The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Honing, Promotion _1

Not only Elder Huang, but the two Elders of Rising Sun Peak and Bright Moon Peak were also so excited they could not contain themselves! Even Peak Master Zhou Shili plucked several strands of his beard in agitation.

Below the floating stone platform, Zhao Lingyin’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes glistening with emotion, making her appear especially bright and spirited. The other disciples, whether from the Riverside Sect or other sects, all fell silent, as if awaiting the final outcome.

On Tianshan Mountain, the battles amongst the newly-emerged talents had already concluded. Lu Ming of the Riverside Sect, thanks to Shen Mo, managed to secure second place, stopping at the 644th step. The disciples of the other Four Great Sects also established their rankings through several bouts of intense fighting!

Li Chen ranked third, halted at the 619th step. Thus, Ghost Corpse School took second place among the immortal sects.

Meng Sanchi was in fourth place, stopping at the 615th step. The Heaven Sword Sect was ranked third.

Xiao Ling’er was in fifth place, halting at the 570th step. The Profound Moon School was ranked fourth.

Yang Chi was in the sixth spot, halting at the 560th step. Seven Stars Altar was ranked fifth.

Their abilities should not have limited them to these positions, but unfortunately, they had been severely injured by Shen Mo beforehand.

Originally, Xiao Ling’er had been ranked behind Yang Chi. However, Meng Sanchi, who had somewhat recovered, dealt harshly with Yang Chi. Perhaps he remembered Xiao Ling’er’s earlier kindness in intercepting Lu Ming, or perhaps he resented Yang Chi for being the first to attack Shen Mo. This action effectively gave Xiao Ling’er a hand. Ultimately, though, Meng Sanchi himself could not overcome the obstruction of Li Chen and his Ghoul, and his climb ended there.

Now, only an hour remained until the end of the Tianshan Grand Ceremony. Barring any accidents, these would be the final rankings!

Li Chen, Meng Sanchi, and the other talents could no longer even see Shen Mo’s back. However, they had learned through a Sound Transmission Talisman that he had already crossed the 700th step and was still climbing higher.

Meng Sanchi’s expression was grim, but he had clearly recovered his composure. There was no hint of resentment or jealousy in his eyes, only a touch of admiration. Even someone as arrogant as he did not dare to boldly claim that he could definitively cross the 700th stone step!

The others felt similarly; their shock and admiration far outweighed any resentment. This was true for all except Xun Tian. He had been seriously injured and was stopped at just over three hundred steps by Junior Sister Miao of the Profound Moon School. The resentment on his face scared her into retreating a few steps, and in the end, she angrily jabbed him a few times with her jade hairpin magic artifact.

Shen Mo was indifferent to the commotion below. If it were not to temper his own will, he would not have sought this spotlight. There was only one thought left in his mind: to climb higher, to continue climbing!

The seven hundred and ninth step.

BOOM!

An overwhelming force, a daunting sword Qi!

”The Big Dipper Array, Conversion!” Shen Mo activated his Sword Array, enveloping himself and alleviating some of the pressure from Tianshan Mountain.

The seven hundred and fourteenth step.

CRACK!

Countless terrifying streams of sword Qi made Shen Mo’s heart turn cold.

”Three-headed Six-armed, transform!” This external magic operated at full force, constantly transforming blood essence primality into flesh and bone. An extra head grew from Shen Mo’s neck. Two more arms sprouted from his back ribs, but they were obstructed by his magic robe’s inner armor, bulging within it without emerging. And Shen Mo’s vitality grew even more robust.

The seven hundred and twenty-third step.

Shen Mo held the Demon Slaying Sword, his entire being immersed in Carefree Sword Intent, as if he were about to ride the wind and depart! Then, drawing upon his sword intent to resist the pressure of the Heavenly Monarch’s sword Qi, he took another step upward.

When his foot landed on the seven hundred and twenty-fourth step, a thunderous uproar erupted from the plaza at the foot of the mountain!

”Seven hundred and twenty-four steps, seven hundred and twenty-four steps!”

