when we return. After all, you are the future of the Sword Abyss!"
Hearing Old Li's words, the three of them felt a sense of relief.
Mu Qingwu looked at Li Hao. She had no particular feelings of dislike or fondness for him. Previously, she hadn't considered competing with this overlooked junior brother, but now his high ranking left her without the desire to challenge him. Her mindset quickly settled, and she smiled.
"Junior Brother Hao Tian, congratulations. You've earned the right to fight on the first day. I hope you will guide me in your cultivation with the Abyss Lord. When you have time, let's spar."
Li Hao shook his head. "I won't be going to the Abyss Lord for cultivation."
"Huh?"
The three of them looked at Li Hao with surprise. Yue Xi and Gu Yan, in particular, became even more attentive to his next move.
"Then where are you going?" Yue Xi couldn't help but ask.
Li Hao didn't hide his intentions and smiled lightly. "I plan to venture to the border."
"Border?"
The three of them were taken aback. Mu Qingwu asked in surprise, "Isn't that where Eldest Senior Brother and the others go? Are you also going to accumulate immortal merit?"
"I just want to hone my combat power."
Li Hao knew he needed to provide a reason to satisfy Old Li. He smiled and said, "I feel my combat experience is still lacking."
The three of them were speechless. If your combat experience is still lacking, what about us?
Li Tiemu felt helpless with Li Hao's decision. "Aren't you going to reconsider? The guidance of the Abyss Lord is a rare opportunity. If you have a bottleneck in the Sword Dao, his insights might help you overcome it easily."
Li Hao laughed bitterly. He wished he could, but his bottlenecks were in painting, cooking, and fishing, none of which had anything to do with the Sword Dao.
At that moment, a deep dragon's roar echoed through the sky.
Chu Xiangtian, riding a dragon carriage, emerged from the clouds and landed before the black immortal stele.
He stood with his hands behind his back and announced the rankings on the black immortal stele, then said:
"Disciples who did not make it into the top thousand, don't be disheartened. You still have three years. Three years are enough to change your fate!"
"You can choose to stay here for cultivation, or continue to challenge the Ancient Immortal Realm. The realm is always open, and you can return to your sect for cultivation. If you wish to challenge again, just trigger the Wasteland Secret Talisman, and you will be directly teleported here. But you will have to return on your own."
Though the words were meant to be encouraging, many of the Disciples at the lower ranks were already sighing in despair.
They had all previously considered themselves Prodigies, but now, in the wasteland, they were beginning to feel the gap. It turned out that there were so many Monsters with a soul age of three thousand years or less, and they realized they didn't possess the overwhelming strength they had once believed they had.
Many of the Dizong Sects were already calling their Disciples to prepare for the return.
Li Tiemu also called for Zhou Qingyun and the old woman. The Sword Abyss had ten spots, with Li Tiemu securing four, Zhou Qingyun getting two, the old woman taking three, and the last one being a Prodigy who emerged from the Earth Courtyard.
"How about it? I caught a glimpse of Qing Wu's ranking earlier. She's in the two-thousands, which should be the highest among our Sword Abyss Disciples, right?"
Zhou Qingyun led his Disciples over, his eyes filled with sighs. He hadn't expected that Old Li's Disciples, not only in number but also in combat power, would be so impressive this time.
"Good grief, why don't you look outside our sect and just focus on your own people?"
Li Tiemu rolled his eyes.
The old woman, however, had a serious expression. "I didn't expect the competition to be so intense this time. It seems that, aside from Mingrong, everyone else from our Sword Abyss is at risk of being eliminated?"
"Hmm?"
Li Tiemu and Zhou Qingyun looked at her in surprise, recalling her Disciple, Lin Mingrong, the little girl.
They glanced behind the old woman and saw Lin Mingrong, young and beautiful, standing there with a graceful posture. She wore a pure white robe, looking like a Sword Immortal who had transcended the world, her expression extremely calm.
"How high is Mingrong's ranking?" Zhou Qingyun couldn't help but ask.
"921st."
The old woman pointed to the black immortal stele.
Zhou Qingyun took a deep breath and then smiled bitterly. "Impressive. At least our Sword Abyss has one promising seed, so we won't be completely wiped out."
As he spoke, he glanced at Li Tiemu. "Your Disciple with the Natural Sword Immortal Constitution has a low Cultivation Realm. He's still a bit lacking, right? Can he catch up within three years?"
Li Tiemu smiled. "Who said our Sword Abyss only has one promising seed? The one you mentioned, Gu Yan, will definitely catch up within three years. I have confidence in him."
