Chapter 186 Qing Tan's First Entry into All-Under-Heaven Peak
Looking at the driver in front, Yu Qingtan felt as if she were experiencing a déjà vu from a past life.
Actually, Yu Qingtan had thought before that it was quite unbelievable for carriages in the Cultivation World, with such developed flying boats, to still be drawn by Demonic Beasts.
About the issue of self-driving vehicles, Yu Qingtan did not delve too deeply; things developed this way naturally for a reason.
Moreover, the fact that they weren't named "spiritual vehicles" made Yu Qingtan secretly heave a sigh of relief.
...
In the central region of The World Academy Southeast Branch, there stood a peak tens of thousands of feet tall, known as All-Under-Heaven Peak.
However, when Yu Qingtan arrived at Qu Fu Immortal City, she did not see such a towering peak within the city.
This was because All-Under-Heaven Peak was a Taoist Instrument containing the pathway of space, usually hidden within the void, not easily seen by the common eye.
According to rumors, the main peak of All-Under-Heaven Peak at the headquarters of The World Academy in the Central Domain was an Immortal Artifact.
That day, the sky was clear and bright.
Accompanied by Shi Kuang and his three associates, Yu Qingtan and Yan Xi arrived at the foot of All-Under-Heaven Peak, where many Cultivators had already gathered, with a constant stream arriving.
Among them, there were not many Cultivators from The World Academy. Shi Kuang introduced them all one by one to Yu Qingtan but did not approach them for a greeting, except for one real monarch of The World Academy.
The Mountain Guardian Real Monarch, an elder Nascent Soul Late Stage Cultivator responsible for guarding and opening All-Under-Heaven Peak, had both hair and beard white, with a face as red as jujube.
In response to the greetings from Yu Qingtan, Shi Kuang, and the others, he simply nodded with closed eyes.
The World Academy was vast, and many people there were not very familiar to Shi Kuang and his companions, and moreover, most were from other forces.
As expected, Yu Qingtan saw the wild cultivators from Sakura Island, led by the prominent tavern keeper.
Sensing Yu Qingtan's gaze, the cultivators from Sakura Island also looked back with unfriendly expressions.
Yu Qingtan couldn't be bothered to conflict with them at this moment and turned to look at others, including some Cultivators she had encountered at Wendao Sect, such as Jiang Yousi from Star Moon Sect and Leng Yihan from Cangqiong Sword Sect.
Yu Qingtan faintly felt a few malicious gazes directed at her, not from the cultivators of Sakura Island, but she couldn't discern their sources.
At this moment, Baili Ya and Tan Suqin arrived with a handsome, blond young man who first paid respects to the Mountain Guardian Real Monarch, and then approached the group of six including Yu Qingtan.
"Is this the Fairy Qingtan you spoke of? Indeed, she appears detached from this world. Fairy Qingtan, hello, I am Shuai Ge from the Thunder Courtyard of The World Academy, pleased to meet you!" said the blond young man upon setting eyes on Yu Qingtan.
"Fairy Qingtan has seen Brother Shuai, and I am also very pleased to meet you!"
Although Yu Qingtan had inwardly ridiculed the name upon hearing it previously, upon seeing the man himself, Yu Qingtan felt that Shuai Ge indeed lived up to his name.
Moreover, Shuai Ge was ranked ninety-ninth on the World Stele historical list, indicating his strong talent for Dao Comprehension.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they heard the resonant voice of the Mountain Guardian Real Monarch.
"All-Under-Heaven Peak will open in ten breaths' time, those entering should be prepared!"
All-Under-Heaven Peak, also known as Enlightenment Peak, requires at least a basic understanding of one Path of Dao as an entry requirement. However, after reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, those not core members nurtured by The World Academy were no longer permitted to enter All-Under-Heaven Peak.
Furthermore, typically, each person was only granted one opportunity to enter, which is why many would choose to enter All-Under-Heaven Peak when they hit a bottleneck in their Dao Comprehension, like Baili Ya and Tan Suqin.
Yu Qingtan, eager to enhance her strength, didn't consider these restrictions, but Shi Kuang chose not to enter All-Under-Heaven Peak this time; he felt it was not yet the right moment.
