The battles among the top thirty in the Heavenly Ranking Tournament grew increasingly intense. At this stage, a match between evenly-matched opponents often dragged on for a long time, unless there was a significant difference in their minor realms.
Day after day passed.
The number of spectators gathered at Tai Xuan Sect continued to increase, and the entire cultivation world was abuzz with talk of the tournament. Cultivators who displayed exceptional prowess in the tournament became famous, earning the admiration of countless peers.
Half a month later, only fifteen contestants remained in the tournament. Qiao Dai, representing Tai Xuan Sect, advanced once more without a fight, securing his place in the top fifteen, sparking widespread discussion among the audience.
Everyone could see that Tai Xuan Sect was protecting Qiao Dai. However, because his Qiao family hailed from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, few dared to openly question or criticize him.
Li Ya also successfully made it into the top fifteen, but his condition caused concern. The intense battles had taken a toll on his body, leaving him with lingering injuries. Fighting spirit beings and immortals also inflicted damage to his soul.
Everything comes with trade-offs, and Gu An deliberately refrained from intervening. He needed Li Ya to feel the weight of powers far beyond his own.
Regardless, Tai Xuan Sect had already achieved its goal. Among the top fifteen, there wasn't a single participant from the Cang Tian Sect. Apart from Tai Xuan Sect, the best rank achieved by any sect in the three dynasties was twenty-ninth, held by a Dao Monarch of Cang Tian Sect.
Having two disciples in the top fifteen cemented Tai Xuan Sect's status as a rising power in the cultivation world of the three dynasties.
Ten days later, only eight cultivators remained in the competition for the Heavenly Ranking's top position. Tai Xuan Sect still held two spots: one was Li Ya, relying on the Mysterious Divine City, and the other was Qiao Dai, who had advanced through byes.
In the quarterfinals, Qiao Dai was eliminated in his first battle, ranking eighth overall.
Li Ya, however, managed to fight his way into the semifinals using the Mysterious Divine City but ultimately collapsed from exhaustion during his match. Just as he summoned his army of soul ghosts, he fainted inside the array, finishing in fourth place.
Despite this, the disciples of Tai Xuan Sect were not disappointed. On the contrary, they respected Li Ya even more.
At barely over a hundred years old, Li Ya had carried the honor of the entire sect. Achieving fourth place in the Heavenly Ranking Tournament was already remarkable.
In the previous Golden Rankings Tournament, Li Ya had been eliminated before even making it into the top five hundred after facing An Hao. This time, he had risen to fourth place—Gu An believed he had no regrets.
As Gu An had expected, the final showdown for the top spot came down to the Huangyi Immortal Lord and Yan Qitian.
Their battle lasted for three days and three nights before Yan Qitian admitted defeat, bringing the tournament to a close.
Tai Xuan Sect remained lively and bustling. The tax revenue generated by resource trades during the tournament left the sect leaders grinning from ear to ear. The first Heavenly Ranking Tournament had been a massive success. With such an impressive roster of participants, no other sects could hope to replicate the event.
By autumn, Tai Xuan Sect had finally returned to a semblance of normalcy.
Before leaving, Li Ya visited Gu An, and the two chatted for two hours before Li Ya departed, full of pride and satisfaction.
This time, Li Ya had become a true hero, garnering widespread attention across the cultivation world of the three dynasties. His fame surpassed even that of the Huangyi Immortal Lord and Yan Qitian, not just because he was a member of Tai Xuan Sect, but also due to his youth and legendary journey.
Such matters, however, held little interest for Gu An. The Heavenly Ranking Tournament was nothing more than a passing event to him. What truly pleased him was obtaining the storage pouch found before the Heaven-Sundering Axe—a top-tier storage item brimming with spirit stones. After inventorying its contents, Gu An was satisfied that Tai Xuan Sect had been honest and sincere in their dealings.
The disappearance of the storage pouch also delighted the sect's leadership, reinforcing their belief in the close relationship between Tai Xuan Sect and the Sword Master of the Dao.
Tai Xuan Sect acted quickly, distributing the tournament's participant roster throughout the cultivation world free of charge. The roster detailed the origins and cultivation levels of the tournament's top participants, further elevating the sect's prestige.
