The End of the Immortal Path

Besides, it was too slow. He had no intention of wasting time by slowly enduring the trial.

His way was not to wait, but to strike first.

He then abandoned any attempt to stabilize his Heart Spirit. The next moment, the once mirror-smooth surface of the lake began to churn violently.

Flames blazed across its surface and waves crashed as countless Demon Beasts began to emerge from the water, roaring.

This sudden turn of events baffled the old man on the shore.

’Why did he suddenly lose control of his Heart Spirit?’

’Not only that, but it’s caused such massive waves.’

’At this rate, he could easily fall into the water.’

He was tempted to shout a warning, but remembering the young man’s arrogance, he decided it was better to let him learn a hard lesson.

He could berate him afterward.

’Something along the lines of, "I have to say, I preferred your arrogant swagger from earlier."’

BOOM!

Just as the old man was entertaining these thoughts, he suddenly felt a ripple of power.

He focused his gaze and saw that Jiang Man, who had been moving so slowly, was no longer restrained in the slightest.

He strode forward, walking right over the waves.

With each step, he seemed to generate a gale. He was like an immovable mountain peak, cutting through the churning water.

Countless Demon Beasts swarmed around him, only to be smashed into sprays of water by his fists.

His speed was incredible. He rode the wind and crashed through the waves, his momentum unstoppable.

But as he defeated one Demon Beast after another, the lake showed no signs of calming down. Instead, it churned up colossal waves, and every Demon Beast within its depths swarmed out from all directions.

ROAR!

The terrifying roars of the Demon Beasts echoed.

Flames shot toward the heavens.

The old man had never witnessed such a spectacle.

And yet, Jiang Man’s figure remained standing atop the churning water, like a mountain peak soaring into the clouds.

SWOOSH!

A Demon Beast shot toward him.

It was intent on tearing him apart.

But in the instant before it made contact, a massive golden hand caught the Demon Beast.

Then, a golden light suffused his entire body.

The True Martial Skill activated.

Empowered by Immovable as a Mountain, his All Rivers Flow into the Sea technique began to burn.

CRACK!

He crushed the Demon Beast’s skull with a single squeeze.

Jiang Man stood upon the waves, watching the swarming Demon Beasts and feeling the flames that burned at his Heart Spirit. He sighed with emotion.

’There certainly are a lot of them. I wonder if I’ll even be able to leave this place after I’m done fighting.’

Jiang Man stepped forward, moving like a Wandering Dragon, as graceful as a fish in water.

His figure flashed through the horde of Demon Beasts. He reappeared at the very back, grabbed a Demon Beast by the neck, and crushed it.

A thunderous explosion followed.

All the Demon Beasts behind him exploded in unison, dying instantly.

His figure then vanished. Only a trail of radiant power remained, tracing his path. After this light circled the lake twice, Jiang Man’s figure reappeared above the water’s surface.

Without a single glance back, he strode forward.

As he walked, the towering waves shattered and fell like a torrential downpour. The bodies of the Demon Beasts within them disintegrated in mid-air, their remains falling into the now mirror-still lake without a single ripple.

The old man stared blankly ahead.

The lake was as smooth as a mirror. A lone figure strode forward. The last of the falling spray seemed to melt into the water, not disturbing the surface in the least.

Even the remains of the Demon Beasts were seemingly devoured by the lake as they fell.

He had never seen anything like it.

"I was wrong." The old man finally realized how mistaken he had been.

The young man hadn’t lost control of his Heart Spirit at all. He had willingly released it, giving the Heart Demon Lake a chance to fight back.

At that moment, the old man’s face burned as if he’d just been slapped.

He was utterly mortified.

In that instant, a sudden realization struck him.

He had been played like a fish on a line, used as an audience for the boy’s grand display of power.

The old man slapped his thigh in frustration, filled with regret.

He watched as Jiang Man’s figure slowly faded, wondering where he was headed.

Everything around him was quickly returning to normal.

He couldn’t be sure if Jiang Man had succeeded or failed.

He hadn’t received any notification, after all.

But...

’There’s no way he could have failed.’

As time passed, other participants from the "sacrifice" category also appeared on the island one by one.

Shangguan Liuyun, Ji Yifei, Qin Yihan, and the others looked around, a sense of regret on their faces.

If they had just stuck with the main group, completed the trials, and earned enough points, they might have secured a spot.

But alas, they hadn’t been able to last long enough.

Of course, getting as far as they did was still valuable experience for next time.

Soon, they arrived before the old man.

The old man looked at the arrivals and couldn’t help but sigh. "In the past, I always hoped you’d show up later rather than sooner. But this time... I truly pity you for arriving so late."

Hearing this, Shangguan Liuyun and the others were puzzled. ’Too late?’

"Senior, you know this place extremely well. I was wondering if you have any new clues that could help us last longer?" Shangguan Liuyun asked.