After the Mountain Guardian Real Monarch finished speaking, Yu Qingtan and the others took out a jade token provided by The World Academy.
"Sister Yu, I will reach a higher level than you!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Before being teleported to All-Under-Heaven Peak, Fairy Su Qin had exchanged sound transmissions with Yu Qingtan. She didn't understand why a Golden Core mid-stage cultivator like her was competing with a Foundation Establishment cultivator like herself.
After the familiar sensation of teleportation, Yu Qingtan appeared at the foot of a towering dark mountain peak.
There were no other people around, only an endless flight of stone steps in front of her.
Inside All-Under-Heaven Peak, flying was forbidden, and Divine Sense was suppressed within a ten-zhang radius.
Without any hesitation, Yu Qingtan stepped onto the stone staircase.
Instantly, a neutral voice resonated in her mind.
"Choose the path you wish to temper!"
"The Path of Water, the Path of Wood, the Path of Chess," Yu Qingtan said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
After her last closed-door cultivation, Yu Qingtan's Water Path had reached the first level, successfully condensing a true domain of water; her Wood Path had also made a start, just a step away from forming the rudimentary shape of a wood domain; her Path of Chess had also just reached the threshold of entrance.
Most cultivators would only choose one or two paths for Dao Comprehension, and even more commonly, they choose one since it is extremely difficult to comprehend these paths. Furthermore, comprehension is closely tied to the advancement to the Nascent Soul Stage and cultivation thereafter. With the limited lifespan of cultivators, it's a wise decision to focus on mastering one path, and the cultivators from Extreme Path Demon Sect are a typical example of focusing on just one.
Moreover, at the same cultivation realm, a cultivator who has comprehended several paths at the first level might not be able to defeat one who has mastered a single path at the second level. However, if the levels of comprehension are the same, a cultivator who has comprehended more paths has a significant advantage, and these various paths can also complement and even merge with one another.
For example, the Four Seasons Thunder Sword Slash from the Invincible True Monarch combines the Thunder Path and the Sword Dao; the Dream Star River from Star River Daoist is a fusion of the Dream Path, Water Path, and Star Path, and their powers are extremely terrifying.
As a genius with extraordinary talent, Yu Qingtan naturally chose to pursue multiple paths simultaneously.
After Yu Qingtan confirmed her choice, no more voices were heard, and she began to climb upward.
She had just stepped onto the first step when an attack from the void shot towards her.
It was a Water Blade, the technique she was most familiar with, infused with a hint of Dao essence.
Yu Qingtan also began to combine the Dao with her spells and had made some progress; facing the incoming Water Blade attack, she didn't even blink as she condensed a Water Blade of her own and shot it out.
The two Water Blades collided, dissolving into mist.
Yu Qingtan continued to climb, facing an incoming Water Blade every ten steps. Although their power gradually increased, she easily blocked them all with her own Water Blades.
However, Yu Qingtan noticed that the Water Blades attacking her were combined with the Water Path in a manner different and more exquisite than her own.
Yu Qingtan slowed down, observing attentively with her Divine Sense and pondering carefully.
By the time she reached the 3,500th step, Yu Qingtan felt a significant improvement in her understanding of the Water Path and gained a deeper insight into the integration of water-based spells with the Water Path.
After advancing another step, the attack transformed into the Green Wood Sword Technique, which was essentially Wood Sword Art.
Recently, Qi Hong and Song Zhenbo's Second Stage Fire Bullet Technique and Second Stage Green Wood Sword Technique had finally been perfected, and Yu Qingtan had copied them for her own use.
Thus, Yu Qingtan too condensed a small green sword and clashed with the small green sword that came from the void.
Because her level of comprehension in the Path of Wood wasn't as advanced as the Water Path, Yu Qingtan slowed down even more, not to waste this excellent opportunity for enlightenment.
After spending three times the effort, Yu Qingtan reached the 7,000th step and significantly improved her comprehension of the Wood Path, managing to successfully condense the rudimentary form of the Wood Dao Domain.
As she set foot on the 7,001st step, as expected, a chessboard materialized in the void.
To Yu Qingtan's surprise, the toneless voice spoke again.
"Lose and you must remove an item of clothing or leave All-Under-Heaven Peak."