NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 128: The Three Pure Mountains' Divine Ability, So-Called Fairness
Chapter 128: The Three Pure Mountains' Divine Ability, So-Called Fairness
Gu An, Ye Lan, and Wu Jue sipped wine and ate fruit while watching the battles of the Golden Ranking Tournament. Since none of them had matches in the first few days, they were free to enjoy the spectacle.
As time passed, Ye Lan and Wu Jue became more familiar with each other, and Wu Jue was no longer as reserved.
On the fifth day, it was finally Wu Jue’s turn to compete.
As he left, Ye Lan curiously asked, “Senior Brother, whose disciple is he? He doesn’t seem ordinary.”
She had seen plenty of talented cultivators and could easily tell that Wu Jue was exceptional.
After multiple enlightenment experiences, Wu Jue’s demeanor had completely transformed. Though his appearance was plain and his clothes unremarkable, he exuded a presence that left a lasting impression.
“His master died. He’s been an orphan since childhood. We hit it off right away, and I’m probably his only friend. I deliberately ignored him for the past five years, which is why he’s so mad,” Gu An replied.
Hearing this, Ye Lan felt both sympathetic and amused.
She sighed. “Senior Brother, you really are…”“What?”
“Nothing.”
Ye Lan turned her gaze to the massive light screen above, and Gu An followed her line of sight.
The battle displayed on the screen was between two formidable opponents—one was a young Daoist clad in a blue robe, while the other was an armored warrior wielding a long weapon.
Gu An could immediately tell that these two were far stronger than the previous contestants.
The blue-robed Daoist was likely in the Transformation Stage, while the armored warrior was at the Void Transformation Stage.
Both were under five hundred years old, making them absolute geniuses.
Above the Core Formation Stage, cultivation was no longer something that could simply be bought with resources.
Gu An had expected a spectacular battle, but the outcome was far more decisive than he anticipated.
The blue-robed Daoist raised his hand, forming a mystical seal with his fingers. A massive glowing Dao character, a hundred feet tall and wide, shot forward like a mountain crashing down.
Before the armored warrior could react, he was struck, vomiting blood as he was sent flying. The impact rendered him completely incapacitated.
Though the armored warrior’s cultivation had been suppressed to the Transformation Stage for fairness, his swift defeat was still unexpected.
With Gu An’s keen eye, he could tell that the Daoist’s seal contained traces of divine ability.
A single move to claim victory—the entire city was in an uproar!
“The winner is Xuanmiao Zhenren from the Three Pure Mountains of the Shen Tang Dynasty!”
A grand elder’s voice rang out from the screen, ensuring that everyone would remember the name of this blue-robed Daoist.
Ye Lan marveled, “The Three Pure Mountains are truly formidable. I encountered them in the Nine Nether Path before. They’re the number one sect of the Shen Tang Dynasty—though their numbers are small, every disciple is extraordinary. It’s said they once produced an immortal, though no one knows if it’s true.”
Gu An silently memorized the sect’s name.
Xuanmiao Zhenren’s Dao Seal was indeed powerful, proof of the deep heritage of the Three Pure Mountains.
An hour later, it was finally Wu Jue’s turn to fight.
Foundation Establishment Stage battles weren’t as flashy as Xuanmiao Zhenren’s, so most people weren’t particularly excited.
However, when Wu Jue threw his first punch, the force of it shattered the silence.
A booming impact rippled through the city.
His punch was like a blazing sun crashing down, the sheer heat making it difficult for his opponent to even counter.
Every one of his punches carried immense power, each more ferocious than the last.
After just eight strikes, his opponent was forced to their knees, coughing up blood uncontrollably.
“The winner is Wu Jue from the Taixuan Sect of the Taicang Empire!”
A wave of discussions filled the city as people began talking about Wu Jue.
Ye Lan was stunned.
She had known Wu Jue was special, but she hadn’t expected him to be this powerful.
Meanwhile, Gu An smirked.
He knew that Wu Jue’s legendary journey was about to begin.
His Falling Sun Fist was a rather basic technique, but Wu Jue had refined it to near perfection. It was even showing signs of evolving into a more advanced form.
It seemed that enlightenment could deepen one’s understanding of martial techniques!
That afternoon, in the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An met with Lü Baitian in a pavilion.
After months apart, Lü Baitian looked radiant and full of energy, a broad smile on his face.
Opening his right palm, he revealed a small pearl and said, “This is the Thousand Shadows Pearl, a top-grade magical artifact. Take a couple of days to refine it and use it in the tournament at the end of the month.”
Gu An accepted the pearl, shaking his head with amusement. “You still want me to keep winning?”
Some cultivators had already won their matches using magical artifacts, though the rules only allowed each contestant to bring one artifact or formation tool to ensure relative fairness.
After all, sword cultivators, blade cultivators, and formation masters all relied on their artifacts. Completely banning them would be unfair.
Despite this restriction, some participants had still secured victories through superior artifacts, sparking controversy in various cities.
Lü Baitian grinned. “I’ve already planned out your matchups and duel schedule. There’s still time. I don’t expect you to become famous, but if you can make it into the top five hundred, that’ll be a solid foundation.”
With all the geniuses of the Nine Dynasties competing, the top five hundred were undoubtedly elites among elites.
Gu An had initially joined just for fun, but he hadn’t expected Lü Baitian to be pulling strings behind the scenes.
“Master, fairness, fairness—don’t forget those two words,” Gu An reminded him, feeling exasperated.
Lü Baitian had always been an unorthodox figure. Even his cultivation techniques were unconventional.
Lü Baitian scoffed, “How is this unfair? Every noble family cultivator relies on their clan’s resources. I’m just giving you a magical artifact, while they have elders supporting them. As for arranging matchups, I’m only making your luck a little better. The final outcome still depends on individual strength.”
