Chapter 94

The towering Ten Thousand Mountains, lush with verdant grass resembling emeralds.

The young man's face was calm as still water, his hands clasped behind his back, blending seamlessly with the cosmos.

He exuded a mysterious Daoist aura.

"Five years to develop spiritual awareness, three years to refine it, one year to embark on the path of cultivation, and now you have reached the second tier."

"Observing your path of enlightenment, your talent and comprehension are both exceptional. Without misfortune, you will undoubtedly become a leader in your realm in the future!"

Lu Qingyang spoke slowly, his words fair and insightful.

To advance from novice to breaking through the second tier in just a year was indeed astonishing.

Although there were cases of people reaching the second tier in less than a year when the Heavenly Court was first established, the situations were vastly different.

Those individuals achieved rapid advancement due to the techniques bestowed by the Heavenly Court.

This grass, however, had no systematic cultivation method, relying entirely on its own comprehension and exploration. The two scenarios were fundamentally different.

The grass swayed gently, a soft voice emanating from within.

"Master…"

"I am Lu Qingyang, ruler of the Qingyang Immortal Kingdom. Observing your breakthrough, your leaves were as sharp as drawn swords, exuding sword intent."

"Therefore, I bestow upon you a technique to serve as your foundation. Your future potential depends entirely on your own fortune."

With that, divine light flashed from Lu Qingyang's forehead, and a technique named the "Qinglian Sword Manual" was imprinted deep within the spirit of the grass.

All living beings possess a soul, though many have not yet awakened the power of their souls due to their shallow cultivation.

This grass, having reached the second tier, had begun to show the power of its soul, making it capable of receiving the "Qinglian Sword Manual."

This swordsmanship technique was not an ordinary skill but a top-tier technique from the Heavenly Court's fifth-tier market.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Qingyang would never easily impart such a secret technique.

However, seeing the extraordinary potential of this grass, he felt a premonition.

By granting it the "Qinglian Sword Manual" today, he would surely receive unexpected rewards in the future.

Thus, Lu Qingyang generously imparted the "Qinglian Sword Manual."

No other technique was given because the grass had already understood a cultivation method suited to itself; further instruction would be redundant.

Receiving the memory of the "Qinglian Sword Manual," the grass trembled violently, as if deeply comprehending it.

After a long while, the voice became clearer.

"Thank you, my lord!"

"Mm."

Lu Qingyang nodded in response.

"From now on, you will be named Qingye."

"Thank you, master, for bestowing the name!"

As Qingye finished speaking, Lu Qingyang noticed its incense aura growing stronger, and he observed it with his divine sight.

…

Name: Qingye

Essence: Ordinary Grass

Tier: Early Second Tier

Physique: None

Devotion Level: Devout Believer

…

A truly moldable talent!

Seeing its devout faith, Lu Qingyang silently praised it.

A devout believer signifies unparalleled loyalty, with no thought of betrayal.

Thus, the value of imparting the "Qinglian Sword Manual" became apparent.

Then, Lu Qingyang's form dissipated, returning to his state of cultivation.

The Ten Thousand Heavenly Courts fell silent once more, as if nothing had changed, save for that grass emulating Lu Qingyang, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Upon close observation, one could see sword intent flowing faintly as it absorbed the spiritual energy.

…

"Boom!"

In the deep sea, a fierce battle raged between a man and several monstrous beasts.

The might of these fourth-tier beasts was terrifying, stirring up monstrous waves.

However, the man's fists were powerful, capable of shattering mountains and cracking stones.

As he struck the beasts, their hides split and they howled in agony.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The man was unstoppable, each punch dispersing the waves, killing one fourth-tier beast after another, and then turning to the next.

In no time, only one fourth-tier beast remained.

Suddenly, the man's blood surged like a volcano, his skin turning fiery red as if he had become a furnace of flesh and blood, his veins blazing like the sun.

Boom—

With an earth-shaking sound, his punch penetrated the depths of the sea, obliterating the fourth-tier beast, leaving no trace behind.

"Huff… finally broke through!"

The boiling blood gradually calmed, and a faint smile appeared on Gu Fang's face.

Fifteen years ago, he had stepped into the late fourth tier.

After two years of consolidation, he spent the next thirteen years striving for the pinnacle of the fourth tier.

However, the scarce spiritual energy made every advancement beyond the fourth tier extremely difficult.

After years of fruitless seclusion, Gu Fang decided to fully exploit the potential of his Overlord Immortal Physique.

He resolved to venture into the deep sea, hunting beasts in life-and-death battles to forge a breakthrough.

Gu Fang had lost count of the number of beasts he had slain, but wherever there were fourth-tier beasts, he was sure to be found.

At this moment,

Gu Fang had finally broken through the limits of the late fourth tier, achieving the peak of the fourth tier.

…

Name: Gu Fang

Race: Human

Tier: Fourth-Tier Perfection

Physique: Overlord Immortal Physique

Offerings:

…

"With over a million offerings, obtaining a fifth-tier technique is still far off!"

Gu Fang reviewed his attributes panel and sighed.

The price of a fifth-tier technique was a hundred times that of a fourth-tier one.

Even the lowest fifth-tier technique required ten million offerings.

Moreover,

Given the weak spiritual energy of the present world, Gu Fang believed that achieving the fourth-tier perfection was already his limit.

Even with a fifth-tier technique, the chances of truly reaching the fifth tier were slim.

To break through to the fifth tier, there were only two ways.

First, to find a fifth-tier breakthrough pill;

Second, to cultivate in a place with even denser spiritual energy.

Therefore,

The upcoming Immortal Kingdom Grand Competition became Gu Fang's primary target.

"With the foundation of my Overlord Immortal Physique, coupled with my current fourth-tier perfection, securing the top spot on the fourth-tier Immortal Rankings should be no problem."

"The announcement from the Heavenly Court a year ago suggests either a disturbance from the Wuxian Realm or a significant move by the Qingyang Immortal Kingdom."

"Either way, it presents an opportunity for me!"

Comparing the two, Gu Fang deemed the latter more likely.

No destruction, no construction.

Destruction leads to construction.

The Qingyang Immortal Kingdom had reached the peak of the current world, hitting a development bottleneck.

To progress further, the existing constraints must be broken, opening a vaster new world.

Putting himself in the shoes of Lu Qingyang, Gu Fang would also choose to pave the way for a broader future when the Immortal Kingdom reached its pinnacle.

4o