First Immortal of the Sword

They said nothing, because they simply couldn’t find words to describe their emotions.

Everything they’d just seen completely overturned their perception of reality. They simply couldn’t rely on their experience or pre-existing knowledge to judge what was happening!

Simply put, it was unbelievable!

“In the seventh tower, he broke through forty-nine heart-assailing illusions in a flash!”

“In the eighth tower, his will was as immovable as a boulder!”

“In the ninth tower, his courage was unrivaled, and none of those strange calamities shook him!”

After a while, one of the old monsters murmured, “Even more terrifying, he made it seem like a walk in the park…”

Someone said in a quavering voice, “No, what’s really unbelievable is that Innate Merit really exists in the seventh tower, Nirvanic Might in the eighth, and Righteous Haoran Qi in the ninth!”

The other old monsters’ hearts shook.

Nirvanic Might!

Righteous Haoran Qi!

These were three practically legendary powers of the Grand Dao. Each was strange and unfathomable, with profundities upon profundities.

As old-timers of Blue Cliff Academy, all of them had heard tales of the academy’s founder leaving these three unbelievable treasures of the Grand Dao in the seventh through ninth towers. However, forget about trial-takers receiving them as rewards, nobody had even glimpsed them at any point in the past.

It was to the point that everyone in Blue Cliff Academy took these stories for mere rumors. None dared to take them seriously.

But now…

The old-timers finally dared say with certainty that the legends were real. Those three types of good fortune really existed!

Who wouldn’t have been surprised?

Just what kind of heaven-defying mental fortitude, will, and courage did that young man have to have received all three strokes of good fortune thought to exist only in rumors?

They couldn’t wrap their heads around it. That was why they'd been too astonished for words earlier.

“Think about his results in the first six towers. Didn’t he break records in all of them too, achieving miracle after miracle?”

“The boy is simply a natural-born sage of Confucian legends!”

“The ancients said if the heavens hadn’t created Confucius, all of history would have been as dark as night. It seems… that boy has that kind of ability too!”

“The last three trials are the most difficult, as they test his combat skills. Let’s see whether or not he can keep creating miracles and setting astonishing records!”

The old monsters’ hearts filled with eagerness.

The founder of Blue Cliff Academy designed the trials in towers ten through twelve personally. Every trial was full of enormous secrets.

Throughout the ages, countless dazzlingly talented Universe Realm Immortals had attempted the trials of the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers, but only sixty-three had made it through.

Even those who overcame the earlier challenges almost always failed their challenge during these last three trials.

For instance, not long ago, Tang Weihan, the expert in first place on the Universe Realm Immortal Ranking, had come to test himself. However, he ultimately failed to get past the tenth trial!

An even crueler reality was that no one had overcome the last three trials since the days prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals.

Yet now, a young man who’d continuously broken records and created miracles was about to reach the last three towers. Who wouldn’t have been eager?

……

Alas, for Su Yi, the last three trials were the dullest, most insipid, and most tedious of all.

A test of combat prowess?

He could already kill Immortal Lords with one hand tied behind his back!

The trials of the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers were designed for Universe Realm Immortals. No matter how fierce the trials, how could they challenge Su Yi?

The twelfth tower.

Su Yi faced an opponent comparable to a late-stage Void Realm True Immortal. He was the manifestation of an ancient formation’s power.

Unusually, the trial guardian had ancient awareness and spiritually. He had essence, qi, and spirit, and he was proficient in unrivaled divine abilities of Confucianism. He was incredibly powerful.

Most Universe Realm Immortals would have had no hope of victory against such an opponent.

But Su Yi couldn’t even be bothered to spare him a second glance. He just raised his sword and cut him down.

It was no more difficult than drinking a glass of water.

The eleventh tower.

This trial guardian was stronger than the last, but he was still only comparable to a peak Void Realm True Immortal.

He too died in an instant.

The twelfth tower.

This time, Su Yi was rather surprised by his opponent.

He too was a peak Void Realm True Immortal, but he was a rare genius with heaven-defying strength.

Su Yi had met the expert in first place on the Void Realm True Immortal Rankings, Ying Xiu of the Jadelight Pure Lands. The twelfth trial’s trial guardian was only slightly inferior to her.

Su Yi was surprised that a test aimed at Universe Realm Immortals would be this ridiculously difficult.

Of course, no matter how “ridiculous” it was, it still took almost no effort on Su Yi’s part.

One slash, crisp and direct, without the slightest suspense.

This was why Su Yi found it all so tedious. The first nine floors had been comparably interesting.

However, the last three towers made Su Yi realize something——

Over the years, sixty-three Universe Realm Immortals had successfully overcome the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers. That meant that all sixty-three of those Universe Realm Immortals had the heaven-defying strength needed to kill a peak expert of the Void Realm!

And that was only among those who’d attempted the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers. There were surely numerous similarly heaven-defying figures who hadn’t.

