Chapter 244 Are you really in the Qi training stage?

The battles for the top 30 in the Heavenly Rankings Tournament had become even fiercer than before. At this stage, winning against an opponent of the same realm took a long time unless there was a significant gap in cultivation level.

Day after day passed.

More and more cultivators flocked to Taixuan Sect to watch the tournament. The entire cultivation world was talking about it, and those who showcased their skills in the tournament became famous across the land, earning the admiration of countless cultivators.

After half a month, only fifteen contestants remained. Qiao Dai from Taixuan Sect once again advanced due to a bye, successfully securing a place in the top 15, which sparked much discussion.

Everyone could tell that Taixuan Sect was protecting Qiao Dai. However, since his family, the Qiao Clan, hailed from the Seven Star Spirit Realm, most people dared not openly question his advancement.

Li Ya also made it into the top 15, but his condition was worrying. The high-intensity battles had caused constant internal injuries to his physical body, and when mortals fought against immortals, their very souls could be damaged.

Every advantage came with a cost. Gu An did not offer much help to Li Ya—he needed Li Ya to truly fear the power that far surpassed his own.

Regardless of the specifics, Taixuan Sect had already succeeded. None of the Cang Heaven Sect disciples made it into the top 15, and the highest-ranking competitor from the Three Dynasties Sect Alliance only reached rank 29—a Dao Lord from Cang Heaven Sect.

With two cultivators from Taixuan Sect in the top 15, the sect had firmly established itself as the leading power in the cultivation world of the Three Dynasties.

Ten days later, only eight cultivators remained in the fight for the top spot. Taixuan Sect still held two positions—one being Li Ya, who was using the Divine Anomaly Spirit as his substitute, and the other was Qiao Dai, who had advanced through byes.

Elite Eight Battles

In the first match, Qiao Dai was eliminated, finishing in eighth place.

Relying on the power of Divine Anomaly City, Li Ya made it into the top four but ultimately fell short, stopping at fourth place. His energy was completely drained, and he fainted inside the formation just after summoning an army of Spirit Wraiths.

However, the disciples of Taixuan Sect were not disappointed. Instead, they deeply respected Li Ya.

After all, he was just a little over a hundred years old, yet he had shouldered the sect’s honor and responsibility, securing fourth place in the Heavenly Rankings Tournament—an impressive achievement.

During the previous Golden Rankings Tournament, Li Ya had encountered An Wu early on and failed to even break into the top 500. This time, securing third place, Gu An felt that he had no regrets.

As Gu An had expected, the final battle for the championship was between Immortal Lord in Yellow Robes and Yan Qitian.

Their duel lasted for three days and three nights, and in the end, Yan Qitian conceded.

Taixuan Sect remained lively. The influx of cultivators and the taxes collected from resource transactions left the sect’s upper echelons grinning from ear to ear.

The first Heavenly Rankings Tournament had been a great success. With such a high-profile lineup, other sects couldn’t possibly imitate it.

It wasn’t until autumn that Taixuan Sect finally returned to peace.

Before leaving, Li Ya visited Gu An. The two talked for two hours before Li Ya left with a carefree demeanor.

This time, he had indeed become a hero, stealing the spotlight. In the Three Dynasties cultivation world, his fame had even surpassed that of Immortal Lord in Yellow Robes and Yan Qitian, not just because he was a fellow sect member, but also due to his young age and legendary journey.

But none of that had much to do with Gu An.

To him, the Heavenly Rankings Tournament was merely a minor interlude. What truly excited him was the storage pouch found before acquiring the Heaven-Splitting Axe—it was a supreme-grade storage pouch filled with an immense number of Spirit Stones.

After settling the accounts, Gu An felt that Taixuan Sect had treated him fairly and had shown great sincerity.

The disappearance of that storage pouch also delighted the upper echelons of Taixuan Sect, as it reinforced their belief that their sect’s relationship with the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path had grown even closer.

Taixuan Sect moved swiftly—the records of the Heavenly Rankings Tournament were quickly spread throughout the cultivation world and were even distributed for free.

