Chapter 663: The Second Mountain
Zhang Ruochen caught up with the tall, thin man, walked alongside him, and asked with considerable curiosity, "Just now, you said you and I are different. What exactly did you mean?"
The tall, thin man kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, showing no intention of speaking with Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen added, "If you tell me the reason, I'll tell you mine."
Perhaps because Zhang Ruochen was a disciple of the Longevity Courtyard, or perhaps because the tall, thin man was genuinely curious about Zhang Ruochen's unconventional behavior, he finally spoke. "My cultivation has already reached the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm. Even if I consume the Sacred Spring, it's impossible for me to break through to the ninth transformation."
Zhang Ruochen nodded in understanding. So that was it. He said, "So, you plan to wait until you break through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm before taking the Sacred Spring, using its power to comprehend the Sacred Path and thus impact the Half-Saint realm."
"Correct."
The tall, thin man's gaze shifted to Zhang Ruochen. "Don't tell me you've also reached the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm? Although I can't see through your cultivation, I know your realm is still a considerable distance from the eighth transformation."
"Impressive. As expected from a powerhouse at the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "There's no harm in telling you. The reason I'm not staying at the first Sacred Spring to improve my cultivation is that I want to go to the summit of the second mountain to collect the sacred water from the second Sacred Spring. If I have the chance, I'd also like to see the summit of the third mountain. With only one day a month, why should I waste time on the first mountain?"
The corner of the tall, thin man's mouth twitched slightly. He scrutinized Zhang Ruochen carefully and said, "I never thought the Longevity Courtyard would produce someone so arrogant. With your cultivation, just passing the first level of the second mountain would be enough to shake the entire Liangyi Sect."
Clearly, the tall, thin man didn't believe Zhang Ruochen could reach the summit of the second mountain. He simply saw Zhang Ruochen as a reckless fool.
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen saved that Sacred Heir Disciple who had fallen off the cliff, the tall, thin man thought Zhang Ruochen had a sense of camaraderie. Moreover, since they were both disciples of the Longevity Courtyard, he had wanted to befriend him.
But because of that one sentence Zhang Ruochen had just spoken, even the last shred of goodwill the tall, thin man had for him vanished.
The tall, thin man walked straight ahead without saying another word to Zhang Ruochen.
Words spoken that can be achieved are called confidence.
Words spoken that cannot be achieved are called arrogance.
Zhang Ruochen had always considered himself a confident person. If a person didn't even have confidence, what could they possibly accomplish?
Watching the tall, thin man walk away without looking back, Zhang Ruochen merely shook his head with a smile, showing no emotional fluctuation. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked all the way to the foot of the second mountain.
Before they arrived, several dozen Sacred Heir Disciples had already gathered at the foot of the mountain.
Those who could reach the second mountain were naturally no ordinary figures. They were the cream of the crop among the Sacred Heir Disciples.
Ahead stood a hundred-zhang-tall azure stone wall, covered entirely with characters carved by swords.
Compared to the characters at the foot of the first mountain, the characters here contained a much more powerful Sword Dao force.
Just standing beneath the stone wall, cultivators could feel a stinging sensation on their skin, as if invisible sword qi were striking their bodies.
Moreover, the characters on the stone wall were extremely obscure and difficult to understand.
Some characters had never appeared in any scroll; they were fonts and shapes created by the sages of the Liangyi Sect themselves.
Such characters were called "Sacred Characters."
Among the crowd, Zhang Ruochen spotted Xu Changsheng and Gai Hao. At that moment, Gai Hao was fighting a translucent figure. The two were locked in a fierce battle, with sword qi swirling all around.
After about thirty-odd moves, Gai Hao was struck in the chest by the translucent figure's sword, leaving a half-foot-long bloody gash. He was thus defeated.
"Challenge failed."
The translucent figure transformed back into a character and flew back to the stone wall.
In the end, Gai Hao couldn't pass the first level of the second mountain.
