Another Cliché Cultivation Story

It has only been a short moment since the first ice blade exploded and the sky has already been dyed completely purple. A gigantic blanket of sparkly mist engulfed the stars and drifted along the wind but refuses to fade away into the ether.

The barrage of explosions continues, leaving the entire Ardent Yin Sect stunned by this development.

Ji Xian’s Myriad Yin Blade had initially given them tremendous pressure, but now, with their dwindling numbers, it allowed everyone to breathe a little easier and relax.

The tense atmosphere was replaced by a warming air. The Elders took this opportunity to calm down, however, their faces remain serious as they have just been hit by a thought of realization.

What realm was this person in?

Fang Yu has just recently broken through to the Late stage of the Holy realm. This was nothing short of significant because in the Mortal Desolate World, the number of people in this realm is just a little more than a dozen!

And for this man to so effortlessly fight against her, what does this mean? He was probably at the Peak of the Holy realm!

The Elders started looking at Ji Xian more respectfully.

Currently, the only known Peak stage expert in Mortal Desolate is the Sect Master of the Arcane Mountain, Dong Zongying. Other than their mysterious Ancestor, she was the true powerhouse of this world and had no equals!

While a lot of them believed Ji Xian was at the Peak stage, a few had other thoughts. They were all from the older generations and had experienced many things. They had even witnessed Dong Zongying’s might before.

Back when Xiao Yueyin was still a Heaven Chosen of the Arcane Mountain, she was once targeted by a major sect due to her potential and bloodline. That sect nearly succeeded but that was when Dong Zongying personally made an appearance. She exploded with anger and exterminated them, even killing their Sect Master, who was at the Late stage of the Holy realm.

This shook the world at the time because it had been relatively peaceful since the Graha invasion. When the top ten sects learned of this, they all sneered in disdain and weren’t at all surprised. This was part of the reason why no one dares to question the Arcane Mountain’s authority. While they are usually reasonable and fair, once you poke the hornet’s nest, there’s no going back.

And it just so happens that a few of the Elders of the Ardent Yin Sect was there when Dong Zongying took action, allowing them to see the power of a Peak stage Holy realm expert. Compared to the Late stage, the Peak stage was even more catastrophic! The world shook with every move she make, it was astonishing!

However, with that said, if these few Elders were to compare Dong Zongying with Ji Xian, she appears to be lacking. Although it didn’t seem like he exerted much strength against Fang Yu, which made it tough to assess his abilities. When he summoned the Myriad Yin Blade, they caught a glimpse of a terrifying power, a power that surpassed the Peak stage of the Holy realm!

They glanced at each other and sucked in a breath of cold air.

“The Extreme Level? Pseudo Saint…?” A middle aged woman muttered in disbelief.

The others nodded solemnly as their hearts begin to race.

The Extreme Level represents the absolute apex of the Lower World and could only be achieved by those with world shattering fortune, luck, and talent.

Often, these people were known as Miracles.

Empress Han Lan was such a person. In the history of Mortal Desolate, she was the one and only to have reached the Extreme Level.

Hence, she was also known as the Miracle, Empress Han Lan!

As the words left the middle aged woman’s mouth, the surrounding people overheard her, causing their expressions to noticeably change.

“Elder Chuntao, what are you saying? That man is a Pseudo Saint? Are you sure?”

“Impossible. How can this person be at the Extreme Level? We don’t even know who he is?”

As they voiced their opinions, the middle aged woman, Elder Chuntao shook her head.

“I may not be a hundred percent confident, but I am at least eighty percent sure that man is at the Extreme Level.”

“This…”

“How can this be? Mortal Desolate has another Miracle?”

“But… why is this person still here? He’s already guaranteed to successfully ascend.”

“…”

No one could answer this question but regardless, they moved their gazes over to the tall figure in the sky and looked on with awe.

The Extreme Level could be said to belong to the Holy realm but in truth, that wasn’t the case because it represents something far greater, and thus, makes more sense to call it a realm of its own.

Unfortunately, this distinction isn’t necessary because the majority of people tend to disregard the Extreme Level and instead, consider the Peak stage of the Holy realm to be the true limit of the Lower World.

The reason for this was simple. At the Peak stage, it has already become nigh impossible to see any more improvements in one’s cultivation and the chance to go beyond it was almost zero.

One of the main reasons for this was because of the low quality of True Essence. As this was the case, the best option would be to try to ascend to the Upper World to break through,

This was a problem that was exclusive to Qi Cultivators. Body Cultivators have their own Internal World that produces Astral Essence so the quality of True Essence in the world doesn’t affect them.

But that wasn’t to say they don’t have their own issues. Other than their slow production of Astral Essence, the amount of time they need to consolidate their Internal World and increase their realm is absurdly long.

Without an external push like precious rare herbs or pills, most Body Cultivators will use up their entire lifespan before they could even reach the Holy realm.

If one was fortunate enough to reach the Peak stage through Body Cultivation, then similar to Qi Cultivators, they would immediately choose to tackle the ascension tribulation. After all, it was impossible to reach the Saint realm in the Lower World and they needed proper resources! They could sit around and continue strengthening their Internal World to reach the Extreme Level, but they’ll probably die before that happens.

…

The Universal Will was fair. If people from the Upper World can come down then people from the Lower World should be able to climb up.

The ascension tribulation isn’t meant to make it difficult for cultivators, but rather, it’s to ensure that they can survive in a much harsher environment. Unfortunately, it was enough to prevent over ninety percent of people from ascending.

While it is hard to ascend, that isn’t the case for the Miracles. They who have reached the Extreme Level can easily pass the tribulation for they have already met the requirement to break through into the Saint realm. The only reason why they couldn’t was because of the restraint of the Lower World.

In other words, they were Pseudo Saints. A step above Holy but a thin gap away from divinity.

…

As the Elders stare at that tall, black robed figure, they were relieved to know that their Sect Master was acquainted with this man.

Li Yifan resisted the urge to frown again but she still sighed.

Who exactly is this person? It’s like he appeared out of nowhere. He’s definitely not a new genius, otherwise, the whole world would’ve heard of him. He also wasn’t in the war three hundred years ago so where did he come from? Is he just an expert who has been in seclusion this whole time?

With so many questions and so few answers, she couldn’t help but glance at Shao Qinglian. Out of everyone here, she was clearly the calmest.

“Sect Master, who exactly is this person?” Li Yifan asked.

The people in the surrounding tuned in their ears, they were curious as well.

Shao Qinglian was surprised. Although she had expected this question, she didn’t think it would come from Li Yifan.

Looks like even Junior Sister can’t escape from his charms…

Unaware of her misunderstanding, she calmly cleared her throat and nodded, “This Senio-uh, person, is Ji Xian. He was the one who healed Junior Sister Fang Yu.”

Her words instantly created a commotion.

“So it was due to Senior Ji Xian that the First Yin Pavilion Master was able to wake up.”

“The Ardent Yin Sect owes this Senior a great debt…”

“Why isn’t the Sect Master using formalities when saying his name? Do they have some kind of relation?”

“If only we’d been able to get Senior Ji Xian’s help earlier, we wouldn’t need to waste so many resources on those useless pervy physicians.

As words flew and gossip spread, standing behind the crowd of women was the forgotten Yue Li. A bitter smile appeared on his face. All the years that he’d spent helping Fang Yu to get Shao Qinglian’s favor seems to have all gone to waste. While he was burning with fury on the inside, what could he do? The other person was a Pseudo Saint, he could only admit defeat.

The handsome assistant standing beside him was quietly still. A nervous light flashed through his eyes and he tried his best to appear invisible.

Li Yifan didn’t have much of a reaction but she was inwardly shocked.

Ji? Is this a coincidence? He shares the same surname as that clan!

Her eyes turned sharp and her gaze locked on to Ji Xian.

He was standing in front of Fang Yu, silently looking at the purple sky.

“Shit… that’s a big cloud. I think I may have overdone it. Why do I feel like I’m polluting… that’s not right it’s made from True Essence.”

“The explosions are getting kind of annoying…”

“Hm?”

As Ji Xian was muttering to himself, he suddenly sensed something.

He looked over and his gaze met with Li Yifan.

He chuckled before giving her a wink. Then, he moved his attention back to the sky.

“How big can this cloud get…?” Ji Xian ruffled his hair and childishly wondered.

Fang Yu curiously looked at him in amusement. The smile on her face has slowly gotten wider over time.

Back at the Core Yin Pavilion, Li Yifan frowned.

It’s not right, his eyes are black…. Could it really just be a coincidence?