The Immortal Realm was home to trillions of cultivators, including countless Universe Realm Immortals. Ultimately, only a select few could achieve this.

The Immortal Realm is about to welcome a golden age. I’m sure it’ll soon see an influx of heaven-defying figures, thought Su Yi. This is actually a good thing.

Alas, I can’t find anyone worth fighting among Void Realm True Immortals, never mind fellow Universe Realm Immortals.

As Su Yi pondered, he left the twelfth tower and arrived at the highest point of Blue Cliff.

The night was dark and heavy. A breeze blew past. Su Yi stood at the cliffside, hands behind his back, the winds rustling his blue robes.

“I’ve finally resolved one of my long-held desires and amended one of the regrets of my past life.” Su Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip. His heart somehow felt lighter.

A moment later, the ancient, boundless ringing of a bell resounded throughout Blue Cliff Academy.

……

“He passed, just like that?” one of the old monsters muttered in a daze.

Everyone had thought that Su Yi would have to overcome fierce, perilous combat to pass the last three trials. They’d hoped to seize this opportunity to get a sense of this young man’s true strength.

Who’d have thought that they’d completely miscalculated?

In just a few blinks of an eye, Su Yi effortlessly overcame the last three towers!

“One slash per trial was all it took. In just three strikes, he overcame the last three trials. Don’t tell me that young man is strong enough to contend with Immortal Lords?” someone exclaimed.

“He just set three more records! Not one person in history has ever done what he just did. He killed his enemies in an instant!” someone cried out excitedly.

“In the tenth trial, he received Xiantian Jade Rain to temper his Immortal Origin Space!”

“In the eleventh trial, he received Endless Transformations Essence to temper his flesh!”

“In the twelfth trial, he received Chaos Universe Power to temper his soul!”

“All three are unrivaled strokes of good fortune no other trial-taker has ever obtained!”

Someone couldn’t help but stammer, “How… how could he possibly be so heaven-defying?”

“He overcame all of the last three trials in an instant. This is a miracle! It’s absolutely unprecedented, and I’m sure no one will ever manage to do it again!” someone sighed with admiration.

“Cut the chatter. Let’s hurry! Let’s go meet with him. No matter what, we have to treat him as our most distinguished guest!” someone shouted.

……

Meanwhile, beneath the same night sky, in the floating arena.

Boom!

Resplendent Dao Light ripped through the night sky.

With a swing of her fists, Nie Weirui forced the twenty-third Immortal Lord back.

She looked around, her gaze icy and dignified. “If anyone else would like to fight me today, they’re welcome to step forth.”

Her voice boomed throughout heaven and earth, echoing throughout the mountains.

The higher-ups of Blue Cliff Academy had dark looks on their faces. Their hearts were heavy. Nie Weirui was just too strong!

Although she was “only” a mid-stage Saint Realm Immortal Lady, she was extraordinarily talented, with all manner of powerful abilities. Her cultivation was simply heaven-defying, and she'd crushed everyone in her path.

Blue Cliff Academy had sent out some of its older-generation Immortal Lords, but none of them lasted more than a few seconds!

Her invincible bearing put enormous pressure on the Blue Cliff Academy higher-ups. Some were furious, others frustrated or depressed.

But all of them felt a powerful sense of humiliation!

In stark contrast, the experts accompanying Nie Weirui visibly relaxed. All of them were smiling.

Nie Weirui had now won twenty-three duels in a row! She’d effectively single-handedly crushed Blue Cliff Academy’s bluster!

Meng Xinguan was there too. After seeing Su Yi to the Blue Cliff, he rushed over, only to watch Nie Weirui knock his seniors to the ground, one after another.

Meng Xinguan’s expression darkened and his heart sank. Are we really going to lose the Haoran Ruler this time?

Over in Pine Hut College’s camp, a white-robed middle-aged man couldn’t help but say, “Friends of Blue Cliff Academy, it seems to me that we’d best end this here. Any further fighting will only lead to animosity. It’d be better to simply admit defeat and let us leave with the Haoran Ruler.”

The Blue Cliff Academy higher-ups’ expressions were instantly unsightly.

An elder said gravely, “Fellow Daoist Nie has been fighting for a long time, and she’s exhausted much of her strength. We naturally won’t take advantage of the situation. Tomorrow, we’ll send another of our representatives to learn from her extraordinary skills!”

They’d agreed that this discussion of the Dao was to be held over two days. Blue Cliff Academy naturally wouldn’t admit defeat prematurely!

Nie Weirui had a tranquil look on her face as she said coolly, “You still won’t admit defeat? Very well. I’ll naturally leave you all convinced of your defeat tomorrow!”

The experts of Blue Cliff Academy found her confidence and calmness hard to take. All of them had a bitter taste in their mouth.

But then, the ancient, boundless ringing of a bell filled the air, echoing throughout the mountains.

The experts of Blue Cliff Academy were stunned.

Nie Weirui and the other experts of Pine Hut College were startled too.

Someone actually overcame the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers?