Chapter 313 – Shifts in the Prodigy Rankings, Countless Prodigies Flood Into the Heavenly Abyss Army! [8k]

Chapter 313 – Shifts in the Prodigy Rankings, Countless Prodigies Flood Into the Heavenly Abyss Army! [8k]

In the Real World, Su Xing frowned slightly upon seeing this.

“Two aliens comparable to late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm… even a Peak Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator wouldn’t dare underestimate them!”

Su Xing smacked his lips. Having too great a reputation still came with its risks.

“With my strength… perhaps I could trigger No Martial Virtue to instantly kill one alien, then slowly wear down the remaining one?”

Su Xing frowned slightly. He was confident he could escape unscathed from two aliens comparable to late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm, but if he fled, what would happen to the Heavenly Abyss Army under his command?

“At this point… the only option is to fight!”

Intense battle intent flashed in Su Xing’s eyes. Against opponents like these, even a single moment of carelessness could mean death!

But if… he could handle this properly, Su Xing might just turn disaster into fortune and advance further in the Sword Dao!

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【Facing two ferocious Greater Divine Power aliens, you showed not the slightest hint of fear.】

【Looking back at your fellow soldiers behind you, their faces bore no trace of cowardice either — only fanatical worship and battle intent directed at you!】

【Clearly, even when facing two Greater Divine Power aliens, these soldiers placed their mad trust in you…】

【You did not betray their trust. Handing command to your Earthly Immortal realm vice-commander, you leaped into the air and engaged the two alien gods in battle!】

【Three thousand Protective Sword Auras surged forth simultaneously, forming an impenetrable defense around your body. The Blackice sword in your hand hummed softly — you could feel her burning battle intent…】

【You swept your sword upward, unleashing a sky-shaking sword radiance that shot straight toward the terrifying Greater Divine Power alien!】

【Where your sword radiance pointed, this alien god stood a full thousand zhang (3.33 km) tall, as imposing as a mountain. A flash of disdain crossed his eyes.】

【He couldn’t understand why the higher-ups would place such importance on a mere early-stage Heavenly Immortal realm human.】

【He extended his palm — broad and thick as a small hill — intending to swat away the sword radiance you had unleashed.】

【But as it drew near, he felt a terrifying threat, his palm stinging with pain…】

【The alien god hastily channeled his energy, a shroud of black qi covering his palm, seemingly trying to devour the sword radiance…】

【However, your mastery of the Sword Dao was no longer what it once was. This sword radiance was condensed and unyielding — though it appeared to be a casual strike, the power contained within was nothing short of terrifying!】

【The black energy covered the sword radiance and slightly slowed its speed, but his palm was ultimately struck…】

【With a sharp tearing sound, the sword radiance pierced through his palm. Half a hand along with four fingers fell like boulders, and foul-smelling blood splattered upon the earth, pooling into rivers of crimson…】

【The alien god let out a miserable scream, veins bulging on his forehead. Staring at his severed half-palm, his face contorted with rage…】

【Thirty thousand Heavenly Abyss Army soldiers, witnessing you grievously wound an alien god with a single sword strike, waved their banners and roared their cheers, rallying your momentum…】

【However, before you could rejoice, your expression quickly darkened.】

【Black qi enveloped the alien god’s hand, and in mere moments, the palm had fully regrown, identical to before…】

【This alien god’s terrifying regenerative ability left you deeply astonished…】

Seeing this, Su Xing frowned slightly and murmured:

“Regeneration? This alien god is truly troublesome…”

“A powerful Body Tempering cultivator… could also regrow severed limbs, but at an enormous cost…”

“I wonder whether this alien’s limb regeneration is a racial trait, or an ability granted by its divine office?”

Su Xing felt a growing sense of unease.

A single Greater Divine Power alien was already this troublesome, and on the battlefield, Su Xing had to face two alien gods!

“Looks like I’ll need to find an opportunity to take one out first…”

His gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【Seeing the alien regrow its severed limb, a grave expression settled on your face. You then produced a pill and swallowed it!】

【The Spirit Awakening Pill entered your stomach, vastly enhancing your comprehension, and you simultaneously activated the Great Wisdom state!】

【Dealing with these two alien gods would not be a quick affair — a perfect opportunity to hone your swordsmanship!】

【After taking the Spirit Awakening Pill, you gripped the Blackice sword, and with each flick and sweep, several more blades of sword radiance slashed forth…】

【Having learned from before, the alien god clearly refused to take them head-on. His entire body dissolved into black mist and vanished from his original position…】

【The sword radiance pierced through the black mist and carved into several distant mountains.】

【Mountains ten thousand zhang (33.3 km) tall were cleaved apart as cleanly as tofu. The peaks toppled and the earth began to collapse…】

【Having missed your target, you were about to press the attack when you suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain at the center of your brow.】

【You hastily deployed your embryonic Spirit Domain, and your figure flickered as you vanished from your original position…】

【Where you had just stood, a figure roughly one zhang (3.33 m) tall appeared.】

【This was the other Greater Divine Power alien god! And judging by its ambush tactics, it was likely an entity that had mastered a space-related divine office!】

【Now, these two alien gods operated in tandem — one in the open, one in the shadows. One confronted you directly while the other lurked in concealment, constantly launching lethal ambushes…】

【Facing such troublesome enemies, you instantly expanded your embryonic Spirit Domain!】

【In that moment, wood, fire, thunder, sword, space, causality-fate, and speed — nine types of Dao origin flooded the area within a hundred zhang (333 m)…】

【Within this embryonic Spirit Domain, you could effortlessly perform instantaneous teleportation, and both your strength and speed received tremendous boosts!】

【With a thought, a bolt of thunder descended from the Nine Heavens, circling within a hundred zhang (333 m) around you. Through these lightning flashes, you could detect the ambushes of the one-zhang (3.33 m)-tall alien god lurking in the shadows…】

【With the embryonic Spirit Domain deployed, you gained an additional layer of defense. You could now focus on eliminating the thousand-zhang (3.33 km) alien god in the open first…】

【Just as you dodged aside, the thousand-zhang (3.33 km)-tall figure moved. Despite his colossal size, his speed was far from slow… He threw a punch, his fist expanding several times over in mid-air, and a terrifying gale of force crashed toward you head-on.】

【Facing this ferocious blow, you did not retreat. Instead, you drew a deep breath as primordial energy coiled around your body…】

【The primordial energy flower within your body spun frantically. Terrifying physical strength combined with primordial energy — over ten thousand units of the power of mountains and rivers… erupted forth!】

【Boom boom boom!】

【The two fists collided, and the surroundings shook as if struck by a magnitude-nine earthquake… The earth split open its gaping maw, swallowing the lives around it…】

【Magma burst from underground like erupting volcanoes. Rivers poured into the magma layer, sending up wisps of white steam that obscured both sides’ vision…】

【After taking that punch, your body was sent flying dozens of li before you barely managed to stop against a mountain peak.】

【On the other side, the alien god was also knocked down by your punch. The bones in his fist shattered, and he lay on the ground unable to rise for some time…】

【In terms of raw power, the opponent’s strength was clearly more than double yours!】

【But in terms of physical durability, he was far inferior to you wrapped in primordial energy…】

【All in all, this exchange of blows was a draw.】

【But you felt no joy, because within a hundred zhang (333 m), lightning had begun to flicker — the alien god lurking in the shadows had launched another ambush!】

In the Real World, Su Xing frowned slightly upon seeing this.

“One alien god specializing in Body Tempering, acting as a meat shield? And another lurking in the shadows for ambushes… this is going to be tough!”

“With my current Body Tempering strength, combined with primordial energy… a full ten thousand units of the power of mountains and rivers. But the opponent is also a Greater Divine Power alien, comparable to a late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm Body Tempering cultivator. It’s normal for their strength to surpass mine…”

“…So, should I use that technique?”

Su Xing hesitated briefly.

The Wu Clan — darlings of heaven and earth from dozens of cosmic cycles ago!

Their terrifying physical constitution and strength made them supreme among all living beings!

The supernatural art that all Body Tempering cultivators in the cultivation world worshipped — Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation — was derived from the Wu Clan!

Therefore, at the same cultivation level, Su Xing’s physical strength was clearly superior to ordinary Body Tempering cultivators…

Though he couldn’t match this alien god, if he used Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation to grow his body to a hundred zhang (333 m), Su Xing’s strength would multiply several times over, enough to crush this alien god!

“But… if I use Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation, my body becomes a hundred zhang (333 m) tall, making me an easy target for the other alien god’s ambushes. That could become truly dangerous…”

Su Xing frowned slightly. The gain in strength came at the cost of becoming a bigger target, and thus more vulnerable to attacks.

After deliberating, Su Xing decided not to deploy Heaven and Earth Dharma Manifestation for now. If he could kill the other alien god first, it wouldn’t be too late to use it then!

Having settled on his tactics, Su Xing turned his gaze back to the simulation panel.

【After the lightning flashed, you detected the position of that alien god…】

【But it was already too late to dodge. You could only raise your Protective Sword Aura to full power to block…】

【A blade-like flash of light swept toward your neck.】

【However, the Protective Sword Aura held firm against this strike… After a flash of sparks, the alien god’s expression changed drastically, and his figure flickered as he retreated ten thousand zhang (33.3 km)…】

【Having successfully blocked the ambush, you breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned again.】

【That single ambush alone had cost you eight hundred Protective Sword Auras!】

【From the original three thousand Protective Sword Auras, only two thousand two hundred remained, and they could not be restored in the short term…】

【Had that strike landed on your physical body, even if it didn’t kill you, you would have suffered grievous injuries.】

【This made you even more vigilant — you absolutely had to deal with this “rat” lurking in the shadows first!】

【And so, the fierce battle raged on… A clash between gods and immortals — combat at this level could not be resolved quickly.】

【In the blink of an eye, three days and three nights had passed!】

【After three days and nights of high-intensity combat, an ordinary immortal would have long been exhausted…】

【But the Wu Clan Bloodline within you kept your battle spirit burning at all times, and your Celestial Unity Realm divine soul ensured you could sustain the mental strain of high-intensity combat!】

【You unleashed another sword strike, forcing back the aggressive thousand-zhang (3.33 km) alien god. Between nimble movements, you dodged yet another ambush from the shadows…】

【Over three days, this scenario had repeated countless times… The strain of Dual Focus made it impossible for you to fight at full power!】

【What troubled you even more was not your own battle… but the alien army, outnumbering the Heavenly Abyss Army several times over, inflicting devastating casualties…】

【After three days, you knew reinforcements would likely never arrive. You could only rely on yourself!】

【So, seizing gaps between exchanges, you unleashed several more blades of sword radiance. The crisscrossing radiance fell upon the alien army, and in an instant, tens of thousands of aliens perished under the sword qi…】

【Having temporarily eased the pressure on the Heavenly Abyss Army, the momentary distraction in battle left you vulnerable to yet another ambush.】

【A white flash like Spatial Severance struck against your protective primordial energy. To conserve sword intent, you chose not to deploy your sword aura, instead letting it slowly recover for a chance to deliver a fatal blow to the aliens…】

【The defensive power of protective primordial energy was clearly far inferior to Protective Sword Aura. The white flash pierced through the primordial energy, leaving you with significant injuries…】

【But you did not retreat, continuing to search for your opportunity…】

【And so, another two days passed…】

【On the fifth day of battle, you appeared to be running out of stamina. Under the relentless assault of the two alien gods, you had fallen to a disadvantage.】

【Seeing you gradually being suppressed, the two alien gods began launching their attacks with reckless abandon… The one hiding in the shadows was no longer as cautious as before.】

【You knew the moment was approaching…】

【So you waited patiently, your comprehension of the Sword Dao continuously deepening throughout the battle.】

【And your Protective Sword Aura had recovered to a full three thousand once more…】

【On the tenth day of battle, you deliberately exposed an opening. The alien god’s fist slammed you deep into the earth. Seeing the other alien rush in to finish you off, you did not hesitate — three thousand Protective Sword Auras erupted all at once!】

【This sudden counterattack caught it completely off guard. The No Martial Virtue talent triggered successfully, and the sword aura moved at astonishing speed… instantly piercing through the body of that Greater Divine Power alien!】

【This shadow-dwelling alien god had a relatively weaker constitution, and under the sword aura, it died instantly!】

【At the same time, a mysterious energy drifted from its body, seemingly trying to fly toward the distance…】

【You recognized it immediately — this energy was the alien god’s divine office and divinity, an existence that could be converted into Great Dao laws!】

【You cast a technique to trap this energy and tossed it into your spirit field grotto-heaven…】

【After ten days of bitter fighting, you had finally eliminated one alien god. Now only one remained — a single alien god comparable to the late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm!】

【On the battlefield, the tide had turned!】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief upon seeing this.

“Tactics really are crucial! The old trick of feigning weakness… it works on everyone!”

Su Xing nodded with satisfaction and murmured:

“But the effect of my Spirit Awakening Pill hasn’t worn off yet… I should use this remaining god as a whetstone to sharpen my sword intent!”

Su Xing was in no rush. He planned to seize this opportunity to advance his swordsmanship even further!

With that thought, Su Xing turned his gaze to the simulation panel.

【The death of its companion — also a Greater Divine Power being — sent a shock through the thousand-zhang (3.33 km)-tall god… Fear flickered in its eyes, as if it wanted to flee…】

【But how could you let such a prime opportunity slip away? You immediately leaped into the air and tangled with this Greater Divine Power alien god in close combat…】

【The Blackice sword in your hand danced in an impenetrable flurry, wave after wave of terrifying sword radiance sweeping outward, as if even the surrounding air had frozen still.】

【Ten more days and nights passed just like this!】

【Over these ten days, the two of you fought across thirty thousand li (15,000 km), leaving the earth cracked and split in your wake—every fissure carved by your sword radiance!】

【After ten days, both you and this alien god had grown somewhat weary. He fled while you pursued, clearly unwilling to let him escape!】

【On this day, your battle carried you into an expanse of sprawling mountain ranges. A thought stirred in your mind as immortal power of both wood and fire gathered in your hands, quickly condensing into a spiraling vortex of energy…】

【Wood nurturing fire, combined with the Great Dao of Fire and Essence of Wood woven within—its destructive power was nothing short of terrifying!】

【The Five Elements Immortal Burst traced a rapid arc through the air and smashed into the alien god’s skull, causing it excruciating pain as its left eye was blasted apart…】

【The god crashed to the ground in agony, its body crushing a thousand-zhang (3.33 km) mountain into collapse beside it, sending countless birds scattering in terror…】

【You—one person, one sword—slashed out countless streaks of sword radiance once more, sealing off every escape route…】

【Terrifying sword radiance carved countless wounds across its body… but this alien’s hide was thick and its flesh tough, and within moments its injuries had already mostly healed.】

【And so the two of you battled fiercely for another ten days, as the effects of your Spirit Awakening Pill gradually faded…】

【This month of continuous combat had deepened your comprehension of the Sword Dao by another level, equivalent to a hundred years of bitter cultivation!】

【Your understanding of the Sword Dao was now only a single step away from Initial Glimpse…】

In the Real World, Su Xing let out a long breath of relief at seeing this.

“My comprehension of the Sword Dao… has finally made considerable progress… just one more step to reach the Initial Glimpse realm!”

“Cultivation realm may be the foundation… but supernatural arts cannot be neglected either!”

“Protective Sword Aura is my strongest offensive technique right now… only by continuing to advance in the Sword Dao can I guarantee invincibility within my realm, or even fight across realms!”

Su Xing estimated that reaching Sword Dao Initial Glimpse in this simulation shouldn’t be a problem.

That was a realm ordinary sword cultivators needed ten thousand years of tempering to achieve!

But for Su Xing, who possessed the Innate Sword Physique, a mere hundred years would suffice!

“Once the Spirit Awakening Pill’s effects wear off… it’s time to finish off this alien god for good!”

Su Xing murmured, his gaze turning to the simulation panel.

【As the Spirit Awakening Pill’s effects gradually dissipated, you decided not to continue fighting drawn-out battles…】

【So you steadied your breath, and all three thousand Protective Sword Auras slashed out in unison!】

【In an instant, a sky full of sword radiance pierced through the alien god’s thousand-zhang (3.33 km) body…】

【Unwillingness, fear, regret—emotions flickered across its face… as the alien god collapsed to the ground, dying with bitter reluctance!】

【After slaying the alien god, you waited by its corpse for a moment. Sure enough, a strand of mysterious energy drifted out. You collected it, then headed off to rejoin the Heavenly Abyss Army!】

【At this point, the Heavenly Abyss Army and the hundreds of thousands of alien soldiers were locked in fierce, evenly-matched combat…】

【Having not seen you for half a month, the Heavenly Abyss Army’s morale had slipped somewhat.】

【But the moment you appeared, every soldier in the Heavenly Abyss Army understood—you had won!】

【With mere early-stage Heavenly Immortal realm strength, you had slain two alien gods possessing Greater Divine Power in defiance of the gap between you!】

【The Heavenly Abyss Army’s morale surged to unprecedented heights!】

【And you, Blackice sword in hand, joined the pursuit and slaughter of the alien army…】

【This pursuit lasted a full three months!】

【This battle was a resounding victory!】

【By your strength alone, you had slain two alien gods with Greater Divine Power!】

【The Heavenly Abyss Army suffered thirteen thousand casualties… yet had slain one million three hundred and seventy thousand aliens!】

【When you led the Heavenly Abyss Army back to Celestial Demon City, the entire city erupted in jubilant celebration!】

【You basked in the worshipful gazes of these cultivators and ordered your adjutant to recruit more cultivators into the Heavenly Abyss Army!】

【Of the thirty thousand Heavenly Abyss Army soldiers, over eight thousand had been severely wounded and five thousand killed in this battle… a casualty ratio that was already heaven-defying!】

【But even the Heavenly Abyss Army under your command could not claim zero casualties…】

【After all, war… always claims lives!】

【Even knowing the dangers, countless cultivators still wished to join the Heavenly Abyss Army. Partly because your reputation was so great that they came from far and wide seeking you out…】

【But of course, the most critical reason was the Heavenly Abyss Army’s excellent compensation! At equivalent cultivation levels… the pay was nearly double that of other armies!】

【After delegating various external matters, you turned away all visitors and announced a period of closed cultivation to digest the insights gained from this battle…】

【Year ninety-one. After half a year of closed cultivation, you successfully emerged, having thoroughly digested the insights from your previous battle!】

【The only thing you found somewhat regrettable was that you were still some distance from Sword Dao Initial Glimpse…】

【On your second day out of seclusion, the city lord of Celestial Demon City sent over a piece of intelligence. You took one look and immediately broke into a grin…】

【It was the newest edition of the Prodigy List!】

【The Prodigy List rankings typically remained unchanged for centuries… Only when a prodigy’s ranking shifted or a new prodigy emerged would the Celestial Secrets Pavilion issue a supplementary update…】

【Yet in the span of just over a decade, the Prodigy List had issued a second supplement because of you! Its significance spoke for itself!】

【You took out the intelligence and read the latest information…】

【Su Ye, Human List rank twenty. Early-stage Heavenly Immortal realm cultivation, dual cultivator of qi and body, Sword Immortal… In the most recent battle, led the Heavenly Abyss Army into an alien ambush… fought alone with one sword for a full month, single-handedly slaying two alien gods comparable to late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm. True combat strength approaching Peak Heavenly Immortal realm!】

Su Xing’s lips curved upward slightly as he saw the new Prodigy List rankings.

“It seems that after making a name for myself… the Celestial Secrets Pavilion is paying me a lot more attention! They figured out my battle record in just a few months…”

“Twentieth on the Prodigy List’s Human List, huh? That does match my current true strength…”

Su Xing estimated that even if he fought with everything he had, using No Martial Virtue, he could at most slay a Peak Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator, and afterward… he would certainly be severely wounded, perhaps even taking his enemy down with him in mutual destruction!

At absolute best, Su Xing would rank around fifteenth on the Human List and no higher…

Of course, if you factored in Su Xing’s age, that would be a different story entirely…

“Still, as my cultivation continues to rise… I should be able to climb a few more spots!”

Su Xing nodded slightly. This single battle had shot his ranking up by twenty-eight positions—a dramatic leap by any measure!

With his fame spreading far and wide, it would inevitably bring even more benefits… perhaps even prodigious cultivators from other worlds would come seeking him out!

If so, would the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm’s overall strength rise even further?

“Tsk tsk… looks like this simulation has plenty of room to work with!”

Su Xing blinked, a new plan taking shape in his mind.

His gaze turned to the simulation panel.

【News of your twentieth-place ranking on the Prodigy List spread quickly… Every cultivator in the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm learned that their realm had produced a true prodigy!】

【If you did not perish, achieving True Immortal or Mystic Immortal in the future would be well within reach… and even Golden Immortal was not beyond the realm of possibility!】

【After that battle, you became more measured, no longer throwing yourself into desperate frontline engagements or leading troops deep into enemy territory…】

【Firstly, because your trump card No Martial Virtue had already been used. Secondly, the aliens would surely have even larger ambushes waiting for you—charging recklessly into enemy lines now would be unwise…】

【Over the following years, you continued to lead your troops in frontline battles, but only fought engagements where you held clear advantages…】

【Throughout this process, you continuously deepened your comprehension of the Sword Dao!】

【Year ninety-eight. On this day, a Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator came seeking you out…】

【This was a mid-stage Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator who primarily practiced lightning arts! He was ranked forty-seventh on the Prodigy List, and his name was Qin Lei!】

【This Qin Lei was a burly, rough-hewn man who came wanting to challenge you the moment he arrived! For this, he was willing to put up five million drops of high-grade spirit liquid as stakes for the challenge!】

【You were not surprised by this!】

【By the Prodigy List’s established customs, a cultivator ranked lower could challenge a higher-ranked cultivator by offering a certain price!】

【Such challenges were legitimate and above-board, with no harm to either party’s life permitted… but you also had the right to refuse!】

【After some deliberation, you chose not to refuse the challenge, but instead proposed a different condition!】

【If Qin Lei lost, he would not need to pay spirit liquid—instead, he would serve under you for fifty years, jointly resisting the alien forces!】

【Upon hearing your condition, Qin Lei was filled with shame at his own inadequacy, feeling you were a person of noble character—one who sought no wealth or resources, only to serve the human race!】

【Qin Lei naturally had no reason to refuse, and the battle erupted!】

【And you held nothing back, immediately unleashing all three thousand Protective Sword Auras—opening with your ultimate move!】

【You casually sent out three thousand Protective Sword Auras… the terrifying sword radiance nearly ending Qin Lei’s life in an instant!】

【Fortunately, at the critical moment you stayed your hand… choosing to disperse the sword aura… but Qin Lei had completely lost all will to fight!】

【Cold sweat poured down Qin Lei’s forehead. He was certain that under that single move, there was absolutely no chance of survival!】

【And seeing how effortlessly you had unleashed it, he assumed this was merely an ordinary strike from you…】

【And so, Qin Lei was utterly won over!】

【That very day, Qin Lei joined the Heavenly Abyss Army and became your adjutant!】

【The next day, Qin Lei publicly declared that the Prodigy List had ranked you too low… with your strength, you deserved to be in the top ten of the Human List!】

【You responded with a knowing smile, neither confirming nor denying it…】

【And with that, cultivators across the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm and the Three Thousand Worlds went even more wild!】

【Ranking in the Prodigy List’s top ten with mere early-stage Heavenly Immortal realm strength! Such a thing was unprecedented in tens of thousands of years!】

【If what Qin Lei said was true, your potential was more than sufficient to reach Golden Immortal… perhaps even Supreme Unity Golden Immortal!】

【And so, over the following years, more and more Prodigy List cultivators came seeking you out, challenging you…】

【In the span of just over a decade, you defeated three cultivators ranked in the top fifty of the Prodigy List… plus over ten more cultivators who weren’t on the Prodigy List but possessed Heavenly Immortal realm strength!】

【Every one of them was won over by you… voluntarily joining the Heavenly Abyss Army!】

【From this point on, the Heavenly Abyss Army’s strength was unprecedentedly formidable! Nearly rivaling the entirety of Celestial Demon City!】

【And correspondingly, the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm’s overall strength and number of high-realm cultivators more than doubled!】

In the Real World, Su Xing’s lips curved upward at seeing this.

“Not bad… the Prodigy List’s reputation really is something!”

“In just over twenty years, more than ten cultivators comparable to the Heavenly Immortal realm came to pledge their allegiance!”

“Setting everything else aside… this Qin Lei alone is ranked forty-seventh on the Prodigy List, which means he has at least late-stage Heavenly Immortal realm strength!”

“At this rate… the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm can definitely hold out much longer!”

Su Xing’s gaze returned to the simulation panel.

【Year one hundred and ten. As your fame continued to grow, many cultivators came seeking you out… The Lesser Azure Cloud Realm’s overall strength surged to unprecedented levels!】

【You were like a walking banner—every year, cultivators from other worlds came to challenge you, only to be smooth-talked into joining the Heavenly Abyss Army…】

【As the Heavenly Abyss Army’s strength continued to climb, the human race maintained a slight edge on the frontlines despite the red-eyed aliens’ ever-increasing power…】

【At the same time, your comprehension of the Sword Dao grew ever deeper. You needed only a single catalyst to fully break through into the Initial Glimpse realm!】

【And so, another twenty years passed…】

【Year one hundred and thirty. Your Qi Refinement cultivation finally advanced another step, reaching the second tier of the Heavenly Immortal realm!】

【From the first tier to the second tier of the Heavenly Immortal realm… even with daily practice of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art, it had still taken a full ninety years!】

【Of those, for over fifty years you had enjoyed the double bonus from Late Bloomer… effectively equivalent to over one hundred and forty years of cultivation!】

【This pace of cultivation made you all the more aware of how difficult it was for high-realm cultivators to advance!】

【For an ordinary Heavenly Immortal realm cultivator, progressing from the first tier to the second would require at least three thousand years of bitter cultivation!】

【Though one hundred and forty years was already remarkably fast, you were still not satisfied…】

【You understood that to cultivate even faster, you would need to master the third layer of the Zhengyi Breath Absorption Art to Perfection!】

【Year one hundred and thirty-five. As the red-eyed aliens’ numbers continued to swell, the Lesser Azure Cloud Realm gradually fell to a disadvantage…】

【This was despite your years of continuously recruiting talent… otherwise the aliens would have already crushed them completely.】

【Year one hundred and forty. One day, while you were in your cave dwelling contemplating the Sword Dao as usual, you poured immense focus and effort into every swing of your sword!】

【Finally, after one particular swing, you felt yourself slip into a wondrous state of being!】

【Like a spring gushing forth… countless sparks of inspiration came flooding in one after another!】

【You successfully triggered the Spontaneous Epiphany state!】

【You perceived the essence of all things, and the Sword Dao seemed to unfold before your eyes in perfect clarity…】

【Each swing of your sword became effortless beyond measure…】

【A certain shackle within your body seemed to shatter!】

【On the second day of your epiphany, your Sword Dao cultivation successfully advanced into the Initial Glimpse realm!】

【But the state of epiphany… continued on…】