As for how to actually secure a spot, many had asked before, but the old man never seemed to know.

At these words, the old man smiled faintly. "For ten thousand Spiritual Source, I’ll tell you how to get a spot. I’ll even tell you the purpose of this lake."

"Wasn’t it five thousand?" Qin Yihan asked.

"Price went up," the old man said dismissively.

"Old Senior, can I learn to fish from you?" Ji Yifei asked.

The old man glanced at him and said with disdain, "After having witnessed true genius, I’m afraid you no longer qualify."

Ji Yifei was speechless.

He was intensely curious about who the old man had met.

Many of them, however, were curious. In the past, the old man had always claimed to not know how to secure a spot.

Why the sudden change?

They weren’t about to hand over the money just like that, though. They began to haggle.

Ten thousand Spiritual Source wasn’t a sum you could just pick up off the ground, and most of them wouldn’t get a spot anyway.

In the end, they settled on a price of thirty-five hundred per person.

It was Shangguan Liuyun who had primarily negotiated the price down.

The others were stunned.

’He started at ten thousand, how did we end up at thirty-five hundred?’

Shangguan Liuyun shook his head slightly and explained to them that the old man wasn’t in his right state of mind; he was bursting with an urge to share.

That made him an easy mark for bargaining.

"You can tell us now, Senior," Qin Yihan said.

After pocketing the Spiritual Source, the old man looked at the crowd. "Do you know why no one has ever successfully grasped that slim chance of success here?"

Seeing their confused expressions, the old man continued, "It’s because this place was never meant to filter for ordinary Student Cultivators. The outside trials screen for powerful Student Cultivators, but this place... it screens for those whose talent transcends their Cultivation."

The old man paused deliberately. Seeing their focused expressions, he then enunciated each word clearly: "An Unparalleled Celestial Pride!"

The crowd was both astonished and amused.

It sounded like a joke.

Then, Shangguan Liuyun asked, "So, Senior, how is an Unparalleled Celestial Pride supposed to get a spot? Just walk across?"

At this, the old man shook his head. "No. You don’t walk across. You fight your way across.

"When still, be like an ancient, rippleless well. When moving, be like a monstrous, churning wave.

"You must be able to smash through the Heart Demon Lake with your power alone.

"The truly strong never look back. They only press forward."

The group looked at the Demon Beasts glaring hungrily from beneath the water and felt the whole idea was preposterous.

Ji Yifei asked, "Can anyone really do that?"

The old man gave a mysterious smile. "When you leave this place, you will find out. And you will also understand what you have missed."

They were all confused.

But the old man said no more.

---

「On a hillside in the Inner Sect.」

This was the venue for the spot competition that Jiang Man and the others had entered.

A stone stele towered over the plaza on the hillside.

Many people were waiting here.

Because as long as a score reached a certain level, it would be displayed here.

The higher up the list, the more likely one was to get a spot.

They didn’t know the specific algorithm for the score, but it was definitely related to one’s performance and Cultivation.

Without a doubt, the stronger one’s Cultivation, the higher their base score.

The score was primarily derived from Cultivation, followed by theory and one’s Minor.

Combat prowess was always the top priority.

Xia Jin had been waiting here since early morning to see if Jiang Man would make it onto the list.

After careful consideration, she had to admit he really didn’t have any hope.

"Isn’t this Junior Sister Xia?" At this moment, Senior Brother Lu approached with a smile.

Xia Jin frowned, then quickly put on a smile. "What brings you here, Senior Brother?"

"I’m rather concerned about Junior Sister Yu’s investment, so I came to see if he qualifies," Senior Brother Lu said softly. "He was a bit too ambitious, but there’s always a chance, isn’t there?

"The participants in the ’sacrifice’ category do have a slim chance of success.

"Junior Sister Xia, you’ve had so long to think it over. What do you think Jiang Man’s chances are of seizing that slim chance?"

Xia Jin smiled. "Very high, I’d imagine. After all, he is the number one of the Outer Sect."

Senior Brother Lu chuckled. "Then shall we wait and see?"

Xia Jin didn’t respond.

In truth, she believed Jiang Man had no hope at all, not even a chance of making it onto the list.

But she couldn’t let it show.

She also didn’t understand. It should have been Junior Sister Yu who lost face, so why was she the one in the spotlight?

Just as she was thinking this, the stone stele suddenly erupted with a brilliant light. It was a seven-colored radiance that illuminated the entire monument.

"What’s happening? Why is there light on the very first day? And it’s a seven-colored light at that," Senior Brother Lu said, somewhat taken aback.

Xia Jin was also bewildered. There had never been such a light before.

And she had never heard of anyone making the list based on their score on the very first day.

Back when Junior Sister Yu had participated, it had taken two or three days for any light to appear.