Chapter 481 - 211: Mountain Thunder
On Xu Wang Mountain, within a secluded, private courtyard.
A sword’s light flashed like a dragon, whistling through the air.
Wu Anren’s figure dodged and weaved. The Long Sword in his hand was at times like a gentle spring rain, fine and continuous, seeping into every crack. At other times, it was like a thunderclap from the high heavens, swift and explosive.
He wielded two completely different styles of Superior Swordsmanship with perfect ease, transitioning between them seamlessly. The sharp Sword Astral sliced through the air with a soft TSSS TSSS sound, leaving a series of sword marks of varying depths on the ground. Yet, he cleverly avoided the flowers and plants in the courtyard, a display of his exquisite and meticulous control.
Not far away, a beautiful maidservant in a light green dress stood quietly in attendance. She held a tray with a warm towel and a cup of throat-soothing tea.
Her name was Mei Niang. She was Wu Anren’s personal maidservant, brought from his home. They had grown up together, and their bond was anything but ordinary.
Her lovely eyes followed the agile figure in the center of the yard, filled with admiration and unconcealed heartache.
’Young Master is perfect in every way; he’s just a little too hard on himself.’
After a long while, Wu Anren retracted his Sword Momentum. The sky full of sword shadows suddenly vanished into his sheath, and the turbulent True Astral in the courtyard slowly calmed.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his breathing remained long and steady.
"You’ve worked hard, Young Master."
Mei Niang hurried over and offered him the warm towel, her voice soft.
Wu Anren took the towel and wiped the sweat from his face.
He was currently at Late-stage Astral Force Cultivation. His True Qi was abundant, and reaching the Realm of Perfection was only a matter of patient effort; it couldn’t be rushed.
Swordsmanship was his forte. He had already mastered two types of Superior Swordsmanship to the realm of "Momentum," but his ambitions lay far beyond that.
He was currently planning to accumulate enough Contribution Points to exchange for a peerless swordsmanship manual at Wanxiang Hall. His Power of Attack would surely rise to a new level then, allowing him to challenge the thirtieth layer of the Celestial Treasure Tower and truly solidify his title as a ’True Successor Candidate.’
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard gate. A Steward from the Wu Family who had accompanied them walked in quickly, holding a gilded invitation card with a somewhat solemn expression.
"Young Master, someone delivered an invitation. The messenger had an extraordinary aura and insisted it be delivered directly into your hands," the Steward said, bowing as he presented the card.
"An invitation?!" Upon hearing this, Wu Anren’s lips curled into a faint sneer.
Lately, he had been inundated with invitations from factions of all sizes, all sent under various pretexts to curry favor or probe his abilities. He was already thoroughly annoyed by it all.
He took the invitation casually, his gaze sweeping over it with indifference.
However, when he saw the signature at the bottom, the smile on his face vanished instantly, and his brow furrowed.
"Lu Chenming!?"
Noticing the change in his expression, Mei Niang, who was standing to the side, asked in a low voice, "Young Master, who is this Lu Chenming?"
She rarely saw her normally composed Young Master’s expression change so drastically over a mere name.
Wu Anren said slowly, "He is one of the Ten Great True Disciples of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect. The last one, ranked tenth."
"A True Disciple?" Mei Niang gasped slightly, a flicker of shock in her eyes.
Those were major figures who stood at the pinnacle of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s younger generation. "He... why would he invite you, Young Master...?"
"It’s a test, ninety-nine times out of a hundred."
Wu Anren sneered. "A fierce dragon has crossed the river, so of course some people are getting antsy and want to size me up. This True Disciple Lu is probably worried that my ’True Successor Candidate’ title is making too much noise and threatening his comfortable tenth-place seat."
His tone was calm, yet it carried an innate arrogance.
First in the selection, reaching the twenty-eighth layer of the tower—his rise was unstoppable. It was only natural that it would infringe on certain people’s interests.
Hearing this, the worry on Mei Niang’s face deepened. "Then... are you going to go, Young Master?"
"Go? Of course I’m going!"
Wu Anren’s reply was decisive. "If I don’t even dare to accept this invitation, won’t people think that I, Wu Anren, am afraid of Lu Chenming? This is a perfect opportunity. I’ll take it to see for myself just what kind of mettle these True Disciples of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect are made of!"
「...」
Chen Qing arrived before the Celestial Treasure Tower. The ancient, massive tower stood majestically, exuding a heart-pounding pressure.
In front of the tower, an old man with white hair and a wizened face sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes half-closed.
Chen Qing stepped forward and respectfully presented his Identity Token.
The old man’s eyelids lifted slightly. His withered hand took the Token as he said flatly, "Chen Qing... a new disciple from Xu Wang Mountain. You know the rules? You start by challenging the twelfth layer."
"I understand," Chen Qing nodded.
The old man recited perfunctorily, "Successfully clearing the twelfth layer for the first time rewards five hundred Contribution Points. From the thirteenth to the nineteenth layer, each cleared layer rewards one hundred Contribution Points. From the twentieth to the thirtieth layer, the reward is two hundred Contribution Points per layer, and from the thirtieth to the thirty-sixth, five hundred Contribution Points per layer."
"Thank you for the information, Senior," Chen Qing said with a cupped-fist salute, taking back his Identity Token.
The old man said no more. "Go."
Chen Qing walked slowly into the Celestial Treasure Tower and soon found himself in the stone chamber of the twelfth layer.
The defender of this layer was a Puppet at the Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power, wielding a long staff. Its movements were slightly stiff.
Chen Qing didn’t even use his True Astral. With just a flick of his wrist, the Cloud-Coiling Spear transformed into a swift black shadow and struck the core in the Puppet’s chest with perfect precision.
CRACK!
The light in the Puppet’s eyes dimmed instantly, and it fell to the ground with a CLATTER.
The stairs to the thirteenth layer then appeared.
Chen Qing ascended layer by layer, his steps unhurried.
From the twelfth to the nineteenth layer, the opponents’ strength gradually increased from Mid-stage Embracing Pill Power to Embracing Pill Power Perfection, and their numbers grew from one to several.
But for Chen Qing, who was already at Early-stage Astral Force, these Puppets posed no threat whatsoever.
He either defeated them with a single spear thrust or used his Body Technique to weave between them, easily destroying their cores with incredible speed.