First Immortal of the Sword

A heaven-shaking impact resounded throughout the ritual grounds. Searing sword qi blanketed the sky and blotted out the sun.

That terrifying current of destructive power slammed into the formations surrounding the arena, making them tremble on impact.

Gasps arose from all around the ring.

Xia Jiuqiu was like a fish caught in a net. Countless streaks of sword qi cleaved into him, slicing him into countless chunks!

Blood and fragments of flesh splattered the air.

All of the old-timers watching from afar looked on in horror. Xia Jiuqiu was, after all, the strongest Immeasurable Realm cultivator in the Heart-Tempering Sword House. All of them knew that when he proved his Dao and broke through, he’d become a peerless Heavenly Monarch!

Yet now, even when he went all out, he failed to create a miracle. Worse, he suffered death by a thousand cuts. His body was reduced to mincemeat!

Anyone would have found this agonizing, and anyone would have worried.

When the dust and smoke cleared, Su Yi stood there, looking at Xia Jiuqiu’s all but obliterated physical body. He couldn’t help but nod approvingly.

Xia Jiuqiu’s minced blood and flesh silently recondensed, gathering into a roughly human figure. He then rose with great difficulty, his face translucent and his vitality utterly depleted.

However, his eyes were full of relief, delight, and excitement.

Everyone watched in astonishment as he faced Su Yi, bowed like a disciple before his master, and said, “Thank you, Founder!”

Everyone was baffled. He just destroyed your body. Why are you thanking him?

“You’ve long since had the foundations necessary to break through,” said Su Yi. “You were just lacking the opportunity you needed to break through your bottleneck. Today, you faced my strike with a bold and fearless sword heart. The day you rebuild your body is the day you’ll rise and become a Heavenly Monarch. There’s no need to thank me.”

Xia Jiuqiu shook his head slightly. “By enlightening me, you’ve effectively granted me rebirth. If not for your ability to transform stone into gold, how could I have broken through my bottleneck today? Please, accept this bow!”

He then bowed like a disciple before his master once more.

The cultivators of the Heart-Tempering Sword House revered neither heaven nor earth. They never bowed before external authority figures, nor did they bow to their ancestors. Thus, when they did bow, it was of the utmost significance!

Everyone who saw this was moved. Their hearts shook. They finally understood why Xia Jiuqiu was so grateful even after his body was destroyed. It looked as if Su Yi had simply cut him to pieces, but in truth, he’d shattered his bottleneck.

Now, he could smoothly break through and become a Heavenly Monarch!

The way everyone in the Heart-Tempering Sword House looked at Su Yi changed.

This was just supposed to be a trial. Who could have imagined that their founder’s reincarnation could injure Xia Jiuqiu badly simply by taking nine steps forward?

Now, even more unbelievably, he defeated Xia Jiuqiu in a single attack, and helped him break through his bottleneck while he was at it!

All of this seemed simply unreal. A long time passed before the onlookers recovered from their daze.

Xia Jiuqiu left the ritual grounds.

Sect Leader Lu Ye’s heart was full of excitement, but just as he was about to announce the end of the first trial, someone stepped forward.

“Fellow Daoist Su, might you permit me to spar with you too?” said the man who’d entered the arena. This was none other than Mountain Lord Gu Zheng of Moonpluck Mountain.

It was he who’d intervened at the foot of Candlelight Peak to back up a young disciple and send the Aberrant experts packing. At the time, he was utterly domineering.

But now, his eyes flashed, and he stared intently at Su Yi, like a drunkard eyeing a jug of fine wine.

The whole crowd stirred.

Gu Zheng was a mid-stage Heavenly Fate Realm Heavenly Monarch. While he wasn’t a particularly impressive figure compared to the rest of the sect’s Heavenly Monarchs, he was still a top-notch Heavenly Monarch by the standards of the Divine Wandering Continent.

Unlike the other older-generation old-timers, Gu Zheng’s progress and breakthroughs had been extraordinarily rapid. Less than ten thousand years had passed since he’d proven his Dao and become a Heavenly Monarch.

The vast majority of Heavenly Monarchs struggled to make any progress after entering the Heavenly Fate Realm. Many stagnated in the early stage.

The Heavenly Fate Realm was indeed just too special; it was nothing like the prior four realms of Eternity, as it touched upon the mysteries of Destiny.

It was divided into the early, mid, and late stages. Each had its own name: Grasping the Profound, Refining the Void, and Piercing Illusions.

Each stage had its own mysteries and profundities.

Grasping the Profound, otherwise known as the early-stage Heavenly Fate Realm, required cultivators to glean enlightenment into the profound truths of Heavenly Fate. They had to divine their own destinies and fuse their Laws of the Grand Dao into their very life itself.

This first step stopped countless Heavenly Monarchs. Many never progressed beyond that level.

But the next stage, Refining the Void, was even more difficult. Perhaps only one or two in a hundred ever managed to even touch the threshold.

As for Piercing Illusions... That was a level most Heavenly Monarchs could only long for in their dreams but never attain.

Gu Zheng had gone from Grasping the Profound to Refining the Void in less than ten thousand years. The speed of this breakthrough was extraordinary!

When Gu Zheng stepped forth to challenge Su Yi, the other Heavenly Monarchs couldn’t remain seated, either. All of them were eager to take their turn!

“Fellow Daoist Su, you obviously held back against Xia Jiuqiu. I’m sure that wasn’t enough to satisfy you. Why not join me in another spar?” said a tall, stalwart middle-aged man. He rubbed his hands together, ready and raring to go.

