Cultivating To Immortality

The first day of the sixth month, an auspicious day for fasting and prayer.

The Sword Wiping Assembly was officially opened, set to take place on the Sword Debate Platform of Wipe Sword Peak.

Wipe Sword Peak actually consists of four peaks: one main peak and three secondary peaks.

At the cloud-covered summit of the main peak, a gigantic stone sword stood tall.

The body of the stone sword was densely inscribed with characters, and upon closer inspection, one would find that most of them read, "So-and-so Disciple defeated So-and-so Disciple here."

Some of these inscriptions had been crossed out.

When there was animosity between Disciples of the Sect, mere verbal sparring couldn’t resolve the dispute.

Only by competing in a duel could one make the opponent shut up obediently.

The defeated Cultivator would also Cultivate even harder, hoping to one day avenge their shame.

This is how the fierce and competitive atmosphere of Wipe Sword Peak gradually formed.

Song Yan walked up the mountain path to the main peak, and halfway there, he met Li Qingfeng and Sun Zhengfu.

The few of them chatted as they walked upwards together.

The Lord of Wipe Sword Peak was named Luo Xiaming. This Elder Luo seemed to have a fondness for bamboo, as the path was lined with various, distinct bamboo forests.

Originally, the small bamboo forest path was tranquil and serene, and the Concept within it was indeed suitable for those who cultivated the Dao of the Sword.

However, today was different; Cultivators from the six peaks participating in the Sword-Wiping Tournament had gathered here, and the path was filled with Disciples from various peaks, their discussions rising and falling in waves.

There was no need to release Divine Sense to hear those discussions clearly.

Most of them were discussing which Disciples would stand out in the selection phase of this Sword Wiping Assembly, and which few Disciples might secure a spot in the top twelve rankings of the duel phase.

"Senior Sister Yuwen Yao of Lianyou Peak, Senior Brother Senior Brother Kong You of Zuowang Peak..."

Several names were repeatedly mentioned by the surrounding Cultivators.

Among these, Song Yan’s name was occasionally brought up.

"I heard that Song Yan of Wipe Sword Peak previously defeated Senior Brother Senior Brother Kong You on the Sword Debate Platform. He will likely have a place in the top twelve rankings this time."

"No way? Hasn’t it only been a little over a year since this Song Yan was promoted to Inner Sect Disciple?"

"Could it be that he had some extraordinary Opportunity and has already Broken Through to Level 8 Qi Refining?"

After Changping, Song Yan’s name had become known to many Disciples in the Qi Refinement Stage, and some even brought up the previous incident in Jiran Valley.

It was widely rumored that this person’s three Spiritual Root talent was unremarkable, and he shouldn’t have such a fast cultivation speed.

"That’s not true..."

"Perhaps Senior Brother Senior Brother Kong You suppressed his Realm or spiritual power?"

"You say this person has a chance to achieve a minor ranking in this Sword-Wiping Tournament, which isn’t impossible, but to defeat Senior Brother Senior Brother Kong You with Qi Refining Stage Seventh Level strength, and talk about the top twelve... isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?"

The surrounding discussions reached the ears of the three.

However, Song Yan showed no reaction; instead, Senior Brother Sun Zhengfu was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Speaking of which, I have a close friend who Cultivates on Demon Subduing Peak. We had a small gathering a few days ago, and during the meal, we talked about this Sword-Wiping Tournament. I heard there are three spots available to enter Demon Subduing Peak."

He said seriously, "Junior Brother Song, with your strength, if you try your best, it’s not impossible."

"In the past, Demon Subduing Peak’s selection process for new recruits involved Layers rigorous screening, with requirements for age and Realm. The Sect would even dispatch several Foundation Establishment Realm Senior Brothers specifically for the assessment."

"Currently, the Sword-Wiping Tournament is probably the closest we ordinary Disciples will get to Demon Subduing Peak."

