Good Fortune Everywhere

Good Fortune Everywhere . . .

"If I were you," remarked Qin Wentian, his voice dripping with sardonic amusement, "I wouldn't be in such haste to pick fights. With your meager strength, you'd be wise to flee the moment you encounter someone more formidable. Do you truly believe you can assert dominance in the Eastern Sage Cliff with that feeble 6th-heavenly layer astral soul of yours?" He spoke softly, his eyes dancing with scorn. As he uttered these words, two of his astral souls materialized—the Demon Sovereign Astral Soul and the King Sword Astral Soul. In an instant, his entire presence transformed, exuding an aura that had grown exponentially sharper.

"Hmph, is this the best you can do?" scoffed his opponent, summoning yet another astral soul. It took the form of a three-headed, six-armed demonic entity, causing his stature to expand further. A wicked grin crossed his face. These two astral souls were his fourth and fifth, originating from the 5th and 6th heavenly layers.

The astral souls held by these geniuses far surpassed those found in particle worlds.

Qin Wentian's eyes gleamed with a demonic intensity. The Demon Sovereign astral soul behind him appeared even more ferocious, its crimson radiance pulsating. This was the power of his bloodline, impervious to the constraints of the law enchantments.

Simultaneously, his opponent called upon his own bloodline power, enhancing his might. In the immortal realms, many heaven-chosen wielded unique bloodline abilities, some ordinary, others extraordinarily unique.

Drawing nearer to each other, Qin Wentian unleashed a palm strike, eschewing any innate techniques. His attack was sheer, unadulterated force. His opponent, with his six arms, retaliated with simultaneous blows, his eyes smoldering with murderous intent. As they clashed, their astral souls also engaged in a ferocious mid-air battle.

A resounding "BOOM!" echoed as a tremendous surge of power crushed his opponent's arms. Qin Wentian's demon king blood coursed violently through his veins, enveloping him in a fearsome, primordial demon visage that seemed to scorn all of existence. His explosive strength sent his opponent hurtling with a single strike, coughing up torrents of blood.

His opponent's face contorted in a mixture of shock and humiliation before hastily retreating. Deep-seated terror flickered in his eyes as he gazed upon Qin Wentian, who bore the likeness of a demon king.

Unfazed by his fleeing adversary, Qin Wentian withdrew his aura. Riding a beam of sword light, he darted through the surroundings. The Eastern Sage Cliff Mountain Range was bound to hide numerous remarkable secrets. Given that the first test was situated here, it was unlikely to be a mere contest of astral souls and bloodline powers.

Moments later, Qin Wentian arrived at the base of a precipice. Its walls were smooth and gleaming, with several stone platforms below. These platforms were littered with countless footprints, as if many individuals had once sought enlightenment on the cliff's inscribed innate techniques from these vantage points.

Turning his gaze towards the cliff walls, Qin Wentian found an array of intricate engravings. Countless depictions of a wind roc adorned the surface, each portrayal brimming with vivid realism, as if the wind roc had sprung to life. These etchings chronicled the journey of the wind roc, from its humble beginnings on the ground to its majestic dominion over the skies and clouds.

"A movement technique," Qin Wentian realized with a spark of insight. This art must have been left behind by a venerable sage of the Eastern Sage Immortal Sect in ancient times. His eyes shimmered as he imprinted the images deep into his memory. Entering his meditative dreamscape, he embarked on a journey of cultivation, gradually transforming himself into the very embodiment of the wind roc. Every form and motion flowed harmoniously within his consciousness.

As the incense stick burned down, Qin Wentian soared once more into the skies. This time, he didn't rely on a sword beam to traverse the air. Instead, he was the wind roc itself, gracefully gliding on the breeze. His mastery of the technique was so profound that an ethereal image of a wind roc seemed to overlay his own form, making him indistinguishable from the mythical bird.

This technique, an immortal-ranked art, was most suited for those attuned to the elements of wind and space. When cultivated to its zenith, practitioners could assume the form of a Great Sage Wind Roc, traversing the skies with a mere flap of their wings. However, Qin Wentian didn't linger to perfect this technique. Despite its power, it wasn't a good fit for him. True mastery of an immortal art required compatibility with the practitioner, and even then, immersing oneself in a suitable immortal-ranked technique was a time-consuming endeavor. Having spent just enough time to elevate the wind roc movement technique to the Celestial Phenomenon level, he promptly departed.

As he soared through the skies, Qin Wentian encountered numerous cultivators, all in search of suitable places for their own cultivation. However, Qin Wentian pressed on, and those who attempted to pursue him quickly realized that his speed was beyond their reach. His capacity for comprehending the wind roc movement technique in such a short span was a testament to his astonishing comprehension abilities.

"Sword art," Qin Wentian exclaimed as he abruptly halted mid-air, sensing a formidable sword qi emanating from a massive stone wall below him. With a flash, he descended before the imposing stone surface. Similar to the previous location, this area was marked by countless footprints and carvings of a figure executing sword techniques with remarkable agility. The shadow's sword qi was awe-inspiring, with every increase in speed translating into lightning-like sword strikes or gathering momentum like ocean waves before unleashing a devastating, tyrannical force.

Nearby, another cultivator was engrossed in quiet cultivation. He was a supreme talent from the Eastern Prefecture. Qin Wentian, though he had arrived, didn't even register a glance. Instead, he devoted himself entirely to his own comprehension. He knew that this place was a sacred ground for cultivation. Besides engaging in combat, one had to swiftly cultivate potent techniques to enhance their strength. As their power grew, it would become increasingly feasible to secure a place among the last 1,000 participants.