“Fellow Daoist Su, such opportunities are hard to come by. Spar with me, and I’ll acknowledge you no matter the outcome!”

One after another, the sect’s higher-ups stepped forth as if afraid they’d miss their chance if they didn’t hurry.

The sight left the sect’s disciples gobsmacked. These old-timers were typically so reserved and self-confident. They never revealed their strength lightly.

Yet now, all of them stepped forth eagerly, hoping to duel Su Yi. Despite the passage of countless years, nothing of the sort had ever transpired.

But some people couldn’t bear to watch any more of this. Some, like Wen Feng, wanted to remind Sect Leader Lu Ye that a test was a test. How could they possibly let these old-timers keep making fools of themselves?

But before they could say anything, Sect Leader Lu Ye coughed dryly, took a step forward, and said eagerly, “Fellow Daoist Su, count me in, too!”

Wen Feng and the others were at a complete loss for words. Even if you’d hit them over the head, they could never have guessed that the sect leader would get involved in this too. He was making no effort to disguise his anticipation, either.

The disciples were completely gobsmacked. What’s going on with our seniors? Why are they so desperate to fight a Silent Realm junior like Su Yi? Aren’t they ashamed of themselves?

They didn’t know it, but after watching Xia Jiuqiu break through his bottleneck, the old-timers’ hearts stirred, and their blood ignited.

Moreover, they were all completely convinced that Su Yi was indeed their founder’s reincarnation. An opportunity to spar with him was rare and precious. If they missed this one, there was no guarantee that they’d get another.

Thus, they set aside their concern for saving face and stepped forth. Whether they won or lost, they’d carve whatever they learned into their heart!

Of course, if they won... it would be a glorious accomplishment, the type they could brag about for a lifetime. How grand would it be to be able to boast that they’d once suppressed their own sect’s founder?

Su Yi was a bit surprised, too. Aren’t these old-timers a bit over-eager? Must I really defeat them all one by one before they’re satisfied?

Wen Feng and Fei Qiu didn’t move. They watched the others challenge Su Yi with strange looks in their eyes and pity in their hearts.

“Even the sect master’s getting in on this. Are you sure we shouldn’t try to dissuade them? After all, if all of them get crushed, they’re sure to take us to task,” transmitted Fei Qiu, a bit worried. There was no way they could keep word of what had happened in the ruins of the Heart-Tempering Sword House under wraps forever. Word would inevitably spread to the rest of the sect.

“You can’t unfire an arrow. It’s too late to stop them,” said Wen Feng with a hint of sadistic glee. “Besides, they’re seeking this out of their own accord. How is that our problem?”

He’d only just said this when Su Yi suddenly spoke up. “In that case, why not just attack me all at once?”

Silence followed this light, airy declaration. The boisterous atmosphere instantly died down. Everyone stood there in a daze, half-suspecting they’d misheard him.

Even Wen Feng and Fei Qiu couldn’t help but gasp. What is Fellow Daoist Su doing? Is he seriously going to fight all of the sect’s old-timers by himself?

The disciples, meanwhile, were all impressed. Tyrannical! Just too tyrannical!

He said it like it was nothing, but his casual words boiled the crowd’s blood. Sword cultivators in general loved to fight. They were no exception. Everyone in the Heart-Tempering Sword House found honor in combat.

Su Yi’s victory over Xia Jiuqiu made them see him in a new light. Now, when they heard him offer to fight a whole group, every last one of them was astonished.

This is how a man is supposed to be!

“Fellow Daoist Su, why not reconsider?” Sect Leader Lu Ye couldn’t help but suggest. A spar, that’s all. Is it really necessary to go so far? Even if we win, such a victory would only shame us. And if we lost, we’d have no face left!

“Attack me all at once,” said Su Yi, throwing back his head and taking a great big sip of wine. “It’s been a long time since I last fought a truly satisfying battle!”

His gaze was deep and clear, and his eyes reflected the light of the heavens, giving his smile an extraordinary glow. He had a new, unfettered, dashing quality to him.

“I can’t speak for the rest of them, but I’m down!” Gu Zheng was the first to charge into the ritual grounds.

“If you please, Fellow Daoist Su!” Gu Zheng laughed, took a step forward, and charged.

As if he was too eager to hold back.

The other higher-ups were unwilling to accept this arrangement, but they refrained from charging in like a swarm of hornets.

Su Yi said he wanted to fight them all at once, but how could they bring themselves to gang up on him?

Su Yi didn’t push. On the contrary, he attacked, too.

Boom!

His sleeves billowed around him, his eyes flashed like cold lightning, and his long dormant cultivation base rumbled and boomed. He was no longer holding anything back.

When he pressed down, heaven and earth rumbled and boomed. The ritual grounds shook, and sword intent descended from the heavens.

It was just one attack, but it forced Gu Zheng back.

Everyone was astonished. Gu Zheng was a Refining Void Stage Heavenly Monarch. He was far stronger than Xia Jiuqiu, yet he’d been forced back in just one blow!

Those old monsters who’d yet to join the fray felt their eyelids twitch, but they weren’t intimidated. On the contrary, this ignited their will to fight.

Sect Leader Lu Ye promptly arranged for two old monsters to join the battle and fight alongside Gu Zheng.

He wanted to see if he could borrow these old monsters’ hands to probe Su Yi’s limits!

All eyes instantly gathered on the ritual grounds. Su Yi was now outnumbered three-to-one. Could he really hold on?

Everyone’s curiosity was piqued.