Chapter 114: His Name Is Yang Fengge

Li Muqiu realized he had spoken out of turn. The Sacred Land had stood peerless since the Great War of Immortals and Demons ten thousand years ago. After ten millennia of development, its foundation had become unfathomable. Even the mere tip of the iceberg revealed today was enough to make all other factions tremble and submit, not to mention the existence of its hidden minor worlds and the legendary masters who guarded them.

Setting aside the might of the Sacred Land’s Immortal Dao Alliance, even the four Minor Sacred Lands were behemoths in the eyes of the Qingchi Sword Sect. Each one required the sect to tread with caution and look up in reverence, let alone the illustrious and formidable Sacred Land itself.

Yet, remembering that ten thousand years ago, the four great sword sects were the overlords of the Southern Continent—though slightly inferior to the Sacred Land, they were still peers capable of standing toe-to-toe with the four Minor Sacred Lands—he felt a surge of indignation. Helpless, he could only let out a faint, cold snort. "Aside from Yun Fan, did these five late-stage Guiyuan youths all receive Grade A ratings in the ten Qingchi trials?"

"Indeed. In addition to those four children who all achieved Grade A, Yang Qi of the Yang family also earned a Grade A rating."

"What? Yang Qi of the Yang family actually achieved a Grade A rating as well?" Li Muqiu asked with a hint of surprise. Realizing his lack of composure, he added, "Good, very good. It is truly rare for the Yang family to have three children earn Grade A ratings... Hmm, so that means there are six individuals at the late-stage Guiyuan level in this Tower of Heaven trial?"

Mu Chen observed Li Muqiu’s solemn expression and smiled faintly. "Correct. The candidates this time possess generally high strength. This recruitment is of extraordinary significance to our Qingchi Sword Sect, as it is the first time we have opened our doors to the entire Southern Continent. Previously, like other factions, we only recruited from our own territories. This time, we followed the example of the Huashan Sword Sect and cast our gaze across the entire continent."

"In truth, I had no choice. The Huashan Sword Sect has developed too rapidly and gained too much momentum over the past century. If we do not act, I fear that in a few hundred or a thousand years, there will be a fifth Minor Sacred Land in the Southern Continent."

"I hope that through this method, we can gather more individuals with exceptional talent to strengthen our Qingchi. However, our recruitment will be strictly governed. Unless a candidate truly has the ability to pass the Tower of Heaven trials, I will not allow anyone into Qingchi, regardless of whose face I might have to snub."

Li Muqiu understood the implication. Mu Chen was still expressing disapproval over his decision to bring Che Wuyou back. However, this recruitment was a critical moment for Qingchi. Li Muqiu knew that if he insisted on having Che Wuyou join, he could likely override the opposition in the Elder Council. Yet, that would be counterproductive; as the Sect Master, he could not be the one to break the rules.

Furthermore, he felt it unnecessary to clash with Mu Chen over a mere junior. As for keeping Che Wuyou in Qingchi to treat his daughter, he could simply offer him some incentives later, and the boy would surely be grateful. Still, if Che Wuyou truly possessed the ability to heal his daughter, he felt it would be a debt he owed the boy.

Li Muqiu shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. He said earnestly, "Second Brother is right. The Huashan Sword Sect has grown arrogant in recent years, acting as if they are the heads of the four sword sects. I hear they have recruited a batch of highly talented youths this time as well. We cannot let the Qingchi Sword Sect be completely overshadowed, especially with the four-sect tournament five years away. Even the people from the Sacred Land are paying close attention to that event."

***

On the first floor of the Tower of Heaven, Yun Fan’s formidable strike had stunned everyone. Though Yun Fan’s Qiankun bag was tempting, after seeing someone as powerful as Yang Shi defeated, no one dared to make a move against him.

At that moment, a thunderous boom echoed from the sky. It was as if a massive hole had opened in the ceiling of the first floor. A thick, solid beam of light shot down, and from within it descended a giant over three meters tall, carrying a massive sword on his back. His body was bare, forged like refined steel, and he descended slowly while bathed in the light.

The steel giant landed and let out a heaven-shaking roar—a hollow, piercing sound that lacked any sign of life. Under the shocked and terrified gazes of the crowd, the giant opened his eyes, which burned with red flames. He glared at them with cold, murderous intent and bellowed, "I am the guardian puppet of the first floor of the Tower of Heaven. If you wish to reach the second floor, defeat me. If you are defeated by me, there is only one outcome: death. Ah, ah, ah!"

As he roared, the steel giant pounded his chest with his fists like hammers. The deafening booms caused the timid to turn pale. If the first floor was this difficult, what would the second and third floors be like? Some even considered giving up on the spot; there was no need to lose one's life just to enter Qingchi.

As everyone looked at one another in hesitation, a figure moved. His pace was neither fast nor slow. He walked like a lone warrior or a proud, solitary sword immortal, moving step by step toward the steel giant. The aura he gathered grew stronger with every step, until it finally pressed down upon the steel giant like a raging tide.

"It’s him..." The pupils of everyone present constricted. Aside from his simple displays during the ten Qingchi trials, this was the first time they had seen him face a threat head-on. What was he doing? Faced with such a ferocious steel giant, everyone else was thinking of a group assault. Was he attempting to take him on alone?

"Yang Fengge..." Li Zhen, Ye Xuan, and other top-tier geniuses watched the figure facing the giant alone. He was truly worthy of being called the most remarkable talent to emerge from the Yang family in a century. This courage to face everything alone already put him leagues ahead of the rest.

"Get out of my way!" Yang Fengge looked coldly at the steel giant, the murderous intent erupting from his body even more intense than that of the giant himself.

"Little brat, you are courting death!" The steel giant emitted a harsh, metallic screech. Seemingly sensing that his opponent was not to be trifled with, he slowly drew the massive sword from his back, gripped it tightly in both hands, and pointed the tip directly at Yang Fengge—at the cold and proud youth.