However, his performance earned the recognition of everyone present. To fight the guardian of the second mountain's first level for over thirty moves with only the third transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm—only a Sacred Body could be so powerful.
After his defeat, Gai Hao immediately took a healing pill and retreated to the side.
"As expected of a Sacred Body. At such a young age, his Sword Dao cultivation has already reached this level. Within three years at most, Gai Hao should be able to pass the first level of the second mountain," said a Sacred Heir Disciple at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
This Sacred Heir Disciple was already eighty-five years old but still looked middle-aged. His cultivation was naturally profound. With a single step, he gave the impression that the earth was sinking beneath him.
He walked to the base of the stone wall, selected one of the characters, and the character detached, condensing into the form of a guardian.
"Bam bam."
After sixteen moves, the Sacred Heir Disciple at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm was sent flying by the guardian.
Challenge failed.
Although this Sacred Heir Disciple had deep cultivation, his understanding of the Sword Dao was inferior to Gai Hao's, who was only at the third transformation. Thus, he only managed to block sixteen moves.
This showed just how absurdly difficult the test of the second mountain was. Even Sacred Bodies and Sacred Heir Disciples at the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm struggled to pass the first level.
Someone noticed Zhang Ruochen and the tall, thin man and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Two newcomers have passed the three levels of the first mountain and come here."
"Interesting. Both are Sacred Heir Disciples of the Longevity Courtyard. When did the Longevity Courtyard become so strong?"
"In the last thirty years, the Longevity Courtyard has ranked near the bottom in every sect competition. How could it produce two prodigies at once?"
The arrival of Zhang Ruochen and the tall, thin man caused quite a stir on the second mountain. After all, those who could reach the second mountain were all renowned figures.
The Sacred Heir Disciples present turned their heads to look.
When Xu Changsheng saw Zhang Ruochen, he let out a soft, disdainful snort. Clearly, Zhang Ruochen's ability to reach the second mountain filled him with contempt.
Finally, someone recognized the tall, thin man. Their expression changed slightly, and they immediately sent a telepathic message to all the Sacred Heir Disciples present.
"So it's him."
Upon learning the tall, thin man's identity, the other Sacred Heir Disciples showed expressions of uncertainty. They immediately stepped aside, clearing a path for him.
Only three people remained calm, showing no alarm at the tall, thin man's arrival.
The first was Xu Changsheng.
The second was Qin Yufan, standing beneath the stone wall.
The last person stood by a distant cliff. Her delicate figure was shrouded in a layer of white mist. She had a slender build, with straight, long legs. Although her facial features were unclear, the graceful curves of her silhouette were visible.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at her from afar and could roughly guess her identity. She was likely that prodigy who had achieved Sword Heart Illumination at birth—Qi Feiyu.
Xu Changsheng looked at the tall, thin man and said, "Can Dong, you've finally decided to return to the sect. I thought you were going to spend your whole life fighting on the Ruins Realm battlefield."
The tall, thin man replied, "If it weren't for the upcoming Sword Discussion Assembly, I wouldn't have come back either."
"Since you're back, let's fight," Xu Changsheng said.
His voice carried a powerful sonic wave. Surging Saint Qi surged from within his body, and in an instant, a thirteen-zhang-tall giant Martial Soul phantom condensed behind him.
"Rustle rustle."
At the foot of the second mountain, sand and stones flew, and a fierce wind howled, as if hundreds of wind blades were cutting through the air.
Zhang Ruochen watched from a distance, muttering to himself, "So he's the Blood Sword Can Dong. Truly a formidable opponent."
Although Zhang Ruochen had never fought Can Dong, he could still sense his immense power. It was almost unfathomable.
Then, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Xu Changsheng.
Xu Changsheng was slightly younger than Can Dong. He appeared to be brimming with battle intent, but Zhang Ruochen noticed that Xu Changsheng's eyes were remarkably calm. This showed that he was not an impulsive person but someone with both courage and strategy.
Another formidable figure.
Zhang Ruochen was even eager to see what it would be like when Xu Changsheng and Can Dong clashed.
Faced with Xu Changsheng's challenge, Can Dong remained exceptionally calm. "I'm here to challenge the second mountain. I don't want to waste my strength at the foot of the mountain. If you're strong enough, we'll definitely have a chance to cross swords during the Sword Discussion Assembly."
Xu Changsheng withdrew his battle intent. "In that case, let's see who can go further on Ancient God Mountain."
Xu Changsheng was the first to walk to the base of the stone wall. Lifting his head, he scanned the characters on the wall and said, "Although I've already passed the first level of the second mountain, this time, I want to challenge two characters."
The surrounding Sacred Heir Disciples were all shocked. No one expected Xu Changsheng to dare challenge two characters at once.
Two characters meant he would have to fight two guardians simultaneously. Compared to challenging one guardian, the difficulty increased by more than double.
"Is Xu Changsheng too confident in his Sword Dao?"
"Challenging two characters at once should be a huge challenge even for him."
"Whoosh!"
Two characters detached from the stone wall simultaneously, transforming into two translucent figures that attacked Xu Changsheng at the same time.
The three figures clashed in a fierce battle. Except for Qin Yufan, Can Dong, and Qi Feiyu, everyone else retreated far away, afraid of being caught in the sword qi.
Zhang Ruochen cupped his chin, observing for a moment before muttering, "To pass this level, one's Sword Dao realm must at least reach the initial stage of Sword Heart Illumination, and they must have cultivated Sword One to the third level."
Based on his judgment, Xu Changsheng had probably cultivated Sword One to the fourth level. With his strength, fighting two guardians simultaneously should give him a decent chance of victory.
Half an hour later, Xu Changsheng used a Ghost-level mid-grade sword technique to defeat both guardians and passed the level.
Unnoticed, Han Qiu had silently appeared behind Zhang Ruochen. Her watery, beautiful eyes were fixed on Xu Changsheng in the distance. With red lips and white teeth, she smiled and said, "Challenging two characters and still winning—Xu Changsheng must have cultivated Sword One to the fourth level. Truly impressive."
Zhang Ruochen wasn't surprised that Han Qiu had passed the three levels of the first mountain.
Without looking at her, Zhang Ruochen said, "Junior Sister Han Qiu, you'd better stay a little farther away from me."
Han Qiu shot him a resentful glance. "Weren't you always fond of me? Now that I'm taking the initiative to get close, you start pushing me away. Have you stopped being that cat who loves to steal fish?"
"Haven't you heard the phrase 'beauty is a disaster'? If your Senior Brother Xu sees us standing so close, he'll probably accuse me of flirting with you again. Then I'd become his love rival for no reason," Zhang Ruochen said.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen felt a sharp gaze on him. Following the gaze, he met Xu Changsheng's eyes directly.
Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly. "See? Every time I get too close to you, I end up being targeted."
Han Qiu squinted slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. She whispered in Zhang Ruochen's ear, "Originally, I had decided to give you a chance to pursue me. But I didn't expect you to be such a coward. Could it be that one glare from Xu Changsheng has scared you?"
Xu Changsheng, standing beneath the stone wall, saw Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu standing close together, chatting and laughing, and a surge of jealousy rose in his heart.
However, he didn't show it. Instead, a graceful smile appeared on his face. From a distance, he said, "Junior Brother Lin Yue, I heard that during your coronation ceremony, you fused three ancestral sword intents in a row, an unprecedented feat in the history of the Liangyi Sect. Your talent in the Sword Dao must be extraordinary. Today, how many characters do you plan to challenge?" (To be continued.)
P.S.: (Announcing the QQ group number for a female fan group of *The Ancient God Emperor*: 337358664. Male readers, please don't join, as it would be a waste of time to kick you out. Male readers can join other chat groups.)