The ability to attract so many powerful cultivators to participate in their event left no doubt—Tai Xuan Sect was now the foremost sect in the cultivation world!
Cangzhou Region, Imperial Palace Gardens.
In the imperial gardens of the Tai Cang Dynasty's palace, Emperor Li Xuandao, dressed in a dragon robe, sat at a table perusing the Heavenly Ranking roster. A faint smile played on his lips.
"Tai Xuan Sect's move is shrewd," he murmured. "With this book alone, the world will see Tai Xuan Sect as a sect capable of commanding immortals."
Across from him sat Jiang Qiong, accompanied by two figures standing behind her—ghost cultivators from the Nine Nether Thirteen Fiends. Meanwhile, two Mahayana cultivators stood behind Li Xuandao, one of whom was Yi Liuyun, a former disciple of Tianya Valley.
Jiang Qiong chuckled. "But isn't Your Majesty the real beneficiary here? Prince Li Ya's name now resounds across the land. Who doesn't know he is your son?"
Her tone betrayed a hint of complexity as she mentioned Li Ya.
She and the Ephemeral Blossom Ghost Mother had risked their lives exploring the Mysterious Divine City, only for this junior to end up as its master. How could they not feel envy or disappointment?
What stung more was that during her time as the elder of Tai Xuan Sect's outer sect, she had learned about Gu An's connections. Among his closest disciples, Li Ya stood out.
This boy's fortune was remarkable, gaining a senior brother as formidable as Gu An.
And with her own relationship with Gu An, Li Ya's future seemed secure no matter what.
The thought brought a faint smile to Jiang Qiong's lips.
Li Xuandao set the Heavenly Ranking roster down and turned to Jiang Qiong. "I've assessed Gathering Flower Sect's strength. Even if I unify the world, it won't be enough to challenge Tai Xuan Sect's position."
Jiang Qiong replied calmly, "There's no need to challenge them. It's enough to stand firm."
She had no intention of opposing Tai Xuan Sect.
After all, the true master of Gathering Flower Sect was the Sword Master of the Dao. Why would they need to compete? Moreover, Gu An was still within Tai Xuan Sect.
Li Xuandao nodded and said, "Tian Wei is no longer a threat. If you can help us take down the Great Jiang Dynasty, I promise that during my reign, I will support Gathering Flower Sect and shape it into a paragon of the righteous path."
Li Xuandao placed significant value on Gathering Flower Sect, as its strength was anything but simple.
Jiang Qiong nodded, continuing to outline Gathering Flower Sect's needs, and Li Xuandao listened patiently.
The autumn wind swept through the imperial gardens, carrying with it a cascade of falling leaves that danced upward before drifting far into the horizon.
Time passed like flowing water, the years slipping away.
One such fallen leaf descended gracefully into Gu An's hand.
Another autumn had arrived. Gu An stood at the wooden railing, gazing at the serene landscape of the Medicine Valley. Two years had passed since the conclusion of the Heavenly Ranking Tournament, and Yan Qitian's prolonged absence had begun to stir Gu An's thoughts.
Suddenly, Yang Jian approached, holding a long weapon in his hand—a custom-made three-pronged, double-edged blade, modeled after the one from Investiture of the Gods.
In the past two years, his aura had grown even more imposing. Even when suppressing his cultivation, he exuded an air of danger, making others instinctively wary.
"Master, a cultivator has arrived at the valley entrance," Yang Jian announced. "He claims to be Zhou Tongyou and says he's an old acquaintance of yours."
Yang Jian's gaze shifted into the distance.
At the valley entrance, Zhou Tongyou was watching two labor disciples playing Go, his expression curious and amused.
Gu An turned around, his gaze falling on Zhou Tongyou, a wave of sentiment washing over him.
Having killed Zhou Yu, it was impossible for him to meet Zhou Tongyou now without some emotion stirring. However, Zhou Tongyou remained oblivious to this truth.
Gu An stepped forward toward Zhou Tongyou, Yang Jian following closely behind.