In this selection round, self-strengthening was the wisest strategy. Deliberately seeking out opponents for battle was a fool's errand, typically undertaken by those with limited talent.

Qin Wentian stood before the stone platform, his gaze locked onto the immortal-ranked sword art meticulously etched into the stone wall. In a single glance, he plunged headlong into comprehension. The profundity of this sword art was staggering, brimming with cataclysmic power. Swiftly, he felt himself transported into the very images, an active participant in the swordplay of the figure carved onto the wall. The figure's sword strikes were swifter than the wind itself, their movements a blur. In their slowest moments, their strikes held the power to cleave through divine steel walls, and at their zenith, they could shatter mountains and part rivers with a single slash.

This sword art bore similarities to the immortal-ranked technique that Qin Wentian had previously cultivated, the Immortal Vanquishing Swordplay. Both techniques harnessed the concept of sacrificing one's energy and essence to fuel their strikes. Such techniques were invaluable when lives hung in the balance, truly combat-oriented. With the demon sword in his possession, he just happened to require a suitably formidable sword art to complement it.

Qin Wentian delved so deeply into his comprehension that he lost all sense of time. Gradually, traces of formidable sword qi began to emanate from him, even when he stood motionless. When he consciously amplified this sword qi, faint specters of himself materialized, each composed entirely of sword intent.

His period of intensive cultivation lasted an entire month. During this time, other geniuses would occasionally pass by, yet none dared to disturb his immersive process. In the Eastern Sage Cliff Mountain Range, combat had become a rare occurrence. The prodigies from the thirteen prefectures grasped the true value of this sacred realm—it was a treasury brimming with potent immortal-ranked techniques. To neglect cultivating them here would be nothing short of squandering celestial treasures.

Today, before the stone wall, both Qin Wentian and the other cultivator radiated torrents of sword qi. The air crackled with the clash of their mighty energies.

Suddenly, the other expert's eyes snapped open, a brilliant sword light gleaming within. His form flickered, his body a deadly weapon hurtling toward Qin Wentian. This devastating sword beam threatened to bisect Qin Wentian in an instant—an imminent peril.

But in the very moment the expert moved, an inundation of sword might surged forth from Qin Wentian. His motion appeared glacially slow as he brought his sword down, yet within that leisurely strike lay earth-shattering force, capable of rending the heavens themselves. A fierce stream of sword qi tore through the firmament, leaving behind a trail of terrifying sword scars.

Their bodies were separated by mere inches. The expert's eyes gleamed like razor-sharp blades that could pierce through the hearts of men. Whistling sword qi sliced through the air as, at that precise instant, the space around them overflowed with indomitable sword intent. Eighty-one sword silhouettes emerged from the fusion of their sword auras, a testament to their unparalleled mastery.

If the current Qin Wentian were to face the Qin Wentian who had first set foot in the Eastern Sage Cliff, the former would easily triumph over his former self. Here, one had to relentlessly cultivate to elevate their strength. Otherwise, regardless of one's talent or bloodline power, they would eventually be ousted from this demanding arena.

In the span of a mere moment, the two combatants exchanged more than three hundred lightning-quick sword strikes before finally disengaging. It was then that the expert regarded Qin Wentian with newfound seriousness, taking flight into the boundless sky.

"Cloud Prefecture, Qin Wentian. Ranked #27," the expert muttered, his gaze fixed on Qin Wentian.

"Eastern Prefecture, Jing Cloudcrane. Ranked #5," Qin Wentian reciprocated, his eyes falling on the medallion adorning his opponent's robes. This man was an elite genius, his comprehension of the sword art rivaling Qin Wentian's own.

"You have the qualifications to reach the top 1,000," Jing Cloudcrane acknowledged. Without further ado, he transformed into a streak of sword light, soaring through the heavens. Surprisingly, he chose not to engage in further combat. Qin Wentian, too, assumed the form of a wind roc, harnessing the wind's currents as he continued to explore the Eastern Sage Cliff.

As he traversed the skies, Qin Wentian peered downwards. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. Below, he spotted a cave entrance surrounded by hesitant figures. Some remained paralyzed, while others lay motionless or appeared lifeless, a grim tableau of brutality.

"What lies within the cave? To have witnessed such fierce combat," Qin Wentian mused, coming to an abrupt halt in midair. Those who stood outside hailed from various prefectures, among them even a cultivator ranked #46 in the Thunder Prefecture. They all hesitated at the cave entrance, their eyes reflecting a tumultuous inner conflict.

Qin Wentian descended swiftly, landing before the perplexed group. Many turned their sharp gazes toward him.

"What secrets does the cave hold?" Qin Wentian inquired.

"Get lost!" snapped one of them, glaring coldly at Qin Wentian.

"Chi!" In the blink of an eye, Qin Wentian, akin to a bolt of lightning, struck with a terrifying sword of light. The retreating man's movements blurred amid thunderous echoes, and in mere moments, several sword silhouettes swept past. Within seconds, a sword pressed against the throat of the one who had spoken, his fear evident in the sheen of sweat on his brow. A single motion by Qin Wentian could sever his head from his body.

"Speak," Qin Wentian urged, his eyes focused on the cave entrance, no longer bothering with the man before him.

"Inside, records of the cultivation process for an immensely powerful immortal-ranked technique are kept," the man stammered anxiously. "However, an incredibly powerful individual already occupies the cave. Sir, please exercise caution."

This individual left no room for doubt in his explanation, for he dared not fabricate a falsehood.