Yuan's Ascension

Chapter 372: Domination Through Brute Force

Wu Yuan’s deployment of the Hundred Swords Arrays and his achievement of clearing eight levels in one go merely piqued the interest of the two Earth Immortals.

However, when Wu Yuan unleashed the Thousand Swords Array at level forty-nine, the two Earth Immortals were truly shocked.

“To execute this sword array and unleash its power, one must possess a deep understanding of the Dao, a substantial reserve of mana, and be able to handle a significant burden on the soul," Earth Immortal Qing Yu solemnly stated.

"Being able to assemble a Hundred Swords Array is already impressive. The Thousand Swords Array? His soul must be remarkably resilient!" Earth Immortal Qing Yu exclaimed. "Even among Amethyst Cradle Reverends, his abilities are rather decent."

"He is indeed strong," nodded Earth Immortal Xing Jiu.

When he first saw Wu Yuan, Earth Immortal Xing Jiu looked down on him somewhat. His pride and stubbornness led him to believe that Wu Yuan's reluctance to spar with other hereditary disciples was a mark of cowardice.

However, when Earth Immortal Xing Jiu witnessed Wu Yuan receiving the Great Eldritch inheritance, his opinion of him underwent a slight shift.

And today, observing Wu Yuan conquer level after level of the one-star tower firsthand, Earth Immortal Xing Jiu was convinced. “Li Xia may be unwilling to spar with other hereditary disciples not out of timidness, but rather because he simply finds it not worthy of his time.”

“This sword array appears to contain the profundities of both the Land and Gravity.” Earth Immortal Qing Yu mused, furrowing his brow. "He has managed to merge them seamlessly."

Suddenly, a realization dawned on him, prompting him to exclaim, "It's the Celestial Body Dao! What he has showcased must be the Star Ruins Sword Array."

Earth Immortal Xing Jiu smiled. It was indeed rare to witness the Celestial Body Dao in battle.

"Xing Jiu, since you contemplate the Earth Dao, you must have recognized this long ago, no wonder you were so certain of his performance," Earth Immortal Qing Yu shook his head. "The Celestial Body Dao, how unbelievable! A youngster at the Golden Core phase is able to step through the threshold of an Intermediate Law?"

"Truly unbelievable," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu echoed the sentiment.

Though both of them were Earth Immortals, their main cultivation revolved around Lesser Laws. The Intermediate Laws remained a distant horizon, a realm they had barely scratched the surface of.

Earth Immortal Xing Jiu had high expectations for Wu Yuan, but he had never imagined that in just eight short years, Wu Yuan would be able to display such astounding power.

"Li Xia is undeniably a genius, his talent surpassing not only mine but also his fellow hereditary disciples of the same generation," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu softly conceded. "The only question is how far can he go in the tower?"

"I predict he can conquer level fifty-one or fifty-two," Earth Immortal Qing Yu speculated, rubbing his dragon horn.

"Mm," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu concurred, his judgment aligning closely with his companion's.

The two Earth Immortals continued to observe the unfolding battle. With their status, they could watch all fights below level sixty in the one-star and two-star towers within the Dragon Star Immortal Sect.

...

Level fifty of the one-star tower ascended beyond the earthly realm into outer space. The radiant light of distant stars illuminated the darkness, casting a surreal glow.

Is this level fifty? Where is the guardian? Wu Yuan scanned his surroundings, finding nothing but emptiness and silence.

Suddenly, countless points of light converged hundreds of li away, and a figure in a black robe appeared.

His vital aura was only at the first-stage Golden Core phase, but the pressure he gave off was extremely terrifying.

What a powerful soul. Wu Yuan’s eyes narrowed.

He could feel that the soul of this guardian was abnormally powerful, much stronger than the guardian of level forty.

"To stand before me, your strength is commendable," the black-robed guardian suddenly spoke.

"Out of the thirty-five Golden Core hereditary disciples of the Dragon Star Immortal Sect, only thirteen are under a hundred years old. You are the third and also youngest to reach me," the guardian in the black robe solemnly said. "Look back thousands of years, you are the youngest."

"The youngest?" Wu Yuan grinned.

One had to be under a hundred years old to challenge the one-star tower, and most of the thirty-five Golden Core hereditary disciples in the sect were already over a hundred years old.

To make it to level fifty of the one-star tower at forty-five years old? It was indeed difficult.

"I'm here to break the records,” Wu Yuan's eyes were alight with determination. "My goal is not just to stand in front of you, but to defeat you and become the number one Golden Core hereditary disciple of this generation."

"Defeat me?" The guardian in black robes gave a slight smile. "Then show me your strength."

Before his voice faded, the guardian waved his hand, and streams of earth-yellow qi that glowed with starlight surged around him. At the same time, flying swords whizzed through the sky like a tempest. Eighty-one flying swords instantly formed a mighty sword array surrounding him.

It was also Solid As A Rock, the first step of the Star Ruins Sword Array.

Sure enough! Wu Yuan thought to himself.

He had long noticed that the guardians copied his techniques. When he previously executed the Dark Earth Sword Array, they did so too, albeit with variations in power.

With him employing the Star Ruins Sword Array, the current guardian also adjusted his moves to copy him.

His overall power was much stronger than the previous guardian.

Every ten levels, the difficulty escalates. Wu Yuan’s heart blazed with battle fervor.

This was the pride of a man.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A multitude of swords soared through the sky, swiftly assembling into a massive Star Ruins Sword Array encircling Wu Yuan.

It was a Hundred Swords Array as well!

The instant the two arrays took shape, they hurtled towards each other simultaneously.

The Dark Earth Sword Array was capable of long-range strikes, swiftly reassembling even after collapse.

On the other hand, the Star Ruins Sword Array employed more brute force tactics. Apart from the area-of-effect Star Explosion technique, the other offensive maneuvers were geared towards close-quarters combat.

This sword array was primarily designed for self-defense, with offensive capabilities serving as a secondary function.

Wu Yuan and the guardian both invoked the Star Ruins Sword Array, both executing the Hundred Swords Array form. The sword arrays seemed to condense space into a solid entity.

Boom~ The two were like miniature stars, each spanning ten li in diameter, colliding repeatedly, sending shockwaves through space.

In the blink of an eye, they clashed more than ten times.

Wu Yuan's Star Ruins Sword Array began to fracture, hinting at imminent collapse. Conversely, the guardian's array remained steady.

His soul is strong, yet still inferior to mine. However, his understanding of the Dao surpasses mine significantly. Wu Yuan deduced.

Each step of the Dark Earth Sword Array rose in complexity, with multiple minor stages in between.

The Star Ruins Sword Array was similar. If two people executed Solid As A Rock, but one was at the first-level Domain stage of the Celestial Body Dao while the other was at the ninth-level Domain stage, how could their strengths be comparable?

Based on Wu Yuan's knowledge, the level forty guardian of the one-star tower should have reached the fourth-level True Intent stage of the Land Dao.

This was already impressive.

It was worth noting that most Amethyst Cradle cultivators struggled to reach such a Dao comprehension level.

"Challenger," the voice of the black-robed guardian echoed through space via essentia, "if this is all you've got, it’s better to surrender early."

Boom! The sword array, resembling a miniature star, pressed forward with overwhelming force. Though it appeared slow, its momentum was unstoppable.

This was the Celestial Body Dao – majestic, overwhelming, and unstoppable. The epitome of brute force overcoming technique.

"Thousand Swords Array, assemble!" Wu Yuan unleashed his power in full, understanding that without deploying the Thousand Swords Array, victory against this guardian would be impossible.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz! Countless flying swords rushed forth like a river. Encircling Wu Yuan, they emitted fluctuations of the Celestial Body’s profundities.

In the blink of an eye, 648 flying swords assembled into eight Hundred Swords Arrays, which then combined to form an immense Star Ruins Sword Array of unparalleled size and might!