Thinking back to their first meeting, decades ago, Gu An recalled when Zhou Tongyou had visited Tai Xuan Sect as a guest. Zhou Tongyou had effortlessly bested every disciple under a hundred years old in the sect. It was during this visit that he noticed Gu An's disciple, Ye Yan, practicing his spear technique. He had taken it upon himself to offer guidance but ended up beating Ye Yan so thoroughly that Gu An was forced to intervene.
The two had become acquainted through battle, and later Gu An wrote The Immortal Lord of Tai Xuan, basing the second male lead on Zhou Tongyou.
Who would have thought that after so many years, Zhou Tongyou still remembered him?
Soon, Gu An arrived behind Zhou Tongyou and greeted him with a smile. "Zhou Daoyou, it's been a long time."
Zhou Tongyou turned, his face lighting up with a smile.
Despite the decades, Zhou Tongyou remained as arrogant as ever, his demeanor radiating the unrestrained spirit of a genius.
"Visiting Tai Xuan Sect, how could I not come to see you? This Medicine Valley of yours is truly impressive—beyond my expectations," Zhou Tongyou remarked with a laugh.
The two began exchanging pleasantries.
Zhou Tongyou explained that he had come on behalf of Jueshan Sect for a cultural exchange. He was not alone, as a group of talented disciples had accompanied him, though he had chosen to move independently.
What had brought Zhou Tongyou back to Gu An's mind after all these years was an encounter with Gu An's disciple, Ye Yan.
"Your disciple's cultivation isn't particularly high, but his comprehension of spear techniques is extraordinary. He has already grasped the concept of spear intent..." Zhou Tongyou praised.
Yang Jian's interest was piqued. Was Ye Yan his senior brother?
However, as he listened further, he quickly realized that Ye Yan must be one of the valley's labor disciples, never having received true instruction from their master. At most, Ye Yan was a senior brother in name but not the senior brother Gu An had often mentioned.
Yang Jian thought to himself, Master really is incredible. Even casual guidance produces extraordinary talent.
As their conversation drew to a close, Zhou Tongyou's gaze sharpened as he looked at Gu An. "It's been years since we've last sparred. Shall we test our skills again? As before, I'll suppress my cultivation to match yours. What do you say?"
Among his generation, Zhou Tongyou had only lost to two individuals: Lü Xian and Gu An. His defeat to Gu An had been due to his self-imposed suppression of his cultivation level.
Gu An pretended to hesitate.
"Suppress your cultivation?" Yang Jian suddenly interjected. "Then why not let me fight in Master's place?"
Zhou Tongyou frowned, looking at Yang Jian. Just as he was about to refuse, he caught sight of Yang Jian's gaze. His heart involuntarily trembled.
For some reason, he was reminded of Lü Xian, that unparalleled genius of the past.
"Very well," Zhou Tongyou said, his smile turning predatory. "Let me see what you're capable of. Let's see if you can measure up to your master."
The two labor disciples playing Go nearby couldn't help but glance up, eager to witness the commotion.
Gu An interrupted, "Let's find a more private place for this."
He pressed down on the disciples' heads, urging them to focus on their game.
Following Gu An's lead, Zhou Tongyou and Yang Jian headed to a secluded area outside the Medicine Valley. Along the way, Zhou Tongyou adopted the demeanor of an elder, inquiring about Yang Jian's background. When he learned that Yang Jian had started as a labor disciple chosen by Gu An, he felt relieved.
There's no way someone from the labor ranks could be a genius, Zhou Tongyou thought to himself. The aptitude tests of major sects are too thorough for anomalies to slip through.
One incense stick's time later, in a forest outside the valley.
Zhou Tongyou clutched his chest, his face filled with shock as he stared at Yang Jian, who stood poised with a leg extended mid-kick. His expression resembled that of someone staring at a monster.
"Are you really in the Qi Refining Realm?" Zhou Tongyou asked, his voice trembling.
Yang Jian retracted his leg and replied calmly, "Neither of us used spiritual energy. Does cultivation level even matter in this fight?"
Zhou Tongyou nearly coughed up blood at this response. His chest felt as though his bones had been shattered.
How could this guy's physical strength be so monstrous?
After all, Zhou Tongyou was a physical cultivator himself and had mastered the Golden Body of Evil Suppression…
To him, Yang Jian was even more terrifying than Lü Xian.