Chapter 66: Chapter 1: The Great Competition Approaches, the Immortal Sword Rankings
 

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Looking back on his trip to the Pavilion, his gains could be described as a full bounty.

First of all, he had skipped the twenty to thirty years of Qi Refining that would normally be required, directly filling his Qi Sea and smoothly entering the Marrow Cleansing Rank.

Secondly, he had acquired the middle volume of the “Five Thunder True Law,” the Postnatal Five Elements Great Extermination Divine Light, the Divine Fire Mantle, the Heaven-flipping Seal, and two Ninth Rank Flying Swords.

Let’s not dwell on the two Flying Swords for now, as they are merely Ninth Rank and nothing out of the ordinary, so Luo Yan took them to the Fanghu Immortal Mountain Market next door and secretly sold them for Spirit Stones.

After classifying their gains, Qiu Changtian and Luo Yan had become the biggest winners.

Aside from the “Nine Heavens Clear Entrance True Mantra,” Qiu Changtian’s Thunder Method trump card was further strengthened, now possessing four of the ten thunders.

He was progressing further and further on the path of the Thunder Method King.

Luo Yan, who originally had the weakest combat power, turned the tables immediately upon obtaining the Five Elements Ultimate Extermination Divine Light.

Beyond the Five Elements Extinguishing Divine Light, he also had the Tenth Rank Magical Treasure, the Heaven-flipping Seal, borrowed from Miss Shi, which could smash anyone it encountered, shattering their foreheads and sending their souls to the heavens.

Additionally, he had acquired another spoil of war, the Tenth Rank Magical Treasure Divine Fire Mantle, which could be used both defensively on oneself or offensively to trap and refine an enemy, combining attack and defense in infinite marvelous uses.

As for the big sum of Spirit Stones earned from selling the two Ninth Rank Flying Swords, and how many Elixirs and Talisman Scripts he bought with them… naturally, there’s no need to elaborate.

On Ling Yunpo’s side, for reasons unknown, the Shushan Shangqing Faction had not participated in the trip to the Pavilion, hence they didn’t reap any benefits.

Now, the young Sword Immortal only had the Green Duckweed Sword and the Thunder Punishment Sword, two Tenth Rank Immortal Swords, making his net worth somewhat modest in comparison.

However, he was about to undergo Marrow Cleansing, which would greatly enhance his physical foundation, so the Sword Immortal’s own strength was also set to enter a period of rapid development.

In addition, Ling Yunpo could “nourish the sword with his body,” by taking the Qing Ping Sword into his spine and slowly nurturing it with his own flesh and blood to become his Life-bound Sword Artifact.

Not to mention, he had an ace up his sleeve with “Unity of Body and Sword,” but let’s not get into that now.

The disadvantage of not having a master’s guidance in the three paths was finally starting to show.

Luo Yan, who had secluded himself to comprehend the Five Elements Extinguishing Divine Light, had initially refined the Primary Magnetism Qi. He then loaded the file back to Ling Yunpo and continued practicing swordsmanship with Senior Sister An.

Since there was no master to offer guidance, he could only extract as much experience as possible from An Zhisu at the Refining Mansion Rank.

An Zhisu was somewhat surprised to find that Ling Yunpo’s swordsmanship had recently improved by leaps and bounds.

Or rather, it had reached a level that was not attainable at the Qi Refining Rank.

She carefully raised her cultivation level to match the Marrow Cleansing Rank, only to find that Ling Yunpo was still steadily holding his ground.

“Junior Brother,” An Zhisu eventually stopped her swordplay and hesitantly asked, “have you…?”

“That’s right.” Ling Yunpo didn’t intend to hide it from her, so he retracted the Green Duckweed Sword into his body and then called it out again, “I had a stroke of fortune the other day and made a breakthrough. I have now entered the Marrow Cleansing Rank.”

An Zhisu stood motionless for a moment, then covered her mouth with her slender hand in disbelief, her pretty eyes reddening as she became so excited that tears fell.

Ling Yunpo was at a loss for words upon seeing this reaction, momentarily speechless.

“Why… Why did you suddenly make a breakthrough!” An Zhisu fiercely wiped her tears away, trying hard to spread a smile, “It’s okay, Senior Sister is just… just too happy.”

“If your master were here, he would surely be overjoyed as well.”

Seeing her transition from tears to smiles, Ling Yunpo felt both relieved and puzzled.

Relieved because Senior Sister An truly didn’t ask “what kind of fortune,” allowing him to avoid using the excuse he had carefully fabricated.

Puzzled because, why would she cry?

Fortunately, An Zhisu didn’t keep him in suspense, simply wiping away her tears and cheerfully saying:

“Junior Brother Ling, do you know? The Shushan Swordsmanship Tournament is about to begin.”

Another swordsmanship competition, Ling Yunpo inwardly groaned.

You Shushan Sword Immortals fight and kill all day long, always ending in fratricide; no wonder you’ve been losing to Kunlun in recent years, with all your elite disciples perishing in internal strife!

As if seeing through his thoughts, An Zhisu proceeded with a smile:

“This swordsmanship competition, however, is not the usual private fight, but the official disciple contest of the Shushan Sect.”

“For the Foundation Establishment Rank competition, only disciples who have at least reached the Marrow Cleansing Rank and possess a Life-bound Sword Artifact may participate.”

“Each match is held on a specialized field with protective Restrictions in place, and with High Rank elders in attendance, there is no threat to life.”

“Moreover, as long as one’s rank in the swordsmanship competition enters the Immortal Sword Ranking, they will have the opportunity to enter the Shushan Demon Locking Tower for a trial after the competition concludes.”