Through these records, cultivators learned about the backgrounds, cultivation levels, and astonishing power of the tournament’s top contenders.

Unconsciously, their perception of Taixuan Sect soared—after all, the sect had managed to gather so many immortals for a grand battle.

Taixuan Sect was undoubtedly the number one sect in the cultivation world!

Cangzhou, Taicang Empire – Imperial Palace Garden

In the imperial garden of Taicang Empire, Li Xuandao, clad in a dragon robe, sat at a table, flipping through the Heavenly Rankings records, and remarked with a soft chuckle:

“Taixuan Sect played this beautifully. With this book, the entire world will now see them as a sect capable of summoning immortals.”

Across from him sat a woman—Jiang Qiong.

Behind her stood two figures, both ghost cultivators from the Thirteen Fiends of the Nine Nether Path.

Behind Li Xuandao, stood two grandmaster-level cultivators, one of whom was Yi Liuyun, who had once cultivated in Horizon Valley.

Jiang Qiong smiled and said,

“But isn’t Your Majesty the one who benefited the most? Prince Li Ya has become famous across the world. Who doesn’t know he is your son now?”

At the mention of Li Ya, her emotions became complicated.

She and the Nightshade Ghost Mother had risked their lives exploring Divine Anomaly City, yet in the end, it was a younger generation who reaped the rewards.

How could she not feel envy and disappointment?

What made it worse was that, during her time as Outer Sect Grand Elder of Taixuan Sect, she had learned about Gu An’s social circle—and the person closest to him was Li Ya.

That kid is unbelievably lucky—he actually has such a powerful senior brother!

And with her own presence, Gu An could live a peaceful life in Xuan Valley even if he never left.

Thinking of this, Jiang Qiong smirked.

Li Xuandao put down the Heavenly Rankings records and said,

“I’ve assessed Gathering Flower Sect’s strength. But even if I unify the world, Gathering Flower Sect won’t be able to topple Taixuan Sect.”

Jiang Qiong replied,

“There’s no need to overthrow them, as long as we can establish ourselves firmly.”

She had no intention of competing with Taixuan Sect.

After all, Gathering Flower Sect’s true master was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. Why would they need to fight for dominance?

Besides, Gu An was still inside Taixuan Sect.

Li Xuandao nodded. “Tianwei is no longer a threat. If you assist us in conquering Great Jiang Empire, I will ensure that as long as I reign, Gathering Flower Sect will be upheld as a righteous sect.”

He highly valued Gathering Flower Sect—their strength was anything but ordinary.

Jiang Qiong nodded and continued discussing her sect’s demands while Li Xuandao listened attentively.

Autumn—Medicine Valley

Leaves fluttered in the autumn breeze, rising from the imperial garden and drifting into the distance.

Time flew like a shuttle.

A falling leaf landed in Gu An’s palm.

It was another autumn.

Standing by the wooden fence, Gu An admired the scenery of Medicine Valley.

Two years had passed since the Heavenly Rankings Tournament ended, and Yan Qitian had yet to return, making Gu An wonder.

Just then, Yang Zhi arrived, holding a long weapon—a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Saber, modeled after the weapon in Romance of the Gods.

Over the past two years, his aura had grown even stronger. Even while suppressing his cultivation, he still exuded an intimidating presence.

“Master, a cultivator is at the valley entrance. He claims to be an old acquaintance of yours—Zhou Tongyou.”

Hearing this, Gu An turned to look, feeling a surge of emotion.

He had once slain Zhou Yu.

And now, seeing Zhou Tongyou again—how could his heart remain completely still?

Gu An turned to look at Zhou Tongyou, feeling a mix of emotions.

He had killed Zhou Yu, and now, seeing Zhou Tongyou again—how could his heart remain unaffected?

Fortunately, Zhou Tongyou was unaware of this past event.

Gu An took a step forward and headed toward Zhou Tongyou, with Yang Zhi following closely behind.

A Reunion with Zhou Tongyou

Thinking back to their first meeting decades ago, Zhou Tongyou had once visited Taixuan Sect as a guest. At the time, he had effortlessly defeated all disciples below the Hundred-Luo level.