In terms of Dao comprehension, I may be lacking compared to you. But when it comes to controlling flying swords, I am nine times stronger. I refuse to believe I cannot defeat you. Wu Yuan's gaze blazed with determination.

Boom! The colossal sword array advanced, transforming into a miniature star with a diameter of approximately thirty li, colliding fiercely with a smaller star.

One star had a diameter of ten li. The other, thirty li.

Though the difference seemed insignificant, the volume differed by a factor of twenty-seven, representing a significant gap in power!

Boom! The collision shook heaven and earth, smashing the tenacious smaller star backward. Sections of cryptic patterns within the star broke off, causing countless flying swords to disperse.

"Assemble!" The black-robed guardian’s expression remained composed, yet his eyes glinted with ferocity.

The miniature star reformed and crashed into Wu Yuan's Star Ruins Sword Array without hesitation.

"Attack!" Controlling a Thousand Swords Array, Wu Yuan had a definitive advantage and faced the collision fearlessly. Once more, the overwhelming star smashed forward, nearly shattering the miniature star.

Again, the black-robed guardian re-assembled the sword array, refusing to give up.

You may resist for now, but each dispersal and re-assembly of the sword array depletes your essentia significantly. I doubt you can endure much longer. Wu Yuan's eyes turned frigid.

Both challenger and guardian had limited essentia.

Boom! The third clash!

Boom! The fourth!

Boom!... After a total of thirty-six brutal collisions, the guardian's mana was depleted entirely, succumbing to Wu Yuan's sword array.

Level fifty, passed!

"Congratulations, Li Xia, you have completed level fifty of the one-star tower. The reward is a one-time True Intent perception experience of your choosing. You have accumulated two in total," the voice of the tower spirit resounded.

Another one? Wu Yuan pondered.

He had yet to undergo this True Intent perception experience, but according to Zhuo Haiyue's explanation and the sect's information, its effects were remarkable.

"Continue to level fifty-one!"

Wu Yuan vanished from the space.

...

In that special observation space.

"As expected, he emerged victorious," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu exclaimed.

"He's quite ruthless!" Earth Immortal Qing Yu remarked, "This Li Xia, though not as well-versed in the Dao as the guardian and somewhat inflexible in his techniques, managed to prevail with his powerful soul."

"This is domination through brute force," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu chuckled. "For someone in the Golden Core phase, possessing such a strong soul is rare."

“In real-world combat, peerless geniuses with first or second-degree immortal roots can unleash incredible combat prowess even if their grasp of the Dao is lacking," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu explained. "With a weak immortal root, one will struggle to defeat an opponent at a higher cultivation phase even with a deep understanding of the Dao."

Earth Immortal Qing Yu nodded in agreement.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Suddenly, two more figures materialized in the observation space, their auras no less powerful than that of Earth Immortal Qing Yu and Earth Immortal Xing Jiu.

"Qing Yu, you’re here so early?" a purple-robed man chuckled.

"We have been observing the battle the whole time," Earth Immortal Qing Yu said. "Why are you here?"

"We received word from the sect spirit that a hereditary disciple has challenged the one-star tower, setting a record as the youngest disciple to complete level fifty in tens of thousands of years. Furthermore, he contemplates the Earth Dao, so naturally, we came to witness his battle," another white-robed woman smiled.

Only Earth Immortals or higher had access to the observation space.

"Are you considering taking him under your wing?" Earth Immortal Qing Yu chuckled. "Nevertheless, this Li Xia is truly a rare unpolished gem."

He easily discerned that the two were intending to take Wu Yuan as their disciple.

Immortals typically did not take on disciples, not due to a lack of willingness, but rather the scarcity of exceptional talents.

"Lie Shan, Long Hong, don’t bother entertaining the thought of accepting Li Xia as a disciple," Earth Immortal Xing Jiu gently shook his head. "Neither of you are qualified."