CH 171

Chapter 171 – An Extremely Realistic Evaluation

The moment the power of the medicine came into contact with the sparkling, translucent crystal formed from the profound laws, there was a mysterious transformation.

As the effects of the medicinal power were absorbed, the profound law crystal grew brighter and gradually melted down and reformed once more into a new shape, looking much like an ancient bell.

After a while, the medicinal power of the five Divine Foundation Laying Pills was completely absorbed. The ancient bell’s form became even more realistic, but in the end, it was still lacking just that very last bit, and wasn’t able to fully go from illusory to reality.

Now, Xu Disheng was thoroughly in the half-step Dao Foundation stage!

He could feel that with a mere thought, he could fully break through into the Dao Foundation stage. If he did that, his lifespan would increase by 800 years, and he would be able to move a bit of the power of heaven and earth. His status would also undergo an enormous change.

Jian Liangbi, Yu Yangyao, and the others were also at this cultivation realm. But they didn’t break through because they wanted to compete for the Mingxin Mountain Range in the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament!

With the Dao Foundation stage right in front of his nose, it was a bit difficult to resist the temptation to break through, even with Xu Disheng’s temperament.

But after a short moment, Xu Disheng abandoned those thoughts and focused on his Jianggong meridian point once more, stabilizing his half-step Dao Foundation stage cultivation. Then, he began to practice various cultivation methods.

The phantom image of that ancient bell in Xu Disheng’s sea of qi was the visual representation of his profound law foundation.

Every person’s profound law foundation was different. Xu Disheng’s profound law foundation looked like a bell with extremely intricate engravings on its surface that emitted an aura of untold distant pasts.

… …

At Miaohua Mountain…

Lu Wen was a peak Sea of Qi stage disciple. He had accepted a sect mission to come to Miaohua Mountain to pick 10 Weeping Ghost Herbs.

According to the description in the jade slip, a massive battle had taken place at Miaohua Mountain not too long ago. Evil Spirit stage ghosts had died there, which filled the entire mountain with the air of resentment, causing a considerable amount of Weeping Ghost Herb to appear in the area.

This spiritual herb was used as an ingredient in some medicinal pills, which was why the sect had issued a mission to harvest them.

“What is up with this place being in the middle of bumfuck nowhere? I heard that there used to be a certain Miaohua Sect here, but from the looks of it, this place is completely deserted,” Lu Wen grumbled to himself as he hopped off of his flying sword Spirit Tool.

After searching for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he found the entirety of Miaohua Mountain to be overgrown and deserted, just as he observed at the beginning. There weren’t any traces of Weeping Ghost Herb either.

Lu Wen’s expression was becoming more and more dispirited. But just as he was about to hop on his flying sword and fly to the other side of Miaohua Mountain to search further, he suddenly noticed an extra shadow in his vision.

The profound qi surrounding his body didn’t alert him at all to the approach of any living beings. When Lu Wen looked closer, the shadow suddenly disappeared, causing him to let out a string of expletives.

A quick look at "pawread dot com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Lu Wen got onto his flying sword Spirit Tool, but just as he was about to fly off, his expression suddenly underwent a dramatic change. He let out a blood-curdling shriek, as if he saw something absolutely terrifying. His pupils constricted with terror as a shadow suddenly covered his entire face.

In the next moment, Lu Wen disappeared without a trace. A dark shadow rose up out of the ground, twisting and materializing into the appearance of Lu Wen. On his ordinary features, there was a weird, ghastly smile.

If someone inspected this ‘Lu Wen’ closer, they might notice that there was actually something different from the original. There was a string tied around his neck with a small sculpture hanging from it.

Carved on this sculpture was an extremely lifelike face that looked like that of a dignified Bodhisattva, its eyes shut.

But after the appearance of this ‘Lu Wen’ took shape, the eyes of this sculpture opened just a crack, giving it an eerie appearance.

‘Lu Wen’ lifted his hand and, surprisingly enough, a stream of Shangqing profound qi welled forth. With a light grab, the flying sword Spirit Tool on the ground flew into his hand.

“Daddy, I’ll make sure all of those sinners are buried along with you.”

Mournful laughter rang out in the Miaohua Mountains as ‘Lu Wen’ flew off on his flying sword into the distance.

… …

At the Mountain of Law, on Inner Nuance Peak…

“Damn it! The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament is only three months away. I need to hurry up and get ready,” Mu Hui said. He stood up quickly as if he had suddenly remembered, and began to put on his clothes.

On the couch was a half-clothed beauty, her body scantily clad in only a red undergarment. As she watched him leave, there was a hint of resentment hidden in her eyes.

… …

“Ji Haohan, can you secure the title of Sacred Son in the Sea of Qi division?” an old man asked, his expression cold as he looked down at the white-robed youth kneeling on the ground before him.

Ji Haohan’s head was lowered as he knelt there, making it difficult to see his expression. “Respected ancestor, I can do it.”

“I’ll only give you this one chance. As a Rank 3 Spiritual Root genius of the Ji Clan, you shouldn’t have any worthy opponents at the Sea of Qi division aside from Mo Yue and that fellow from the younger generation of the Zhang Clan,” the old man replied.

The old man flicked his sleeves, and Ji Haohan’s vision blurred. In the next moment, he found himself in the Refining Heart Mountain Range, at the peak of its first-ranked mountain, Refining Heart Peak.

As the white-robed youth got to his feet, he muttered to himself. “The title of Sacred Son, huh?”

… …

The Eight Mountains Grand Tournament of the Shangqing Sacred Sect!

All of the sects in the Shan Mountain Territory sent people out to the Shangqing Sacred Sect to attend the big occasion that came only once every 50 years.

There were tumultuous undercurrents afoot as the countless influences in the Shangqing Sacred Sect prepared to contend in the ranking of the Eight Mountains.

The ranking of the Eight Mountains was extremely important. It directly influenced the assignment of cultivation resources for the next 50 years.

The difference of one place in the ranking was unimaginably large, like that between clouds and mud.

Since time immemorial, the first place Mountain Range was the Shangqing Mountain Range. This had never changed in the history of the sect.

The rankings of the Second Mountain, Refining Heart Mountain, the Third Mountain, Wenyuan Mountain, and the Fourth Mountain, the Mountain of Law, hadn’t changed for several tens of thousands of years.

As a result, the Mountain Ranges that were actually competing for a higher spot were those in the fifth to eighth spots.

The Fifth Mountain, Mengyang Mountain, and the Sixth Mountain, Mingxin Mountain, were very similar in terms of strength. In the last few Grand Tournaments, the Mingxin Mountain Range had only been inches away from surpassing Mengyang Mountain.

The Seventh Mountain, Fengzhou Mountain, and the Eighth Mountain, Zhuri Mountain, were similar in that they were always at the lowest rank.

The biggest goal of the Mingxin Mountain Range this time was to accumulate enough total points to surpass Mengyang Mountain and take its place as the fifth ranked Mountain Range!

… …

At Morning Dew Peak…

Xu Disheng opened up the barrier of light around his courtyard and came out.

“Senior Martial Brother Xu!”

“Respectful greetings, Senior Martial Brother Xu.”

Several disciples happened to be passing by his courtyard. Upon seeing Xu Disheng, they all came over and greeted him with admiration and respect in their gazes.

“As you were,” Xu Disheng said, nodding to them in response. After that, he got on his flying sword and left Morning Dew Peak.

Following Celestial Tide Spirit Master’s breakthrough into the half-step Primordial Spirit stage, Falling Moon Peak’s status rose in turn. It was now busy and flourishing, appearing much stronger than Morning Dew Peak by several times.

Xu Disheng rode his flying sword to the Falling Moon Domain and stopped in front of the entrance.

A Dao Foundation stage disciple blocked his path, his expression cold and indifferent. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am Xu Disheng of Morning Dew Peak. I am here under orders to have an audience with the Spirit Master,” Xu Disheng replied.

