Forging Immortality through the Dao Seed

Not long after.

Zhang Jing's figure floated down from the Ascent to the Heavens Stairs.

He could not help but furrow his brows slightly.

The only feeling that this attempt to challenge the Ascent to the Heavens Stairs gave him was — extreme difficulty!

This didn't only refer to the powerful strength of the Spirit Gods who were guarding there, which was hard to match, but also to the fact that the difference in strength between the Spirit Gods guarding the neighbouring stairs had been stretched to a significantly large degree.

It was completely different from before!

Even with Zhang Jing's current strength, he could only stop at the fourth level of the Ascent to the Heavens Stairs!

To pass through, without the Taoyin Sea Dragon's Tao Intent reaching fifty percent, it was absolutely impossible.

His thoughts returned to reality.

Hie mind communicated with the Dao Pattern in his palm.

Zhang Jing looked directly at the Spiritual Pith List, his gaze sweeping from top to bottom.

The next moment, his eyes landed on his own name.

[Eleventh Place: Zhang Jing (Qi Refinement Tenth Layer・Seventy-six Steps・Dragon Lake Dao Institute)]

He had no choice.

Among a series of disciples in the Late Foundation Establishment stage, Zhang Jing, with his cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, stood out especially.

Seeing this.

Even if he was well-prepared.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but be a little stunned.

This is... eleventh place?

In this Little Void of the Ten Thousand Gods, over six hundred inner court disciples of Foundation Establishment Realm from the three Dao Institutes, as well as several disciples of the Outer Academy at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement, were present.

And among them.

He, Zhang Jing, managed to squeeze into the eleventh position with his cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement!

...

At this moment.

In the Third Void.

Another pair of eyes were locked tightly onto the Spiritual Pith List.

Or to be precise.

They were fixed on Zhang Jing's name.

"Eleventh place?" A shocked voice suddenly sounded, covering the howling cold wind.

Shen Qingqing covered her small mouth, her eyes revealing a touch of disbelief.

In her mind, she couldn't help but imagine Zhang Jing's figure.

A seemingly quiet young man, except for being a bit fierce sometimes.

But Shen Qingqing also understood.

It was, after all, a matter of ranking at that time, so it was normal not to show mercy.

However, now.

No matter what, she couldn't link the quiet young man she remembered and the current Zhang Jing who was crushing countless inner court Senior Brothers in the Little Void of the Ten Thousand Gods, ranking eleventh on the Spiritual Pith List, together.

No!

It should be said that.

Throughout the three Dao Institutes, only a scarce ten Senior Brothers were able to best him.

The key point was that this guy, just like her, only had the cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Refinement!

This strong contrast.

It made Shen Qingqing feel for a moment that she must be dreaming.

Just how profound his comprehension of the Tao Intent must be, to be ranked eleventh on the Spiritual Pith List?

And what terrifying insight would be needed to support him to understand the Tao Intent to this extent?

Shen Qingqing didn't dare, nor wanted to think about it.

Her current sole goal was to comprehend a hint of Tao Intent.

And now.

She was still a little bit away from this goal.

However, she was full of confidence about this.

After all, there were still nearly three and a half months before the closure of the Little Void of the Ten Thousand Gods.

But at this point.

"Qingqing, what are you looking at?"

A delicate voice came to Shen Qingqing from behind.

"Nian sister, how did your comprehension go this time?"

Shen Qingqing turned around to look at the newcomer, asking curiously.

In front of her.

Qin Nian put her hands on her hips, raised her head, revealing her white jaw and swan-like pink neck, and finally nodded vigorously.

"I did it! I finally got a hint of Tao Intent!"

She shouted excitedly.

"Oh! Congratulations, Nian sister!"

Looking at the girl in front of her, Shen Qingqing was genuinely happy for her.

"So, what were you just looking at?"

Qin Nian asked triumphantly.

Upon hearing this.

A complex expression emerged on Shen Qingqing's face.

She did not say much, only pointed to the Dao pattern in her palms and reminded:

"Sister Qian, can you take a look at the Spiritual Pith List, from the beginning to the end?"

"The Spiritual Pith List?"

A hint of confusion rose on Qin Nian's delicate face, apparently not understanding why the other party asked her to look at this.

A dozen breaths later.

The sudden shriek broke the silence at the place.

"Ah! Holy shit, Zhang... Zhang Jing... How this... this... monster manages to be on the eleventh place!"

...

The Ninth Void.

Zhang Jing gently landed on the ground.

Just as he was about to move forward.

"Junior Brother Zhang Jing?" A voice that carried certainty suddenly came from the front.

Zhang Jing immediately stopped walking and looked ahead in confusion.

In his field of vision.

Zhang Jing saw a heavy fog that suddenly churned, and then a blurred figure of a human gradually appeared behind it.

As the figure approached.

Meanwhile, his robe shimmered with bursts of purple aura.

A purple robe? Senior brother from the Inner Academy?

Zhang Jing was instantly relieved.

Within an instant, he knew who the comer was.

Just when he was checking out the Spiritual Pith List, Zhang Jing noticed that there was only one senior brother from the Dragon Lake Dao Institute in the entire Ninth Void, whom he remembered was named Huang Jingtong.

However, he didn't know which Pavilion the senior brother belonged to.

As the senior brother approached.

"Junior Brother Zhang Jing greets Senior Brother Huang!" Zhang Jing said in a neither humble nor arrogant tone.

"Haha, no need for formalities, Junior Brother Zhang! I'm the chief of the Supervision Pavilion, and you are the future chief of the Thousand Law Pavilion. We're equal in our interactions." Huang Jingtong laughed heartily.

"Since it's your first visit here, let me first show you around the Ninth Void. But there is no rush, after all, we are going to spend more than three months here."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother."

There was a trace of gratitude in Zhang Jing's voice.

Then, as if he had just realized something, Zhang Jing looked at Huang Jingtong and asked:

"Senior Brother, is it difficult to enter the Tenth Void?"

As his words fell.

Huang Jingtong turned his head, showing a wry smile:

"Junior Brother, do you know who is currently in the Tenth Void?"

Without waiting for Zhang Jing's answer, he continued:

"One of them is the chief of the Spirit Tao Pavilion, which you should know. The other two are from Shenxiao Daoist Temple and Xuanguang Daoist Temple. They are both existences who are listed on the True Spirit List."

"You understand what I mean now."

Zhang Jing immediately fell silent.

...

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Somewhere, amidst the foggy sea.

Li! The sharp cry wrapped in transparent sound waves instantly tore through the dense fog in a radius of several miles.

Revealing Zhang Jing's figure hidden in the fog.

He slightly raised his head, his eyes full of calmness.

In his sight.

A blue sukhoi bird with three feet under its belly was flapping its blood-stained wings, desperately flying toward the distance. The energy on its body had already waned to the extreme.

"Trying to escape? But where can you run to?"

Zhang Jing pointed forward with one hand.

In mid-air.

A faint and insignificant speck of light, shielded by the dense fog, instantly caught up with the fleeing blue sukhoi bird.

The next moment.

The sukhoi bird let out a mournful cry.

Its large silhouette abruptly fell from the sky.

"Another 50,000! The Spiritual Pith should be almost enough to bring my Tao Intent to completion, right?" Zhang Jing thought to himself.

He then connected with the Dao pattern in his palm through his mind.

"Spiritual Pith: Twelve million seven thousand three hundred"

...

In just half a month.

Zhang Jing had obtained over ten million Spiritual Pith in the Ninth Void.

The most worthy of merit among all his achievements was the heavy fog that pervaded the Ninth Void.

The improved Miniature Black Sea Dragon, which was originally inconspicuous and good at hiding, made Zhang Jing's hunt for monster spirits more efficient to a terrifying degree with the cover of the thick fog.

Coming back to his senses.

Zhang Jing couldn't help but look up at the sky.

His deep eyes seemed to pierce through the void, staring directly at the Tenth Void.

"With a fully realized Tao Intent, I should be able to go up, right?"