“The Shushan Demon Locking Tower usually opens once every two sixty-year cycles. Inside, Demons lurk with great risks, but there are also great opportunities.”

“Take the Marrow Cleansing Rank disciples as an example; there’s a place inside the tower called the ‘Blood Pool,’ where bathing for three days and nights can greatly improve one’s foundation, eliminate impurities, and accelerate the Marrow Cleansing process.”

“Senior Sister originally thought that, no matter how hard you trained, it would still be difficult for you to catch up with the opening of the Demon Locking Tower this time, but unexpectedly, you made a breakthrough through a stroke of fortune… Maybe it really is a blessing from the master.”

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Speaking of Master, she couldn’t help but have her eyes turn red and teary, appearing utterly charming and captivating.

“What do you mean ‘Master’s blessing’?” Ling Yunpo said with a hint of jealousy, “Senior Sister An, don’t make it sound like Master is already a spirit in heaven, it’s such bad luck.

“Besides, he is currently in seclusion, how could he bless me?”

“My achievements today are all thanks to my unyielding efforts and relentless self-improvement!”

[Unyielding character set, synchronization value +1.]

“Yes, Sister was wrong,” An Zhisu admitted her mistake and changed for the better, smiling as she said, “Indeed, Junior Brother is impressive.

Then, An Zhisu started to explain to Ling Yunpo what the Immortal Sword Ranking was all about.

The order of the Shushan Sect’s Chief Disciples and other ranked positions was different from those in Kunlun.

While the Kunlun Sect took into account disciple potential and aptitude when assigning meditation mat positions, the Shushan Sect ranked based solely on true merit.

The Sword Immortals were straightforward and brutal, indifferent to the order of initiation. Below the Golden Core, the strongest was the Chief Disciple, the second rank was the deputy, and the third was third seat, and so on until the ninety-ninth and the hundredth final rank.

If you desired a certain position, you simply sought out the corresponding Sword Immortal and challenged them for their rank.

This challenge for rank, unlike private duels, must be an official challenge initiated by the challenger “under the supervision of a high-rank elder,” targeting a “Sword Immortal with a higher ranking on the list,” thus it lacked various restrictions and penalties of private duels.

As long as you won, you could take the other’s rank.

That’s why, especially when it came to rank challenges, the Sword Immortals among the top hundred were exceptionally fierce.

With a Nascent Soul Elder overseeing, they held nothing back in their swordplay, aiming to kill without mercy.

Otherwise, if they failed to establish their dominance, they would have to brace themselves for endless harassment from challengers.

Over time, the list of these top hundred Sword Immortals became nicknamed by the disciples of Shushan as the “Immortal Sword Ranking.”

The Sword Immortals on the list were referred to by their Life-bound Sword Artifacts, a way for the disciples to express their reverence.

“When it comes to this Immortal Sword Ranking, it reminds me of something I’ve heard about,” Ling Yunpo said purposefully.

“I heard that the current Chief Disciple of Shushan, the leader of the Immortal Sword Ranking, wields a sword called ‘Frostfall.’ It is rumored to be a once-in-a-century fiercesome star that cuts down people as if mowing grass.”

“It has reached the point where everyone fears the name. Those in the know won’t talk about it, and those who don’t are afraid to inquire, so strangely, no one knows who it is.”

“It’s me,” Senior Sister An said, eyes filled with a deep hurt as if embarrassed by his teasing. She held back for a while before she muttered, “Ah, according to the rules of rank challenge, one must be ruthless to establish authority. There’s no room for mercy.”

“These past years, I really had no choice…”

No choice? Indeed, she had none.

The others on the Immortal Sword Ranking also only fought mercilessly during rank challenges.

But for a certain Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal, whether it was a rank challenge or a private duel, they would always sever their opponent’s Life-bound Sword Artifact viciously!

As a result, except for Ziyun Peak, which recently dared to provoke and test the waters, other peaks would normally avoid Qingluo Peak altogether!

Yet, to be fair, this couldn’t be blamed on Senior Sister An.

After all, the grudges drawn by that pesky Master, Su Jian, were too numerous, and his infamy was indeed overwhelming. Ling Yunpo had already witnessed the severity of it in his last duel with Ziyun Peak.

If Senior Sister An had not succeeded in establishing her dominance, Qingluo Peak today would be subject to attacks, its predicament more miserable.

Therefore, he simply laughed and said:

“Sister is absolutely right! Those who cannot defeat you in swordmanship then malign your reputation behind your back, they are despicable.

“They better not let me encounter them. If it happens during the official competition, I must beat them to a pulp to avenge the years of defamation you’ve suffered,”

Upon hearing this, An Zhisu laughed and said:

“In this official competition, the initial few days involve randomly drawing lots for the matchups, it’s not that easy for you to encounter them. Only in the final days will you have the chance to freely choose your opponents and initiate rank challenges.”

“Based on the results of previous competitions, if one’s strength is ranked first among those in the same period of Marrow Cleansing Rank, they could probably secure around the seventieth place on the Immortal Sword Ranking.”

“You just need to diligently practice your swordsmanship and improve your strength.”

“When the time comes, whether it’s through random drawing or free challenging, first win against a Sword Immortal on the ranking to obtain a position.”

“Then, no matter who challenges you for your rank, ruthlessly break their Life-bound Sword Artifact.”

“Continue until those ranked below you no longer dare to challenge you for your position, and your seat will be secure.”

Ling Yunpo internally sighed, Is this the path of a little Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal you’re setting me on?

“Alright!” He confidently asserted, “Since Sister has such high hopes for me, I will let you see what I’m capable of!”

“I, Ling Yunpo, will certainly make it onto the Immortal Sword Ranking this time!”