"Oh."
Both of them looked at him in surprise. Zhou Qingyun scanned Li Hao and the others. "Qing Wu is already in the two-thousands. Who else could it be? Could the little girl from the Yanhuo Clan have already mastered the Disaster True Energy?"
Li Tiemu smiled but didn't reveal Li Hao's ranking. Otherwise, it would shock them, and the commotion could cause the news to leak, which would be disastrous.
Seeing Li Tiemu's mysterious expression, the two of them mumbled and didn't take his words seriously.
"Let's go. We should head back. There's no way to cultivate here, and this first Challenge has given us a taste of the wasteland's dangers. We'll have a better idea of what to expect next time."
Zhou Qingyun called out.
At this moment, the Elders from other Abysses were also calling their Disciples to return.
Once they left the Ancient Immortal Realm, they arrived at the vast square in front of the Yan Chu Imperial City. Other sects were also returning, and spatial Passages were opening one by one.
As the Tiansi Sect, the Nine Depths of the Great Dream naturally didn't want to fall behind. With an Elder sending a message back, a spatial Passage extended toward them, personally guided by the Great Dream Master.
Only those at the Immortal King Realm can isolate such a vast distance, requiring just one anchor point to open a spatial fixed-point teleportation.
Once they returned to the Nine Depths of the Great Dream, the Elders of each abyss reported the rankings of their disciples on Great Dream Mountain.
Apart from Lin Mingrong from the Sword Abyss, each abyss had one or two disciples who made it into the top thousand.
However, there was one abyss where not a single disciple managed to break through the frontline, leaving the entire abyss dejected and disgraced.
Disciples ranked outside the top thousand had no meaningful results to report, so only the old woman from the Sword Abyss spoke up, informing the Great Dream Master of her disciple Lin Mingrong's ranking, earning her encouragement and rewards.
"Lin Mingrong, as the only one from our Sword Abyss with the qualification to participate, you must work hard and set a good example for the other junior brothers and sisters!"
The old woman said to her disciple.
Clad in a snow-white robe, Lin Mingrong nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the other members of the Sword Abyss, pausing briefly on Gu Yan. She had heard of this disciple with the Natural Sword Immortal Constitution.
Feeling her gaze, Gu Yan met her eyes, a flame burning within him.
During his trip to Yan Chu Imperial City, he had faced a series of setbacks, but his eyes were no longer dull; they had become sharp.
"Go on, the Great Dream Master is waiting for you."
The old woman said to Lin Mingrong.
The disciples from each abyss who had made it into the top thousand had all received encouragement and rewards from the Great Dream Master, and he had also summoned them for a meeting.
Lin Mingrong nodded slightly, then bid farewell to everyone before turning and leaving.
Li Tiemu also said to Li Hao, "You should go too. I just telepathically informed the Great Dream Master about your situation. Only he knows."
Li Hao was taken aback, feeling somewhat helpless, but he thought about the Immortal Pills as rewards. Though they weren't what he needed, he could save them for Old Feng and Qing Ying, or even use them as snacks for Xiyian.
"Huh?"
Seeing Li Hao leave the crowd and follow Lin Mingrong, Zhou Qingyun and the old woman were both surprised and looked at Li Tiemu.
Li Tiemu smiled mysteriously and said, "Didn't I just say that our Sword Abyss has more than just Lin Mingrong?"
"You mean that boy also made it into the top thousand? Why didn't you report it to the Dream Master just now?" Zhou Qingyun asked, surprised.
The old woman looked at him skeptically. "Old Li, this isn't something to joke about. If the Dream Master gets angry, we won't be able to help you."
"That boy's ranking is a bit special. It's best to keep it confidential", Li Tiemu said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, the two were even more astonished. They exchanged a glance, knowing Li Tiemu's character. Though he was often informal, he was extremely serious when it mattered.
What kind of ranking required such secrecy?
Curious, they looked at Murong Qingwu and the others, only to see complex expressions on their faces, which made them even more surprised.
Meanwhile, Li Hao followed Lin Mingrong to a hall atop the mountain.
Walking along the veranda led to a courtyard.
Lin Mingrong walked ahead, and when she reached the end of the veranda, she noticed Li Hao still following her. She paused, turned, and frowned.
"Junior brother, only those with the qualification to participate can come here. Who are you?"
"Like you", Li Hao said, coughing lightly. "But I'm not familiar with the way."
(End of Chapter)
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