Chapter 561 - 74: The Center of Attention

Jiang Zhiruo’s talent had been astounding since she was a child. In fact, anyone capable of cultivating at a Cultivation Sacred Land like Taiqing Academy was by no means ordinary.

And among her peers at Taiqing Academy, she was one of the very best.

She had once followed a senior from the academy to train in another World Heaven. With a single sword, she had reversed the odds and slain more than ten Dharma Realm Evil Cultivators. Her deeds spread like wildfire across that World Heaven, earning her the revered title of "Little Sword Immortal."

The Ascension to Immortality List recorded five hundred people each time. Aside from the Dharma Masters, no more than ten cultivators ever made the list at the Life Soul Realm in any given session.

Jiang Zhiruo had been determined to make the list, but who would have thought that despite her Profound Mysterious Sword Technique, she would be taken out by a single punch.

Such power was a rare sight, even within Taiqing Academy...

Jiang Zhiruo couldn’t help but grow curious, her attention now fixed on the Four Symbols Sacred Platform where Fang Cheng was.

"Zhiruo, you didn’t even make it past the first round?"

A voice called out as a group of beautiful young Female Cultivators, all in the prime of their lives, approached together.

Jiang Zhiruo shook her head and recounted her recent encounter on the Four Symbols Sacred Platform.

These were her close friends from the academy, so there was no need to hold anything back.

After listening, the group of women were astonished and all turned to look at that particular Four Symbols Sacred Platform.

"I estimate that person will break into the top one hundred on the Ascension to Immortality List..."

Jiang Zhiruo said to her friends.

「At this moment.」

Fang Cheng faced his second opponent.

He was also at the Life Soul Realm.

The man wore a suit of Profound Celestial Battle Armor, and the fluctuations of his aura had already been elevated to the level of the Dharma Realm.

This person wasted no words and attacked Fang Cheng directly.

Fang Cheng threw a punch and instantly blew his opponent to pieces.

It was just like when he himself had been brutally slain by the Demon Lord’s incarnation.

After defeating this person, a wisp of Profound Mechanism descended from the heavens. Fang Cheng understood it instantly and turned to return to the mountain peak where Chongxuan Academy was located.

On the Ascension to Immortality List hanging above the Four Symbols Sacred Platforms, lines of text appeared. The top five hundred participants of the tournament had been determined and ranked, meaning the subsequent matches would not require so many people competing at once.

Fang Cheng looked up and saw a name hanging high at the top of the list. Surprisingly, it was also someone from Taiqing Academy.

Xiao Yunyi, Taiqing Academy.

Murong Qing, Nine Heavens Academy.

Li Xinghe, Celestial Secret Academy.

Lu Qingyang, Moon Python Lu Family.

Su Su, Beiming Academy.

...

Fang Cheng, Chongxuan Academy.

The list was long, with five hundred names in total. Fang Cheng saw his own name at the three hundred and eighth position.

Shuang Ling was ranked two hundred and sixteenth.

As for the other School Principals, five had made the list, while two had been eliminated.

None of the other Life Soul Cultivators had made the list.

Fang Cheng returned to the main hall and took a seat. While chatting idly with the School Principals, he learned that among the five hundred people on the list, there were eight Life Soul Realm cultivators, all heaven-gifted talents who had defeated Dharma Masters to earn their place.

At that point, the Four Symbols Sacred Platforms in the sky merged one by one until only ten remained.

One after another, people ascended the platforms to compete.

Each time, a beam of cyan light would descend from the void, guiding a cultivator onto the stage.

This round of the tournament was quite spectacular. The weaker cultivators had all been eliminated in the previous round, leaving only those with Dharma Realm combat power. In fact, every single one of them possessed strength far exceeding that of an ordinary Dharma Cultivator.

For the spectators, a grand event where the top Dharma Masters of a world gathered to display their Divine Techniques was one of life’s greatest pleasures.

Simply feeling and observing the masters fight was enough to provide endless benefits.

If one could also watch while discussing insights with their peers, the gains would be even greater.

Fang Cheng watched the tournament from the hall with the academy’s other School Principals. Before long, it was his turn to go up.

...

A streak of light flew down to the Floating Mountains where Taiqing Academy was located. A Female Cultivator reached out and caught it, revealing a jade slip.

"I got the information. That man is a School Principal from Chongxuan Academy. He’s from another world and is known as the ’Jade Furnace Golden Cauldron.’ It’s said he created a powerful Dual Cultivation Secret Method that has been hailed as the world’s number one Dual Cultivation Scripture. He has a huge number of followers."

The Female Cultivator said with a strange expression after reading the contents of the jade slip.

Jiang Zhiruo and the other women had varied expressions upon hearing this. One of them said, "Well, let’s see how he performs later. If he can really break into the top one hundred on the Ascension to Immortality List, then I’ll find that Dual Cultivation Secret Method and study it myself."

These were all favored daughters of heaven, and many among them had a promising future of reaching the Dharma Realm.

Someone like Jiang Zhiruo even had a chance of reaching the Tribulation Realm, so her words carried a hint of arrogance.

Jiang Zhiruo, however, remained silent, her gaze fixed on the Four Symbols Sacred Platform.

Before long, her eyes lit up as she looked toward the ninth sacred platform.

Fang Cheng leisurely stepped onto the platform. Opposite him was a burly man clad in Profound Celestial Battle Armor.

The man carried a broadsword on his back, and his aura was immense, like a humanoid beast emitting a savage killing intent that seemed ready to devour someone whole.

"Ranked two hundred and ninety-seventh on the Ascension to Immortality List, Li Ruoyang, the Vice Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. This man has the power to slay a Tier Five Celestial Demon..."

Someone in Jiang Zhiruo’s circle recognized Fang Cheng’s opponent and began to explain.

"Legend has it that Li Ruoyang’s potential is exhausted, and he has no hope of reaching the Tribulation Realm in this lifetime. Therefore, he has dedicated himself to honing his Sword Technique, challenging numerous Dharma Realm Sword Cultivators across the land, and has yet to suffer a single defeat."

"School Principal Xiao once said that this man’s strength is enough to place him in the top one hundred of the Ascension to Immortality List."

Upon hearing the three words "School Principal Xiao," the women immediately became reverent.

At Taiqing Academy, those three words were practically synonymous with invincibility.

The current top-ranked person on the Ascension to Immortality List was, in fact, this very same School Principal Xiao.

"To be judged worthy of the top one hundred by School Principal Xiao, it seems..."

Just as the woman next to Jiang Zhiruo was about to speak, she saw the two on the Four Symbols Sacred Platform suddenly clash.

And then, they witnessed a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives—

Li Ruoyang unleashed a heaven-shattering Sword Aura, slashing fiercely at Fang Cheng. The latter threw a punch. Dark golden light surged across the platform as the fist’s aura, in a display of completely unreasonable power, brutally smashed Li Ruoyang’s Sword Aura to pieces before striking and killing Li Ruoyang on the spot.

Jiang Zhiruo’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and her heart skipped a beat.

One punch.

Still just one punch.

Li Ruoyang’s Tier Five Profound Celestial Battle Armor, as if made of paper, hadn’t blocked the fist’s aura in the slightest.

It wasn’t just Jiang Zhiruo’s group; the cultivators from Chongxuan Academy, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and others watching the match were all left completely stunned by that single punch.

On the Ascension to Immortality List in the sky, a halo of light flowed and the characters shifted. Fang Cheng’s name quickly moved from the three-hundreds to the forty-ninth position.

"So strong!"

Beside Jiang Zhiruo, the female students of Taiqing Academy gasped in a daze, too shocked by the punch to speak.

In the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s designated area, Li Ruoyang emerged from a ball of spiritual light, his expression as grim as still water.

Many of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect’s Elders and Disciples came forward, wanting to offer a few words of comfort. But, wary of Li Ruoyang’s usual explosive temper, they swallowed the words on the tips of their tongues.

"The Tribulation Realm... His physical body has already reached the Tribulation Realm."

Li Ruoyang muttered to himself, a trace of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.

...

On the mountain where Chongxuan Academy was located.

Ji Jiu, Du Ruo, and Shuang Ling all had calm expressions, as if they had long predicted the outcome of this match and were not surprised at all.

In contrast, the other School Principals were inexplicably astonished. When they saw Fang Cheng return, they all stood up to congratulate him.

After thanking everyone, Fang Cheng calmly returned to his seat and sat down nonchalantly, waiting for the next round of the tournament to begin.

Soon after, Shuang Ling and the other five School Principals went up to the platforms one by one.

In the end, with the exception of Shuang Ling, the other five were all defeated.

Shuang Ling’s rank on the Ascension to Immortality List also entered the top one hundred.

With two people from Chongxuan Academy breaking into the top one hundred in this tournament, they immediately attracted the attention of many factions, who began to watch them in secret.

After this round of competition ended, the Four Symbols Sacred Platforms in the sky once again merged and disappeared, until finally, only one remained.

Every match from then on would be the center of everyone’s attention.

...