“Orders? Who’s orders?” the disciple shot back. Although he was at the Dao Foundation stage, he didn’t have the bearing of one, looking very arrogant. “Celestial Tide Spirit Master is now a half-step Primordial Spirit stage powerhouse. How can a mere Sea of Qi stage disciple like you see him just because you want to?”

Xu Disheng’s brows creased. But before he could say anything, a clear voice came from the side.

“Senior Martial Brother Liu, you don’t know Junior Martial Brother Xu?”

It was He Junyu, who just happened to be flying out from the Falling Moon Domain.

Liu Hao gave a cold snort and gave Xu Disheng an unhappy stare out of the corner of his eye. But he didn’t say anything further.

Liu Hao had a Dao Foundation stage cultivation and was a Deacon of Falling Moon Domain, so he couldn’t speak too harshly in front of He Junyu.

After He Junyu greeted Xu Disheng, he brought him into Falling Moon Domain.

“Junior Martial Brother Xu, did you offend Liu Hao in any way?” He Junyu asked.

“I’ve never met him before,” Xu Disheng replied.

He Junyu was even more surprised. “Judging by Liu Hao’s expression, he clearly knew you, but it looked like he was deliberately causing you trouble.”

Xu Disheng didn’t inquire further. Instead, he asked, “What did the Spirit Master call me here for?”

“It should be regarding the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament,” He Junyu said. When the subject of the Eight Mountains Grand Tournament came up, his brows furrowed tightly. “While the most important factor deciding the ranking of the Eight Mountains is the Dao Foundation division of the tournament, the Sea of Qi division of the tournament is still very important.”

“What do you mean by that?” Xu Disheng asked.

He Junyu paused for a moment and replied, “Senior Martial Brother Yu Yangyao can be considered number one in the Sea of Qi division of the Mingxin Mountain Range.

Xu Disheng raised an eyebrow. “Everyone knows this.”

“But against those several peerless geniuses in the first three Mountains, Senior Martial Brother Yu would hardly last ten moves,” He Junyu explained with a bitter smile. “Senior Martial Brother Yu wouldn’t stand a chance even against Liu Pengyun and Zong Zizhen from the Fourth Mountain. The likes of you and me would fare even worse.”

Upon reaching that point, he took out a jade slip and handed it to Xu Disheng. “Those are the strongest geniuses in the Sea of Qi division of the tournament. Take a look.”

Xu Disheng took the jade slip and sank his consciousness into it.

After a while, Xu Disheng’s pupils constricted. His grip on the jade slip tightened and his expression became unsettled.

“Zhang Yangui, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.”

“Mo Yue, Shangqing Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Unparalleled.”

“Ji Haohan, Refining Heart Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 3 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Extremely strong.”

“Mu Hui, Wenyuan Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.”

“Liu Pengyun, Mountain of Law. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.”

“Zong Zizhen, Mountain of Law. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Relatively strong.”

“Pu Li, Mengyang Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Ordinary strength.”

“Yu Yangyao, Mingxin Mountain Range. Half-step Dao Foundation stage. Rank 4 Spiritual Root. Overall evaluation: Ordinary strength.”

… …

After reading to this point, Xu Disheng just put the jade slip away.

He Junyu smiled and said, “The truly strong geniuses in the Sea of Qi division within the Shangqing Sacred Sect and even in the entire Shan Mountain Territory are recorded in that jade slip. From the Mingxin Mountain Range, only Senior Martial Brother Yu appears on the list, and he only received an ordinary evaluation. Senior Martial Brother Jian didn’t even have the qualifications to appear on that list.”

There were only 11 geniuses recorded on the jade slip, and each and every one of them was a true genius of the Eight Mountains of the Shangqing Sacred Sect. Just looking at the comparison between the evaluations of the geniuses at the very top of that list and the marginalizing evaluations of those at the bottom of the list was enough to dampen Xu Disheng’s will to fight.

Most of Yu Yangyao and Jian Liangbi’s fighting power came from their Psychic Magic Treasures. But to those truly strong geniuses, even though they were at the Sea of Qi stage, their Magic Treasures were just tools.

Zhang Yangui, Mo Yue.

At this moment, those two names were etched firmly into Xu Disheng’s mind.