Demon Subduing Peak is comprised of the most elite Disciples of the same generation selected from the various main peaks.

Among the tens of thousands of official Disciples in the Cave Abyss Sect, the highest number of people on Demon Subduing Peak in the same year over the past three hundred years was only thirty-seven.

Among nearly a thousand people, only one could emerge.

"I’ll do my best."

This time at the Sword-Wiping Tournament, besides killer moves like Sword Dao True Essence, Song Yan truly did not want to hold back anything.

On one hand, it was to strive for the greatest resource benefits as a reward, and on the other, it was to test the results of his cultivation.

Cultivation itself is Heaven-Defying; without the ambition to contend with others, one cannot achieve great things.

Moreover, he cultivated the Dao of the Sword, which is about moving forward without hesitation, and thus requires even more courageous diligence.

At the summit of Wipe Sword Peak’s main peak, Disciples from the six peaks gathered, a bustling crowd, extraordinarily lively.

Several Elders were seated below the giant stone sword, currently chatting and laughing amongst themselves.

Granny Qin was also among them.

Looking around, the other areas were fully packed, and one particular section was filled with female Disciples, a lively assembly of beautiful women, attracting the gaze of many other Disciples.

This was naturally the seating area for Lianyou Peak.

Song Yan glanced over a few times and saw Junior Sister Gu Qingqing and Yang Yuerong chatting about something, with Xiang Zhaoling seated beside them.

She was bored, and a girl beside her was actually fast asleep amidst such a lively scene.

Seemingly uninterested in the two girls’ conversation, she slightly raised her head and looked around, just as her gaze met Song Yan’s.

She smiled broadly and waved at him.

Song Yan didn’t know what to say, so he simply nodded in response.

A moment later, the opening ceremony of the Sword Wiping Assembly officially began. From the Elder’s seating, an Elder Song Yan had never seen before read out the rules, procedures, and Precautions.

Initially, the Disciples listened intently, afraid of missing even a single phrase.

But after a moment, only a few people were still listening seriously.

It was all formalities, with no special content.

The surrounding chatter and discussions gradually increased.

"Sigh, what kind of dog-shit Luck did this generation of new Disciples have? The selection phase of this Sword-Wiping Tournament is actually being held in the Small World Secret Realm."

"Why bother arguing with them? They’ll just be fooling around in there."

"If I had had the chance to enter it during my Sword-Wiping Tournament back then, who knows..."

Such discussions occurred among the Disciple seats of the various peaks.

Some of the older generation Disciples seemed to have strong opinions about this.

Not all Disciples were able to participate in this Sword-Wiping Tournament.

Most Cultivators in the early and Middle Stage of Qi Refining, being more self-aware, generally only observed.

However, according to information from well-informed Inner Sect Disciples, even with numerous restrictions such as age and cultivation level, approximately one thousand six hundred Cultivators participated in this Sword-Wiping Tournament.

These were basically the new generation of Disciples after the previous generation of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

It’s no wonder these older generation Disciples were narrow-minded; anyone would feel it was a bit unfair.

Granny Qin had told her about this Small Blessed Realm.

This was actually a Spirit Treasure in the hands of the Cave Abyss Sect’s Sect Master, Daoist Lijun. It contained a Small World, rich in Spiritual Qi, with many Opportunities.

It was usually used as a reward for outstanding Inner Sect Disciples to Cultivate, but unexpectedly, it was being used for selection this time.

Its internal space was unknown, but for these Disciples to perform the Sword-Wiping Tournament within it, it would likely only be a small area.

One day of Cultivation within it could be equivalent to three or four days of Cultivation outside. If one found rare Materials of the Four Daos through Opportunity and Luck, there was no need to hand them over to the Sect; they would all belong to the individual.

Legend has it that three True Disciples in the Foundation Establishment Realm of the Cave Abyss Sect Cultivated there year-round.

However, whether the rumors were true or false, no one knew.

Soon, the opening ceremony came to an end.