First Immortal of the Sword

Within the sixth tower.

Su Yi exerted his will, raised his fingertip, and tapped.

Bang!

The nine secret arts compiled out of thousands of glyphs of the Grand Dao split, returning to scattered components.

Su Yi then stepped forward, his fingers fluttering about like butterflies as he re-organized the scattered glyphs in midair.

Gradually, lines of text took shape under Su Yi’s smooth, continuous guidance. In the end, a radiant Confucian classic hovered before him!

Every word was like a glistening pearl bursting with radiant light!

The entire hall rumbled and boomed. The sound of the Grand Dao was like the ringing of a morning bell or even drum, and it rang out continuously.

Only now did Su Yi nod in apparent satisfaction.

This was the true, complete form of the countless glyphs of the Grand Dao. They could be organized into nine different divine abilities, but they could also form a complete Confucian classic!

At the same time, a waterfall of the rain of the Grand Dao surged forth, splashing Su Yi’s entire body. His power of the Grand Dao instantly advanced considerably.

“This trial was quite interesting, and the rewards are exceptional too.” Su Yi laughed, then turned to leave.

The old monsters watching from the shadows felt as if they’d been struck by lightning. All of them stood there in a daze.

All of them had been convinced that Su Yi could, at best, match the Cloudy Skies Immortal Sovereign’s record.

None of them would have guessed that in the end, he’d use downright miraculous methods to combine all of the glyphs into a single, complete Confucian classic! This was far more shocking than completing all nine secret arts!

He really had broken the Cloudy Skies Immortal Sovereign’s “unbreakable” record!

This scene left the old monsters completely stunned. A long time passed, but they couldn’t calm back down.

They were all long-established members of Blue Cliff Academy, but they’d had no idea that such a secret was hidden in the sixth trial!

A little while later, an old monster cried out in a quavering voice, “Everyone, if I’m not mistaken, the text that young man derived is the Classic of Endless Stars!”

Whoosh!

The crowd was in uproar, and their faces were full of disbelief. All of them had completely lost their cool.

The Classic of Endless Stars was one of the four classics of Blue Cliff Academy, a supreme legacy of Confucianism!

However, Blue Cliff Academy took massive damage during the Age of Fallen Immortals. They'd lost even this Confucian classic!

Even now, everyone in Blue Cliff Academy lamented this massive loss. Who would have thought this long-lost legacy would reappear today, much less that a young stranger would piece it together during his sixth trial?

“We’ve been foolish. We had no idea the Classic of Endless Stars was hidden in the sixth tower all long…” someone said bitterly. He was deeply ashamed.

“No matter what, we have to meet with our young friend. If he truly discerned the complete mysteries of the Classic of Endless Stars, we have to return this legacy to Blue Cliff Academy, no matter the cost!” someone said with conviction.

“That’s right. We ought to do just that!”

“But we’d best wait a little while longer. Our young friend is still undergoing his trials; we absolutely cannot disturb him.”

“Very well.”

……

Towers seven through nine tested a Universe Realm Immortal’s heart, will, and courage.

Su Yi had no interest in such tests whatsoever. The experiences of his past lives meant that all three were far beyond his contemporaries. It was thus to be expected that such trials would bore him.

I just hope it won’t disappoint me too badly, thought Su Yi as he arrived at the seventh tower.

This trial tested the heart. Forty-nine spirit pearls hovered throughout the hall, each condensed out of the power of a formation.

Each pearl contained a terrifying illusion that targeted the heart. Those with weak hearts even risked losing themselves to obsession!

Trial-takers were required to resist at least nine pearls to pass.

Once Su Yi arrived, he swept his gaze over the forty-nine pearls. With a wave of his sleeves, he created a fierce gale that destroyed them all at once.

Boom!

Forty-nine terrifying illusions burst forth at once, like a windstorm assailing Su Yi’s heart.

Hordes of ferocious demons danced about, roaring like thunder. The sound could easily shatter an immortal’s mind.

Countless tribulations burst forth, plunging Su Yi’s mind into illusions. It was as if he were a criminal facing divine punishment, longing to die yet unable to do so.

Vivid, realistic scenes of his past replayed before Su Yi’s eyes. Old friends appeared before him and called out to him in greeting.

Some were joyful, others too excited for words, others so happy that tears poured down their faces…

Every scene was vivid and lifelike, yet Su Yi took it all in coldly. He was entirely unmoved.

Suddenly——

“Brother-in-Law! I’m done with school for the day!”

Su Yi’s little sister-in-law, Wen Lingxue, rushed out of Pinecloud Sword Manor. She was a moving, lively beauty, and she was instantly the center of attention.

Su Yi’s gaze shifted inscrutably, and he said gently, “How are you doing, Lingxue?”

Wen Lingxue batted her eyes and asked in confusion, “Brother-in-Law, aren’t you here to welcome me home? Come on! If we’re late, Mom is sure to use it as an excuse to yell at you again.”

As she spoke, she took hold of Su Yi’s sleeves and started walking into the distance.

But Su Yi just let out a deep sigh. “How wonderful would it be if you were really Lingxue…”

He drew his fingertip through the air. Wen Lingxue and everything around her dissipated into nothingness.

Su Yi closed his eyes and whispered, “Break!”

Boom!

It was as if a thunderclap went off in his heart, breaking the effects of all forty-nine terrifying illusions at once.

Su Yi’s heart was instantly pure and unmarred once more, as tranquil as the waters of an ancient well.

These illusions were ultimately no more than flowers reflected in a mirror or moons reflected on the surface of a pond.

When Su Yi next opened his eyes, the seventh tower was completely empty. Only a resplendent rain of illusory light remained. It poured down on Su Yi, nourishing his heart.

Suddenly, he felt relaxed, happy, and clear-minded. He could keenly sense the silent, subtle shift to his heart.

Confucianism's Power of Innate Merit really is too wondrous for words! Su Yi exclaimed to himself.

The Power of Innate Merit was something only grandmasters of Confucianism could condense. It was wondrous, inscrutable, and incredibly useful for tempering the heart.

Su Yi would never have guessed he’d receive such good fortune after passing the seventh trial. He was now somewhat interested in the eighth and ninth trials.

He proceeded toward the eighth tower without any further delays.

But to Su Yi’s disappointment, although the eighth tower tested his will, it wasn’t all that hard. It was simply a formation that neutralized his cultivation base and plunged him into a state that felt as if he were moments away from death, like a man on the verge of drowning.

The longer trial-takers endured in this state, the higher their score.

To Su Yi, this wasn’t at all difficult. If not for his desire to see what kind of reward this test offered, he would have just turned and left.

In the end, he waited a full two hours before completely losing interest and deciding to leave.

A rain of light arose within the eighth tower and surged into Su Yi’s body.

After sensing his changes, Su Yi was unwittingly stunned. The rain of light had actually subtly increased his latent potential!

Latent potential was one of the most mysterious powers within a cultivator’s body. It required repeated testing and tempering to excavate bit by bit. Moreover, it was considered set in stone; there were practically no immortal medicines or cultivation techniques capable of raising latent potential.

During Su Yi’s ten years in the Spring and Autumn Space, he did everything in his power to fully excavate the potential of his Universe Realm cultivation, leaving nothing behind.

Yet after absorbing this wondrous rain of light, he suddenly felt he had more.

Strange. Why didn’t Meng Xinguan tell me the eighth trial hid such mysterious and rare good fortune? Don’t tell me no one else has ever acquired it before? Su Yi pondered this briefly, then turned to leave.

He quickly arrived at the ninth tower. Within moments, the tower filled with the sound of the Dao, and strange phenomena arose.

Su Yi just shook his head in disappointment and left.

The ninth trial was perilous indeed. It brought trial-takers to an unknown world full of strange and calamitous tribulations. All were utterly terrifying, to the point that even immortals would break down in panic!

The visions of catastrophe included the strange End of the Dharma, the cataclysm of the Age of Fallen Immortals, and trials above the indescribable River of Epochs…

All of these visions had once existed in the real world, but to most immortals, they were unknown and terrifying!

Never mind ordinary Universe Realm Immortals; even Void Realm True Immortals and Immortal Lords would struggle to recognize them, let alone cope with them.

It was thus easy to imagine how great a fright the trial of the ninth tower was.

But if you let the fear of these cataclysms overwhelm you, it would mean failing your trial.

Alas, Su Yi had the experience of multiple lifetimes, and he’d faced and overcome numerous strange tribulations and cataclysms over the course of his lives. To Su Yi, this was nothing at all.

Thus, he was disappointed.

The only thing that comforted him was that he received yet another wondrous reward for completing the ninth trial.

A portion of the purest Righteous Haoran Qi!

In the eyes of Confucian cultivators, those with Righteous Haoran Qi were like the sun shining overhead. They could cleanse all strange and inauspicious powers!

In truth, this was a wondrous power that could nourish the spirit and strengthen one’s majestic aura.

As an example, picture a mortal scholar lacking the strength to even capture a chicken. So long as there was Righteous Haoran Qi in his heart, he could walk through perilous graveyards and desolate lands alone. Malevolent spirits would see him as a blazing sun in motion, and they’d flee from him in panic, not daring to even harbor thoughts of attacking.

This was the power of courage and a righteous aura!

It had taken Su Yi just a little over two hours to overcome the first nine towers. If not for pausing in the eighth tower for a full two hours, it would have gone even faster.

The old monsters watching in secret had long since sunk into a lasting silence.

They were too shocked for words!