”Junior Brother Shen broke Fairy Pei Yu’s record! Who was it just now that said he couldn’t do it? Stand up and let me slap you twice!”

”Unexpectedly, after so many years, the Red Flame Country has produced another gifted cultivator who can rival Fairy Pei Yu!”

”This is truly incredible...”

In the midst of the commotion, Zhao Lingyin’s eyes reddened slightly. She took out a Sound Transmission Talisman, wanting to send a message to Shen Mo, yet she worried that doing so at this time might distract him from climbing Tianshan Mountain. After hesitating for a long time, she eventually suppressed her excited emotions and simply sent a brief congratulatory message.

In fact, Zhao Lingyin was worrying needlessly! At this moment, forget reading the Sound Transmission Talisman; even channeling a trace of Mana or a sliver of his sense was incredibly arduous for him.

After breaking Fairy Pei Yu’s climbing record, he once again utilized various means to ascend another thirteen steps. But that was his limit!

Seven hundred and thirty-six steps. Without using the Soul Refining Flag, I can only stop here...

With the Soul Refining Flag, I should be able to ascend another fifteen steps.

Better not... This flag should not be revealed under so many watchful eyes!

The benefits I have gained here are already more than enough. Going further might harm my Dao Body and Qi Sea; it’s not worth it!

At this time, Shen Mo did not yet know that he had caused a sensation far and wide by breaking Fairy Pei Yu’s record. If he had known, he would certainly have stopped at the seven hundredth step and not climbed any higher. After all, the benefits from these extra thirty-odd steps were far outweighed by the trouble his widespread fame would bring!

The unfortunate thing was that the Riverside Sect Manuals did not extensively detail Fairy Pei Yu’s achievements. Or perhaps a mention was made in those books, but Shen Mo had not spotted it amidst the vast sea of records. Peak Master Zhou Shili also did not expect Lu Ming to break the climbing record, so he had never mentioned it to him. When Lu Ming relayed information to Shen Mo, he naturally did not mention this point either.

A series of coincidences led Shen Mo to unintentionally reveal part of his true strength!

At this point, he was entirely immersed in the tempering provided by the Heavenly Monarch’s sword Qi.

HUM!

HUM!

HUM!

Whether it was the Demon Slaying Sword or the seven Big Dipper Swords, all were agitated by the Carefree Sword Intent bursting from Shen Mo’s body, resonating with a soaring sword cry. Simultaneously, the Purple Knack mana within Shen Mo’s body, as if he had ingested some elixir or wondrous herb, grew increasingly condensed. Under the pressure of the Heavenly Monarch’s sword Qi, his vitality was tempered relentlessly, becoming even tougher and more resilient.

DANG!

The sound of the Daoist bell came from below the mountain!

Shen Mo raised his eyes, understanding that the Tianshan Mountain competition had ended and the rankings were settled; it was now time to descend. However, he did not immediately get up but continued to sit cross-legged on the stone steps, comprehending the many mysteries of the Heavenly Monarch’s sword Qi!

BOOM!

Shen Mo suddenly felt his three Dantians tremble in unison.

I’m about to advance to the Qi Gathering Realm Layer IV...

Sensing this, Shen Mo immediately pulled out another Dragon Tiger Formless Pill and gulped it down. The Purple Mansion Heart Scripture operated unceasingly, continuously transforming the medicinal properties of the pill into Purple Knack mana.

At this moment, all three Dantians activated in unison, drawing the newly generated Purple Knack mana into his Qi Sea with a powerful suction.

But this was not enough.

The Spiritual Qi around Tianshan Mountain, imbued with the Heavenly Monarch’s sword intent, also formed a vortex and began to spiral towards him. The large vortex, like a cloud, was shattered by the oppressive sword Qi, transforming into many small vortices that surged into Shen Mo’s body. These streams of Spiritual Qi were tinged with much of the True Intention of the Heavenly Monarch’s Sword Path.

As Shen Mo absorbed the Spiritual Qi, he also used his Carefree Sword Intent to continuously collide with, wear down, absorb, and fuse with the residual sword intent within it...