By chance, he had come across Gu An’s disciple, Ye Yan, practicing his spear techniques. Amused, he had offered some “guidance”—which meant thoroughly beating Ye Yan to a pulp. Gu An had been forced to step in.

They had fought, and in that battle, Zhou Tongyou had finally met his match. That encounter had sparked their mutual respect.

Later, Gu An had written Taixuan Immortal Venerable, and the second male lead in the novel had been based on Zhou Tongyou.

To Gu An’s surprise, even after all these years, Zhou Tongyou still remembered him.

Before he could speak, Gu An had already approached from behind and greeted him with a smile.

“Daoist Zhou, it’s been a long time.”

Hearing this, Zhou Tongyou turned around. Upon seeing Gu An, his face lit up with a smile.

Decades had passed, but Zhou Tongyou was still as proud and unrestrained as ever—his aura of a peerless genius impossible to conceal.

“Since I came to Taixuan Sect, how could I not pay you a visit?” Zhou Tongyou chuckled.

“This Medicine Valley of yours… quite impressive! I must say, I didn’t expect you to accomplish so much.”

The two began exchanging pleasantries.

Zhou Tongyou was visiting as a representative of Absolute Mountain Sect for a friendly exchange. He hadn’t come alone—several talented disciples from his sect had also accompanied him. However, he had chosen to travel separately.

The real reason Zhou Tongyou sought out Gu An was that, years ago, he had encountered one of Gu An’s disciples—Ye Zhi.

“That disciple of yours… his cultivation may not be high, but his comprehension of spear arts is truly remarkable. He has already grasped Spear Intent.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhi, who stood nearby, raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Ye Yan—his senior brother?

But as he listened, he gradually realized something—Ye Yan was probably just another Medicine Valley errand disciple.

He had never truly received Gu An’s personal teachings. His status as a “senior brother” was likely only in name.

Master is truly incredible. Even with just a little guidance, he can nurture a genius.

A Challenge Between Peers

As their conversation drew to a close, Zhou Tongyou’s gaze sharpened.

“It has been years since we last met. How about a sparring match? I’ll suppress my cultivation to match yours—what do you say?”

Among his peers, Zhou Tongyou had only ever lost to two people:

1. Lü Xian
2. Gu An

His loss to Gu An had been because he had restricted his own cultivation at the time. Now, he wanted to see the difference again.

Seeing Gu An hesitate, Yang Zhi suddenly spoke up.

“If you’re suppressing your cultivation, why not let me fight in Master’s place?”

Zhou Tongyou frowned and turned to Yang Zhi, about to refuse.

However, the moment his gaze met Yang Zhi’s eyes, an inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

For some reason, he was suddenly reminded of Lü Xian, the monstrous talent of their generation.

“Fine,” Zhou Tongyou smirked, his eyes gleaming with battle intent.

“Let’s see if you can compare to your master.”

The two errand disciples playing chess nearby looked up, sensing the tension in the air.

Just as they were about to spectate, Gu An calmly pressed their heads down.

“Focus on your game.”

Then, he led Zhou Tongyou and Yang Zhi away.

A Crushing Victory

They arrived at an isolated grove outside Medicine Valley.

The battle began.

Moments later…

Zhou Tongyou clutched his chest, his expression one of complete disbelief.

Before him, Yang Zhi still held his kicking stance, calm and composed.

“You’re seriously at the Qi Refining Stage?” Zhou Tongyou couldn’t help but ask.

Yang Zhi lowered his leg and replied,

“We both fought without using spiritual energy. Does cultivation level even matter?”

Hearing these words, Zhou Tongyou nearly coughed up blood.

He felt like his ribcage had been shattered.

How the hell is this kid so strong?!

After all, Zhou Tongyou himself was a body cultivator, and he had even refined his body with the Golden Suppression Physique, making his defense near-impenetrable…

Yet, this Qi Refining Stage brat had nearly crushed his bones with a single kick.

At that moment, Yang Zhi seemed even scarier than Lü Xian in his eyes.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep