Chapter 1973 - Fifth-Level Profound Immortal Realm

A pale glow spread across the horizon as dawn gradually drove back the darkness. On the Sixty-Ninth Peak, life continued as usual, undisturbed by Liu Wuxie's arrival.

A night of cultivation, aided by the Mysterious Axe Imprint, had brought Liu Wuxie to the fifth level of the Profound Immortal Realm. Several million immortal stones had gone into the breakthrough. As a powerful aura erupted from him, dead leaves rose from the courtyard in a whirling vortex, obscuring the sky.

The bunch of leaves scattered overhead, then drifted into the neighboring courtyards.

"What's happening? These leaves must be at least several years old. Why are they falling into our courtyards?" nearby disciples muttered in confusion. Morning had brought their cultivation to an end, and they had stepped outside to stretch, only to discover dead leaves swirling above them.

Their own courtyards had remained clean and free of fallen leaves for a long time.

"They're coming from next door," several disciples said, leaving their courtyards to investigate. They followed the trail to Liu Wuxie's residence, where leaves kept rising before scattering in every direction.

The drifting leaves spread farther and farther. Decades of accumulation had carpeted the ground with a layer slightly more than half an inch thick.

"Let's see what's happening," one of them said.

No newcomer had settled in the western section of the Sixty-Ninth Peak for a long time. Most fought for residences in the south, where the conditions were much better.

Before long, over a dozen disciples stood outside Liu Wuxie's courtyard. One side of the battered gate was half-shut; the other hung open.

"Someone's in there!" they exclaimed, craning their necks to look inside.

"His aura doesn't suggest higher cultivation. Probably an outer disciple from another peak," someone remarked.

The disturbance surrounding Liu Wuxie's breakthrough was considerable, but his aura told a different tale. As far as they could guess, he had reached no higher than the pinnacle of the Origin Immortal Realm.

"Newcomers ought to pay us tribute. Let's teach him how things work here," a third-level Divine Immortal said, pushing the gate open and striding through.

The western region was home to disciples of relatively lower cultivation. Anyone strong enough had moved south long ago.

In his room, Liu Wuxie completed one hundred and eight circulations of the Desolate Devouring Art, bringing the breakthrough to an end. Refreshing comfort spread through his entire body.

Even the worst conditions in the Azure Jade Palace's outer peaks surpassed those in Eastern Emperor City by a hundredfold. Cultivating in the Celestial Weave Domain offered advantages of that magnitude.

He was about to rise when footsteps outside caught his attention. He had spent the whole night refining the Ivory Spirit Pill and had no time to establish a spiritual array around the residence. With Blackie guarding him, however, he had little cause to worry about his safety.

"Stay in the room, Blackie," Liu Wuxie instructed. Its unusual appearance could draw unwanted attention. Leaving it inside, he went out alone.

Eight cultivators waited in the courtyard. Seven men and one woman regarded him with faint smiles.

The eight exchanged startled looks. "He's at the Profound Immortal Realm?"

Excluding the miscellaneous disciples, even the weakest among the outer sect's seventy-two peaks had reached the first-level Divine Immortal Realm. Most stood between the third and ninth level. Finding a Profound Immortal here was all the more extraordinary.

"Are you a miscellaneous disciple, brat?" asked the cultivator who had entered first. In that case, Liu Wuxie belonged on the Miscellaneous Peak, not here on the Sixty-Ninth Peak.

Liu Wuxie had yet to change into his outer disciple robes. Seeing his ordinary clothes, they mistook him for a miscellaneous disciple.

"My respects, Senior Brothers and Senior Sister. I'm Liu Wuxie, a newly admitted outer disciple. I look forward to your guidance in the days ahead," he said, courteously cupping his fists toward them.

Fear had nothing to do with his courtesy. He simply wanted to avoid needless trouble and cultivate in peace.

Even after hearing the deacon's account of the Sixty-Ninth Peak, he still hoped that staying inconspicuous would keep trouble away.

The third-level Divine Immortal leading the group frowned. "You've just been admitted as an outer disciple?!" He dimly remembered that this year's recruitment had ended only yesterday.

"Did the sect get something wrong? How did a Profound Immortal qualify?" The eight had come to inspect the new arrival, collect tribute, and teach him the rules. His cultivation, however, robbed them of their interest.

They thought Liu Wuxie had likely entered the Azure Jade Palace due to luck. He probably possessed little wealth worth taking.

Liu Wuxie frowned. Their reactions made him feel like a clown who was there to amuse them.

A sudden kick smashed the battered gate to pieces. Fragments hurtled into the courtyard, forcing everyone to step aside.

"There you are, Liu Wuxie. I've finally found you," declared a newcomer who came with two other fierce-looking outer disciples. They stormed into Liu Wuxie's courtyard. The eight traded bewildered glances. None knew these men, so they had likely come from another peak.

Liu Wuxie's gaze turned cold. He recognized all three. They had entered the Azure Jade Palace alongside him.

After settling into their residences the previous night, they had come looking for him on the Sixty-Ninth Peak at first light. Each had attained the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm. Without that strength, they would not have dared venture here.

"What do you want?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly, though he had already guessed.

"Cut the crap. Give us the Ivory Spirit Pill and extract thirty immortal roots yourself. Refuse, and we will show you no mercy," the trio demanded. Before coming, they had investigated the Sixty-Ninth Peak's rules. That knowledge gave them the confidence to be so brazen.

No outer peak faced less supervision than the Sixty-Ninth. Provided they did not kill Liu Wuxie, no one would interfere with whatever they chose to do.

The eight original visitors looked at one another. They knew an Ivory Spirit Pill had been offered as this year's assessment prize, but had never imagined that a mere Profound Immortal would win it.

"Wait, Senior Brothers. What do you mean by extracting thirty immortal roots?" a third-level Divine Immortal asked, stepping forward. Strength established seniority in the cultivation world. The three might have joined the Azure Jade Palace only yesterday, but their cultivation exceeded that of all eight residents.

"You haven't heard?" The newcomers exchanged looks. They had taken it for granted that the eight were also after the Ivory White Pill and Liu Wuxie's immortal roots, so they had seen no need to exchange pleasantries.

The eight shook their heads, baffled. Thirty immortal roots was a figure they scarcely dared imagine.

"This brat has fifty immortal roots. We're doing him a favor by taking thirty. Twenty will be left, and he'll find cultivation easier," the trio explained, sinister smiles spreading on their lips as they exposed Liu Wuxie's secret.

The eight disciples exhaled sharply.

"Fifty immortal roots?! You're not joking, are you?" They soon recovered from the initial shock. Incredible as it sounded, the trio had no reason to lie. Liu Wuxie's silence appeared to confirm the claim.

These three had only just entered the sect and knew none of the eight. Fabricating such a story would serve little purpose.

"Then the remaining twenty are ours," the eight declared after a brief discussion, agreeing to take the rest.

Liu Wuxie watched without speaking, secretly gathering his strength. If they attacked, he would spare them no mercy. Low-level Divine Immortals could not threaten him, and with Blackie in the room, neither could the three peak Divine Immortals. If it became necessary, he would kill every one of them.

Killing a fellow disciple on the Sixty-Ninth Peak would bring punishment, but it would not cost him his own life.

Each peak of the Azure Jade Palace managed its own affairs. Shui Yao would intervene only if the sect's foundations were threatened. That arrangement encouraged rivalry between the peaks and drove their disciples to improve.

The seventy-two peaks received rankings every year. A better position elevated the peak master's standing and increased the disciples' benefits. The sect apportioned resources according to those rankings, giving lower-ranked peaks a smaller share.

The lower-ranked peaks therefore had to fight for a better position. Competition between disciples never stopped, and the seventy-two peak masters were hardly united themselves. They employed any means to push their disciples into competing.

Eleven disciples now surrounded Liu Wuxie, with violence poised to break out. He did not even know their names, yet they had already allied against him. The irony was bitter. Possessing fifty immortal roots alone had made him a target.

During the assessment, he had mobilized only one-tenth of his immortal energy, expecting the Immortal Spirit Monument to show seven or eight immortal roots. He had never anticipated such a result. Had he known, he would have used only one-hundredth.

Regret could change nothing. He had to deal with the consequences now before him.

"Will you surrender your immortal roots, Liu Wuxie, or must we help you remove them?" the three newcomers demanded as they advanced. Their auras at the pinnacle of the Divine Immortal Realm erupted, bearing down on him like a mountain.

The other eight moved forward as well, refusing to fall behind. Individually, their cultivation was unremarkable. Together, they presented a formidable force.

By the door, Blackie waited eagerly for the chance to charge out. Since it had no demonic energy, no one could detect its presence. Even if they noticed it, they would take it for an ordinary person.

Not even Liu Wuxie could determine Blackie's precise combat strength. Since consuming Primal Chaos Crystals, it had grown at a tremendous pace, becoming dozens of times stronger.

"Are you certain you all want to attack me?" Liu Wuxie asked, licking his lips. If they insisted on seeking death, then only they could be blamed for it. He summoned the Bloodthirst Blade, and boundless murderous intent swept through the courtyard. ℯ

"Passing the assessment doesn't change anything, Liu Wuxie. In a real fight, any one of us can crush you with one hand," the trio said.

His repeated victories had humiliated many disciples with far higher cultivation, stirring bitter resentment among them. People even claimed that none of this year’s recruits could compare to a mere Profound Immortal. Faced with such ridicule, they could scarcely hold their heads high.

"Why waste time talking to him? Do it!" The trio could hold back no longer. They wanted their prize before someone else took it. By now, more disciples were probably heading to the Sixty-Ninth Peak to find Liu Wuxie.

All eleven moved together, their auras surging through the courtyard.

"Stop!" a voice suddenly called from beyond the courtyard.