Gu An played with the Thousand Shadows Pearl, hesitating slightly.
“If you reach the top five hundred, I’ll reward you with a Sixth-Grade Spirit Tree!” Lü Baitian declared.
Hearing this, Gu An immediately gripped the Thousand Shadows Pearl tightly.
“Well, in that case, I have no choice but to give it my all.”
Lü Baitian stood up, smiling. “Alright, refine its restrictions early. I’ve already removed the most difficult ones, so the rest shouldn’t be a problem for you.”
With that, he left the pavilion.
Gu An didn’t see him off. Instead, he sat there, staring at the Thousand Shadows Pearl, deep in thought.
The Golden Ranking Tournament would last for several months. Since Gu An had to take care of Medicine Valley, he didn’t watch the battles every day. Ye Lan and Wu Jue also had to focus on their own training.
At the end of the month, Gu An finally received his first opponent.
The invitation he had received had been exchanged for a Golden Ranking Token, a magical tool used for transmitting messages.
That morning, the Golden Ranking Token vibrated with a message, instructing him to head to his match.
The outer sect city had teleportation formations for the tournament, making it easy to find the venue.
After teleporting to the battle site, he patiently waited.
The arena was an open valley, split into two areas—one for waiting and the other for dueling. The duel area spanned several miles, surrounded by mountain formations that sealed off the space.
“Gu An, you’re competing too? Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten up?”
A lighthearted voice called out.
Gu An didn’t even need to turn around to know that Shen Zhen was approaching him.
“Mm, just giving it a try,” Gu An replied calmly.
Lately, The Secrets of Taixuan had taken an annoying turn.
In the story, Gu An bullied a weak girl. Though it was all a misunderstanding, his actions seemed a bit domineering, which made him less fond of Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen seemed to realize this and didn’t take offense. Instead, she smiled. “If you face me, I won’t hold back. But if you say something nice to me, maybe I’ll let you win.”
“A real man doesn’t let himself be humiliated,” Gu An shot her a glare and snorted.
Shen Zhen burst out laughing and playfully bumped his shoulder.
“Don’t be mad. That book is ending soon anyway. Once the tournament is over, I’ll be going into seclusion for decades. You might not see me for a long time.”
Hearing this, Gu An’s expression eased as he asked, “Did you gain some insight from the painting?”
“Exactly! I think I might be about to attain enlightenment,” Shen Zhen replied smugly.
What a bragger!
Gu An continued chatting with Shen Zhen as he waited for his match.
Suddenly, a woman teleported into the valley, and her aura caught Gu An’s attention.
Nightshade Ghost Mother!
Why is she here again?
Does she think Taixuan Sect is empty? Coming and going as she pleases?
Gu An kept his thoughts to himself and avoided looking at her directly.
Despite her wanting to make him the sect master, he still found her presence repulsive.
After all, she had once presented him with a supposedly ordinary artifact—only for him to discover, using his lifespan detection ability, that it contained a dormant Demonic Emperor at the Fifth Level of the Grand Ascension Stage!
Had he been any less cautious, he wouldn’t have even realized the Evil Emperor wasn’t actually dead—far too dangerous!
The Nightshade Ghost Mother had clearly changed her form, likely using a possession technique.
She also paid him no mind, probably not even remembering him.
Half an hour later, Shen Zhen secured her victory and was teleported out of the valley.
Gu An waited another hour before it was finally his turn.
His opponent was weak—just a Core Formation cultivator, whose level was suppressed to Foundation Establishment for fairness.
Gu An played along, exchanging dozens of moves before finally using the Thousand Shadows Pearl to claim victory.
For the spectators, the match was utterly forgettable.
Only a few people even remembered his name.
As summer gave way to autumn, Gu An participated in three battles, each one appearing to be a hard-fought victory.
At this point, 1,000 cultivators were still in the tournament.
The Taixuan Sect didn’t mind the tournament dragging on—after all, spirit stone revenue from all the major cities had doubled during this time.
It was an absolute goldmine!
After three months, several prodigies had already risen to prominence.
The strongest by far was An Hao—completely unmatched.
He hadn’t even used his Taicang Frightening God Sword yet; instead, he relied solely on spells learned within the Taixuan Sect, using raw power to crush every opponent.
Close behind were Lü Xian, Xuanmiao Zhenren, and other top talents from the Nine Great Dynasties.
Although Ji Xuanyu had not participated, other Ji Family members had made a strong showing.
The Golden Ranking Tournament had spread across the entire Nine Dynasties, drawing the attention of cultivators worldwide.
This, in turn, propelled the Taixuan Sect’s reputation beyond the Taicang Empire and into the other eight dynasties.
Even within the Taicang Empire, sects from the other eight dynasties were making a name for themselves—perhaps one of the reasons they had chosen to participate.
For Gu An, the Golden Ranking Tournament was just entertainment.
He didn’t care about his ranking.
At first, he enjoyed the excitement, but as his interest waned, he turned his focus to cultivation and research instead.
On this particular day, a major rumor spread ahead of schedule—
An Hao vs. Li Ya!
Li Ya had already proven his strength, showing himself to be worthy of a top 100 spot.
Now, facing the tournament favorite, An Hao, their match naturally became the center of attention.
While in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An overheard disciples flying overhead, shouting the news as they rode their swords toward the Outer Sect City.
This piqued his interest, so he decided to go watch the match.
As he traveled, he noticed disciples flooding in from all directions, all heading for the Outer Sect City.
He couldn’t help but be impressed.
Lü Baitian has finally mastered marketing!
Even Gu An was eager to see the outcome.
An Hao vs. Li Ya—who was stronger?
Both of them had protagonist-like destinies, yet their paths in life had been completely different.