The Sky-reaching Sea of Clouds, beneath the Sacred Fire Cliff.

A young man in black robes with a gloomy expression sat cross-legged on a small boat, breathing in and out to regulate his Qi.

After a long while, he finally opened his eyes and looked toward the vast sea of clouds in front of him.

Boom!

In an instant, the sea of clouds surged, and waves rose high into the sky, rolling toward him in response to his breathing technique.

Almost simultaneously, the young man in black robes opened his eyes wide, his cultivation power surging to the limit before bursting outward.

With great effort, he unleashed a strike of “Heavenly Craft True Qi,” smashing down with a roar, grasping rivers and seas, capturing clouds and pressing fog, forcefully calming the incoming wave.

However, before he could catch his breath, a second wave came right after.

“Good timing!”

The young man in black robes let out a long roar, his Heavenly Craft True Qi moving in response, manifesting blades, spears, swords, halberds, and bustling carriages, charging to meet the second wave.

Bang!

Another loud explosion sounded.

The young man in black robes turned slightly red in the face and took a step back, but the incoming wave was also shattered by him and calmed down.

Yet, the waves on the sea of clouds showed no sign of stopping.

In fact, due to the young man’s use of his cultivation to absorb the essence of heaven and earth, the previously calm sea of clouds seemed provoked, becoming even more violent.

This time, three waves surged together to attack him.

“Hmph!”

This time, the young man in black robes was no longer as composed as before.

His face flushed red, and his True Qi rapidly depleted as he clashed with the waves.

Neither side could suppress the other.

Seeing this, the young man in black robes could only grit his teeth and change his hand seal, slowly withdrawing his vast cultivation power step by step.

Strangely enough, as he withdrew his power, the originally surging waves of the sea of clouds also gradually subsided.

In the end, they returned to their original state along with the fully withdrawn power of the young man in black robes.

“Hu…”

Only then did the young man in black robes let out a long breath.

However, his body swayed, completely drained of energy, unable to stand steady.

He had to quickly activate the boat to distance himself from the sea of clouds before taking out a pill to consume and sitting down to recover.

After a long time, he finally regained some strength.

At that moment, a streak of light descended from the sky.

The light parted to reveal a handsome young man holding a feather fan and wearing a scholar’s scarf, gracefully landing on the boat.

He smiled at the young man in black robes and said:

“Tianhe, your cultivation has improved.”

“This ‘Sea of Balance’ surrounds the entire Sacred Fire Cliff. The principle here is that the higher the tide rises, the stronger the waves become. The more you demonstrate your power, the larger the waves get.”

“Ordinary disciples at the peak of Qi Refining can’t even withstand a single wave.”

“Even we true disciples, who have cultivated third-grade True Qi, can generally only withstand two waves. Only those with exceptional power can contend with three waves.”

“But you, Tianhe, managed to withstand four waves. Even among the true disciples, that makes you a standout.”

Despite being pleased with the praise, the young man in black robes, Qin Tianhe, humbly shook his head and said:

“That’s just because I’ve lived a few more years.”

“I’ve been a true disciple for many years, and only now can I barely suppress four waves.”

“It’s said that back in the day, Yinshan, with his third-grade True Qi, could suppress as many as nine waves. That was said to be almost at the level of a Foundation Establishment True Person.”

Upon hearing this, the handsome young man also showed admiration and said:

“I’ve heard the elders say that only a Foundation Establishment True Person can cross the ‘Sea of Balance’ without stirring up waves. To reach that realm, both rank and True Qi are indispensable. One must at least have the ability to suppress ten waves in an instant.”

“Yinshan was able to suppress nine waves back then. He was indeed close to becoming one of the True Persons.”

The two sighed with emotion before Qin Tianhe curiously asked the handsome young man:

“Xu Xin, you usually cultivate in your cave dwelling. What brings you here?”

“You haven’t heard the news?”

Xu Xin looked slightly surprised and said:

“The four great sects are about to engage in another Dao Struggle with our Saint Sect. Qingcheng Feixue True Lord has emerged from seclusion and is preparing to personally oversee this battle.”

“Summons have already been sent out in all directions.”

“Besides us idle true disciples, many Qi Refining disciples have also been recalled to the sea of clouds. The weakest among them are already in the late stage of Qi Refining.”

“Oh right, there’s also a newcomer. Poor guy, he happened to advance to true disciple right at this moment.”

“Oh?”

Qin Tianhe raised an eyebrow with interest and asked:

“Who is this newcomer? Which True Person favored him?”

“It’s said that he was recommended by Yinshan.”

As he spoke, Xu Xin’s expression suddenly turned a little strange:

“But as far as I know, that newcomer seems to have never been to the righteous-demonic battlefield.”

“Never been there?”

Qin Tianhe immediately frowned when he heard this.

Then, as if recalling something, a look of disdain appeared on his face:

“Another one like Chen Xin’an?”

Even among the true disciples of the Saint Sect, there were different factions.

Some earned their positions through bloodshed on the righteous-demonic battlefield, while others bought their way in through connections and wealth from their powerful families.

The former, like Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, despised the latter, believing they were unworthy of their rank.

Meanwhile, the latter, like Chen Xin’an, who came from prestigious immortal clans, looked down on people like Qin Tianhe, considering them lucky mud-legs who survived by chance.

“Not too sure.”

Xu Xin shook his head with a smile and said:

“But regardless, in this upcoming Dao Struggle, whether that newcomer is capable or not, we’ll see soon enough.”

“If he really is as useless as Chen Xin’an, I wouldn’t mind giving him a lesson to keep him from dragging us down in the battle.”

“Well said!”

Qin Tianhe nodded and stopped dwelling on it.

Instead, he began to focus on the upcoming Dao Struggle, feeling excitement stir in his heart as he clenched his fists tightly.

As a true disciple of the battlefield faction, he had fought his way through countless life-and-death battles on the righteous-demonic battlefield.

He had survived two Dao Struggles already.

If he could win one more, he would have a fifty percent chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Therefore, he was determined to win this Dao Struggle!

At that moment, a sudden loud boom echoed from the distant sea of clouds.

It sounded like thunder rolling through the sky, approaching rapidly from the distant horizon.

“Someone’s coming?”

Hearing the commotion, Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, who had just been chatting, immediately fell silent.

With a touch of reverence, they looked toward the source of the sound.

As the sound grew louder, their expressions became increasingly serious.

For light to travel with such explosive thunderous momentum, what kind of power must the cultivator driving it possess?

In the next moment, the streak of light arrived.

Boom!

A massive surge of power stirred the surrounding “Sea of Balance” into chaos, far greater than the four waves Qin Tianhe had just stirred.

In an instant, ten waves rose high into the sky.

Before Xu Xin and Qin Tianhe could even react, an even greater force descended from above, slamming down on the waves!

Bang!

In an instant, the vast sea of clouds spanning hundreds of miles fell silent.

All the waves were flattened as if by an invisible giant hand, parting the clouds and dispersing the fog, revealing a clear and elegant figure.

“So this is the place?”

Lü Yang glanced around and soon spotted the small boat below with two Saint Sect disciples on it.

He immediately descended toward them.

“You two…”

Before Lü Yang could finish his sentence, Qin Tianhe and Xu Xin, who had just witnessed Lü Yang’s effortless suppression of the sea of clouds, immediately knelt down and respectfully saluted:

“Disciple Qin Tianhe.”

“Disciple Xu Xin.”

“Paying respects to True Person!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep