Translator: CinderTL
The Taixu Sword Sect was the undisputed ruler of the Profound Yellow Great World, its influence extending across countless Lesser Chiliocosms. Even some of the sect's core True Lords didn't know the full extent of the Taixu Sword Sect's presence in these Lesser Thousand Worlds. The only person who likely possessed this knowledge was the Burning Ash Hall Master of the Branch Sect Management Hall.
However, True Lords Xuan You and Liang Meng clearly hadn't reached the level of this Void Refining Great Power, who could easily serve as a regional governor. Their current contact was Vice Hall Master Zhuoguang of the Branch Sect Management Hall.
As Zhuoguang examined the data True Monarch Xuan You had brought, his pupils constricted in shock.
"First place!?"
He couldn't help but look at True Monarch Xuan You. "Weren't you saying he hadn't even broken into the top hundred yet? How did he suddenly jump to first place?"
"I'm not sure myself," True Monarch Xuan You said with a wry smile. "Perhaps he just happened to encounter several thousand Servitors?"
"Impossible! Several thousand Servitors aren't just several thousand targets! When facing an enemy too powerful to defeat, they'd scatter in panic. Even if Sword Prodigy Li's Sword Flight speed is extraordinary, he could only realistically pursue and kill eight hundred or a thousand at most. How could he possibly wipe out an entire group of Servitors?"
"Could it be that these Servitors know Sword Prodigy Li's true identity and realize he has the strength to break onto the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List and secure a spot?" True Monarch Liang Meng speculated. "Is that why these Servitors are charging forward relentlessly, determined to overwhelm him with sheer numbers?"
Zhuoguang didn't deny this possibility.
A Child of the Stars...
Even sacrificing tens of thousands of Servitors to take him down wouldn't be a loss.
But the problem now was that Li Chunjun's name hadn't faded, proving he was still alive.
To single-handedly slay thousands of Servitors was an equally terrifying feat.
After all, every cultivator's Qi reserves are finite.
Prolonged battles would eventually exhaust even the most deeply rooted cultivators.
Moreover, while Sword Cultivators are renowned for their unparalleled combat prowess, repeated battles and clashes inevitably damage their Lifebound Flying Swords.
In some ways, Sword Cultivators at the same cultivation level have less endurance than Nascent Soul cultivators.
However, Sword Cultivators often end battles swiftly, returning to their sect to nurture their swords afterward, giving them an impression of decisiveness.
Normally, a thousand Servitors, fearlessly charging forward in waves, could overwhelm and kill a Nascent Soul stage Sword Cultivator.
This is why Core Formation Cultivators are deployed to battlefields like Two Realms Mountain, where Nascent Soul cultivators clash.
Many ants can kill an elephant.
Of course, if the Nascent Soul stage Sword Cultivator were to break through with their full strength, even a thousand Servitors might not be able to stop them.
The key factor is the combat environment.
But regardless of the reason or justification, Li Chunjun's explosive point surge was undeniable proof of his immense strength.
This level of power...
He might even have a good chance of claiming the top spot on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List.
"The top spot on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List!"
Hall Master Zhuoguang's heart burned with excitement at the thought.
Liang Meng, standing beside him, added solemnly, "Times have changed. It's been over a century since our Taixu Sword Sect last held the top spot on the Star Glory List! Moreover..."
Zhuoguang nodded.
In the past, when the Taixu Sword Sect reigned supreme over the Profound Yellow Great World, they held over a third of the spots on the Star Glory List, Solar Radiance List, and Cosmic Light List.
The remaining spots were divided among sects like the Wu Ji Sect, the Profound Yellow Sect, and numerous other large and small sects and factions.
However, since the Immortal Alliance took control of the Profound Yellow Great World and incorporated it into the broader concept of the "Human Race," countless sects drawn by the world's legendary wonders flooded in, each dispatching their most promising disciples to fiercely compete for spots on the lists.
As of today, only Ming Yuesheng from the Star Brilliance List, a scion of the ancient Profound Yellow overlords, had managed to maintain a stable position on the rankings.
The remaining lists—the Star Glory List, the Cosmic Light List...
It wasn't that no one could climb the rankings, but almost everyone fluctuated wildly, unable to secure a stable spot.
This situation was deeply humiliating for the Taixu Sword Sect, which had once considered itself the undisputed overlord of the Profound Yellow Great World.
"If we could produce a Star Glory List champion from one of the Branch Sects under Hall Master Zhuoguang's jurisdiction right now, wouldn't that merit be enough to exchange for an Enlightenment of True Self opportunity, a chance to break through to Void Refining?" Liang Meng asked, looking at Zhuoguang.
The Hall Master took a deep breath. "We must rectify this situation immediately."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at True Monarch Xuan You. "Why didn't you report this sooner?"
"I..." True Monarch Xuan You replied, somewhat helplessly.
Report this earlier?
A native of the Blue Star Minor Realm, in just a few years, had cultivated to a level that surpassed the countless geniuses of other Lesser Thousand Worlds, including the Golden Core cultivators meticulously groomed by the great sects of the Profound Yellow Great World specifically to compete for the Star Glory List?
Who would believe it?
They'd probably be laughed out of the room.
Moreover...
Her reaction had been swift.
The Star Gate on Blue Star would be repaired within a year or two at most. In a year or two, Li Chunjun would be able to enter the Profound Yellow Great World and join their Taixu Sword Sect.
If he truly possessed extraordinary talent, he would quickly earn the right to challenge for the Profound Yellow List.
It was only a delay of a year or two.
Didn't things take time to get done?
Yet who could have predicted that he would actually go to the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield!
To whom could she voice her grievances?
However, facing the Vice Hall Master, she couldn't argue. She could only say, "Hall Master, you're right. This was my oversight."
"Since it was an oversight, you must rectify it immediately."
"Sword Prodigy Li is currently in the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield. Even if he claims the top spot, others will only assume he achieved this feat as a Nascent Soul cultivator. While there might be some attention, it won't be excessive. But if his true Golden Core cultivation is revealed..."
"I understand!" True Monarch Xuan You said solemnly. "Besides the Blue Star Branch Sects, only a few people at Frigid Jade Fortress know Li Chunjun's true cultivation. We've already blocked information from Blue Star, so that shouldn't be a problem. The general at Frigid Jade Fortress is from the Profound Yellow Sect, and they wouldn't dare to compete with our Taixu Sword Sect for talent!"
"That's good," Zhuoguang said with a slight nod. "Go now. Notify me immediately if anything comes up."
Both the Taixu Sword Sect and the Frigid Jade Fortress planned to leverage their informational advantage and offer rewards to recruit Li Chunjun. However, he remained unaware of these schemes.
At this moment, Li Chunjun was leading Zhao Yu Pan and the others through various continents and islands, clearing them of Servitors and Divine Spirits.
Because they had chosen a return route, they initially hunted down a significant number of Servitors and Divine Spirits in the first half-month. Coupled with Li Chunjun's substantial head start, they managed to maintain their first-place ranking.
However, as they approached the Human Race's main base in Two Realms Mountain, the number of Servitors and Divine Spirits they encountered dwindled, naturally leading to a decline in their Merit Points.
Under these circumstances, Li Chunjun was unsurprisingly knocked off the top spot in the Merit Points Ranking during the update on the thirty-third day. Over the next half-month, his ranking continued to plummet, eventually falling to ninety-fifth place.
True Lord Yuanhai and True Lord Zhi Yuan grew slightly anxious about this development. However, neither Zhao Yu Pan nor Li Chunjun seemed concerned. They were well aware that their team's strength was more than sufficient to secure a top-ten ranking, if not a top-three position.
After a month and a half of travel, the Human Race's main base camp finally came into view.
As the phenomenon of continental overlap emerged, the group of five crossed the overlapping zone. A continent teeming with tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of cultivators suddenly appeared before them.
Upon entering this area, each of their Solar Radiance Badges received a message:
"You have entered the Human Race Camp. For injury recovery, please proceed to the Medical Zone. For resource replenishment, please proceed to the Supply Zone."
In addition to this message, there was also a countdown timer.
Cultivators were not permitted to linger in the main base camp area for extended periods without special circumstances.
"Everyone, let's replenish our supplies," Li Chunjun said. "In twenty hours, there will be a continental overlap to the south. We'll take that route, heading straight for the largest continents."
"Indeed, it's time to resupply," Zhao Yu Pan agreed. "Thanks to Sword Prodigy Li's assistance, our Merit Points far surpass those of other Nascent Soul cultivators at our level."
"I can't wait to fully replenish our supplies and head to the Divine Race-occupied territories to wreak havoc!"
"We should aim for their main base camp! That's the fastest way to secure victory!"
Zhao Yu Pan and the others chimed in enthusiastically.
However, Li Chunjun clearly didn't take the suggestion of storming the Divine Race's main base camp seriously.
The Human Race's main camp typically housed over 100,000 Core Formation cultivators, thousands of Nascent Soul cultivators, and a Fourth-Tier Linked Formation—a defense so formidable that even a Primordial Spirit True Monarch might struggle to break through.
Li Chunjun, despite his self-confidence, knew that a Golden Core cultivator like himself couldn't possibly possess Primordial Spirit-level combat power.
The five cultivators soon dispersed.
Li Chunjun headed straight for the supply depot.
As soon as he arrived, a Nascent Soul True Lord greeted him: "Are you True Lord Li Chunjun?"
"Yes."
"Greetings, True Lord. I am Wang Qian, one of the depot's managers. Please, call me Wang Qian. Are you here to replenish your supplies, True Lord?"
"Indeed. I need to exchange some resources."
"Please follow me, Sword Prodigy. Tell me what you need to exchange, and I'll handle it."
"Thank you, True Lord Wang Qian."
Li Chunjun exchanged brief pleasantries with the Nascent Soul cultivator before heading deeper into the depot.
Yet this brief conversation had already drawn the attention of everyone nearby.
"Li Chunjun!? The True Lord Li who topped the Merit Points Ranking for half a month? No wonder his ranking has dropped recently—he's back for supplies."
"I heard this True Lord Li has Prodigy-level strength, and even the Evil God Divine Spirit acknowledged it. Is that true?"
"Probably not. I saw Li Chunjun, and he's only at the early Nascent Soul stage..."
"Look at this idiot. Let's stay away from him."
"Early Nascent Soul? You actually believe that? Can't you sense the concealed Divine Sense fluctuations around True Lord Li? Besides, how could someone at the early Nascent Soul stage top the Merit Points Ranking? Use your brain! True Lord Li is clearly disguising his true strength and luring those Divine Spirits into attacking him to earn Merit Points."
Amidst the murmuring crowd, Li Chunjun followed True Lord Wang Qian into the supply zone.
Along the way, True Lord Wang Qian couldn't help but chuckle. "True Lord Li, your fame has truly soared recently. Everyone on the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield knows your name."
"Just a fleeting moment of glory," Li Chunjun replied, handing him a pre-prepared list. "This is what I want to exchange for. How long will it take?"
"We've received orders to fulfill True Lord Li's material requests as quickly as possible."
True Lord Wang Qian glanced at the list, though some of the items made him inwardly gasp. He quickly calculated the total. "Four hours. Your requested materials will be prepared and teleported to you."
(End of the Chapter)
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